Day 4 - Marco Polo (Part 1)

I went to the dentist today. My dentist is just a few blocks from where I used to live. It hurt a lot going back there, knowing that I cannot belong there at the moment; but wanting to so badly. The dentist seemed a lot less painful than usual though, compared to the ache in my heart. I suppose that the most appropriate story for a day at the dentist would have been The Gunfighters, but that is still some way off. Instead tonight we will journey to Cathay with Marco Polo, and the first reconstruction of this marathon.

Episode 1 - The Roof of the World

A great pleasure of the opening episodes of these early stories that has been lost in later years is that the TARDIS crew have no idea where they are when they land. They hope they may have returned home, but, of course, that is never the case.

I do so wish we could see one complete episode of this story. I’m sure that I will say that a lot when going through these reconstructions. This story, in particular, looks so well-made and sumptuous; especially in the pictures that exist in colour - a rarity in this black and white era. And the dialog is just as rich; almost Shakespearean in places.

Much has been said about the map showing the journey that Marco Polo and his caravan took. It’s a great device and really helps the viewer understand the locale of the story and the scale of the journey the characters are undertaking. This is really the ultimate expression of Sydney Newman’s vision for the series, and that vision could be considered to be even more important today. Children in the 1960s would know who Marco Polo was. Today, I don’t know that that would be the case, and most children or family television wouldn’t take the time to educate them, which is a shame. It’s one of the reasons I admired the Sarah Jane Adventures story with Lady Jane Grey (“Lost in Time”) so much. It would have made Sydney Newman proud.

Episode 2 - The Singing Sands

Episode two keeps up the quality of the first. The rich dialog continues to provide great insight into the characters; both between the regulars, and among the new characters that they are encountering on their (forced) journey. The scene between Barbara and Susan as they discuss the future and where they should be is especially lovely, and shows up the great affection that has developed between this former student and her teacher.

One of the pleasures of the historical stories for me is that the perils in which our regulars find themselves are just as dangerous as those they faced on Skaro, but in most cases they are actually real, as opposed to fiction. The sandstorm that they face here is as deadly as any Dalek gun, and we can really imagine what it would we feel like to be caught up in.

Tegana makes a delicious villain. He is scheming, yet oozes charm when he is in Marco’s company. Who would have thought that something as simple as tainting water could be such a threat to the lives of our heroes?

Episode 3 - Five Hundred Eyes

The resolution to the water situation is another lovely opportunity to educate in the form of entertainment, and the joy and relief the characters feel, especially the Doctor when he feels the water drip on his face in the TARDIS is palpable, and wonderfully portrayed by all.

The waystation at Tun-Huang looks very impressive from the stills; a bustling place, that is very believable as a stopping off point on Marco’s journey to Cathay. I love the pauses that this story takes, such as Ping Cho’s storytelling performance. This is a script that likes to take its time and let the viewer enjoy the travelogue on which they are being taken. It’s something that is lost in much of today’s fast-paced drama, which often doesn’t leave the audience a moment to breathe.

This story has such wonderful episode titles; Five Hundred Eyes, The Singing Sands, The Roof of the World. They are so evocative, and conjure upsome magical images. The Cave of Five Hundred Eyes seems like a very creepy and mysterious location. It’s too bad that we cannot see more of it than a few dark stills.

Episode 4 - The Wall of Lies

Following Marco’s rescue of the crew from the cave of Five Hundred Eyes, Tegana turns on his most Iago-like charm, pouring out suspicion into Marco’s ears. Ironically much of what he says is basically true, although he puts his own spin and interpretation on things, which make it all seem much worse than it actually is. At this stage in the proceedings he has the ear of the Venetian, and this enables him to wriggle out of Barbara’s accusations, as well as Ping Cho’s, when she feels like she has good evidence against the warlord later in the episode.

Mark Eden’s voiceover narrations make this story work very well in its reconstructed form and on audio. It makes this story unlike anything we’ve seen before or since. It’s an epic journey where we really feel the passage of time, and get to observe relationships between the regulars and the other main characters ebb and flow as events transpire. Even though The Daleks took place over several days, it didn’t feel as though much time had passed. This has that sense of scale and time.

It seems to me that dealing with Marco Polo and his group must be more frustrating for the Doctor than the cavemen were, since he has more intelligence and can read body language and motivation, which increases his suspicion of the travelers, and causes them to be watched more closely than they ever were in The Cave of Skulls. That also makes for more interesting drama though, which is always a good thing!