The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: The Brink Of Disaster - Five Hundred Eyes
Doctor Who - The Brink Of Disaster (15/02/04)
That was a very confusing episode and I'm not altogether certain it made a great deal of sense, but it has been an interesting exploration of the main characters. Ian seemed to be in some kind of daze, probably brought about by the 'mild sleeping drug' the Doctor gave him. Turns out he was trying to stop the Doctor going near the console because he thought the Doctor would be electrocuted. The Doctor threatened to throw both Ian and Barbara off the ship, then it turned out the ship would be destroyed in five minutes, then they worked out that it was all down to the Fast Return Switch getting stuck and everything that's happened was the TARDIS trying to warn them that it was hurtling back through time. Or something.
Anyway, Ian forgave the Doctor for being a twat, but Barbara was less forgiving. Nevertheless, this led to a sweet little scene at the end where the Doctor apologised and everyone seemed to sort out their differences. Regardless of whether the episode made sense or not, it was still very good and nice to see the main cast acting their socks off in a script that was entirely about them. They've now arrived high up in some mountains and Susan has found a massive footprint outside the ship. So maybe next week we'll have Alien Space Giants, or even Yeti!
Doctor Who - The Roof Of The World (22/02/04)
What an absolutely stunning episode! The TARDIS has landed in the Himalayas and developed a fault which means that it can't travel and there's no heating so the travellers risk freezing to death as night falls. Luckily, they encounter Marco Polo (!) who is travelling with his caravan to Shang-Tu. With him is the 16 year old daughter of a Samarkandi Government Official - Ping Cho - who is off to marry an influential old man at Kublai Khan's court, and a Mongol warrior travelling as an emissary to the Khan. This guy, Tegana, is clearly up to no good, purchasing poison to use on all but one of Polo's water gourds as he sets off to cross the Gobi Desert. Polo himself is a bit devious. Having helped the travellers and given them shelter, collected the TARDIS and taken it and the Doctor's group to Lop where they can fix it, he's turned around and said he's taking possession of the ship to give to the Khan as a gift in the hope that a 'flying caravan' will be enough to get the Khan to allow Polo to return to Venice. Such a craft will make the Khan the most powerful man in the world! Tegana doesn't seem keen, and the Doctor has descended into a laughing fit at Polo's suggestion that they can return with him to Venice where the Doctor can build himself another TARDIS.
It's all very intriguing and the sets and costumes are absolutely stunning! After the grimness of the Caveman story and the alien city and jungle of the Dalek story, this is utterly lush! After two weeks inside the spaceship we've seen snowy mountains and gorgeous, oriental buildings with even a narrated map journey between the two. Fantastic stuff!
Doctor Who - The Singing Sands (29/02/04)
An intriguing and considered episode this week. Travelling across the Gobi Desert, Susan and Ping Cho see Tegana wandering off in the night while everyone sleeps, so they follow him. Then a sandstorm hits and they're trapped, but found by Tegana. Returning to camp, where Ian, Barbara and Marco are concerned for the three's safety, Tegana claims he was just taking a night stroll, but Susan thinks he's lying. Next, Tegana cuts open all but one of the water gourds. Finding them, Marco and Ian discuss what to do - turn back and risk ambush from the bandits they believe are responsible or travel North for five days to an oasis, rationing the water. They choose the latter but still aren't there on the fifth day when the Doctor collapses from dehydration. Marco agrees to let the Doctor and Susan rest in the comfort of their TARDIS while Tegana heads off alone on his horse to get water, but it seems he has no intention of returning!
I don't understand why he didn't just poison the gourds as he'd planned rather than sabotage them. He's meant to be an emissary sent to barter peace between Kublai Khan and Tegana's leader (an enemy Warlord), but he clearly has other plans. I guess it must be a new plan devised by him and whoever he met out in the desert. Also, the Doctor was almost entirely absent this week, only turning up in the last five minutes to pass out. Apparently he was in a huff over Marco confiscating his ship. This is very good, but already feels to have been going on for more than two weeks. Must be because they've done as much travelling in two episodes as time has actually passed! Really interesting!
Doctor Who - Five Hundred Eyes (07/03/04)
A bit more happened this week; whilst last week was creepy and atmospheric, this week was more action-based. The caravan was saved when condensation collected in the interior of the TARDIS overnight so the Doctor and Susan sponged it up and collected it in a jug. They met Tegana at the oasis and he bluffed his way out saying Bandits had stayed there till morning, but Barbara is suspicious of him as it was cold the previous night and there has been no fire (which begs the question how did Tegana keep warm?). They travelled on to a way station at Tung-Huang where Ping Cho told a story about stoner-killers, the Hashashins, and Barbara learnt of an interesting local cave of Five Hundred Eyes - where the images of 250 'evil men' have been painted onto the walls. Then she clocked Tegana sneaking out into the city and snook after him. Turns out he's only gone and met his War Lord at that very cave, behind the walls in a hidden chamber! They want to nick the TARDIS and make their own leader, Noghai (Kublai Khan's enemy), the most powerful in the world. However, they noticed Barbara searching for Tegana in the caves and caught her (but not before she dropped a handkerchief).
Finding Barbara gone, Ian, Marco and a returned Tegana went off to search for her, whilst the Doctor (having made a duplicate key) tried to get into the TARDIS. He was interrupted by Susan and Ping Cho who thought that Barbara may have gone to have a look at the cave; they got directions from the way station landlord and went off to look, discovering the hanky. But the landlord has informed Tegana and he's not happy!
Really enjoyable. Entertaining, informative, nice jeopardy and neat plotting. Ping Cho's story was a nice diversion and it's all progressing rather pleasantly. And it still looks absolutely gorgeous!
That was a very confusing episode and I'm not altogether certain it made a great deal of sense, but it has been an interesting exploration of the main characters. Ian seemed to be in some kind of daze, probably brought about by the 'mild sleeping drug' the Doctor gave him. Turns out he was trying to stop the Doctor going near the console because he thought the Doctor would be electrocuted. The Doctor threatened to throw both Ian and Barbara off the ship, then it turned out the ship would be destroyed in five minutes, then they worked out that it was all down to the Fast Return Switch getting stuck and everything that's happened was the TARDIS trying to warn them that it was hurtling back through time. Or something.
Anyway, Ian forgave the Doctor for being a twat, but Barbara was less forgiving. Nevertheless, this led to a sweet little scene at the end where the Doctor apologised and everyone seemed to sort out their differences. Regardless of whether the episode made sense or not, it was still very good and nice to see the main cast acting their socks off in a script that was entirely about them. They've now arrived high up in some mountains and Susan has found a massive footprint outside the ship. So maybe next week we'll have Alien Space Giants, or even Yeti!
Doctor Who - The Roof Of The World (22/02/04)
What an absolutely stunning episode! The TARDIS has landed in the Himalayas and developed a fault which means that it can't travel and there's no heating so the travellers risk freezing to death as night falls. Luckily, they encounter Marco Polo (!) who is travelling with his caravan to Shang-Tu. With him is the 16 year old daughter of a Samarkandi Government Official - Ping Cho - who is off to marry an influential old man at Kublai Khan's court, and a Mongol warrior travelling as an emissary to the Khan. This guy, Tegana, is clearly up to no good, purchasing poison to use on all but one of Polo's water gourds as he sets off to cross the Gobi Desert. Polo himself is a bit devious. Having helped the travellers and given them shelter, collected the TARDIS and taken it and the Doctor's group to Lop where they can fix it, he's turned around and said he's taking possession of the ship to give to the Khan as a gift in the hope that a 'flying caravan' will be enough to get the Khan to allow Polo to return to Venice. Such a craft will make the Khan the most powerful man in the world! Tegana doesn't seem keen, and the Doctor has descended into a laughing fit at Polo's suggestion that they can return with him to Venice where the Doctor can build himself another TARDIS.
It's all very intriguing and the sets and costumes are absolutely stunning! After the grimness of the Caveman story and the alien city and jungle of the Dalek story, this is utterly lush! After two weeks inside the spaceship we've seen snowy mountains and gorgeous, oriental buildings with even a narrated map journey between the two. Fantastic stuff!
Doctor Who - The Singing Sands (29/02/04)
An intriguing and considered episode this week. Travelling across the Gobi Desert, Susan and Ping Cho see Tegana wandering off in the night while everyone sleeps, so they follow him. Then a sandstorm hits and they're trapped, but found by Tegana. Returning to camp, where Ian, Barbara and Marco are concerned for the three's safety, Tegana claims he was just taking a night stroll, but Susan thinks he's lying. Next, Tegana cuts open all but one of the water gourds. Finding them, Marco and Ian discuss what to do - turn back and risk ambush from the bandits they believe are responsible or travel North for five days to an oasis, rationing the water. They choose the latter but still aren't there on the fifth day when the Doctor collapses from dehydration. Marco agrees to let the Doctor and Susan rest in the comfort of their TARDIS while Tegana heads off alone on his horse to get water, but it seems he has no intention of returning!
I don't understand why he didn't just poison the gourds as he'd planned rather than sabotage them. He's meant to be an emissary sent to barter peace between Kublai Khan and Tegana's leader (an enemy Warlord), but he clearly has other plans. I guess it must be a new plan devised by him and whoever he met out in the desert. Also, the Doctor was almost entirely absent this week, only turning up in the last five minutes to pass out. Apparently he was in a huff over Marco confiscating his ship. This is very good, but already feels to have been going on for more than two weeks. Must be because they've done as much travelling in two episodes as time has actually passed! Really interesting!
Doctor Who - Five Hundred Eyes (07/03/04)
A bit more happened this week; whilst last week was creepy and atmospheric, this week was more action-based. The caravan was saved when condensation collected in the interior of the TARDIS overnight so the Doctor and Susan sponged it up and collected it in a jug. They met Tegana at the oasis and he bluffed his way out saying Bandits had stayed there till morning, but Barbara is suspicious of him as it was cold the previous night and there has been no fire (which begs the question how did Tegana keep warm?). They travelled on to a way station at Tung-Huang where Ping Cho told a story about stoner-killers, the Hashashins, and Barbara learnt of an interesting local cave of Five Hundred Eyes - where the images of 250 'evil men' have been painted onto the walls. Then she clocked Tegana sneaking out into the city and snook after him. Turns out he's only gone and met his War Lord at that very cave, behind the walls in a hidden chamber! They want to nick the TARDIS and make their own leader, Noghai (Kublai Khan's enemy), the most powerful in the world. However, they noticed Barbara searching for Tegana in the caves and caught her (but not before she dropped a handkerchief).
Finding Barbara gone, Ian, Marco and a returned Tegana went off to search for her, whilst the Doctor (having made a duplicate key) tried to get into the TARDIS. He was interrupted by Susan and Ping Cho who thought that Barbara may have gone to have a look at the cave; they got directions from the way station landlord and went off to look, discovering the hanky. But the landlord has informed Tegana and he's not happy!
Really enjoyable. Entertaining, informative, nice jeopardy and neat plotting. Ping Cho's story was a nice diversion and it's all progressing rather pleasantly. And it still looks absolutely gorgeous!
Marco Polo is a great story with lots of intrigue (and comedy!) and it's such a shame that it's wholly missing. The seven episodes here actually manage to fill themselves out nicely, although from the surviving telesnaps it's clear that if it did exist and we watched it all in one go we'd soon see a lot of repetition of the same sets, extras and such. But like many stories early on it was brave in ways that very little, if anything, since has been - in this case recreating an entirely different culture and time from scratch fully in studio, and of course setting the story over such a huge length of time (although this too would probably be lost if we watched the whole thing back to back).
ReplyDeleteWatching each episode on the date it aired really brought this home. I don't think stories like the first Dalek serial and Marco Polo would and do stand up as well viewed (or listened to) in one go, but in instalments they can work incredibly well, and sometimes even better than as a complete serial (a mistake I think they made in the format of the recently released completed Shada). As was apparent with the sixth episode of the first Dalek story, it doesn't always work, but even the longer stories can be engaging when serialised. As far as Marco Polo goes, I think it succeeds better than most in being consistently fun, dramatic and gripping - it reminded me a lot of the animation The Mysterious Cities Of Gold in that respect, epic in scope but not featuring a single episode which disappointed. Shorter stories would materialise in the next few years which would be remarkably less watchable and feature far more padding and water-treading.
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