The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: The Executioners - The Planet Of Decision
Doctor Who: The Executioners (22/05/05)
A very whimsical episode this week. That Time/Space Visualiser the Xerons gave the Doctor last week came in useful for spying on Abraham Lincoln, Elizabeth I & William Shakespeare, and The Beatles (Vicki mentioned their memorial theatre in Liverpool!) singing 'Ticket To Ride'! Not much happened to begin with, well I say to begin with - I mean until the last 5 minutes. This was quite good cos it showed the regulars having a laugh and just relaxing. It contrasted very well with the frantic final five minutes when Vicki and Ian found an underground area on the desert planet they'd landed on inhabited by a bulbous, tentacley thing. At the same time, the Doctor and Barbara found out about the Daleks' plan via the Space/Time Visualiser, went off looking for Ian and Vicki, got caught in a sandstorm, buried, and found the TARDIS buried somewhere in a reshaped landscape and a Dalek nearby. It must have an anti-gravity unit judging by the way it rose out of the sand.
All in all, a good episode featuring pop (classical!?!) music, fun, Daleks and whimsy peppered with comedy ("Not that awful noise, Doctor. The other one!") and drama. The regulars seem very comfortable together, unlike when Susan was around; all that and a reference to Vortis' acid pools. Really good!
Doctor Who: The Death Of Time (29/05/05)
Well, this week's episode wasn't bad, but it was a bit dull. The Daleks had already arrived on Aridius, but everyone managed to avoid them for most of the episode. Ian and Vicki wandered around some corridors being menaced by some Scrotum Monsters, and the Doctor and Barbara encountered some very fey locals who went on far too long waffling on about the history of their planet. The script tried for tension (Vicki and Ian being inside the tunnels when they were blown up) but just failed. The only worrying bit was when the Daleks dug up the TARDIS and fired at it, but nothing happened.
There was the possibility of some drama (the Aridians having no option but to hand the Doctor et al. over to the Daleks or bye bye city) but it just got ignored. Exactly why Barbara chose to fall against the blocked up entrance and how all those stone blocks falling on her didn't harm her (I suspect because they were polystyrene) is a mystery! There was a funny comment about her cardy towards the end, but they ended up getting in the TARDIS and leaving - to be chased by the Daleks. I have an awful feeling this is going to be a retread of that god-awful Marinus story - after all it is Terry Nation again.
And exactly what was the title all about?
Doctor Who: Flight Through Eternity (05/06/05)
I have to be honest; this episode didn't get off to a bad start. The celebrations by the Doctor et al. at having escaped the Daleks gave me false hope that this was a new story (if it hadn't been for the fact that the Daleks stated they were going to follow the TARDIS). The realisation that they were being chased and the subsequent sequence at the top of the Empire State Building was good, and entertaining. I especially liked Vicki's statement that this was Ancient New York and it had been destroyed in the Dalek invasion!!!
However, the episode then plummeted into dull tedium upon arriving on the Mary Celeste. This was silly, dull and over-long, and by the time the TARDIS had left, the Daleks had arrived, scared everyone into jumping overboard and left themselves I'd completely switched off and any credulity was lost. Plus, the Daleks just weren't scary. Vicki's statement made you think "Shit! They destroyed New York???" but that just made me fondly remember their last story. There they were scary! Here, they're just naff. Even the Doctor's revelation that their lead on the Daleks had reduced from 12 to 8 minutes didn't managed to raise the fear factor, when it kinda should have. Very disappointed with this daft runaround. Not keeping my hopes up for next week.
Doctor Who: Journey Into Terror (12/06/05)
What a mixed bag it was this week! Pity it was mainly a bag of shite.
There was some unconvincing bollocks with a haunted house that the Doctor thought was a creation of the mass Human consciousness (great idea) but turned out to be a fun house in Ghana. Then they left Vicki behind, which was quite shocking, but she smuggled herself aboard the Dalek time machine (which was cool) and found out that the Daleks have a robot version of the Doctor which looks exactly like him (but only in close-up). The Doctor, Ian and Barbara have decided to stop and face the Daleks the next time they land (on a planet called Mechanus - bet there's robots there!) and steal the Dalek time machine in order to rescue Vicki who they think is still in the haunted house.
Thing is, if they'd got rid of all the crap from this week and last week they'd've had a good episode! As it stands, this story's going on too long and any interest or tension is scattered between endless scenes of crap - not literally, though that may be more entertaining - which seem to be a Terry Nation staple. So far, there's been the first Dalek story, the Marinus story and the Dalek invasion story and only the latter was any good. How long's this one been going? It must be nearly finished. God, I hope so!
Doctor Who: The Death Of Doctor Who (19/06/05)
A bit better this week, but still slow and a little tedious. They've arrived on a planet inhabited by floppy killer mushrooms and followed a path to a cave. The occasionally identical Robot Doctor was defeated, although how they knew which was the real Doctor I'm not sure. The Robot Doctor must have said Susan instead of Vicki, but it was muffled and rushed. William Hartnell made a good job of being the robot (when it was him), but his double was (how can I put it?) a bit shit. Then when the Doctor had pulled some wires from inside the Robot's jacket they went back to the cave and slept.
Here comes the interesting bit.
They were watched by some sort of camera and next day found there was a rather impressive model of a city above the forest! Then the Daleks surrounded them and a door opened in the cave revealing a fat, clicking robot that seems like it's going to take them to the city.
As is possibly clear from the lack of any enthusing and simple waffle about the plot, I wasn't too impressed this week. There's no tension and it's all gone on too long. The only relief was that they didn't end the episode by going somewhere else. Maybe now we'll get some story!
Doctor Who: The Planet Of Decision (26/06/05)
Oh my god!!! Ian and Barbara have left!!!
Should have seen it coming - the Daleks had a time machine - but it came quite suddenly. There was quite a good battle between the fat, clicking robots (Mechanoids) and the Daleks, and the Doctor et al. met a guy called Steven Taylor who looked like he was going to join them but was last seen staggering through the jungle before the Doctor and Vicki left in the TARDIS.
The ending was great, though. The Doctor's anger at Ian and Barbara's decision to use the Dalek time machine, worrying that they'd end up as two cinders floating around in Spain, and his sadness after they'd got home safely and the Doctor and Vicki had made sure on the Space/Time Visualiser was really well played; Bill Hartnell probably wasn't entirely acting when he said he'd miss them.
All in all, this episode almost made up for the crap we've had to suffer for the last few weeks, though not entirely, but it was really nice that Ian and Barbara got home safely in the end. Nevertheless, I've got so used to them being there that it came as a surprise to realise I'd forgotten they'd essentially been kidnapped and were desperate to get home 18 months ago! It fits that when the opportunity arose, they took it. Still, it's going to be strange now that they've gone...
A very whimsical episode this week. That Time/Space Visualiser the Xerons gave the Doctor last week came in useful for spying on Abraham Lincoln, Elizabeth I & William Shakespeare, and The Beatles (Vicki mentioned their memorial theatre in Liverpool!) singing 'Ticket To Ride'! Not much happened to begin with, well I say to begin with - I mean until the last 5 minutes. This was quite good cos it showed the regulars having a laugh and just relaxing. It contrasted very well with the frantic final five minutes when Vicki and Ian found an underground area on the desert planet they'd landed on inhabited by a bulbous, tentacley thing. At the same time, the Doctor and Barbara found out about the Daleks' plan via the Space/Time Visualiser, went off looking for Ian and Vicki, got caught in a sandstorm, buried, and found the TARDIS buried somewhere in a reshaped landscape and a Dalek nearby. It must have an anti-gravity unit judging by the way it rose out of the sand.
All in all, a good episode featuring pop (classical!?!) music, fun, Daleks and whimsy peppered with comedy ("Not that awful noise, Doctor. The other one!") and drama. The regulars seem very comfortable together, unlike when Susan was around; all that and a reference to Vortis' acid pools. Really good!
Doctor Who: The Death Of Time (29/05/05)
Well, this week's episode wasn't bad, but it was a bit dull. The Daleks had already arrived on Aridius, but everyone managed to avoid them for most of the episode. Ian and Vicki wandered around some corridors being menaced by some Scrotum Monsters, and the Doctor and Barbara encountered some very fey locals who went on far too long waffling on about the history of their planet. The script tried for tension (Vicki and Ian being inside the tunnels when they were blown up) but just failed. The only worrying bit was when the Daleks dug up the TARDIS and fired at it, but nothing happened.
There was the possibility of some drama (the Aridians having no option but to hand the Doctor et al. over to the Daleks or bye bye city) but it just got ignored. Exactly why Barbara chose to fall against the blocked up entrance and how all those stone blocks falling on her didn't harm her (I suspect because they were polystyrene) is a mystery! There was a funny comment about her cardy towards the end, but they ended up getting in the TARDIS and leaving - to be chased by the Daleks. I have an awful feeling this is going to be a retread of that god-awful Marinus story - after all it is Terry Nation again.
And exactly what was the title all about?
Doctor Who: Flight Through Eternity (05/06/05)
I have to be honest; this episode didn't get off to a bad start. The celebrations by the Doctor et al. at having escaped the Daleks gave me false hope that this was a new story (if it hadn't been for the fact that the Daleks stated they were going to follow the TARDIS). The realisation that they were being chased and the subsequent sequence at the top of the Empire State Building was good, and entertaining. I especially liked Vicki's statement that this was Ancient New York and it had been destroyed in the Dalek invasion!!!
However, the episode then plummeted into dull tedium upon arriving on the Mary Celeste. This was silly, dull and over-long, and by the time the TARDIS had left, the Daleks had arrived, scared everyone into jumping overboard and left themselves I'd completely switched off and any credulity was lost. Plus, the Daleks just weren't scary. Vicki's statement made you think "Shit! They destroyed New York???" but that just made me fondly remember their last story. There they were scary! Here, they're just naff. Even the Doctor's revelation that their lead on the Daleks had reduced from 12 to 8 minutes didn't managed to raise the fear factor, when it kinda should have. Very disappointed with this daft runaround. Not keeping my hopes up for next week.
Doctor Who: Journey Into Terror (12/06/05)
What a mixed bag it was this week! Pity it was mainly a bag of shite.
There was some unconvincing bollocks with a haunted house that the Doctor thought was a creation of the mass Human consciousness (great idea) but turned out to be a fun house in Ghana. Then they left Vicki behind, which was quite shocking, but she smuggled herself aboard the Dalek time machine (which was cool) and found out that the Daleks have a robot version of the Doctor which looks exactly like him (but only in close-up). The Doctor, Ian and Barbara have decided to stop and face the Daleks the next time they land (on a planet called Mechanus - bet there's robots there!) and steal the Dalek time machine in order to rescue Vicki who they think is still in the haunted house.
Thing is, if they'd got rid of all the crap from this week and last week they'd've had a good episode! As it stands, this story's going on too long and any interest or tension is scattered between endless scenes of crap - not literally, though that may be more entertaining - which seem to be a Terry Nation staple. So far, there's been the first Dalek story, the Marinus story and the Dalek invasion story and only the latter was any good. How long's this one been going? It must be nearly finished. God, I hope so!
Doctor Who: The Death Of Doctor Who (19/06/05)
A bit better this week, but still slow and a little tedious. They've arrived on a planet inhabited by floppy killer mushrooms and followed a path to a cave. The occasionally identical Robot Doctor was defeated, although how they knew which was the real Doctor I'm not sure. The Robot Doctor must have said Susan instead of Vicki, but it was muffled and rushed. William Hartnell made a good job of being the robot (when it was him), but his double was (how can I put it?) a bit shit. Then when the Doctor had pulled some wires from inside the Robot's jacket they went back to the cave and slept.
Here comes the interesting bit.
They were watched by some sort of camera and next day found there was a rather impressive model of a city above the forest! Then the Daleks surrounded them and a door opened in the cave revealing a fat, clicking robot that seems like it's going to take them to the city.
As is possibly clear from the lack of any enthusing and simple waffle about the plot, I wasn't too impressed this week. There's no tension and it's all gone on too long. The only relief was that they didn't end the episode by going somewhere else. Maybe now we'll get some story!
Doctor Who: The Planet Of Decision (26/06/05)
Oh my god!!! Ian and Barbara have left!!!
Should have seen it coming - the Daleks had a time machine - but it came quite suddenly. There was quite a good battle between the fat, clicking robots (Mechanoids) and the Daleks, and the Doctor et al. met a guy called Steven Taylor who looked like he was going to join them but was last seen staggering through the jungle before the Doctor and Vicki left in the TARDIS.
The ending was great, though. The Doctor's anger at Ian and Barbara's decision to use the Dalek time machine, worrying that they'd end up as two cinders floating around in Spain, and his sadness after they'd got home safely and the Doctor and Vicki had made sure on the Space/Time Visualiser was really well played; Bill Hartnell probably wasn't entirely acting when he said he'd miss them.
All in all, this episode almost made up for the crap we've had to suffer for the last few weeks, though not entirely, but it was really nice that Ian and Barbara got home safely in the end. Nevertheless, I've got so used to them being there that it came as a surprise to realise I'd forgotten they'd essentially been kidnapped and were desperate to get home 18 months ago! It fits that when the opportunity arose, they took it. Still, it's going to be strange now that they've gone...
Pile of pap, this story, as you point out: The Keys of Marinus with Daleks in. Can you imagine if it had actually been made into a third Dalek film, as was the intention? It would have been utterly disastrous. Like the story. (Apart from the coda of Ian and Barbara's departure, which is indeed very nice. Although rather like Susan's, I doubt Terry Nation had any hand in writing it.)
ReplyDeleteIan and Barbara's final scene, as with Susan's as you state, is so very different in style to everything else Nation has written, and it's The Chase's only saving grace. Okay, the first episode isn't awful, but everything between the Doctor and Barbara witnessing the Daleks on the Space/Time Visualiser and the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki getting back to the TARDIS on Mechanus is utter drivel. A film version of The Chase would have likely buried the franchise, or at best been the shite 3rd movie that everyone preferred to forget. I was actually really gutted about Ian and Barbara leaving. They'd become the core characters of the show despite the growth of the Doctor and Vicki's relationship. In fact, had the Doctor and Vicki not become so much a double act in Season 2 I think Ian and Barbara leaving would have been much harder to handle. The second series is, to me, far more important in establishing the Doctor as the main character, the moral compass of the show, and the focal point for the adventures than the first. There's a definite shift from the series being about how Ian and Barbara deal with their adventures with this strange alien and his granddaughter to the series being about this brilliant alien who takes you on adventures with his companions.
ReplyDeleteWhilst undoubtedly a lot of fun for William and Jacqueline to perform as their last outing, I feel the characters of Ian and Barbara deserved better for their swansong.
You'd almost wish the Space Museum had had a Dalek time machine the Doctor had managed to get working again and send them home then, sparing us The Chase entirely. Mind you, that would have been just as rubbish a final story for them :D
DeleteObviously, I rather like The Space Museum, but it wasn't a great outing for Ian and Barbara and really wouldn't have been a fitting last story. I can sort of see what Nation may have been doing - Barry Letts would do the same for Pertwee - by giving William and Jacqueline aspects of every type of story for their last 6 weeks, but the underlying problem with that is (essentially) Terry Nation was a hack. He'd often come up with great ideas (more often than not it would be the same idea with a few name changes) but he had very little clue how to write naturalistic dialogue and create believable characters. He was basically the Moffat of the 1960s. He got lucky with his first script, cobbled something together to get the show out the shit with his second, wrote a fine script for his third (time lucky), cobbled something together for his fourth; by the time he got to the epic Master Plan he was working with Dennis Spooner and thinking about taking the Daleks off to conquer the US. His Pertwee stories proved the limit of his imagination and I'm pretty sure only Robert Holmes intervention demanding something other than the usual dreary run-around is why Genesis is so different. The Android Invasion and Destiny Of The Daleks just continue to mark Nation out as a one trick pony, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Massively ahead. In my Marathon that last story doesn't even exist yet! What of the Daleks? Never heard of it!
DeleteBut I digress. William and Jacqueline deserved something much better, but at least they eventually got home, which is more than can be said for many!