Hello everyone, the Historian here. We're slowly catching up to "real time!" On 8 July, 2011, I was joined by Ketina, Ronelyn, MisterMother, Spoo and MiniSpoo to continue watching the Toymaker's games. So, without further ado, let's get to the summary!
Showing posts with label Reconstructions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reconstructions. Show all posts
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
"The Hall of Dolls"
Hello everyone, the Historian here, getting closer and closer to catching up! On 1st July, 2011, I was joined by Ketina, Ronelyn, Photobug and special guests Altair and Ezio for the second episode of this surreal story. Without further ado, let's get to the (much shorter) summary!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
"The Celestial Toyroom"
Hello everyone, the Historian here, still trying to catch up to where the TARDIS Project has gotten to. On 24 June, 2011, I was joined by Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, Photobug and guests Altair and Ezio as we journeyed from Refusis II into...the unknown! So, let's get to the extremely truncated summary!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
"The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve" wrapup
Hello everyone, the Historian here. As some of you may know, Blogger was down for a good deal of time during the latter half of this week. Unfortunately, this (and my day job) has thrown my posting schedule a bit out the window. So, here's the "Massacre" wrapup post. The new episode post will be up sometime later this week.
I've read many reviews over the years referring to "The Massacre" as the "best Hartnell story" and such-like. And, while I'm not sure I quite agree (as we've discovered over the course of the Project, there are plenty of great Hartnell stories), this one is definitely high on the list. It's also unique in that the Doctor himself is very much tangential to the action; as we've talked about in the episode discussions, this is very much the companion's story. It is Steven who has the adventure while the Doctor is off doing...whatever it is he's doing. Apparently, the Doctor was far more involved in the action in John Lucarotti's original scripts, but Donald Tosh's extensive rewrites put the show's central character off screen.
It's a gamble, for sure. In fact, in our discussion, the Project team identified the Doctor popping up out of nowhere as a bit of a coot ex machina. On the other hand, though, we are gifted with the suspense of not knowing whether the Doctor is the Abbot, what he's playing at, etc., etc. And when the Doctor does pop up, finds out when they are and immediately tells Steven that they have to leave...well, that's pretty powerful. The Doctor, realizing what is about to happen, actually seems scared. How bad must things be about to get to make the Doctor afraid? If the Doctor had been more front and center, all of these points would have been lost.
And, as importantly, we would have been denied Peter Purves' performance as Steven, front and center in the action. This is the first time since Ian and Barbara left that a companion has taken so much of the main role in a story, and Steven does a fine job. He's certainly helped by the obscurity (for us, anyway) of the historical event--he doesn't know what's going to happen and neither do we, so his discoveries are ours as well. As are his fears, for his new friends and especially for the Doctor. Of course, we know that the Doctor can't be dead, but up until that moment, the moment Steven sees the body, we have no reason to not think that the Doctor is the Abbot. It's not the Doctor's apparent masquerade that makes this story work, though; it's Steven's attempts to navigate his way through the quagmire he finds himself in that makes the first three or so parts of this story work so well.
Something that we overlooked, but that should be mentioned here, is how this story proves how good an actor William Hartnell is. We equate Hartnell's character of the Doctor with his own personality so much, we forget that is it--a character. Acting. But the contrast of his Abbot of Amboise--no laughing, no Billy-fluffs, but a cold, hard and frightening character--shows us just how wonderful a character William Hartnell has built his Doctor into.
The story itself is a journey through the cloak and dagger moments leading up to the great massacre of Huguenots in France in 1572. As I've mentioned, many of the events and characters in this story are real historical figures. As such, I thought I'd add a few relevant Wikipedia links:
The Massacre itself
Admiral de Coligny
The Marshal Tavannes
The probable identity of Bondot, the assassin
King Charles
Catherine di Medici, the Queen Mother
Of course, when most fans talk about "The Massacre," they tend to focus on the last ten minutes or so of episode four. Steven's angry accusations and the Doctor's soliloquy loom large in both the memories and the myth of this lost story, as they should. As I said in the episode post, it's like we finally have a philosophy for the show. It's almost like we have a mission statement for both the companions (there's only so far they can go, so much they can understand) and the Doctor himself. It's a powerful moment and a fitting one to end Donald Tosh's somewhat troubled tenure as Doctor Who's story editor. The reason he was able to be credited as a co-writer on the last episode is that he was no longer a member of the production team, although he did have a hand in a few of the stories that followed. But, as of episode four of "The Massacre," Gerry Davis joins the team as story editor. Remember that name, fans!
Finally, I'm not sure whether to make a big deal of this, but I thought it should be mentioned that this is the first Doctor Who story to be directed by a woman, Paddy Russell. She does a fine job, insofar as we can tell from the reconstruction.
All right, all right, enough of me. Here's the episode links:
"War of God"
"The Sea Beggar"
"Priest of Death"
"Bell of Doom"
And, as usual, here's the BBC episode guide link as well as a link to all the production inside information from Shannon Sullivan. (I very much recommend the latter for a great insight on the writing of the story.) And, if you're at all intrigued by this story, I'd urge you to go to the Loose Cannon page and get yourself a copy of the reconstruction. You'll be glad you did.
So, we have a new girl in the TARDIS--Dorothea "Dodo" Chaplet--and a new adventure coming! The first episode post will be coming later this week, keep an eye out for it! Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
I've read many reviews over the years referring to "The Massacre" as the "best Hartnell story" and such-like. And, while I'm not sure I quite agree (as we've discovered over the course of the Project, there are plenty of great Hartnell stories), this one is definitely high on the list. It's also unique in that the Doctor himself is very much tangential to the action; as we've talked about in the episode discussions, this is very much the companion's story. It is Steven who has the adventure while the Doctor is off doing...whatever it is he's doing. Apparently, the Doctor was far more involved in the action in John Lucarotti's original scripts, but Donald Tosh's extensive rewrites put the show's central character off screen.
It's a gamble, for sure. In fact, in our discussion, the Project team identified the Doctor popping up out of nowhere as a bit of a coot ex machina. On the other hand, though, we are gifted with the suspense of not knowing whether the Doctor is the Abbot, what he's playing at, etc., etc. And when the Doctor does pop up, finds out when they are and immediately tells Steven that they have to leave...well, that's pretty powerful. The Doctor, realizing what is about to happen, actually seems scared. How bad must things be about to get to make the Doctor afraid? If the Doctor had been more front and center, all of these points would have been lost.
And, as importantly, we would have been denied Peter Purves' performance as Steven, front and center in the action. This is the first time since Ian and Barbara left that a companion has taken so much of the main role in a story, and Steven does a fine job. He's certainly helped by the obscurity (for us, anyway) of the historical event--he doesn't know what's going to happen and neither do we, so his discoveries are ours as well. As are his fears, for his new friends and especially for the Doctor. Of course, we know that the Doctor can't be dead, but up until that moment, the moment Steven sees the body, we have no reason to not think that the Doctor is the Abbot. It's not the Doctor's apparent masquerade that makes this story work, though; it's Steven's attempts to navigate his way through the quagmire he finds himself in that makes the first three or so parts of this story work so well.
Something that we overlooked, but that should be mentioned here, is how this story proves how good an actor William Hartnell is. We equate Hartnell's character of the Doctor with his own personality so much, we forget that is it--a character. Acting. But the contrast of his Abbot of Amboise--no laughing, no Billy-fluffs, but a cold, hard and frightening character--shows us just how wonderful a character William Hartnell has built his Doctor into.
The story itself is a journey through the cloak and dagger moments leading up to the great massacre of Huguenots in France in 1572. As I've mentioned, many of the events and characters in this story are real historical figures. As such, I thought I'd add a few relevant Wikipedia links:
The Massacre itself
Admiral de Coligny
The Marshal Tavannes
The probable identity of Bondot, the assassin
King Charles
Catherine di Medici, the Queen Mother
Of course, when most fans talk about "The Massacre," they tend to focus on the last ten minutes or so of episode four. Steven's angry accusations and the Doctor's soliloquy loom large in both the memories and the myth of this lost story, as they should. As I said in the episode post, it's like we finally have a philosophy for the show. It's almost like we have a mission statement for both the companions (there's only so far they can go, so much they can understand) and the Doctor himself. It's a powerful moment and a fitting one to end Donald Tosh's somewhat troubled tenure as Doctor Who's story editor. The reason he was able to be credited as a co-writer on the last episode is that he was no longer a member of the production team, although he did have a hand in a few of the stories that followed. But, as of episode four of "The Massacre," Gerry Davis joins the team as story editor. Remember that name, fans!
Finally, I'm not sure whether to make a big deal of this, but I thought it should be mentioned that this is the first Doctor Who story to be directed by a woman, Paddy Russell. She does a fine job, insofar as we can tell from the reconstruction.
All right, all right, enough of me. Here's the episode links:
"War of God"
"The Sea Beggar"
"Priest of Death"
"Bell of Doom"
And, as usual, here's the BBC episode guide link as well as a link to all the production inside information from Shannon Sullivan. (I very much recommend the latter for a great insight on the writing of the story.) And, if you're at all intrigued by this story, I'd urge you to go to the Loose Cannon page and get yourself a copy of the reconstruction. You'll be glad you did.
So, we have a new girl in the TARDIS--Dorothea "Dodo" Chaplet--and a new adventure coming! The first episode post will be coming later this week, keep an eye out for it! Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
Sunday, May 8, 2011
"Bell of Doom"
Hello everyone, the Historian here with the final episode in this historical story. Joining me this week were Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, MisterMother, Photobug and Cz. Big climax this week, so let's get to the summary!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
"Priest of Death"
Hello everyone, the Historian here. This week, we had a full house of myself, Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, MiniSpoo, MisterMother, Photobug and Cz. (Talk about a crowded room!) As I've mentioned before, this story hinges on conversation and intrigue, which makes it very hard to convey the atmosphere and full meanings in a summary...but I'll give it a try. So, let's get to the summary!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
"The Sea Beggar"
Hello everyone, the Historian here. Once again, my apologies for how late this post is; hopefully we haven't lost too many of you readers! Joining me back in early modern France last week were Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, MisterMother, Photobug, Cz and MiniSpoo. (Strangely, Spoo was not with us; just call us babysitters, I suppose...) As I may have mentioned before, this story is a bit of a bear to summarize, but hopefully I'll be able to give you at least some sense of the intrigue. So, let's get to the summary!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
"War of God"
Hello everyone, the Historian here. Joining me this week were Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, MisterMother and Photobug. (Cz also joined us for the episode itself, but bowed out of the discussion afterwards.) Today we leave science fiction for seventeenth century France. Let's get to the summary!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
"The Daleks' Master Plan" wrapup
Hello everyone, the Historian here. Well. Here we are, finally, at the end of one of the most fabled, most epic Doctor Who stories of all time. So, here we are, twelve episodes, over three months (because of some breaks), and an exhausted Project team later. (Though, to be fair, only Ketina and I made it through every single episode!)
So, as I asked the team after we finished, was it worth it? On the whole, I'm going to say yes, though I don't think all of the Project members would agree with me. (Heck, MisterMother decided to skip the rest of this story after watching a few of the episodes.) The story is considered a masterpiece by many fans (especially those with memories of seeing it as kids), but I think it is, at best, a flawed masterpiece.
For one thing, it's too long. About 3 episodes too long, I'd say; as Spoo said in the last episode discussion, the "Master Plan" plot would have made a great seven-parter. Admittedly, most of the filler was enjoyable (especially anything involving the Monk), but it was painfully obvious that it was filler. When you get right down to it, the plot could be said to fit into episodes 1-6 and then parts of 10-12, but even those had long scenes of…nothing. (The space radio operators chatting about what to watch on space telly, Chen and Karlton's apparent flirting, Steven and Sara's interminable trek through the jungle, etc. etc.) By the end, you could tell that even the cast and production team, some of whom hadn't been thrilled about a 12 part story from the beginning, were experiencing a bit of story fatigue.
But the episodes that consist entirely of filler, while dragging the story out, were a lot of fun, sometimes more fun than the central plot. The Christmas episode was fun mainly for the "legendary" novelty value, but the three episodes with the Monk were pure fun…mainly because of Peter Butterworth's wonderful comic acting. One wishes for more, another whole story of the Monk's inept attepts at revenge. (Carry On Timelord?)
Moving on to one of the serial's good points, he came in for a lot of ribbing, but I want to talk a bit about Kevin Stoney's Mavic Chen. True, he was a white man in very heavy "oriental" make-up, but Stoney created a character you just couldn't take your eyes off of. Chen's master manipulation and eventual disintegration ("You can't kill me, I'm immortal!") is compelling…far more compelling, ultimately, than the Daleks and their Time Destructor. It's not easy for someone to steal the show from the Pepperpot Menace, but Mavic Chen did it ably. Which made his final fate even more effective.
And then there's Sara. Jean Marsh does a fine job of playing the "fill-in companion," although she has a rocky start. I know the team had some issues with her going from stone cold killer to caring companion--though Marsh (and the writers) are smart enough to keep at least a bit of a prickly edge to her character. I think the best testament I can make to how much Sara came to mean to this story and the team is shown by our reaction to her death in the last episode discussion.
Katarina…poor Katarina. Poor Adrienne Hill. In some ways, she was as much a casualty of the change in producers (Verity Lambert to John Wiles) as the vacuum of space. Wiles and Donald Tosh realized, quite rightly, that she didn't work as a character out of her element. Sure, it's always good to have a "what's that Doctor" character, but she took that to an extreme that the show couldn't handle at this point. Thankfully, a later production/writing team would find the balance necessary for "historical" companions.
And, of course, this is the story that introduced Nicholas Courtney to Doctor Who, after he got beaten out by Julian Glover for the part of Richard III in "The Crusades." True, Bret Vyon only lasted four episodes, but Nick was a high point in every one of them.
Not much I can say about Peter Purves, other than Steven isn't always well served by these scripts, often being overshadowed by Bret or Sara. But when he is able to shine, Purves rises to the occasion. (He is, for example, wonderful in the Monk episodes.) And William Hartnell, regardless of the behind the scenes problems (and there were many) and his failing health (which finally seems to be starting to be visible on screen), is clearly the life and soul of the show. Some scenes without him are very good, but he brings an energy to every episode that is undeniable.
Then there are the writers…ok, Terry Nation has gotten a lot of bashing over the past few…months. And yes, some of it was undeserved; there are a lot of great ideas early on in this story. But there's a lot of recycled stuff from his previous Who scripts too. If you include the petrified one in the first Dalek story, he's had five jungle planets/areas in four stories. The "spine" of this story involves the Daleks chasing their enemies, through both time and space…a lot like "The Chase." The "[vi]taranium" reminds one of the special metal developed by the scientist in "Dalek Invasion of Earth"--"dalekanium." And then there's the moment in almost every Nation-scripted episode in this story where the action stops dead. Sometimes there are plot points in those scenes, but they seem to stretch on for far longer than they're actually on screen. Once Dennis Spooner takes over (apparently using Nation's outline), the plot flaws remain, but the dead spots (with a few exceptions!) basically disappear. And the dialogue becomes less portentious, more snappy. And his decision to bring back the Monk (which was not in the outline) was sheer genius, reviving a flagging story. Think how boring the mid-Chase episodes would have been without him!
As for the direction, well, Douglas Camfield seems to have done a fine job. Certainly, the existing episodes look good, and the stills give a good idea of how shots were set up. Not a lot to say, but I wanted to mention that this was another strong story from a strong director.
Ok, I'd better post the links to the episode writeups before I type all night!
"The Nightmare Begins"
"Day of Armageddon"
"Devil's Planet"
"The Traitors"
"Counter Plot"
"Coronas of the Sun"
"The Feast of Steven"
"Volcano"
"Golden Death"
"Escape Switch"
"The Abandoned Planet"
"Destruction of Time"
And here are links to the BBC episode guide and (for all the behind the scenes info) the Brief History of Time (Travel) page for the story. I'd really recommend checking at least the latter out. And, of course, I can't say enough about how wonderful the Loose Cannon Productions reconstruction was. It's probably one of the best ones yet and I can't recommend it enough. Check it out, you'll be glad you did. (2 videotapes and postage, a deal you can't beat!)
Finally, a little trivia quiz for our readers: believe it or not, this story was only the third and fourth time the TARDIS had touched down on "present-day" (i.e. in or around the year of transmission) Earth after leaving it during the first episode. Can you name them all?
So, the Doctor and Steven have left Kembel for the last time, moving through time and space towards a story that is completely different from this one. Change, and not a moment too soon! (That is, tomorrow night!) Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
So, as I asked the team after we finished, was it worth it? On the whole, I'm going to say yes, though I don't think all of the Project members would agree with me. (Heck, MisterMother decided to skip the rest of this story after watching a few of the episodes.) The story is considered a masterpiece by many fans (especially those with memories of seeing it as kids), but I think it is, at best, a flawed masterpiece.
For one thing, it's too long. About 3 episodes too long, I'd say; as Spoo said in the last episode discussion, the "Master Plan" plot would have made a great seven-parter. Admittedly, most of the filler was enjoyable (especially anything involving the Monk), but it was painfully obvious that it was filler. When you get right down to it, the plot could be said to fit into episodes 1-6 and then parts of 10-12, but even those had long scenes of…nothing. (The space radio operators chatting about what to watch on space telly, Chen and Karlton's apparent flirting, Steven and Sara's interminable trek through the jungle, etc. etc.) By the end, you could tell that even the cast and production team, some of whom hadn't been thrilled about a 12 part story from the beginning, were experiencing a bit of story fatigue.
But the episodes that consist entirely of filler, while dragging the story out, were a lot of fun, sometimes more fun than the central plot. The Christmas episode was fun mainly for the "legendary" novelty value, but the three episodes with the Monk were pure fun…mainly because of Peter Butterworth's wonderful comic acting. One wishes for more, another whole story of the Monk's inept attepts at revenge. (Carry On Timelord?)
Moving on to one of the serial's good points, he came in for a lot of ribbing, but I want to talk a bit about Kevin Stoney's Mavic Chen. True, he was a white man in very heavy "oriental" make-up, but Stoney created a character you just couldn't take your eyes off of. Chen's master manipulation and eventual disintegration ("You can't kill me, I'm immortal!") is compelling…far more compelling, ultimately, than the Daleks and their Time Destructor. It's not easy for someone to steal the show from the Pepperpot Menace, but Mavic Chen did it ably. Which made his final fate even more effective.
And then there's Sara. Jean Marsh does a fine job of playing the "fill-in companion," although she has a rocky start. I know the team had some issues with her going from stone cold killer to caring companion--though Marsh (and the writers) are smart enough to keep at least a bit of a prickly edge to her character. I think the best testament I can make to how much Sara came to mean to this story and the team is shown by our reaction to her death in the last episode discussion.
Katarina…poor Katarina. Poor Adrienne Hill. In some ways, she was as much a casualty of the change in producers (Verity Lambert to John Wiles) as the vacuum of space. Wiles and Donald Tosh realized, quite rightly, that she didn't work as a character out of her element. Sure, it's always good to have a "what's that Doctor" character, but she took that to an extreme that the show couldn't handle at this point. Thankfully, a later production/writing team would find the balance necessary for "historical" companions.
And, of course, this is the story that introduced Nicholas Courtney to Doctor Who, after he got beaten out by Julian Glover for the part of Richard III in "The Crusades." True, Bret Vyon only lasted four episodes, but Nick was a high point in every one of them.
Not much I can say about Peter Purves, other than Steven isn't always well served by these scripts, often being overshadowed by Bret or Sara. But when he is able to shine, Purves rises to the occasion. (He is, for example, wonderful in the Monk episodes.) And William Hartnell, regardless of the behind the scenes problems (and there were many) and his failing health (which finally seems to be starting to be visible on screen), is clearly the life and soul of the show. Some scenes without him are very good, but he brings an energy to every episode that is undeniable.
Then there are the writers…ok, Terry Nation has gotten a lot of bashing over the past few…months. And yes, some of it was undeserved; there are a lot of great ideas early on in this story. But there's a lot of recycled stuff from his previous Who scripts too. If you include the petrified one in the first Dalek story, he's had five jungle planets/areas in four stories. The "spine" of this story involves the Daleks chasing their enemies, through both time and space…a lot like "The Chase." The "[vi]taranium" reminds one of the special metal developed by the scientist in "Dalek Invasion of Earth"--"dalekanium." And then there's the moment in almost every Nation-scripted episode in this story where the action stops dead. Sometimes there are plot points in those scenes, but they seem to stretch on for far longer than they're actually on screen. Once Dennis Spooner takes over (apparently using Nation's outline), the plot flaws remain, but the dead spots (with a few exceptions!) basically disappear. And the dialogue becomes less portentious, more snappy. And his decision to bring back the Monk (which was not in the outline) was sheer genius, reviving a flagging story. Think how boring the mid-Chase episodes would have been without him!
As for the direction, well, Douglas Camfield seems to have done a fine job. Certainly, the existing episodes look good, and the stills give a good idea of how shots were set up. Not a lot to say, but I wanted to mention that this was another strong story from a strong director.
Ok, I'd better post the links to the episode writeups before I type all night!
"The Nightmare Begins"
"Day of Armageddon"
"Devil's Planet"
"The Traitors"
"Counter Plot"
"Coronas of the Sun"
"The Feast of Steven"
"Volcano"
"Golden Death"
"Escape Switch"
"The Abandoned Planet"
"Destruction of Time"
And here are links to the BBC episode guide and (for all the behind the scenes info) the Brief History of Time (Travel) page for the story. I'd really recommend checking at least the latter out. And, of course, I can't say enough about how wonderful the Loose Cannon Productions reconstruction was. It's probably one of the best ones yet and I can't recommend it enough. Check it out, you'll be glad you did. (2 videotapes and postage, a deal you can't beat!)
Finally, a little trivia quiz for our readers: believe it or not, this story was only the third and fourth time the TARDIS had touched down on "present-day" (i.e. in or around the year of transmission) Earth after leaving it during the first episode. Can you name them all?
So, the Doctor and Steven have left Kembel for the last time, moving through time and space towards a story that is completely different from this one. Change, and not a moment too soon! (That is, tomorrow night!) Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
Saturday, March 26, 2011
"Destruction of Time"
Hello everyone, the Historian here. We made it--the end of the twelve episode epic! Joining me this week were Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, Photobug and Cz. This episode was a biggie, so, without further ado, let's get to the summary!
Friday, March 18, 2011
"The Abandoned Planet"
Hello everyone, the Historian here, along with Ketina, Schmallturm, Spoo, MiniSpoo, Photobug and Cz. We're in the home stretch, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but this week it may have been the light from an oncoming train. Let's get to the summary.
Friday, March 4, 2011
"Golden Death"
Hello everyone, the Historian here with the next episode in the Dalek story that may very well never end. Joining me was, as always, Ketina and Ronelyn, with Schmallturm, Spoo, MiniSpoo and Photobug. Anyway, let's get to the summary!
Friday, February 25, 2011
"Volcano"
Hello everyone, the Historian here. We've gone from a full house last week to a small group this week, with only Ketina, Ronelyn and Schmallturm joining me as we get back to the plot of this Dalek story. Eight episodes down, four to go...Let's get to the summary!
Friday, February 18, 2011
"The Feast of Steven"
Hello everyone, the Historian here, with Ketina, Schmallturm, Spoo, MiniSpoo and Cz. Tonight, as I mentioned last week, we watched the original lost episode, the first one to be wiped by the BBC. Some of us have been hearing about this one for literally decades...so, what did we think? Well, first, let's get to the summary!
Friday, February 11, 2011
"Coronas of the Sun"
Hello everyone, the Historian here, along with Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, Photobug and Cz. This week brings us the triumphant return of writer Dennis Spooner to Doctor Who, following an outline presented by Terry Nation, and giving us more Dalek shenanigans. (Oh, by the way, standard Loose Cannon Productions plug. Check out their recons!) So, without further ado, let's get to the summary!
Friday, January 28, 2011
"The Traitors"
Hello everyone, the Historian here. Tonight I was joined by Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, MisterMother, Photobug and Cz for another Dalek-flavored episode! I apologize for the lateness of the post; the discussion and summary took a bit longer than I'd expected. But we're here now, so, without further ado, let's get to the summary!
Friday, January 21, 2011
"Devil's Planet"
Hello everyone and welcome back to the TARDIS Project! Hopefully, we're back on a regular-ish schedule for the near future, otherwise we'll never make it through this story! Anyway, this week I was joined by Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, MiniSpoo, MisterMother, Photobug and Cz. (Whew!) We're watching this reconstructed episode, as always, thanks to the fine folks at Loose Cannon Productions--order their recons, they're great! But enough of this, let's get to the summary!
Friday, December 17, 2010
"The Nightmare Begins"
Hello everyone, the Historian here. Before we begin, an important scheduling note: because of the holidays, the TARDIS Project will be taking the next two weeks off. We will return with our next episode on 7 January. Now that the housekeeping's out of the way, I was joined tonight by Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, Photobug and Cz for this first episode of a new story. I don't want to say too much, but I, for one, am pretty excited to finally see this one! Let's get to the summary!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
"The Myth Makers" wrapup
Hello everyone, the Historian here with a wrapup of the Doctor and company's adventure amongst the Achaeans and the folk of Ilium, across the wine dark sea and the wind-swept plain.....Ahem. Sorry about that. As anyone familiar with this story knows, it is considerably less lyrical than the poetry of Homer. Famously, this first story officially under the John Wiles/Donald Tosh regime was intended as a comedic departure. While the earlier "The Romans" had elements of high humor, this script (by veteran BBC Radio comedy writer Donald Cotton) takes both comedy and sophisticated dialogue to a level not seen previously. I made a joking reference to "The Navy Lark", but it's actually a decent comparison. (By the way, Doctor Who fans interested in Jon Pertwee's career before taking on the role of the Doctor might want to check TNL out. It's a lot of fun.) The interplay--especially between Agamemnon and Menelaus or Priam and Paris--has the same kind of wit adult viewers would hear on the contemporary BBC2 Radio Light Entertainment programs. I suppose there might have been a chance that the funny dialogue scenes might lose younger viewers, but this seems an obvious attempt by the new(ish) production team to try broadening the show's appeal. Although most people think it was more a miscalculation than a success, "The Myth Makers" is certainly an interesting and fun experiment, not to mention a bit of a preview of things to come.
There has been some criticism of the turn from the comedy of the first three episodes to the terror of the fourth, but it worked for me and the rest of the Project team; the change accentuates the tragedy and destruction. Thanks to the buildup, we really feel the deaths of Paris and Priam, because we liked them. In fact, I think the contrast between the comedy and the tragedy helps the story to work better, rather than the opposite.
Looking at the story in the context of the mythology (specifically what is known of the post-Homeric stories, the Odyssey and the Aeneid), there are definite oddities in the script. Both Achilles and Paris survive until the fall of Troy, for example, whereas both died prior to the coming of the Horse according to the versions of the story that has come down to us. (Paris actually killed Achilles through trickery, if I recall correctly.) On the other hand, right from the outset this story is about subverting both the story and our expectations: Achilles is seen as a coward by his fellows, and, indeed, we first see him running away from Hector. He only kills his foe by chance and the intervention of the Doctor's "temple." Far from being a bear-like figure, anxious to recover his wife, Menelaus is a timorous old man who'd rather be home. Paris and Priam, while less surprising, do make a fine double act. In fact, it is what I can only call the villains of the piece, the scenery chewing Cassandra and (far more tellingly) the complex, almost sociopathic Odysseus that fulfill expectations.
Let's step back a moment and take a look at the extraordinary character that is Odysseus. Opportunistic, quick witted, obviously highly intelligent, he is the Doctor's ally and nemesis all at once. He's certainly the most complex and interesting character in this story and the script treats him wonderfully. We loved that he listened to the Doctor and Steven's story and replied logically that no one would make up something that ridiculous, so it must be true. He also provides a wonderful foil for the Doctor in the third and fourth episode. By the end, we've almost come to like him...and then we see his savagery in the destruction of Troy, reminding us that he is not a good guy. We haven't seen a complex, ruthless villain like this in a very long time.
And then there's Troilus and "Cressida." Their story isn't any part of Greek myth; it's a medieval legend that Cotton fairly cunningly worked into the story...only to have it all screwed up by John Wiles' decision not to renew Maureen O'Brien's contract. The original romance has Cressida abandoning Troilus for Diomedes and Cotton's original idea was for "Cressida" (Vicki) to leave Troilus and disappear with "Diomede" (Steven) when the two left in the TARDIS. Would have made more sense, huh? On the other hand, it is nice to not see a betrayed Troilus killed by Achilles (as in Chaucer's version of the story), but rather a new beginning for Vicki, a character that had become dear to the Project team. If nothing else, it gives us the bit of a happy ending this story surely needed. And, if the growing romance between the two teenagers isn't quite as believable as that between David and Susan, it's still believable enough to be satisfying.
Then there's the introduction of our first companion from the past, Katarina, who believes she has died and is being transported to the afterlife by the Doctor. In fact, there was a scene in the script where she explicitly tells Vicki that the omens say she (Katarina) will die soon and Vicki sends her to the Doctor in an attempt to save her life. We'll see how she works out over the coming weeks, I suppose...
There are a lot of stories about the production of this serial, many of them centered around William Hartnell...and many of them very uncomplimentary. There's no question that Hartnell wasn't happy with the change in the production team--he had been very close to Verity Lambert and did not get along with John Wiles at all--or the cast. There are also stories about Hartnell being unhappy with how little he was in many of the scripts and how many great scenes were given over to the guest cast...and then there are the related, uncomfortable stories of Hartnell's antisemitic and homophobic remarks at the expense of Max ("Priam") Adrian. (The Brief History of Time (Travel) page has some information about this.) I want to stress that I've also read that these stories are not true. (It's worth noting, for example, that he had no problem working with Carole Ann Ford, who is Jewish.) Has anyone heard anything more definitive about this? Is it discussed in his granddaughter's biography? Please comment if you know anything!
Before I give you the individual episode links, here's the BBC episode guide for the story. And now, the links:
"Temple of Secrets"
"Small Prophet, Quick Return"
"Death of a Spy"
"Horse of Destruction"
On a final personal note, this is another one of those stories whose novelisation I remember buying and reading twenty-five years ago. I've wanted to see some version of this story since I read about it in one of Peter Haining's books even before then. And, thanks to the fans who recorded audio and what small video exists, and thanks to the great work of Loose Cannon Productions, I've finally been able to see it. I know I keep saying things like this, but one of the main impetuses behind starting the TARDIS Project was to see all these great stories and it continues to thrill me that I'm able to...and that, for the most part, they do not disappoint. Certainly, "The Myth Makers" didn't!
Up next--we begin one of the most fabled Doctor Who stories of all time! Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
There has been some criticism of the turn from the comedy of the first three episodes to the terror of the fourth, but it worked for me and the rest of the Project team; the change accentuates the tragedy and destruction. Thanks to the buildup, we really feel the deaths of Paris and Priam, because we liked them. In fact, I think the contrast between the comedy and the tragedy helps the story to work better, rather than the opposite.
Looking at the story in the context of the mythology (specifically what is known of the post-Homeric stories, the Odyssey and the Aeneid), there are definite oddities in the script. Both Achilles and Paris survive until the fall of Troy, for example, whereas both died prior to the coming of the Horse according to the versions of the story that has come down to us. (Paris actually killed Achilles through trickery, if I recall correctly.) On the other hand, right from the outset this story is about subverting both the story and our expectations: Achilles is seen as a coward by his fellows, and, indeed, we first see him running away from Hector. He only kills his foe by chance and the intervention of the Doctor's "temple." Far from being a bear-like figure, anxious to recover his wife, Menelaus is a timorous old man who'd rather be home. Paris and Priam, while less surprising, do make a fine double act. In fact, it is what I can only call the villains of the piece, the scenery chewing Cassandra and (far more tellingly) the complex, almost sociopathic Odysseus that fulfill expectations.
Let's step back a moment and take a look at the extraordinary character that is Odysseus. Opportunistic, quick witted, obviously highly intelligent, he is the Doctor's ally and nemesis all at once. He's certainly the most complex and interesting character in this story and the script treats him wonderfully. We loved that he listened to the Doctor and Steven's story and replied logically that no one would make up something that ridiculous, so it must be true. He also provides a wonderful foil for the Doctor in the third and fourth episode. By the end, we've almost come to like him...and then we see his savagery in the destruction of Troy, reminding us that he is not a good guy. We haven't seen a complex, ruthless villain like this in a very long time.
And then there's Troilus and "Cressida." Their story isn't any part of Greek myth; it's a medieval legend that Cotton fairly cunningly worked into the story...only to have it all screwed up by John Wiles' decision not to renew Maureen O'Brien's contract. The original romance has Cressida abandoning Troilus for Diomedes and Cotton's original idea was for "Cressida" (Vicki) to leave Troilus and disappear with "Diomede" (Steven) when the two left in the TARDIS. Would have made more sense, huh? On the other hand, it is nice to not see a betrayed Troilus killed by Achilles (as in Chaucer's version of the story), but rather a new beginning for Vicki, a character that had become dear to the Project team. If nothing else, it gives us the bit of a happy ending this story surely needed. And, if the growing romance between the two teenagers isn't quite as believable as that between David and Susan, it's still believable enough to be satisfying.
Then there's the introduction of our first companion from the past, Katarina, who believes she has died and is being transported to the afterlife by the Doctor. In fact, there was a scene in the script where she explicitly tells Vicki that the omens say she (Katarina) will die soon and Vicki sends her to the Doctor in an attempt to save her life. We'll see how she works out over the coming weeks, I suppose...
There are a lot of stories about the production of this serial, many of them centered around William Hartnell...and many of them very uncomplimentary. There's no question that Hartnell wasn't happy with the change in the production team--he had been very close to Verity Lambert and did not get along with John Wiles at all--or the cast. There are also stories about Hartnell being unhappy with how little he was in many of the scripts and how many great scenes were given over to the guest cast...and then there are the related, uncomfortable stories of Hartnell's antisemitic and homophobic remarks at the expense of Max ("Priam") Adrian. (The Brief History of Time (Travel) page has some information about this.) I want to stress that I've also read that these stories are not true. (It's worth noting, for example, that he had no problem working with Carole Ann Ford, who is Jewish.) Has anyone heard anything more definitive about this? Is it discussed in his granddaughter's biography? Please comment if you know anything!
Before I give you the individual episode links, here's the BBC episode guide for the story. And now, the links:
"Temple of Secrets"
"Small Prophet, Quick Return"
"Death of a Spy"
"Horse of Destruction"
On a final personal note, this is another one of those stories whose novelisation I remember buying and reading twenty-five years ago. I've wanted to see some version of this story since I read about it in one of Peter Haining's books even before then. And, thanks to the fans who recorded audio and what small video exists, and thanks to the great work of Loose Cannon Productions, I've finally been able to see it. I know I keep saying things like this, but one of the main impetuses behind starting the TARDIS Project was to see all these great stories and it continues to thrill me that I'm able to...and that, for the most part, they do not disappoint. Certainly, "The Myth Makers" didn't!
Up next--we begin one of the most fabled Doctor Who stories of all time! Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
Friday, December 10, 2010
"Horse of Destruction"
Hello everyone, the Historian here! We had a full house tonight for the last episode of our Trojan epic: Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, MisterMother, Photobug, Cz and MiniSpoo! So, without further ado, let's get to the summary!
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