Tonight I get to watch “doggie Who” with my sweet and lovely doggie. He is wonderful to cuddle with, and it relaxes me no end to have him next to me. It feels a little bit more normal; if only temporarily.
Episode 4 – The Snows of Terror
A bit of a placeholder episode this. There’s the peril of Barbara with the creepy trapper, and the peril of the freezing cold, but compared to the elaborate nature of the search for the first two keys, this once seems rather too straightforward.
I don’t know how Altos survived in that skimpy outfit all tied up in the snow and ice; especially if it was really as cold and treacherous as was described. I’m not sure that he would have survived all that long.
The cliffhanger gets things moving great though, and kicks off my favourite part of the story.
Episode 5 – Sentence of Death
Here we have Doctor Who’s first stone cold whodunnit! The laws of Millenium are wonderfully warped and stack the odds against Ian and his friends. In many cases it feels terribly unfair, when compared to the legal system that we are familiar with, but it is consistent and well portrayed here.
The Doctor is absolutely in his element as the lawyer for the defense, and it’s a joy to see him using every ounce of intelligence at his disposal.
Despite the Doctor’s lawyer tricks, that are as smart as any on numerous legal shows even today, things seem desperate by the end of the episode, and it looks like all is lost. The culprit has not been proven in a Millenium court of law.
Episode 6 – The Keys of Marinus
There’s lots of wrapping up to do in the final episode. We have to get Ian acquitted, find the final eky and get back to the Island. It should be a busy 25 minutes!
I love Barbara taking charge of the situation when she finds out that Susan has been kidnapped, and letting the Doctor concentrate on Ian. She gets to use her intelligence and wonderful common sense, as she works out what is really going on.
And then we find the final key. I get the impression that the Doctor has known where the key was hidden all along, and had been playing everyone along, waiting for the right moment, so that the villain’s actions would prove Ian’s innocence. After all it seemed that nothing else would!
Now it’s back to the island and the confrontation with Yartek! How anyone would ever mistake him for Arbitan is beyond me, but I’ll let that one slide! The Voord are vicious creatures and will stop at nothing to get hold of the key. And the day is saved by the classic sleight-of-hand switcheroo with the fake duplicate found in an earlier episode! It’s an old trick, but always seems to work pretty well, and it’s an effective way to end this tale!
The Aztecs
Episode 1 – The Temple of Evil
I reach another showcase historical story. Again it’s John Lucarotti, and the same rich dialog, wonderful characters and great feel for the mixture of education, entertainment and drama that made Marco Polo so wonderful is present. It only goes to show what a loss it is no longer having that earlier story in the archive.
The Doctor is such an old dog! Even this long ago he had an eye for the ladies, which is forgotten in the complaints from classic series fans about certain aspects of the new series! He spots Cameca immediately, and appears to be attracted to her.
The debate between Barbara and the Doctor about changing history is every bit as powerful this time round, despite knowing it so well. They are two determined people with their hearts absolutely in the right place. I would love to know what event it was they caused the Doctor to be so sure that he couldn’t re-write history. What was it he tried to do and, presumably, failed at doing and the resulting events made him “know”? There must be fan fiction for that somewhere, surely?
There’s a wonderful epic scale to this. It doesn’t look quite as impressive as Marco Polo, but it is portraying this different culture just as well. There are a lot of similarities, however – a devious villain (Tlotoxl) and a trusting yet also untrusting friend (Autloc).
Episode 2 – The Warriors of Death
Recriminations galore begin this second episode. But the Doctor’s tenderness for Barbara and sense of what must be done, soon win out over all the anger he has over her attempts to stop the sacrifice.
The Doctor’s flirting with Cameca gets more shameless in every episode! Partly he is charming her to get what he wants, but it really seems more than that, and that he finds her most enchanting. The Master’s quip about his always having a thing for Earthwomen, was true even now.
Susan’s declaration of spending life with whom she chooses hits a chord with me right now. Although, I have to trust that the one I miss so much will choose me. It is also interesting to compare the statements that she makes here with her future path in the series, where she does indeed choose someone to spend her life with; even if she needs a helping hand along the way from her Grandfather to make that decision complete.
All sorts of schemes and double-crossing here! The Doctor almost schemes too much and gets Ian into trouble. For all the high drama present in this story, it also contains many of the elements of mistaken identity and farce that epitomized many of the later historical adventures. I hadn’t expected to encounter them in these earlier stories, which have a more serious reputation.
The fight between Ian an Ixta is very well choreographed and holds the viewer’s attention well. The combatants are well matched, and you can sense the Doctor’s desperation to halt it to help save a friend he has come to respect, since he knows what advantage Ixta has, thanks to his actions.
Episode 3 – The Bride of Sacrifice
At the conclusion of the fight, after he has been forced to spare Ian’s life, Ixta demonstrates that he has developed great respect for his opponent. But he and Tlotxl still delight in their superiority over him, and their schemes to triumph over the “Servants of Yetaxa”.
So all it takes to get engaged in the Aztec culture is for the man to make the woman cocoa? That seems rather simple (but I’m happy to do it for the right person, anytime!) Cameca seems to have fallen quite hard for the Doctor. And for her part, she seems to fill him with life. There is a lovely spark between them, and a great lightness of wit and language in their dialog. Although some of this repartee does appear to be at cross purposes, and is shown absolutely to be so in Hartnell’s delicious reaction when Cameca accepts his “proposal”!
It’s interesting that it is speaking to Ian that convinces Barbara that her quest to change the Aztecs is doomed. The trust between these two grows and grows and grows. Fortunately, it doesn’t remove her suspicion of those around them, which spares her life when Tlotoxl comes to test her with the poisoned drink. And that saves her life. In so doing it also gives her more confidence; to flatly admit that she is not who she has claimed to be. Jacqueline Hill’s performance has been a highlight in every story so far. She really is magnificent.
Episode 4 – The Day of Darkness
The ambition of the show can be seen once again. This time it’s shown in having a cliffhanger involving water, which must have been tough to control in the studio. There’s not much of it, but it is handled very well. Throughout this story we have also had that great sense of scale again, especially in the final fight sequence between Ian and Ixtar, high above the city. Even though it is more clear that these are painted drapes than in some earlier stories, it still looks impressive.
All of the threads come together, and the honesty with which the regulars have treated the people they have met on this adventure helps those they have encountered who have good in their heart and were willing to listen come to their aid. The moral of course being that it is always important to do the right thing, and treat others with respect.
Cameca is a wise woman. She knows what she had, and how special the Doctor is. But she also knows what her role has been in this adventure and reluctantly accepts it. She must let him go, and will do whatever she can to ensure that he and his friends part in peace. I know how she feels all too well.
The last scene between Barbara and the Doctor touched me, as they discuss Autloc and that saving one man is enough of a victory. The TARDIS crew cannot always change events (especially in the past), but making someone better than they were before is a good thing, and worthy of celebration.
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