The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: The Talons Of Weng-Chiang
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: Part One (26/02/17)
Just when you think the series can't get any better they pull out a story set in Victorian London with theatres, Tongs and grizzly murders!
Funny things are going on at Mr Jago's theatre, not least the disappearance of eight girls in the area which somehow seem to be connected to Magician and Ventriloquist Li H'sen Chang and his creepy puppet Mr Sin (who clearly isn't a puppet as he murdered the husband of one of the missing girls!). Jago is suspicious as he noticed blood on Mr Sin's hand, and stagehand Casey has seen ghosts sub-stage.
Meanwhile, the Doctor and Leela have become embroiled in affairs after stumbling across the husband being carried off by some Tongs. Leela apprehended one while the others fled into the sewers, and she and the Tong were arrested. Li H'sen Change turned up at the police station as an interpreter (despite the Doctor trying to get the Tong to chat) and failed to convince that he had nothing to do with it.
Anyway, they found the husband's corpse in the Thames, and the Doctor and Leela went for a look at the mortuary where they learnt it had been chewed by a giant rat. I say this because the Tong of the Black Scorpion, responsible for the murder, worship Weng-Chiang (a god of abundance) and following their discovery, the Doctor and Leela went into the sewers and were attacked by... a giant rat!
This was such a great episode! It has 'The Good Old Days', murder, amazing location work, and a first class cast. Okay, Li H/sen Chang is a white guy in makeup but it's very good makeup, and so far the episode has skirted any other signs of racism. Mr Sin is incredibly creepy, even when he's not murdering cabbies. Leela is wonderful making astute comments on everything in Victorian society from the clothes to the police, and being brilliantly straightforward under interrogation - best was that she was arrested strangling the Tong with his own pigtail! All this, and the Doctor is dressed like Sherlock Holmes! I could go on, because the episode didn't miss a beat in exploiting the setting, the characters (the Ghoul!), and this most alien Doctor and companion combination. Unfortunately, I don't have the space, but this looks like it's going to be the best story Hinchcliffe and Holmes have given us!
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: Part Two (05/03/17)
That's got to be one of the best episodes in years! So much witty dialogue, both the Doctor and Leela getting some brilliant lines. They've split up, Leela going back to mortician Professor Litefoot's house to engage in an hilarious display of table manners, while the Doctor headed off to the theatre to investigate alongside a post-hypnosis Henry Gordon Jago who had been instructed to forget about Emma Buller's fiancé causing a scene that evening (just before his murder) by Li H'sen Chang. Fortunately, Jago's right-hand man had insisted he investigate sub-stage for ghosts and he'd found a lady's glove marked E.B., so it didn't take the Doctor long to figure out summat were up and take a look himself. Cue a chase around the theatre with some great shots from the fly floor and the grid of the Doctor chasing Weng-Chiang who appears to have his base under the theatre on the course of the river Fleet.
They lost him, but earlier Li H'sen Chang, Mr Sin and Weng-Chiang had been scouring the streets in search of a Time Cabinet which, it seems, may be at Professor Litefoot's since he grew up in China, the son of an ambassador or something. Anyway, the cliffhanger saw Litefoot knocked out in his hallway and Leela confronted by a knife-wielding Mr Sin!
This is a brilliant story full of dark wit, clever banter and stunning sets and locations. The episode hit the ground running with Leela basically confessing to murdering the Tong assassin when asked by a local bobby and the humour just built from there. It was actually quite sad when the fate of Emma Buller and her fiancé was discussed as it was prologued by the Doctor questioning the constable who spoke to her distraught mother, so you had a bit of background to people you never saw on screen (or only did for a few fleeting minutes). For a story centring around a theatre this story is so far anything but stagy, and kind of proves that the BBC are brilliant at period drama.
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: Part Three (12/03/17)
Another spectacular episode which split the Doctor and Leela up again. Leela escaped from Mr Sin by leaping through a window and alerting the Doctor who was returning to the house and about to be shot by Li H'sen Chang. The Doctor went into the house and found Litefoot unconscious, leaving Chang and Mr Sin time to escape in their carriage, but Leela jumped on the back and followed them to the theatre where Weng-Chiang sent Chang out to get more girls for him. Turns out he's draining their life force to feed off while he looks for a cabinet which is technology from the future and in Litefoot's diningroom (he thinks it's a Chinese puzzle box which was given to his father by the Emperor).
Anyway, Chang first grabbed a prostitute (in Doctor Who!!!) returning from work in the early light of morning - fantastic location work with Leela watching from behind a wall - then one of the theatre's cleaners, but Leela switched places with the hooker and tried (and failed) to stop Weng-Chiang who then chased her into the sewers and locked her in with the giant rat!
Meanwhile, the Doctor worked out that Weng-Chiang's lair was in the sewers beneath the theatre on the course of the Fleet and went to investigate (cue more glorious location work, this time with the Doctor and Litefoot in a boat on the Thames). The Doctor went into the sewers with Litefoot's Chinese Fowling Piece (made in Birmingham) and found Leela just as the rat caught her and began chewing on her leg.
Absolutely brilliant episode! Weng-Chiang dismissed Chang and got much more to do, and Chang overheard Jago telling Casey that he was helping the Doctor who Chang has worked out is hot on their tail. So much development, great locations, great script, brilliant acting, and great sets. It's a shame about the rat. So far, unquestionably the best story this series, and the best Tom Baker, and one of the very best stories in the series' history! Robert Holmes is nothing short of being a genius!
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: Part Four (19/03/17)
A more measured episode this week. The Doctor saved Leela from the giant rat, they returned to Litefoot's house, and Leela got a classy new outfit. The Doctor then took Leela to the theatre where they watched some woman sing 'Daisy, Daisy' before Chang came on for his magic tricks. Earlier, Weng-Chiang had made it clear Chang was no longer in his employment but Chang was determined to get back into his good books by killing the Doctor; however, the gun and sword-based magic tricks seem to just have been a ruse and, unfortunately, while Weng-Chiang was leaving the theatre permanently via the sub-stage he encountered Casey (setting up Chang's trick box via a trapdoor) who died of fright. As a parting humiliation, he placed Casey in the box to be seen by the whole theatre when Chang and the Doctor opened it.
Chang went down to the lair, followed by the Doctor, Leela and Jago, to find the place abandoned, and explained how Weng-Chiang had appeared to him years previously when he was a peasant in China, arriving in a box in a flash of light. While the sick Weng-Chiang recovered, taken care of by Chang, the Emperor took the box, which was given to Litefoot's mother as a gift when his father was ambassador there. Abandoned by his god, Chang made a swift escape into the sewers to be killed by one of Weng-Chiang's giant rats!
Meanwhile, Mr Sin had been hiding in a laundry basket and knocked Litefoot out (hopefully - there's already been plenty of deaths this week!) and stolen the casket, legging it with Weng-Chiang in a carriage.
Chang's fate is really quite sad, when you come to think about it, abandoned by a 'god' who he nursed back to health, sort of, was bestowed mind-control powers from and served faithfully for years, only to be cast aside and eaten by a huge rat. The quality of this story continues. I'm starting to think this may be the best the series has been; since turning colour, at least!
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: Part Five (26/03/17)
The pieces of the jigsaw are finally slotting together this week making the story a very satisfactory one. The Doctor and Leela returned from the theatre to find Litefoot regaining consciousness. The Doctor worked out that Mr Sin is actually the Peking Homunculus, a mechanical toy from the year 5000 with the cerebral cortex of a pig which almost started WWVI! It's quite an horrific idea but so very eloquently described that it almost feels like we saw what happened with Sin and Weng-Chiang in the future before they travelled back in time!
The Doctor and Leela investigated the laundry where Mr Sin's basket came from and encountered Chang who'd escaped the rats after having his leg chewed off. High on opium, he had a ore dignified onscreen death where he denounced Weng-Chiang.
Meanwhile, Jago found a bag containing the key to Weng-Chiang's cabinet sub-stage, took it to Litefoot's house in search of the Doctor and teamed up with Litefoot to watch the theatre and follow anyone looking for the bag. Unfortunately, they were seen and caught and taken into Weng-Chiang's lair - a rather gorgeous multi-storey house with a huge gold dragon statue and ornate Oriental decorations - where he forced them to tell him where the bag was.
The Doctor and Leela returned to Litefoot's where they found the bag and Jago's letter telling them they'd gone after Weng-Chiang. The Doctor found and pocketed the key, but as Leela was testing some sports equipment for use as weapons, Weng-Chiang tried to chloroform her, so she pulled off his mask revealing his melty face!
This has turned out to be a wonderfully dark story with prostitutes, opium dens, and all the other squalid bits of Victoriana which make the era so fascinating, but you wouldn't expect on a family show. Mr Sin in particular has turned out to be a decidedly grotesque creation, especially now we know its background. Really can't wait for next week's conclusion!
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: Part Six (02/04/17)
Well, that was fantastic! By far the best story Tom Baker has had so far. Starting with a discussion with the Doctor and Weng-Chiang (aka Magnus Greel, the Butcher of Brisbane, infamous War Minister and war criminal from the 51st Century) where the Doctor offered to swap the key to the Time Cabinet for Jago and Litefoot, they went back to Greel's base leaving Leela behind, but of course she grabbed a steak knife and followed. Just as well, because Greel double crossed the Doctor and he ended up locked up with Jago, Litefoot and the two girls kidnapped for Greel's next meal.
After entering Greel's lair there was a scene where it appeared that Leela grabbed one of Greel's henchmen, took him behind a curtain and slit his throat! Then she attacked Greel but was less successful. Fortunately, the Doctor had been able to escape thanks to some linen, a gas pipe and some matches, and he stopped Greel feeding off her. There then ensued a face-off where Greel was trying to escape in his cabinet but Mr Sin, who'd set up in the dragon statue - actually a pretty laser cannon - decided to go on the rampage and massacre everyone. This led to Greel getting thrown into his life force extractor and crumbling to dust. Having massacred the Tongs, Mr Sin then attacked Leela but the Doctor slammed him into the floor and took out his fuse. Then the Doctor, Leela, Jago and Litefoot went for muffins.
This has been a fantastic, well written, well acted and directed story, possibly Robert Holmes very best script, brilliantly paced and plotted. Leela is an amazing companion and this series has seen the show go from strength to strength! Okay, so the first story was an utter turkey, but once they'd got rid of Sarah Jane it just soared. I wasn't entirely sure about Tom Baker in the role, and they really should have ditched Sarah at the same time as Harry because she was a terrible companion and just didn't work with Tom's Doctor at all, but the last four stories have shown what he can do when he's given good scripts and a great companion to work alongside. I'm really looking forward to the Doctor and Leela returning in the Autumn; they've proven themselves to be a great team and made the series as great as it was with Pertwee, Jo and UNIT! Good times!
Just when you think the series can't get any better they pull out a story set in Victorian London with theatres, Tongs and grizzly murders!
Funny things are going on at Mr Jago's theatre, not least the disappearance of eight girls in the area which somehow seem to be connected to Magician and Ventriloquist Li H'sen Chang and his creepy puppet Mr Sin (who clearly isn't a puppet as he murdered the husband of one of the missing girls!). Jago is suspicious as he noticed blood on Mr Sin's hand, and stagehand Casey has seen ghosts sub-stage.
Meanwhile, the Doctor and Leela have become embroiled in affairs after stumbling across the husband being carried off by some Tongs. Leela apprehended one while the others fled into the sewers, and she and the Tong were arrested. Li H'sen Change turned up at the police station as an interpreter (despite the Doctor trying to get the Tong to chat) and failed to convince that he had nothing to do with it.
Anyway, they found the husband's corpse in the Thames, and the Doctor and Leela went for a look at the mortuary where they learnt it had been chewed by a giant rat. I say this because the Tong of the Black Scorpion, responsible for the murder, worship Weng-Chiang (a god of abundance) and following their discovery, the Doctor and Leela went into the sewers and were attacked by... a giant rat!
This was such a great episode! It has 'The Good Old Days', murder, amazing location work, and a first class cast. Okay, Li H/sen Chang is a white guy in makeup but it's very good makeup, and so far the episode has skirted any other signs of racism. Mr Sin is incredibly creepy, even when he's not murdering cabbies. Leela is wonderful making astute comments on everything in Victorian society from the clothes to the police, and being brilliantly straightforward under interrogation - best was that she was arrested strangling the Tong with his own pigtail! All this, and the Doctor is dressed like Sherlock Holmes! I could go on, because the episode didn't miss a beat in exploiting the setting, the characters (the Ghoul!), and this most alien Doctor and companion combination. Unfortunately, I don't have the space, but this looks like it's going to be the best story Hinchcliffe and Holmes have given us!
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: Part Two (05/03/17)
That's got to be one of the best episodes in years! So much witty dialogue, both the Doctor and Leela getting some brilliant lines. They've split up, Leela going back to mortician Professor Litefoot's house to engage in an hilarious display of table manners, while the Doctor headed off to the theatre to investigate alongside a post-hypnosis Henry Gordon Jago who had been instructed to forget about Emma Buller's fiancé causing a scene that evening (just before his murder) by Li H'sen Chang. Fortunately, Jago's right-hand man had insisted he investigate sub-stage for ghosts and he'd found a lady's glove marked E.B., so it didn't take the Doctor long to figure out summat were up and take a look himself. Cue a chase around the theatre with some great shots from the fly floor and the grid of the Doctor chasing Weng-Chiang who appears to have his base under the theatre on the course of the river Fleet.
They lost him, but earlier Li H'sen Chang, Mr Sin and Weng-Chiang had been scouring the streets in search of a Time Cabinet which, it seems, may be at Professor Litefoot's since he grew up in China, the son of an ambassador or something. Anyway, the cliffhanger saw Litefoot knocked out in his hallway and Leela confronted by a knife-wielding Mr Sin!
This is a brilliant story full of dark wit, clever banter and stunning sets and locations. The episode hit the ground running with Leela basically confessing to murdering the Tong assassin when asked by a local bobby and the humour just built from there. It was actually quite sad when the fate of Emma Buller and her fiancé was discussed as it was prologued by the Doctor questioning the constable who spoke to her distraught mother, so you had a bit of background to people you never saw on screen (or only did for a few fleeting minutes). For a story centring around a theatre this story is so far anything but stagy, and kind of proves that the BBC are brilliant at period drama.
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: Part Three (12/03/17)
Another spectacular episode which split the Doctor and Leela up again. Leela escaped from Mr Sin by leaping through a window and alerting the Doctor who was returning to the house and about to be shot by Li H'sen Chang. The Doctor went into the house and found Litefoot unconscious, leaving Chang and Mr Sin time to escape in their carriage, but Leela jumped on the back and followed them to the theatre where Weng-Chiang sent Chang out to get more girls for him. Turns out he's draining their life force to feed off while he looks for a cabinet which is technology from the future and in Litefoot's diningroom (he thinks it's a Chinese puzzle box which was given to his father by the Emperor).
Anyway, Chang first grabbed a prostitute (in Doctor Who!!!) returning from work in the early light of morning - fantastic location work with Leela watching from behind a wall - then one of the theatre's cleaners, but Leela switched places with the hooker and tried (and failed) to stop Weng-Chiang who then chased her into the sewers and locked her in with the giant rat!
Meanwhile, the Doctor worked out that Weng-Chiang's lair was in the sewers beneath the theatre on the course of the Fleet and went to investigate (cue more glorious location work, this time with the Doctor and Litefoot in a boat on the Thames). The Doctor went into the sewers with Litefoot's Chinese Fowling Piece (made in Birmingham) and found Leela just as the rat caught her and began chewing on her leg.
Absolutely brilliant episode! Weng-Chiang dismissed Chang and got much more to do, and Chang overheard Jago telling Casey that he was helping the Doctor who Chang has worked out is hot on their tail. So much development, great locations, great script, brilliant acting, and great sets. It's a shame about the rat. So far, unquestionably the best story this series, and the best Tom Baker, and one of the very best stories in the series' history! Robert Holmes is nothing short of being a genius!
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: Part Four (19/03/17)
A more measured episode this week. The Doctor saved Leela from the giant rat, they returned to Litefoot's house, and Leela got a classy new outfit. The Doctor then took Leela to the theatre where they watched some woman sing 'Daisy, Daisy' before Chang came on for his magic tricks. Earlier, Weng-Chiang had made it clear Chang was no longer in his employment but Chang was determined to get back into his good books by killing the Doctor; however, the gun and sword-based magic tricks seem to just have been a ruse and, unfortunately, while Weng-Chiang was leaving the theatre permanently via the sub-stage he encountered Casey (setting up Chang's trick box via a trapdoor) who died of fright. As a parting humiliation, he placed Casey in the box to be seen by the whole theatre when Chang and the Doctor opened it.
Chang went down to the lair, followed by the Doctor, Leela and Jago, to find the place abandoned, and explained how Weng-Chiang had appeared to him years previously when he was a peasant in China, arriving in a box in a flash of light. While the sick Weng-Chiang recovered, taken care of by Chang, the Emperor took the box, which was given to Litefoot's mother as a gift when his father was ambassador there. Abandoned by his god, Chang made a swift escape into the sewers to be killed by one of Weng-Chiang's giant rats!
Meanwhile, Mr Sin had been hiding in a laundry basket and knocked Litefoot out (hopefully - there's already been plenty of deaths this week!) and stolen the casket, legging it with Weng-Chiang in a carriage.
Chang's fate is really quite sad, when you come to think about it, abandoned by a 'god' who he nursed back to health, sort of, was bestowed mind-control powers from and served faithfully for years, only to be cast aside and eaten by a huge rat. The quality of this story continues. I'm starting to think this may be the best the series has been; since turning colour, at least!
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: Part Five (26/03/17)
The pieces of the jigsaw are finally slotting together this week making the story a very satisfactory one. The Doctor and Leela returned from the theatre to find Litefoot regaining consciousness. The Doctor worked out that Mr Sin is actually the Peking Homunculus, a mechanical toy from the year 5000 with the cerebral cortex of a pig which almost started WWVI! It's quite an horrific idea but so very eloquently described that it almost feels like we saw what happened with Sin and Weng-Chiang in the future before they travelled back in time!
The Doctor and Leela investigated the laundry where Mr Sin's basket came from and encountered Chang who'd escaped the rats after having his leg chewed off. High on opium, he had a ore dignified onscreen death where he denounced Weng-Chiang.
Meanwhile, Jago found a bag containing the key to Weng-Chiang's cabinet sub-stage, took it to Litefoot's house in search of the Doctor and teamed up with Litefoot to watch the theatre and follow anyone looking for the bag. Unfortunately, they were seen and caught and taken into Weng-Chiang's lair - a rather gorgeous multi-storey house with a huge gold dragon statue and ornate Oriental decorations - where he forced them to tell him where the bag was.
The Doctor and Leela returned to Litefoot's where they found the bag and Jago's letter telling them they'd gone after Weng-Chiang. The Doctor found and pocketed the key, but as Leela was testing some sports equipment for use as weapons, Weng-Chiang tried to chloroform her, so she pulled off his mask revealing his melty face!
This has turned out to be a wonderfully dark story with prostitutes, opium dens, and all the other squalid bits of Victoriana which make the era so fascinating, but you wouldn't expect on a family show. Mr Sin in particular has turned out to be a decidedly grotesque creation, especially now we know its background. Really can't wait for next week's conclusion!
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang: Part Six (02/04/17)
Well, that was fantastic! By far the best story Tom Baker has had so far. Starting with a discussion with the Doctor and Weng-Chiang (aka Magnus Greel, the Butcher of Brisbane, infamous War Minister and war criminal from the 51st Century) where the Doctor offered to swap the key to the Time Cabinet for Jago and Litefoot, they went back to Greel's base leaving Leela behind, but of course she grabbed a steak knife and followed. Just as well, because Greel double crossed the Doctor and he ended up locked up with Jago, Litefoot and the two girls kidnapped for Greel's next meal.
After entering Greel's lair there was a scene where it appeared that Leela grabbed one of Greel's henchmen, took him behind a curtain and slit his throat! Then she attacked Greel but was less successful. Fortunately, the Doctor had been able to escape thanks to some linen, a gas pipe and some matches, and he stopped Greel feeding off her. There then ensued a face-off where Greel was trying to escape in his cabinet but Mr Sin, who'd set up in the dragon statue - actually a pretty laser cannon - decided to go on the rampage and massacre everyone. This led to Greel getting thrown into his life force extractor and crumbling to dust. Having massacred the Tongs, Mr Sin then attacked Leela but the Doctor slammed him into the floor and took out his fuse. Then the Doctor, Leela, Jago and Litefoot went for muffins.
This has been a fantastic, well written, well acted and directed story, possibly Robert Holmes very best script, brilliantly paced and plotted. Leela is an amazing companion and this series has seen the show go from strength to strength! Okay, so the first story was an utter turkey, but once they'd got rid of Sarah Jane it just soared. I wasn't entirely sure about Tom Baker in the role, and they really should have ditched Sarah at the same time as Harry because she was a terrible companion and just didn't work with Tom's Doctor at all, but the last four stories have shown what he can do when he's given good scripts and a great companion to work alongside. I'm really looking forward to the Doctor and Leela returning in the Autumn; they've proven themselves to be a great team and made the series as great as it was with Pertwee, Jo and UNIT! Good times!
Not much to add it - it really is a fantastic story, all the more amazing for being a six-parter that sustains itself as well as it does. OK, there are minor bits of padding (such as the Phantom of the Opera chase sequence in the theatre), but everything else is so tight and so beautifully drawn that it's not an issue. Great characters throughout, including Chang: I pity anyone who's so caught up in the retrospective racism of the 'yellow face' that they can't see what a fantastic (and sympathetic!) performance John Bennett puts in. The only downer - every truly great Doctor Who story still has one - is the giant rat, but the new version of the story for the Season 14 collection is set to rectify that, too. Hooray!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Amazing to think that Louise Jameson had terrible glandular fever for much of this story. You wouldn't know it to look at or listen to her. Such a professional.
P.P.S. While it must have been awkward at the time, I think the coolness in Tom Baker and Louise Jameson's relationship on set at first actually really helped, given the inherent friction between the characters.
I'm sure I'd heard about Louise's illness during filming, probably read about back in the 90s, but had completely forgotten and agree that you really cannot tell! It is a shame that Tom and Louise's relationship wasn't as close as Tom and Lis's, but nevertheless on-screen they're a far superior coupling. I quite like the big, cuddly rat, though. I doubt I'll bother with the new effects when I get the BluRay!
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