A Journey Of A Thousand Eons...: 33. Hidden Danger (The Sensorites, Episode Three)

Alright, here’s what we got....The Doctor is not so keen on Susan going alone, and uses his postulation that the Sensorites would be blind in the dark (for reasons that I don’t think are entirely scientifically accurate) to both get her back and show that they are not hostile.  After some negotiations, The Doctor, Ian, Susan, John and Amy Schu--I mean Carol are brought to the Sense Sphere for a conference with the First Elder, An attempted assassination of the crew is foiled by The Second Elder before any suspense is generated, and we learn the backstory of our aliens dujour.  It seems that the previous human expedition had an accident as they left the planet, causing the spaceship to explode.  Ever since, Sensorites have been dying except for the Elder Caste from some sort of disease and they’re desperate for a cure.  The Doctor offers to find a cure in exchange for the lock of the Tardis and The First Elder accepts...just before Ian falls prey to that very same illness.

Remember when I mentioned how I suspected Carol Ann Ford was expressing displeasure with her role as whiner-and-cryer, leading to her being proclaimed psychic in this serial?  We see more of that effort to give her more dimension in her interactions with The Doctor, asserting that she is an adult capable of making her own decisions and not needing to be saved.  I could say that this is Newman planting the seeds for Ford’s departure next season, but I don’t think the production was thinking that far ahead.  Still, it’s nice to see Susan actually doing something as opposed to crying for her grandfather.  It’s also nice that Hartnell manages to work some of the intensity from the earlier serials into this softer version of him he’s been doing here in his protectiveness of Susan and his outrage at the Sensorites’ initial actions.

I still really like how Newman is approaching the Sensorites not being ‘eeeeeeevil’....except when we meet the one who is.  The one actor who portrays the City Administrator, who plots the assassination of our crew--even to the point of debating where to place the shots of the disintegrator with his lackey--made my eyes roll.  After two episodes hinting at this being a story without a real villain, we get this goof.   There’s also the introduction of a caste system that is obviously a part of the whole reason for this story once you realize the arc of the disease plot, yet is kind of waved away in two lines of dialogue.  These aspects don’t break the serial for me (so far), but they certain do draw attention away from the positive elements of this story.

I am worried we’re getting the same sort of ‘narrative drift’ I detected in ‘The Daleks'--I can easily see the bulk of this and the last episode being condensed into a single half-hour--and the actors playing the spaceship crew are still not doing themselves any favors (they have a scene all to themselves this episode and it’s death, and it’s encouraging that John and Carol seem to be written out once everyone arrives to Sense Sphere), but I am trying to keep my mind open as this serial unfolds.  Russell T. Davies must have seen something in this serial to inspire him to create what amounts to a key element in his run; I am hoping that is revealed before everything shakes out.  There is charm here, but fans do not live on charm alone.

A Journey Of A Thousand Eons...: 32. The Unwilling Warriors (The Sensorites, Episode Two)

This serial is six parts....and like the other serial that we’ve seen that’s more than four parts, there’s a stop-and-start feel to this one so far.  The bulk of this episode is literally people opening and closing doors and being spooked by the creatures on the other side and vice versa.

And it’s that vice versa aspect that makes this half hour mildly interesting.  Writer Peter Newman and Director Mervyn Pinfield make it very clear that the Sensorites are pretty freaked out by humanity...which makes their boasting and ultimatums feel like something other than ‘we’re Eeeeeeevil, Ertsmans!  Fear us!’  It makes these proclamations nervous and anxious, like they’re not even sure if they believe their boasts.  And the fact that their idea of a solution to the problem posed by their holding the spaceship hostage is not to destroy everything but set up a home on the Sense Sphere for them and take care of them makes those boasts seem even more hollow.

Now that we see them for a length of time, the Sensorites are better than the Voord but a little lacking when put up against the Daleks.  Sure, the onsies with the circular booties that look somewhat-but-not-quite like a psuedopod are...odd, and the stethoscope they seem to use to communicate with others (the item that inspired the Ood holding their communication device--and later, their brains--in their hand connected to an umbilical cord) is strange.  It does seem that the design was inspired by the classic ‘Grey Alien’ conception with their elongated heads and all-black eyes...but they’ve also got these weird ruffs of hair that obscures their jaws which gives the Sensorite a distinctive look.

Surprisingly--maybe because, I speculate, that Carol Ann Ford is beginning to sour on being the designated whiner of the crew--Susan takes center stage.  She figures out how to hold off the Sensorites because...she turns out to be psychic.  This creates a relationship between the two aliens and Susan, which prompts them to try and communicate with the crew.  This leads to Susan agreeing to go to the Sense Sphere, and she warns them not to follow.  These actions really makes her stand out for a change.

We also learn more about why the Sensorites are a bit suspicious of humans.  It turns out that the Sense Sphere is rich in Molybdenum,  which our friend John got so excited at finding out that the aliens zapped them to keep them from telling Earth....and the Sensorites also alude to a previous Earth expedition that triggered a disease that’s killing the whole race.  So one of the nicer things about Newman’s script continues, in that our aliens aren’t cardboard conquerors but intelligent people who might actually have some good reasons not to trust us.

(Oh, and nowhere are there ‘Unwilling Warriors’...unless the episode title refers to the Sensorites themselves or the controlled humans--who, given they’re controlled to sleep, aren’t much in the way of warriors...)

Once again, I can see how this half hour could’ve been condensed and rejiggered so that the serial could’ve been four episodes.  I like where Newman is going with his story.  I just wish it wasn’t so...leisurely.

A Journey Of A Thousand Eons...: 31. Strangers In Space (The Sensorites, Episode One)

So we’re back in space--literally, as the crew ends up in a spaceship.  The two crew members appear dead (and one of them is played by Ilona Rodgers, who looks discomfortingly like Amy Schumer!), but are only in a suspended state.  Maitland (Lorne Cossette), who seems to be in charge, explains that they are trapped in this space sector by the Sensorites, denizens of the Sense Sphere*.  If they try to leave the sector, they are mentally and aurally assaulted--but they’re not harmed; in fact, the aliens provide them with food and supplies!  There’s also the matter of John (Stephen Dartnell), who somehow was affected by the Sensorites and has been locked away in a section of the ship--a section Barbara and Susan just happened to wander off in....

This is our first Mystery Ship episode, a kind of episode that shows up with some regularity, particularly during Tom Baker’s tenure (Hell, about half of his first season revolved around a Mystery Ship!).  It’s concerned primarily with the Doctor and his companions wandering around an abandoned or near-abandoned spaceship (or high-tech mining machine, or ocean liner, or zepplin....any sufficiently large traveling device will do) wondering what is going on until the monster of the serial pops up for the last shot.  Now, there’s a little more here in this particular half-hour, as our crew actually has people to talk to about the situation, but the framework is there.  It may not be exactly exciting, but it’s there.

The acting...well, the guest cast isn’t very good and that inhibits the episode.  I have the sneaky suspicion that Cossette in particular is ‘adjusting’ his acting to the kid’s show he’s on, which annoyed me something fierce.  There is a very interesting interaction where Barbara manages to calm down and communicate with John which makes me even more convinced that she’s the most interesting of the original companions...something I did not expect from this watch.  Susan doesn’t do her crying jags too much, and there’s some nice moments between Ian and the Doctor that continue to redefine that relationship--one where the Doctor proclaims he’s not interested in getting involved, becomes indignant at Ian’s reaction then proceeds to get involved is actually glorious.

Writer Peter Newman does set up the hook for this story fairly effectively, The reason I suspect I’m not as enthusiastic about this one as I feel I should be is partially because of the acting and partially because the Mystery Ship framework gets tweaked and improved upon throughout the years, and I’ve seen the later examples first (wait until we get to ‘The Ark In Space,’ my friends).  I also admit that when we get the final shot reveal it’s....a tiny bit underwhelming.  Still, as first episodes of a serial go, this is  pretty decent.  I don’t have the overwhelming enthusiasm to continue that I had with ‘The Aztecs,’ but I’m still intrigued.

*--they’re cousin to the Ood, as Russell T. Davies mentioned during the introduction of those guys, ‘The Impossible Planet’ to justify their similarity to our alien dujour...and then never mentioned again.

Meanwhile, Over At Dread Media....#677

This week, Des sits down for his regular visit with longtime friend of the show Greg Lamberson to talk about this year’s Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival.  Greg discusses the changes to the Festival in this Year of The Pandemic and some of the great films that will be shown!  You can learn more about the Festival here.

The trailers for some of the features being presented are below, as are a special advertisement from a special doctor and music from the Ventures and Buffalo Summer!

Listen to Dread Media #677 here

A Journey Of A Thousand Eons...: 30. The Day of Darkness (The Aztecs, Episode Four)

John Lucarotti wraps everything up neatly here: Ian finds the passageway back to the tomb where the Tardis is, but is framed for attempted murder by Ixta and Tlotoxl, the Doctor carves out a pulley to open the entrance of said tomb, Cameca helps Ian and Susan escape, allowing everyone to leave as the eclipse happens, and Tloxotl....Tloxotl wins.

That’s something you don’t see in a lot of in later Who--the crew leaving a situation with their tails between their legs.  But as the Doctor points out, and Lucarotti makes the central theme of the story, history cannot be changed.  Sure, that rule goes out the window in later seasons, but right now (remember, half of the show’s original remit was to teach kids about history) it’s a good lesson.  And I like how the Doctor doesn’t rub Barbara’s nose in it, just acknowledges what she learned, points out the positive aspects of their experience and gets ready to move on.

In truth, Hartnell is really impressive here.  There are some moments where his facial expressions speak volumes.  There’s one moment when Cameca realizes there will be no wedding, and Hartnell’s face falters, his eyes briefly staring into space with what I can only interpret as regret, and it’s powerful. 

Oh, and Ian kicks all the ass, knocking out the guard holding him hostage when he hesitates to take Cameca’s bribe (quipping that someone had to speed up his decision) and then gets into a final battle with Ixta where he throws that Dude-Bro Asshole off a pyramid!  Even though Barbara is the spine of this serial, Ian owns this final half hour.

After the scattershot ‘Keys of Marinus,’ which admittedly was thrown together at the last minute according to what I’ve read, ‘The Aztecs’ was a joy.  It conveyed historical information well, it was character driven, it had surprising moments of humor in among the drama, and it didn’t have that stuttery start-and-stop momentum of the previous serials.  It really shows what the series can do with a pure historical, a style of the series that practically disappears after the Troughton era (save for the Davison serial ‘Black Orchid’ during the 80‘s) and one I really hope we can see again.  This may be my favorite serial in this rewatch so far!

If only they hadn't put those actors in brown face....

A Journey Of A Thousand Eons...: 29. The Bride of Sacrifice (The Aztecs, Episode Three)

Oh, Susan, you almost had me back on board with you.

You see, Barbara continues to punk Tlotoxl, finding a way to get out of his traps using her wits....of course, she also out-and-out tells the priest of sacrifice she’s not divine, so she’s not batting .100.  Tired of getting his butt kicked, Tlotoxl manipulates it so that the Perfect Victim (Andre Boulay) tells Autloc he wants Susan for her bride.  Susan refuses, and is sentenced to be punished before said victim gets sacrificed during the coming eclipse.  And in response, Susan...hugs a pillar and literally cries for her grandfather.

sigh

Granted, Grandfather is doing okay--he’s discovered a secret entrance into the tomb, makes cocoa and finds himself engaged to Cameca.  However, when he sends Ian to find a way to the Tardis, Ixta--who proves to be more of a Dude-Bro than out-and-out evil--seals that entrance, allowing for the tunnel to start flooding.

Again, the thing that I marvel at is how John Lucarotti finds ways to make the action of his story motivated by character and logic.  And while some of the dialogue is a bit questionable from a modern standpoint, the argument between Ian and Barbara that I consider the centerpiece is amazing.  Ian argues that it’s not Autloc’s belief system that’s the norm but Tlotoxl’s, no matter how abhorrent we find it from the perspective of 1964, and we have to recognize that.  Sadly, he throws the word ‘evil’ and ‘horrid’ and similar prejoratives around when making that argument, which is discomforting.  I like the fact that Ixta, while still wishing Ian ill, is cool with Ian now that he’s proven he can beat him (Like I said, very Dude Bro).  I also enjoyed how Ixta points out it was Ian who advised he use subterfuge and guile in beating his enemies when Ian gets indignant about being tricked. 

This serial has been very much Barbara’s from the start, and Jacqueline Hill has been more than up to the task.  In this half-hour, we see Barbara realizing the others might be right but refusing to stray from the path she set herself upon to fix the Aztecs.  We see her, as an intellectual, using her intelligence to get out of the situations Tlotoxl throws her way....but arrogant in her belief that she can impose her morality on these people.  Hell, her arrogance leads to her telling Tlotoxl the truth and mocking him in her efforts to save Susan from having her tongue and ears pierced with thorns.  Even though her friends are telling her not to, she bulls her way through making things ‘right’ with a culture she thinks she understands, but maybe doesn’t.  Hill is amazing throughout all she goes through, and having her in the story’s center allows us to have little cool character moments on the side....

You know, like the Doctor’s engagement.  This remains by far my favorite bit of the serial.  I love how Hartnell is a little alarmed at this development....but he certainly doesn’t run away from the prospect.  He actually seems pretty cool with hanging out with Cameca, planning a garden and other things with her.

John Lucarotti knew how to structure a good, entertaining serial.  I cannot wait to see how this all shakes out in the next episode.

A Journey Of A Thousand Eons...: 28. The Warriors of Death (The Aztecs, Episode Two)

After ‘The Keys of Marinus,’ with its episodic and sketchy nature, this serial is proving to be a breath of fresh air...even with the regrettable fact that this is a story being told by British people in brown face.

After receiving a bit of a tongue lashing from the Doctor (a tongue lashing he immediately regrets) that reinforces the ‘you can’t change time’ rule, Barbara dodges the suspicions of Tlotoxtl.  And Tlotoxl isn’t letting up; even as he is shut down in his interrogation, he manipulates things so that Ian has to fight Ixta, a fight that he tells Ixta is to the death even though Barbara forbids it.  Since Ixta is the son of the architect who designed the temple where the Tardis is kept, he is able to cut a deal with the Doctor so he can get an unfair edge against Ian.  And when Ixta does try to kill Ian, Tlotoxl doesn’t stop him--and challenges Barbara to save her servant.

The thing that makes this episode work is how so much of it is character motivated.  I am particularly pleased with how Lucarotti has managed to make the softer version of the Doctor work with the more unpredictable, selfish character we met in the first three serials.  While he is motivated to give Ixta the natural poison that will sap Ian’s strength purely for mercenary reasons,  we also see how delighted he is to discover the solution to the problem.  And while he tears into Barbara at the top of the show--and with cause, given that she will reveal information about the Aztec’s future to Autloc to push her own agenda--he immediately shows regret, making it seem that respect he has gained for her is still in place.  Ian uses fighting methods, like a knowledge of pressure points and judo, to fight Ixta.  And Susan, in her one scene, gets to be a willful teenager when confronted with the possibility of arranged marriage instead of crying and wailing.  In truth, the only character who seems to act kinda one dimensional is Tlotoxl; he just comes off as a scheming bad guy with nothing but malice in his heart.

Of course, for me, the highlight in this half hour is the Doctor’s continued flirtation with Cameca.  I know I am very down of the NuWho emphasis on romance, especially during the Russell T. Davies era...but this charms me.  Partially it’s because we don’t know the Doctor is a space alien yet (which opens up an icky can of worms), partially it’s because Cameca is an older woman who seems age appropriate for Hartnell, and partially it’s because the two of them are so great together that I see a new side of this version of the Doctor I never thought I’d see...and that I really, really like.  There’s also the recurring motif of bystanders staring at the two of them, only to be driven away by Hartnell’s withering glare....comedy. Gold.

This is shaping up to be a great serial which does what the show set out to do.  I am enjoying my time with it.