The Three Doctors
After three years mainly marooned on Earth, The Doctor
finally gets his chance for freedom – but first he has to travel across the
universe to a realm of anti-matter to come face to face with one of the legends
of the Time Lords. It takes more than one incaration to do this, as Patrick
Troughton and William Hartnell join in on the fun. Hartnell was extremely ill
at the time, his memory failing to the point where he couldn’t remember any of
his lines. That kept him out of the studio (his segments were pre-filmed, with
the lines written out in front of him) and the heavy lifting of the story to
Pertwee and Troughton. There are conflicting reports on how well the two got
along, but there is a terrific rivalry between the two characters – and even a
chance for a quote from the Beatles. It’s really a fun romp that is the early
1970s Doctor Who at its best.
Carnival of Monsters
The Doctor’s good deeds allow him to travel freely through
space and time again, which is put to good use through the bulk of the season.
Robert Holmes gets us started with a comedic piece that finally showcases the
storytelling and character skills that would leave such a mark on the Tom Baker
years, when he became script editor. The carnival in question is a banned bit
of technology that shrinks its subjects down for all to watch. This includes a
ship terrorized on the Indian Ocean in the 1920s (with Ian Marter as a sailor,
a couple of years before he became solid and stupid Harry Sullivan) and some
nasties called the Drashigs. The Doctor and Jo are trapped inside, trying to
get out, while the carnival barkers are faced with some officious officials who
political machinations of their own. Good stuff.
Frontier in Space
We move out into the future Earth galactic empire for this
six parter, as our heroes are shuttled between planets and star systems while
uncovering a plot to set the humans and the Draconians off into a war. Who is
behind it? The Master of course. Sadly, this turned out to be Roger Delgado’s
final ride in the role, as he was killed in an accident on the way to a film
set. He’s good as always here, but it turns out he isn’t the final brains
behind the plot. That would belong to: The Daleks!
Planet of the Daleks
While the Doctor is able to wrap up the Earth/Draconian
conflict at the end of Frontier in Space, there is still the matter of the
massive Dalek army massing on Spiridon. An injured Doctor spends some time in a
coma here, leaving Jo to explore and get entangled on her own. We have Thals
(returning from the first Dalek adventure from a decade past), a deadly jungle
planet and invisible natives, who thankfully wear big furry coats to let us
know where they are. As usual, the Terry Nation script is fast paced and
crackles with plenty of invention and character. That helps to distract the
viewer from some of the dodgier moments, like the massive Dalek army that is
obviously a bunch of toys waiting for their close up.
The Green Death
Jo Grant’s era on the show ends with a highlight from the
Jon Pertwee years (season finales were often the best during this era). The
plot involves: angry Welsh miners, ecological disaster, giant maggots (and a
sad looking giant fly thing) and a self-aware supercomputer that is barking
mad. Authors Robert Sloman and Barry Letts – also responsible for The Daemons
and Planet of the Spiders (and, er, The Time Monster; no one’s perfect) – offer
up a strong script that sends Jo off in style. The final scene – as the Doctor
quietly slips away from Jo’s engagement party – is rightly considered a series
highlight, and one that Mark Gatiss riffed on in a recent Sherlock episode.
No comments:
Post a Comment