This story in a nutshell: The Doctor and Peri visit a planet
devoted to the dead...
Theatrical Adventurer: Some have argued that the sixth
Doctor does take something of a back seat in Revelation of the Daleks and that
this has something to do with Eric Saward's casting of Colin Baker as the Time
Lord. Both may be true but I don't think that it detracts from the story as a
whole. Colin Baker's Doctor is such a wonderfully dominant figure in every
other story in his tenure that a one-off story where he is sidelined in favour
of a superbly drawn guest cast is no bad thing. It also helps that the half of
the story that he does feature in prominently sees some of his finest characterisation
and certainly one of Baker's most charismatic performances. I love the respect
that he shows to the mutant, gently holding his hand as he dies in his arms
despite the fact that he has just attempted to kill him. This is a Doctor that
because of his extremes of personality is capable of surprising you when he is
tender. There have been few scenes so perversely engaged in the double entry in
Doctor Who then that of the Doctor and Peri climbing over the wall ('I
rarely use it...'). Stengos, like
Azmael, Magellan and Tonker Travers, is another character that we have never
heard of before but has apparently played a pivotal role in the Doctor's life
before. There's no reason to assume that everybody that we have encountered
with the Doctor are the only people he knows - he surely has off screen
adventures (look at all those novels for a start). It's nice for the sixth
Doctor to be drawn into an adventure on a personal note for a change, to look
out for a friend rather than t repair some piece of the TARDIS. Colin Baker
excels at the moments where the Doctor is confronted with something that haunts
him (remember his reaction to the end of the universe in The Two Doctors) and
he delivers a genuinely traumatized turned when the Time Lord has to face the
possibility of his own death (in keeping with the theme). The thought of never
again regenerating and that this is where his body will end up, it's the events
of The Name of the Doctor in a microcosm. Apparently it would take a mountain
to crush an ego like his. The Doctor/Davros confrontation in episode two is one
of the greatest scenes of the eighties, both characters given the chance to
shine verbally and the Doctor in particular coming to the fore as a moral
character who wont stand for Davros' revolting scheme. It's witty, dramatic,
grotesque and hugely entertaining. What a shame they didn't get more time
together (go and listen to the Big Finish audio Davros for more magic from this
pair). The quiet moment where he sits with Orcini at the climax and allows him
the dignity of killing himself without objecting might be my favourite sixth
Doctor moment and he doesn't say a word.
Busty Babe: Proof, if it was needed, that Peri can work
extremely well as a solo companion, that she compliments this Doctor perfectly
and that the pair of them can get on. Saward is clearly as bored with all the
griping between the pair as everybody else (mind you he was the script editor,
he had the power to do something about that a long time ago) and presents a far
more effective pairing; playful, considerate and sparky. There's a sly piece of
continuity in the opening scenes, harkening back to the Doctor's newfound
vegetarianism thanks to the events of The Two Doctors. Peri does not approve,
especially of the Doctor's ghastly nut roast rolls. Her botany degree is given
some consideration again and she mentions that her grades aren't exactly
spectacular - there is an effort to make Peri less of a cipher and more of a
person. The scene where she beats the mutant to death to save the Doctor and
feels remorse for behaving so savagely could have been hideously overplayed but
instead is hauntingly played by both Bryant and Baker and shows the Doctor
comforting his companion at a disquieting time. This is the first time Peri has
had to kill in order to protect the Doctor. Tellingly Peri admits that the
Doctor is a close friend when she thinks that he is dead, a sign of how far
they have come since his regeneration. Her scenes with the DJ are vital for her
growth, showing her homesick for America that would continue to be explored in
the next season.
Scarred Scientist: 'It is an offer that must be fulfilled
through blood! Show me your total obedience and kill Jobel!' My personal
favourite Davros story. I can sympathise with anybody who might disagree and
put forth Genesis of the Daleks of Big Finish's Davros as a alternative
(because they are both top dollar too) but for me this is the story that does
the most interesting things with the character and presents the most shades.
Not only does he live up to the ranting old loon of repute he is also teasing
and hilarious, sadistic and manipulative, intelligent and patient, blackly
comic and terrifying. Terry Molloy cites this as his personal favourite because
he had the chance to bring his voice right down and show a boarding, menacing
side to the character that was absent in Resurrection. Early scenes of him
sitting like a spider in the heart of Tranquil Respose and directing
everything, chuckling to himself as the Doctor walks into his trap, are genuinely
unsettling. When Davros has something to giggle about, be scared. He is forced
into doing business with people like Kara ad tries to restrain his tongue when
dealing with her, sometimes failing dismally. He's in hiding from the
authorities and other factions of Daleks and so doesn't want his real name
mentioned on open communications. Davros takes perverse pleasure in
manipulating Tasambeker, he can see how weak and easily led she is and selects
her because of it. He strokes her ego a little, tugs on her insecurities and
then directs her to murder the man she loves to please him. It shows a new kind
of sadism in the character, playing with peoples emotions for sick pleasure. He
had no intention of upholding his promises - as soon as Tasambeker has seen
Jobel off, Davros sends in the Daleks to polish her off too. He could have just
have easily have dispatched a squad to kill Jobel too, he wanted to manipulate
his victim into doing it for him for his own perverse gratification. He's drawn
the Doctor to Necros to pull off another joke in awful taste, trying to
convince the Time Lord that this is where he is going to die...and then
attempting to kill him. He's lost his mind but there is still a keen
intelligence shining through, directing all of the insidious threads of this
story. I'm not sure if the Davros in the tank was a clone throughout or whether
he put one in place as soon as he realised he was being targeted by Orcini but
it's a marvellous surprise either way. Trust Davros to be so paranoid as to create
another version of himself purely for the purpose of being blown away. His
method of receiving universal acclaim (a nice reversal of his usual notoriety)
is to take a starving universe, develop a way of luring in the dead, turning
them into food and selling it back to them. He's had some revolting ideas in
his time but that takes the biscuit.
Grotesques: Such is the quality of the performances and the
dialogue that I feel compelled to give the astonishing guest cast in this
adventure a section of their own. It might be predictable to say that they are
split into Robert Holmes style double acts (no he wasn't the first person to
pair of strong characters against one another but he is responsible for some of
the best double acts the show ever presented) but Saward's close friendship
with Holmes and his sudden penchant for vivid character pairings is a
remarkable co-incidence. When the usual Saward massacre takes place in the
second episode you feel every death because these characters have the depth to
go on beyond this story...
Few people could admit to have such a bloated ego with so
little reason than Mr Jobel, the Chief Embalmer at Tranquil Repose. You'd have
to search a long time to find a character quite this grotesque, drowning in his
own self importance, convinced that he is something of a ladies man, insulting,
flirtatious, lecherous and turncoat. As soon as Jobel sets his sights on Peri
nothing can hold him back. His charm has the same effect as repelling magnetic
poles, she wants to run as far away from him as possible. Somehow he has caught
the eye of Tasambeker, one of the supervising attendants. Jenny Tomasin's
performance has come under fire in the past but this is one occasion where an
uncomfortable turn isn't a problem - that is the whole point of the character.
Dumpy and awkward, she is the obsessive sort who takes out her frustrations
with herself out on other people whilst fawning over somebody out of her reach.
She's a character that you both despise and pity, not an easy mix to pull off.
It's ironic that this doomed love match should end up with a pair of scenes of
both characters being killed and Jobel's fate at the hands of the woman he has
spurned is perfect, his toupee falling off with his last breath revealing his
hideous egg-like dome underneath. All his barely concealed ugliness revealed at
his death. Perfect.
One of Sward's most bizarre characters is the DJ, an
entertainer that is set up in Tranquil Repose to communicate with the those in
suspended animation and keeping them up to date with current affairs and
playing them music to make their lying in state an entertaining experience.
Whilst his public persona is all overdone humour and in yer face broadcasts, he
makes snide and sarcastic asides to the bodies at times that reveal a much more
complex character. I think I would be far less forgiving of such an outrageous
character (I know some people who wont give this story a chance simply because
of the DJ) if it weren't for his gorgeous scenes with Peri in part two where he
is revealed to be quite a shy, bashful man. He's confident and charismatic when
behind the microphone, adopting the persona of old American DJ's (he'll adopt
every persona from Elvis to a stoned out student) but in reality he is quite an
unassuming man. I imagine a lot of actors to be like this.
There are also a pair of grave robbers in town, Natasha and
Grigory, the former who is trying to find out why the courts were so unwilling
to give her fathers body back. Saward uses this pair to suggest that something
very sinister is going on, performing the Doctor's role in episode one of
investigating the dark underbelly of Tranquil Repose. These two talk in typical
Saward macho dialogue but I do love the occasional moment of morbid humour that
Grigory brings to the table ('You forget I'm a Doctor, when they slice me
open I'll know the name and function of each organ that plops out.').
The corner of the galaxy that this story portrays is further
expanded with Orcini and Bostock, a pair of assassins hired by Kara to take out
Davros. Steeped in honour and looking for glory, these two could easily have
been macho clichés but thanks to a pair of subtle performances, especially from
William Gaunt, who imbues Orcini with a courteous stillness that somehow makes
his history as a professional murderer even more convincing. It is the
relationship between the two characters that us again so interesting, a pupil
and a mentor but it seems to go much deeper than that. There is a respect
between them that suggests a long partnership and Orcini's quiet and
understated stroking of his squire's head after he dies and he is about to
commit suicide speaks a thousand words. Interestingly as soon as Bostock is
dispatched by a Dalek, Orcini is happy to throw his life away too.
Probably the least interesting are Takis and Lilt because
they are portrayed as little more than violent thugs (well Lilt is, Takis
usually stands back smugly and let's it happen) but once again they are
terrifically cast. The most interesting thing about this twosome is their
apparent turn at the climax, suddenly becoming the good guys after spending the
story roughing up characters, going at them with knives and alcohol and fists.
Clearly Lilt is a little deranged ( Takis is no better, setting him on people
like a guard dog) but were they simply reacting to a restrictive situation set up
by Davros? Will things genuinely be more productive with these two in charge?
Sparkling Dialogue: I could recite half the script, but
these are my personal favourites...
'I hope they're on time, she's already started to froth.'
'I killed him...and he forgave me. Why did he have to be so
nice about it?' 'You had no choice.'
'You've got a wife and half there, George. They found a cure
for Bex syndrome forty years ago. Still, it would be interesting to know what
she's really doing with the money.'
'There will be no drinking, swearing or smoking of herbal
mixture in the presence of the deceased...'
'Those rose red ruby lips were made for kissing...' '...but
not by you' 'I love a woman who plays hard to get' 'Then you'll love me to
death!'
'Serve me with your total being and I shall allow you to
become a Dalek...'
'I would rather run away with my mother than own a fawning
little creep like you.'
'This is a highly directional, ultra sonic beam of rock and
roll! It kills!'
'But did you bother to tell anyone that they might be eating
their own relatives?' 'Certainly not! That would create what I believe is
coined consumer resistance! They were grateful for the food...it allowed them
to go on living.'
The Good:
* Few things excite me more than seeing the TARDIS make a
beautiful landing in a picturesque setting (I don't get out much) and the
opening to Revelation of the Daleks is a particularly gorgeous example.
Standing askew atop a snowy hillock, freezing mist battering its exterior.
Graeme Harper sure knew how to get value on screen and the most out of his
locations.
* I love the confidence of Saward's writing and how he isn't
afraid to have two narratives co-incide briefly in the same scene without
either of them meeting (such as the grave robbers dashing through the corridors
of Tranquil Respose at the end of Jobel's rant about etiquette). Or how he can shift tones so self-assuredly,
turning the mutants attack into a touching warning of the shocking experiments
that are going on on Necros. He's far more invested in his guest characters in
episode one than he is in the Doctor and Peri (despite characterising both of
them magnificently) but in order to pull that off there has to plenty going on
and real complexities in the relationships. It's hard to believe that this is
the same writer that brought us the surface-level depth of The Visitation and
Earthshock (both stories barely contained characters) - with Revelation Saward
has managed to brew up a whole world of nuanced characters, intriguing situations,
engaging relationships and twisting loyalties. There are plenty of worlds in
Doctor Who that seem specifically designed for the titular character to land in
and sort out its problems. That is it's only function, to provide a setting for
a Doctor Who story. Not so with Necros, this is busy world, populated with
strange, perverse, wonderful characters and it's complexities exist whether the
Doctor visits or not. The fact that the Doctor is kept out of the action for so
long and this world keeps on turning in a fascinating way proves that. It's
Saward's greatest achievement on the show.
* Not only is Revelation of the Daleks one of the funniest
serials of the eighties but it is also one of the scariest too. It is packed to
the gills full of horrific imagery and frightening moments that I'll give some
consideration to here. The attack by the mutant a great example, a thrilling
fight sequence that sees a blistered, blemished, salivating man come screaming
from the darkened woods and threaten the Doctor and Peri. It's a revolting make
up job and the camera settles at the
bottom of the snowy ravine so the Doctor and the mutant can come rolling
dynamically down the hill. Truly this is the stuff of nightmares. Although not
quite as much as the much celebrated sequence where Natasha discovers her
fathers remains in Davros' laboratory of horrors. Lit from below in a pulsating
red light, discovering brains suspended in tanks, Natasha and Grigory stumble
upon a glass Dalek holding the sickening remains of her father. There is all
manner of technology grafted onto his body and pulsating organs and offal
smeared across his head - it is one of the most unpleasant sights in the
series' long history. More insidious is the psychological implications of the
scene, Natasha having a neat breakdown at having to murder her dad in order to
protect him. It is impeccably scripted, acted and directed and one of the
finest moments of horror in small screen science fiction I have ever seen. I've
watched it dozens of times and it still gives me the chills. Stengos is bring
turned into a Dalek in the most horrific way imaginable and the way he slips
from caring father to mechanical killer (with excellent, rising music) is
superbly acted. The assassinations begin in episode two and some of the murders
are up close and personal.
* If you are going to write a Doctor Who story that revolves
around the theme of death you have to be very sure of the tone you are going
for. Saward settles for blackly comic and explores the theme in a number of
entertaining ways. I love the idea that if you take a look at the numbers that
the whole idea of Tranquil Repose doesn't work - there are simply too many
people alive now for people to be stored and brought back once their terminal
conditions are curable. And yet people like to believe that there is the
possibility of going on and the relatives can live their lives safe in the
knowledge that they have done their best by the loved ones...it is a shared
delusion when secretly everybody probably knows the truth. That kind of
pretence exists in our lives all the time and it's nice to see the most
subversive Doctor Who story built around that kind of self delusion. The truth
of the matter, though, is positively nauseating. Trust Davros to come along
with a scheme that takes care of both over population and starvation in such an
awesomely disgusting manner. Yes, that's right, he's turning the dead into food
and delivering them back into the hands of their loved ones to nosh on. An idea
so grim I am surprised it made it past the censors.
* It's no secret that Graeme Harper is considered one of the
finest directors to have worked on Doctor Who, despite only having worked on
two stories in the classic series his work really stood out as being more
imaginative and dynamic than the directors around him. Some inspired moments of
direction: shooting the Daleks from below (designed in cream and gold, looking
sexier than ever) for maximum dramatic impact, another scene shot from below
that reveals the disfigured state of the corpse told entirely from the point of
view of Jobel's haunted face ('I suppose you can't make him look any
worse...'), the sudden flick of a knife in front of Vogel's face, the
Doctor looking straight into the camera that is posing as a security camera
(but with no concessions to the fact until he looks straight at us), the
sweeping camera work as the Doctor and Peri walk the steps up to the
President's wife's death bed that takes in all the stylish detail of the set,
the chilling Dalek eyestalk that comes into view as Tasambeker is offered
immortality, the dramatic handheld camerawork as Tasambeker chases Jobel with
the hypodermic needle, Davros' hand stretched out with Bostock aiming his gun
slowly in the background, the sexiest computer voice in science fiction, plenty
of explosive Daleks but especially the exploding glass one and the guard that
erupts and parts of it flutter to the ground for an age.
* In Resurrection of the Daleks Saward simply used the
creatures as assassins but he tries a completely different and far more
insidious tactic in Revelation and thus manages to find new ways to make them
Scary. Firstly there is the terrifying notion of people being turned into
Daleks on their death bed and the psychological implications of that (dealt
with in the transformation of Stengos). Then there is the idea of being offered
that form of immortality as a reward. That's chilling. Davros sends a squad of
Daleks to 'escort' Kara to him for her protection and it is loaded with ominous
threat. Check out the menacing shot of them coming through the mist in the
catacombs. Then there is the whole idea of a Dalek civil war, that is barely
touched upon here but has massive implications. Finally I love the notion of
Daleks being destroyed with music, the joy of which is something that simply
could not comprehend. It is the perfect method to dispatch a Dalek because if
they took over there would be no music. The Daleks get to murder a great number
of the characters and I found the DJ's casual execution the most shocking,
mostly thanks to Peri's horrified reaction.
The Bad: The transitions between floors are a neat idea but
they don't really work. Tasembeker's 'Find the intruders!' has to be
seen to be believed. I get that the Dalek voices are untreated to suggest that they
are human...but they don't really work. The climax of the Daleks sweeping in
and taking Davros away only feels unsatisfying because I was desperate to know
what happened next - a sure sign that this story had sunk its claws into me.
8 comments:
Spot on review. I know more than a few people don't like this story very much, but I always have, and you hammered down all of the reasons why!
Absolutely 100% spot on. Possibly my favourite Who of all time - only one story challenges it in the original series (and bizarrely, it's just about its polar opposite - I'll let you guess).
I would give it a bit less, a 9 or a 9.5, but still absolutely love this story. Maybe seeing it in 4 parts and then in its 'proper' 2 halves made me only appreciate it more over time.
Indisputably 6's best TV story, and one that really shows how the show runners and Baker could have made him a Doctor for the ages if personal and professional hangups by the network big wigs hadn't derailed the entire thing. At least he eventually gets one more (doozy of a) story.
Watching all in order. This is great. One of the rare stories where had the Doctor not turned up the same result would have happened. Takis would contact the Daleks, Orcini blows himself up, the end. The Stengos scene is rightly appreciated, the gradual build up of his voice and the music, absolutely brilliant. The characters and dialogue really shine. Such a slick production, the last true film work, Baker is superb as is Nicola. Davros is his best apart from Genesis, very subtle for him and some lovely close up shots. Any criticism is nit picking. This usually breaks into the all time top 10 to 20 and is certainly the 2nd best Nathan-Turner story. The Daleks are scary again. Some great scenes, I would rather run away with my mother is hilarious. This story has stood the test of time definitely.
The Orcini attack on Davros scene is one of the series best.
Season 22
1. Revelation of the Daleks
2. Vengeance on Varos
3. Two Doctors
4. Mark of the Rani
5. Attack of the Cybermen
6. Timelash
A very strong season, thoroughly enjoyed it, hugely nostalgic. Best Nathan-Turner season by miles, very consistent. Baker should have stayed a lot longer.
Just watched this again for the first time since it was broadcast. Really surprised by the Doctor's pops at Peri's weight!
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