The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: The Robots Of Death
The Robots Of Death: Part One (29/01/17)
From the beautifully designed forest sets of the last story to the gorgeous sets of a Sandminer with its Art Deco robot crew. Chris Boucher is back with a murder mystery - except that the title sort of gives it away. However, the Human crew in their lavish clothes and weirdly stylish hats aren't aware that Chub, the annoying crew member who took great pleasure in telling Borg about a masseur robot who twisted a client's arm off (while a robot was massaging Borg's shoulder) was strangled by one of their robot servants.
The Doctor and Leela, meanwhile, arrived in one of the mining scoops and while they were exploring, the TARDIS was taken away because it was causing an obstruction (great model work). Fortunately, they managed to avoid getting cut to shreds by an oncoming sandstorm when the mining work was aborted after Poul found Chub's body.
Oh, this all came after a great scene in the TARDIS where the Doctor had a go at explaining Dimensional Transcendentalism to Leela using a couple of boxes, but she (quite rightly) called his explanation silly.
So anyway, the Doctor and Leela were found by some robots and taken to a room with a gorgeous sofa to be interviewed by the robot in charge - SV7. He got nowhere but informed the Human captain, Uvanov, that intruders had been found. The Doctor and Leela escaped the room and went to look for the TARDIS, which the Doctor found. Then he discovered a body on one of the silos, got locked in, and was buried under a tonne of collected sand! Meanwhile, Leela found Chub's corpse.
The model work is stunning, the design work is beautiful, Boucher's dialogue between the Human crew sets up a fascinating society and some interesting relationships which makes it feel very real and, despite the lack of any mystery other than 'why are the robots killing?' it's all holding together incredibly well. The Doctor and Leela have an amazing chemistry, too. After 'The Face Of Evil' I was concerned the next story might pale in comparison, but so far it's just as fantastic! I hope Boucher becomes a regular writer for the show. Eagerly awaiting next week's episode. Brilliant stuff!
The Robots Of Death: Part Two (05/02/17)
The cast were dropping like flies this week! The Doctor was rescued from the silo by SV7. Leela stumbled across Cass's body and was then interrogated by a black D-Class robot which clearly isn't what it seems as D-Class are basically service robots and dumb. There then followed a great scene between Leela and Commander Uvanov; she's no whimpering girl, that's for certain - if Sarah had been smacked across the face while having her arms restrained I doubt her response would've been to boot Uvanov in the bollocks!
Then the Doctor and Leela were interrogated by the whole crew before being locked and restrained in a maintenance bay. However, Poul doesn't think they're responsible for the murders and, after speaking to them separately, set them free.
Meanwhile, someone set a robot out to kill Zilda, who had gone to Uvanov's quarters, pulled out some paperwork and went over the Tannoy accusing him of the murders! However, I think it's Dask, as the person who set the robot after Zilda was wearing grey striped pantaloons, and he's the only one in grey. That said, it could be a red herring!
By the time Uvanov found her, Zilda had been strangled, but Toos had contacted Poul and sent him after Uvanov, and when he found the Commander he assumed he was the killer. Then the Sandminer struck something and the motors jammed, threatening to blow up - oddly, Leela predicted it, but I reckon she felt the change in vibration as the Sandminer approached the rocky outcrop it hit. I imagine the depth of the desert lessened as they approached it or something.
The Doctor and Leela legged it to the bridge to help, while Dask found Borg dead and the engines sabotaged. He then made his way up to the bridge in time to stop the Doctor doing some counter-sabotage to save them all. I guess this also indicates Dask is behind the murders as we never saw Borg die. That said, we didn't see who killed Cass or Kerrill, either. Regardless, it's a great story so far, looks gorgeous with some great matted long shots, and the Doctor and Leela make a fantastic pair with a much better relationship than with Sarah Jane. Looking forward to next week.
The Robots Of Death: Part Three (12/02/17)
It's definitely Dask who's behind it all. You saw his not-nearly-distorted-enough face on a screen while he rejigged SV7's circuits to make it into a killer. Also, Poul's had a breakdown leaving Uvanov (who went missing) and Toos as the only other possibilities and it's clearly neither of them. Poul thought it was Uvanov because he was found with Zilda's body and earlier in his career he purposefully locked one of his crew out an airlock rather than lose a shipment - turns out it was Zilda's brother, which is what she was talking about when she was killed.
The Doctor told Leela to keep an eye on Poul but he locked her in the Mess, then found a robot with blood and gore on its hand and lost it. Dask fixed the engines to stop them blowing up, then again to stop the miner sinking, and Toos retired to her room after Leela bandaged a nasty burn on her wrist. SV7 sent robots to Leela and Toos but Leela escaped (and found Poul) while Toos locked herself in her room. The Doctor had a chat with D84, a robot sent to investigate threats against the company by one Taren Capel who it seems is behind all this (and is therefore probably who Dask really is), then sent him off to help Toos after they found Capel's workshop (where he's been reprogramming the robots). Then Uvanov turned up, followed by a robot who started strangling the Doctor.
It's all still very good, despite the large death count last week making it fairly easy to figure out whodunnit, but there was plenty going on and lots of world building and character development. Toos was actually quite rude to SV7 at one point which switched perspectives, aided by her being viewed in a POV shot from SV7. Boucher is very good at fleshing out the societies he creates, the last story of warriors and religious nuts contrasting nicely with this society of lazy decadence. I also like the fact that the Humans here are a pretty unlikable bunch. Makes them more believable.
The Robots Of Death: Part Four (19/02/17)
Well, that was a really good story, but it had a very sudden ending! Uvanov helped the Doctor and they all ended up in the control room. Then the Doctor took Leela and D84 to deal with Dask/Taren Capel while Uvanov and Toos (and a deranged Poul) provided a distraction in the control room, arming themselves with modified bombs.
There was a showdown in Capel's workshop where Leela hid in a cupboard with a helium canister and let out the gas until it had affected Capel's voice enough for SV7 not to recognise his voice imprint and kill him. D84 blew up the remaining Voc and himself in the process, and Uvanov and Toos turned up to help but were both knocked unconscious.
Once Capel and the Robots had been dealt with, the Doctor and Leela scarpered without even waiting round to check if Uvanov and Toos were okay - something Leela commented on but the Doctor didn't seem bothered about! Then they were gone, with a rescue team on the way, apparently. Weird ending!
However, the story did fill out more background for everyone, Poul and D84 both working together for the Company. And Uvanov hadn't killed Zilda's brother - the boy had Robophobia and ran out the airlock before Uvanov could save him. Zilda's father had the incident hushed up to save face. Borg got a mention again, despite having died offscreen in Part Two - the Doctor found the damaged Voc with the gore-stained hand and posited Borg was strong enough to have put up a fight and damage the robot. And Dask/Capel was an interesting villain, raised by robots and loony enough to paint his face like an SV and wear their padded costumes.
Looking back, the plot was quite slight, and the last two episodes in particular were very drawn out. However, so much was done to expand the society beyond the confines of the Sandminer that this didn't matter one bit, and worked so much better than a story attempting to cram a complicated plot into a short period without fleshing out the characters and their surroundings. Given Chris Boucher has scripted the last two months worth of episodes and done it so well I really hope they bring him back to write some more. One of the best script writers the series has had!
From the beautifully designed forest sets of the last story to the gorgeous sets of a Sandminer with its Art Deco robot crew. Chris Boucher is back with a murder mystery - except that the title sort of gives it away. However, the Human crew in their lavish clothes and weirdly stylish hats aren't aware that Chub, the annoying crew member who took great pleasure in telling Borg about a masseur robot who twisted a client's arm off (while a robot was massaging Borg's shoulder) was strangled by one of their robot servants.
The Doctor and Leela, meanwhile, arrived in one of the mining scoops and while they were exploring, the TARDIS was taken away because it was causing an obstruction (great model work). Fortunately, they managed to avoid getting cut to shreds by an oncoming sandstorm when the mining work was aborted after Poul found Chub's body.
Oh, this all came after a great scene in the TARDIS where the Doctor had a go at explaining Dimensional Transcendentalism to Leela using a couple of boxes, but she (quite rightly) called his explanation silly.
So anyway, the Doctor and Leela were found by some robots and taken to a room with a gorgeous sofa to be interviewed by the robot in charge - SV7. He got nowhere but informed the Human captain, Uvanov, that intruders had been found. The Doctor and Leela escaped the room and went to look for the TARDIS, which the Doctor found. Then he discovered a body on one of the silos, got locked in, and was buried under a tonne of collected sand! Meanwhile, Leela found Chub's corpse.
The model work is stunning, the design work is beautiful, Boucher's dialogue between the Human crew sets up a fascinating society and some interesting relationships which makes it feel very real and, despite the lack of any mystery other than 'why are the robots killing?' it's all holding together incredibly well. The Doctor and Leela have an amazing chemistry, too. After 'The Face Of Evil' I was concerned the next story might pale in comparison, but so far it's just as fantastic! I hope Boucher becomes a regular writer for the show. Eagerly awaiting next week's episode. Brilliant stuff!
The Robots Of Death: Part Two (05/02/17)
The cast were dropping like flies this week! The Doctor was rescued from the silo by SV7. Leela stumbled across Cass's body and was then interrogated by a black D-Class robot which clearly isn't what it seems as D-Class are basically service robots and dumb. There then followed a great scene between Leela and Commander Uvanov; she's no whimpering girl, that's for certain - if Sarah had been smacked across the face while having her arms restrained I doubt her response would've been to boot Uvanov in the bollocks!
Then the Doctor and Leela were interrogated by the whole crew before being locked and restrained in a maintenance bay. However, Poul doesn't think they're responsible for the murders and, after speaking to them separately, set them free.
Meanwhile, someone set a robot out to kill Zilda, who had gone to Uvanov's quarters, pulled out some paperwork and went over the Tannoy accusing him of the murders! However, I think it's Dask, as the person who set the robot after Zilda was wearing grey striped pantaloons, and he's the only one in grey. That said, it could be a red herring!
By the time Uvanov found her, Zilda had been strangled, but Toos had contacted Poul and sent him after Uvanov, and when he found the Commander he assumed he was the killer. Then the Sandminer struck something and the motors jammed, threatening to blow up - oddly, Leela predicted it, but I reckon she felt the change in vibration as the Sandminer approached the rocky outcrop it hit. I imagine the depth of the desert lessened as they approached it or something.
The Doctor and Leela legged it to the bridge to help, while Dask found Borg dead and the engines sabotaged. He then made his way up to the bridge in time to stop the Doctor doing some counter-sabotage to save them all. I guess this also indicates Dask is behind the murders as we never saw Borg die. That said, we didn't see who killed Cass or Kerrill, either. Regardless, it's a great story so far, looks gorgeous with some great matted long shots, and the Doctor and Leela make a fantastic pair with a much better relationship than with Sarah Jane. Looking forward to next week.
The Robots Of Death: Part Three (12/02/17)
It's definitely Dask who's behind it all. You saw his not-nearly-distorted-enough face on a screen while he rejigged SV7's circuits to make it into a killer. Also, Poul's had a breakdown leaving Uvanov (who went missing) and Toos as the only other possibilities and it's clearly neither of them. Poul thought it was Uvanov because he was found with Zilda's body and earlier in his career he purposefully locked one of his crew out an airlock rather than lose a shipment - turns out it was Zilda's brother, which is what she was talking about when she was killed.
The Doctor told Leela to keep an eye on Poul but he locked her in the Mess, then found a robot with blood and gore on its hand and lost it. Dask fixed the engines to stop them blowing up, then again to stop the miner sinking, and Toos retired to her room after Leela bandaged a nasty burn on her wrist. SV7 sent robots to Leela and Toos but Leela escaped (and found Poul) while Toos locked herself in her room. The Doctor had a chat with D84, a robot sent to investigate threats against the company by one Taren Capel who it seems is behind all this (and is therefore probably who Dask really is), then sent him off to help Toos after they found Capel's workshop (where he's been reprogramming the robots). Then Uvanov turned up, followed by a robot who started strangling the Doctor.
It's all still very good, despite the large death count last week making it fairly easy to figure out whodunnit, but there was plenty going on and lots of world building and character development. Toos was actually quite rude to SV7 at one point which switched perspectives, aided by her being viewed in a POV shot from SV7. Boucher is very good at fleshing out the societies he creates, the last story of warriors and religious nuts contrasting nicely with this society of lazy decadence. I also like the fact that the Humans here are a pretty unlikable bunch. Makes them more believable.
The Robots Of Death: Part Four (19/02/17)
Well, that was a really good story, but it had a very sudden ending! Uvanov helped the Doctor and they all ended up in the control room. Then the Doctor took Leela and D84 to deal with Dask/Taren Capel while Uvanov and Toos (and a deranged Poul) provided a distraction in the control room, arming themselves with modified bombs.
There was a showdown in Capel's workshop where Leela hid in a cupboard with a helium canister and let out the gas until it had affected Capel's voice enough for SV7 not to recognise his voice imprint and kill him. D84 blew up the remaining Voc and himself in the process, and Uvanov and Toos turned up to help but were both knocked unconscious.
Once Capel and the Robots had been dealt with, the Doctor and Leela scarpered without even waiting round to check if Uvanov and Toos were okay - something Leela commented on but the Doctor didn't seem bothered about! Then they were gone, with a rescue team on the way, apparently. Weird ending!
However, the story did fill out more background for everyone, Poul and D84 both working together for the Company. And Uvanov hadn't killed Zilda's brother - the boy had Robophobia and ran out the airlock before Uvanov could save him. Zilda's father had the incident hushed up to save face. Borg got a mention again, despite having died offscreen in Part Two - the Doctor found the damaged Voc with the gore-stained hand and posited Borg was strong enough to have put up a fight and damage the robot. And Dask/Capel was an interesting villain, raised by robots and loony enough to paint his face like an SV and wear their padded costumes.
Looking back, the plot was quite slight, and the last two episodes in particular were very drawn out. However, so much was done to expand the society beyond the confines of the Sandminer that this didn't matter one bit, and worked so much better than a story attempting to cram a complicated plot into a short period without fleshing out the characters and their surroundings. Given Chris Boucher has scripted the last two months worth of episodes and done it so well I really hope they bring him back to write some more. One of the best script writers the series has had!
It's interesting that, at least since [one-third] penning The Discontinuity Guide, in which the summation of this story is overwhelmingly positive ("The script is one of the best ever: a tightly constructed, claustrophobic SF thriller, with moments of great psychological insight... The finished product [is] a rare case of something being enhanced by clever, opulent design... The actors put in flawless performances, and the direction is superb."), Paul Cornell's thoughts on this seem to have changed somewhat: he's on record as saying The Robots of Death is overrated and that The Face of Evil is much the better of the two. I would say I agree, but then it's something of a corollary to my own assertion that The Face of Evil is somewhat underrated. In any case, they're both amazing scripts, and as I said last time, especially for someone new to the series.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, I suppose Robots of Death is slightly more of a case of style over substance, but only insofar as there's still plenty of substance to begin with. What undermines it is the odd choice (by the director, I imagine, rather than the writer) to take what is otherwise a textbook whodunit and drain all the mystery from it by making the villain so obvious. The ending, I agree, is also a bit too abrupt, and verging on silly what with all the squeaky voice stuff - why does Dask/Capel pay no heed to the fact that his voice is changing? But these are minor quibbles in what is otherwise a well-told story whose world and protagonists you really believe in and, ultimately, care about despite their flaws. The entire cast give it their all, with only whatshername playing Zilda struggling to produce convincing tears.
Oh, and it might be sacrilege to say so, but I would *much* rather D84 had become the new robot companion instead of K-9 :D
D84 certainly would have been a better companion than K9, and cause far fewer problems on set, but I doubt he would have lasted as long. 'Robots...' really is a great story and I much prefer a story which pads a thin plot with creative world-building to one which tries to fit too many ideas into a limited running time and fails to give you characters which you can believe in and a world which is properly thought through (not mentioning any examples, but there must be at least *cough* 55...).
DeleteI wouldn't say the script is 'one of the best ever', but it's competent and, as with its superior predecessor, shows that Boucher has really thought about the society he's created and has a firm handle on the turn of events to make this a gripping story. And as Leela's creator he gives her plenty of great dialogue and action. The design really is astounding, particularly lavish and carefully considered - the Art Deco feel fits in perfectly with the Agatha Christie atmosphere, and the costume and makeup complement rather than clash with the extravagant design whilst still feeling futuristic.
Fans always seem to pick on Seasons 12 & 13 as the height of Tom Baker's era, but for me 12 is a competent but not brilliant start (it has the worst first story for a Doctor and a pretty shoddy return for the Cybermen), and 13 starts and ends brilliantly but dips considerably in the middle with half the stories having weak conclusions and feeling quite samey. Season 14, I think, is the best of his run. Even with the rather dull opening serial, it looks amazing from start to finish, has a diversity of styles and tones, and features some of the most competent and thoughtful scripts of the era. Every other season has at least one turkey, but the turkey here is the most Gothic of the Gothic period with locations filmed at Port Merion, which isn't something you can easily dismiss.
Even though it's not the best of Season 14, 'The Robots Of Death' is nonetheless one of Baker's finest serials, which says a lot about how high the quality of this period was.