The Three Doctors

11 May 2008, 11:05 am
Dorney
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The Three Doctors 1:

Fun. How important is it? During my time with Cronos, I received an email from my old chum Alex Wilcock (a name some of you may remember as a regular contributor to DWM’s Time Team). He said that the last two stories were the only ones he and his partner wildly disagreed on. Alex thought the Mutants a good script let down by its execution, and the Time Monster awful – whereas the opposing view was that the former was tedious and the latter fun.

It’s hard not to see the point. You see, for all the intelligence of its script, the Mutants isn’t especially entertaining. And vacuous as the Time Monster may be, it’s got an awful lot of enjoyable set pieces and camp villainy. If you’re in the mood to switch your brain off, and settle down with some escapist entertainment, you’re never going to pick the former over the latter. So I refer you back to the question I started with. How important is ‘fun’?

Watching The Three Doctors, I can’t help but feel this is going to be a question that comes up again. As it stands this episode is enormous fun. There’s not much else to it than that, though, not so far anyway. But in some ways that’s a clear difference from The Time Monster. Most of the fun in the first four episodes of that story is incidental, or really spread out. As I said above, you have to switch your brain off. Whereas this story seems to have higher standards for its fun. Ambitious fun. It wants to be the most fun it can be, not the barest minimum. This is the people making the show having fun, rather than just hoping they can get away with it.

So why is it more fun than its predecessor, or at least more successful fun? Well, it’s relentlessly fast paced for one. Within the first ten minutes or so we’ve established an, admittedly, somewhat nebulous threat and are going into full grown battle mode. This is an obvious necessity of the premise, as we can’t really spend too much time establishing the threat when we need the other Doctor’s in before the episode ends. But necessity leads to great things in this case. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not usually a fan of speed for the sake of speed. But this is perfectly paced. It’s fast, but relatively simplistic (the entire plot of the first fifteen minutes or so is ‘blob attacks’) so the speed doesn’t leave it feeling rushed. OK, it does cause a couple of problems on a plot level, with the Doctor managing to leap to the right conclusion at the speed of light with very little actual evidence, and very weak justifications for the blob attacking Ollis and Tyler. But it’s all pitched with such joie de vivre that you get swept up. The whole thing is written and performed with bravado and confidence so you don’t care about minor plot problems. Within minutes you’re pitched into surprisingly high gear action – and part of the fun is that you still don’t have any real idea what’s going on.

And then of course, Patrick bloody Troughton turns up, and it kicks into high gear. The scenes between the two Doctors are the blatant highlights of the episode, full of wit and vigour. The idea of them not really getting on is probably the obvious choice, but that doesn’t make it any less the correct one (where’s the fun in them getting on all the time, eh?). It’s the perfect dynamic, and the two actors are really up to the task, the sci-fi equivalent of the odd couple. There’s not really much to add to that, as discussion of those scenes is almost redundant. They’re gloriously enjoyable, two great characters and actors (even entertainers) playing off each other brilliantly. What’s not to love?

When it comes down to it, The Three Doctors seems to me to be more fun than it’s predecessor because there’s more to fun than just set pieces. That’s the difference between dumb fun and fun. It needs heart, and joy, and the Three Doctors has that in spades. There’s the real sense that everyone involved is having a ball. Whereas the last story doesn’t have that same commitment to the material (at least until the final two episodes). No-one’s having fun, they just seem desperate to get through it.

So I suppose what it comes down to is that the most important isn’t whether something is fun or not. But that fun has to be done well. Unexciting drama is almost fine. Whereas there’s nothing as bad as dull fun.


#706 11 May 2008, 12:32 pm
The Secretive Bus
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The Three Doctors starts well but I must admit I find it a bit of a slog, especially the last two episodes. Plus watching Billy clearly struggling with the script is a depressing experience which, for me, sucks a lot of the fun out of it.

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#707 15 May 2008, 4:29 am
Dacar92
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Secretive Bus
"The Three Doctors starts well but I must admit I find it a bit of a slog, especially the last two episodes. Plus watching Billy clearly struggling with the script is a depressing experience which, for me, sucks a lot of the fun out of it. "

Hartnell never looked so old as he did in the 3 docs, for obvious reasons. So, where did the TL's take him out of time and space? Sometime during the 4th episode of Tenth Planet?

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#708 15 May 2008, 10:38 am
Phil W
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Surely it is just the effect of him being in proximity (however tenuously) to two of his subsequent selves [ref TimeCrash]?

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#709 16 May 2008, 2:09 pm
Dorney
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The Three Doctors 2:

After the relentless pace of the opener, it’s time to calm down a touch.

As I mentioned last time, the speed of the first episode was down to the amount of plot required before they could reach the vital money moments of the episode (the 1st and 2nd Doctors turning up), that had to appear before the cliffhanger. This episode slightly pays the price as it’s clear that it’s marking time slightly.

This is most clear in the way that the 2nd Doctor doesn’t really achieve anything throughout the episode, and at the climax basically does what the 3rd did at the end of the last one. This wouldn’t be a major problem if it wasn’t for the fact that the third Doctor doesn’t really do much in this episode either – after the lump of anti-matter has gone out of it’s way to capture him and transport him through a black hole, he’s left to just wander around for a bit until he gets taken to a citadel, where he once again doesn’t meet anyone or do anything.

This could all be terribly tedious, but once again it’s lifted by the sparkling script. The sequences of Doctor two interacting with Benton and the Brigadier are enjoyable and amusing – ok, so the Brigadier pretty much has to turn into a moron, and act as an all purpose comedy fool, but it is something rather big he’s come across so it’s at least vaguely plausible, and it does at least manage to be funny.

Equally, there’s a engagingly witty sense of the surreal about the episode. This manifests itself in subtle ways – the oddball design of the palace, complete with the bizarre, unworldly, plinky-plonk soundtrack (innocently childlike, yet alien and strange) But it’s also obviously there in the Doctor and Jo wandering about a quarry, absolutely as typical an ‘alien’ environment as the series has and yet constantly bumping into water coolers and worktops. It’s a gorgeous juxtaposition of the quirky and the mundane. . The best example of this is their discovery of Doctor Tyler, idly standing in the middle of nowhere muttering through the mathematics of his situation in a perfect parody of the man so dull and science obsessed he’s too busy looking at the minutiae and misses the biggest and most important fact of all (he’s not on Earth).

OK, there’s only so long the episode can sustain itself on charm alone, and sure enough it does eventually have to resort to the blatant padding of Tyler’s escape attempt to fill in the time (though in many ways you do have to admire the gall of the story to have his first words when he rejoins the Doctor and Jo as: ‘Well, that was a waste of time’). But even then, the general sense of style carries the show through so you can’t help but be charmed.

There’s not much else to add. Bit of a giggle, really. That's all.

#710 18 May 2008, 4:55 pm
Dorney
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The Three Doctors 3:

OK, whilst I’m still enjoying this… it’d be nice if there was a bit more to the plot, wouldn’t there?

After a good couple of episodes messing around, we finally meet the proper villain of the story, and he’s the king of exposition, and that’s sort of a problem.

We’re once more dealing with the famous writing maxim ‘don’t tell, show’. Now, meeting a famous character out of legend is an exciting and intriguing prospect – unfortunately it’s less so when your audience have no idea whatsoever who this bloke is. Because then you’ve got to spend a good few minutes telling the audience who he is, why he’s important and going ‘he’s a legend you know’ over and over again.

It simply lacks impact. To us, Omega is just some bloke in a big mask (and whilst I’m there – the mask is lovely… but it’s so oversized that it actually makes the not exactly tiny Stephen Thorne look oddly squat and short, therefore ordinary). He just wanders around all the time being grumpy and telling us he’s going to have his revenge, but he never really does anything (gloriously, he seems to expect the Doctor to be afraid of him – why? He’s not killed anyone or anything. Walk into a room and be confronted with a sequined Darth Vader, fear’s not going to be the first thing that comes to mind, now is it?)

There’s just not very much threat. In a similar way to Tyler’s blatant plot criticism last time, this week we get a fairly damning statement from Benton – when the other characters break free of the cell, he turns to Jo and says ‘we can’t let them have all the fun’. It comes back to fun again. This is an action adventure series. We’re the one’s that should be having fun. If your characters are having fun, then there’s nothing at stake. It just means no one really does anything. They get told the plot, get locked up, escape. Only the Brigadier gets anything interesting to do – whilst it’s true enough to suggest that his character has been dumbed down by this point, his attempts at an almost single handed rescue of everyone else is brilliant, if ultimately a pointless diversion.

There’s too much wit and swagger in the script for this to be actually painful to watch. All the amusing banter is present and correct… but you do wish it had a stronger plot to hang off.

#711 20 May 2008, 11:23 pm
Dorney
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The Three Doctors 4:

It’s slightly damning how easy it is to forget this story. I watched episode four yesterday morning, got distracted by various things since, so have only got the chance to write it up now. And it’s hard to remember the first thing about it. It’s like a Chinese meal. Very enjoyable on the surface, but not really all that satisfying in the long run.

It’s not a major shock. Upon starting the episode I realised a bit I’d forgotten to mention last episode – the utterly atrocious cliffhanger. But that’s the beauty of the cliffhanger isn’t it? You can talk about it the next episode as well, and no one will know you forgot it the last time.

I remember vividly watching The Three Doctors as a young boy during the Five Faces of Doctor Who season, and recalling the cliffhanger as Omega removing his helmet. And I still don’t get why it isn’t. That’s the perfect spot – a striking image that also works as an act break, signalling a shift in Omega’s purpose.

But no, they decide to throw in a random fantasy sequence, the Doctor fighting the dark side of Omegas mind (whatever the hell that means – I mean it’s not like his general mental state is sweetness and light), because the iconic helmeted one is a bit grumpy with him. This despite him talking about how he needs the Doctor. And this whilst also ignoring the second Doctor (I mean, what’s he doing during the entire fight?). With bizarre repetition of the images and sound cues within moments (which almost makes the DVD mastering error an episode earlier look like part of the official edit). And then it’s completely dismissed in about an instant (always a good sign to tell whether a cliffhanger’s good or not, look at it and the resolution – does it change the plot? Does it have repercussions? Could you cut it completely without affecting the overall story? If the first two are answered no, and the third yes, congratulations – you’ve a rotten cliffhanger).

In the next few minutes, Omega explains his scheme, which is logical enough, though you can’t help wondering why he hung around and waited so long. Especially when the moment he imparts it, the Doctor’s pretty much instantly realise that he can’t follow it through and he starts to go barking. Yes, once again, we’re dealing with a story where people talk a lot about what they’re going to do, but never actually do it.

And it’s a shame, because the moment Omega sees he lives on only as a force of will (probably the most striking concept the story has in its armoury) is probably the point where it kicks back in. It really should be the cliffhanger for the previous episode. It raises the stakes, changes the direction. As it is, part three is another exercise in wasting time, and so is the first few minutes of this episode. When the twist occurs, suddenly we’re back in exciting territory. The last ten minutes or so are suddenly about something, there’s an actual threat as opposed to just the vague possibility of one in the distance. Something we understand is at stake. This could easily sustain a full episode, and also present the opportunity for a proper tragic feel (imagine if Omega was a little saner before the realisation, and that’s what truly tips him into evil? The whole ‘dark side of my mind’ thing just paints him as a panto baddy)

It’s a real shame. Because you do get the sense that everyone’s come up with a lot of ideas, great dialogue and scenes – they’ve just not really got a story to hang them off. Look at the characters, for example. What exactly are Tyler and Ollis for? At best plot devices in the first episode, they don’t seem to do anything at any point beyond that, only there because the script hasn’t figured out a way of removing them. They just wander around with the regulars. And for that matter, what do the regulars do? Yates is inexplicably absent throughout, Benton just hangs around with everyone else as much as Tyler and Ollis, and the Brigadier – despite getting all the best character moments, such as his ever so slightly emotional goodbye salute to the Doctors – doesn’t fare much better, his only activity being organising a raid that never actually takes place.

But even then… I can’t really bring myself to dislike it. It comes back to the whole ‘fun’ thing. There’s always something entertaining happening, even if it’s ultimately a waste of time, and the Doctor banter sequences are on a completely different level to anything we’ve seen in a good few seasons. The plot’s rotten, but… does it always have to be about the plot?

I think there’s this story had the potential to be a classic. If they’d worked just as hard on the story as they do on the set pieces and fun bits. If there wasn’t a sense that those bits were so enjoyable that they didn’t realise they were carrying the entire thing. As it is, it’s good and entertaining… but you do have to focus on the good stuff. Fortunately, there’s a reasonable amount of it.

The War Games

14 Jul 2005, 12:49 am
Dorney
Time Lord

Bromley, Kent
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Re: Day by Day

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The War Games 1:

I've always had something of a soft spot for this story. It's one of the earliest Troughton stories I saw, and I always loved it at the time. The length didn't really bother me. It does seem to split opinion though these days, with opinion divided about whether it's great or overllong (though I can't help but wonder how many of the latter are people who madly watch it all in one sitting). I don't know. I haven't watched it in ages. It's one of the one's I've been looking forward to rewatching the most.

It's also one of the first stories I am consciously aware of spotting a structure for. Dicks and Hulke have a very clear game plan to fill their mammoth running time, and I'll cover that in more detail later on. It seems like jumping the gun this early.

Well, what a contrast. This is an example of one of the truly great first episodes. After the tedium of the last six episodes, there seems to be more plot in this one episode than in the whole of the Space Pirates. It's incredibly fast. Consider how much happens in it, and how quick it is to get into the scheme of things. The Doctor and co. have barely arrived before they figure out where they are, meet a local, get into trouble, get tried, sentenced, and put before the firing squad. There's no waiting around here. It's odd that a story this long doesn't seem to be looking for padding yet, with it's breathless pace being almost too fast (there are at least a couple of diversions in the story - the Germans that capture the Ambulance and Zoe's abortive rescue attempt that begin and end so quickly you begin to wonder why they're there). But this is a minor criticism of an episode that just sweeps by.

Also it does a fabulous job of setting up the basic mysteries of the script. Unlike a lot of other stories, which have the Doctor discovering some questions and puzzles and investigating, the oddball moments here - mainly down to Smythe and the variable memories of the soldiers - are treated almost as irrelevant to the episode's central plot. They are additions to the episodes main plot (the regular's trial) rather than part of it. Somehow, this makes them all the more intriguing. It feels like we haven't even brushed the surface of the plot, we haven't even got more than a hint of something else going on, deeper underneath. For the most part, the episode plays itself as a straightforward military drama, and the sci-fi elements are downplayed in contrast. It's great to see a set up that is entirely disinterested in giving us answers. We end this episode without even the faintest hint of what's really going on (and that's rarer than you think - a lot of the time, the part one cliffhanger gives a clue to the overall scheme - 'it's the Daleks behind it', etc. There's usually a vague answer). This sis a script that is really playing it's cards close to it's chest. And we're left with a fabulous cliffhanger. The genuine mystery and 'well get out of THAT' cliffhanger pretty much guarantee the audience is back next week.

There really isn't that much to add. The characterisation is already well defined (the wonderfully evilly named Smythe is all menace, and the officers bumbling but likeable). And the script has humour and heart, it establishes the world instantly and well. To be honest, there's nothing to criticise and as a result, I think I'm going to have to end here. Pretty damn near perfect.


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#233 14 Jul 2005, 11:32 am
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day

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Cliffhanger to this one is roughly the same to that of "Androzani" part 1...

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#234 15 Jul 2005, 5:26 pm
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day

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The War Games 2:

You know, it's odd. You can see something so many times and never notice little details for ages. I get this a lot with Doctor Who novels, funnily enough (I only recently spotted the following: 1) The hand coming out of the grave on the cover of Grave Matter. 2) The fact that the Janus Conjunction cover didn't just feature a planet and nothing else).

The reason I mention this is I spotted something odd about the cliffhanger that I've never noticed before, no matter how often I've seen this story (and I've seen it a lot). Now, I like the cliffhanger and its resolution (I've seen it dismissed as a 'cheat' resolution, but I don't think it is. I think it's a 'trick' resolution, that doesn't contradict anything we saw, but subverts it). So it's not that. It's this. Who is shooting at the firing squad? As far as I can recall, we don't get an answer - there's a vague close up of someone with a headband, but that's about it. The episode guide on OG says the Doctor is rescued by a sudden German attack. Really? Surely they're well behind the front line, at HQ. What's a single German sniper doing that far from the front? Maybe it's one of the resistance fighters we're going to meet later... Perhaps more problematically, why is this thread completely ignored the second the episode card comes up? For all the conversation in the rest of the episode you'd think that the only thing that had happened was that the prisoners had escaped, not the infiltration of their base, which I suspect is more important. It's completely ignored! It remains a niggling little loose end for me.

Generally, this episode is rather fun, however it is a shame to see that already the length is causing difficulties as the episode does seem to desend into repetition. The story is nothing more than capture/escapes (count them if you want - Jamie and the redcoat escape and are recaptured, the Doctor and Zoe escape and are recaptured. Jamie escapes with them. He's recaptured. They all escape again.) none of which take the story vastly further than we were at the start of the episode (we gain Lady Jennifer and Carstairs, which is nice I suppose). In addition, there are a lot of sequences that recur - Ransome in particular seems to go through exactly the same motions every couple of minutes. He has a remarkable habit of walking into rooms just as somebody's trying to escape (this happens three times in the two episodes so far) and a prediliction for wandering into Smythe's office just as Smythe's doing something suspicious (it happens so often in these two episodes you do query why Smythe doesn't just buy a lock - it would seem a sensible precaution). And Smythe has to hypnotise him an awful lot too... No wonder the poor guy can't remember how long he's been there, when he appears to be going through Groundhog Day every twenty minutes.

The repetition and lack of forward focus doesn't really matter in this episode, fortunately, due to several factors. Firstly, characterisation and dialogue is top notch. Each and every single character is beautifully defined, even down to minor bit parts (the prison commander and the redcoat all have their moments with virtually no screen time). Ransome is lovable, Smythe screams menace, and the regulars are on top form. Troughton's authority act is wheeled out again, but it's still as wonderful as ever, so it hardly matters.

Secondly, the mystery element is still well presented. The plotting of these two episodes remains, broadly speaking, that of a WWI historical, rather than as a science fiction serial. We are presented with lots of questions and puzzles (the hypnosis, the technology, the mist, etc.) but all of the obstacles presented to the protagonists are derived purely from the historical world (getting away from prisons, court martials, Germans, barrage, etc), and not from the sci-fi mystery. You could cut the oddball additions and the story would still make sense (at least until they pass through the mist). The sci-fi remains another layer that we can tell we haven't even begun to explore yet. By steadfastly asking more questions with every episode, and refusing anything that comes close to an answer, we're still hooked despite the back and forth plotting. It's not really going anywhere yet, but we know it will be soon. So enjoyable, despite everything.


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#235 15 Jul 2005, 5:57 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day

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I haven't actually seen this for ages. I have the videos, but the Part 1 cassette is basically missing the first ten-fifteen minutes due to the tape being all scrunched up, and the Part 2 video has dust on it, which manifests at the bottom of the screen the whole way through. Sigh.

I'll just have to wait a few years for the DVD...

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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.

- "Face of Death" by Sparacus


"They laughed at Gallileo once."
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#236 15 Jul 2005, 11:05 pm
Simon Bedford
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Re: Day by Day

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I so love this story.

It's a shame how Terrance Dicks always seems to be apologising for this story. I know it was a last minute rush job, but frankly I don't care- Uncle Tel and Mac Hulke have given us a well-constructed and fun epic which is the perfect swansong for Pat Troughton. And I love those groovy fridge magnet-operated computers, but I'm getting ahead of myself...

Isn't the acting fab? You can tell the actors are loving the script. The way the bloke playing Ransom delivers the line "I want a word with her..." has stuck in my memory for years. And Noel Coleman's great.

Best of all, this one's great for a long session with a mate or two and much alcohol.

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#237 19 Jul 2005, 8:40 pm
Lee Carey
30 Century Man


The Arena of the Unwell
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Re: Day by Day

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Hi Dorney- just a quick message to say how I've recently discovered your commentaries and how much I'm enjoying them. Its encouraged me to seek out the missing adventures of Hartnell and Troughton.

I'm currently listening to the Dalek Master Plan, which is far better than I thought it would be (indeed, almost the classic that many claimed it to be), and leads me to remark on a review of yours from the old boards. You comment on how Mavic Chen's performance is that it seems uncertain- going from bluster to nervousness very quickly. To begin with, I agreed with you. But more and more he's coming across as a Tony Blair figure- not really a natural leader, but someone who tries to manipulate every position to his advantage, even though most of the time he's winging it and relying oon his natural charisma.

Looking forward to the next part of your views on the War Games.

Regards,
Lee


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#238 21 Jul 2005, 10:31 am
Dorney
Time Lord

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Re: Day by Day

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The War Games 3:

One thing I really like about this story is that it's very good at raising the stakes. Even now, three episodes in, we are constantly being presented with new tricks. Watch the way that the first episode comes over as a historical, with mild sci-fi content. The second throws in redcoats and romans. And now we gain our first proper look at the control centre and meet the War Chief. The further the story goes, the bigger it gets as new layers and questions are added.

This episode has a couple of moments where it repeats the problems of the last with that padded feeling raising it's head - the immediate return to the chateau is a bit odd, and the visit to the German trenches seems a fairly exact rerun of episode one, and is irrelevant after about two minutes. Having said that, they both provide some glorious moments. The detailed section of The Doctor blowing up the safe is rather wonderful, mainly due to the way it actually is able to take time over the sequence so we can see precisely how smart and ingenious the Doctor actually is. A smaller story wouldn't have had the time to devote five minutes to this, so size has it's advantages. In many ways this is what works so well about the story. Yes, a lot of minor sequences are repetitive, but so is epic fiction. The Illiad has lots of fights, the Odyssey has lots of sailing. They're about the scale. By taking it's time over everything, by taking the time to explore and look in detail at what's happening, we've get a sense of scale. Each obstacle seems harder to overcome than in a four parter, say, because they take longer to overcome. They keep having to drive for half the episode, already imparting a sense of the story taking place over a huge area. This story simply feels big. For the most part the story is progressing, throughout, just in a detailed way. Finding out the basic concepts of the story this early on is fairly usual, so for us still to be in the dark is rather fine. The scale, combined with the constant raising of the stakes mentioned above, is what keeps this story engaging, even when the script gets caught in minor set pieces (the US civil war attack, for example).

It does also help that even when the story itself gets bogged down, the characterisation and acting are superb. I don't think I can recall a story for a while that seemed to have such a universally excellent guest cast. Even the minor parts (the German soldier that the regulars try to convince is a beautifully bitter sweet cameo) are well played and treated with respect in the writing. I love the way the villains all look like villains - menacing and imposing in appearance - without ever feeling like this is a conscious choice - they all still manage to look human. Well, maybe except the War Chief. The lovely scene where Smythe and Von Weich bicker over battle plans is probably just there to fill in the running time, but it's excellently written and played, and adds a good deal of subtlety and shade to the script. The conspiring leaders playing with lives in a casual way has an acid wit and a rare sense of satire, combined with a subtle darkness (and is faintly reminiscent of those old cartoons with the Coyote and the sheepdog clocking in and out). I adore the idea of villains who have as many squabbles and as much personality as anybody else - far too often their villainy is their only characteristic - here, they may all be villains, but they've got personalities and individuality, and that immediately engages you with the story more. The War Chief is already an engaging character, even if he does dress for a seventies disco, and once again his late introduction serves to intrigue, and heighten the drama. Brayshaw is cool and instantly powerful, demonstrating great presence (once again, he blows away the shadow of Mr Meaker from Rentaghost, practically unrecognisable as the same man) There's always something new to discover with the story (and his reference to the War Lord, and reaction to the time traveller story hints at further developments to come). Carstairs and Lady Jane are top notch guest characters (even if the latter is somewhat relegated to standing around in the background in this episode with little to do). Carstairs in particular is noble and honest, with an engaging brave streak that's usually reserved for the regulars. This character manages to pull off the rare trick of feeling like an equal member of the team. One slight flaw is that Jamie and Zoe are somewhat neglected as well (they're somewhat welded to the Doctor's side and add little), but the splitting up of the team at the end of the episode suggests they're going to come into their own.

So, all in all, terrific fun.


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#239 21 Jul 2005, 11:16 am
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day

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Quote:
(and is faintly reminiscent of those old cartoons with the Coyote and the sheepdog clocking in and out).

That's a Looney Tunes cartoon you're talking about that there, arrr. First time they've been referred to in your reviews.

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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.

- "Face of Death" by Sparacus


"They laughed at Gallileo once."
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#240 21 Jul 2005, 2:14 pm
Dorney
Time Lord

Bromley, Kent
Joined April 22, 2004
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Re: Day by Day

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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Secretive Bus
That's a Looney Tunes cartoon you're talking about that there, arrr. First time they've been referred to in your reviews.

You know Bus, I love my Looney Tunes. I once wrote a short story featuring the Doctor and the Master clocking off for lunch midway through seperate adventures, based on these particular cartoons. It's still a favourite concept of mine. May have to write it again...


22 Jul 2005, 12:14 am
Dorney
Time Lord

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Re: Day by Day

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The War Games 4:

Whilst I'm not really minding the capture/escape patterns of this story (good job too, as that's practically all Jamie and Lady Jennifer do in this episode), it is a little odd that the script does have an odd tendency to make them so short as to be virtually unecessary. This happens twice in this episode. The two J's are captured by one American civil war side... then the other. There's really no need for this, as the second scene could easily be extended. The new soldiers are instantly convinced of their prisoners innocence before they're hypnotised - couldn't it have taken them a tiny bit more persuading? As it is, I'd guess that this might have been the way it was originally written - the first bunch are waiting for a General to give them orders, and that has to be one of the War Lords, surely. Likewise, their recapture after their escape later in the episode, only to be re-rescued by the rebels seconds later seems wasted time.

The reason I'm still liking it so far is because of it's epic structure. Epics tend not to need a strong overall plot push throughout and can afford to be individual set pieces, as long as those set pieces have narratives of their own, and are enjoyable as of themselves. Most of the Civil War subplots go nowhere, but all are well played and written, with enough exciting or cool moments (the reappearance of Von Weich - bafflingly using the same name still - is a particularly nice touch, and Walker's stanfd off with him too). All contribute to the sense of creating a world - this is one of the few Who stories that truly feels like it encompasses more than two or three rooms, containing as many layers as a book could. So what if it's a little short on actual plot - you make up for that in scale anbd depth.

Having said that, this episode is quite good at narrative drive with the revelation that a 'resistance' exist is a major development, as is the Doctor encountering the War Chief for the first time. Whilst Jamie and Jen are mainly filling in time in some admittedly rather entertaining sidebars, the Doctor's side - exploring and getting information - seems rather taut, with no obvious flab. And it does become clear how good the writing and acting is when the story takes a character as functional as the scientist - blatantly only there as an expositional device - and still manages to pull off a quirky, detailed, rounded character. In fact, what could have been a dull scene is rather brilliantly done. The glasses could have looked silly, but ultimately they're a fabulous idea. They impart a sense of otherwordlyness without having to dress the cast like utter fools, put the guys in skirts or some such. And the gleefully smug lecture scene has that playful sinister wit that we saw in the Coyote/Sheepdog scene from part three. It's not going the obvious route, and is willing to make it's villains laughable or quirky, or different - and as a result, every single one is an individual, and genuinely interesting. The scene also manages to take the delightfully funny concept of alien invaders giving lectures on invasion technique, and still undercuts it with moments of menace - the German spies stuff, leading into a fabulously well put together cliffhanger (Saville is wonderfully creepy). It's only marred by the cliffhanger being necessitated by the Doctor's out of character stupidity in lifting his glasses. Like the safe cracking in the last episode, the Doctor chatting to the scientist, getting deep into it, is so unmistakeably Whoish, that you can't help but remember why you love the character so much.

Something I've been failing to mention that I really should - ironically, since this episode doesn't use it - the wonderful music. The 'something odd's happening' theme is a really beautiful and menacing piece of music, and is right up there with the Ark part two cliffhanger for fab scores.

Still great fun, a quality large scale romp, witty and well characterised, but with fabulous moments of menace and darkness. Hugely enjoyable.


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#243 22 Jul 2005, 11:54 am
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Re: Day by Day

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The War Games 5:

There's a famous quote from Raymond Chandler. He once said that anytime he was stuck for where to take a plot, he'd have a guy walk into the room with a gun. This did sometimes lead him into dead ends (wonderfully, even he didn't know who killed one of the victims in The Big Sleep), but generally it seemed to work. Whilst Hulke and Dicks aren't quite doing that, you do get the feeling they're deliberately adding something new each time. This episode we're introduced to the security chief, with the War Lord still waiitng in the wings. Now, a lot of people criticise James Bree's performance in this story, and true it is a little odd (the character seems only to emote through his voice, the rest of his body is bolt upright and stiff, and he only seems to have one level: accusatory) but it is still a result of the well put together characterisation of the story, with all of the villains having distinct identities. His identity is clearly 'barking'. Once again, we get to think of the villains as a race, rather than generic bad guys. But his rivalry with the War Chief seems to hit on gold. Unlike the previous three episodes, which whilst good, have at times struggled to fill their allocated time, this one feels fairly lean. And it remains the detailed level of characterisation, rather than overt plotting, that is filling the time, the story becoming defined by all the cast's inter-personal relationships. The tension between the two characters suggests threads and layers yet to be explored, as does the War Chief's recognition of the Doctor (and vice versa). The rest of the story is giving us the thrills and the spills, and the fights etc., but the story proper is beginning to be driven by the people rather than the plot. What other Who story has a villain deliberately screw over one of the others like the War Chief does at the end of this episode?

And what other story has the nominal heroes fighting and trying to kill each other over an execution, seemingly just from boredom? It's a nice touch that the resistance aren't lily white characters (in fact, this episode noticeably has the villains much more civilised than the heroes ). In fact, the whole idea of a resistance, one already up and running before the regulars arrive adds further to the epic feel. Obviously, a resistance brings to mind echoes of real wars, and that further gives rise to the feeling of scale (aided by the constant stream of new characters in the war zones).

A further point to make is that I love the design of this story. The mad psychedelic walls, the pinhole glasses, the machinery, the fridge magnet control circuitry. It's all delightfully insane. Too often the designers attempt to create a 'realistic' future, with fairly calm designs. These sets and costumes are an explosion of madness. They've completely avoided realism and gone for extreme, pop art designs. It's a great idea, instantly feeling otherworldly and it's fun, but without feeling silly. Also, it offers a very visible, and very vital contrast to the realism of the war zones - imagine if they were both designed in a pseudo realistic style, they'd feel nominally like part of the same world, and the difference is hugely important. The decision to have all the villains wear those small, slightly creepy glasses, and nehru jackets is another nice touch, immediately seperating them again. No alien make up required, it's a simple device that immediately identifies them as different from human without having to make them dress and act like fools - the uniformity being the point. Quite why a bunch of aliens would really require glasses is a bit bizarre, but it does play on all the cliches we associate with spectacles - bookishness, intelligence, calculation - and, combined with their cold calm nature, in contrast with the emotive violence of the rebels, emphasises the distinction between them and the humans: the intellectuals and the fighters.

The regulars are all right this episode - Zoe and Carstairs have to lag around behind the Doctor a lot, but they all get their moments, and Jamie gets to do his stuff again towards the end having hung around a barn not doing much for two episodes. The Doctor has some lovely material with the scientist, duping him again audaciously, but it's a shame that Lady Jennifer is dropped from the story. Sure, she hasn't had much to do since episode three, but that just re-emphasises how weird it is that she's been kept around this long if she isn't going to play a substantial part. The War Chief is still the most interesting character in this script, with more of his backstory being revealed gradually. It's a beautiful, complex performance of a well written character, and is a much under-valued villain, to my mind. Everyone praises your Mavic Chen's and Tobias Vaughns, but they're a little more one note and obviously villainous for me. The War Chief is the most rounded villain so far.

One other point to note that I keep meaning to mention - this story has fabulous cliffhangers. Five episodes in, and only part three's comes close to disappointing (if you ignore the rather poor acting of the Roman extras in part two and their lovely open mouthed hamminess at the start of three). With a couple of fabulous get out of that moments, a tense stand off, a dazzling shifting of the bases, they're really a great set. This one is practically the same concept as part one's, but that doesn't matter. Every time, you are coming back next week. No arguments. In fact, one of the reasons why this write up is so soon after the one for part four is because I genuinely couldn't recall the resolution and I wanted to know. If that doesn't show how enjoyable and fresh this story is, I don't know what does.


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#244 22 Jul 2005, 12:51 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day

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I was always of the opinion that the cliffhangers were rather badly edited in this story. You get a wonderful ending sequence, which then just, visually and aurally, cuts off abruptly to black for the credits to roll. The drama always get diffused for me like that. The best 60s cliffhangers always have the theme music fading gradually over the action (watching "The Aztecs" recently I noticed how fab the cliffhangers are - even the end of part 1, which is basically a villain talking and scowling at the camera, is livened up by the doomy music, harsh lighting and the theme music cutting in at exactly the right moment).

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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.

- "Face of Death" by Sparacus


"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus


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#245 22 Jul 2005, 5:25 pm
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day

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Actually, that's a very good point. I have found that cut to black a little bit annoying and awkward, but part of me was just sat there thinking 'well, that's cos there's no sting intro into the credits'. But this is mainly because it's been a while since I've seen another story with credits (rather than just hearing them), and you're bang on. Seeds had the credits run over the action... darn, I'll be noticing that more over the remaining five. I wonder if it's because of how the opening episode needed to end (you can't run the credits over that, cos you'll spoil it). It's a shame, as content wise, the cliffhangers are top notch.


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#246 22 Jul 2005, 5:48 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day

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I agree about episode 1, certainly. But episode 2 - Romans rushing over a hill, yelling and crying, dramatic music rising to crescendo - CUT. Then you wait a second and the credits and music starts.

There's the same awkwardness to the first few Pertwee stories as well, before the cliffhanger sting had been invented. Classy cliffhanger which suddenly cuts to the credits in a rather hamfisted fashion. It also takes a while for them to know how to use the sting - in "Ambassadors" and a few others, the action cuts to the credits and only then the sting is heard, which just looks silly. It's a while before we get the "sting plays eerily over action, cut to credits" that we're used to throughout Tom's reign and onwards.

The Hartnell era got away without a sting of course because most of the cliffhangers are ponderous in nature - no immediate action, usually somebody proclaiming something doomladen ("If you are Yetaxa, save him!" "We're leaving without him!" "Hundreds of them sir! In formation!"). Even when somebody is sentenced to death, we get a cut to the companions looking scared whilst some incidental music plays before the credits and theme tune slowly fade in. But it works wonderfully. Cliffhangers like the "Doctor about to be run over by a train" in Deadly Assassin wouldn't have worked in the 60s, and a lot of the 60s ones would have lost their doomy atmosphere if they'd been transferred to the later eras.

There's the difference, I think. Doctor Who in the 60s relies more on generating atmosphere than general action; each episode ends with the culmination of something horrible happening, or a sudden rise in tension. Later in Doctor Who, cliffhangers tend to end with something very sudden happening, like a statue falling on the Doctor, or an Ice Warrior looming out of the mining complex, or a Zygon attacking Sarah. Action rather than emotion.

The Pertwee era is a period of transition as far as this goes. It takes them a while to develop the closing theme music (remember, the 60s episodes always fade out once the credits finish, whilst the theme music from the 70s onwards actually reaches a definite finish - like the "BANG!" for the 80s stories when the stars zoom towards the camera) - indeed, listen to the closing themetune to each of the Spearhead episodes. It's different each time, edited in an exceedingly odd manner, particularly part 1, which alters course only a few seconds in. Then it takes a while to develop the cliffhanger sting, as already said. But the physical content of the cliffhangers alters - some of them are distinctly 60sish, particularly any about a bloke pulling a gun on the Doctor. In the 60s, we'd get a slow close up on his face snarling, whilst the credits ran. In the Pertwee stories (Im thinking "Ambassadors" and "Mind of Evil" here) there's an awkward pause where the character pulls a gun, stands still for a moment, there's some rapid editing showing looks of horror and the gun itself, and the action cuts away, making it all lok a bit farcical, as if the evil bloke has just been standing around for a few minutes doing nothing at all.


Yes I'm going into this in a lot of pedantic detail. And I really have no excuse for doing so. I reckon it's probably because the cliffhanger aspect of Doctor Who was the thing that really hooked me as a young viewer, so its one of the aspects I care most about now.

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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.

- "Face of Death" by Sparacus


"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus


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#247 24 Jul 2005, 11:57 pm
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day

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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Secretive Bus
I agree about episode 1, certainly. But episode 2 - Romans rushing over a hill, yelling and crying, dramatic music rising to crescendo - CUT. Then you wait a second and the credits and music starts.

Oh, I agree completely. What I'd meant was that by such a cliffhanger being a necessity of part one, maybe the editor just got into that mode. But it does really **** them up. Just watched part six, and it doesn't help...


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#248 25 Jul 2005, 12:42 am
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Re: Day by Day

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The War Games 6:

It's odd that this episode features the first ever mention of the Time Lords - and it's a throw away line by a fairly minor character who doesn't even have a proper name. Vernon Dobtcheff's scientist is a laugh, but it's not exactly the most significant character to be given the information to impart. Rather wonderfully, you can almost miss it as it gets no emphasis or import (which in a way almost gives it a bit of emphasis by default - why mention the name if they're irrelevant? But then you find yourself in a downward spiral). The axis of the show has suddenly shifted.

The other thing I love about this episode is the fact that it's the first which features an actor I've actually worked with (the marvellous David Troughton). It's interesting that, for me at least, he clearly justifies the casting (not exactly a surprise since the guy is these days one of the greatest actors in the country, and I mean that literally). In the big confrontation scene he's clearly out acting the bloke playing Russell, who remains perhaps the weakest link in the casting (I love everyone else in the story, big or small. Yes, even James Bree).

And again, this counts towards what is becoming my regular comment about this story. This little scene works well because of detail. It looks like a potentially good piece of advice for writers - if you need to stretch, don't fill the story with random meaningless detail, back and forth runabouts... fill it with character. The confrontation scene is between minor characters, a villain, a character two episodes old, and one one episode old. It doesn't directly affect the plot. It shouldn't work. But it comes over beautifully. The efforts to expand bit parts into real people is obviously a consequence of more time than is really required - but in terms of building up the world, and populating that world with real people it scores well. When every person we meet is so well defined, obviously we care about their overall safety. We don't want Moor dead, we don't want Ransome to die, etc.

The plot moves pleasingly, and has stopped feeling too repetitive (ok, the returning for the processor is a bit off, but it's well justified in the script). There's not vast amounts happening, as I've said, but it works because of the time spent on character - mainly meaning the subplots are terrific. I love the Security/War Chief rivalry, as it certainly adds an emotional complexity and sophistication to the script. Troughton himself is superb, and whilst once again the companions are left with little to do, the use of Zoe's memory as a plot point to kick off the next section is a neat idea (which reminds me - I will probably talk about the story structure as promised next episode).

Anything else I could say is really just reiterating things I've said elsewhere (not sure I haven't just done that this time anyway). It's still fun, it's still not boring me. And it feels epic and manages to come across like it deserves its length. Really enjoying it.


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#249 25 Jul 2005, 2:23 am
The Secretive Bus
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Re: Day by Day

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Quote:
It's odd that this episode features the first ever mention of the Time Lords - and it's a throw away line by a fairly minor character who doesn't even have a proper name. Vernon Dobtcheff's scientist is a laugh, but it's not exactly the most significant character to be given the information to impart. Rather wonderfully, you can almost miss it as it gets no emphasis or import

The first usage of "Gallifrey" is given to us in the same sort of low-key manner. Strange, details that the series gave away earlier on in throwaway fashion (Gallifrey, Time lords, even the Monk's appearance, being the first character we see of the Doctor's race who isn't the Doc or Susan, is revealed to us in a comedy story) only become big and important later, where we get books and audios and things obsessed with the stuff...

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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.

- "Face of Death" by Sparacus


"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus


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#250 26 Jul 2005, 2:04 pm
Dorney
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Re: Day by Day

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The War Games 7:

OK, as promised that bit about structure. Mainly because if I don't do it now this write up will end up roughly the same as the last five or so (yadda yadda detail yadda yadda epic yadda yadda characterisation).

There's the famous Robert Holmes statement about how to structure a six parter - a four part story, with a related two parter. So how does one go about structuring a ten parter? Well, after a few viewings of this story, it struck me. The War Games is broken up into four serials. Parts One to Three are, as I observed before, broadly speaking a historical. The threats to the Doctor and co are derived almost entirely from the historical setting. The sci-fi elements add another layer to it, but you could almost take them out and still have a story that makes sense. Parts Four to Six are exploration and investigation of the villains lair (plus civil war hijinks) with the Doctor investigating and collating information. We're now moving into the third section, parts Seven to Nine - the fight back. The fourth part is obviously part ten, wrapping up the loose ends. Each little section has its own pace and function (in deed, each of the four parts could be viewed as an expansion of a regular four part story structure - set up, elaboration, move to crisis, and climax). It's these distinct phases that stop the story from degenerating into a boring padathon: and each section is surprisingly simple. Looking back on parts four to six, it's hard to think that all that much has actually, y'know, happened. But it never seemed boring at the time. I keep saying details, and that's all it is. The script uses the length to expand the scale. As a result, this episode's central conceit - the locating and using of a base of operations - feels like it is part of a massive campaign (once again, properly evoking a massive war, rather than feeling like a couple of sets filled with extras, due to the sheer time required). This is Who at it's most world encompassing, with a scale unseen elsewhere til the novels. This feels like it's a long slog of an adventure for the regulars, no easy answers, a war of attrition. Flaws - well, rather like the Matrix, it does feel uncomfortable to see the death of innocent bystanders being used as pawns by the villains. Morally, I'm not convinced by that...

Phillip Madoc turns up in this episode (I've always found it amusing that the video cover gives huge prominence to characters who don't turn up until the second of the two tapes). It's a terrific, understated turn, full of extreme menace, and is a wonderful contrast to the flamboyance of the War Chief and the mannered barking-ness of the Security Chief. The man himself manages to look creepy, and sound creepy. It's rare to have a villain this obviously creepy (most tend to fit the War Chief fold, which is fun but hardly scary). The scenes where this quiet, rather ordinary looking man (with his oddly lensed glasses and neat beard he looks like a geography teacher) can command the more theatrically villainous types and deal out death and destruction, are utterly chilling. A blatant example of the 'less is more' school, this man instantly feels evil.

It's nice to see that Smythe does get a comeuppance (even if it does mean some of his scenes reek a little of repetition). He seems more noticeably incompetent this time, but that's quibbling. It's good that the story is taking the proper time to despose of all it's villains, even if they've effectively been abandoned by the plot. Again, this adds to the feel of a properly constructed epic, with things being set up for long pay offs. In deed, the plot construction is beautifully done in this regard. Whilst a lot of it was almost certainly written on the hop, the threads are nicely pulled together (using Zoe as a mechanism to get the resistance together, for example).

Still great fun.


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#251 27 Jul 2005, 12:46 am
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Re: Day by Day

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The War Games 8:

And there we go. A couple of hundred episodes in and we get the explanation. The Doctor stole his TARDIS, is a Time Lord, and a fugitive. The series mythos is irrevocably changed. Once again, it's rather wonderfully understated. Although obviously I already knew the answers, it's quite strange to watch this episode and still get a sense of how big the revelation is, because it is something of a 'gosh' moment when watched chronologically.

The revelation comes mid way through a scene between the Doctor and the War Chief. It's rather a surprise that it's taken them this long to properly meet and talk. The psychological study, the shading of the relationship, is rather nicely done, it has to be said. Once again the story uses it's extra time to explore character, and for the first time in ages a lot of that is exploration of the Doctor - precisely where his loyalties lie, his alien nature, his own reasons for his existence. This is probably what makes the scene feel so significant even now. Finally, someone is exploring his nature and from a position of knowledge, a position of power. Again, it does help that this story is long enough to take the time to make proper character studies. But I've said that before. What's worth watching though is Troughton. In this episode in particular he gets to play a slightly different take on the Doctor. It's still recognizably the same character, but there's a noticeable seriousness of manner, and a greater level of complexity as you see his soul being reached. It's a subtle, powerful performance, kicking in the greater emotional stakes that will lead to the regeneration. The scene also gives us a slightly overdue explanation for the basic plotline. It is a bit of a barking concept, to be honest, and hardly screams ten-parter, but it's played well and is no more ludicrous than a lot of the regular Who schemes. It's implementation of the ideas that counts, and the story still revels in its length and scale, taking the time to create an entire world's worth of plot.

It's also clear that there's still time enough left for a bit of humour, mainly with Jamie and Zoe. The fact that they've slightly dropped out of the plot is covered by their chat with the somewhat hammy Villar, in a relatively amusing scene. Most of the rest of their scenes in this episode end with them grinning at various amusing ideas. One thing it must be observed about these scenes though is that none of them are gaggy. In all case the jokes, like most good comic writing, is derived from the situations they find themselves in, rather than punchlines. It's good to have these in, because the further the story goes the darker it gets, and there's precious little humour in the base scenes.

Beyond the regulars, the guest cast are generally ok still. Carstairs and the War Lord impress most distinctly. I love the way the former is now the head of the resistance (even if it is at the expense of giving Jamie and Zoe anything to actually do), with him coming over as a very solid hero, second only to the Doctor in terms of driving the story. I love the fact that again a supporting character has a clear arc - from mildly bumbling to brave fighter to resistance chief, quite an arc for a guest character. And in the villains base, whilst the Security Chief is beginning to get on my nerves (it's a desperately one note performance. The rivalry is kind of interesting, but four episodes along it's got a little old hat), the War Lord maintains his creepy relaxed feel. It's a good example of the banality of evil, as his mild smugness and self satisfaction, his callous arrogance are all casual, and utterly hateful as a result. You know, iIt's seldom that a Who story is driven mainly by character rather than plot. But it really is in this case. The content and drama of the story, particularly within the base, is driven and pushed by the character interaction, not really from a vastly pacey plot. You're absorbed by what's going to happen to the characters next, not what the next beat in the plot is - and once more, how many stories can boast that the psychology and moral debate rests with the villains. With their central base, and the resistance trying to find a way in, this is essentially the archetypal 'base under siege' plot in reverse, even to the degree that the central plot focus belongs to those under siege, the villains. It's not surprising that they're all genuinely more interesting than Russell and Villar. The overall plot, the War Games themselves, are all frankly irrelevant in comaprison to the main plot - an alien power struggle that the Doctor gets caught up in. It's genuinely a psychologically rich story.

I haven't mentioned the War Chief in that blurb, but that's not because I don't like him. It's still a fabulous performance, suave, sophisitcated and urbane, evil with charm and a pointy beard. Remind you of anyone? You know, the more I watch this, I'm convinced that the character is actually the Master himself. Regardless of authorial intention. The two are just too similar for it to be coincidence. It would make sense... and it feels right in a way that the suggestion of the Monk being the same guy just doesn't somehow.

Well, off to bed now. Really looking forward to part nine...


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#252 29 Jul 2005, 12:26 am
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Re: Day by Day

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The War Games 9:

There's a mild problem with this episode. In fact there are a couple but we'll get to the niggling ones in a bit. First is the fact that after the plot kind of promising a big rebellion/face off, goodies vs baddies rumble for a couple of episodes, it doesn't really happen. The Doctor organising the resistance, Zoe's memory of her interrogation, etc., have all been subconsciously promising this as the place we're going for a few episodes now. But when it comes down to it, the big scale revolution doesn't really affect the plot resolution (a throwaway line is put in to suggest that the lack of guards helps, but this is lip service really). It wouldn't have required much - the other rebels breaking in in the last few moments to capture the War Lord say, but it doesn't happen, and it's a little unsatisfactory dangling thread.

One of the reasons that this matters less than it should is that otherwise the climax is well written and rather effective. I've been banging on for a while that the story fills it's time by creating threads based around character interaction rather than meaningless running around. It uses the space to create extra subplots and backgrounds for all the characters. As a result, it's worth noting that, satisfyingly, this is a Doctor Who story where the villains are defeated through their own personalities. They are defeated by the character interaction. The War Chief/Security Chief rivalry isn't just a subplot, it ties in directly at the end. The Doctor acts as a catalyst, true, but ultimately he doesn't directly need to defeat the villains plans, they do it themselves (as has been observed before the first episode cliffhanger resembles that of Androzani - this death by hubris scenario has a similar feel as well). Of the three main villains, the two that are killed are killed by two of the others and none of the goodies need to raise a hand. The Security and War Chiefs are so focused on themselves they forget the bigger picture. Petty rivalries mean that the plan fails and they end up dead (whilst James Bree's death is unsurprisingly hammy, Brayshaw gets a classic - his panicky self justification even as he tries to run away, combined with the War Lord's cold indifference is rather brutal and sadistic - it's almost possible to feel sorry for him).

As a result of this, the Doctor and co have little to do but mop up in this episode. You could argue again that it contains echoes of real wars - with the petty squabbles of those in control playing out over the ordinary people trying to live. The Doctor's concern moves purely to the rescuing of the soldier. This is one of the other little problems I mentioned earlier - when it comes down to it, the Doctor is fighting to send all these people back to war zones, and just as probable death. Isn't that a touch problematic? (And why does Carstairs try to find Jennifer in his own zone - surely she was in the Civil War Base last we heard?)

The other problem I have is that the plot requires all of the villains to suddenly become morons. With no good reason they all suddenly decide that the Doctor's on their side, and he can start converting all the rebels without any proper supervision or medical back up (a couple of guards who can't be expected to understand the process in detail hardly count). Special stupid awards go to the War Chief (who can't spot Jamie's obvious acting) and the War Lord (who seems to distrust the Doctor from the get go - saying he has a 'silver tongue' - yet still lets him wander around doing vital work). It's a shame, because they both are terrific villains, and this plot requirment for their stupidity seems to wimp out a touch.

The major mention for this episode has to be the Time Lords though. The gravity they are talked of with, and the Doctor and War Chief's fear of them, are genuinely intriguing. After six years, they really did need to pull something massive out of the bag for the answers, and the portentous feel of a lot of this episode indicated it'll be good (the strange sound signifying their imminent arrival is particularly creepy and evocative). Even knowing what's coming you still get swept up in the fear and tension. Once again, the cliffhanger really is one where everyone is coming back next time.


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#253 31 Jul 2005, 1:10 am
Dorney
Time Lord

Bromley, Kent
Joined April 22, 2004
Last On: Today 2:58 pm
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Re: Day by Day

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About 48 hours late, due to my computer playing silly buggers... thank the lord I'd save the draft before posting...

The War Games 10:

Well, goodbye Mr Troughton. It's been rather fun following you. The second Doctor has always been my favourite, and I've thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering him. It is weird watching the show in order how odd the transition seems. I'm not sure the change over to Pertwee will seem... mainly because my viewing of this era has been somewhat less compact, but also I've seen the debut of two new Doctors on the telly since... But there ya go. He was fantastic.

This is, obviously, one of the iconic, seminal episodes of the show. We do get the full, proper explanation of who the Doctor is and why he left. To be honest, it's not entirely convincing, with his desire for adventure seeming to be a more distinctly Troughtonesque trait than Hartnellesque - at the very least early Hartnell. But it still works pretty well, tying up all the questions we've wanted answers to. It just remains a shame that this episode doesn't quite have enough plot to fill its entire length. The opening 'running from the Time Lords' montage of classic clips and poor stock footage goes on less than I thought it did, and to be fair, the story does need a proper attempt from the Doctor to escape otherwise the Timelords get no opportunity to demonstrate their power properly (quite how they manage to operate the TARDIS remotely when it was established this lessened it's life I'm not sure). The bigger problem is the second escape attempt with the crew running through a group of steam baths, which is utterly pointless. In a clear repeat of the first couple of this story's episodes, it's resolved so quickly you've no idea why they bothered. Maybe they didn't want the Doctor to give in easily or wimp out without a fight... but surely that's what the first few minutes are about. It doesn't help that to get to that situation one of the all powerful Time Lords has to forget to switch a force field back on. I think on the whole I would have preferred a little more development of the Doctor's goodbyes to his companions.

I think that the exits of Jamie and Zoe are probably my least favourite of the series. Even notoriously poor off-screen exits like Dodo or Ben and Polly, or sudden romances and random decisions like Leela or Steven, have something on them. It's because I really dislike the wiping of the memory. Especially with a team so mutually warm, and even then especially with Jamie. These people have got on so well and are such good friends that to take that from them seems a little needlessly nasty to me. It's so easily dismissive of characters we've come to love, and their own emotional journeys that have been important to us. Ah well, what's done is done.

One thing I noticed watching this is that it's rather effective the way this episode is still clearly part of the same story as the previous nine. A lot of guides suggest that it is two distinct stories, but the appearance of the War Lord and the fact that a good third of the episode focuses on him emphasises this. Again, it's a structural thing. After a story climaxes, it needs a cooling down period that deals with what everyone did next, who went where, etc. Now, if a story has been long, it can get away with a longer cool down, and in many ways should (there's nothing more irritating with a book that's been building to it's end for eight hundred pages - and then wraps up what happened to the characters in two pages flat. It's too quick). The clearest literary example I can think of is Lord of the Rings, where the defeat of Sauron comes about two thirds of the way through the third book. The rest is the sweeping up of the floor, the tying of loose ends. That's what this episode is - the cool down from the epic. Imagine if the story had finished with part nine. After three and a half hours, it would seem annoying abrupt, wouldn't it? This final episode needs to close it off, despite the fact there's no good reason to have had the War Lord reappear (we'd have assumed he got a just punishment). As it is, we get a lovely set of scenes with Madoc pulling out all the stops in a rant of beautiful glory. The War Lord is a much underrated villain I think. Arrogant and unpleasant, he's also very real in a way the show's villains never manage to be. His ultimate fate is suitably and enjoyably cruel without being nasty and his final panic delicious.

The Time Lords are pretty impressive (well, ok, the Timelords bar that technician who gets killed but clearly hasn’t been paid the extra money to make him a speaking part, and so offers one of the two most pathetic ‘don’t kill me’ moment in the show’s history – the other being the very similar one at the start of ‘Creature from the Pit’). Watched in context, it is hard not to see the point those 70s fans had. The Time Lords of this story are all but Gods, powerful and controlling, and a world away from the bickering and silly hats. They seem beyond us, whereas the latter versions are all too human. I'm not saying that I particularly prefer these versions (they are something of a cliche), I'm just saying I can see the point. Boring gods, or humdrum human likes. Tough call. As far as this story requires them to go they are very good though, immediately suggesting great power with very little effect (probably due to their casual displays of strength and others fear of them, rather than their actual appearance or anything like that). The individual performances convey this god like detachment without blandness, and that’s tougher than it sounds.

And at the end we have the regeneration. It's odd to spot that, no matter how often people say that the defence speech is breathtaking, it isn't that great. Once again, we just get a lot of pictures on a backcloth. Troughton is always good value, but his defence is shorter than you think. It's good, with one or two lovely lines, but it's not the classic speech of memory. The face parade is gloriously funny though (even if it's hard to tell how it squares with continuity - though it does potentially help people troubled by Romana's multiple regenerations if you take it to mean that in a non-forced regeneration, the face can be selected). And Troughton does succumb to a bit of gurning, making the similar moments for McCoy seem less attackable.

Overall, it's an acceptable episode, slightly lacking in any material or plot beyond it's iconic power, but perfectly enjoyable as a tidying up episode. The story itself is gloriously entertaining and sweeping in it's scale, filled with great characters and set ups. Huge unashamed fun, filled with battles and excitement, it reminds you of why you loved the show as a kid - it's gleeful escapism of the highest quality, only really poor if you're a nutter who decides to watch it all in one go. As a finale to the era, it earns it's place suitably, and is easily the best story of the season. Recommended.


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#254 31 Jul 2005, 2:41 pm
The Secretive Bus
Time Lord

Edinburgh
Joined April 18, 2004
Last On: Today 1:57 am
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Re: Day by Day

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Quote:
Boring gods, or humdrum human likes. Tough call.

You could argue that the Time Lords you see here are their public persona, the way they like to present themselves to everybody else in the Universe. When we get to Gallifrey, they don't have any need to put on a show for each other, so we see the "real" Time Lords. I mean, compare them to humans. The majority of the human race is a lot of ordinary people meandering about their day to day life - yet in the Who universe, they're one of the most spacefaring and expansive races there are. Different faces for different places, and all that.

Oh, and when you review "Spearhead", I'll be most upset if you don't devote a whole paragraph to Talfryn Thomas's breathtakingly emotive and gripping performance as Mullins. You have been warned.

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Ben grins out of the cockpit window:
“I am only borrowing this. I’m Ben Chatham” before expertly taking off into the clouds.

- "Face of Death" by Sparacus


"They laughed at Gallileo once."
- Sparacus


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#255 31 Jul 2005, 2:56 pm
Dorney
Time Lord

Bromley, Kent
Joined April 22, 2004
Last On: Today 2:58 pm
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Re: Day by Day

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I'll hopefully be onto Spearhead 1 later today. Not sure yet. But I'll try my best.

The Space Pirates

25 Jun 2005, 2:16 pm

The Space Pirates 1:

Oh dear lord.

I listened to this ages ago. Usually that would be a problem for Day by Day. This time, it won't be. It's a memorable episode. For all the wrong reasons, yes. But memorable.

There's a phrase that keeps repeating itself through your head when you listen to the Space Pirates. It's this: Robert Holmes wrote this. Robert Holmes wrote this. It's hard to believe that the man who, three or so years later, is writing Carnival of Monsters is here writing something so inept and turgid. It just makes you wonder - how good could Peter R Newman and Geoffrey Orme become, had they only been given the chance.

This episode isn't one of those spectacularly 'love it or loathe it', or 'so bad it's good' type stories. It's just bad. Even with the worst turkey's, the problems of poor dialogue, misconceived plots, ludicrous costumes, etc. are usually placed on top of a script that you can actually see that someone might have thought could work. You know, one that's been constructed. A poorly put together plot is still a plot, for an example. You can usually see that someone's really gone for it Generally, I prefer a film that is awful but you can tell why someone might want to make it to turgid movies with no discernable point. This episode is just that. Twenty five minutes that doesn't seem to be about anything. It's hard to conceive how anyone could have looked at the script and thought: yep, that'll work. This episode is barely constructed at all! The TARDIS takes forever to arrive, and the regulars remain purely tangential to the plot (they vaguely distract the guards, but are pretty irrelevant for the rest of the episode with only one speaking character aware of their existence by the end of the episode). This is just stupid. In a vibrant story, this might be less of a problem (viz Revelation), but they're vital in something this flat. We watch the show for the leads, they have to be central. Even if they don't entirely drive the plot at all times, they need to fundamentally be our focus. Shoving them away into a brief corridor run for a couple of minutes without affecting the other people in the episode seems to be dismissive of them in the highest order. I'm sensing that the writers are losing interest in them in contrast to their interest in their own creations.

Most bizarrely of all, the entire 'plot' of the episode is the exact same thing happening. Three times. In a row. Slowly. But, most bizarrely of all, the entire 'plot' of the episode is the exact same thing happening. Three times. In a row. Slowly. But, most bizarrely of all, the entire 'plot' of the episode is the exact same thing happening. Three times. In a row. Slowly.

See? Pretty tedious isn't it? Who in their right mind would think this is a suitable plot for a family adventure show? When Frazer Hines' narration has to keep jumping through hoops to find new ways of describing the action ('they go through their practiced moves' etc.) and by the end of the episode when that bloke from It Ain't Half Hot Mum is saying the Pirates are attacking a third time, and they say 'we're too late - again' IN THE FIRST EPISODE, didn't someone spot that the plot was somewhat repetitive? Worse still, it hardly helps that the opposing forces in this episode are millions of miles apart throughout. The military here are reduced to watching the villains on television whilst sitting around for twenty five minutes moaning about how they can't do anything. How exciting! As a result, there's no suspense, no tension. Each time you know you're going to see pretty much the same thing as the last time.

And there is a major problem with the military too. Jack May, the actor playing General Hermack, has a fabulous voice, great for the audio. Unfortunately, this disguises the fact that he's a terrible actor. (it's something of a syndrome for British actors in US shows too, usually for guest slots. The RP accent seems to convince executives that their frankly talentless UK discovery has the acting chops of Laurence Olivier. I've lost count of the amount of mediocre performances in British set episodes of Murder She Wrote, Quantum Leap, etc...) His voice is plummy and rich - but that's it. He's so concerned with the words sounding well spoken, he's forgotten to think about what he's saying, or at the very least just thinks he can let the voice do all the work. The other characters are faceless and functional at best.

Beyond that, there is nothing at all to write, as there's nothing at all to the episode. The equally plotless opening of Seeds managed to work because there was direct conflict, interesting characters, suspense, a plot that developed, good performances, and the lively work of the central cast, kept relatively central. This episode seems to have been written as a bet to see whether you could get away with none of these things. Answer: you can't.

I seem to recall reading an article that a few years back an early video recorder was found, and the guy who had it had taped an episode of Who that they thought was Space Pirates 1. When the tape was viewed, it turned out to be part two, which they already had.

I'm not sure I'm that disappointed frankly. If, in a somewhat unlikely scenario, a mad film hoarder offered me every single missing episode - as long as I burned one of them - I think I know what episode I'd pick. Space Pirates 1: Even duller than episode one of the Chase.


#214 25 Jun 2005, 8:49 pm
Dorney

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The Space Pirates 2:

OK, so after the monumental tedium of the first episode, this one is something of a relief. That's not to say the overly static, non-existant 'plot' does anything as extreme as 'move forward' - hint, it doesn't - but that this episode at least has a few things to recommend it.

Most of these are derived from the visuals. Firstly, George Layton's tache is worth the price on the video in itself. Secondly, Zoe's hot pants are so outrageously minute I'm almost regretting the fact that the rest of the story doesn't exist (I said almost). If nothing else they do distract you from realising that the regulars do even less in this episode than they did in the last one (all that guff about magnets is pure time filler that achieves precisely nothing). And some of the model work is quite pleasant.

The biggest bonus of this episode is Milo Clancy. Now, the problems with the rest of the story still affect him - the accent is dodgy, and the static direction means he's not quite the distracting whirligig the script wants him to be - but he's a welcome source of life and energy in the script. The other characters are bland stereotypes, and Clancy is a refreshing change, blistering with personality. The dullness of the rest of the script doesn't help him, it has to be said, because it means he looks worse than he is in comparison. But the character is energised and a bit barking and, most importantly, this is for no good reason. In deed, the talk from the other characters about him suggests someone a hell of a lot different from the person we see - potential killer, potential head pirate? Hardly. Whereas all the other cast members are lumbered with 'characters' defined by their plot function - villain, military man, pirate, etc. - and hence one note, Clancy feels like a proper character. He's an individual, and he's not quite like anyone we've seen in the entire series, let alone this story. He doesn't talk like everyone else (everyone else speaks in roughly the same who-ese style voice). The fact that the character doesn't completely work is probably down to the fact that Holmes is still refining the prototype, but make no mistake, this is a solid leap forward in characterisation. In many ways, Holmes is Clancy - leaping into a fairly black and white show (in every sense) and adding colour. The joyous wit and life he's going to perfect in the next five years of the show can be seen here. Of course, there's a famous saying about a silk purse and a sow's ear, and the story surrounding him is still dull enough to ensure that this is merely a burst of colour in an otherwise drab tapestry.

Beyond that, it's business as usual. Hermack is still dreadful. How anyone can call someone 'Ian' in such a dramatic and plummy way I can't comprehend. And he completely fails to make his big expositional speeches feel like anything other than big expositional speeches. He always seems dead behind the eyes (watch the shots of him in the reprise - he's just a voice, that's all). Warne makes more of an effort, but is lumbered with an unconvincing accent, and Madelaine Issigri (visited in a rather silly and contrived scene by Hermack, who's vague flirting just makes him seem like an idiot) is equally lumbered with a silly hat/wig/whatever it's supposed to be. And the general static nature of the plot just bores - again, this episode is pretty much about the military wasting time, farting around, stuck away from anything of any import - it's something of an irony that the only episode of this story to exist is the one with no Space Pirates in it. And that, despite the first episodes dullness, was a positive point, because piracy implies action, and action implies excitement. You tune into these shows for certain things. Take the Bill for example. This is like an episode of the Bill with all the policeman standing around the station saying 'maybe we ought to go out and catch someone' for thirty minutes, before deciding to follow someone on the basis that they're wearing an odd shirt. Oh, and it would only be the extras and bit part actors from the Bill saying this. The main cast would have been locked in the stationary cupboard for the entire episode having a conversation about paper clips. Come on, drama needs drama, doesn't it? Television has to move doesn't it?


#215 26 Jun 2005, 1:00 am
Alzarian

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Gee...

I really wish you wouldn't hold back. What do you REALLY think?

Anyway, I agree that this isn't one of the more sterling moments for the show, but I agree that at least Milo Clancey helps to keep it watchable. It is a bit of a puzzle that the show kept using Robert Holmes on the basis of his work in this season. (Of course, lucky for us that they did.)



#216 26 Jun 2005, 4:00 am
The Secretive Bus


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Hurrah! Marvellous. A rip-to-shreds review.

I actually rather like the story, in spite of its faults. Actually, I'm awfully fond of Hermack because he's so rubbishly acted ("We are going to be too late AGAIN!"). And that chap who went on to play Eckersley in "Monster of Peladon" is rather good. I can see why others hate it, but it passes the time amiably. Actually, I'll probably be giving it a relisten this week.

Oh, and I notice you haven't mentioned the musical score yet, an aspect of the story that I reckon works wonderfully. The space opera theme is particularly effective.

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#217 26 Jun 2005, 12:51 pm
Dorney

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I know what you mean - Donald Gee is just about pulling off a fairly underwritten part. And I've been meaning to mention the music but keep forgetting. It is rather good, echoing parts of the superior Ice Warriors score. Rather bizarrely, they keep forgetting to use it though - so you get it osunding beautifully over the model shots - but then vanishing from interiors, where it really needs a bit of life.




#218 26 Jun 2005, 8:29 pm
The Secretive Bus
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OK, nothing to do with "The Space Pirates", but just a little pondering about the 1st Doctor's regeneration in "The Tenth Planet". Y'see, I've always been a bit dissatisfied with that story and particularly about the way the Doctor does sod all in his swansong. The following is copied from a post I just made in another thread 'round these parts, but I thought I'd reproduce it here for your own consumption and comment.

I've never liked the 1st Doctor's cause for regenerating, especially because it's never made clear exactly what causes it. Is it simply old age, or is the power of Mondas, or both, or what? It's never stated.

The writers really missed a trick for increasing the drama of that story regarding the Doctor's position. Hypothetical storyline: the Doctor realises that the energy drain of Mondas is affecting him, and is slowly killing him. However, he knows that any offensive against Mondas would be futile, and so the only solution would be to do nothing and wait for Mondas to burn itself out (as he suggests in the actual story), despite knowing himself that such actions would also cause him to die if he sticks around for much longer. He makes to leave in the TARDIS, but the Cybermen that attack the base are so powerful that he's forced to reconsider the matter - he knows that he is needed to combat the Cybermen, and so must remain in the base to do so.

Imagine the drama in that - the Doctor torn between saving the entire planet Earth, or saving his own life. Fantastic.

Unfortunately, in the story we do get the Doctor does nothing at all - his advice is rejected, and he doesn't have any hand in the defeat of the waves of Cybermen at all. The fact that Hartnell was ill for episode 3 doesn't help, but even this could have been integrated into the story in a far better fashion as I suggested above - the Doctor falling under the power of Mondas's energy-tapping. It wouldn't have been so glaring if he'd actually had had a role to play in the story up till that point. As it is he's a guest character in his own finale, and simply collapses at the beginning of part 3 for no explained reason other than "This body of mine is wearing a bit thin." As it is, a story solution that consists of not doing anything is a bit rum anyway, but could have been saved by having the Doctor at the centre of the drama in part 4. As it is, his regeneration comes across as more as an afterthought.

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#219 26 Jun 2005, 11:37 pm
Dorney
Time Lord
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It's a shame I can't recall much about Tenth Planet, other than the Doctor's treatment is a bit weird, and rather an afterthought to the rest of the story (after I type that, I realise you've said almost the exact same thing - great minds, eh).

The problem is possibly that they haven't quite decided what the process is - it isn't until the end of Planet of Spiders (and maybe not until Logopolis, I'm not sure) where it's explicitly about saving a dying man. So looking at it with hindsight, it does seem a bit rotten, but in context there's no reason for it to be a direct part of the process. Having said that, it's a shame that the most momentous part of the story doesn't really kick off til part four, and in a way that could have been in any script.

I'll try to recover some of this when I rewrite the lost review of it, but that'll obviously be a bit of time.


#220 27 Jun 2005, 12:38 am
Dorney

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The Space Pirates 3:

OK, the runaround continues.

To be fair, the plot begins to kick in in the last five minutes or so of this episode, but the first twenty or so retains is daft structure of being an action series where the goodies are too busy dealing with each other for the baddies to even appear (the titular pirates are absent for forty five minutes straight). This wouldn't matter so much if this was a subplot, but as a main plot it's lacking in tension. As it is, this episode is fairly samey, and spends the vast majority of its length with the characters all completely removed from the story's central premise - pirates. A plot shouldn't be basically people reacting to the echoes of the main storyline happening off stage (well, perhaps a stage play could). It should be central. You keep getting the impression that all the action is happening elsewhere, and this is about watching people caught up in the wake. This story is dealing with the consequences and ripples from major events rather than the events themselves, and as a result seems desperately inconsequential. By making the episodes centrally about the incorrect scheme of Hermack, we're locked into a plotline that has nowhere to go - chase and escape, or realisation of the mistake. This is a small scale obstacle, rather than a plot point that changes the story's direction.

The plot is basically a runaround done really slowly, and at distance. Everyone's worried about how much time they've got to do this or that, and usually they say ninety minutes or something vast, which isn't exactly the most urgent countdown. Now, whilst I appreciate the attempt to suggest scale, this does just mean a lack of narrative drive and tension. It's all static - no one ever seems to feel anything is all that urgent (even when Milo has Warne on his tail, he just sits around). You see, I've managed to get through another twenty five minutes, and I really can't think of much that actually happened.

Hermack remains annoying. Petulant (his childish dismissal of Warne early in the episode) and cretinous, it's hard to conceive of this man as a military leader. Particularly daft is his jumping to conclusions over Clancy, ordering the Liz 79 to be destroyed on sight, with no evidence at all beyond his own wild surmise. And whilst the script seems to be pushing him as a major antagonist, it's clear with a mere glance that he's done precisely zip in the first three episodes, moving at snails pace around the galaxy, and growled away about what he's going to do when he catch some people, and then never getting close. He's like the frustrated principal or father in all those teenage films, having to cope with those 'crazy kids, but without the amusing frustration (he seems to think he's dynamic, confident, and is acheiving something). He's a character trying to look and sound important, to conceal the fact of his utter irrelevancy (again, he's been semi-permanently removed from all the central characters, as have all his crew, and isn't driving the plot in anyway, merely reacting - you could drop him from the script and the central plot would not be substantially different). His biggest acheivment is to have gone for a cup of tea with a woman of no relevance to his investigation midway through a campaign (and completely failed to notice she blatantly knows more than she's saying). The man's a liability.

If you can ignore him, there's some nice stuff in this episode. Clancy's fun, and Holmes has a flair with the regulars, an instinctive grasp of their characterisation, that's usually lacking. In the greatest sitcom style, their interaction is warm and funny, purely because of who they are and the way they respond to each other (the Doctor's line in part two: Zoe, don't be such a pessimist, is rather wonderful in it's droll summation of them both). It's really the only joy in this episode.

That and the somewhat bizarre serendipity of everyone turning up on the pirates base by accident. Considering how long range the scanners have been shown to be, how come Hermack didn't spot the beacon pieces? If Liz 79 is going faster, how did it miss them?

In the last five minutes we do get a promise that the script is going to stop ignoring the central question of the narrative, and deal with the pirates. The cliffhanger is a little trite, but it's a step in the right direction.



#221 27 Jun 2005, 7:56 am
The Secretive Bus


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It's interesting that I don't recall Hermack ever actually meeting the Doctor and his companions...

If I remember, we do begin to get a bit of pirate action action action in part 4, but I've a feeling by the time you get to the climaxing threat in episode 6 you'll have lost the will to live. I found the whole story rubbish and enjoyable, but from your reviews I'm guessing you'll be throwing your CD player out o' the car window...

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#222 27 Jun 2005, 11:02 am
Dorney

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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Secretive Bus
"It's interesting that I don't recall Hermack ever actually meeting the Doctor and his companions..."

If I remember, we do begin to get a bit of pirate action action action in part 4, but I've a feeling by the time you get to the climaxing threat in episode 6 you'll have lost the will to live. I found the whole story rubbish and enjoyable, but from your reviews I'm guessing you'll be throwing your CD player out o' the car window...

To be fair, I don't actually hate it yet - there's so little there to really get worked up about. It's just dull. Some nice dialogue and characterisation from the regulars and Clancy - now that both are fully integrated into the episodes - make it pass by relatively painlessly.



#223 28 Jun 2005, 2:06 pm
Dorney


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The Space Pirates 4:

I think I've got why I have a problem with this story now. It's not painful listening, well, after part one it isn't. The script isn't vastly worse than anything surrounding it, neither is characterisation (OK, the Space Corps are bland, and the villains one note but the vibrancy of the regulars and Clancy balance it out), neither is the acting (bar Hermack everyone is competent).

The problem is that it doesn't have a plot. At all.

The basic set up of the story is this - Argonite pirates are nicking argonite. The Space Corps want to stop them. And that's it. It doesn't go anywhere. The pirates have no grand scheme, there's no escalation of the stakes. This is the plot as has been established in part one, and it's the same now. There's one minor twist at the end of this episode, with the reveal of Madelaine as a villainess (ish), but that's hardly a surprise, considering she's the only other character in the story, and has no function otherwise. It's capture, escape, runaround, for the entire script! The story needs some sort of clock, or forward motion to really engage us, otherwise you just have series of similar set pieces.
Notice how, in this episode, the Doctor and co. are put into a cell, locked away, and spend the majority of the time trying to escape. Isn't that rather similar to episode two? Even down to Clancy turning up outside the door! It's obstacle, resolution, obstacle, resolution, over and again, with none of them really doing anything. The return of Sorba in this episode, for example, adds little, apart from being canon fodder, and means the regulars are no further along than they were at the beginning. The villains are established, and the Doctor tries to stop them.

It's worth observing to that the villains are terribly small fry. Just because the title adds the word 'Space' to 'Pirates' doesn't make them anything more dramatic than ram-raiders. Is this really worthy of the Doctor? In the last two stories he's saved a race from slavery, and stopped the invasion of Earth. Now, he's tackling a bunch of futuristic chavs? It's a comedown isn't it.

Also the three main groups of action (Team Who, the corps and the pirates) don't really interact all that much. None of them really meet beyond watching the others on monitor screens, lending the 'action' a removed, second hand feel. Ironically, the main plotting and scheming remains entirely with the guest cast, as the main actors are consistently tied up in irrelevant subplots. The vague plotting to frame Clancy is the main concern of two thirds of the characters in this episode, and the Corps go off on yet another wild goose chase. It's still all sound and fury though, as much as it looks like it's going somewhere, the incompetent space corp are still just drifting around not doing much. Again, the emphasis on time and distance slows it down, and makes it all seem terribly pedestrian.

Now I've looked again, this review doesn't seem terribly episode specific does it. Well, there's very little stuff to mention. There are often complaints about the screams at the end of the previous episode being weakly resolved in this (suggesting there's a vast drop, when it turns out that the fall is easily survived), but I'm not so sure. It's clear the regulars have been forced into an oubliette of sorts (the punishment cell), and it beggars belief that this is accessed by a sheer drop (because they're not interested in killing the victims). Hence I visualise a sliding shaft of some kind, rather than just a hole, and that would be relatively easy to survive. Some of the action in the second half is interesting and entertaining, and more about direct action, but the problems of petty scale and irrelevancy rear their heads again. Not terribly impressive.


#224 28 Jun 2005, 5:35 pm
The Secretive Bus
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Isn't there a bit where the Space Corps wander off to Clancey's mining planet, realise that there's nothing there worth investigating, and then leave again, having accomplished bugger all?

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#225 28 Jun 2005, 5:51 pm
Dorney


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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Secretive Bus
"Isn't there a bit where the Space Corps wander off to Clancey's mining planet, realise that there's nothing there worth investigating, and then leave again, having accomplished bugger all? "

Seems to be heading that way. Possibly episode 5. Oh joy.


#226 28 Jun 2005, 7:58 pm
The Secretive Bus

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Damn, can't believe I just gave a spoiler for a story made in 1969...

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#227 7 Jul 2005, 6:46 am
pizzalero
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I'm really hoping that with the success of the new series, a few more lost episodes may turn up.

Unfortunately, I'm of the mindset that if any of the lost 108 are found to exist, they will all be from THIS story.

I've never heard the audios for this one and to be honest, I've never been able to stay awake all the way thru the one existing episode.

And yes, I repeat the mantra, too.

"Bob Holmes wrote this. Bob Holmes wrote this..."

On the bright side, you have THE WAR GAMES to look forward to, and the front end and back end of that story is top notch!

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#228 7 Jul 2005, 7:55 am
The Secretive Bus


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Having just finished "The Myth Makers" last night (wonderful story), I decided to begin "The Space Pirates", simply because Dorney's reviewing it at the moment. And I still can't bring myself to dislike the story. Most of Dorney's comments on episode 1 are quite correct - the episode is about the pirates attacking three beacons in the same way, whilst some intergalactic Key Stone Cops chatter on knowledgeably about them, and five minutes from the end the Doctor and companions appear to get shot at and locked in a room. But I still find myself enjoying it, and I can't put my finger on why. I don't even mind the Doctor doing sod all - it makes a refreshing change to have a story having advanced itself before he's arrived, and the guest characters are all rather entertaining in their own way (mainly because of the accents). Plus the music is groovy, too. Maybe it's I certainly wouldn't mind this story being found.

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#229 11 Jul 2005, 11:35 am
Dorney


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Oh, well, if I must...

The Space Pirates 5:

I haven't been deliberately avoiding this, in case you were wondering. Work related stuff took me away to London, and it was a bit tricky listening in my sisters flat - I wouldn't inflict this on her willingly. So it's taken a while, and I apologise.

I love the line from Cavan early in this episode: 'the space corps ship is becoming a nuisance'. Really? Since when? They're a bunch of idiots who treat speculation as hard evidence, and have been running around like headless chickens following the pirates painfully obvious ploys. There's a particularly glorious moment when, after having travelled all the way to Lobos and dismissed it instantly (rather ramming home the point that they have no plot function at all so far, and are just being given distractions to fill in the time until they may eventually be needed), they finally get around to tracking the direction the satellite pieces were originally going. What's wonderful about this is it is a) pathetically easy and b) doesn't need to come in a blinding flash of insight, so it's clear that it's something they always knew they could do. You wonder why it wasn't the first thing they did. Hermack really is incompetent. Also, seeing as the pieces being en route to Lobos is categorical proof that Clancy is behind the crime, why do they still think he did it when it transpires they were heading to Ta, even to the degree of making ludicrously convoluted justifcations of what happened? Remember, the only actual evidence they have that Clancy is behind it is a wild supposition by Hermack. For which he's having them run back and forth around the galaxy, with orders to shoot to kill. I wouldn't want him running any police force in Britain, would you?

Another example of the 'make it up as you go along' style of storytelling comes with Madelaine. Up until the revelation at the end of part four, she's been acting all schemy. And then she's revealsed as being in on it (big surprise). However, she then has a complete change of personality, suddenly becoming all moralistic and turning into an ersatz goody. The script at least tries to justify this by using the death of Sorba as a catalyst, but it seems woefully unconvincing, and slightly without point - if you're going to have her as a surprise villain, do something with her, rather than have her change sides practically the second she's revealed. (In deed, it seems rather odd that someone wandering around acting so principled ever got involved with pirates at all - I can't quite imagine how the initial offer or discussion was made or approached).

The story, for want of a better term, still ambles along without any real point or focus. It remains focused on the guest cast, without the regulars doing anything of particular note (there are whole stretches where they just seem to shut up and hide). And in deed, this episode is very plot light - being entirely focused on one minor plot point, the set up of the cliffhanger, rather than any overall direction. The entire episode has pretty much nothing but conversations between Madelaine and Cavan with her constantly saying 'you can't do this'. And the main cast spend the entire episode escaping from their cell in an effort to get to exactly the same place they would have been had they stayed there (and the sudden disappearance of Zoe and Jamie screams 'plot contrivance'). Oh that and they met a demented old man who recovers in about twenty seconds flat.

Still, the line about the Doctor having a favourite marble is rather terrific.



#230 11 Jul 2005, 11:43 am
The Secretive Bus


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Possible spoilers for "The Space Pirates". Yes, it is possible. Just.


Ah yes, the old bloke, old Dom Issigri, AKA Daddy. Locked up in a study, on his own, for how many years - and yet his dementia passes as soon as he's let out. Mmm. And I'm sure that there's no reason for the pirates to have held him captive in the way they do - you'd think that they'd be using his captivity to ensure that Madelaine does what they say, which would also make sense of her principled character being involved in it all ("Do it, or the dad gets it!"). But she didn't even know that Dom was even alive, so what the Hell he's even doing there, locked up in a Victorian study, is anybody's guess.

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#231 12 Jul 2005, 10:59 am
Dorney

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The Space Pirates 6:

You know, whilst I'm not a fan of this story, it's not unbearably awful. There's some good dialogue and characterisation, with hints of layers (the implication of Dervish being blackmailed into the scheme is a nice touch, especially since it's never elaborated on). The only things that let it down are it's lack of plot, it's keep making up twists until we've reached the required episode count then wind it down structure (it seriously goes nowhere from episode one), the pettiness of the central problem and the lack of involvement from the Doctor and co. In this episode the Doctor finally impacts on the plot, to a vague degree, in the last five minutes by defusing the Pirate's bomb. The problem is that practically everything he does in the story is irrelevant, or could quite easily have been acheived by someone else (very obvious in this episode, with the resolutions given to Hermack and Clancy - it looks for a second like we're going to get a Aliens of London-esque Doctor defeating the villains whilst trapped in a box scene, but sadly no). It's odd to think that you could rewrite this story without them (for example, notice how the crew of the V-ship pretty much don't know they even exist!) All the regulars do is run around the caves and the beacons whilst other characters drive and shape the plot (he barely meets Cavan, the main villain of the piece!). All the narrative is made by the guest cast, which is pretty lax.

Actually, there is one other problem, and that remains the same one as we've had all the time, the leaden presence of General Hermack dangling from around the stories neck. Turns out that he is simply a plot device, hanging around marking time for six episodes until he's used to kill off the villains. Now, I know we know he's in the right, but once again, look at the man's evidence. He's been suspecting Milo Clancy for five episodes. Then Milo turns up and says 'I'm innocent.' Hermack instantly believes him. He's backed up by a woman who confesses to being in league with the pirates, and this woman's dad. Now, that's hardly conclusive proof is it? Especially when he's going to launch a missile attack on the villains spacecraft. The man's a fool who needs other people to tell him what to do. How he managed to become a General I don't know.

Another mild problem is how Madelaine is dealt with. She may have been assisting and masterminding a bunch of pirates for years, but suddenly, because she decides she isn't keen on murder, she's one of the goodies, and everyone's talking about persuading the general to have clemency. I'm sorry, she was perfectly prepared to arrest and trap everyone, and stealing en masse, and we're supposed to find her sympathetic because she hasn't got the stomach of the other villains? If anything, that makes me respect her less. Now it would make sense, and be less morally objectionable if, as discussed above, Dom was used as leverage throughout. Suddenly she could be sympathetic. In deed, surely that has to be the way the plot was originally planned (it makes no logical sense for the pirates to keep someone locked up, fed and watered for years, on the offchance that they might need him as leverage at some distant point - all that does is risk discovery).

A couple more things worth mentioning here. An odd line for Cavan when he describes the bomb as having the force of "eighty old fashioned hydrogen bombs". It's so blatantly writing for the modern audience. Would you talk about the power of a hydrogen bomb by comparing it to the amount of cannons you'd need to replicate it? And secondly, there's another bloody awful Scooby Doo 'laughing' ending, where all the cast seem to find an, admittedly okay, witticism far more long lastingly hilarious than they really should.

So overall - kind of listenable, but desperately weak on plotting and concepts. This is a Who story that isn't really about anything, it doesn't really have a hook. I always want my stories to be written by people with an idea for a great Doctor Who story, or a clear concept. Not with an idea that will just about fill the time because something else has dropped out. That's the Space Pirates. Inconsequential at best, it's a little dull and nothing to get excited about.

Still, this was the final missing episode, so it's something of a relief anyway.