Earthshock 1
Join Joe & Pete as they start drinking and go deep...it could be rough. What is the legacy of The Mutants? Is Janet Fielding’s fun worth sacrificing? How soap has Doctor Who become?
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Friday, 26 February 2021
Five more commentaries to enjoy!
Earthshock 1
Monday, 22 February 2021
Colony of Fear written by Roland Moore and directed by John Ainsworth
What’s it about: Sometimes the TARDIS takes the Doctor to where he needs to go... Answering a distress call from the out-world of Triketha, the Doctor and Constance Clarke discover human colonists battling against an onslaught of giant, malevolent insects. The insects’ sting induces a coma, and it is only a matter of time before all the colonists succumb. The Doctor is curious as to the origins of the insects, which appeared from nowhere, and offers his assistance to the colony’s governor. But is this the Doctor’s first visit to Triketha, or has he been here before? The Doctor must confront a past that he has no memory of and take responsibility for the consequences of his actions.
Softer Six: And so, quite bizarrely, we return to the sixth Doctor and Constance before Flip joined them. Big Finish is always plugging gaps in continuity in the TV period of the show but it doesn’t (often) take the time to head back to time in its own personal continuity, especially when the characters in question are still enjoying stories with a third regular. Was Lisa Greenwood not available to record? Or was there a creative reason for this to take place during the sixth Doctor and Constance’s initial run. I don’t object, they have glorious chemistry. It just feels odd to be looking backwards as Big Finish ditches the main range. Colin sounds refreshed, younger, unburdened. It’s rather lovely. It is absolutely worth noting that when Colin recorded his first Big Finish story he was considered the weakest of all the Doctor’s and probably someone that the new audience wasn’t looking forward to being reacquainted with and here, in the advent of his final Big Finish adventure, he is probably the most popular, certainly the most reliable, and absolutely a Doctor that I still get incredibly excited to see in the schedules. That’s some turnaround.
He’s rarely pleased to see someone with a gun but when facing down giant bugs that are looking to take him out he is willing to make an exception. The Doctor has been to so many places that on average if somebody asks if he has been there before it is easier if he just says yes. He finds that if people assume he is somebody it is easier to just go along with it because he can then avoid being asked a lot of irritating questions. This isn’t the first time he has been mistaken for people that are due in ‘a few days.’ You just have to make sure that you have left before they arrive. Has a part of the Doctor’s past been locked away from him? Is he being protected from his own past? He doesn’t remember coming to this colony before beyond a few snatches of vague memory. He’s worried about what he might have done in his second incarnation, once he identifies him from Mrs Clarke’s description (impish, with clothes that are too large for him). Sometimes he gets so carried away that he doesn’t think about the consequences of those who get left behind when he asks people to come with him on his adventures. It would appear that whichever Doctor you travelled with, however it worked out, his companions have absolute loyalty to him. The Doctor cheats at the climax, going back in time ten minutes to save his friends when he knew he wouldn’t have the time to do everything. There’s some pen pusher at the CIA writing a furious report right now. He owed it Tarlos to put things right. One day he might find a way to unlock his memories of Tarlos. Or maybe Big Finish will bring out a boxset or two.
Constant Companion: Constance is loving her adventures with the Doctor, and wants to enjoy the atmosphere of the planet they have visited rather than discuss some dull old technobabble. That’s my girl. She’s not an expert but she did encounter some giant cockroaches a while back. She’s more than adept at dealing with dangerous situations when the Doctor isn’t around. She doesn’t seem fazed when the ship hits the fan at the colony, picks up a gun without flinching and tries to deal with things in a logical, orderly way. She could be a dry character but Miranda Raison is too good at adding lots of moments of charm and humour. The Doctor doesn’t keep secrets from Mrs Clarke but this is a secret from himself. Fascinating to see Constance learning at the potentially fatal consequences of travelling with the Doctor before the events of Static. She is willing to mourn for the people who have died in this story but not the weapons of war.
Sparkling Dialogue: I like it when ambiguous details are slipped into a character that say an awful lot about their backstory but you never get the full story to find out. Like when Ed Gold says to Adelaide in The Waters of Mars: ‘You never could forgive me.’ Or when The Beast says to Mr Jefferson in The Satan Pit: ‘Did your wife ever forgive you. Mr Jefferson?’ Here, in a moment of grotesque metamorphosis, the Governor calls his wife ‘My darling!’ and she responds with ‘It’s been a long time since you’ve called me that and it will be the last.’ There is a whole story not being told there.
‘There’s always a body count when the Doctor is involved. Or haven’t you realised that by now?’ Has he been watching a lot of ERIC Saward stories?
You’ve got a sacrifice in the climax that is genuinely poignant because of what it means for father and son. ‘The main thing is that I came home and that I saw you one last time’ ‘Hardly how I would have wanted it!’ ‘You don’t have much control over the times you have with people. It may not have been ideal but it is what it is. And at least we got a chance to say goodbye.’ The performances are fantastic here. (So is the cheat.)
Great Ideas: The giant bugs can let of chemical signals that can attract others when they die, like the common wasp, but with a sting that can put people into a coma. After three days the victims wake up with no ill effects and no eggs planted inside (trust the Doctor to ask the grisliest of questions). It’s all about mind control. They can take control of whoever has been stung and make them do whatever the hive mind wants. They can also use their venom to turn their victims into another insect just like them. It is their life cycle. The Marlosian segmented worm is nearly extinct and killing one breaks several environmental laws. Ferocious carnivores with very small brains (a bit like the Drashigs). The spaceship that brought the bugs to Triketha is a flying zoo full of the universe’s deadliest creatures. It’s not a zoo, but a collection. The Collector turns out to be Tarlos, a companion of the second Doctor who came to this colony in his period post-The War Games. He picked up Tarlos when he first visited the colony and now he has returned to see his father again but this time as an old man. He was promised adventure by the second Doctor, and that he would be home by teatime. Only one of those came true. He was returned to his planet 48 years before he left. He knew he couldn’t return to his old life until ‘after’ he had left and so he had to wait, and live a life. There’s a creative reason to bring back Tarlos beyond simple shock value. He uses his antipathy towards his former friend to lure the insects into a trap at the climax. They believe his ruse because he genuinely does have a grudge against the Doctor. He just loves him more than the grudge.
Audio Landscape: The sound of swarming insects buzzing around the colony creates an intense ‘base under siege’ atmosphere to the last episode. Suddenly everything feels urgent. There was an episode of The X-Files in series about swarming killer insects and some of the set pieces were oppressive in the climax. Imagine that for 25 minutes.
Isn’t it Odd: Why would you end episode one of the Doctor in a moment of false jeopardy when you have a far more exciting conceptual cliffhanger in the TARDIS already being on this world and the suggestion that the Doctor has been here before? The second some poor lass starts talking to the Doctor about heading off and doing some world saving I knew she was a gonner. Simply because Flip takes up that role in the future.
Standout Scene: The end of episode two is intoxicating for all of the enticing possibilities it presents. Just who is the mysterious collector who seems to recognise the Doctor? Why is the TARDIS already here? Has the Doctor been here before? And why can’t he remember any of this? It’s playing about with the same ideas as Fugitive of the Judoon but with potentially less inflammatory consequences. It has that frisson of opening up the history of the Doctor, that we think is fulsomely documented but reveals that there are still some secrets to tell.
Result: A fascinating tale that starts off as predictable and as plain as any main range adventure you care to name but adds layer after layer with each subsequent episode until it becomes something quite compelling. That’s a great approach because a lot of Doctor Who stories start with their strongest episode and most interesting ideas and transform into a runaround as the story progresses. You might not expect much from Colony of Fear after the first fifteen minutes, but by the end it is plugging the most intriguing of continuity gaps and opening out a series of adventures for a former Doctor. Fortunately, even when it is playing about with basic Doctor Who ideas (a colony under threat, insect creatures on the attack) it is in the hands of a great Doctor and companion and features a stunning soundscape by Steve Foxon. I was certainly not bored in the first episode and positively riveted by the end of the story. I love the fact that during the period that John Ainsworth has had care of the sixth Doctor that he hasn’t been afraid to play about with some big concepts. What if the Doctor had a murderer inside his brain? What if the Doctor went on an adventure with Harry Houdini? Is the Scarlet Pimpernel real? What would happen if the Doctor’s companions faced a moral dilemma that they could not agree on? Can you separate the art from the artist in Lovecraft’s case? The ideas aren’t always executed in the most skilful of ways but they are fresh ways at look at Doctor Who adventures and I always appreciate that. Here we are shining a light on the season 6B theory, and the idea that the second Doctor had a life beyond The War Games. What is interesting about this is the approach; not to chart out the events that occurred when the Doctor was working for the Time Lords but to deal with one of the character consequences of that time. We are seeing the unfortunate significance that comes with travelling with the Doctor and sometimes it is messy. A dash of Fugitive, a touch of Ark in Space and a claustrophobic and exciting last episode that the Second Doctor himself would be at home in; Colony of Fear writes the sixth Doctor out of the main range with some confidence: 8/10
Tuesday, 16 February 2021
Three Commentaries to Enjoy...
Attack of the Cybermen 1
Monday, 15 February 2021
DS9 – Strange Bedfellows
Plot – The previous episode dropped an almighty bombshell on
the audience that I think is supposed to rock the war to its very foundations…the
Dominion are allying themselves with the Breen. Now I’m terribly sorry if I show
just how little I pay attention but I don’t recall ever hearing the name Breen
before in Trek, even though I am reliably informed that is the case. So, I can
remember at the time looking at my mother (we watched DS9 through together) and
being completely baffled as to what the implications were. Of course,
throughout the next handful of episode we get a terrific amount of context
(especially in the previously review The Changing Face of Evil). So where other
people went into this episode with huge expectations about the mighty Breen
taking on the Federation, I was watching hoping for some kind of explanation of
who they were and why it mattered.
Character – The most interesting character reaction to the
Breen is Damar’s, who comes to realise very quickly that with their new buddies
providing heavy artillery that the Dominion is no longer interested in cosying
up to the Cardassians and openly considers them something of a disposable
resource. Telling this end of the war story through the eyes of somebody like
Damar was a stroke of genius because he is a character who has previously
displayed the worst tendencies of the Cardassian people and somebody that the
audience has hissed at when he was wicked and cheered whenever he received his
comeuppance. Now the stakes have changed. We are about to see the systematic
destruction of his entire people through his eyes and it takes him on an
incredible journey from villain to redemptive hero in just a handful of episodes.
It is impossible not to care as he cajoled and belittled by Weyoun and
completely dismissed by the Female Changeling and I cheered with glee in the
next episode where he finally made his move against them. This is the
transitory piece where he struggles with his identity, the weight of the
responsibility of his entire race on his shoulders and where he realises that
for some time he has been leaning on alcohol to get through the day. He has
sold his people out and become a prisoner in his own home. It is strikingly sophisticated
characterisation and precisely the sort of material that Casey Biggs was
promised when he took on what looked like a minor role. Besides being belittled
and emasculated, Damar is being asked to sign territorial concessions over the
Breen and to allow millions of his countrymen to be wiped out in a tactical move
to drain Federation resources. No wonder he throws that glass of Kanar at the
mirror., I wouldn’t be able to look at myself either.
Performance – ‘Go. Crawl back to your Prophets. Beg their
forgiveness. Live the rest of your life in Sisko’s shadow!’ Sometimes I think
the writers on DS9 cannot win. If they write long, laborious episodes about
Bajor they are declared the most boring thing ever and yet if they try and turn
the magnificently performed Kai Winn into a true supervillain over the course
of a single episode then things are moving a little too quickly. When it comes
to Winn (and Fletcher’s meteoric performance) I think we can all agree that political
gain and power have always been her primary motive and so for her to turn her
back on one set of Gods to ally up with another to achieve her aim doesn’t seem
at all out of character to me. Her descent into hell is emotionally documented
and played. At first Winn rejects the idea of giving her love to the Pah
Wraiths. Then she realises by sleeping with Anhjol she is already in bed with
them. Finally, she realises that they are offering her mastery over her people,
absolute power. It’s all she has ever dreamed of. When the devil whispers in
your ear that you can have everything you ever wanted…would you really tell him
to move onto the next person? Fletcher spits poison at Alaimo in some riveting scenes,
before being completely seduced by him. The scene that sells all of this is at
the end where Winn admits that the Prophets had never spoken to her before. Of
course, they haven’t. Time has no meaning to them and they know that she is
going to betray them. That’s a delicious realisation.
Great Dialogue – ‘They’ll be erased from the face of the
galaxy’ says the Female Shapeshifter about the Federation. DS9 wasn’t shy of
grandstanding lines like this (the Female Shapeshifter had all the best lines
in the Final Chapter) and the joy of it is they get superb actors to deliver
those lines so they really count.
Production - The last episode of DS9 directed by Rene Auberjonois and he shows just how much he has learnt during his education on the show. The blocking, lighting and framing of the scenes is excellent. Often intimate (this is a character drama after all) but always vivid. Just look at the moment where Dukat swaggers through the station after leaving Winn a blubbering mess. It's a few seconds long but the music swells, the light catches his sadistic smile but the rest of him is shrouded in shadow. It captures perfectly this Machiavellian war criminals plan coming to fruition and it is entirely wordless.
Best moment – Strangely, my favourite moment comes not from
any of the main storylines but from the Sisko subplot that sees him entering
negotiations with Kassidy for the first time over something they disagree on.
Early on, he has a gloriously scripted scene with (the ever wonderful) Martok
who advises the Captain that war has broken out, ‘a long, gruelling, intoxicating
war.’ The dialogue is fantastic, and the performances sunny and delightful. Kassidy
does not disappoint.
We’ve also got to the point where one of our heroes can snap
somebody’s neck and it is both satisfying and hilarious. Weyoun pushes a little
too far and Worf snaps (literally), and whilst you might imagine Damar would be
appalled, instead he laughs his head off at the overconfidence of his ally as
he lays splayed before him. Just glorious.
I felt like I had fallen into a brilliant Steven Moffat
sitcom when Worf and Ezri, trapped together in enemy territory after making an
understandable but awkward sexual faux pas. Hearing Worf say ‘I was seduced and
betrayed!’ is enough to justify the existence of Deep Space Nine, but the back
and forth between them is hilarious. ‘You have biggest ego of any man I have
ever known!’ ‘Considering how many men you have known, that is quite a
statement!’
In one of the most understated and perfect scenes in DS9, Winn calls upon her greatest critic and spiritual rival, Kira, to beg her for forgiveness for turning her backs on the Prophets. It looks like Winn is going to finally, and in the face of Kira no less, do the right thing and step down as Kai. When Winn realises that that is what it is going to take to regain the Prophets favour, relinquishing her prominent role in Bajoran society, she makes her choice to turn her back on them. The look of quiet disappointment on Kira’s face speaks volumes. More incredible acting.
I wish they hadn’t done that – Just because it is grim
against all the laws of nature AND because Marc Alaimo and Louise Fletcher have
incredible chemistry, the post-coital sequence of Dukat and Winn in bed with
her feeding him fruit. He’s the war criminal that executed millions of her
people, and she’s being tricked into feeding him fruit in bed. The power shifts
between these characters are awesome, and you just know whatever is happening in
this scene that Winn was on top. Your brain will rebel that what you are seeing
is truly loathsome, whilst it is secretly a ridiculous pleasure to watch. Dukat
masterfully teases Winn with power and sex, and pushes her ever closer to
making the decision of abandoning her faith and getting in bed with the enemy.
A reason to watch this episode again – This is the sitcom
episode of the final arc of DS9 where there is a fascinating and amusing tug of
war between Weyoun, Damar and the Breen Leader, where Worf and Ezri have to
deal with the unfortunate consequences of making love in the previous episode
by throwing all manner of suggestive insults at each other, where Winn and
Dukat go from shagging like rabbits to throwing slaps at each other and where
Sisko learns that marrying a strong successful woman means that whilst he might
win the odd battle, SHE will win the war. Okay so the entire Alpha Quadrant is
hanging in the balance and the Breen have added an extra element of threat to
the conflict but essentially this is a character piece that moves the smartly
written cast around on the chess board to where they need to be. If that sounds
like a placeholder then all you need to know is it written by the best dialogue
man on staff at the time (Ronald D. Moore) and that every scene is filled with
zingers that are being brought to life by skilled actors. We’re talking about
Louise Fletcher, Marc Alaimo, Jeffrey Combs, Casey Biggs, Nicole de Boer and Michael
Dorn. The chemistry in each of the storylines is palpable and there is a sense
of momentum in the episode not in the form of action but in how the characters
are being tested and the decisions they ultimately make. Winn and Damar make huge
realisations and Sisko and Kira threaten to steal the show with a pair of
memorable character scenes. This is so well written and played, I found myself
quoting so much of the dialogue as I was watching. I haven’t seen this episode
in years and the exchanges are lodged in my brain. Trek can be talky and
tedious. This is talky and triumphant.
****1/2 out of *****
Sunday, 14 February 2021
DS9 – Change of Heart
Plot – Accidentally taking fire from a Jem H’adar weapon or
accidentally being mowed down by a P’ah Wraith possessed Dukat…it would seem
that whatever route the writers had taken, Jadzia Dax was doomed for an
unintentional death. How strange that one of the most vital and alive
characters of the franchise is taken out not in glorious battle but as a side
issue to the main action. Sometimes life is humbling and cruel like that.
Tongo does look rather fun and the actors certainly make it
look like it is an involved game.
Character – The ways in which Worf is desperately romantic
and cute in this episode; betting a wager on Jadzia even though she will
probably lose to Quark and stating that he would rather lose on her than win on
him, telling Jadzia to go faster through the asteroid field because it will get
their hearts racing, affectionately taking care of the wounds that the jungle
inflicts on his wife despite the fact that she lashes out at him for it,
Ways in which Jadzia is the most sensational woman in all of
Star Trek here; snogging Worf over the Tongo table with no fear of people
watching, respecting Worf’s religion enough to be quiet whilst he prays,
tossing her night dress on Worf’s head and climbing into bed naked and claiming
that she is done talking, refusing to go hiking for their honeymoon and instead
staking a claim to be pampered…and winning the argument, putting the shawl
around Worf and hugging him at night because Klingons don’t like the cold, trying
to make light of the fact that she is clearly dying,
The truth is that they are both highly competent officers
and physically very capable. Being sent on a mission which is this physically
punishing makes perfect sense.
Performance – Dorn and Farrell in the moment when she sends
Worf away to complete the mission. They are heartbreakingly good.
Great Dialogue – ‘On the Enterprise I was considered to be
quite amusing’ ‘Well, that must have been one dull ship.’
‘Think of it as a challenge’ ‘That’s your obsession, Miles.
Not mine’ ‘Do it for the latinum’ ‘Nice try’ ‘Do it for the satisfaction of the
look on Quark’s face when he’s beaten at a game of Tongo by a lowly hew-mon’
‘Deal the cards.’
‘Just kiss me and go’ should be agonisingly twee but it
breaks my heart.
Production – That’s one of the better studio jungles that
Star Trek has pulled together. They often look artificial and plasticky but
David Livingston goes to some lengths to make it misty and atmospheric, full of
exotic creatures and with a light that falls down behind the trees as the day
goes on. It goes to show that with a little effort these studio sets can really
feel like they are outside. It feels like a huge spot when it is probably the
same set being shot from different angles and there are a number of crane shots
that really help sell the environment.
Best moment – The whole sequence in the runabout between Dax
and Worf where the show basically becomes a sitcom for five minutes. The
dialogue is absolutely on point, and so are the performances.
The whole episode is predictably leading up to the moment
when Worf has to choose between his wife or the mission but it is when we get
to that moment that this simple character story really pays off. The Worf of
old would have done anything rather than fail in his duty and behave
dishonourably in the eyes of Starfleet. But the Worf of DS9 has built a life
for himself, made friends, found a lover and gotten married and has a
completely different set of priorities. The tension in the moment is whether
this is still the old Worf or absolutely the new Worf, and whether Jadzia will
be sacrificed or not for his principles. I’m pleased at the answer, and I love
the payoff. Sisko chews him out in the best scene of the episode and tells him
that he will be punished professionally for his actions…but admits that had he
been in his shoes and that had been Jennifer that he would have made the same
call. It’s precisely that reason (probing character questions and real
consequences) that I love this show so much.
I wish they hadn’t done that – The subplot is cute and has
its moments but it is one of those DS9 b stories that is completely disposable,
which means you could really do without it. Bashir is about to have a year long
flirtation match with Jadzia’s successor so this our pre-reminder of his
feelings for her before she goes to set that up. Alongside that is a reminder
that Quark is a savage gambler and manipulator and isn’t afraid to throw in
some wicked psychology in order to win some money. Like I said, it’s fair
material and it’s certainly not anything I didn’t enjoy watching but all the
gold is found in the A plot this week. And this B-Plot mostly takes place in
the middle of this episode, which means that the central plot can’t pick up
much momentum. I thought that Julian was
going to be playing along and win out against Quark all along despite his
blatant manipulation, but it turns out he truly is a schmucky hew-mon. It is a
nice reminder that everybody on DS9 is either fucking or gambling though, so it
is still the best post in the galaxy.
A reason to watch this episode again – Not an episode for
your average Star Trek fan (I seem to say that a lot about DS9 a lot) but
definitely one if you enjoy character work and some real emotion in your drama.
Honestly, this would have been a more realistic episode for Jadzia to have gone
out on and it would have left Worf with some serious hang ups about the
conflict between duty and love that would have been fascinating to follow up
on. It also would have served to have been entirely about their relationship
and as an endorsement of the Dax/Worf marriage there is no finer episode and
the chemistry between Farrell and Dorn is extraordinarily fun. Dax’s death was
ultimately rather arbitrary and caught up in the arc machinations of this
show…but then it was never going to be a quiet and intimate decision like this.
And I actually rather like how she is dispatched in such a callous way because
life is sometimes unpredictable and cruel like that. This would have been the
easier path to take, but also the more touching. This my way of saying that the
episode serves as a healthy reminder of why Starfleet officers in relationships
should not go on missions together and the decision that Worf makes at the end
is entirely the right with absolutely the right consequences for his career.
It’s pretty slight in the plot department although there are still attempts to
tie this into the Dominion War and there is an amusing but absolutely throwaway
sub plot about Bashir and his feelings for Dax, which I thought had been dealt
with but needed to be brough up again because of developments soon to come in
season seven. Change of Heart isn’t going to top anyone’s list of top DS9
episodes but in its own quiet, subtle way it is telling a universal story that
anyone in a relationship can relate to. Dax and Worf are the best relationship
on DS9, and episodes like this prove why.
***1/2 out of *****
Monday, 8 February 2021
Kinda Commentary...
Attention Big Finish fans and fans of hugely charming men... Conrad Westmaas (C'rizz from the eighth Doctor Adventures) joined me for a commentary for Kinda this week.
Join Joe and Conrad as they explore the lush landscape of Diva Loka. Conrad talks about why he hated this as a child and loves it as an adult, Joe is disturbed by the amount of shampoo available on this world and they both marvel at the many levels this story works on.
Join Joe & Conrad as they seek out the dark places of the inside. Why did Conrad give this 3/10 as a child? Where are the monsters? How sexy is evil Tegan? And who is giving the most impressive performance?
Join Joe & Conrad as they head into Panna’s cave for a hallucinogenic dream of doom! What the hell is going on at the end of this episode? Why is Dibber wearing a dreadful wig? And how chilling is Hindle’s breakdown?
Join Joe & Conrad as they face down the most phallic and plastic of snakes. Conrad ponders what he would like to do with Dibber’s black light converter, the lack film work is considered and we both goggle at how good Nerys Hughes is.
Thursday, 4 February 2021
The Brain of Morbius Commentary (featuring Jack Shanahan)
Join Joe & Jack as they head to the storm lashed planet of Karn for what is technically a The Nimon Be Praised extra! Jack has zero respect for my fabulous intro, we are both in awe of the set design, and Joe can’t get over how grisly the cliffhanger turns out to be. (Sound check bolted on the end just for our rendition of the Tellytubbues theme tube).