Noble Savage: At her best, Leela is worked into a story as
an entirely independent character and yet still shares some engaging scenes
with the Doctor. Richards is fully aware that this series is called Doctor Who
but that does not mean that the companion has to be entirely reliant on the
titular character to shine (and there are a fair few companions that don't
exactly stand out when they are left to their own devices). Circumstances split
the two characters and she confidently teams up with the guest characters and
takes charge. Leela really needs to try and work on her social etiquette.
Meeting somebody and telling them that death is on their heels is hardly the
way to enamour herself to people. She's rather new to polite society or any
society come to think of it. Not just hardly dressed for the occasion but
hardly dressed at all. As an expert in death she is hardly the sort that you
would want to invite to a party. Leela pretty much sums up their relationship
when she says that while the Doctor talks, she will hunt. All knives are safe,
it is the person wields the blade that you should be wary of. It is not good to
dwell on the death of your friends but better to concentrate on the death of
your enemy. She's very brave, foolhardy but very brave.
Sparkling Dialogue: 'It's not really magic. Smoke and
mirrors. Well, mostly mirrors.'
'But you are right Doctor, if you are implying that the
magic lantern has been used for nefarious purposes' 'Well it's always the way
with new technology! Just look at the internet!'
'Brighter lights cast deeper shadows!'
''Since the dawn of time mankind has shunned the
darkness...and craved the light.'
Great Ideas: A terrific, subtly scary cover. There's a
section of Eastbourne coastline that is set off from the rest, a convex section
of land which can become very dangerous at high tide because the waves come
right in to the cliffs and cut you off. All there is is a wooden staircase that
you have to hope you make it to before the waves come rushing in. I've had a few
hairy experiences down there in my time and so I understand the panic that the
Doctor and Leela face at the beginning of this story. Hemmed in by the
elements. Mannering Caversham was, without doubt, the greatest lanternist of
the golden age. The only supernaturalist not to be exposed as a fraud or a
trickster. He gave the performance of a lifetime on a tiny island, performing
his greatest illusion on the strike of midnight (what a showman). He called
forth an actual demon and to protect himself he shot his brains out with a
pistol, spraying his brains all over the stage. Whilst he might not always be
the most experimental of writers, you can often count on Justin Richards to
conjure up a striking scenario and at his best he adds a touch of macarcbre horror
as he does here. Somehow Caversham broke down the barrier between this realm
and another, conjuring a creature of dark and shadow that he couldn't possibly
comprehend. The darker depths of his mind were linked intrinsically with the
beast. He shot himself to free himself of the curse but before that he had to
capture the demon, adapting his magic lantern and trapping the creature inside
the light. He projected the light onto the window so the creature was scattered
onto the squares of glass and dismantled the window into its component pieces
and placed one piece of it in every window in the castle. Somebody has gathered
up the glass and it is becoming powerful enough to kill again. I am adept
enough at sussing out Justin Richards stories by now and recalled that there is
always a plot reversal at the end of each tale (usually several) and in this
case I sniffed out Mary Summersby as villain of the piece long before it was
revealed because she is the one the Doctor chooses to share his findings with.
So imagine my surprise when I was proven to be completely wrong and the light
was thrown on quite a different culprit.
Audio Landscape: Lapping waves, seagulls screaming,
laughing, crackling flames, a deathly scream, fiddling with the light, a
deathly scream, the unearthly growl of the shadow demon, deathly laughter, the
light reflecting off of polished silver, a window smashing.
Isn't it Odd: Richards has played about with knights (Dreams
of Empire), glass (Martha in the Mirror) and a scrying glass (The Shadow in the
Glass) before.
Standout Scene: A shadow demon give me a chilling reminder
of the Vashta Nerada but there is a palpable difference between the two. In The
Silence of the Library/Forest of the Dead the murderous shadows are patient,
playful and lumbering. They take their time in stripping the flesh from your
bones. Richards plays on the speed of shadows her, a flick of the light here
and a shadow can cross the room in a moment, climbing walls, touching you,
tearing the flesh from your body. A shadow that can form into a beast and
actualise...that is a pretty frightening concept that your imagination can have
great fun with.
Result: 'We shall show you the art of the impossible!'
Nothing extraordinary (I have given up on anything like that turning up in this
range) but a solid piece of work with Justin Richards turning to some of the
potent imagery from his novels to bolster this creepy audio. He has written so
many Doctor Who stories now across various mediums (novel, audio, graphic
novel) and if some of his works feel a little self plagiarised I don't think
that can be helped. Richards reminds me of Terrance Dicks, you can always be
assured of a plot that his been bolted together with logic and enough strong
ideas and imagery to carry you through what is often a standard run-around.
He's not a Jonny Morris (eclectic, hilarious, startlingly innovative at times)
or a John Dorney (powerfully emotional, innovative) or even a Rob Shearman
(twisted, blackly funny) but he can always be counted on to delivery something
remarkably engaging and definitively Doctor Who in nature. I think Richards is
more adept than most at cutting down a story to two episodes. Since his stories
are often ideas driven and he can get to the point quickly without feeling like
he is rushing I find he is actually more suited to this format than the four
parters. Leela tends to be shunted off and ignored in some of these 4DAs but
Richards tackles her character head on, really focussing on the huntress and
Louise Jameson responds to the strong material in kind. Given the nature of the
Hinchcliffe era it is surprising that this is one of first 4DAs to go for the
horror jugular and made a successful stab at it too. Nothing in the first or
second seasons was particularly chilling and I would say that only The Crooked
Man and Last of the Colophon have really managed to break any serious sweat.
The shadow demons are a strong visual and are realised very well throughout the
story (especially the lead-in to the end titles). There is more than a whiff of
Tooth and Claw about this; the rustic setting, trapping the characters within
at the mercy of a ravenous beast, the illuminating resolution. But I loved
Tooth and Claw so you wont get any complaints from me. Given the inconsistent
nature of the 4DAs, Richards has delivered two for two with The Renaissance Man
and The Darkness of Glass. He should be a given for every season. If you are
going to pick up a handful of this range to test them out, make sure this is
one of them: 7/10
1 comment:
Honestly, after Moffat ignore the Ponds in the second half of Series 6. Glad Clara have more prominence in Series 8. Maybe in Series 9 things to be more balanced, or Clara is ignored in favor of Missy/Master that is much better incarnation that John Simm, whichever comes first.
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