I hadn't intended, at this point, to write a POINT OF DEBATE entry. But there was a development that occurred in a very recent episode that is getting fans to postulate up a storm. I figured I should jump on board this bandwagon and post my own theories on the matter.
THE RUTH DOCTOR
That Chris Chibnall can be a sly one, can't he? Here he is, making us think we're just going to get a story about the return of the Judoon. But he ends up giving us so much more. Not only do we get a surprise appearance from Captain Jack, but we also learn of (yet another) secret incarnation of the Doctor. This one is so mysterious that not even the Doctor knows where this surprise version of herself fits in her timeline.
Chibnall decides to be even more evil by not giving us any explanation of who this latest secret incarnation is. Unlike Moff's Hidden Doctor, it doesn't look like we're going to get a quick answer, either. Moffat gave us a full explanation of the War Doctor in the very next episode. I'm wondering if we'll even learn who this new incarnation is by the end of this season.
Since we don't have a clue as to where or, more appropriately, when this Doctor hails from - we can't assign the incarnation a specific number yet. We shall, instead, refer to her as The Ruth Doctor. Named after the identity she assumed while she was hiding away on Earth using a Chameleon Arch. Someday, when her origins are properly revealed, we can give her a better name
While we wait for that revelation, let's look into some possible theories of who she might be. There are, at least, three ideas that seem feasible to me. We'll give them a somewhat thorough examination.
THEORY 1: AN ALTERNATIVE TIMELINE DOCTOR
This one seems to make the most sense to me. It's my belief that the Ruth Doctor hails from a parallel universe and that, somehow, the walls between our reality and hers have broken down. She wanted to escape and hide on the Earth in her universe but, somehow, ended up in ours, instead. She's not even aware that she's slipped sideways into our reality. Somehow, Gat and the platoon of Judoon (near that lagoon) have also entered into our version of existence without knowing it.
This is why Gallifrey still exists for the Ruth Doctor and Gat. In their reality, there was no Time War. Nor did the Master go mad and wipe out the population of his homeworld. Gallifrey still stands in their universe. It almost seems like they're a bit more fascist, too (Gat speaks of "the Glory of Gallifrey" - which doesn't sound like the sort of rhetoric you'd normally hear a Time Lord use). Making a culture seem a bit more Naziesque is always a quick easy way of hinting at a parallel reality.
Of course, it might just be an aborted timeline rather than a fully-fledged alternative universe. Again, our key players from the aborted timeline made it into our reality without actually knowing it and think they're in a cosmos where Fascist Gallifrey still exists. Their version of events is now wiped out but they, somehow, didn't get erased with it.
Yes, Chibnall has already gone on record as saying that the Ruth Doctor does not hail from an alternate reality. But he might just be lying to put us all off the scent. Or, more specifically, he's saying she's not from a parallel universe - but he didn't say she wasn't from an aborted timeline. And there is a difference between the two.
THEORY 2: A LEGITIMATE INCARNATION WITH A MEMORY WIPE
Part of what is making the Ruth Doctor such a mystery is the fact that her and Thirteen don't seem to recognize each other. Out of sheer linear logic, whoever is the most recent version of the Doctor should be aware of who the other is. The younger incarnation may not know how they will appear in the future, but we're assuming that the latest model has glanced in the mirror at least a few times while they were in the past body and remembers what they looked like back then.
But neither Doctor knows who the other is. It's a complete shock to either of them when they meet. Which is, of course, one more reason why I think the Ruth Doctor hails from another reality altogether. They wouldn't recognize each other if that were the case.
But suppose she doesn't come from a parallel universe or an aborted timeline. Suppose she is either a past or a future incarnation of the Doctor. How could this be possible if neither recognizes the other?
The simplest explanation is that something happened to the Doctor's memory. If Thirteen is the most recent incarnation, then everything that happened to her while she was the Ruth Doctor was, somehow, erased. If it's the reverse and Ruth is a future version of the Doctor, then her experiences as Thirteen were deleted from her consciousness. Whichever the case, they both fit in the same timeline but their memories have been tampered with in some way. More than likely, the Time Lords did it for reasons that have yet to be explained to us.
THEORY 3: RUTH DOCTOR IS A SPECIAL CREATION OF SOME SORT
We've seen an example of this theory already during the Classic Series. At the end of Season 23, it was revealed that the learned court prosecutor in the Doctor's long ongoing trial was a special distillation of all that is evil in him. As explained by the Master in a surprise appearance, he was an embodiment of the Doctor's darker side. The High Council promised the prosecuting attorney the Doctor's remaining incarnations should he succeed in having the renegade Time Lord declared guilty of a series of trumped-up charges. This strange manifestation of the Doctor that was created to ruin him was known only as the Valeyard.
What exactly the Valeyard is was never made entirely clear. I postulate about his origins in some previous entries (Classic Who Theory: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2015/09/fixing-continuity-glitches-who-is.html, Modern Who Theory: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2015/09/fixing-continuity-glitches-who-is_28.html) but no proper account of him was given on the show, itself. We only know that the Valeyard was somehow created from the Doctor. How this was done remains a mystery.
Could Ruth be something similar? Perhaps, out of some strange necessity, the Time Lords used the Doctor's bio-data as a basic template of some sort and created the Ruth Doctor. My guess would be that the Matrix predicted that the Master would wipe out Gallifrey and made the Time Lords aware of their impending doom (the Matrix has done things like this before - ie: the Lord-President's murder in Deadly Assassin or the Legend of the Hybrid that gets explored in Series Nine). The High Council feared, however, that if the Doctor discovered the scandal of the Timeless Child she might not be willing to save her people. So they, somehow, created their own special version of the Doctor. Knowing, of course, that the best way to combat the Master would be to sick the Doctor on him. They might have even tweaked their creation a bit and made her slightly more aggressive. Just to make sure she really put up a good fight against the Master. This would explain why the Ruth Doctor seems a bit more prone to violence.
The Ruth Doctor, however, copies the actions of her progenitor. She steals a TARDIS and goes rogue. It's not actually the same TARDIS as Thirteen's, but the Ruth Doctor instinctively gets it to assume the form of a police box. This would also account for the console room looking so Old School. It's a new model - white walls with roundels is the basic default setting. The console room of the TARDIS the Doctor steals in Hell Bent has a similar design - I'm guessing it was also fairly new. This is the basic look for a console room in a fresh TARDIS. It's only after extended service that modifications to the aesthetics start to happen.
The Ruth Doctor seems to have gotten close to a soldier while she was living on Gallifrey. They escape together to Earth and hide there. The High Council are embarrassed by how things have turned out and want the Ruth Doctor eradicated. They dispatch Gath to accomplish this. They also hire a platoon of Judoon (who act like buffoons) to assist in the process.
If you subscribe to the theory of Gallifreyan Mean Time, then Thirteen has jumped her own timeline a bit. She comes from a time when the Master has destroyed his own people - but she has accidentally encountered some Time Lords who have not had this happen to them, yet. This is entirely possible. Unlike the Time Wars, the Master's attack on Gallifrey isn't Time Locked. So something like this could happen. The very fact that Gallifrey will soon be falling might be causing the Laws of Mean Time to collapse a bit.
In many ways, this does seem like the tidiest explanation. The Ruth Doctor could have even been engineered to believe that she is the original version. She has no knowledge that another fourteen incarnations of herself even exist. This would account for why the two Doctors don't recognize each other. Thirteen was not aware that the Time Lords had made the Ruth Doctor. And the Ruth Doctor didn't know she's a copy of someone.
DISPELLING A FEW OF THE POPULAR THEORIES I'M ALREADY SEEING
"But Rob!" some of you might be saying (some of you always seem to be saying something of this nature!), "You never mentioned the theories most fans seem to be talking about! What about Brain of Morbius or Season 6b?!"
I haven't discussed these theories because neither seem all that tight to me. Let's go into why:
DISPELLED THEORY 1: MORBIUS' BRAIN
With the appearance of the Ruth Doctor, fans are suddenly siting that famous moment in the story Brain of Morbius where it's alluded to that there were incarnations before William Hartnell. There's a famous scene where Morbius and the Doctor are mind-bending: a process where two opponents try to regress a Time Lord down their timeline and, basically, wish them out of existence. The Fourth Doctor is in the fight. Images appear on a screen during the battle of Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton and Good 'Ole Bill The Original. And then, suddenly, we see more images of other people (they were, technically, headshots of various members of the production team that were working on the show at the time).
"How far, Doctor?" Morbius proclaims as the images appear, "How far back do you go?!" (or words to that effect - I'm terrible with quotes!).
Fans that are familiar with the scene are claiming the Ruth Doctor, somehow, belongs in this rogues' gallery of inconsistency. That if Morbius had kept regressing the Doctor, her image would have appeared. He just didn't manage to get that far before the game abruptly ended due to a malfunction.
There's a tonne of faults with this idea. Even before the Ruth Doctor existed, many fans pointed out that the show clearly displays all the incarnations of the Doctor that a Time Lord is permitted to have. According to the rules of regeneration, there could be no incarnations before Hartnell. Some fans suggest, of course, that Time of the Doctor is not the first time we see the Doctor get an extra regeneration cycle. A bonus regeneration cycle was given to him prior to Hartnell, too. This does get all those faces in Morbius and the Ruth Doctor to make sense.
There are, however, other inconsistencies that make this idea unworkable. The biggest one being that the TARDIS gets stuck in Police Box form for the first time in An Unearthly Child. So any adventure involving the TARDIS as a Police Box can only take place after that story. The Ruth Doctor is meant to be before Hartnell so she should not be in a Police Box. I suppose, if you try real hard, you can say that the TARDIS has been stuck in Police Box mode a few times over the years - but it's still a bit difficult to swallow. I'm more inclined to believe that this theory just doesn't hold water.
Incidentally, I don't even believe that the mysterious faces we see in Brain of Morbius are actually the Doctor's. For my actual theory on what they were, you can read about it here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2015/08/fixing-continuity-glitches-quick-fixes.html. It's the final point that I cover in the essay.
DISPELLED THEORY 2: SEASON 6B
This one is definitely a bit more solid. It's based on the fan theory that the Second Doctor went on a series of secret missions for the Time Lords after his trial but before he was sentenced to exile on Earth. It gets certain inconsistencies in stories like The Five Doctors and The Two Doctors to make better sense.
Some fans who believe in this concept now think that the Second Doctor had an adventure that forced him to regenerate into the Ruth Doctor. The Ruth Doctor continued doing missions for the Time Lords. Eventually, Jamie and Victoria stopped travelling with her (or, perhaps, this still happened with the Second Doctor) and she was assigned an actual Time Lord as a companion. The two of them eventually decided to hide on Earth using a Chameleon Arch. The events of Fugitive of the Judoon now take place.
Sometime after Fugitive, the Time Lords will catch up with the Ruth Doctor and sentence will be properly carried out. She will begin her exile as Jon Pertwee. Because, on paper, this is meant to only be the Doctor's second regeneration - the High Council and/or the CIA must do a little bit of a cover-up.They erase the Doctor's memory of the time he spent as Ruth and assign him an extra regeneration to get everything to look as it should.
It is difficult to poke any holes in this theory. It does get everything to line up pretty nicely. Thirteen forgetting Ruth now makes sense. As does Ruth having a Police Box TARDIS. Even Gallifrey seeming a bit more fascist gels well. This is the Time Lords from two thousand years previously. Maybe they were a bit more militant back then.
The reason why I don't support this idea much is due more to its actual complexity. This would be very difficult to explain to fans of the New Series who aren't familiar with this particular aspect of the show's Classic Lore. In many ways, it would be a nightmare of exposition to reveal this all in an episode. I suppose it could be done. But it would be pretty difficult. More than likely, it would bring the story to a huge screeching halt and still alienate a lot of viewers. Yes, Old School Hardcores like me would just nod understandingly. But I can't see this being all that interesting or satisfactory for a newer fan that hasn't gone back and done their homework. And there are still a lot of fans like that out there.
SPECIAL APPENDIX: IF RUTH IS A PROPER INCARNATION OF THE DOCTOR BUT ISN"T FROM 6B - WHERE DOES SHE COME FROM?
Since I'm dispelling the Season 6b theory, I figure I should try to pinpoint where exactly the Ruth Doctor hails from. As I have stated previously, it could be possible that she's from the future. Maybe she's the next incarnation after the Curator. Wherever she fits, she has had her memory altered so that she no longer remembers what she did in her thirteenth body. Quite possibly, the mind wipe extends to further than just that. Perhaps she's forgotten everything before her Ruth incarnation. Or perhaps it's something in between those two extremities. We won't know for sure until more answers are provided for us.
But what if Ruth is a hidden incarnation from before Thirteen? If that's the case - but I don't think she's from Season 6b - where does she fit?
My guess is that she's very recent. I'm going to take some of the ideas I had in Theory 3 and apply them here, too. Sometime when the Twelfth Doctor was nearing regeneration, the Time Lords started receiving Matrix predictions about the Master's visit that would destroy them all. Rather than create a special version of the Doctor like I stated in Theory 3, they went to the Doctor for help. He had just finished regenerating from Twelve to Ruth. For reasons unknown, the regeneration does some serious damage to the console room (just as it does in Twice Upon a Time). The Ruth Doctor decides to go retro and changes the desktop to white with roundels. The Time Lords approach Ruth shortly after the regeneration and ask her to help with the preventing of their impending doom. They assign her a Time Lord to assist her. Ruth does help for a while but, eventually, the deal goes sour. Perhaps the Time Lords actually want her to kill the Master and she refuses to. Her Time Lord assistant agrees with her decision and they both go into hiding on Earth.
The Time Lords will eventually catch up to the Ruth Doctor after Fugitive of the Judoon and wipe her memory of all her experiences in that incarnation. They will bring her right back to that fateful moment in the console room in Twice Upon a Time and force her to regenerate into Thirteen. Thirteen will believe she went straight from Twelve to her with no Ruth in between. Two regenerations in one moment, however, is a bit too much for the TARDIS to handle and she flings Thirteen out of her and becomes the Ghost Monument for a while until the Doctor is able to retrieve her. Again, some redecoration of the console room was done when she is found.
Personally, that's where I think the Ruth Doctor fits best. She and Gath and Lee might not have been given the fullest of briefings about why they have to take out the Master once and for all - which is why Gath and Ruth Doctor are shocked when they hear of Gallifrey's destruction from Thirteen.
Okay, those are all the theories that I think are sound regarding the true identity of the Ruth Doctor. I'm not willing to commit entirely to one of them which is why I made this a POINT OF DEBATE rather than a FIXING CONTINUITY GLITCHES essay. There's just too much mystery, here. I would rather entertain several ideas and wait for the show to provide me with the proper answer. I still remember the embarrassment I suffered during a certain post where I swore the Master survived The End of Time - Part 2 by escaping through the Gallifrey Falls No More painting. Only to discover several seasons later that it was far less complicated than that! I've learnt my lesson and would rather stay a bit more wishy-washy about the whole thing.
For all I know, though - none of these theories are correct. Or one that I dispelled was actually spot-on. We'll have to wait and see...
Or, as the Doctor once put it:
"Time will tell. It always does..."
(Think I actually got that quote right, for once!)
Thursday, 30 January 2020
Tuesday, 21 January 2020
ANALYTICAL: BEING CUT DOWN TO SIZE - MINIATURIZATION IN DOCTOR WHO
I am lucky enough to have the entirety of Doctor Who at my disposal. Originally, I owned it all on VHS but converted to DVD. I know I need to make the switch to Blu-Ray, someday, but am scared of the investment!
But because I have enjoyed the whole show over and over, I like to mix things up a bit. I will pick a specific theme and watch all the stories that use it. Seeing the return of the Master's tissue compressor inspired me to view any stories that involved miniaturization of any sort. As usual, I noticed certain trends in the adventures that used this device and felt I should comment on them in an ANALYTICAL essay.
Like many fans, I've fallen instantly in love with Sacha Dhawan as the latest version of the Master. I need to see him a bit more before I decide if he's my absolute favorite (to see who that is, start here and follow the countdown: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2017/11/book-of-lists-ranking-masters-part-1.html). I do find that he reminds me a lot of Ainley's Master (which is an actual compliment if you bother to read and follow-through on that link I sent you). Like the Infamous Master of the 80s, he seems more ruthless than most other incarnations. He's quicker to unleash death on innocent victims. He's also much more determined to kill the Doctor. It also looks like he might have that love for disguise, too, since he does assume quite a few different identities during Spyfall.
But the similarity to Ainley that has pleased me the most is the return of the tissue compressor. Yes, Ainley wasn't the first to use such a weapon, but he delighted in using it as frequently as he could. The Dhawan Master seems to have the same penchant for the weapon.
Seeing the tissue compressor back in action got me thinking, in general, about the whole process of miniaturization in Doctor Who and how it gets handled. After an extensive viewing of stories that deal with the subject, I've reached several conclusions about how it works in the Whoniverse. Here is an overview of the Rules of Shrinking on both New and Old Who.
RULE #1: THE PROCESS CAN BE DANGEROUS
A radical change of size for an object or person is bound to have some nasty side effects. While the process can happen with little or no consequence, there are other occasions where we have seen quite a few potential problems that can or have occurred.
When the Master messes with the Block Transfer Computations that are meant to fix the Doctor's Chameleon Circuit in Logopolis, it causes the TARDIS and the Doctor within it to start shrinking. It's interesting to see that the Time Lord seems to undergo some sort of weird paralysis during that shrinking process. Only when sonic cones are applied does this enable the Doctor to stabilize and start trying to repair the TARDIS. So it would seem that becoming completely immobilized can be a nasty side effect to a rapid shrinking process.
According to Into the Dalek, however, he got off pretty lucky. Clara is told in a briefing before she goes into the Miniaturizer on the Aristotle that if she doesn't breathe properly during the shrinking process it could actually make her explode. Leading, of course, to one of the Twelfth Doctor's greatest quotes: "Don't be lasagna".
Naturally enough, the deadliest effect the whole process can have is demonstrated through the Master's Tissue Compression Eliminator (TCE, for all those trendy millennials who need to abbreviate everything!). We're not exactly sure why rapid shrinking is so lethal in this context. There has been some implication that a TCE causes its victims to implode rather than explode and the result is a shrunken corpse. But, to the best of my knowledge, this was never actually stated on the show. It's more of a fan theory.
It is interesting to note, however, that the Master does seem to have tweaked his Tissue Compressor again since his mishap on Sarn. Back in the day, his targets were reduced to the size of a doll. But now, they are rendered so tiny that he can fit them in a matchbox.
RULE #2: IT"S OFTEN TARDIS-RELATED
When you travel in a machine whose interior is in another dimension, this can create complications with size issues. Oftentimes, when characters in the story do shrink, it's because of something that's done through a TARDIS. Planet of Giants, the very first story involving miniaturization happens because the TARDIS doors open while they're still in flight. We've also already mentioned that a problem with the TARDIS' chameleon conversion also has this effect in Logopolis.
Those first two incidents were accidental. But TARDIS technology is also used to intentionally engineer the process. The Doctor uses the dimensional stabilizer from the TARDIS to reduce a clone of himself and Leela to microscopic size during The Invisible Enemy. We can probably safely assume that the dimensional stabilizer Drax is using during The Armageddon Factor comes from his TARDIS.
There are a few unusual TARDIS-related miniaturizations One happens in Flatline. In this instance, the TARDIS interacting with the Boneless causes only its exterior to shrink. The Doctor gets trapped within because he is still regular size. In The Time Meddler, we see the exact reverse. The Doctor commits a bit of sabotage to the Monk's TARDIS (probably messing with that dimensional stabilizer again) and causes only its interior to shrink. The Monk is now unable to enter his time vessel because of this.
RULE #3: IT CAN HAVE A PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Stories like Planet of Giants or Carnival of Monsters show miniaturization as being a sort of an unfortunate accident that needs to be reversed as quickly as possible. But this is not always the case. Sometimes, getting your dimensions reduced can actually be useful.
In adventures like Into the Dalek or The Invisible Enemy, it's a legitimate surgical process that allows people to execute solutions to medical problems. While it's something the Doctor jury-rigged in Enemy, it's a common enough process that the Aristotle in Into the Dalek has a sort of standard-issue device to accomplish the process.
Miniaturization is also useful for space efficiency. It gets people and things into places they wouldn't normally fit. The miniscope in Carnival of Monsters uses a compression field so it can be a portable zoo. People get miniaturized in Let's Kill Hitler and The Wedding of River Song so that they can fit inside the Teselecta and crew it. Drax and the Doctor use their reduction in size to assist them in several ways when they are in the Domain of the Shadow. Most significantly, it gets them to use K9 as a sort of Trojan Horse during a crucial ambush. The Sltheen family from Raxicoricofallapatorian even use a bit of a compression field to fit into their human skin suits when they attempt to ruin the Earth for their own nefarious purposes.
And then, of course, there's weaponry. As we've already mentioned, rapid tissue compression is somehow lethal. We've seen the Master take advantage of this right in his very first story. The next time he used it was in Deadly Assassin. By this point, he'd done it frequently enough in unseen adventures that it came to represent a sort of "calling card" for the Doctor. A way to let him know who he was dealing with even if they hadn't met each other yet in the adventure. Of course, the Ainley Master starts using it all over the place. When an experiment on the TCE backfires just before the events of Planet of Fire, he gets a dose of his own medicine. Fortunately for him, it's a non-lethal dose. He does get reduced in size - but the process doesn't kill him.
Most interestingly, the Doctor seemed to want to use Drax's dimensional stabilizer in Armageddon Factor as a sort non-lethal tissue compressor. When he's being escorted by a Mute to the TARDIS, he wants Drax to shoot the creature not him. Drax, however, misinterprets the Doctor's intentions and thinks he wants to use the device on him so that he can escape the Mute and they can hide together in a crevice.
RULE #4: THE NORMAL-SIZED WORLD IS NOW QUITE DANGEROUS
We see this idea conveyed most clearly right in the very first adventure to feature miniaturization. As the TARDIS crew navigate their way around in Planet of Giants, Death seems to be waiting for them around every corner. Simple things like a wandering cat or water draining down a sink now represent enormous peril. Even when Barbara briefly touches a kernel of wheat coated in pesticide (and, strangely enough, doesn't want to tell anyone that she has), her life is endangered.
This gets shown over and over again in other miniaturization stories. The Doctor and Jo dodge a life-threatening pointed metal stick in Carnival of Monsters that Vorg is trying to poke them with. The Master must flee a vengeful Peri trying to swat him with her shoe in Planet of Fire. Drax and the Doctor face a similar crisis in Armageddon Factor when a Mute wants to stomp them out.
In a somewhat strange twist, artificially-created antibodies seem to be a big problem when your size has been reduced. They create all kinds of peril for miniaturized characters during both Let's Kill Hitler and Into the Dalek. A similar obstacle occurs for the Doctor and Leela in The Invisible Enemy but they're real anti-bodies, this time.
RULE #5: SOMETIMES, IT"S JUST A SIDE STORY
Stories like Planet of Giants, Carnival of Monsters and Flatline make miniaturization their main conceit. Characters have been shrunken down and the whole thrust of the adventure is them trying to get back to normal size. Into the Dalek has a slightly different premise but the idea of being tiny is still the central idea of the story. Planet of Fire is all about miniaturization and an attempt to escape from it but it handles the whole thing in a clever way. We don't realize til the end of Part Three that this is the main thrust of the story. It's also the only time where it's the villain of the story that has been cut down to size rather than someone in the TARDIS crew or even the TARDIS, itself.
But there are many other tales where miniaturization is just a quick side-plot. The Invisible Enemy and The Armageddon Factor feature the Doctor and a friend being shrunken for only about an episode. Amy and Rory running around in miniature form inside the Tessalecta only represents a portion of the episode. In these instances, this is almost like a more sophisticated capture-and-escape (what's a capture-and-escape? Read here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/11/complete-and-utter-silliness-capture.html). Instead of marking time by having significant characters incarcerated and then trying to break out, they get shrunken down and need to restore themselves to normal size.
The Master using his TCE puts miniaturization even more in the background. In this case, it's really just a quick visual gimmick within the context of a much bigger story about something else. The only time a whole lot of attention ever got paid to the whole process of tissue compression elimination was in Planet of Fire. If we're watching closely enough, we even figure out what the Master's modification to the weapon was. The Tissue Compressor can now work inorganic matter as well.
RULE #6: EVENTUALLY WE NEED RESTORATION
This rule is so obvious that it almost doesn't need mentioning. If the leads in a story find themselves drastically reduced in size, it stands to reason that they need to be returned to their proper dimensions before the tale is over. Doctor Who can't just keep going on with a miniaturized TARDIS crew (although, it might be interesting if they spent a few stories in tiny form before they're restored). Even in the case of the Master in Planet of Fire, he needed to be brought back to normal as the story ended.
It's a bit like when a principal character gets drastically aged (the Doctor in Leisure Hive or Jo in Claws of Axos), things have to be reset to the way they were before the adventure ends If nothing else, it's only fair that the writer who damages the leads should clean up their own mess rather than leave it to the writer of the next story to fix things!
There are, however, exceptions to this rule. The clones of the Doctor and Leela in Invisible Enemy don't get restored. In fact, the Virus uses their escape route and is brought into the macro-universe in their place. Given that these were just clones of the main characters, however, this does no real damage to the format of the show. Which is why the rule doesn't need to be respected in this instance. In fact, having clones of a lead gives a writer the flexibility to do horrible things to them without any real consequence.
The other big exception is when the Master uses the tissue compressor on someone. The victim won't be restored, either. Quite simply because the process actually killed them!
SPECIAL APPENDIX: I DIDN'T MISS ONE
"But Rob," some of you may be saying, "you never mentioned how people got shrunk down and put into a doll house in Night Terrors. Did you forget about that one?"
I'm not entirely sure this is a proper shrinking story. I'm more inclined to think people are just sent to a special dimension that looks like a doll house. There's no actual reduction in size.
This is supported by the idea that the house is populated by dolls that don't behave like real dolls. First off, real dolls don't actually have behavior of any sort. They just lie around immobile til someone does something with them. They certainly don't move of their own accord. They definitely don't turn other people into dolls too when they touch them.
So, yeah, no size reduction, here. Yes there are giant scissors and other objects of that nature. But I'm prone to believing that they really are giant scissors. That the various characters that George sends to that dimension aren't shrunk down. They are sent to a place that's meant to represent the doll house in his cupboard. They all remain regular size, though.
That's my opinion, at least.
And that's everything you'll ever need to know about miniaturization in the Doctor Who Universe. Not sure if anyone really needed such a comprehensive study, but I hope you enjoyed reading about it. ANALYTICAL essays are, pretty much, my favorite style of post to write. For some reason, I especially enjoy tackling such frivolous topics as how the show handles the miniaturization process!
Anyhow, this is probably all I'll do for January. We'll see you in February. I have some ideas for topics I'd like to handle. Who knows, for sure, if I'll do them, though. I can be as capricious as the TARDIS navigational system!
But because I have enjoyed the whole show over and over, I like to mix things up a bit. I will pick a specific theme and watch all the stories that use it. Seeing the return of the Master's tissue compressor inspired me to view any stories that involved miniaturization of any sort. As usual, I noticed certain trends in the adventures that used this device and felt I should comment on them in an ANALYTICAL essay.
Like many fans, I've fallen instantly in love with Sacha Dhawan as the latest version of the Master. I need to see him a bit more before I decide if he's my absolute favorite (to see who that is, start here and follow the countdown: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2017/11/book-of-lists-ranking-masters-part-1.html). I do find that he reminds me a lot of Ainley's Master (which is an actual compliment if you bother to read and follow-through on that link I sent you). Like the Infamous Master of the 80s, he seems more ruthless than most other incarnations. He's quicker to unleash death on innocent victims. He's also much more determined to kill the Doctor. It also looks like he might have that love for disguise, too, since he does assume quite a few different identities during Spyfall.
But the similarity to Ainley that has pleased me the most is the return of the tissue compressor. Yes, Ainley wasn't the first to use such a weapon, but he delighted in using it as frequently as he could. The Dhawan Master seems to have the same penchant for the weapon.
Seeing the tissue compressor back in action got me thinking, in general, about the whole process of miniaturization in Doctor Who and how it gets handled. After an extensive viewing of stories that deal with the subject, I've reached several conclusions about how it works in the Whoniverse. Here is an overview of the Rules of Shrinking on both New and Old Who.
RULE #1: THE PROCESS CAN BE DANGEROUS
A radical change of size for an object or person is bound to have some nasty side effects. While the process can happen with little or no consequence, there are other occasions where we have seen quite a few potential problems that can or have occurred.
When the Master messes with the Block Transfer Computations that are meant to fix the Doctor's Chameleon Circuit in Logopolis, it causes the TARDIS and the Doctor within it to start shrinking. It's interesting to see that the Time Lord seems to undergo some sort of weird paralysis during that shrinking process. Only when sonic cones are applied does this enable the Doctor to stabilize and start trying to repair the TARDIS. So it would seem that becoming completely immobilized can be a nasty side effect to a rapid shrinking process.
According to Into the Dalek, however, he got off pretty lucky. Clara is told in a briefing before she goes into the Miniaturizer on the Aristotle that if she doesn't breathe properly during the shrinking process it could actually make her explode. Leading, of course, to one of the Twelfth Doctor's greatest quotes: "Don't be lasagna".
Naturally enough, the deadliest effect the whole process can have is demonstrated through the Master's Tissue Compression Eliminator (TCE, for all those trendy millennials who need to abbreviate everything!). We're not exactly sure why rapid shrinking is so lethal in this context. There has been some implication that a TCE causes its victims to implode rather than explode and the result is a shrunken corpse. But, to the best of my knowledge, this was never actually stated on the show. It's more of a fan theory.
It is interesting to note, however, that the Master does seem to have tweaked his Tissue Compressor again since his mishap on Sarn. Back in the day, his targets were reduced to the size of a doll. But now, they are rendered so tiny that he can fit them in a matchbox.
RULE #2: IT"S OFTEN TARDIS-RELATED
When you travel in a machine whose interior is in another dimension, this can create complications with size issues. Oftentimes, when characters in the story do shrink, it's because of something that's done through a TARDIS. Planet of Giants, the very first story involving miniaturization happens because the TARDIS doors open while they're still in flight. We've also already mentioned that a problem with the TARDIS' chameleon conversion also has this effect in Logopolis.
Those first two incidents were accidental. But TARDIS technology is also used to intentionally engineer the process. The Doctor uses the dimensional stabilizer from the TARDIS to reduce a clone of himself and Leela to microscopic size during The Invisible Enemy. We can probably safely assume that the dimensional stabilizer Drax is using during The Armageddon Factor comes from his TARDIS.
There are a few unusual TARDIS-related miniaturizations One happens in Flatline. In this instance, the TARDIS interacting with the Boneless causes only its exterior to shrink. The Doctor gets trapped within because he is still regular size. In The Time Meddler, we see the exact reverse. The Doctor commits a bit of sabotage to the Monk's TARDIS (probably messing with that dimensional stabilizer again) and causes only its interior to shrink. The Monk is now unable to enter his time vessel because of this.
RULE #3: IT CAN HAVE A PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Stories like Planet of Giants or Carnival of Monsters show miniaturization as being a sort of an unfortunate accident that needs to be reversed as quickly as possible. But this is not always the case. Sometimes, getting your dimensions reduced can actually be useful.
In adventures like Into the Dalek or The Invisible Enemy, it's a legitimate surgical process that allows people to execute solutions to medical problems. While it's something the Doctor jury-rigged in Enemy, it's a common enough process that the Aristotle in Into the Dalek has a sort of standard-issue device to accomplish the process.
Miniaturization is also useful for space efficiency. It gets people and things into places they wouldn't normally fit. The miniscope in Carnival of Monsters uses a compression field so it can be a portable zoo. People get miniaturized in Let's Kill Hitler and The Wedding of River Song so that they can fit inside the Teselecta and crew it. Drax and the Doctor use their reduction in size to assist them in several ways when they are in the Domain of the Shadow. Most significantly, it gets them to use K9 as a sort of Trojan Horse during a crucial ambush. The Sltheen family from Raxicoricofallapatorian even use a bit of a compression field to fit into their human skin suits when they attempt to ruin the Earth for their own nefarious purposes.
And then, of course, there's weaponry. As we've already mentioned, rapid tissue compression is somehow lethal. We've seen the Master take advantage of this right in his very first story. The next time he used it was in Deadly Assassin. By this point, he'd done it frequently enough in unseen adventures that it came to represent a sort of "calling card" for the Doctor. A way to let him know who he was dealing with even if they hadn't met each other yet in the adventure. Of course, the Ainley Master starts using it all over the place. When an experiment on the TCE backfires just before the events of Planet of Fire, he gets a dose of his own medicine. Fortunately for him, it's a non-lethal dose. He does get reduced in size - but the process doesn't kill him.
Most interestingly, the Doctor seemed to want to use Drax's dimensional stabilizer in Armageddon Factor as a sort non-lethal tissue compressor. When he's being escorted by a Mute to the TARDIS, he wants Drax to shoot the creature not him. Drax, however, misinterprets the Doctor's intentions and thinks he wants to use the device on him so that he can escape the Mute and they can hide together in a crevice.
RULE #4: THE NORMAL-SIZED WORLD IS NOW QUITE DANGEROUS
We see this idea conveyed most clearly right in the very first adventure to feature miniaturization. As the TARDIS crew navigate their way around in Planet of Giants, Death seems to be waiting for them around every corner. Simple things like a wandering cat or water draining down a sink now represent enormous peril. Even when Barbara briefly touches a kernel of wheat coated in pesticide (and, strangely enough, doesn't want to tell anyone that she has), her life is endangered.
This gets shown over and over again in other miniaturization stories. The Doctor and Jo dodge a life-threatening pointed metal stick in Carnival of Monsters that Vorg is trying to poke them with. The Master must flee a vengeful Peri trying to swat him with her shoe in Planet of Fire. Drax and the Doctor face a similar crisis in Armageddon Factor when a Mute wants to stomp them out.
In a somewhat strange twist, artificially-created antibodies seem to be a big problem when your size has been reduced. They create all kinds of peril for miniaturized characters during both Let's Kill Hitler and Into the Dalek. A similar obstacle occurs for the Doctor and Leela in The Invisible Enemy but they're real anti-bodies, this time.
RULE #5: SOMETIMES, IT"S JUST A SIDE STORY
Stories like Planet of Giants, Carnival of Monsters and Flatline make miniaturization their main conceit. Characters have been shrunken down and the whole thrust of the adventure is them trying to get back to normal size. Into the Dalek has a slightly different premise but the idea of being tiny is still the central idea of the story. Planet of Fire is all about miniaturization and an attempt to escape from it but it handles the whole thing in a clever way. We don't realize til the end of Part Three that this is the main thrust of the story. It's also the only time where it's the villain of the story that has been cut down to size rather than someone in the TARDIS crew or even the TARDIS, itself.
But there are many other tales where miniaturization is just a quick side-plot. The Invisible Enemy and The Armageddon Factor feature the Doctor and a friend being shrunken for only about an episode. Amy and Rory running around in miniature form inside the Tessalecta only represents a portion of the episode. In these instances, this is almost like a more sophisticated capture-and-escape (what's a capture-and-escape? Read here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/11/complete-and-utter-silliness-capture.html). Instead of marking time by having significant characters incarcerated and then trying to break out, they get shrunken down and need to restore themselves to normal size.
The Master using his TCE puts miniaturization even more in the background. In this case, it's really just a quick visual gimmick within the context of a much bigger story about something else. The only time a whole lot of attention ever got paid to the whole process of tissue compression elimination was in Planet of Fire. If we're watching closely enough, we even figure out what the Master's modification to the weapon was. The Tissue Compressor can now work inorganic matter as well.
RULE #6: EVENTUALLY WE NEED RESTORATION
This rule is so obvious that it almost doesn't need mentioning. If the leads in a story find themselves drastically reduced in size, it stands to reason that they need to be returned to their proper dimensions before the tale is over. Doctor Who can't just keep going on with a miniaturized TARDIS crew (although, it might be interesting if they spent a few stories in tiny form before they're restored). Even in the case of the Master in Planet of Fire, he needed to be brought back to normal as the story ended.
It's a bit like when a principal character gets drastically aged (the Doctor in Leisure Hive or Jo in Claws of Axos), things have to be reset to the way they were before the adventure ends If nothing else, it's only fair that the writer who damages the leads should clean up their own mess rather than leave it to the writer of the next story to fix things!
There are, however, exceptions to this rule. The clones of the Doctor and Leela in Invisible Enemy don't get restored. In fact, the Virus uses their escape route and is brought into the macro-universe in their place. Given that these were just clones of the main characters, however, this does no real damage to the format of the show. Which is why the rule doesn't need to be respected in this instance. In fact, having clones of a lead gives a writer the flexibility to do horrible things to them without any real consequence.
The other big exception is when the Master uses the tissue compressor on someone. The victim won't be restored, either. Quite simply because the process actually killed them!
SPECIAL APPENDIX: I DIDN'T MISS ONE
"But Rob," some of you may be saying, "you never mentioned how people got shrunk down and put into a doll house in Night Terrors. Did you forget about that one?"
I'm not entirely sure this is a proper shrinking story. I'm more inclined to think people are just sent to a special dimension that looks like a doll house. There's no actual reduction in size.
This is supported by the idea that the house is populated by dolls that don't behave like real dolls. First off, real dolls don't actually have behavior of any sort. They just lie around immobile til someone does something with them. They certainly don't move of their own accord. They definitely don't turn other people into dolls too when they touch them.
So, yeah, no size reduction, here. Yes there are giant scissors and other objects of that nature. But I'm prone to believing that they really are giant scissors. That the various characters that George sends to that dimension aren't shrunk down. They are sent to a place that's meant to represent the doll house in his cupboard. They all remain regular size, though.
That's my opinion, at least.
And that's everything you'll ever need to know about miniaturization in the Doctor Who Universe. Not sure if anyone really needed such a comprehensive study, but I hope you enjoyed reading about it. ANALYTICAL essays are, pretty much, my favorite style of post to write. For some reason, I especially enjoy tackling such frivolous topics as how the show handles the miniaturization process!
Anyhow, this is probably all I'll do for January. We'll see you in February. I have some ideas for topics I'd like to handle. Who knows, for sure, if I'll do them, though. I can be as capricious as the TARDIS navigational system!
Tuesday, 14 January 2020
POINTS OF DEBATE: 96 TELEMOVIE - NEW OR CLASSIC WHO?
Last August, I decided to do several POINTS OF DEBATES in a row. It's a new style of essay so I wanted it to have a bit more presence in the blog. I also really enjoy the format of the whole thing. As much as I love expressing my blowhard opinions, it's a nice change of pace to just present the different sides of an argument and then let you decide.
I had intended to push through just one more essay in this vein before the month was over. It would have represented a sort of "climax" to all these points of debate. A question that has nagged at me greatly and, I think, eats away at the hearts of other fans too. But I just wasn't able to find the time to write it and I wanted September to move on to something new.
So, here it is, at last. While this would have been an enjoyable piece to finish out my August Run, it's also a fun way to begin the New Year.
PAUL McGANN'S FIRST AND ONLY TELEVISED STORY: NEW OR CLASSIC WHO?
I think I have legitimately lost sleep over Paul McGann's Doctor. For several different reasons. Firstly, even with a slightly troubled script, he showed tremendous promise. Doctor Eight was both written and performed in a very interesting manner. While both Colin Baker and, especially, Sylvester McCoy were making the character darker, McGann turned the Doctor back into the idealist he once was. Refusing to stoop to the level of his enemies, he was back to always trying to stay on that High Road. He was a romantic not just because of his sex-appeal, but also in the truer sense of the word. He held to lofty ideals and refused to break them. We got this kind of impression of him in less than 90 minutes of screentime.
I, for one, wanted to see more of him. And that's the first thing that causes me to lose sleep over Doctor Eight. I have, literally, stayed up at night yearning for more Eighth Doctor. I was so distraught over the fact that this will probably never happen that it was making it difficult for me to close my eyes and shut down for a bit. That's how pathetic of a fan I can be!
But something that affects my sleep pattern even worse is debate. If I can't make up my mind over something, I will get restless. And that is the other factor that keeps me tossing and turning over Doctor Eight. Do we consider him a Doctor from the Classic Series? Or is he, technically, a part of New Who canon? I can't decide!
POINT-BY-POINT
The best way to examine this argument is to break it down. So we're going to look at several key elements of the whole production and see whether they better resemble the style of the Classic Series or New Who. In some cases, things will be very clear (ie: the use of symphonic scoring). In other instances, the issue will be more cloudy. A certain aspect of the story might reflect traits from both versions of the show. I'll do my best to cover everything as comprehensively as possible and point out even the smallest of details that might get the episode to lean more towards New or Old Who.
THE EIGHTH DOCTOR, HIMSELF - PART ONE: THE OUTFIT
From a purely aesthetic perspective, Doctor Eight would lead us to believe that he is from the Classic Series. There is a fairly strong distinction between the Doctor's costume choices between the two eras of the show. And McGann's clothing has a definite leaning towards Old Who.
In Old Who, his outfits had a strong historical flare to them. Oftentimes borrowing heavily from either the Victorian or Edwardian periods. Lots of vests, frock coats and cravats. With the occasional hat, scarf and cape thrown in for good measure. The Old Series Doctor looks like a man from a more classical time period. There were slight exceptions to this rule. Sylvester McCoy looked a bit more modern with his blazer, pullover and tie during his proper run. But even when we first see him in The 96 Telemovie, he's switched to a vest (or waistcoat if you want to be more British about the whole thing!). Which definitely gives him a more Classic Doctor kind of feel.
Whereas New Who Doctors definitely tend to go with a more modern look. Particularly the first Doctor that we see in the series. It was almost shocking to witness Eccleston prancing around in a pullover, leather jacket and black jeans. But we came to accept that this would be the way of things for the Doctor from hereon in. And this is, generally, the case. There have also been exceptions to this rule. Matt Smith definitely looked a little more classical during his later period. Peter Capaldi's early outfit also had a more historical vibe to it. But he definitely dispelled that as he added in the hoodie and the sonic shades..
Paul McGann's costume is definitely in keeping with the styles of a Classic Who Doctor. A nice knee-length frock coat with a vest and cravat definitely all feels quite Victorian. In fact, some have complained that the whole outfit is just a bit too "generically Doctorish". As if more thought should have been put into making the costume feel more distinctive. Statements such as these are in reference to how the Doctor would dress from 1963 to 1989. Rather than alluding to the fashion tastes of Modern Who Doctors.
While I know this isn't part of the debate, if we bother to go to the Night of the Doctor minisode, he's still looking pretty Victorian. The costume does become a bit more individualized, but the same basic vest, frock coat and neckwear motif is there.He still looks more like a Classic Series Doctor than a modern one. Even though the story was made by a New Who production team
THE EIGHTH DOCTOR, HIMSELF - PART 2:. THE INTERPRETATION
Moving past aesthetics, the actual portrayal of the character leans more heavily in the direction of New Who. Again, there is a pretty clear division between how the role was handled in both periods.
During the Classic Days, the Doctor came across as much more emotionally distant. While lots of exciting and dangerous things were going on around him, he tended to be the stability in the story. Oftentimes keeping a much more calm outlook on things. This was done to make him seem more alien. Being from an advanced culture endowed him with a sort of superior intellect that allowed him to see a bigger picture. This made him less likely to be distracted by the perils going on immediately in front of him. This is not to say that the Doctor was completely unemotional or dispassionate. He had his moments where his back would get up a bit. More times than others, however, it manifested itself in moral outrage when dealing with the villain of the tale. If that villain suddenly locked him in a room with a bomb, however, the Doctor would go about calmly diffusing it before it blows him up. Other people that might be in that room with him would be showing the necessary panic and fear that the scene needed. This was often the formula with how the character was portrayed. A sense of urgency was created more through companions and supporting characters. The Doctor, himself, frequently came across as more aloof.
As usual, this concept is not written in stone. Troughton, Davison, and McCoy could all get quite excitable, sometimes, when tension presented itself in a story. But they also showed a lot of that same aloofness that I just described.
In New Who, the Doctor is very much more a part of the action. Getting just as swept up in things as the companions and supports are. Having a sort of frantic edge to his personality is now a core ingredient to the character. He/she displays much more greatly what the audience is meant to be experiencing in any given moment of an adventure. Particularly when things get exciting. The Doctor is far more easily agitated these days. In fact, we see very little of that calmer more reflective side that was so apparent in Old Who. Capaldi showed it a bit during those moments when he would strum away at his electric guitar in the console room. Eccleston and Tennant even displayed it a bit when they were facing up to some of their angst. But, more times than others, the Doctor is very much caught up in the emotions of his whirlwind adventures.
We first see this being displayed in Doctor Eight. Much of his introductory story is propelled by the sense of urgency that he specifically shows in his demeanor. There are several moments, in fact, where everyone else is sitting around quite calmly while he's being upset by the impending danger of things. The ambulance ride with the Master, Grace and Chang-Lee is a great example of this. "This planet's about to be destroyed and I'm stuck in a traffic jam!" he rants. Everyone else in the vehicle almost seems to be looking at him like he needs to calm down. Even though they're all riding in an emergency vehicle - something that should be cultivating a sense of urgency in everyone!
I am the first to admit that character interpretation is a pretty subjective thing and that I am painting in pretty broad strokes, here. But I'm still more prone to believing that much of how Doctor Eight's character is handled by McGann is more reflective of a New Who Doctor than one from the Classic Series.
THE DOCTOR, HIMSELF - PART THREE: HAVING A LOVE LIFE
This is a big one that definitely makes Doctor Eight a New Who Doctor. Aside from a brief misunderstanding in The Aztecs, the Doctor never really entertains a love life in the Classic Series. He is clearly an avuncular character who was not necessarily unattractive - but certainly wasn't some hot piece of eye-candy, either!
This, very much, changes in the modern series. Even Doctor Nine, who doesn't ooze sex appeal like Ten and Eleven did, ends up gettin' it on a bit with Rose at the end of his season (yes, he's kissing her to remove the Time Vortex from her body - but did it really have to be done that way?! Quite frankly, it seemed more like just an excuse to make out with Rose!). Ten, of course, was a rampaging slut by Classic Who standards. He snogs any number of women throughout his tenure and even gets one more kissing scene in 50th Anniversary Special. Eleven doesn't slow down much. Even Twelve makes out with Missy a bit. Oddly enough, Thirteen is the first Doctor in a while that doesn't ever seem to have a love life. That may change as the show progresses. But, if it doesn't, that's cool too. It's nice to see the Doctor just having adventures and enjoying science again. Rather than trying to get laid.
Just like in the last category, this trend of the Doctor developing a libido starts in The 96 Telemovie. In fact, it was almost shocking to see him kissing Grace against the tree. Our hero was forever changed after that moment. From that point onward, the Doctor had sexuality.
Of course, actually performing a romantic act was only the half of it. As I had mentioned in the first paragraph: the Classic Series Doctor wasn't hideous but he wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, either. This definitely changed with McGann. Like some of the New Who Doctors, his appearance could make the ladies swoon (and certain types of boys, too, for that matter!). I still love that there was a whole website in the 90s called: "It's 1999. The Master Wants the Doctor's Body. He's Not the Only One!".
This is definitely another point in favor of the "The 96 Telemovie is New Who" camp.
THE DOCTOR, HIMSELF - PART FOUR: HIS TASTES
As we wrap up character examination, one more point must go to the Classic Series.
While 21st Century Doctors still make some classic references, they are definitely much more into pop culture. In the Classic Series, the Doctor was often completely unfamiliar with the trendiness of the age the show was being shot in. He favored the things of bygone eras and enjoyed displaying a sense of culture and even sophistication.
Even the War Doctor, who is very much a representation of a Classic Series Doctor (who takes place after Doctor Eight and, therefore, encourages the idea that Eight is an Old Who Doctor) doesn't know what cup-a-soup is and is outraged that the Doctor now says things like: "Timey Whimey". He very clearly demonstrates this division between New and Classic Doctors.
Those console room scenes that bookend The 96 Telemovie are the best examples of the Doctor being much more Classic than New. He's listening to an old Torch Song while sipping tea and reading H.G. Wells. If that doesn't create a Classic Series vibe, I don't know what does!
STORY STRUCTURE - PART ONE: PACING
We've looked at how the Doctor was represented in The 96 Telemovie, now it's time to move on to the other traits of the backdoor pilot. The very structure of the story has several characteristics that point to either New or Classic Who.
The pacing of this particular story is very much in keeping with a New Who adventure. Old Who is well-known for being much more slow and ponderous, whereas the Modern Series moves at an almost frantic pace (something I've already discussed in my Capture-and-Escape Hall of Fame entry: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/11/complete-and-utter-silliness-capture.html).
The 96 Telemovie definitely tries to push things along as quickly as possible and not get bogged down with any more exposition than it needs to. Once again, this is really the first time we've seen a Doctor Who story play out in such a manner (with a notable exception or two - Earthshock, for instance, moves quite fast).
STORY STRUCTURE - PART TWO: THE PLOT
Another point for New Who! Classic Who is much more happy to indulge in subplots as its main storyline plays out. Various plot strands will move along together towards a conclusion. All of them get quite a bit of attention as they do so.
New Who is much more about a very strong focus on Plot A. It's not to say that there are no subplots at all, but they are, very much, pushed to the background.
Paul McGann's one-and-only televisual outing is mainly about trying to stop the Master from destroying the Earth as he tries to take over the Doctor's body. There are some very minor B and C stories (Grace breaking up with her boyfriend, Professor Wagg still trying to save the party even though his clock doesn't work), but they are painfully insignificant.
STORY STRUCTURE - PART THREE: THE CHARACTERS
This one is quite odd. I'm bringing it up on purpose to help introduce a premise I'll explore more deeply later.
Both New and Classic Who tend to like have a strong stable of supporting characters to help build the story. You'll have your main characters: the Doctor and a companion, a villain and, perhaps, a henchman. But then you'll have a series of other characters that, generally, only get seen in that particular adventure. The leads will build up some sort of relationship with them. Which gives the supports a suitable amount of screentime.
96 Telemovie treats its supports in a very different way. Aside from the Doctor, Grace, the Master and Chang Lee, everyone else is extremely incidental. They get a few brief scenes with only a handful of lines and then they get kicked out of the story. They might pop back briefly at a New Year's eve party - but they are, for the most part, harshly neglected.
This is, pretty much, the only time we've seen a Who Tale handle its supporting characters in such a manner. It almost causes us to feel like we're not actually watching real Doctor Who. This is, very much, the backdoor pilot doing its own thing.
GENERAL AESTHETICS:
There are a few vaguer points to this adventure that also help to get it to seem like it hails from a specific era:
The music of The 96 Telemovie definitely makes it feel New Who. The Classic Series relied heavily on electronic music (in the case of The Sea Devils, it may have relied on it too much!). But we switch to symphonic scoring as the Eighth Doctor makes his entrance. And this continues throughout the New Series.
Some might say that the way the whole thing was shot also makes it New Who. I could argue that point, though. Yes, Classic Who relies heavily on studio work using the three camera system. Whereas Modern Who is shot more in the style of a movie: single camera and largely on location. But if you look at the last two seasons of Sylvester McCoy, a lot of his stuff is also created in a filmic manner. So I'm more inclined to say that the show was evolving in this fashion even before we got to Doctor Eight. So, this is neither a point for New or Old. They both use this filming technique quite prominently.
A WILD THEORY:
If we're bothering to keep score, it does look like the New Series is winning, here. There does seem to be more points supporting the idea. But this still remains pretty subjective. You may feel that I've missed certain points or that the points that support Old Who are more significant even if they are fewer.
But there is but one more theory that we can explore. Could it be that The 96 Telemovie is neither New nor Classic Who? Or, perhaps, a hybrid of the two that causes it to sit in its own unique category? This idea, to me, has as much validity as classifying it as either New or Old Who. In many ways, I think it's the most accurate appraisal. It is its own special thing that doesn't fit anywhere but by itself.
It is entirely possible that Doctor Who gets put on extended hiatus again someday. That another one-off might be made several years after it ends that tries to resurrect it, but fails. Then, and only then, might The 96 Telemovie have something else that fits in its category with it.
Hopefully, that covers this debate comprehensively. I really did try to think of every little detail that categorizes the 96 Telemovie in some way. If I've missed anything, feel free to mention it in the comments.
I had intended to push through just one more essay in this vein before the month was over. It would have represented a sort of "climax" to all these points of debate. A question that has nagged at me greatly and, I think, eats away at the hearts of other fans too. But I just wasn't able to find the time to write it and I wanted September to move on to something new.
So, here it is, at last. While this would have been an enjoyable piece to finish out my August Run, it's also a fun way to begin the New Year.
PAUL McGANN'S FIRST AND ONLY TELEVISED STORY: NEW OR CLASSIC WHO?
I think I have legitimately lost sleep over Paul McGann's Doctor. For several different reasons. Firstly, even with a slightly troubled script, he showed tremendous promise. Doctor Eight was both written and performed in a very interesting manner. While both Colin Baker and, especially, Sylvester McCoy were making the character darker, McGann turned the Doctor back into the idealist he once was. Refusing to stoop to the level of his enemies, he was back to always trying to stay on that High Road. He was a romantic not just because of his sex-appeal, but also in the truer sense of the word. He held to lofty ideals and refused to break them. We got this kind of impression of him in less than 90 minutes of screentime.
I, for one, wanted to see more of him. And that's the first thing that causes me to lose sleep over Doctor Eight. I have, literally, stayed up at night yearning for more Eighth Doctor. I was so distraught over the fact that this will probably never happen that it was making it difficult for me to close my eyes and shut down for a bit. That's how pathetic of a fan I can be!
But something that affects my sleep pattern even worse is debate. If I can't make up my mind over something, I will get restless. And that is the other factor that keeps me tossing and turning over Doctor Eight. Do we consider him a Doctor from the Classic Series? Or is he, technically, a part of New Who canon? I can't decide!
POINT-BY-POINT
The best way to examine this argument is to break it down. So we're going to look at several key elements of the whole production and see whether they better resemble the style of the Classic Series or New Who. In some cases, things will be very clear (ie: the use of symphonic scoring). In other instances, the issue will be more cloudy. A certain aspect of the story might reflect traits from both versions of the show. I'll do my best to cover everything as comprehensively as possible and point out even the smallest of details that might get the episode to lean more towards New or Old Who.
THE EIGHTH DOCTOR, HIMSELF - PART ONE: THE OUTFIT
From a purely aesthetic perspective, Doctor Eight would lead us to believe that he is from the Classic Series. There is a fairly strong distinction between the Doctor's costume choices between the two eras of the show. And McGann's clothing has a definite leaning towards Old Who.
In Old Who, his outfits had a strong historical flare to them. Oftentimes borrowing heavily from either the Victorian or Edwardian periods. Lots of vests, frock coats and cravats. With the occasional hat, scarf and cape thrown in for good measure. The Old Series Doctor looks like a man from a more classical time period. There were slight exceptions to this rule. Sylvester McCoy looked a bit more modern with his blazer, pullover and tie during his proper run. But even when we first see him in The 96 Telemovie, he's switched to a vest (or waistcoat if you want to be more British about the whole thing!). Which definitely gives him a more Classic Doctor kind of feel.
Whereas New Who Doctors definitely tend to go with a more modern look. Particularly the first Doctor that we see in the series. It was almost shocking to witness Eccleston prancing around in a pullover, leather jacket and black jeans. But we came to accept that this would be the way of things for the Doctor from hereon in. And this is, generally, the case. There have also been exceptions to this rule. Matt Smith definitely looked a little more classical during his later period. Peter Capaldi's early outfit also had a more historical vibe to it. But he definitely dispelled that as he added in the hoodie and the sonic shades..
Paul McGann's costume is definitely in keeping with the styles of a Classic Who Doctor. A nice knee-length frock coat with a vest and cravat definitely all feels quite Victorian. In fact, some have complained that the whole outfit is just a bit too "generically Doctorish". As if more thought should have been put into making the costume feel more distinctive. Statements such as these are in reference to how the Doctor would dress from 1963 to 1989. Rather than alluding to the fashion tastes of Modern Who Doctors.
While I know this isn't part of the debate, if we bother to go to the Night of the Doctor minisode, he's still looking pretty Victorian. The costume does become a bit more individualized, but the same basic vest, frock coat and neckwear motif is there.He still looks more like a Classic Series Doctor than a modern one. Even though the story was made by a New Who production team
THE EIGHTH DOCTOR, HIMSELF - PART 2:. THE INTERPRETATION
Moving past aesthetics, the actual portrayal of the character leans more heavily in the direction of New Who. Again, there is a pretty clear division between how the role was handled in both periods.
During the Classic Days, the Doctor came across as much more emotionally distant. While lots of exciting and dangerous things were going on around him, he tended to be the stability in the story. Oftentimes keeping a much more calm outlook on things. This was done to make him seem more alien. Being from an advanced culture endowed him with a sort of superior intellect that allowed him to see a bigger picture. This made him less likely to be distracted by the perils going on immediately in front of him. This is not to say that the Doctor was completely unemotional or dispassionate. He had his moments where his back would get up a bit. More times than others, however, it manifested itself in moral outrage when dealing with the villain of the tale. If that villain suddenly locked him in a room with a bomb, however, the Doctor would go about calmly diffusing it before it blows him up. Other people that might be in that room with him would be showing the necessary panic and fear that the scene needed. This was often the formula with how the character was portrayed. A sense of urgency was created more through companions and supporting characters. The Doctor, himself, frequently came across as more aloof.
As usual, this concept is not written in stone. Troughton, Davison, and McCoy could all get quite excitable, sometimes, when tension presented itself in a story. But they also showed a lot of that same aloofness that I just described.
In New Who, the Doctor is very much more a part of the action. Getting just as swept up in things as the companions and supports are. Having a sort of frantic edge to his personality is now a core ingredient to the character. He/she displays much more greatly what the audience is meant to be experiencing in any given moment of an adventure. Particularly when things get exciting. The Doctor is far more easily agitated these days. In fact, we see very little of that calmer more reflective side that was so apparent in Old Who. Capaldi showed it a bit during those moments when he would strum away at his electric guitar in the console room. Eccleston and Tennant even displayed it a bit when they were facing up to some of their angst. But, more times than others, the Doctor is very much caught up in the emotions of his whirlwind adventures.
We first see this being displayed in Doctor Eight. Much of his introductory story is propelled by the sense of urgency that he specifically shows in his demeanor. There are several moments, in fact, where everyone else is sitting around quite calmly while he's being upset by the impending danger of things. The ambulance ride with the Master, Grace and Chang-Lee is a great example of this. "This planet's about to be destroyed and I'm stuck in a traffic jam!" he rants. Everyone else in the vehicle almost seems to be looking at him like he needs to calm down. Even though they're all riding in an emergency vehicle - something that should be cultivating a sense of urgency in everyone!
I am the first to admit that character interpretation is a pretty subjective thing and that I am painting in pretty broad strokes, here. But I'm still more prone to believing that much of how Doctor Eight's character is handled by McGann is more reflective of a New Who Doctor than one from the Classic Series.
THE DOCTOR, HIMSELF - PART THREE: HAVING A LOVE LIFE
This is a big one that definitely makes Doctor Eight a New Who Doctor. Aside from a brief misunderstanding in The Aztecs, the Doctor never really entertains a love life in the Classic Series. He is clearly an avuncular character who was not necessarily unattractive - but certainly wasn't some hot piece of eye-candy, either!
This, very much, changes in the modern series. Even Doctor Nine, who doesn't ooze sex appeal like Ten and Eleven did, ends up gettin' it on a bit with Rose at the end of his season (yes, he's kissing her to remove the Time Vortex from her body - but did it really have to be done that way?! Quite frankly, it seemed more like just an excuse to make out with Rose!). Ten, of course, was a rampaging slut by Classic Who standards. He snogs any number of women throughout his tenure and even gets one more kissing scene in 50th Anniversary Special. Eleven doesn't slow down much. Even Twelve makes out with Missy a bit. Oddly enough, Thirteen is the first Doctor in a while that doesn't ever seem to have a love life. That may change as the show progresses. But, if it doesn't, that's cool too. It's nice to see the Doctor just having adventures and enjoying science again. Rather than trying to get laid.
Just like in the last category, this trend of the Doctor developing a libido starts in The 96 Telemovie. In fact, it was almost shocking to see him kissing Grace against the tree. Our hero was forever changed after that moment. From that point onward, the Doctor had sexuality.
Of course, actually performing a romantic act was only the half of it. As I had mentioned in the first paragraph: the Classic Series Doctor wasn't hideous but he wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, either. This definitely changed with McGann. Like some of the New Who Doctors, his appearance could make the ladies swoon (and certain types of boys, too, for that matter!). I still love that there was a whole website in the 90s called: "It's 1999. The Master Wants the Doctor's Body. He's Not the Only One!".
This is definitely another point in favor of the "The 96 Telemovie is New Who" camp.
THE DOCTOR, HIMSELF - PART FOUR: HIS TASTES
As we wrap up character examination, one more point must go to the Classic Series.
While 21st Century Doctors still make some classic references, they are definitely much more into pop culture. In the Classic Series, the Doctor was often completely unfamiliar with the trendiness of the age the show was being shot in. He favored the things of bygone eras and enjoyed displaying a sense of culture and even sophistication.
Even the War Doctor, who is very much a representation of a Classic Series Doctor (who takes place after Doctor Eight and, therefore, encourages the idea that Eight is an Old Who Doctor) doesn't know what cup-a-soup is and is outraged that the Doctor now says things like: "Timey Whimey". He very clearly demonstrates this division between New and Classic Doctors.
Those console room scenes that bookend The 96 Telemovie are the best examples of the Doctor being much more Classic than New. He's listening to an old Torch Song while sipping tea and reading H.G. Wells. If that doesn't create a Classic Series vibe, I don't know what does!
STORY STRUCTURE - PART ONE: PACING
We've looked at how the Doctor was represented in The 96 Telemovie, now it's time to move on to the other traits of the backdoor pilot. The very structure of the story has several characteristics that point to either New or Classic Who.
The pacing of this particular story is very much in keeping with a New Who adventure. Old Who is well-known for being much more slow and ponderous, whereas the Modern Series moves at an almost frantic pace (something I've already discussed in my Capture-and-Escape Hall of Fame entry: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/11/complete-and-utter-silliness-capture.html).
The 96 Telemovie definitely tries to push things along as quickly as possible and not get bogged down with any more exposition than it needs to. Once again, this is really the first time we've seen a Doctor Who story play out in such a manner (with a notable exception or two - Earthshock, for instance, moves quite fast).
STORY STRUCTURE - PART TWO: THE PLOT
Another point for New Who! Classic Who is much more happy to indulge in subplots as its main storyline plays out. Various plot strands will move along together towards a conclusion. All of them get quite a bit of attention as they do so.
New Who is much more about a very strong focus on Plot A. It's not to say that there are no subplots at all, but they are, very much, pushed to the background.
Paul McGann's one-and-only televisual outing is mainly about trying to stop the Master from destroying the Earth as he tries to take over the Doctor's body. There are some very minor B and C stories (Grace breaking up with her boyfriend, Professor Wagg still trying to save the party even though his clock doesn't work), but they are painfully insignificant.
STORY STRUCTURE - PART THREE: THE CHARACTERS
This one is quite odd. I'm bringing it up on purpose to help introduce a premise I'll explore more deeply later.
Both New and Classic Who tend to like have a strong stable of supporting characters to help build the story. You'll have your main characters: the Doctor and a companion, a villain and, perhaps, a henchman. But then you'll have a series of other characters that, generally, only get seen in that particular adventure. The leads will build up some sort of relationship with them. Which gives the supports a suitable amount of screentime.
96 Telemovie treats its supports in a very different way. Aside from the Doctor, Grace, the Master and Chang Lee, everyone else is extremely incidental. They get a few brief scenes with only a handful of lines and then they get kicked out of the story. They might pop back briefly at a New Year's eve party - but they are, for the most part, harshly neglected.
This is, pretty much, the only time we've seen a Who Tale handle its supporting characters in such a manner. It almost causes us to feel like we're not actually watching real Doctor Who. This is, very much, the backdoor pilot doing its own thing.
GENERAL AESTHETICS:
There are a few vaguer points to this adventure that also help to get it to seem like it hails from a specific era:
The music of The 96 Telemovie definitely makes it feel New Who. The Classic Series relied heavily on electronic music (in the case of The Sea Devils, it may have relied on it too much!). But we switch to symphonic scoring as the Eighth Doctor makes his entrance. And this continues throughout the New Series.
Some might say that the way the whole thing was shot also makes it New Who. I could argue that point, though. Yes, Classic Who relies heavily on studio work using the three camera system. Whereas Modern Who is shot more in the style of a movie: single camera and largely on location. But if you look at the last two seasons of Sylvester McCoy, a lot of his stuff is also created in a filmic manner. So I'm more inclined to say that the show was evolving in this fashion even before we got to Doctor Eight. So, this is neither a point for New or Old. They both use this filming technique quite prominently.
A WILD THEORY:
If we're bothering to keep score, it does look like the New Series is winning, here. There does seem to be more points supporting the idea. But this still remains pretty subjective. You may feel that I've missed certain points or that the points that support Old Who are more significant even if they are fewer.
But there is but one more theory that we can explore. Could it be that The 96 Telemovie is neither New nor Classic Who? Or, perhaps, a hybrid of the two that causes it to sit in its own unique category? This idea, to me, has as much validity as classifying it as either New or Old Who. In many ways, I think it's the most accurate appraisal. It is its own special thing that doesn't fit anywhere but by itself.
It is entirely possible that Doctor Who gets put on extended hiatus again someday. That another one-off might be made several years after it ends that tries to resurrect it, but fails. Then, and only then, might The 96 Telemovie have something else that fits in its category with it.
Hopefully, that covers this debate comprehensively. I really did try to think of every little detail that categorizes the 96 Telemovie in some way. If I've missed anything, feel free to mention it in the comments.
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