Hello, the Historian here, back with Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm and Spoo for this very strange second season story. I'm also trying to get an idea of how the "create a jump" thing in Blogger works, to put the summary behind a cut, but I'm not having a lot of luck so far. It seems I can start a jump, but cannot come back from it...so the idea of hiding only the summary might not work. If anyone has any idea of how I can achieve this goal, please feel free to leave a comment. Until then, we'll give this a try and get to the summary!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
"The Romans" wrapup
Hello everyone, the Historian here with, as promised, the wrapup post for this tonally different historical story. Over the past few weeks, I've thought of many things to say, so I'll have to martial my thoughts and work them into something coherent. (Let me apologize in advance, in case I fail in that last task.) As always, bear with me.
Let's get one thing out of the way: as "the Historian," I ought to dislike this story. It's ahistorical to an extreme, and (apparently) intentionally so, meaning to invoke the "myth" of Nero, rather than the reality. Still, I ought to excoriate the inaccuracies....but, as a Doctor Who fan, I love this story, from the humor of the Doctor and Vicki's plot to the pathos of Ian and Barbara's. This is one of those stories that has, at most, a few bare moments that don't work perfectly (such as Tavius' odd stare into the camera in episode four).
The guest cast is excellent; Derek Francis is a wonderfully over-the-top Emperor Nero with Kay Patrick as a cool and cruel Empress Poppaea. And then there's Tuskin Raider-to-be Peter Diamond as Delos and Barry Jackson, making his first of several appearances on the program, as the mute assassin Ascarius. There are others, who I might get to, but my point is there isn't a dud among them.
Moving on to the story, again, there's a lot to talk about. Famously, this was an experiment initiated by producer Verity Lambert, who wanted to see if injecting significant comedy (as opposed to the small moments of humor in previous stories) would work for the program. Opinion at the time was a bit divided (the BBC got quite a bit of negative feedback during the story's run), but in retrospect I think I can say with some surety that it did work. Of course, as many have pointed out, the comedy probably worked as well as it did because it was in direct contrast with the very serious plight that half the cast found themselves in. As Barbara observes in the second episode, being a slave in Imperial Rome could be a terrible fate. Although Barbara doesn't fall prey to the worst of it--thanks to Tavius noticing and responding to her compassion--Ian's story is certainly a bit harrowing--within the context of watching "BBC Costume Drama Rome," as I kept referring to it. From chained slave, to galley slave nearly killed in a storm, to gladiator forced to kill or be killed...it's not funny stuff. All of which, as I said, make the light moments and broad comedy--especially in the farcical third episode--that much more of a relief. It is the balance between these two, humor and pathos, that is the key to the success of "The Romans." Excellent writing by Dennis Spooner, wonderful direction by Who stalwart Christopher Barry.
And that brings to mind another point I was going to make, something that came up in conversation after the last episode that both Ketina (who was paraphrasing/summarizing something I said) and Spoo alluded to in the episode post. They both commented on how...cold blooded Vicki seemed to be, watching Rome burn. It was like she was watching something in a movie, I think Spoo said...and, well, he's right. A good deal of it goes back to the nature of the differing experiences of the two groups. Ian and Barbara, taken as slaves, get involved with people. They make friends, they make enemies, they become a part of things. For Ian and Barbara, the people of Rome are real. The Doctor and Vicki, on the other hand, remain aloof and apart. Above and beyond the "don't mess with history," this is necessitated by the Doctor's masquerade; both he and Vicki must keep their distance from Nero, et al, to make sure they are not found out. Because of this, Vicki doesn't make a real connection with the people of Rome, not even with Locusta who she looks at more as a curiosity than anything else. And so, to her, the burning of Rome is not a personal tragedy, it's an event, a historical event that she's excited about seeing. Her experiences were not...interactions (for want of a better word), they were adventures, which is what she said she wanted, back in episode one. Because she has no real connection, she can see things from a detached, amused, interested perspective that Ian and Barbara, who might actually know people who died (and who had an honest-to-goodness enemy in Sevcheria), wouldn't be able to share. As for the Doctor's reaction, well, there's a similar argument to be made, but we have to remember that the Doctor is different, he is other. So it can be difficult to judge his reactions at times.
I feel I should say something more about Vicki, as this is her first story as a full companion. As I mentioned in "The Rescue" wrapup, she makes a good contrast to Susan. Although Susan was highly intelligent, Vicki seems to have a quicker wit. She's also much more interested in adventure and fun, rather than "protecting" the Doctor and seems less fragile than her predecessor. At least so far; we'll have to see how things develop in the weeks ahead! Maureen O'Brien is quite good, though, and injects a real sense of fun into things. She works very well with the other regulars as well, fitting in almost seamlessly.
Right, this has been a long one, so let me cut myself short and provide the episode post links:
"The Slave Traders"
"All Roads Lead to Rome"
"Conspiracy"
"Inferno"
As always, if you want fascinating behind-the-scenes info, Shannon Sullivan's page is the place to go. And, for a more official take (including the Audience Approval info alluded to above), there's always the official episode guide.
Next, we'll be tackling probably the oddest story of the '60s, if not the oddest Doctor Who story ever! Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
This post is dedicated to the memory of Derek Francis, who played Nero in this story, and who passed away last Sunday, 14 February 2010. Rest in Peace, Mr. Francis.
Let's get one thing out of the way: as "the Historian," I ought to dislike this story. It's ahistorical to an extreme, and (apparently) intentionally so, meaning to invoke the "myth" of Nero, rather than the reality. Still, I ought to excoriate the inaccuracies....but, as a Doctor Who fan, I love this story, from the humor of the Doctor and Vicki's plot to the pathos of Ian and Barbara's. This is one of those stories that has, at most, a few bare moments that don't work perfectly (such as Tavius' odd stare into the camera in episode four).
The guest cast is excellent; Derek Francis is a wonderfully over-the-top Emperor Nero with Kay Patrick as a cool and cruel Empress Poppaea. And then there's Tuskin Raider-to-be Peter Diamond as Delos and Barry Jackson, making his first of several appearances on the program, as the mute assassin Ascarius. There are others, who I might get to, but my point is there isn't a dud among them.
Moving on to the story, again, there's a lot to talk about. Famously, this was an experiment initiated by producer Verity Lambert, who wanted to see if injecting significant comedy (as opposed to the small moments of humor in previous stories) would work for the program. Opinion at the time was a bit divided (the BBC got quite a bit of negative feedback during the story's run), but in retrospect I think I can say with some surety that it did work. Of course, as many have pointed out, the comedy probably worked as well as it did because it was in direct contrast with the very serious plight that half the cast found themselves in. As Barbara observes in the second episode, being a slave in Imperial Rome could be a terrible fate. Although Barbara doesn't fall prey to the worst of it--thanks to Tavius noticing and responding to her compassion--Ian's story is certainly a bit harrowing--within the context of watching "BBC Costume Drama Rome," as I kept referring to it. From chained slave, to galley slave nearly killed in a storm, to gladiator forced to kill or be killed...it's not funny stuff. All of which, as I said, make the light moments and broad comedy--especially in the farcical third episode--that much more of a relief. It is the balance between these two, humor and pathos, that is the key to the success of "The Romans." Excellent writing by Dennis Spooner, wonderful direction by Who stalwart Christopher Barry.
And that brings to mind another point I was going to make, something that came up in conversation after the last episode that both Ketina (who was paraphrasing/summarizing something I said) and Spoo alluded to in the episode post. They both commented on how...cold blooded Vicki seemed to be, watching Rome burn. It was like she was watching something in a movie, I think Spoo said...and, well, he's right. A good deal of it goes back to the nature of the differing experiences of the two groups. Ian and Barbara, taken as slaves, get involved with people. They make friends, they make enemies, they become a part of things. For Ian and Barbara, the people of Rome are real. The Doctor and Vicki, on the other hand, remain aloof and apart. Above and beyond the "don't mess with history," this is necessitated by the Doctor's masquerade; both he and Vicki must keep their distance from Nero, et al, to make sure they are not found out. Because of this, Vicki doesn't make a real connection with the people of Rome, not even with Locusta who she looks at more as a curiosity than anything else. And so, to her, the burning of Rome is not a personal tragedy, it's an event, a historical event that she's excited about seeing. Her experiences were not...interactions (for want of a better word), they were adventures, which is what she said she wanted, back in episode one. Because she has no real connection, she can see things from a detached, amused, interested perspective that Ian and Barbara, who might actually know people who died (and who had an honest-to-goodness enemy in Sevcheria), wouldn't be able to share. As for the Doctor's reaction, well, there's a similar argument to be made, but we have to remember that the Doctor is different, he is other. So it can be difficult to judge his reactions at times.
I feel I should say something more about Vicki, as this is her first story as a full companion. As I mentioned in "The Rescue" wrapup, she makes a good contrast to Susan. Although Susan was highly intelligent, Vicki seems to have a quicker wit. She's also much more interested in adventure and fun, rather than "protecting" the Doctor and seems less fragile than her predecessor. At least so far; we'll have to see how things develop in the weeks ahead! Maureen O'Brien is quite good, though, and injects a real sense of fun into things. She works very well with the other regulars as well, fitting in almost seamlessly.
Right, this has been a long one, so let me cut myself short and provide the episode post links:
"The Slave Traders"
"All Roads Lead to Rome"
"Conspiracy"
"Inferno"
As always, if you want fascinating behind-the-scenes info, Shannon Sullivan's page is the place to go. And, for a more official take (including the Audience Approval info alluded to above), there's always the official episode guide.
Next, we'll be tackling probably the oddest story of the '60s, if not the oddest Doctor Who story ever! Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
This post is dedicated to the memory of Derek Francis, who played Nero in this story, and who passed away last Sunday, 14 February 2010. Rest in Peace, Mr. Francis.
Friday, February 12, 2010
"Inferno"
Hello, everyone, the Historian here. With me are Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm and, for the first time in about a year, the triumphant return of Mr. Spoo! (Well, it was nice for us to see him.) Before we get down to things, I wanted to talk about my question from last week, regarding the summaries. Thanks to those of you who commented. Ketina and I think we have a plan. Basically, starting next week (we didn't want to change things in the middle of a stories), we're going to try to figure out Blogger's jump-cut feature. From then on, behind the cut, I'll write the summary. And yes, it will be just as complete, and yes, I will use paragraph breaks. The main reason I hadn't before was that it would have made each entry a mile long; with the jump-cut feature (which I think I've figured out), that won't be an issue. It'll also be easier if you want to completely skip the summary. (Unfortunately for those of you reading this via an RSS/LJ feed, they don't recognize the jump-cut. So either you'll have a very long entry to wade through or you might want to consider reading here at the blog. If I can figure out a good way around that, I will.)
All that being said, let's get to the summary!
Episode summary: First aired 6 February 1965. As Delos' sword is poised above Ian's neck, Nero shouts out, "Cut off his head!" Instead, after a tense moment, Delos leaps onto the dais and attacks Nero himself! The emperor hides behind Barbara, as Ian and Delos fight soldiers who have run in. Barbara tries to pull away to run to Ian, but Nero has close hold on her. Ian yells that he'll come back for her, and he and Delos escape. Nero calls his guards back and tells Sevcheria (who had been commanding them) to set a strong guard on the palace that night. That way, when Ian returns to Barbara, he'll catch them all! Back at the palace, Poppaea commands Tavius to get rid of her new slave (Barbara) immediately. If not, Poppaea will get rid of her. Tavius leaves, very worried, and meets Barbara outside. She tells him of Ian's coming rescue that night and he promises to help her as much as he can. She also asks him if he knows Maximum Pettulian and mentions Nero's plans to set the lions on the musician when he plays in the arena. Meanwhile Sevcheria posts guards around the palace to trap Ian. In the streets of Rome, Ian and Delos hide in plain sight. They have no real plan; Ian has decided to follow the Doctor's example and dive in, hoping to figure things out as he goes. Back in the palace, the Doctor, wearing his spectacles, is examining Nero's plans for Nova Roma. The Doctor explains to Vicki that Nero wishes to rebuild Rome...and realizes that they are in 64AD! Soon, Nero will burn Rome to the ground to rebuild it! Even Vicki (from the far future) has heard of the Great Fire of Rome. Just then, they hear a hissing. It is Tavius, once again working to surreptitiously get "Maximus'" attention. He tells the Doctor of Nero's plans for his...concert in the arena and suggests the Doctor leave before this would take place...but after going through with his plan to murder Nero! The Doctor is momentarily taken aback, but realizes that this is the conspiracy he had tried to uncover and understand before. Pettulian had contacted sympathizers at court, sending word he would kill Nero. But the centurion had got word of the plot and sent out an assassin. But when Maximus had shown up, his "friends" at court had taken heart. Now, Tavius says, is the time to put your plan into effect! He leaves, and the Doctor and Vicki try to take the whole thing in. The Doctor announces that they must leave Rome at nightfall. Just then, Nero arrives. The Doctor, not wanting the emperor to see, hides his spectacles behind his back, as Nero tries to surprise him with an announcement. But the Doctor already knows about the arena concert (though he claims to have guessed), angering the emperor. As the Doctor makes more jokes alluding to the lions, Nero gets more and more upset...but, behind the Doctor's back, the sun has caught the glass of his spectacles, refracting the light onto Nero's city plans...and setting them on fire! Nero is incensed, calling for guards, until, looking at the burning of the "city," he gets a marvelous idea. If the Senate won't vote to use his ideas to rebuild Rome, he'll burn down the city; then they'd have to let him rebuild it! He runs out, telling the Doctor he'll make him rich for that idea, rich! This allows the Doctor and Vicki to brush off the guards who are trying to arrest them. Nero, still holding the burning map, meets Poppaea, who asks why guards are surrounding the palace. He tells her of his plans to trap Ian, Delos and Barbara and leaves, muttering. Poppaea, however, is smiling. Later, Nero and Tavius await his "torchbearers." Tavius sends a guard outside to look for them. The "torchbearers" are a rabble of men. As they make their way into the palace, Ian and Delos manage to join the line without Sevcheria seeing them. Inside, Nero scatters coins to the rabble and begins to give them orders to set certain buildings in the city on fire, promising more money to all. Tavius, meanwhile, sidles up to Ian and tells him that he is a friend of Barbara's. The two leave as the torchbearers start to exit and Nero muses to himself about naming his new city "Neropolis." In the corridor, Ian asks Tavius how he knew Ian would be there. It's what I would have done, answers Tavius. He reunites Ian and Barbara, who are overjoyed to see each other. Then Tavius gives Barbara a cloak to disguise her and they start to get ready to escape. Outside, Sevcheria hears a rustling in the bushes and sends a man to see whether it is Ian, Barbara and Delos. But it is Vicki and the Doctor, who fobs the guard off by saying, "It's only us." The guard leaves...and so do the Doctor and Vicki, away from the palace! In the confusion of the torchbearer's rush out of the palace, Ian, Barbara and Delos encounter Sevcheria. Delos thrusts his burning torch in the slaver's face and the three flee North, Ian and Barbara to the villa in Assessium and Delos to his home near there. Back in the palace, Tavius watches through a window as they flee. He wishes them good luck as he fingers a once-hidden wooden cross. Just outside the city, the Doctor and Vicki stop to look back at burning Rome. Vicki is amazed to really be seeing History, to realize that she's seeing something that will be talked about for thousands of years. Of course, she says, the books got it wrong: it's the Doctor himself who gave Nero the idea to burn Rome! The Doctor protests; Nero would have gotten the idea some other way, surely. But, as Vicki moves down the road, the Doctor looks back and laughs, tickled by the idea that he might be responsible. Inside the palace, Nero, too, is laughing as he plays his lyre, watching the city burn around him. Sometime later, Ian and Barbara arrive back at the villa to find things unchanged since they left--the shards of the pot Barbara accidentally hit Ian with are even still on the floor. Obviously, the Doctor and Vicki had not been there. After some horsing around, they decide to get cleaned up before their friends arrive. Later, the Doctor and Vicki do arrive, finding Ian and Barbara much as they'd left them: sleeping on couches in the villa. Believing that Ian and Barbara have been "idling away their days," the Doctor makes fun of the two, while Vicki tries to tell them of her adventures. The Doctor suggests they make their way back to the TARDIS and he and the girl leave. Ian and Barbara give each other a wry smile and follow, but not before Ian picks up a goblet and amphora of wine as a souvenir. Back in the TARDIS, Vicki refuses to believe that even the Doctor doesn't know where they'll go next. As she and Barbara leave to change, Ian leans over to see what the Doctor is doing at the console. The Doctor is worried; they have materialized and been caught by some unknown force and the TARDIS cannot break free. And the strange force is dragging them downwards. But to what....?
Whew. Next week, paragraph breaks! (We'll see how that goes.)
A great ending to a great story, this episode manages to wrap up and bring together all four plotlines successfully. We all had a blast, even Spoo (who'd only read/been told about the other three episodes). That being said, there were plenty of points where things that might not have been intended to be funny...were. For example, there's this small scene where Tavius just stops and stares blankly towards the camera, which caused me to almost involuntarily invoke Mystery Science Theatre's version of "Bride of the Monster" by saying, "Tor hungry." (Um, if you've never seen either this episode or a Tor Johnson movie, that...won't make much sense. Sorry.) And then, as the map began to smoke and burn with a small ring of fire burning in the middle of it, my mind immediately leapt to the opening titles of "Bonanza." Thankfully, I kept that one to myself. Still, for the most part, the humor was intentional (Schmallturm's invoking of another MST quote "I hate it when the women wear longer skirts than the men" aside).
And, honestly, there was a lot to like here, from Nero's scenery chewing to Tavius' wonderfully understated faith. Man, I loved that bit at the end. It was a perfect explanation for a lot of his character's motivations and made him, if anything, one of the most human of the guest cast. It's hard to find fault with this episode, or this story as a whole; one of the things I plan to talk about in the story wrapup is the contrast between the Ian/Barbara and Doctor/Vicki plotlines and how those differences inform the characters' reactions as the story ended. Really, really well-written, I think. Ronelyn loved, for example, Nero's wonderfully insane rant about punishing the Doctor for burning his plans (especially the alligators)...before doing an about-face and praising him to the skies. Just well-written, well structured and, I'd argue, well acted. Yes, Derek Francis chews enough scenery to build another Rome in his performance as Nero, but it's perfectly pitched in a portrayal of an off-his-rocker emperor. And yeah, the "fiddling while Rome burned" is a myth, and the "Nero orchestrated the burning" an ahistorical slander, but what the hey, it's wonderfully fun! Spoo, coming back to the Project after his long absence, absolutely loved the Doctor, and his "old coot crazy dodderiness," I believe was the quote. (Feel free to correct me in the comments, Spoo.) We do see a Doctor who is able to manipulate those around him nicely, improvising like mad and succeeding to a surprising extent, possibly because he does appear to be slightly senile. Again, I hope to be talking more about the regulars in the wrapup, so I'll leave that point here for now.
And, in fact, I think I'd better leave all my points for now. The wrapup should be coming sometime in the next week. Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
---
Ketina here,
The silly continues this week with the finale of the Romans. Nero continues to be at his best, Ian reclaims his status as "action man", and Barbara's hair continues to take center stage.
The episode starts off with Ian getting the thumbs down from Nero, and his dueling partner jumps the emperor only to get attacked by the guards. The good choreography from last week appeared to be missing this week, as everyone clang clanged swords again. Delos proceeded to "kill" a guard by sliding a sword somewhat near him, but Nero's fantastic kick knocking the guard off the dais made up a bit for that lameness. All of Ian's fight training verses Aztecs, Cavemen, Voord, Mongols, assassins and other ne'er-do-wells has apparently paid off, as he and Delos managed to fight off about five guards (at least I think so, again fight scene very hard to follow) and escape.
Loved Nero's scene with the Doctor and the burning map. Spoo was especially amused by Nero running around with this big burning rolled up paper, waving it close to the matte painting, the Roman curtains, and the drapey costumes. Was the look of horror on the Empress's face due to fear of Nero, or of fear of being set on fire?
Ronelyn suggested a silly moment during the mob scene, as Nero shouted "Quiet! Okay, now, everyone riot and burn the city!" Like, everyone calm down so you can go crazy.
Less than impressive was the forward-rewind-forward-rewind of the burning Rome set. Spoo's comment was that it looked like the city was breathing. On fire. The full city burning on the horizon looked pretty good, though.
And I loved the bits as everyone returned to the villa. Especially Barbara and Ian's banter over cleaning things up. I nearly expected them to kiss, but there was no tension between them. Their relationship, while mildly romantic, is also very relaxed, which does make it enjoyable to watch.
Not much from Vicki this week, other than to act as a sounding board for the Doctor's antics. Although her gleeful comment about watching history was especially disturbing, given the tragedy of the number of lives being lost in that fire. But then again, she's also the one who was willing to kill Nero the week before. She's very detached in this story.
Not looking forward to the return of Barbara's helmet hair next week. Keep the Roman 'do!
Until next week,
-Ketina
NEXT EPISODE: "THE WEB PLANET"
All that being said, let's get to the summary!
Episode summary: First aired 6 February 1965. As Delos' sword is poised above Ian's neck, Nero shouts out, "Cut off his head!" Instead, after a tense moment, Delos leaps onto the dais and attacks Nero himself! The emperor hides behind Barbara, as Ian and Delos fight soldiers who have run in. Barbara tries to pull away to run to Ian, but Nero has close hold on her. Ian yells that he'll come back for her, and he and Delos escape. Nero calls his guards back and tells Sevcheria (who had been commanding them) to set a strong guard on the palace that night. That way, when Ian returns to Barbara, he'll catch them all! Back at the palace, Poppaea commands Tavius to get rid of her new slave (Barbara) immediately. If not, Poppaea will get rid of her. Tavius leaves, very worried, and meets Barbara outside. She tells him of Ian's coming rescue that night and he promises to help her as much as he can. She also asks him if he knows Maximum Pettulian and mentions Nero's plans to set the lions on the musician when he plays in the arena. Meanwhile Sevcheria posts guards around the palace to trap Ian. In the streets of Rome, Ian and Delos hide in plain sight. They have no real plan; Ian has decided to follow the Doctor's example and dive in, hoping to figure things out as he goes. Back in the palace, the Doctor, wearing his spectacles, is examining Nero's plans for Nova Roma. The Doctor explains to Vicki that Nero wishes to rebuild Rome...and realizes that they are in 64AD! Soon, Nero will burn Rome to the ground to rebuild it! Even Vicki (from the far future) has heard of the Great Fire of Rome. Just then, they hear a hissing. It is Tavius, once again working to surreptitiously get "Maximus'" attention. He tells the Doctor of Nero's plans for his...concert in the arena and suggests the Doctor leave before this would take place...but after going through with his plan to murder Nero! The Doctor is momentarily taken aback, but realizes that this is the conspiracy he had tried to uncover and understand before. Pettulian had contacted sympathizers at court, sending word he would kill Nero. But the centurion had got word of the plot and sent out an assassin. But when Maximus had shown up, his "friends" at court had taken heart. Now, Tavius says, is the time to put your plan into effect! He leaves, and the Doctor and Vicki try to take the whole thing in. The Doctor announces that they must leave Rome at nightfall. Just then, Nero arrives. The Doctor, not wanting the emperor to see, hides his spectacles behind his back, as Nero tries to surprise him with an announcement. But the Doctor already knows about the arena concert (though he claims to have guessed), angering the emperor. As the Doctor makes more jokes alluding to the lions, Nero gets more and more upset...but, behind the Doctor's back, the sun has caught the glass of his spectacles, refracting the light onto Nero's city plans...and setting them on fire! Nero is incensed, calling for guards, until, looking at the burning of the "city," he gets a marvelous idea. If the Senate won't vote to use his ideas to rebuild Rome, he'll burn down the city; then they'd have to let him rebuild it! He runs out, telling the Doctor he'll make him rich for that idea, rich! This allows the Doctor and Vicki to brush off the guards who are trying to arrest them. Nero, still holding the burning map, meets Poppaea, who asks why guards are surrounding the palace. He tells her of his plans to trap Ian, Delos and Barbara and leaves, muttering. Poppaea, however, is smiling. Later, Nero and Tavius await his "torchbearers." Tavius sends a guard outside to look for them. The "torchbearers" are a rabble of men. As they make their way into the palace, Ian and Delos manage to join the line without Sevcheria seeing them. Inside, Nero scatters coins to the rabble and begins to give them orders to set certain buildings in the city on fire, promising more money to all. Tavius, meanwhile, sidles up to Ian and tells him that he is a friend of Barbara's. The two leave as the torchbearers start to exit and Nero muses to himself about naming his new city "Neropolis." In the corridor, Ian asks Tavius how he knew Ian would be there. It's what I would have done, answers Tavius. He reunites Ian and Barbara, who are overjoyed to see each other. Then Tavius gives Barbara a cloak to disguise her and they start to get ready to escape. Outside, Sevcheria hears a rustling in the bushes and sends a man to see whether it is Ian, Barbara and Delos. But it is Vicki and the Doctor, who fobs the guard off by saying, "It's only us." The guard leaves...and so do the Doctor and Vicki, away from the palace! In the confusion of the torchbearer's rush out of the palace, Ian, Barbara and Delos encounter Sevcheria. Delos thrusts his burning torch in the slaver's face and the three flee North, Ian and Barbara to the villa in Assessium and Delos to his home near there. Back in the palace, Tavius watches through a window as they flee. He wishes them good luck as he fingers a once-hidden wooden cross. Just outside the city, the Doctor and Vicki stop to look back at burning Rome. Vicki is amazed to really be seeing History, to realize that she's seeing something that will be talked about for thousands of years. Of course, she says, the books got it wrong: it's the Doctor himself who gave Nero the idea to burn Rome! The Doctor protests; Nero would have gotten the idea some other way, surely. But, as Vicki moves down the road, the Doctor looks back and laughs, tickled by the idea that he might be responsible. Inside the palace, Nero, too, is laughing as he plays his lyre, watching the city burn around him. Sometime later, Ian and Barbara arrive back at the villa to find things unchanged since they left--the shards of the pot Barbara accidentally hit Ian with are even still on the floor. Obviously, the Doctor and Vicki had not been there. After some horsing around, they decide to get cleaned up before their friends arrive. Later, the Doctor and Vicki do arrive, finding Ian and Barbara much as they'd left them: sleeping on couches in the villa. Believing that Ian and Barbara have been "idling away their days," the Doctor makes fun of the two, while Vicki tries to tell them of her adventures. The Doctor suggests they make their way back to the TARDIS and he and the girl leave. Ian and Barbara give each other a wry smile and follow, but not before Ian picks up a goblet and amphora of wine as a souvenir. Back in the TARDIS, Vicki refuses to believe that even the Doctor doesn't know where they'll go next. As she and Barbara leave to change, Ian leans over to see what the Doctor is doing at the console. The Doctor is worried; they have materialized and been caught by some unknown force and the TARDIS cannot break free. And the strange force is dragging them downwards. But to what....?
Whew. Next week, paragraph breaks! (We'll see how that goes.)
A great ending to a great story, this episode manages to wrap up and bring together all four plotlines successfully. We all had a blast, even Spoo (who'd only read/been told about the other three episodes). That being said, there were plenty of points where things that might not have been intended to be funny...were. For example, there's this small scene where Tavius just stops and stares blankly towards the camera, which caused me to almost involuntarily invoke Mystery Science Theatre's version of "Bride of the Monster" by saying, "Tor hungry." (Um, if you've never seen either this episode or a Tor Johnson movie, that...won't make much sense. Sorry.) And then, as the map began to smoke and burn with a small ring of fire burning in the middle of it, my mind immediately leapt to the opening titles of "Bonanza." Thankfully, I kept that one to myself. Still, for the most part, the humor was intentional (Schmallturm's invoking of another MST quote "I hate it when the women wear longer skirts than the men" aside).
And, honestly, there was a lot to like here, from Nero's scenery chewing to Tavius' wonderfully understated faith. Man, I loved that bit at the end. It was a perfect explanation for a lot of his character's motivations and made him, if anything, one of the most human of the guest cast. It's hard to find fault with this episode, or this story as a whole; one of the things I plan to talk about in the story wrapup is the contrast between the Ian/Barbara and Doctor/Vicki plotlines and how those differences inform the characters' reactions as the story ended. Really, really well-written, I think. Ronelyn loved, for example, Nero's wonderfully insane rant about punishing the Doctor for burning his plans (especially the alligators)...before doing an about-face and praising him to the skies. Just well-written, well structured and, I'd argue, well acted. Yes, Derek Francis chews enough scenery to build another Rome in his performance as Nero, but it's perfectly pitched in a portrayal of an off-his-rocker emperor. And yeah, the "fiddling while Rome burned" is a myth, and the "Nero orchestrated the burning" an ahistorical slander, but what the hey, it's wonderfully fun! Spoo, coming back to the Project after his long absence, absolutely loved the Doctor, and his "old coot crazy dodderiness," I believe was the quote. (Feel free to correct me in the comments, Spoo.) We do see a Doctor who is able to manipulate those around him nicely, improvising like mad and succeeding to a surprising extent, possibly because he does appear to be slightly senile. Again, I hope to be talking more about the regulars in the wrapup, so I'll leave that point here for now.
And, in fact, I think I'd better leave all my points for now. The wrapup should be coming sometime in the next week. Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
---
Ketina here,
The silly continues this week with the finale of the Romans. Nero continues to be at his best, Ian reclaims his status as "action man", and Barbara's hair continues to take center stage.
The episode starts off with Ian getting the thumbs down from Nero, and his dueling partner jumps the emperor only to get attacked by the guards. The good choreography from last week appeared to be missing this week, as everyone clang clanged swords again. Delos proceeded to "kill" a guard by sliding a sword somewhat near him, but Nero's fantastic kick knocking the guard off the dais made up a bit for that lameness. All of Ian's fight training verses Aztecs, Cavemen, Voord, Mongols, assassins and other ne'er-do-wells has apparently paid off, as he and Delos managed to fight off about five guards (at least I think so, again fight scene very hard to follow) and escape.
Loved Nero's scene with the Doctor and the burning map. Spoo was especially amused by Nero running around with this big burning rolled up paper, waving it close to the matte painting, the Roman curtains, and the drapey costumes. Was the look of horror on the Empress's face due to fear of Nero, or of fear of being set on fire?
Ronelyn suggested a silly moment during the mob scene, as Nero shouted "Quiet! Okay, now, everyone riot and burn the city!" Like, everyone calm down so you can go crazy.
Less than impressive was the forward-rewind-forward-rewind of the burning Rome set. Spoo's comment was that it looked like the city was breathing. On fire. The full city burning on the horizon looked pretty good, though.
And I loved the bits as everyone returned to the villa. Especially Barbara and Ian's banter over cleaning things up. I nearly expected them to kiss, but there was no tension between them. Their relationship, while mildly romantic, is also very relaxed, which does make it enjoyable to watch.
Not much from Vicki this week, other than to act as a sounding board for the Doctor's antics. Although her gleeful comment about watching history was especially disturbing, given the tragedy of the number of lives being lost in that fire. But then again, she's also the one who was willing to kill Nero the week before. She's very detached in this story.
Not looking forward to the return of Barbara's helmet hair next week. Keep the Roman 'do!
Until next week,
-Ketina
NEXT EPISODE: "THE WEB PLANET"
Friday, February 5, 2010
"Conspiracy"
Hello all, the Historian here. Along with Ketina, Ronelyn and Schmallturm, we return to the year 64. I'll warn you, there was a lot of physical comedy this week that simply won't translate into the summary at all. I'd urge you all to get a copy of "The Romans" DVD (packaged with "The Rescue") and watch it for yourself! That being said, let's get to the summary!
Episode summary: First aired 30 January 1965. Ian looks out the barred window of his cell, seeing the lions who he and Delos may be condemned to fight...In the palace, Nero wanders down a corridor with a lyre, followed by his slave, Tigilinus and others. As they move off, the Doctor appears and meets Vicki. They are attracted by a hissing Tavius, who tells them that he's gotten rid of the body, but leaves before answering any questions. The Doctor decides he must carefully sound out Nero to try to get to the bottom of this mystery, since he seems to be involved somehow. Vicki plans to explore the palace, but the Doctor warns her that she must not interfere with history! In Poppaea's bedchamber, the empress and Nero recline. Poppaea suggests that Nero hold a banquet in honor of "Maximum Pettulian" at which the guest of honor will play. Tavius enters to present Barbara as a new attendant to Poppaea...and Nero is absolutely captivated by her beauty, a fact that the empress is quick to notice. After Nero has left, Poppaea warns Barbara to stay away from Nero; she likes being empress and will not have anyone supplant her. Barbara, of course, agrees. She begins to clean up and takes some dishes out into the hallway...where a playful Nero has been waiting for her. She runs and he begins to chase her...and runs right into Vicki, who has been exploring and who just misses seeing Barbara run away. Trying to maintain his dignity, Nero backs away and falls. Vicki, stifling a laugh, enters another room as Nero continues the chase. The room Vicki has entered belongs to an imperious looking woman, Locusta. Meanwhile, Nero just misses Barbara and runs into the Doctor (who has also not seen his friend). The Doctor tries to talk to the emperor, but Nero has no time, they will talk later. He runs off, leaving a bemused Doctor behind him. Back in Locusta's room, Vicki has discovered that her new friend is the official court poisoner! Locusta explains that she merely prepares her potions, she has no say or care as to how they are used. People do not take revenge on her, but on the ones who she works for. Vicki watches, wide-eyed, as Locusta mixes up another poison. Nero has, meanwhile, cornered Barbara. Just as he catches her, however, Poppaea walks in and catches him. As Barbara flees, Nero tells his wife that the strange slave had been chasing him around all morning! In the cells, the old woman hears Delos call Ian by name. She asks him if he was supposed to meet a woman called Barbara. When he excitedly asks the woman where Barbara is, he is crushed to hear that she was taken to the auction and sold. Back in the palace, the Doctor and Nero are relaxing in a sauna. After some business with a slave and hot water, the two are left alone again and the Doctor takes the opportunity to ask Nero whether any intrigue is going on at court. Nero, however, knows nothing--though the Doctor covers up the emperor's dangerous embarrassment with flattery. Nero tells "Maximus" of the banquet in his honor that night--his first concert! The Doctor, who, of course, cannot play at all, is a bit nonplussed. Poppaea, meanwhile, has given Locusta instructions. She is to prepare two goblets, one of which will be given to the emperor and a poisoned one for the new slave. Hiding under the poisoner's desk, Vicki listens carefully. After they leave, she emerges and looks at the two goblets. As Barbara and other slaves prepare the banquet hall, Poppaea points her victim out to Locusta. The Doctor and Nero, leaving the sauna (fully dressed), meet Poppaea. She sends Nero to examine the banquet hall to make sure everything is perfect--and to set up her assassination of Barbara! The Doctor, meanwhile, meets Vicki, telling her about the coming feast and the entertainment he must provide! Far from being fearful, he seems amused. Meanwhile, Nero has sidled up to Barbara and given her a gold bracelet. As Nero is expecting a kiss in thanks, Barbara is relieved to see two goblets being brought towards them. She proposes a toast to thank the emperor and gulps her wine down! Vicki confesses that she might just have poisoned Nero by switching the glasses! The Doctor, horrified that she'd be changing history by killing an emperor to save an (apparently) inconsequential slave, rushes her off. Barbara, seeing a furious Poppaea (who is angry that her slave has not died!), rushes off before Nero can drink any of his cup. Just then, the Doctor and Vicki rush in, the Doctor yelling not to drink, that the wine is poisoned! After being thanked, they both leave, the Doctor saying he must practice for the evening. Nero decides to test the story and gives the wine to Tigilinus, who takes one sip and keels over. Back in the cells, Ian is trying to make plans to look for Barbara "when they get out of here," but Delos reminds him that he should be worrying about himself, not his friend! A furious Poppaea, meanwhile, has Locusta dragged away, her destination the arena! That night at the banquet, Tavius approaches the Doctor, saying things were "set for tomorrow." Maddeningly, he again leaves before the Doctor can ask anything. Poppaea catches Nero looking around for Barbara, which he denies and then calls for Maximus to perform. The Doctor tells his audience that his new composition is so subtle that only the most perceptive will be able to distinguish the music. He then mimes playing the lyre for a few minutes, to an appreciative audience. They applaud, not wanting to be thought unperceptive. A smiling Doctor tells Vicki that it was he who gave Hans Christian Andersen the idea for "The Emperor's New Clothes," after all! Nero, leaving, is furious; no one but he should get that much applause for playing! He enters Poppaea's chamber and finds Barbara cleaning. Nero grabs her and tells her they're going to see a fight--he wants to see someone get hurt. In the cells, Ian and Delos are handed equipment; they are to fight for the emperor's pleasure. Ian wants to refuse, but Delos reminds him that it's a chance for one of them to survive. He promises Ian that if he wins, Ian's death will be quick. Meanwhile, Nero, Barbara at his side, is telling Sevcheria (who is in charge of the gladiators) that he wants to arrange an appearance for Maximus Pettulian in the arena--with the lions released at the end of his performance! For now, though, he is content to see two men fight to the death. Ian and Delos appear. He and Barbara see each other, but there is nothing they can do--they fight is on! At first, Ian has the upper hand, but he refuses to kill his friend when he has the chance, to Nero's disgust. Then Delos gets the drop on Ian. Delos' sword is about to descend, cutting off Ian's head....
Whew! A question for those who have read this far: Ketina has told me that these are less summaries than retellings. She has a bit of a point; what do you guys think? Do I give too much information, especially for the episodes that are readily available? Or do you like the point-by-point? Let us know in the comments!
This episode was a lot of fun--and very, very funny! We've left the wit of the first episode behind and have entered into full-on ridiculous farce. The "near-misses" have gone from funny to out-and-out ridiculous, especially in the chase scene. And we loved it! I think that the silly never quite overwhelmed the fun, although Derek Francis' mugging as Nero certainly came close. It really was hard to convey the humor in simple text; I hope you got some of the gist.
I'd been waiting for this episode, which I remembered chiefly for Nero's pursuit of Barbara. Of course, not everything is fun and games; the fate of Locusta (fyi, there wasn't actually an official Court Poisoner at Nero's court, although Locusta was a real person, per Apuleius) is actually a little disturbing. Vicki may not have poisoned Nero, but she certainly did cause her new friend's condemnation. While it's true that poisoning people isn't pleasant, it's not like she was doing it maliciously. Her arrest is just an accidental consequence. And then there's the other at least semi-serious thread: Just what is Tavius up to, and what was Maximus Pettulian's part in the plot? Leaving aside the humor, there was enough of this plot to keep our attention and pique our curiosity for next week.
Of course, there were a few unintentionally funny moments; the boom gets into shot for a moment early in the episode, William Hartnell badly Billy-fluffs a line ("We must not interfere with the course of progress. Or try to accelerate...man’s achievement’s or progress.")...and then there's the slow pan up Nero's legs in the sauna scene. Ok, that might have been intentional, but certainly Ronelyn's reaction of "no, no, make sure he has his robe pulled down, please...!" amused the hell out of us! I'm sure there was a lot more, but I can't recall it at the moment. Hopefully, Ketina will remember.
Speaking of whom, I think I'll turn things over to her. Until our final visit to Nero's Rome next week, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
---
Ketina here,
Well, the Historian seems to have left me with a bit more of the commentary responsibility this week. Let's go back to an older format for this:
The Good: um...
The Bad: er...
The Silly: There we go! How about nearly the entire episode. Seriously, I think this one was about as silly as things ever get on Doctor Who. You've got the crazy of Nero, the trouble making Doctor, more near-miss encounter's than in a Shakespearean Comedy, and Barbara and Nero's run through the hallway was funny enough to leave nearly anyone in stitches. This was just an overall very fun, goofy episode.
You want details?
- Let's see, it leads with another stock footage shot of those lions, thankfully much shorter this time.
- That long shot of Nero in the sauna starts at his feet. His toes, actually. Which I swear had toenail polish on them!
- The fantastic toying with the sword between Nero and the Doctor in the sauna. The Doctor's just casually gesturing with the sword, narrowly missing poking Nero with it several times. Then he cradles the blade in his arms as Nero leans forward towards him conspiratorially, then almost getting poked again. Nero nudges the sword away time and again only to narrowly get poked with it again and again as he moves around the room.
- There was the memorable and fantastic scene that I referred to as "the Emperor's New Clothes" gambit. I think the director of episode deliberately had the mics turned off for most of the scene, making the Doctor's "magical" musical yet soundless performance all the more bizarre and comical.
- Early in the episode we see what appears to be very poorly choreographed fighting between two gladiators -- probably my second biggest laugh out loud moment during the episode. But then, at the end of the episode, there's a fantastic scene when Ian and Delos battle. I was like "where was the guy who choreographed this scene during the first one?" The Historian did point out that the gladiators shown earlier were probably just supposed to be practicing, but I've seen better practice done by 6-year olds in the back yard with sticks.
- And the funniest moment, by far, was Nero chasing Barbara all around the palace (and nearly right into the background matte painting several times). Sure, they tended to rerun over the same territory, but the scenes were still incredibly well done, despite the tiny set. Nero's lechery combined with Barbara's franticness was wonderfully performed. In particular was a scene where they were separated by just a bed, with Nero all grabby hands. Awesome stuff.
The high moments definitely outweighed the low points this week.
Screams: While there was nothing exactly scream worthy, there were shrieks and yipes aplenty, and a significant cry at the cliffhanger. I guess Barbara was resting her voice.
Until next week!
-Ketina
NEXT WEEK: "INFERNO"
Episode summary: First aired 30 January 1965. Ian looks out the barred window of his cell, seeing the lions who he and Delos may be condemned to fight...In the palace, Nero wanders down a corridor with a lyre, followed by his slave, Tigilinus and others. As they move off, the Doctor appears and meets Vicki. They are attracted by a hissing Tavius, who tells them that he's gotten rid of the body, but leaves before answering any questions. The Doctor decides he must carefully sound out Nero to try to get to the bottom of this mystery, since he seems to be involved somehow. Vicki plans to explore the palace, but the Doctor warns her that she must not interfere with history! In Poppaea's bedchamber, the empress and Nero recline. Poppaea suggests that Nero hold a banquet in honor of "Maximum Pettulian" at which the guest of honor will play. Tavius enters to present Barbara as a new attendant to Poppaea...and Nero is absolutely captivated by her beauty, a fact that the empress is quick to notice. After Nero has left, Poppaea warns Barbara to stay away from Nero; she likes being empress and will not have anyone supplant her. Barbara, of course, agrees. She begins to clean up and takes some dishes out into the hallway...where a playful Nero has been waiting for her. She runs and he begins to chase her...and runs right into Vicki, who has been exploring and who just misses seeing Barbara run away. Trying to maintain his dignity, Nero backs away and falls. Vicki, stifling a laugh, enters another room as Nero continues the chase. The room Vicki has entered belongs to an imperious looking woman, Locusta. Meanwhile, Nero just misses Barbara and runs into the Doctor (who has also not seen his friend). The Doctor tries to talk to the emperor, but Nero has no time, they will talk later. He runs off, leaving a bemused Doctor behind him. Back in Locusta's room, Vicki has discovered that her new friend is the official court poisoner! Locusta explains that she merely prepares her potions, she has no say or care as to how they are used. People do not take revenge on her, but on the ones who she works for. Vicki watches, wide-eyed, as Locusta mixes up another poison. Nero has, meanwhile, cornered Barbara. Just as he catches her, however, Poppaea walks in and catches him. As Barbara flees, Nero tells his wife that the strange slave had been chasing him around all morning! In the cells, the old woman hears Delos call Ian by name. She asks him if he was supposed to meet a woman called Barbara. When he excitedly asks the woman where Barbara is, he is crushed to hear that she was taken to the auction and sold. Back in the palace, the Doctor and Nero are relaxing in a sauna. After some business with a slave and hot water, the two are left alone again and the Doctor takes the opportunity to ask Nero whether any intrigue is going on at court. Nero, however, knows nothing--though the Doctor covers up the emperor's dangerous embarrassment with flattery. Nero tells "Maximus" of the banquet in his honor that night--his first concert! The Doctor, who, of course, cannot play at all, is a bit nonplussed. Poppaea, meanwhile, has given Locusta instructions. She is to prepare two goblets, one of which will be given to the emperor and a poisoned one for the new slave. Hiding under the poisoner's desk, Vicki listens carefully. After they leave, she emerges and looks at the two goblets. As Barbara and other slaves prepare the banquet hall, Poppaea points her victim out to Locusta. The Doctor and Nero, leaving the sauna (fully dressed), meet Poppaea. She sends Nero to examine the banquet hall to make sure everything is perfect--and to set up her assassination of Barbara! The Doctor, meanwhile, meets Vicki, telling her about the coming feast and the entertainment he must provide! Far from being fearful, he seems amused. Meanwhile, Nero has sidled up to Barbara and given her a gold bracelet. As Nero is expecting a kiss in thanks, Barbara is relieved to see two goblets being brought towards them. She proposes a toast to thank the emperor and gulps her wine down! Vicki confesses that she might just have poisoned Nero by switching the glasses! The Doctor, horrified that she'd be changing history by killing an emperor to save an (apparently) inconsequential slave, rushes her off. Barbara, seeing a furious Poppaea (who is angry that her slave has not died!), rushes off before Nero can drink any of his cup. Just then, the Doctor and Vicki rush in, the Doctor yelling not to drink, that the wine is poisoned! After being thanked, they both leave, the Doctor saying he must practice for the evening. Nero decides to test the story and gives the wine to Tigilinus, who takes one sip and keels over. Back in the cells, Ian is trying to make plans to look for Barbara "when they get out of here," but Delos reminds him that he should be worrying about himself, not his friend! A furious Poppaea, meanwhile, has Locusta dragged away, her destination the arena! That night at the banquet, Tavius approaches the Doctor, saying things were "set for tomorrow." Maddeningly, he again leaves before the Doctor can ask anything. Poppaea catches Nero looking around for Barbara, which he denies and then calls for Maximus to perform. The Doctor tells his audience that his new composition is so subtle that only the most perceptive will be able to distinguish the music. He then mimes playing the lyre for a few minutes, to an appreciative audience. They applaud, not wanting to be thought unperceptive. A smiling Doctor tells Vicki that it was he who gave Hans Christian Andersen the idea for "The Emperor's New Clothes," after all! Nero, leaving, is furious; no one but he should get that much applause for playing! He enters Poppaea's chamber and finds Barbara cleaning. Nero grabs her and tells her they're going to see a fight--he wants to see someone get hurt. In the cells, Ian and Delos are handed equipment; they are to fight for the emperor's pleasure. Ian wants to refuse, but Delos reminds him that it's a chance for one of them to survive. He promises Ian that if he wins, Ian's death will be quick. Meanwhile, Nero, Barbara at his side, is telling Sevcheria (who is in charge of the gladiators) that he wants to arrange an appearance for Maximus Pettulian in the arena--with the lions released at the end of his performance! For now, though, he is content to see two men fight to the death. Ian and Delos appear. He and Barbara see each other, but there is nothing they can do--they fight is on! At first, Ian has the upper hand, but he refuses to kill his friend when he has the chance, to Nero's disgust. Then Delos gets the drop on Ian. Delos' sword is about to descend, cutting off Ian's head....
Whew! A question for those who have read this far: Ketina has told me that these are less summaries than retellings. She has a bit of a point; what do you guys think? Do I give too much information, especially for the episodes that are readily available? Or do you like the point-by-point? Let us know in the comments!
This episode was a lot of fun--and very, very funny! We've left the wit of the first episode behind and have entered into full-on ridiculous farce. The "near-misses" have gone from funny to out-and-out ridiculous, especially in the chase scene. And we loved it! I think that the silly never quite overwhelmed the fun, although Derek Francis' mugging as Nero certainly came close. It really was hard to convey the humor in simple text; I hope you got some of the gist.
I'd been waiting for this episode, which I remembered chiefly for Nero's pursuit of Barbara. Of course, not everything is fun and games; the fate of Locusta (fyi, there wasn't actually an official Court Poisoner at Nero's court, although Locusta was a real person, per Apuleius) is actually a little disturbing. Vicki may not have poisoned Nero, but she certainly did cause her new friend's condemnation. While it's true that poisoning people isn't pleasant, it's not like she was doing it maliciously. Her arrest is just an accidental consequence. And then there's the other at least semi-serious thread: Just what is Tavius up to, and what was Maximus Pettulian's part in the plot? Leaving aside the humor, there was enough of this plot to keep our attention and pique our curiosity for next week.
Of course, there were a few unintentionally funny moments; the boom gets into shot for a moment early in the episode, William Hartnell badly Billy-fluffs a line ("We must not interfere with the course of progress. Or try to accelerate...man’s achievement’s or progress.")...and then there's the slow pan up Nero's legs in the sauna scene. Ok, that might have been intentional, but certainly Ronelyn's reaction of "no, no, make sure he has his robe pulled down, please...!" amused the hell out of us! I'm sure there was a lot more, but I can't recall it at the moment. Hopefully, Ketina will remember.
Speaking of whom, I think I'll turn things over to her. Until our final visit to Nero's Rome next week, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
---
Ketina here,
Well, the Historian seems to have left me with a bit more of the commentary responsibility this week. Let's go back to an older format for this:
The Good: um...
The Bad: er...
The Silly: There we go! How about nearly the entire episode. Seriously, I think this one was about as silly as things ever get on Doctor Who. You've got the crazy of Nero, the trouble making Doctor, more near-miss encounter's than in a Shakespearean Comedy, and Barbara and Nero's run through the hallway was funny enough to leave nearly anyone in stitches. This was just an overall very fun, goofy episode.
You want details?
- Let's see, it leads with another stock footage shot of those lions, thankfully much shorter this time.
- That long shot of Nero in the sauna starts at his feet. His toes, actually. Which I swear had toenail polish on them!
- The fantastic toying with the sword between Nero and the Doctor in the sauna. The Doctor's just casually gesturing with the sword, narrowly missing poking Nero with it several times. Then he cradles the blade in his arms as Nero leans forward towards him conspiratorially, then almost getting poked again. Nero nudges the sword away time and again only to narrowly get poked with it again and again as he moves around the room.
- There was the memorable and fantastic scene that I referred to as "the Emperor's New Clothes" gambit. I think the director of episode deliberately had the mics turned off for most of the scene, making the Doctor's "magical" musical yet soundless performance all the more bizarre and comical.
- Early in the episode we see what appears to be very poorly choreographed fighting between two gladiators -- probably my second biggest laugh out loud moment during the episode. But then, at the end of the episode, there's a fantastic scene when Ian and Delos battle. I was like "where was the guy who choreographed this scene during the first one?" The Historian did point out that the gladiators shown earlier were probably just supposed to be practicing, but I've seen better practice done by 6-year olds in the back yard with sticks.
- And the funniest moment, by far, was Nero chasing Barbara all around the palace (and nearly right into the background matte painting several times). Sure, they tended to rerun over the same territory, but the scenes were still incredibly well done, despite the tiny set. Nero's lechery combined with Barbara's franticness was wonderfully performed. In particular was a scene where they were separated by just a bed, with Nero all grabby hands. Awesome stuff.
The high moments definitely outweighed the low points this week.
Screams: While there was nothing exactly scream worthy, there were shrieks and yipes aplenty, and a significant cry at the cliffhanger. I guess Barbara was resting her voice.
Until next week!
-Ketina
NEXT WEEK: "INFERNO"
Friday, January 29, 2010
"All Roads Lead to Rome"
And we're back! The Historian here, apologizing for missing last week. But this week Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm and I are back to present another chapter of our adventure in 64 CE. On to the summary!
Episode summary: First aired 23 January 1965. Ascaris lunges through the curtain, sword drawn, but the Doctor is not taken by surprise. He uses his lyre to block the assassin's blade and then appears to have a delightful time attacking him with thrown wine, bedsheets, amphorae, etc. Vicki arrives just as Ascaris decides on the better part of valor and jumps out through the window. The Doctor bemoans being interrupted in his attempts to knock the man out, although he is delighted at being able to use his fisticuff skills, and explains to Vicki that he had been expecting this; obviously, someone had wanted to assassinate Maximum Pettulian, hadn't they? Vicki tells him the centurion has disappeared and the Doctor replies that he had thought the centurion had been behind the assassination from the start. It is not unusual to hire assassins in this day and age, especially dumb ones who cannot implicate you! The Doctor is tired; he tells Vicki to go to bed so they can make an early start for Rome in the morning. She is surprised that, knowing the danger, he wants to go on. But the Doctor is determined--they go to Rome! Barbara is already in the city, having been brought in with other slaves to be sold by Sevcheria. She is thrown into a cell along with a Gaulish woman who is too old and sick to fetch a decent price. Barbara tries to look after her new friend as best she can, hoping against hope that Ian will make it to Rome to help her. On a ship far up the Italian coast, Ian is rowing as a galley slave. He and his oarmate, Delos, have hit upon a plan to get away. Delos keels over and Ian calls to the galleymaster. When the man comes over to check, Ian and Delos leap up and try to grab the master's keys...but is not fast enough. The two are forced back into their seats and begin to row again. Back in the cells, Barbara is trying to get the old woman to share her food. Outside the bars, a well-dressed man watches her. He calls to her and offers to help her get out of there...but he can only do so by buying her. Barbara, angry at the idea of being bought by someone, turns away. Sevcheria approaches and addresses the man, Tavius, by name. Tavius offers to buy Barbara, but the slaver says she is to be sold at auction. If Tavius is interested, he can bid then. Angry, Tavius leaves. Sevcheria gives Barbara a new dress to pretty her up for the auction. When she asks what will happen to her friend, he tells her that the old woman would fetch no price; she is to be sent to the Arena. At sea, a storm rocks Ian's ship. The galleymaster grows increasingly frantic as waves begin to overwhelm the ship. A wave knocks him off his perch and into the slaves who grab at him for his keys as the ship founders...The Doctor and Vicki walk the streets of Rome. Vicki is excited and wants to explore, which the Doctor agrees to. But he reminds her that they cannot be too long; they must go to court and present themselves to the Emperor Nero! Vicki is amazed; even knowing the danger, the Doctor still wants to go? Well, he replies, he was invited, after all! Noticing that a slave action is being set-up near them, and not wanting to upset her with a painful reality of the period, the Doctor hurries Vicki away...just missing seeing Barbara thrust up onto the stage to the delight of the (male) audience. Sevcheria begins the bidding, which ends when Tavius offers 10,000 sestertii for her, amid gasps. Tavius smiles; he has bought Barbara after all. On a beach near Rome, Ian wakens. He is disheveled and covered with sand; he has obviously washed up on the beach. A figure approaches, carrying a rock in his hand...but it is Delos. He tells Ian that, after the ship foundered, he'd grabbed the galleymaster's keys, unlocked them from the oar and pulled Ian (who was unconscious) towards land. The rock is to strike off the chains still binding Ian's hands. Ian decides to set off for Rome, hoping to find Barbara, but Delos is fearful. Still, he agrees to go and help his friend. Tavis brings Barbara to his quarters in the palace. He tells her he was impressed by seeing her help her fellow slave; she responds that it is what anyone would have done, but he is not so sure. After seeing her care for another, he has bought her to be a slave in the household of Nero's wife, Poppaea, a far easier life than most slaves have. She thanks him, but warns him that she doesn't plan to stay. He reminds her that escaped slaves are put to death when recaptured. Just then, a messenger arrives and lets Tavius know that Maximus Pettulian has arrived. At first, Tavius makes to receive him there, but then decides to go out to meet the musician. Once again, Barbara and her friends narrowly miss each other. In the court, the Doctor and Vicki are waiting. The Doctor reassures Vicki that no one here knows Pettalian, so they will be safe from detection. That's fine, she replies, but what about when someone asks you to play? Tavius appears and attempts to get the Doctor's attention. He tells "Maximus" not to worry; there was trouble, but Tavius has "taken care of it." When the Doctor asks what he means, Tavius mentions that "he's at the apoditarium." Before he can give any more information, the Emperor Nero is announced. He arrived, flanked by servants and carrying a joint of meat. The Doctor attempts to introduce himself, but Nero angrily rebukes him for speaking before being spoken to. After Tavius introduces "Pettulian," Nero commands the Doctor to play. The Doctor immediately fawns over the Emperor, insisting that he cannot play first in the presence of such a great musician. After Nero plucks a few notes, the Doctor bluffs his way out of having to play, all the while complimenting the Emperor's playing. Nero takes his leave, telling the Doctor that they will play together later, after he has been fed--and after he (Pettulian) practices! The Doctor is delighted at his bluff, but Vicki is concerned. What will he do to get out of playing next time? The Doctor, for once, is at a loss. On the streets of Rome, Ian and Delos cautiously make their way. Ian knows Barbara must have been sold, but suggests they find a place to clean up a bit to be less conspicuous. Delos agrees, noting that their luck has been good so far...just before they walk into a group of soldiers. The Doctor and Vicki, meanwhile, have found their way to the "apoditorium." Both wonder what Tavius meant by his allusion to taking care of trouble, and a quick search appears to answer the question: behind a curtain is the dead body of the centurion who'd hired Ascaris! Ian and Delos are thrown into an empty cell next to the old slave woman. Sevcheria gloats at them and tells them things could have been worse. They will have a chance to win their lives in the Arena, if Nero is feeling merciful. After he leaves, Delos realizes they will be trained as gladiators. Yes, says Ian, but to fight what? The two look out their cell window and see lions in cages, waiting....
Whew, that was a heck of a summary. (You guys are still reading them, right?)
Honestly, I don't have a lot to say this week that won't sound a lot like what I said last week. The writing and acting, while a little less with the witty banter, still works wonderfully, both in its humorous moments and its more serious. (Barbara's continued fear/anger at her slavery worked especially well.) There were even semi-comedic moments, such as Ian and Delos being captured by the soldiers. (No! Never talk about your good luck! It's as bad as asking what could be worse!) And, of course, I loved the "Action Doctor" and all the interactions between the Doctor and Vicki--who seem an excellent team. True, the stock footage was...well, stock footage, but I thought the sea and storm scenes were really well integrated into the episode. The lions in the zoo worked less well, but I can't honestly see what alternative they had.
As for their portrayal of Nero...well, it's a comical version of Suetonius' madman, of course. There's no question he was mad, bad and dangerous to know. What's important for our purposes is that he's funny, and apt to get even funnier, but with an edge of significant menace. I enjoyed the portrayal, historical or not. How did I put it last week? "BBC Costume Drama Rome"--fun!
All right, I know Ketina wanted to cover some things I probably would have talked about, but I'll just turn things over to her. I'll try to have more to say next week! Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
---
Ketina here,
This week I enjoyed the story, yet I mocked the stock footage and effects. Am I being too critical or was I just in a silly mood? Probably a little of both.
So, starting off we get to see the Doctor deftly beat the snot out of a generally incompetent assassin. It echoed the end of last story "The Rescue" when he fought the evil spiky bad guy, yet this time the Doctor was even more proficient. Where was this confident brawler when Ian was getting his butt kicked in "the Aztecs"? He went from frail old man to fist swingin' bad ass in one season. It was a fun and relatively well choreographed fight scene, although you need to consider that the assassin is a moron. However, this awesomeness was countered by lots of "Billy fluffed" lines this week from the Doctor - significantly more than usual, which alas took me out of the story quite a bit.
Let's see. I found the scene on the boat particularly funny as well. Shouts of "in.. out" from the Galley Master to the slaves, yet very few of them were in sync with the directions. Then the buckets of water thrown from somewhere to indicate the storm, gave me the giggles. For once it wasn't the stock footage of the sea that I found distracting -- no, that came later when we see the stock footage of the lions at the end of the episode.
Even given all my complaints, however, I still found the plot really fun. I especially liked the many near misses that the Doctor and Vicki have almost seeing Barbara. And the Doctor tricking Nero and delaying his musical performance was fun to watch, if a bit tense. But I don't feel that Nero threatening enough by being so easily fooled, given that he probably should be as the evil emperor of Rome and all.
The danger faced by both Ian and Barbara feels solid, although I can't help but to be reminded of "The Reign of Terror" (same writer I understand) with either Barbara or Ian once again locked in a dirty cell for half the episode. I loved Barbara's interactions with Tavius, and the way she refused to look him in the eye. He's trying to be nice to her, yet there's still something off putting about him that just makes him more interesting to watch. Which lead nicely to his cryptic message to the Doctor and the discovery of the dirty kneed body found behind the curtain (it's probably not mentioned in the summary, but dude, the body behind the curtain totally had dirty knees! I'm not kidding! Who has dirty knees?).
Anyway, I'm digressing, so I suppose that wraps up my review for this week.
Until next time!
-Ketina
NEXT WEEK: "CONSPIRACY"
Episode summary: First aired 23 January 1965. Ascaris lunges through the curtain, sword drawn, but the Doctor is not taken by surprise. He uses his lyre to block the assassin's blade and then appears to have a delightful time attacking him with thrown wine, bedsheets, amphorae, etc. Vicki arrives just as Ascaris decides on the better part of valor and jumps out through the window. The Doctor bemoans being interrupted in his attempts to knock the man out, although he is delighted at being able to use his fisticuff skills, and explains to Vicki that he had been expecting this; obviously, someone had wanted to assassinate Maximum Pettulian, hadn't they? Vicki tells him the centurion has disappeared and the Doctor replies that he had thought the centurion had been behind the assassination from the start. It is not unusual to hire assassins in this day and age, especially dumb ones who cannot implicate you! The Doctor is tired; he tells Vicki to go to bed so they can make an early start for Rome in the morning. She is surprised that, knowing the danger, he wants to go on. But the Doctor is determined--they go to Rome! Barbara is already in the city, having been brought in with other slaves to be sold by Sevcheria. She is thrown into a cell along with a Gaulish woman who is too old and sick to fetch a decent price. Barbara tries to look after her new friend as best she can, hoping against hope that Ian will make it to Rome to help her. On a ship far up the Italian coast, Ian is rowing as a galley slave. He and his oarmate, Delos, have hit upon a plan to get away. Delos keels over and Ian calls to the galleymaster. When the man comes over to check, Ian and Delos leap up and try to grab the master's keys...but is not fast enough. The two are forced back into their seats and begin to row again. Back in the cells, Barbara is trying to get the old woman to share her food. Outside the bars, a well-dressed man watches her. He calls to her and offers to help her get out of there...but he can only do so by buying her. Barbara, angry at the idea of being bought by someone, turns away. Sevcheria approaches and addresses the man, Tavius, by name. Tavius offers to buy Barbara, but the slaver says she is to be sold at auction. If Tavius is interested, he can bid then. Angry, Tavius leaves. Sevcheria gives Barbara a new dress to pretty her up for the auction. When she asks what will happen to her friend, he tells her that the old woman would fetch no price; she is to be sent to the Arena. At sea, a storm rocks Ian's ship. The galleymaster grows increasingly frantic as waves begin to overwhelm the ship. A wave knocks him off his perch and into the slaves who grab at him for his keys as the ship founders...The Doctor and Vicki walk the streets of Rome. Vicki is excited and wants to explore, which the Doctor agrees to. But he reminds her that they cannot be too long; they must go to court and present themselves to the Emperor Nero! Vicki is amazed; even knowing the danger, the Doctor still wants to go? Well, he replies, he was invited, after all! Noticing that a slave action is being set-up near them, and not wanting to upset her with a painful reality of the period, the Doctor hurries Vicki away...just missing seeing Barbara thrust up onto the stage to the delight of the (male) audience. Sevcheria begins the bidding, which ends when Tavius offers 10,000 sestertii for her, amid gasps. Tavius smiles; he has bought Barbara after all. On a beach near Rome, Ian wakens. He is disheveled and covered with sand; he has obviously washed up on the beach. A figure approaches, carrying a rock in his hand...but it is Delos. He tells Ian that, after the ship foundered, he'd grabbed the galleymaster's keys, unlocked them from the oar and pulled Ian (who was unconscious) towards land. The rock is to strike off the chains still binding Ian's hands. Ian decides to set off for Rome, hoping to find Barbara, but Delos is fearful. Still, he agrees to go and help his friend. Tavis brings Barbara to his quarters in the palace. He tells her he was impressed by seeing her help her fellow slave; she responds that it is what anyone would have done, but he is not so sure. After seeing her care for another, he has bought her to be a slave in the household of Nero's wife, Poppaea, a far easier life than most slaves have. She thanks him, but warns him that she doesn't plan to stay. He reminds her that escaped slaves are put to death when recaptured. Just then, a messenger arrives and lets Tavius know that Maximus Pettulian has arrived. At first, Tavius makes to receive him there, but then decides to go out to meet the musician. Once again, Barbara and her friends narrowly miss each other. In the court, the Doctor and Vicki are waiting. The Doctor reassures Vicki that no one here knows Pettalian, so they will be safe from detection. That's fine, she replies, but what about when someone asks you to play? Tavius appears and attempts to get the Doctor's attention. He tells "Maximus" not to worry; there was trouble, but Tavius has "taken care of it." When the Doctor asks what he means, Tavius mentions that "he's at the apoditarium." Before he can give any more information, the Emperor Nero is announced. He arrived, flanked by servants and carrying a joint of meat. The Doctor attempts to introduce himself, but Nero angrily rebukes him for speaking before being spoken to. After Tavius introduces "Pettulian," Nero commands the Doctor to play. The Doctor immediately fawns over the Emperor, insisting that he cannot play first in the presence of such a great musician. After Nero plucks a few notes, the Doctor bluffs his way out of having to play, all the while complimenting the Emperor's playing. Nero takes his leave, telling the Doctor that they will play together later, after he has been fed--and after he (Pettulian) practices! The Doctor is delighted at his bluff, but Vicki is concerned. What will he do to get out of playing next time? The Doctor, for once, is at a loss. On the streets of Rome, Ian and Delos cautiously make their way. Ian knows Barbara must have been sold, but suggests they find a place to clean up a bit to be less conspicuous. Delos agrees, noting that their luck has been good so far...just before they walk into a group of soldiers. The Doctor and Vicki, meanwhile, have found their way to the "apoditorium." Both wonder what Tavius meant by his allusion to taking care of trouble, and a quick search appears to answer the question: behind a curtain is the dead body of the centurion who'd hired Ascaris! Ian and Delos are thrown into an empty cell next to the old slave woman. Sevcheria gloats at them and tells them things could have been worse. They will have a chance to win their lives in the Arena, if Nero is feeling merciful. After he leaves, Delos realizes they will be trained as gladiators. Yes, says Ian, but to fight what? The two look out their cell window and see lions in cages, waiting....
Whew, that was a heck of a summary. (You guys are still reading them, right?)
Honestly, I don't have a lot to say this week that won't sound a lot like what I said last week. The writing and acting, while a little less with the witty banter, still works wonderfully, both in its humorous moments and its more serious. (Barbara's continued fear/anger at her slavery worked especially well.) There were even semi-comedic moments, such as Ian and Delos being captured by the soldiers. (No! Never talk about your good luck! It's as bad as asking what could be worse!) And, of course, I loved the "Action Doctor" and all the interactions between the Doctor and Vicki--who seem an excellent team. True, the stock footage was...well, stock footage, but I thought the sea and storm scenes were really well integrated into the episode. The lions in the zoo worked less well, but I can't honestly see what alternative they had.
As for their portrayal of Nero...well, it's a comical version of Suetonius' madman, of course. There's no question he was mad, bad and dangerous to know. What's important for our purposes is that he's funny, and apt to get even funnier, but with an edge of significant menace. I enjoyed the portrayal, historical or not. How did I put it last week? "BBC Costume Drama Rome"--fun!
All right, I know Ketina wanted to cover some things I probably would have talked about, but I'll just turn things over to her. I'll try to have more to say next week! Until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
---
Ketina here,
This week I enjoyed the story, yet I mocked the stock footage and effects. Am I being too critical or was I just in a silly mood? Probably a little of both.
So, starting off we get to see the Doctor deftly beat the snot out of a generally incompetent assassin. It echoed the end of last story "The Rescue" when he fought the evil spiky bad guy, yet this time the Doctor was even more proficient. Where was this confident brawler when Ian was getting his butt kicked in "the Aztecs"? He went from frail old man to fist swingin' bad ass in one season. It was a fun and relatively well choreographed fight scene, although you need to consider that the assassin is a moron. However, this awesomeness was countered by lots of "Billy fluffed" lines this week from the Doctor - significantly more than usual, which alas took me out of the story quite a bit.
Let's see. I found the scene on the boat particularly funny as well. Shouts of "in.. out" from the Galley Master to the slaves, yet very few of them were in sync with the directions. Then the buckets of water thrown from somewhere to indicate the storm, gave me the giggles. For once it wasn't the stock footage of the sea that I found distracting -- no, that came later when we see the stock footage of the lions at the end of the episode.
Even given all my complaints, however, I still found the plot really fun. I especially liked the many near misses that the Doctor and Vicki have almost seeing Barbara. And the Doctor tricking Nero and delaying his musical performance was fun to watch, if a bit tense. But I don't feel that Nero threatening enough by being so easily fooled, given that he probably should be as the evil emperor of Rome and all.
The danger faced by both Ian and Barbara feels solid, although I can't help but to be reminded of "The Reign of Terror" (same writer I understand) with either Barbara or Ian once again locked in a dirty cell for half the episode. I loved Barbara's interactions with Tavius, and the way she refused to look him in the eye. He's trying to be nice to her, yet there's still something off putting about him that just makes him more interesting to watch. Which lead nicely to his cryptic message to the Doctor and the discovery of the dirty kneed body found behind the curtain (it's probably not mentioned in the summary, but dude, the body behind the curtain totally had dirty knees! I'm not kidding! Who has dirty knees?).
Anyway, I'm digressing, so I suppose that wraps up my review for this week.
Until next time!
-Ketina
NEXT WEEK: "CONSPIRACY"
Friday, January 22, 2010
Project postponed due to ill health
Even Historians get sick occasionally. Sorry about this, folks, but we will see you next week!
Friday, January 15, 2010
"The Slave Traders"
Hello everyone, the Historian here, bringing you the beginning of another story. Joining me, as usual, are Ketina, Ronelyn and Schmallturm. With this story, we return to our pattern of a Historical every other story, this time taking our friends back to anicent Rome. Without further ado, let's get to the summary!
Episode summary: First aired 16 January 1965. The TARDIS lands, perched precariously on the edge of a cliff...and falls! Ian awakens, dressed in period clothing, in a Roman villa--and grabs a bunch of grapes. Far from just recovering from the crash, it transpires that a few weeks have passed. The TARDIS crew, finding the nearby villa empty, have decided to take the time for a short holiday. The Doctor, watering plants nearby, accuses Ian of not simply resting, but slipping into becoming "bone idle!" Ian asks if Barbara and Vicki have gone to the nearby village. The Doctor, after musing a bit on Roman plumbing, answers that they have. Indeed, the two are making their way down the road towards the village, intending to spend some time and money at its market. Vicki tries to hurry Barbara along; she is frustrated with the older people's relaxation. They'd promised her adventure! Barbara tells Vicki not to worry, rather than having to look for it, adventure normally finds them. And, indeed, a ragged looking man waits in the bushes, sharpening his sword, but he lets Barbara and Vicki pass unmolested. They are obviously not his intended quarry...At the village market, two unsavory characters survey the crowd. They are slave traders called Didius and Sevcheria, recently come from Gaul with a rather pathetic lot of slaves. They are scouting the market, looking for people who will not be missed. This is their last chance before Rome, as this village is too small for anyone to complain. They quickly spot Barbara and Vicki, who have arrived and stopped to notice an old man with long, white hair, enthralling the crowd by playing a lyre. The two women move on to a clothing stall, where Barbara reminds Vicki to watch out for anachronisms--they are not from "London," but "Londinium." As they move away, the slavers approach the stall and use coins to buy information from the stallkeeper. For a steady stream of coins, she tells them all she knows: The women and their two male friends appeared at the villa, apparently friends of its owner who are looking after it while he is away on campaign. They have come to the market to sell produce from the villa garden for prices that are far too low; it is obvious that the visitors have no idea of what they're doing. It is her last piece of information that excites Sevcheria; the stallkeeper overheard Barbara's comment about being from Londinium. Britons! The two slave traders make plans to acquire these four strangers. Meanwhile, the lyre player has finished his concert to appreciative applause. He acknowledges this, and leaves the market, travelling up the road Barbara and Vicki had taken. It is he that the skulking man has been waiting for, and the old lyre player is ambushed and killed. The man drags his body into the bushes. Later, back at the villa, the TARDIS crew relax after a large meal. Ian and Barbara ask the Doctor if they shouldn't go check to make sure the TARDIS is all right, but he testily dismisses them. It is fine, he assures them, and it matters not whether it is right side up or not; it can take off from any position. He tells them they can check on it if they want to while he is gone. Gone? Why yes, the Doctor plans to go to Rome for a few days, surely he'd told them. Vicki, bored of villa life, asks to go along and is delighted when the Doctor agrees. But he angrily refuses the other two's request to come along, realising (rightly) that they want to come to keep an eye on him. If they want to go to Rome, they can go themselves! He and Vicki begin packing provisions. After they leave, Ian and Barbara relax. The two decide that if the owner of the villa returns before the Doctor and Vicki, they will go to the TARDIS to wait. Barbara uses a comb to rearrange Ian's hair in more of a Roman fashion and he, liking what he sees, takes some time to ham out lines from Julius Ceasar. In the slavers' camp, Didius again bemoans the sorry lot they've brought from Gaul. Sevcheria, while making plans to break camp that night, reminds Didius that they must go to the villa for their prizes. The two strap on their swords and exit. Back at the villa, Barbara and Ian have been drinking perhaps a bit too much wine. The two are surprised by Didius and Sevcheria, who are visibly disappointed to find only two of the expected four at home. Ian tries to make excuses, believing one of the slavers to be the villa's owner, but the slavers quickly overpower our friends. On the road to Rome, meanwhile, the Doctor and Vicki have come upon a statue. As the Doctor stops to look at it (to Vicki's consternation), he notices something in the bushes--the body of a man! The dead man is the lyre player, still clutching his instrument, which the Doctor takes absentmindedly. Vicki recognizes the dead man from the marketplace, but the Doctor advises her that getting involved in what was obviously an assassination would not be a good idea. But, turning, they discover a centurion beating the bushes with his sword, obviously looking for someone. Seeing the Doctor--an old man with flowing white hair, currently carrying a lute, the centurion answers the Doctor's question by "recognizing" him as the great musician Maximus Pettulian, who had been journeying to Rome to meet with the Emperor Nero, a musician himself. He had been expected earlier, so Nero, concerned for his safety, has sent out an escort. The Doctor, excited at the idea of an inside look at Nero's court, decides to play along, although Vicki is unsure that this is a good idea. The Doctor introduces her to the centurion as the girl who "watches the lyres," a knowing look acknowledging the pun to her. In the centurion's company, they again set off for the camp at Assyrium. Later, Didius and Sevcheria run into a man looking to buy some slaves and begin driving a hard bargain with him. The man asks about the British woman, but is told he must go to Rome to bid at auction if he wants her. The man, still needing three "replacements," continues to dicker with the traders. Outside, Ian and Barbara are chained to a wagon wheel. Barbara is despairing; as a history teacher, she is well aware how the Romans treated their slaves, as well as how few were able to escape bondage. Ian, however, refuses to give up hope, even as Barbara adds that time is against them. Even if they could escape, how long could the Doctor and Vicki wait for them? Didius, Sevcheria and the buyer approach, having struck a deal, to examine the merchandise. The buyer picks two Gaulish men...and Ian. As he is being unchained from the wheel, Ian tells Barbara he will find her in Rome. But his new owner tells him with some relish that he will be going nowhere near Rome! At Assyrium, the centurion paces up and down angrily. The ragged looking man who killed the real Maximus Pettulian appears and the centurion grabs him, calling him by name as Ascarius. He demands to know why, when he went to look for the musician's body, why he found a live man instead? Wasn't the assassin's pay from Nero--to get rid of a better musician so the Emperor would not be embarrassed by his own lack of skill--enough to do the job? Ascarius tries to protest, but is obviously mute. Never mind, says the centurion. The musician is here, so Ascarius can go earn his fee--or be killed himself. A short while later, the man creeps along towards a curtain, behind which we can hear the Doctor and Vicki laughing as the Doctor attempts (and fails) to play his stolen lyre. Ascarius draws his sword and moves through the curtain....
As I said before the episode began, "And now for something completely different!" Breezy and witty, new story editor Dennis Spooner's script sparkles in a way that Doctor Who hasn't before, quite, with occasional almost Cowardian-like repartee. One of Ronelyn's favorite exchanges is not atypical:
THE DOCTOR (to Ian): Oh? Well, I don't know that I was under any obligation to report my movements to you, Chesterfield.
BARBARA (correcting him): Chesterton.
DOCTOR: Oh, Barbara's calling you.
There are similar delights sprinkled throughout the script, from Barbara and Vicki joking about anachronisms to discussion of the lack of refrigerators in Roman times! Of course, this fun is wrapped around a few serious subject, slavery and assassination, the former endemic to the period (and, with some exceptions, just as fearsome a prospect as Barbara alludes to) and the latter a standard view of Nero's time. (If writers like Suetonius are to be believed!)
As you might expect from the above, this episode was like Spooner's last story, "The Reign of Terror," in that it sparked some historical discussion, especially between myself and Schmallturm. Of course, examining the history too closely is never a good idea. Where, for example, were the slaves and other servants that should be keeping up the villa regardless of whether the master is at home? How much rest could Barbara have been getting if she was doing all that cooking and (presumably) cleaning? (I opined that the villa's owner would come home to find a room entirely filled with dirty dishes.) And, of course, there are the nitpicky things, like Barbara and Ian not mixing their water with wine, etc. etc. I think the best way to look at this story, though, is as taking place in what I called "BBC Costume Drama Rome." The best thing to do is look at it as being informed by history, but walk away from the idea that it would be bound too closely to accuracy in any way. After one does that, it becomes unreservedly delightful and engaging.
This story also continues an aspect of the historicals, going back to "The Aztecs," that the team finds endlessly amusing: once again, upon arriving in a historical period, the TARDIS crew almost immediately steals clothes and belongings. This time, though, they take things to a farther extreme than simply finding clothes to fit in. As I mentioned, they simply move into an empty villa, eating the food, drinking the wine and generally making themselves at home! Ian and Barbara are quite right, I think, to fear the owner's return! Think about how you'd feel if you came home from a trip to find your home invaded by squatters! And, of course, the Doctor continues this kleptomania by absentmindedly stealing the dead Maximus' lyre--he doesn't even realize he is doing it, which is made obvious once he begins speaking to the centurion. (As he took it, Schmallturm quipped, "That's right, loot the body!")
The entire Project team enjoyed this episode thoroughly. In fact, our discussion this week was a bit difficult because we had a hard time finding any real fault with it! The script showcased the four regulars very well; it was nice to see Ian, Barbara and the Doctor relaxing together, obviously enjoying each others' company and completely comfortable with each other. The addition of Vicki gave us another element; as I mentioned in our previous story, she feels much younger and more energetic than Susan. She wants adventure, it's why she agreed to come along, whereas Susan was there as the Doctor's granddaughter. There's a vividness about her, an excitement at being there that transfers very well to the audience, and must have resonated very well with young viewers at the time. The guest cast, for what they have been given (this is definitely the core cast's script), do quite well also. Sevcheria and Didimus manage to be quite well-drawn in their small screen time, appearing as rogue and rogue-in-training ("We'll make a slaver of you yet!"). The miming of Ascarius, the closest this episode comes to pathos as he tries desperately to make himself understood by the centurion, is an effective bit that conveys a lot with a little. Even the somewhat dull centurion comes off well, as he introduces the idea of Nero not liking rivals in skill one bit. (Although Schmallturm was amused by the thenturion'th apparent thpeech impediment--shades of "Life of Brian," according to Schmallturm!) The costumes and sets were, as I mentioned "BBC Costume Drama Rome," which means quite good within a limited budget.
All in all, a lot to like and almost nothing to dislike. If the following weeks continue this trend (and, as with the last story, it's been a very long time since I've seen it, so my memory isn't as sharp as it could be), I'd say we're looking at a very fun Doctor Who Historical indeed! Can't wait until next week, but until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
---
Ketina here,
So, I have to say that the start of the episode confused me. The TARDIS falls down the hill with the crew being thrown around inside. Then a shot of the TARDIS sideways on the ground, covered in weeds, looking much the worse for wear. And then Ian, laying down in strange clothes, just waking up, leans over to eat some grapes. Suddenly we're in Roman times! Is the TARDIS okay? Is it broken? Can they fix it? I'm completely distracted for the first 5 minutes of the episode wondering all this, until the Doctor finally discusses it in a completely blasé manner. I suspect, however, that I was the only one of our group annoyed by this late explanation.
Another scene that bugged me was when the group finished eating dinner, as they squatted in their palatial estate. The Doctor asks Barbara what they just ate, and she describes this outrageous meal. Perhaps she was joking, but in either case cooking a dinner like that in ancient Rome would be lots of work. Yet everyone is raving as to how this trip is so relaxing? Would Barbara really think that making bread from the wheat she'd have to pick herself be relaxing? The Historian says to "just walk away" from the inaccuracies to any level of realism, but these sorts of things just bug me. But then again, I wonder where the toilets are on the TARDIS. :)
Story wise, however, this one so far is lots of fun. The Doctor is a lying old coot, and the Mr. sword swinging hero Doctor from last week seems to be once again replaced by the absent minded mischief making schemer. I guess a month lounging on the Mediterranean made him a little soft? We'll see if a long walk to Rome fixes that.
This week -
Screams: 1
Squees: 1 (we got an actual honest to god "squee" from Vicki, when the Doctor told her she could go with him to Rome.)
See you next week,
-Ketina
NEXT WEEK: "ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME"
Episode summary: First aired 16 January 1965. The TARDIS lands, perched precariously on the edge of a cliff...and falls! Ian awakens, dressed in period clothing, in a Roman villa--and grabs a bunch of grapes. Far from just recovering from the crash, it transpires that a few weeks have passed. The TARDIS crew, finding the nearby villa empty, have decided to take the time for a short holiday. The Doctor, watering plants nearby, accuses Ian of not simply resting, but slipping into becoming "bone idle!" Ian asks if Barbara and Vicki have gone to the nearby village. The Doctor, after musing a bit on Roman plumbing, answers that they have. Indeed, the two are making their way down the road towards the village, intending to spend some time and money at its market. Vicki tries to hurry Barbara along; she is frustrated with the older people's relaxation. They'd promised her adventure! Barbara tells Vicki not to worry, rather than having to look for it, adventure normally finds them. And, indeed, a ragged looking man waits in the bushes, sharpening his sword, but he lets Barbara and Vicki pass unmolested. They are obviously not his intended quarry...At the village market, two unsavory characters survey the crowd. They are slave traders called Didius and Sevcheria, recently come from Gaul with a rather pathetic lot of slaves. They are scouting the market, looking for people who will not be missed. This is their last chance before Rome, as this village is too small for anyone to complain. They quickly spot Barbara and Vicki, who have arrived and stopped to notice an old man with long, white hair, enthralling the crowd by playing a lyre. The two women move on to a clothing stall, where Barbara reminds Vicki to watch out for anachronisms--they are not from "London," but "Londinium." As they move away, the slavers approach the stall and use coins to buy information from the stallkeeper. For a steady stream of coins, she tells them all she knows: The women and their two male friends appeared at the villa, apparently friends of its owner who are looking after it while he is away on campaign. They have come to the market to sell produce from the villa garden for prices that are far too low; it is obvious that the visitors have no idea of what they're doing. It is her last piece of information that excites Sevcheria; the stallkeeper overheard Barbara's comment about being from Londinium. Britons! The two slave traders make plans to acquire these four strangers. Meanwhile, the lyre player has finished his concert to appreciative applause. He acknowledges this, and leaves the market, travelling up the road Barbara and Vicki had taken. It is he that the skulking man has been waiting for, and the old lyre player is ambushed and killed. The man drags his body into the bushes. Later, back at the villa, the TARDIS crew relax after a large meal. Ian and Barbara ask the Doctor if they shouldn't go check to make sure the TARDIS is all right, but he testily dismisses them. It is fine, he assures them, and it matters not whether it is right side up or not; it can take off from any position. He tells them they can check on it if they want to while he is gone. Gone? Why yes, the Doctor plans to go to Rome for a few days, surely he'd told them. Vicki, bored of villa life, asks to go along and is delighted when the Doctor agrees. But he angrily refuses the other two's request to come along, realising (rightly) that they want to come to keep an eye on him. If they want to go to Rome, they can go themselves! He and Vicki begin packing provisions. After they leave, Ian and Barbara relax. The two decide that if the owner of the villa returns before the Doctor and Vicki, they will go to the TARDIS to wait. Barbara uses a comb to rearrange Ian's hair in more of a Roman fashion and he, liking what he sees, takes some time to ham out lines from Julius Ceasar. In the slavers' camp, Didius again bemoans the sorry lot they've brought from Gaul. Sevcheria, while making plans to break camp that night, reminds Didius that they must go to the villa for their prizes. The two strap on their swords and exit. Back at the villa, Barbara and Ian have been drinking perhaps a bit too much wine. The two are surprised by Didius and Sevcheria, who are visibly disappointed to find only two of the expected four at home. Ian tries to make excuses, believing one of the slavers to be the villa's owner, but the slavers quickly overpower our friends. On the road to Rome, meanwhile, the Doctor and Vicki have come upon a statue. As the Doctor stops to look at it (to Vicki's consternation), he notices something in the bushes--the body of a man! The dead man is the lyre player, still clutching his instrument, which the Doctor takes absentmindedly. Vicki recognizes the dead man from the marketplace, but the Doctor advises her that getting involved in what was obviously an assassination would not be a good idea. But, turning, they discover a centurion beating the bushes with his sword, obviously looking for someone. Seeing the Doctor--an old man with flowing white hair, currently carrying a lute, the centurion answers the Doctor's question by "recognizing" him as the great musician Maximus Pettulian, who had been journeying to Rome to meet with the Emperor Nero, a musician himself. He had been expected earlier, so Nero, concerned for his safety, has sent out an escort. The Doctor, excited at the idea of an inside look at Nero's court, decides to play along, although Vicki is unsure that this is a good idea. The Doctor introduces her to the centurion as the girl who "watches the lyres," a knowing look acknowledging the pun to her. In the centurion's company, they again set off for the camp at Assyrium. Later, Didius and Sevcheria run into a man looking to buy some slaves and begin driving a hard bargain with him. The man asks about the British woman, but is told he must go to Rome to bid at auction if he wants her. The man, still needing three "replacements," continues to dicker with the traders. Outside, Ian and Barbara are chained to a wagon wheel. Barbara is despairing; as a history teacher, she is well aware how the Romans treated their slaves, as well as how few were able to escape bondage. Ian, however, refuses to give up hope, even as Barbara adds that time is against them. Even if they could escape, how long could the Doctor and Vicki wait for them? Didius, Sevcheria and the buyer approach, having struck a deal, to examine the merchandise. The buyer picks two Gaulish men...and Ian. As he is being unchained from the wheel, Ian tells Barbara he will find her in Rome. But his new owner tells him with some relish that he will be going nowhere near Rome! At Assyrium, the centurion paces up and down angrily. The ragged looking man who killed the real Maximus Pettulian appears and the centurion grabs him, calling him by name as Ascarius. He demands to know why, when he went to look for the musician's body, why he found a live man instead? Wasn't the assassin's pay from Nero--to get rid of a better musician so the Emperor would not be embarrassed by his own lack of skill--enough to do the job? Ascarius tries to protest, but is obviously mute. Never mind, says the centurion. The musician is here, so Ascarius can go earn his fee--or be killed himself. A short while later, the man creeps along towards a curtain, behind which we can hear the Doctor and Vicki laughing as the Doctor attempts (and fails) to play his stolen lyre. Ascarius draws his sword and moves through the curtain....
As I said before the episode began, "And now for something completely different!" Breezy and witty, new story editor Dennis Spooner's script sparkles in a way that Doctor Who hasn't before, quite, with occasional almost Cowardian-like repartee. One of Ronelyn's favorite exchanges is not atypical:
THE DOCTOR (to Ian): Oh? Well, I don't know that I was under any obligation to report my movements to you, Chesterfield.
BARBARA (correcting him): Chesterton.
DOCTOR: Oh, Barbara's calling you.
There are similar delights sprinkled throughout the script, from Barbara and Vicki joking about anachronisms to discussion of the lack of refrigerators in Roman times! Of course, this fun is wrapped around a few serious subject, slavery and assassination, the former endemic to the period (and, with some exceptions, just as fearsome a prospect as Barbara alludes to) and the latter a standard view of Nero's time. (If writers like Suetonius are to be believed!)
As you might expect from the above, this episode was like Spooner's last story, "The Reign of Terror," in that it sparked some historical discussion, especially between myself and Schmallturm. Of course, examining the history too closely is never a good idea. Where, for example, were the slaves and other servants that should be keeping up the villa regardless of whether the master is at home? How much rest could Barbara have been getting if she was doing all that cooking and (presumably) cleaning? (I opined that the villa's owner would come home to find a room entirely filled with dirty dishes.) And, of course, there are the nitpicky things, like Barbara and Ian not mixing their water with wine, etc. etc. I think the best way to look at this story, though, is as taking place in what I called "BBC Costume Drama Rome." The best thing to do is look at it as being informed by history, but walk away from the idea that it would be bound too closely to accuracy in any way. After one does that, it becomes unreservedly delightful and engaging.
This story also continues an aspect of the historicals, going back to "The Aztecs," that the team finds endlessly amusing: once again, upon arriving in a historical period, the TARDIS crew almost immediately steals clothes and belongings. This time, though, they take things to a farther extreme than simply finding clothes to fit in. As I mentioned, they simply move into an empty villa, eating the food, drinking the wine and generally making themselves at home! Ian and Barbara are quite right, I think, to fear the owner's return! Think about how you'd feel if you came home from a trip to find your home invaded by squatters! And, of course, the Doctor continues this kleptomania by absentmindedly stealing the dead Maximus' lyre--he doesn't even realize he is doing it, which is made obvious once he begins speaking to the centurion. (As he took it, Schmallturm quipped, "That's right, loot the body!")
The entire Project team enjoyed this episode thoroughly. In fact, our discussion this week was a bit difficult because we had a hard time finding any real fault with it! The script showcased the four regulars very well; it was nice to see Ian, Barbara and the Doctor relaxing together, obviously enjoying each others' company and completely comfortable with each other. The addition of Vicki gave us another element; as I mentioned in our previous story, she feels much younger and more energetic than Susan. She wants adventure, it's why she agreed to come along, whereas Susan was there as the Doctor's granddaughter. There's a vividness about her, an excitement at being there that transfers very well to the audience, and must have resonated very well with young viewers at the time. The guest cast, for what they have been given (this is definitely the core cast's script), do quite well also. Sevcheria and Didimus manage to be quite well-drawn in their small screen time, appearing as rogue and rogue-in-training ("We'll make a slaver of you yet!"). The miming of Ascarius, the closest this episode comes to pathos as he tries desperately to make himself understood by the centurion, is an effective bit that conveys a lot with a little. Even the somewhat dull centurion comes off well, as he introduces the idea of Nero not liking rivals in skill one bit. (Although Schmallturm was amused by the thenturion'th apparent thpeech impediment--shades of "Life of Brian," according to Schmallturm!) The costumes and sets were, as I mentioned "BBC Costume Drama Rome," which means quite good within a limited budget.
All in all, a lot to like and almost nothing to dislike. If the following weeks continue this trend (and, as with the last story, it's been a very long time since I've seen it, so my memory isn't as sharp as it could be), I'd say we're looking at a very fun Doctor Who Historical indeed! Can't wait until next week, but until then, I remain
THE HISTORIAN
---
Ketina here,
So, I have to say that the start of the episode confused me. The TARDIS falls down the hill with the crew being thrown around inside. Then a shot of the TARDIS sideways on the ground, covered in weeds, looking much the worse for wear. And then Ian, laying down in strange clothes, just waking up, leans over to eat some grapes. Suddenly we're in Roman times! Is the TARDIS okay? Is it broken? Can they fix it? I'm completely distracted for the first 5 minutes of the episode wondering all this, until the Doctor finally discusses it in a completely blasé manner. I suspect, however, that I was the only one of our group annoyed by this late explanation.
Another scene that bugged me was when the group finished eating dinner, as they squatted in their palatial estate. The Doctor asks Barbara what they just ate, and she describes this outrageous meal. Perhaps she was joking, but in either case cooking a dinner like that in ancient Rome would be lots of work. Yet everyone is raving as to how this trip is so relaxing? Would Barbara really think that making bread from the wheat she'd have to pick herself be relaxing? The Historian says to "just walk away" from the inaccuracies to any level of realism, but these sorts of things just bug me. But then again, I wonder where the toilets are on the TARDIS. :)
Story wise, however, this one so far is lots of fun. The Doctor is a lying old coot, and the Mr. sword swinging hero Doctor from last week seems to be once again replaced by the absent minded mischief making schemer. I guess a month lounging on the Mediterranean made him a little soft? We'll see if a long walk to Rome fixes that.
This week -
Screams: 1
Squees: 1 (we got an actual honest to god "squee" from Vicki, when the Doctor told her she could go with him to Rome.)
See you next week,
-Ketina
NEXT WEEK: "ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
