The Sea Devils

23 Feb 2008, 12:32 pm
Dorney
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The Sea Devils 1:

One of the pleasures of working your way through the series is the way it surprises you. I don't think I've watched the Sea Devils since it was repeated on BBC2 some where in the mid nineties. In my head it was a lame, over-extended rewrite of the Silurians that added nothing new. It might still turn out like that, I suppose, but to my great surprise and delight episode one of this story is properly excellent.

The charm of this episode is, mainly, in the mass of incidental detail. There's an awful lot of plot to get through, yet the script constantly takes the time to add throw away lines that enrich the episode. For example, there's a lovely moment at the start when Trenchard complains that the Doctor and Jo are late, and Jo says they were held up with a little glance at the Doctor. It's not explained, it's just thrown away. But these sort of moments manage to imply that the story exists in its own world. There's a school of thought in writing that every sentence, every word, has to have a point. It's very true, but to my mind it's often misunderstood. People will cut anything that isn't neccessary to tell the story, and it leaves something shallow and rushed. Sometimes the entire point of a line or action is that it doesn't have a point. It's there to improve pace, to give the script colour and life. Cut everything but story and you end up with something that has no life beyond that. This little reference to something unseen implies clearly that the story has been going before we join it, meaning that we feel we've entered into an actual world, involving us, rather than dipping into a shallow pool. And the episode is full of little moments like this. Incidental characters like the boatman are given nice little parts. It all adds up. Even sequences that appear to merely be jokes add, most noticeably in the Clangers sequence. It immediately tells us that Trenchard underestimates the Master, and the Master over-estimates Trenchard (his contemptuous reaction to Trenchard missing his joke also underlines his lack of contrition more than his slightly contrived laughing fit when the Doctor leaves). Furthermore, there's also some lovely characterisation, with Trenchard being the most deftly sketched three dimensional figure the series has had for a while.

That's not to say the surface isn't good either. The initial mystery of the story is subtly laid in, after the slightly obvious opening sequence, built carefully, first as an aside from Trenchard that the Master then emphasises the importance of, with the eventual investigation turning up shortly afterwards. It's low key, which is fair enough given that we already have a good idea what's happened to the boats, but it still hooks you in, proving that a story doesn't need grand theatrics to grab the interest. The episode is a definite slow burner, but it firmly establishes premise and character. And the dialogue is gorgeous - the scene between the Master, the Doctor and Jo is an absolute delight, witty and fun, probably the best scene the Master's had to date. The casual bonhomie is a nice touch, and I think it's these sort of scenes that cements the Master as the Doctor's arch-enemy.

A corker.

#662 23 Feb 2008, 2:19 pm
Jeffster
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Good to see you're back on the review trail! I agree with you about Sea Devils 1. Great episode, and to me the story stays good and gets even better in the final part.

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#663 24 Feb 2008, 6:21 pm
Dorney
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The Sea Devils 2:

Well, another rather enjoyable episode. Once again, the joy is in the detail - Trenchard is coming over as a nicely well rounded character (his golf obssession, in particular, is such a pointless bit of information that it hugely grounds him as a real person), the episode is filled with neat little gags (such as the Doctor's gizmo exploding seconds after he praises it). All irrelevant, but all much to the benefit of the story. If you're looking for a way to cut a script down, dropping the gags is one of the first thought that crosses your mind, because they're inevitably not related to the plot. It's equall inevitably a mistake to do, as humour remains a vital factor in getting the audience on your side. We warm to Trenchard more than the similar characters in stories like The Silurians, because he's a little bit daft, a little bit silly, a little bit real. You'd be happy enough to spend time with him in real life (albeit rolling your eyes on a regular basis) which is more than can be said for a lot of Who characters.

There are a couple of flaws with this episode however. Firstly, I can't help but feel it misses a trick with the fort sequnces - a nicely claustrophobic environment, anda set up that feels like it could be the basis of a mini adventure all of its own - the Doctor and Jo trapped in a building with an aggressive armed monster, having to rely on their wits to survive. Whilst there's an element of this, it's rushed through (an oddity for a six parter), with the Sea Devil dealt with in about two minutes. Given that they're supposed to spend the night on the fort, this seems an odd choice. Rather than a tense drama of survival, they're only obstacle is the lack of a boat - a mild annoyance at best. Still, this sequence does give a lovely funny moment with the Sea Devil and the Doctor giving each other a mutual double take when they first meet. Though on the downside, there are logic problems with this: Firstly, the Sea Devil is aggressive enough to fire on sight - yet at the start of the episode it's clearly following the Doctor and co. around. When we next see it, it's casually wandering around the fort as if it doesn't have a care in the world and seems surprised to see him. The logic here's more than a little unclear. Is it attacking if it's afraid and has been seen? Does it just want to kill? Heck, what's it even doing on the fort anyway? If it's planning on killing everyone on board, why's it nip off? Needed a quick loo break (actually, that would fit the 'caught out' feel of the meeting).

Secondly, you have another in the long line of scenes where the Doctor magically figures out who he's up against. He sees one turtle faced psycho, and immediately is able to pinpoint that they're relations of the Silurians/Eocenes/Aggedor, what woke them up and what they want. It's an impressive skill, but it's mystifying.

The only other problem with the episode is that it doesn't really make an effort to link the Sea Devil half and the Master half of the story. Sure, the Master is aware of the sunken ships in the first episode, but that was one line quite some time ago. As it is, there's no real sense in this episode that the two threads are linked, and that leaves it looking a little restless. One moment the Doctor's all concerned about the boats, then he's rushing off to Trenchard. What it needs is a little line from the Doctor indicating that he's realised this all happening at the same time isn't coincidence. Then it would tie together a bit better.

But it's easy to ignore these points because the episode as a whole is just so much fun. The Master's at his diabolical best (it's becoming clear how he's manipulated Trenchard) even if his hypnotic powers are getting more and more useless by the day. There's some good monster action, lots of humour and it ends with a witty swordfight. What more could you want?

#664 27 Feb 2008, 6:00 pm
AlMiles
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorney
"The biggest problem remains a complete lack of an explanation for what he was doing inventing the Keller Machine in the first place (it plays absolutely no part in the missile capture, and only features in the Masters plans when he kills the two delegates… "

Having recently rewatched it, it struck me that the Master's reaction on being told about the revolt at the prison seems one of being taken slightly aback. He hasn't recruited Mailer at that point, and indeed has a slightly hard time proving his bona fides in support for the revolt when he arrives (apparently in a rushed change of plan).

Thus, it seems to me that disrupting the peace conference by killing the lead delegates was his sole plan at the start of the story. The missile doesn't figure until he learns of it during, or just before, the phone-tapping we see him perform outside UNIT temporary HQ (something he'd be doing to check his disruption of the conference was going to plan. Hearing about the missile, and finding that its movement route runs close to the prison, is a coincidence and a bonus).

A Master of improvisation, then, or at least of adapting his initial plans after the Doctor and the prison revolt - not to mention the Mind Parasite's newly found independence - rendered it useless!

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#665 27 Feb 2008, 11:24 pm
Dorney
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The Sea Devils 3:

Huzzah! An episode entirely composed of padding!

That's not necessarily a bad thing though. As I've said before, there are many different types of padding in this world. There is good padding and there is bad padding. And most importantly of all, this episode takes the time to make the padding fun. And for an episode in which practically nothing happens, it passes the time remarkably quickly.

Not to sound like a stuck record, but the devil is once more in the detail (what an apt cliche). Loads of tiny character moments add up to make the episode speed by - the cheery 'time for a quick one' from Trenchard to Hart, the Doctor and Jo politely offering each other the chance to head out of the cell. And some more great acting from Delgado. Whilst I'm not always the biggest fan of Pertwee as an actor (well, as the Doctor, really, love him in most other things) it's hard to deny that RD gets the best out of him, and their confrontation scene, whilst pointless, is great fun to watch. And it's really nice to see Jo being put in the position of rescuing the Doctor, especially when it's played with such an appealing Boys Own joy. There are problems (the final revelation of what Trenchard thinks the Master is doing is, frankly, ridiculous - it's unthinkable that they'd put someone that credulous in charge of someone so dangerous. And I really can't imagine how the Master brought it up in conversation) but by and large this is engaging and funny. Heck, even the insanely long cliffhanger reprise that's clearly that length to fill in time is a sequence you're perfectly happy to rewatch!

It's just a shame that the story doesn't really seem to have started yet. For something called 'The Sea Devils' there's been precious little Sea Devil activity in it so far. From half way through episode two, their plotline has been kind of ignored in favour of Master based hijinks. Bar a couple of mentions here and there, you don't really get the sense that there's actually a plot here. This becomes particularly obvious with the debut of the submarine Hart sends to search for the creatures (a naval vessel seemingly only manned by people who are going to be famous-ish actors in the future). When they get attacked, it's very reminiscent of the opening moments of the story. It's a standard hook. The plot simply hasn't arrived yet.

The stuff on the fort is, effectively, a mini-adventure that doesn't really relate to anything else in the story. And we've now spent an episode and a half focusing on the subplot, the Master. But there's no real sense of what the actual 'story' is. What's it about? Where's it going? Nowhere yet. The submarine stuff feels like the opening, and you do get the sense that it's going to start doing something soon. And that's obviously a good thing, as whilst the padding is fun, there's only so much we can take!

Incidentally, it does strike me that this episode's cliffhanger's iconic status in kid's memories does it massive favours. It seems to me to be just as nonsensical as the legendary Dragonfire 1, but no one ever says so. The Doctor and Jo run onto a beach with some rope, despite the fact they should clearly be able to see a car of guards approaching from one side and a mine field on the other. Are they planning to swim for it, or what? Very odd.

#666 29 Feb 2008, 11:51 pm
Dorney
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The Sea Devils 4:

One problem that turns up occasionally in Doctor Who fiction is the concept without a plot. Someone’s had a strong idea for a setting, or a monster, or a sequel. And one of the problems with having one of these ideas is that they don’t inherently lend themselves to a plot. It’s all very well thinking ‘wouldn’t it be great to set a story in an alien launderette’ or ‘I know how I can have Yartek survive’, for example, but when you actually come to write the story you’ve got to have more to it than that. It’s a problem with concept based ideas rather than story based ideas – once you have a stunning location you’ve got to fit a storyline to it. And that’s easier said than done (mind you, if you think about it, everything is easier to say than do – even saying something as simple as ‘I walk around a bit’ is easier than walking around a bit. But I digress). I recall that a lot of the NA’s suffered this problem. They tended to throw in a murder mystery, a solid non-location-specific type of storyline, but it’s always a little unsatisfying.

So it is with The Sea Devils, a concept story. The concept at the heart of the story is ‘let’s have underwater Silurians and do ocean stuff with the navy’. But, as with a lot of sequels, it’s hard to add in a plot to that. Because the obvious plot was done two years go in The Silurians.

That’s not to say there’s not a lot to enjoy here. This episode in particular features a corking action set piece with the Sea Devil raid on the prison. It’s genuinely tense and exciting (though it does help that the story’s held off on using the monsters heavily for quite a while) and does feel like it’s finally kicking the story off. But as I say, it’s a set piece. The story is extremely well remembered, and I think that’s because it’s got an excellent way with the set piece. In this episode alone we have Sea Devils rising, iconically, from the sea, both singly and in groups; the Doctor and his mine field gambit; and the Sea Devil looming into view through the Doctor’s porthole. All striking, memorable images, but none of them tied to a really striking and memorable script.

I don’t want to suggest it’s style over substance. With the Sea Devils violent from the get go, it’s a less smart and sophisticated beast than Silurians in terms of issues and morally complexity, sure, but that shouldn’t be taken to suggest it’s a dumbed down version of the former. I’d argue that the script itself, the characterisation and the performances are easily superior to the former. More than anything else, the direction excels, clearest in the way the sequence involving the death of Trenchard is handled with admirable subtlety and restraint. His off screen demise is a wonderfully mature touch for an action series.

No, the best comparison is another sequel that abandons the original’s psychological take for dumb but fun action – Aliens. I may have said this before, but there’s a school of thought that a good sequel has to tread a different path to the original. Nah, if you’re going to do something totally different, why do a sequel? It has to be something both the same and different. And to its credit, The Sea Devils does that. I just wish it had a bit more of an actual story to justify it.

I realise I haven’t talked about the actual episode much. That’s cos not much goes on. Much as with the last one, it gets to the end astonishingly quickly when you consider how little actually goes on. Some of it’s blatant padding (just how much diving bell action do we need?), but as before it’s fun padding. I'm enjoying it.

#667 1 Mar 2008, 2:40 am
The Secretive Bus
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Quote:
"but that shouldn’t be taken to suggest it’s a dumbed down version of the former. I’d argue that the script itself, the characterisation and the performances are easily superior to the former. "

Explain yourself, sir!

Watched The Sea Devils recently for the first time in a few years and found it really rather dull. Trenchard's good fun but otherwise the supporting characters are a bland sort and the set pieces cry out "set pieces" more those of The Silurians, IMO. And I don't know why but the Sea Devils really leapt out at me as being really rubbish monsters. They're just so obviously rubber and fake. Maybe it's the googly eyes or the fact that they can't lip-synch, but the Silurians looked immeasurably better.

Shame, really, as it's filmed in my home city and I've been to a few of the locations...

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#668 2 Mar 2008, 1:41 pm
AlMiles
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Before I start, a big thank-you to Dorney for restarting his reviews - I look forward to rewatching the Sea Devils in its shiny new shiny disk form (shiny) very soon! Day of the Daleks to get through next for me; I hope it doesn't take me a year!


Quote:
Originally Posted by thot gor
"You're going through hell! & I thought I was the only one I started with the Ice Warriors (which isnt bad but remained unloved in my collection for years!) then I watched the Sea Devils all in one night which comes as a surprise since it too was unloved for years!"
I have recently finished Inferno in just a couple of nights but the real challenge is yet to come......episodes 3 & 4 of Android Invasion!

Quote:
Originally Posted by thot gor
"I've watched the War Games in entire sittings on more than one occasion, can't get enough of it "

That's why I can't believe you say Inferno is one of the "most hated" stories (hated by fandom that is). It's one of the most-loved stories actually. Watching in order, War Games and Inferno are both weighty, suspenseful classics that could teach many a modern drama series about what "grittiness" really means.

Oh, and Ambassadors of Death is actually the least-liked-by-fandom story from Season 7, and The Space Pirates the most-hated story from around that time. I love both - all the stories from 1969-1970 have superb atmosphere and mature, appealing characters, only Spearhead From Spaceis a bit of a duffer but at least it has Pertwee doing a marvellous Troughon impression for 3 or 4 episodes.

Android Invasion is a superb Avengers pastiche, as is Seeds of Doom. I'd rate them both far above drivel like Planet of Evil (saved only by the superb Frederick Jaeger) or Pyramids of Mars (not really saved by anything). Though the Hinchcliffe will always be a favourite of mine. Eldrad must live!

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#669 2 Mar 2008, 1:57 pm
AlMiles
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlMiles
"I prefer "Wheel" before Moonbase not only because the humans in Moonbase have been taught about the Cybermen (and those in Wheel haven't) but also because the technology is much clunkier in Wheel (note the bulky spacesuits compared to Moonbase) "

I've just noticed that they're the same spacesuits from The Tenth Planet! Old tech. My placing of Wheel a few decades earlier than The Moonbase seems vindicated

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#670 2 Mar 2008, 2:23 pm
AlMiles
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorney
"Day of the Daleks 3:

It struck me as odd that for all the equating of the Pertwee years with UNIT, there's precious little of them as of about this episode. There's only one full scale UNIT story left in the Pertwee years (Dinosaurs), and that's one less than Tom Baker gets."

Got to admit the Brigadier is a laugh at the stripshow in Spiders, though.. (Brig: "Very athletic. Must adapt some of those moves for the men." Doctor (drily): "They'll take some adapting.")... Ahem. Anyway, Secretive Bus (I think it was) wanted you to let him know the exact point at which the Brig changed from competent military commander to amusing(?) buffoon, having just reached Day of the Daleks I think I've decided where it falls for me.

In the final scene of Inferno (this could have been done to contrast him with the Brigade-Leader. However somehow the buffoonery stuck. Was it the departure of Camfield or the influence of Letts, or both?

There's a tiny resurgence of commanding competence for a few brief moments in The Mind of Evil (the planning and execution of the invasion of Stangmoor Prison, not to mention the "nick [courtney] of time" saving of the Doctor's life) but it's a last gasp. In Terror of the Autons, Claws of Axos, Colony in Space 1&6 and The Daemons he is worse than useless and accomplishes nothing but disgruntled huffing and bellicose barking - Blackadder's General Melchett looks like Monty in comparison.

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#671 2 Mar 2008, 4:22 pm
Dorney
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Secretive Bus
"Explain yourself, sir!

Watched The Sea Devils recently for the first time in a few years and found it really rather dull. Trenchard's good fun but otherwise the supporting characters are a bland sort and the set pieces cry out "set pieces" more those of The Silurians, IMO. And I don't know why but the Sea Devils really leapt out at me as being really rubbish monsters. They're just so obviously rubber and fake. Maybe it's the googly eyes or the fact that they can't lip-synch, but the Silurians looked immeasurably better.

Shame, really, as it's filmed in my home city and I've been to a few of the locations... "

Well, I do agree on the set pieces, as I think I've implied - I reckon the reason they feel like set pieces is because they simply aren't tied to a plot.

I suppose what I mean about the characterisation is that it's smaller and more realistic than Silurians. The guest cast in that story are all hugely entertaining, but they're all arguably cut from the same action/adventure cloth, and are larger than life scenery chewers. Hart and the submarine crew all come across as real people in an adventure scenario, underplayed. They're less fun, though, sure.

The main problem with this story remains the lack of an actual plot though.

#672 2 Mar 2008, 10:45 pm
AlMiles
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Got Day of the Daleks on now. 22 year old BBC videotape release, has pinsharp picture despite numerous plays (the cassette weighs about as much as a housebrick). Haven't spotted Bus's "F... yes" at Jo's knickerflash yet, but I do recall the most blatant knickerflash as if it was yesterday - that was when I discovered my VCR's slow motion control, all those years ago...

The Daleks may be a bit un-Daleky but that's an occupational hazard of 5 years of neglect - in any case, with their primitive "time machines" and rubbish plans these are clearly from an even earlier era than those in "The Chase" and the other Hartnell and Troughton stories where they can stride the timelines in their DARDIS and bamboozle the Doctor with their spectacularly accurate android duplicate or their silver-beaker-bedecked conker-of-death. About the only thing they did right with their primitive TT machines is get hold of some BBC publicity stills of the 60s Doctors - they're too inept to even capture the Missing Episodes!

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#673 10 Mar 2008, 3:55 pm
Dorney
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The Sea Devils 5:

First of all, five episodes in, I suppose I do have to mention the music. One of the most notorious aspects of the serial… I dunno, I like it. It’s quirky, it’s not actually bad, it’s just different. And I like that. It gives the story a genuine identity of its own. You wouldn’t want it every week, sure, but fairly obviously you don’t get it every week. So what’s the problem. Moving on.

OK, I suppose I’m just going to have to resign myself to the fact that this story really isn’t going to have much of a plot – well, not more than the slightest breath of one. More a series of confrontations and attacks based around a central premise.

To be fair, that’s not necessarily a major problem – that’s basically the plot of Zulu right there – but there does still need to be more to it than the odd confrontation. There needs to be escalation, and variation. And most importantly, a sense that it’s going somewhere. We’ve finally got this to a degree in this episode, but it doesn’t quite excuse the previous four’s lack of purpose. What we have is much like the first Spider-Man film, where I couldn’t help but want the Green Goblin to have some sort of actual purpose, some goal. I suppose the Silurians didn’t really have much story (other than the general fight against humanity) but the story constantly shifted, what with the internal power struggle of the Silurians themselves, the shifting tensions between them and the power station staff, and the tensions between that staff, an escalating series of mini-plots. Whereas the Sea Devils are disappointingly one note. They start off killing humans, they end killing humans. We know they’re behind everything and what they are straight away. There’s never any real reason for anything they do (why does it escalate in this episode? Why only attack now, what were they waiting for? Why don’t the kill the submarine crew?) So where it’s go. Even their relationship with the Master isn’t clear – for all their talk of him being their friend, the relationship basically amounts to him getting them to rescue him, after which he does seemingly nothing at all other than hang around their base and say ‘kill all the humans’ once in a while. Why do the Sea Devils give a stuff? What do they owe him?

Of course, it’s only when I write that that I wonder if I’ve been viewing the story incorrectly. You see, the other way to look at it is that maybe the story isn’t really about the Sea Devils at all, or at least the first four episodes. I know that’s the title and everything, but if you view it as a story first and foremost about the Master suddenly it makes a lot more sense. A four part story about the escape of the Master, followed by a related two parter – or maybe a three part Master escape story in the middle of a three part Sea Devil story… oh, what the heck, it doesn’t really work. It just can’t make up its mind about what it wants to be. It’s a lot of ideas and narrative functions, it just doesn’t have a plot to hang it on.

That’s a shame, because now we’ve finally got to the end of the story, there is suddenly a bit more purpose and plot – albeit a remarkably simple one. Monsters are annoyed with humans. They decide to kill them. And that’s pretty much it. You can’t help but wonder if this story could have worked a bit better with a bit more going on upstairs.

There’s a lot of nice stuff in the incidentals – the Sea Devils look gorgeous and dramatic during their advance (though they’re embarrassingly bad at opening and closing their mouths whilst talking). It’s becoming the tiniest bit clear with the appearance of the civil servant Walker that Hulke’s using a bit of a cheat on characterisation – giving each new person one specific characteristic and using that as an identifier (in Walker’ case, food). But it does work quite well. Walker does feel less of a one note caricature than previous civil servants such as Chorley and Masters, though again I think a lot of that is down to sympathetic direction from Briant pitching these people as more real than a lot of the stock figures of the Pertwee years (this seems to be something of a stock in trade for Briant – only his second gig on the show this, and his first – Colony in Space – has a similar honest quality). Equally solid is Donald Sumpter’s Ridgeway – a nicely drawn take on a fairly stock figure, managing to feel individual despite their being little to the part, and heroic even when shooting down a Sea Devil against the Doctor’s orders (and in a similar touch to Walker, having a nervous twitch that turns up once an episode, adding the inference that a lot of his bravery is bravado). And I rather love the submarine crew, who only get about six lines between them, but get proper personalities and identities. They’re never generic.

Nonetheless, it’s a generally flawed tale, which simply doesn’t have a story. But somehow – I still kind of like it. It’s well written and performed, full of effective images and it’s hard to actively dislike. Something of a style over substance story, the good work on the surface stuff is so enjoyable you kind of forget it’s covering up for a gaping emptiness below (that’s almost an ocean metaphor). Is that a bad thing? I don’t know. It doesn’t feel like a bad story. The devil’s in the detail.

#674 12 Mar 2008, 12:56 pm
AlMiles
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I didn't notice Walker's nervous twitch, more complete physical cowardice, and a strangely bloodshot eye from halfway through his appearance!

On to part 6:

Does the Master always carry a mask around with him, and why on Earth is he left pretty much alone in the hovercraft, even if he appears to be collapsed? At least he gets a soaking in the end, as the 'craft turns round and water blasts throuogh the open cockpit door in front of him - teehee.

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#675 13 Mar 2008, 12:45 am
Dorney
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlMiles
"I didn't notice Walker's nervous twitch, more complete physical cowardice, and a strangely bloodshot eye from halfway through his appearance! "

Ah, I didn't mean Walker had a twitch - I meant to compare Ridgeway (who has the twitch) to Walker also having one distinct trait (food obsession) and in deed Trenchard (golf).

#676 13 Mar 2008, 6:44 pm
Dorney
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlMiles
"Does the Master always carry a mask around with him, and why on Earth is he left pretty much alone in the hovercraft, even if he appears to be collapsed? At least he gets a soaking in the end, as the 'craft turns round and water blasts throuogh the open cockpit door in front of him - teehee. "

To be fair, he isn't left alone - there's clearly someone else with him, because that's the person he uses as a replacement.

To be less fair, he doesn't always carry a mask around with him - he has to be carrying two. One of his own face, and one of somebody else's. One to put on the unconscious man, one to wear himself.

#677 13 Mar 2008, 7:28 pm
Dorney
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The Sea Devils 6:

I dunno – for such a fun story, this doesn’t half fall apart in its last episode.

Practically everything is a little bit daft. The big set piece – the fight between the navy and the Sea Devils seems to be a competition to see who can fall over in the silliest way (I mean, one of the Sea Devils literally somersaults to death – what the hell?). And even if that wasn’t there, we’d be left with the spectacle of the rather contrived attempts to get in as much of the stuff they’ve borrowed off the proper Navy as often as possible (couple of random boats, an overused hovercraft, the strange weapon Hart has a go with).

But beyond that, the plot has it’s moments of silliness too. We’re expected to believe that the Master has planned a device to resurrect the Sea Devils – and then seems to believe that the Doctor’s genuinely going to help him make it, without sabotage? And then when the Doctor does sabotage it, he stands around and waits for a few minutes as the Sea Devils writhe in agony, not barging past to switch it off as soon as possible, instead holding on until the goodies have escaped. And even then, believing the Doctor’s excuses about a minor problem with the wiring. Honestly, he’s behaving like a total idiot (and just how many times does he need to be betrayed by whoever he’s helping out before he realises it’s not the best way to approach these things?).

But that’s all right, because the Doctor’s just as much of an idiot at points here. When he’s rescued, he just leaves the Master in the hands of a random sailor with a gun. Cos there’s no way the Master can escape that one. It’s like he wants the challenge (it would also explain his moronic behaviour at the end of the episode).

Furthermore, after five episodes of good character work, we suddenly have the all round weirdness of Walker’s sudden cowardice. I don’t have a problem with the idea, more the way it just seems so forced and – well, I don’t want to say ‘hammy’, but I just have, so there you go.

I’m sorry, I really am, but it all falls apart. OK, it’s still well made enough to be enjoyable. But because the whole story’s had so little going on, there’s really very little it can do to finish. There’s no major plot to tie up, there’s no moral argument to resolve. It just sort of stops.

As a result, we have the really strange situation that after the famously tragic ending of Silurians, we get the Doctor taking the Brigadier’s role and just blowing the monsters up. It seems such a come down. Sure, the Sea Devil’s are much more shoot first ask questions later than the Silurians, but surely Walker’s supposed to have been in the wrong last week? Where’s the questioning, the regret? Surely the Doctor should be doing it reluctantly. I suppose we do get the faintest moment of that with the Doctor only switching the bomb on after the Sea Devil says it won’t back down (he does say ‘I’m sorry) – a very Tennant moment, it seems to me – but it feels like an afterthought. The Doctor doesn’t seem that fussed afterwards, and barely reacts to the blowing up of the base. It sort of works viewed only in its own context, but as a sequel to Silurians it feels a little underwhelming.

I suppose that sums up the story, really. Good enough fun, but nowhere near as interesting as its predecessor. It’s usual poll rating being higher than the prequel is surely indicative of how fandom picks the stories it likes – big moments, memorable images, that sort of thing. But rarely on strength of story.


#678 13 Mar 2008, 7:35 pm
Jeffster
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I think you're nuts on this one, Dorney. The Sea Devils Episode Six might be the best concluding episode of any story that I've seen thus far. I dubbed it "The Shootout Followed By The Speedboat Chase Followed By Reversing the Polarity of the Neutron Flow Just In Time To Destroy The Sea Devils Base Before The Nuclear Strike By The Hungry Idiot Parliamentary Secretary But Let The Master Escape Using A Terrible Mask Trick" and frankly I don't know what more you could possibly want out of a conclusion!

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#679 13 Mar 2008, 7:47 pm
Dorney
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffster
"I think you're nuts on this one, Dorney. The Sea Devils Episode Six might be the best concluding episode of any story that I've seen thus far. I dubbed it "The Shootout Followed By The Speedboat Chase Followed By Reversing the Polarity of the Neutron Flow Just In Time To Destroy The Sea Devils Base Before The Nuclear Strike By The Hungry Idiot Parliamentary Secretary But Let The Master Escape Using A Terrible Mask Trick" and frankly I don't know what more you could possibly want out of a conclusion! "

Oh, I'm not denying it's fun. It's just empty.

And odd. To quote: "Reversing the Polarity of the Neutron Flow Just In Time To Destroy The Sea Devils Base Before The Nuclear Strike By The Hungry Idiot Parliamentary Secretary". So the Doctor blows them up - before someone else can blow them up? For all the story portrays Walker as a fool, doesn't he just want to do what the Doctor does?

I dunno - just after six episodes, I kind of want a better ending than 'he blows them up'. Though I may reverse this for Seeds of Doom.


#680 14 Mar 2008, 5:16 pm
AlMiles
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I found it terribly lame that the Sea Devils (at the Master's behest - or was it the Doctor?) cleverly make it look like the depth charge attacks detroyed their base - sending debris and even two dead Sea Devils (volunteers, or accidentally killed earlier?) to the surface, convincing Walker et al that the attacks have succceeded and thereby cancelling the bombardment. Then, 2 minutes later, at the Master's behest, the Sea Devils send in a commando to raid HMS Seaspite - totally blowing their cover and proving their base is intact.

The Navy appear to forget where the base is, though, in the intervening ten minutes, thus preventing them from resuming the bombardment.

Just finished The Mutants - superbly paced, nice characters, situations and proper peril, and a beautiful-looking design classic. Music a bit "radiophonic" but nowhere near Malcolm Clarke's Sea Devils madness. So good that even my girlfriend sat down to watch it and said she "wanted to know what happens next" (perhaps she was just making sure it was going to end? Nah)...

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