For me
personally, this is a fun story despite some hokiness and some definite Master
fatigue. I like having the UNIT crew in
a different locale, and the serial plays with a recurring theme on the show
that I always enjoy.
The Third
Doctor scoffs at Jo’s less-than-skeptical views about magic and the occult, but
he’s the first one anxious to intervene when an archeology professor announces
his plans to break the seal on a burial mound in the country village of Devil’s
End. An ancient power has been disturbed,
but not the one Jo thinks, and the whole UNIT gang gets in on the action to
stop it.
I love
the whole “mythical monsters/folklore really have an alien inspiration” thing,
and that’s used effectively with the Dæmons here. While the specific way they go about it can
be silly, with Miss Hawthorne (the local witch, don’t you know) dramatically
intoning spells and incantations, I still like the notion of it, and the scene
of the Doctor tracing horned devils through the history of various Earth myths
is neat. And when we get into what the Dæmons
are really like, it gets more interesting.
Like I
said, though, a little too much Master.
I can’t exactly fault his involvement in the plot, and I do appreciate
the early seasons’ willingness to have him get in over his head on an evil
scheme, like he does here (less of the unstoppable super-villain who’s ahead of
the heroes at every turn, which means more variety in the dynamic,) but after
an entire season of Master stories, it’s just too much Master.
Naturally,
some good stuff for team TARDIS and the extended crew. Jo and Yates team up to investigate some
creepy goings-on, the Doctor (later joined by Benton) makes a fantastic showing
of some mocked-up magic, and while the Brigadier is the odd man out for much of
the serial, he does get to come through in the end. Everyone gets at least one good moment, which
is always appreciated.
What I
really like about this story, though, is just the general team
interaction. The final scene of the
serial, with the heroes celebrating their victory, is well-known, and
throughout, there’s just an appealing dynamic.
Whether it’s the Doctor’s trick with Bessie at the beginning, the
soldiers sitting around watching a match while on duty, or the Doctor bickering
with the Brigadier on opposite sides of a heat barrier, I love how they all
relate to each other. While the
hour-long single- or two-episode format of the current series can be a lot
tighter and more gripping when it comes to the alien adventures, one advantage
of the serials is the extra time allowance to just let the characters kick back
a little. We still get bits of that now,
of course – or I wouldn’t love the show like I do – but I appreciate the
relaxed feel of these scenes in the classic series. It can take its time with stuff like that,
and it really pays off.
No comments:
Post a Comment