Imagine the situation: You're sat in front of the computer trying to think of something to write about season three. A few random thoughts about Chumblies and The Dalek Masterplan go through your mind (you have to be very disturbed to have thoughts like those). Finally, you think of something to write: Season Three wasn't very good.
Why is that I hear you cry? (Maybe not!) Well, with there being ten stories made up of 45 episodes, only 14 episodes still exist on film or video, comprising only three complete stories. So it's a little hard to judge a story from only watching one episode or hearing the soundtrack! Unfortunately I wasn't even born when this season was originally broadcast, so bearing in mind that this is one of the hardest seasons to review, here goes:
Galaxy 4 is a story that is crying out to be liked. I say this because it was a good idea that the villains were the beautiful people and the good guys were the hideous reptiles. Sadly, this idea wasn't enough to last the length of the story. I don't know if it's me but the Drahivins come across as being extremely wooden in their delivery of their lines. I can't tell if this is their character or if they're just useless actresses?
Also there's too much to-ing and fro-ing between the Drahvin ship, Rill's ship and the TARDIS to reasonably fill four episodes, leaving the story to drag. One more annoying thing: Vicki's naming of the Rills' robots as Chumblies is stupid.
The only good thing about this story is Hartnell's performance. Especially noticing the fluffs he makes of the lines.
Next is Mission to the Unknown which not having seen it on original broadcast (not being born) and not heard the soundtrack, I don't feel I can comment on this one or The Myth Makers for the same reason. So, on to:
The early episodes of The Dalek Masterplan with Brett Vyon (ably played by Nicholas Courtney), the Doctor and Steven on the run from the Daleks is very well written and acted. In fact the characterisation is very good. Especially for Steven showing his anger with the Doctor for leaving Vicki (good riddance) in Troy. I also like the scenes in the TARDIS where Katarina believes that the Ship is a Temple and that they are going to the other world (i.e. they're dead) and that the Doctor is some kind of god. It's a shame that halfway through the story that the production team felt that the character was useless in a sci-fi series because she didn't understand it. Surely that would have made the character more interesting? Just look at how Jamie adapted to travelling in the TARDIS.
Another great thing about the early episodes is the two Space Security Service communication technicians (or whatever they're called) who have nothing to do while they wait for communications, so they watch TV and argue over what they're going to watch. One of them wants to watch the sport the other an interview with Mavic Chen. This is a great way of showing firstly that the people in the future will be normal and also this gives us a great and interesting introduction for Mavic Chen as we learn from his interview what he is and what he does and we also have the technicians opinions about him and what he is doing. From this scene alone it shows how good a writer Terry Nation could be. I also like the way the Daleks are used in the story, being manipulative and clever. Kevin Stoney is extremely good in this, he exudes menace and shows how mad Chen is very well. Like in the scene with Chen in the dematerialisation room-thing in episode five when he decides to tell the Daleks that he sent the Doctor and co to the them, his speech shows just how mad he is. I also like the way that he continually looks at his fingers while talking to people, which is also unnerving. Would you vote for a man like that? From watching and listening to this story it's clear why Douglas Camfield chose him to play Tobias Vaughn in The Invasion.
Final thoughts on Masterplan (because I think I've gone on enough about it): It clearly runs out of plot around episode 5 or 6, but to help this the Meddling Monk turns up to liven things. Peter Butterworth is very good as the Monk. The right balance between fool and genius who knows exactly what he's doing despite his facade of humour. (credit there to Dennis Spooner who wrote the episodes with him in). One more thing. Why is Sara Kingdom counted as a companion? She was only in one story why should she get companion status? By the same rules H G Wells was a companion! Stupid, stupid, stupid etc...
The Massacre (or The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve) is really good. For a start it's historical, and so there's lots of "You can't interfere with history" stuff between the Doctor and Steven. Another good thing is that Steven is in the limelight (as the Doctor doesn't appear in episodes 2 and 3). I also like the way that we don't know whether the Abbot of Areboise (the Doctor's double) is the Doctor or not, giving us some good dramatic moments when Steven thinks that the Doctor's dead, when the Abbot is murdered. Peter Purves gives probably the performance of his (Doctor Who) career. Especially the scene where he and the Doctor argue over leaving Anne Chaplet to the fate of history. One thing about her, she's French, right. Why does she speak with a Cornish accent? She even says Monsieur, which just doesn't sound right. In fact all the French characters speak with English accents (I suppose they didn't want camp performances).
Of the rest of the cast Andre Morrell gives his usual splendid performance as Marshall Tavannes. Just the right side of patriot and killer. However, he doesn't get my sympathies because he wants to kill the Protestants (as he is a Catholic. Actually, this story is quite topical) just because they have different beliefs to him and he fears they will control France. Barry Justice as Charles IX and Joan Young as the Queen Mother are very good in their roles. Justice gives a very convincing performance as Charles is torn between his Mother's Catholic beliefs and keeping both parties in harmony to keep France peaceful. I also like the way that he would rather play tennis than deal with matters of state.
Oh, Dodo's accent at the end sounds very Northern. So why does it change to some-kind of cockney in The Ark? It is one of those stories that depending on your mood can be interesting and you can be taken along by the story and not notice the time go by, or it can be extremely slow and dragging and you notice some of the really low budget effects/sets/costumes. Fortunately for me, I was in the former mood when I last watched this. Of course the Monoids still look stupid and their waddle is laughable. But, one of the best things about the story is the way that at the end of part two it seems to be over, the Doctor having sorted everything out and the colonists happily on their way to Refusis. And then they arrive back a 700 years later and everything has gone to hell. This was quite a pleasant surprise as when I first saw this I didn't know that it was a four parter. The best thing about this story is thc concept: that of man leaving behind a dying Earth. Also the giant spaceship, which gives us a great scene where the Doctor and co think they're on a planet. (I think that the first episode's title The Steel Sky is a great title). Oh, and Michael Sheard makes his first of many appearances in the programme.
The surviving episode of The Celestial Toymaker gives me the impression that it was a fun but dangerous adventure. (I wonder if this was inspiration for The Adventure Game?) Michael Gough seems convincing as the all-powerful Toymaker. A shame really, I'd like to see the whole of this. Oh well, on to the next one:
The Gunfighters is a fun story, and if viewed in this frame of mind isn't that bad. For a start the title of episode one, A Holiday for the Doctor, is just such a bad pun that it's hilarious (well I think so anyway). Hartnell looks great in the cowboy hat, it just seems to go so well with his usual clothes. I like the way that Doc Holliday gives the Doctor a gun and uses him as a decoy for the Clantons. And if you don't think too much about the unconvincing American accents the story isn't that bad to watch. Forget about historical accuracy or accents and just sit back and have fun watching it.
One more thing: I hate THAT song!!!
I can't really comment on The Savages, only having read the novelisation and telesnaps and I don't think I'm really qualified to comment on the story. So there.
Doctor Who returned to the sixties with The War Machines. Gerry Davis' and Innes Lloyd's first attempt at making the programme more realistic. The story is well told with a good sense of pace. Seeing the Doctor interacting with the military etc comes across well. Ben and Polly are likeable from the first few moments we see them. The present day setting (alright, present in 1966, okay?) helps to make the threat more recognisable. However the actual War Machines themselves are too bulky and it's obvious the operators inside are having some trouble steering them. Let's face it, they don't exactly look menacing. Dodo's departure should have been featured, a scene between her and the Doctor would have improved things. Oh yes, that famous line "Doctor Who is required," uttered by WOTAN (Why did they pronounce it with a 'V' anyway?). I believe that WOTAN didn't have any name for him and so used a rather pointless substitute (anyway, it was mad). Or maybe the production team simply had no idea about the character's name!
