Thursday 26 January 2023

DOCTOR WHO - SEASON-BY-SEASON: SEASON THIRTEEN

A MILD WARNING: 

I wrote something similar to this in my Season Eight Review. I felt I needed to post another warning for this one. Although, admittedly, this one doesn't need to be quite as severe. 

We're about to enter another era that is greatly-loved by fans. Many, in fact, refer to this as the Golden Age of Doctor Who. I, unfortunately, am not one of them. 

I won't deny it, there are some excellent stories during this period. There's some stuff, here, that is absolutely amazing. There are some mediocre tales, too. And even some downright awful ones. Essentially, this era is really about the same as any period of the show. No better or no worse than any other time in Doctor Who. Such an opinion might actually offend some of you, of course. So I'm warning you, in advance: if you are in love with the next few seasons and consider them a high point in the show's history, some of what I have to say about it may rankle you. 

I will add, however, that it shouldn't bother you as much as my Reviews of Seasons Eight to Eleven might have if you were in love with that stage of the show. I do consider most of the content that was produced throughout that time to be a bit below average. This time, I'm just saying that this is not, necessarily, as great a period as fans make it out to be. But it is still pretty good. 

So, if claiming that the rest of the Hinchcliffe/Holmes Era is not Absolute Perfection is going to cause you to foam at the mouth with fury, you may want to read the next few entries with caution. 


FAKE CLASSICS

I can see why so many fans are excited by this season. I count, at least, three stories in it that are widely regarded as Classics. But I have to emphasise the term "widely regarded". Cause, really, I don't think any of them actually qualify for that status. 

While I don't expect any Classic to be absolutely perfect (although some of them are!), there are enough missteps in all three of these stories to cause them fall shy of the reputation they have garnered. Some, of course, have far more problems than others. So I'll start with the tale that nearly achieves that much-coveted title of "Classic". Then I'll work my way down til I, eventually, reach an adventure where I just can't understand why it's loved so much. I actually think it's pretty bad. 


Fake Classic #1:

Pyramids of Mars is the story that comes closest to actually being the Classic people see it as. Sutekh is an awesome villain. I love how the Doctor only just manages to beat him. The Time Lord would have had no chance of winning if the Osiran had broken out of his prison. The Universe, quite simply, would have been toast. Sutekh just has that much raw power and that makes him quite cool. 

He's brilliantly realized, too. Particularly the voice work Gabriel Woolf does for the character (note to future production teams: if you want to bring him back to voice someone like, say, Satan - just use his natural voice. Don't modulate the Hell out of it til it is no longer recognizable!). The quality of this villain, alone, makes the whole story pretty damned good. 

Now, I have already done a GREATEST HITS entry about Pyramids (you can read it here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2022/03/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-greatest.html) so I won't go into too much detail about its problems. If you want a deeper dive, go check out the link I just posted. 

The biggest issue I have with this particular tale is just how much it has to mark time. The core premise cannot fill up four episodes if its life depended on it. So the writer creates a subplot with the Poacher during Part Two that is completely extraneous. He also turns the Doctor into Indiana Jones for the better part of an episode. The Time Lord must assail various traps set up in Horus' pyramid rather than actually advance the plot (I've moaned about this several times, already, Either read the GREATEST HITS entry or go check out my Season 11 Review where Evil of the Daleks does the same trick. More than likely, we'll be going down this avenue again in the Season 14 Review when we discuss Hand of Fear). The sidequest in the TARDIS where the Doctor shows Sarah the future of Earth if Sutekh is freed is also, technically, filler. But it, at least, demonstrates something interesting about the consequences of time travel. 

If you do the math, two-episodes-and-some-change represents the time that is spent dealing with  trying to stop Sutekh from escaping into the Universe and making a huge mess of things. The rest of the run-time is made up mainly of inconsequential nonsense that just stalls the plot until we get to the Doctor manipulating the Time/Space Corridor in the last few minutes of the story. 

There's a lot about Pyramids of Mars that I really love. If, maybe, it had been a two-parter - I would be agreeing with most other fans that it's a Classic. Bur nearly two episodes' worth of padding prohibits me from being able to do that. 

Fake Classic #2:

Terror of the Zygons is dripping with atmosphere. It's beautifully-shot by the Great Douglas Camfield.. The outdoor footage looks particularly gorgeous (even though it contains visual cues that give away that we're not really in Scotland!). It also has one of the most haunting scores a Doctor Who story has ever produced. The whole tone of the story is very impressive. 

The Zygons, themselves, look great. One of the best creature designs from the Classic Series. I would even say they look a bit better than the ones that pop back up during New Who. The re-vamps look ever-so-slightly comical. The originals appear genuinely menacing. 

Terror of the Zygons is, in many ways, a visual triumph. There's no denying it. But, when you get right down to it, the basic premise of the story involves aliens wanting to disrupt an energy convention. Yes, it's an international one. So that does make things just a little bit more special, I suppose. But, overall, this is a horrendously weak plot. You've got evil aliens sitting at the bottom of Loch Ness for several centuries, scheming to take over the world. And the best they can come up with is upsetting a conference! 

The four parts do fill up all right with doppelganger intrigue, claymation sea monsters and some nice spaceship model work. It may have a weak plot, but there's enough there to keep things interesting. But the whole storyline is far too bog-standard to label it a Classic (there are now so many spaceships that have crashed into Earth that we should probably have a giant "Slippery When Wet" sign or something of that nature floating in front of our planet). On top of being a massive re-tread, it also has a fairly weak ending. Beating up Broton in a basement and then tossing a prop at a bad hand-puppet is not exactly a spellbinding climax!

I suppose most fans consider the tale a triumph of style over substance. And, to some extent, I can see that. But I still need something to be a bit more than just a passable runaround if I'm going to consider it one of the greatest stories the show ever made. 

Fake Classic #3:

Much of the same people that brought us Terror of the Zygons also created Seeds of Doom. So I would imagine it's also viewed as being a triumph of style over substance. Since, again, there's not a whole lot of plot going on. But, whereas Terror of the Zygons is still a passable runaround, I find Seeds of Doom to be greatly troubled. 

Here's how it still could have been decent: Rather than taking a helicopter up to Antarctica, the Doctor and Sarah manage a short hop in the TARDIS to get to the base. There is no second pod - only the one. It germinates and turns the one scientist into an Axon Painted Green. Scorby still shows up and steals the husk. He sets the bomb but gets killed by the Krynoid while trying to make his way back to his plane. The Doctor and Sarah escape the blast radius and make it back to the TARDIS. Sarah is sad about the lives that were lost but the Doctor re-enforces the fact that, at least, the Krynoid was stopped before it took over the whole planet. They depart in the TARDIS and we get a nice little two-parter that is a cute homage to The Thing. The Doctor and Sarah race off to and participate in a completely unrelated four parter that finishes out the season. 

Sadly, this is not the story we get. Instead, we must endure another four episodes of the exact same damn story. Yes, the location is different. Yes, the Krynoid gets much bigger (and, somehow, develops vocal chords?!). Yes, UNIT gets involved, this time (and, for once, actually seem to be a bit useful). But, for the most part, this really is just the same story twice. It's a good thing that Krynoid pods travel in pairs. Otherwise, we would have no plot to repeat for the next four parts. What a lucky coincidence! 

This is not the only problem, however. There's a fairly bad Cliffhanger Resolution in here, too. At the end of Part Two, Sarah and the Doctor are fleeing the base in Antarctica as it erupts into a huge series of explosions. At the start of Episode Three, it's revealed that they made it clear of the blast. Which already seems like a stretch. They were only a few feet away from the bomb with seconds left when it went off. But, okay, they can run really fast. We'll let that go. The explosion still knocks them out and they seem to be found some time later by a rescue team. Now, maybe the Doctor might still be okay because of his superior Time Lord physiology. But Sarah was lying unconscious and exposed in a polar region. She's as good as dead. Essentially, she should be a companionsicle! 

But, of course, she's fine. Not even a hint of frostbite. And the story continues...

Seeds of Doom is riddled with several plot holes of this nature. Even the final scene doesn't make a lot of sense. Apparently, the Doctor forgot to cancel the coordinates and the TARDIS has taken them back to Antarctica. How could it do that, though? It never took them there to begin with! The Doctor and Sarah's first trip to Antarctica was by helicopter. Perhaps the writer knew in his heart of hearts that my suggestion of how the plot should have went was the better one!    

On top of multiple plot holes, those last four episodes really do just plod along. Lots of running around Chase's estate getting captured and escaping over and over. Everything moving just as slowly as possible so we can fill up the run-time til the Krynoid can finally get destroyed in an airstrike in the last few minutes. We could have gotten to that moment sooo much faster. But, instead, we have villains doing ridiculous things like putting the Doctor in a giant mulcher but not hanging around to make sure he gets killed (if he doesn't want to watch it, at least leave a guard, there!) Conveniently enough, Sarah can come into an empty room  and rescue him a short while later. Freed for the third or fourth time from Chase's clutches, the two protagonists can continue marking more time - I mean - trying to save the world!   

"But Rob!" some of you might be saying, "What about Harrison Chase?! One of the greatest villains in the history of the show!

Admittedly, he is a bit fun. Tony Beckley certainly commits to the part and has a good time with it. However, I have issues (surprise! surprise!)...

In a short while, I'll be discussing Professor Solon in Brain of Morbius. Another great villain from this season. Part of what makes him so awesome is all the layers that have been built into the character. He is absolutely delightful to watch throughout all four episodes because of the depth that Philip Madoc mines from the role. 

Chase, on the other hand, is pretty one-note. He's a millionaire douche-bag who's obsessed with plants. A bit later in the story, he becomes more obsessed with plants. That's the only real range the character has. Beckley, himself, doesn't really go anywhere with the part. But it's hardly his fault. There's nowhere for him to go. He is enjoyable to watch for a bit. But being so two-dimensional for six whole episodes does, eventually, wear thin. 

A similar thing happens with Amelia Ducat: Someone who had the potential to be a colorful eccentric. Unfortunately, she's written as a total caricature. Poor 'ole Sylvia Coleridge has to handle her role the same way Beckley does. Try to have as much fun as possible, knowing that is all you can really do with the part.  

I could moan some more but I think I've made my point. There's very little good that I have to say about Seeds of Doom. There are a few nice lines that Baker gets (ie: "You must help yourselves" or  "I win!"). But, beyond another great job from Douglas Camfield, a bit of decent dialogue for the lead is the best compliment I can give it 

This, in my opinion, is several miles away from being a Classic. I'd even say it's a bit of a dud.  


HOW THE REGULARS ARE DOING

On the Character Development Front, things are looking a bit better for our leads. Sarah Jane does seem to be getting a bit better-written this season. She is, at least, proving a bit more useful. Last year, she tended to just need to be saved a lot from the dangers that present themselves in the Doctor's travels. This time, though, she's actually doing a lot more of the rescuing. Particularly in The Android Invasion. She's quite the heroine in that one. She gets the Doctor out of several nasty situations. She even takes out the android guarding the door to her cell all on her own during Part Three (although I'm not sure how she doesn't get shocked herself in the process as she is holding one of the cables and should, therefore, be part of the circuit that's being completed when the android steps in the water. But who am I to argue? It's just science, after all!). It turns out she's a pretty good shot, too, in Pyramids of Mars

Probably part of what's contributing to her being better-used in the plots is the fact that Harry Sullivan decides to stop travelling with the Doctor in Terror of the Zygons. The writers now only have one companion to contend with and give her a lot of the stuff that would have probably been assigned to Harry had he stayed.  

Harry's decision to go did sadden me quite a bit. As I said in my Review of last season, I would have really liked him to stay. I greatly enjoyed this TARDIS Crew and wished it had lasted longer. We do, at least, get Harry back a few stories later before he's truly gone from the show. Although, it is interesting to note that he gets duplicated for quite a bit in both the adventures we see him in this season. Ian Marter plays fake versions of his character almost as much as he plays the real Harry Sullivan!   

It's also in this season that both the Brigadier and Benton will fade into the woodwork once and for all. It may sound a bit heartless, but I'm not so upset by this. Losing the characters means UNIT stories will get phased out, too. By this point, I'd had all the UNIT adventures I need. Giving the whole organisation a rest for a while was just what the show required. The Brigadier would, at least, return now and again in a few years' time. On each occasion, the character was marvelously re-created by both Nicholas Courtney and the writers that were bringing him back. 

And then there's the Doctor, himself. Tom Baker is still doing those bizarre mood changes at the start of most stories. But it's definitely less abrasive, this year. Like he's getting a better handle on where exactly he wants the character to go. It does still come across as a bit weird, though. He fluctuates between grim and morbid and whimsical and lighthearted with little or no motivation. Even in something like Pyramids of Mars, where he has some license to get very dramatic because of the nature of the threat that Sutekh poses to the Universe, the shift in personality still doesn't quite make sense. He's this darker more serious character even before he realizes Sutekh is involved. I actually think it would have been more effective if he had been more jovial until learning of the Osiran Menace and then suddenly become darker, afterwards. Instead, he's already ominous right at the start of the tale. Admittedly, the little: "I'm a Time Lord, I walk in eternity" speech is nice. But, maybe, he could have bounced back from that moment and become fun for a while until he found out about Sutekh. Or, maybe, the speech just needed to go elsewhere. 

But I will say that at least the character is starting to feel more consistent. As I said, the mood jumps aren't as big as they were in Season Twelve (he also seems to be the same personality in both Brain of Morbius and Seeds of Doom). The performance, however, is still a bit disjointed. Which definitely affects my overall enjoyment of the season. But things are starting to get a bit smoother with how Baker is handling the role.


THE GENUINELY BLAND

There is a strange new phenomenon that develops around this time in the show. Middle-of-the-line stories, of course, have always existed on Doctor Who. In any TV series, really. But there is something about a Tom Baker tale that is only just okay that feels "extra mediocre". It's strange, really. They just come across as really unmemorable. So much so that, whenever I watch certain seasons of Baker, I always have to check a program guide. I really can't remember the order of things. Some of his stuff really stands out, of course. I can always remember where Deadly Assassin shows up. But I'm not always sure how other stories in that season were arranged. There's just too much of a muddle of blandness in there, sometimes.

Planet of Evil is distinctive only in the fact that it is the first story of this kind. Otherwise, it's a pretty insignificant runaround. 

Admittedly, one or two other things do stand out a bit. It's probably the most gorgeous jungle set they ever made. And the concept of a portal into the Universe of Anti-Matter is pretty cool. I especially like that the Doctor uses his status as a Time Lord to survive falling into the pit. 

But there's also quite a bit that weighs the story down. The biggest problem being the way they suddenly switch from being a tribute to Forbidden Planet to Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hide during Part Three. Introducing this whole new subplot of Sorenson fighting his transformations into a monster really just feels like a bunch of filler to get us through the episode. 

Certain plot elements are not making sense, either, as we get into the latter parts. We're never given a clear explanation, for example, of how the canister full of crystals that the Doctor carries with him throughout Part Four actually repels the versions of Sorenson that are made of pure anti-matter. The Doctor just needs some way to defend himself against the creatures so he can make his way to the Quarantine Bay, and this seems to be the thing that does it. Also, I'm pretty sure that a toffee tin full of anti-matter never actually got ejected. Morelli appears to get killed before he can accomplish the task.

Ultimately, the bad points of Planet of Evil don't outweigh the good. But they do tend to neutralize them. So that this story really does feel like filler. But, somehow, it's extreme filler. I care far less for Planet of Evil than I do for a lot other stories that fit the same description.  

There will be other stories like this in later seasons. They're not just bland but, almost, "super vanilla".  And, because of this, they too will feel very forgettable.  


THE FAKE BLAND (SEE WHAT I DID, THERE?!)

At last, we get to the story that I think was the best of the season. 

There are quite a few homages that happen throughout Season Thirteen. Of course, there's always a delicate balance between referencing the source material and legitimately ripping it off. Doctor Who, for the most part, never falls into Category B. But there are some stories that do it better than others. And then there are some who do it magnificently. 

Brain of Morbius does an absolutely perfect tribute to the best Hammer Horror versions of Frankenstein

Particularly in the sense that Hammer could have made Frankenstein much more gimmicky and superficial and gotten away with it. Instead, they gave us a Doctor Frankenstein who was a tortured genius and a "Monster" that actually stirred quite a bit of pathos. 

Brains of Morbius does something similar. It's not an exact duplication. The Monster, for instance, is not really pitiable in the slightest. But there are still plenty of gorgeous layers built into the various characters that inhabit the plot. Which is shown in both the writing and, especially, the acting. 

In fact, let's spend some time talking about the cast:

Philip Madoc is, clearly, the Star, here. He is an excellent actor in anything he does. He even manages to lift the hugely uninteresting character he was given in Power of Kroll. But Solon is the best role he was given in the show. There are quite a few levels to the part and Madoc makes sure to bring all of them out. Every line he has is expertly delivered. Showing every nuance to the character that needed to be displayed. There is not a nanosecond where I'm not enjoying what he puts on screen. He is truly great. 

However, we can't ignore the other performances, either. Although a much simpler role, Condo is also played to perfection. And the Voice of Morbius (along with some more great movement work from Stuart Fell once the renegade Time Lord finally gets a body) is fantastic too. How great is it when Morbius reveals that he envies a vegetable?! We love it when he says that!! 

And then, of course, there's the Sisterhood. Both speaking roles are done excellently, too. But watch those extras well. Even they play their parts with complete conviction. The costumes and make-up enhance things wonderfully, of course. But the very looks that they deliver in the background as we watch the dialogue being said is very impressive. There is not only a definite alieness in their portrayal, but they also seem quite vicious. There's a real danger to them. 

I also just love the whole concept of the Sisterhood. It was great to see another race in the Universe that was equal in power to the Time Lords. One would expect that they, too, are experts at time travel. But their potency lies in completely different areas. Which I thought was quite imaginative on the part of "Robin Bland". The ritualistic dances that they perform were also great to watch. Nice work on the choreographer's behalf. The Sisterhood is truly an awesome idea at work. So glad the Eighth and Twelfth Doctors go back and visit them. 

Does this mean I consider Brain of Morbius to be the True Classic of the Season? Sadly, there are still enough flaws to it that rob it of this status. 

The editing in Part One gets particularly wonky, in places. The initial exploration that the Doctor and Sarah make of Karn is very choppy. Which ends up giving us a very bad first impression of the story. Things also do drag just a bit in Part Three. At the risk of sounding like a groundling, we could have used with a bit less talk and a bit more action in this episode. 

And then we have Solon blowing Condo's stomach open with a gunshot. This is one of the few times where I actually think the production team went just a bit too far with the violence on a family show. One of the rare occasions where I actually find myself vaguely agreeing with Mary Whitehouse!!

Admittedly, they're minor enough flaws. But it's still enough to make this an amazing story but not quite a Classic. 

The Doctor solving the Sisterhood's problem with the Sacred Flame by using a simple firecracker is, to me, the quintessence of Doctor Who. The tackling of a major conflict with something absurdly mundane is what the show is all about. And Four is the best for these kind of moments. 

I still remember my very early days as a fan quite fondly. I wasn't entirely sure if I liked the program until the moment where I watched Baker throw his hat over a Dalek eyestalk during Destiny of the Daleks. From that point, onwards, I was in love with the show. Saving a race of immortals with the sort of pyrotechnics generally carried by naughty schoolboys is another one of those moments that I love.  The Fourth Doctor is always a sheer delight when he executes such things

I also think: "Touch the blue paper and stand clear!' is a great final line!


THE GENUINELY AWFUL

And then, finally, we get to The Android Invasion. This would be another story that would make it into my Bottom Five. In fact, it might just be the worst Doctor Who story, ever.  

I really only re-watch this one when necessary. Like if something that happened in it pertains to a blog entry I am working on . I would never just put it on to be entertained. I'm actually pretty sure the last time I saw it was 10 years ago when I decided to celebrate the 50th Anniversary by watching every single existing episode. 

Like so many other stories that I don't like, the core premise makes little or no sense.  The Kraals go about their business in a way that is so impractical that it's completely ludicrous. This becomes a bigger and bigger problem in the way a lot of 70s Who is written. Even a stronger story like Pyramids of Mars is built on the crux of: "Why would you leave a massively powerful god-like being that wants to destroy the Universe all the necessary equipment he needs to escape from his prison?!" It's almost as if the scriptwriters are hoping you don't look too closely at things. 

Android Invasion's irrational central conceit is greater than most. Terry Nation decided to write a plot that mirrors the idea of nuclear test sites that created false villages to destroy so that scientists could view the results of the effects of a nuclear blast. The Doctor and Sarah land near a sort of false Devesham and get embroiled for a while in the mystery of it all. Slowly but surely, they manage to work out what's really going on. A couple of episodes get burnt as they do. And then we turn to the  Kraal's actual attempt to wipe out humanity. 

The construction of a test village populated with androids might make some degree of sense if the Kraals were not planning to use a virus on Earth. How do you actually test a disease on something that's not organic?! 

"But Rob," you might try to correct me, "It wasn't about weapons testing in the fake android village. It was about testing the androids in a real-world scenario so that the Kraals could occupy Devesham on Earth and use it as a stronghold as they release their virus on humanity."

To which I reply: "Why would they need to do that? If you're releasing a plague on humanity, you just need to land your ship, toss out the virus canister from a hatch, seal things up tightly and  open the  canister by some kind of remote control. Then let the disease do its work. Why do you need to take over a small, near-useless village with androids?!

They don't even need Guy Crayford, really. I'm pretty sure any old ship could just land and dump the virus (does it even need to land?! It could even just do a fly-by!). There was no need for a ridiculous, barely-believable cover story that Crayford was returning after being stuck in space for 2 years. 

The Kraal's plan is, without a doubt, the most contrived, nonsensical scheme an alien race has ever put together to overthrow the Earth. The Zygons might have been a bit silly with their attempt to interfere with the World Energy Convention. But they got nothin' on the Kraals! 

Since we mentioned Guy Crayford, we need to, at least, get into that the eye-patch for a bit. I've gone on about this almost as much as the Scaffolding Cliffhanger in Genesis of the Daleks. There is nothing more ridiculous than a man who wears a patch over his eye for two whole years and never bothers, once, to look under it. This is, without a doubt, Doctor Who's dumbest moment. 

Essentially, the Kraals could have executed their masterplan in a matter of minutes. Like I said, fly a spaceship in, release the plague and just let nature do its work. Instead, we get four episodes of stuff that makes no real sense. Packed with even more illogical nonsense. Like the TARDIS having a function that causes it to dematerialise if you put the key in it. Why would it have that?! Wouldn't you want to be able to get into the TARDIS before it leaves?! 

There's about a dozen other things that happen in the plot that are equally illogical. A Season Review, of course, is not really the place to delve into all of them. Let's just conclude things by saying that The Android Invasion is an absolute embarrassment. It almost makes you wish the BBC were still scrapping episodes during this time and that this one had gotten tossed into the bin. 

Never to be seen again. 


FINAL VERDICT

So, there you go: The usual cross-section of stories that vary in quality and entertainment value. Like, say, most seasons of Doctor Who. I'm sorry, but if you are one of those fans that sees this as one of the most amazing seasons the show has ever produced - then I can't really agree with you. In my eyes, it's average. Nothing wrong with that, of course. But I can't get into the whole mentality that so many of you have. I don't believe this is Doctor Who at its absolute best. There's some great stuff, here. But there are some legitimate problems, too.

It's odd, but - as much as I disliked a lot of Pertwee - the show had some legitimate direction while he was in the role. For his first three seasons, it was all about him trying to liberate himself from his exile. Once he did get free, there were still some decent through-themes going on. Like a nice 12-part intergalactic Dalek/Master Saga. Or the Journey of the Crystal from Metebilis Three. Or even the character arc Mike Yates went through. 

Tom Baker's first season still feels very interconnected. It's all about attempting to get Harry Sullivan back home after he doubts the abilities of the TARDIS at the end of Robot. I quite liked all of that. Even took it a bit for granted. 

There's still some attempt at a sense of continuity in Season Thirteen. Now we're, supposedly, trying to get Sarah back home (even though we know she's not going to stay once the Doctor gets her, there). But, somehow, it all still feels too loose. Most of the season comes across more like pointless meanderings. Which, in some ways, is perfectly in keeping with the Fourth Doctor's personality. But still, it feels too random. Like the production team should have spent more time thinking things through before assembling the stories they did. 

This, to me, is what stops Season Thirteen, more than anything, from being part of the Great Era that it's meant to be. It's still quite good. But I can't call it amazing. 

Sorry. 






 



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