Haven’t I Seen You Somewhere Before?

Librarian in the TARDIS, Review 4.02

Title: Meglos
Written by: John Flanagan and Andrew McCulloch
Team TARDIS: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9
Adversary: Meglos, General Grugger
Originally Aired: September 27-October 18, 1980
Number of Episodes: 4

Synopsis (from TARDIS Wikia) -
On Tigella, two factions are irrevocably divided over a fundamental issue: the Dodecahedron, a mysterious object which provides the entire planet's energy.

The Savants and the Deons are locked in a crippling stalemate. Their civilisation is on the brink of collapse. The Tigellan leader, Zastor, seeks the Fourth Doctor's help. The Doctor and Romana have been trapped aboard the TARDIS in a time loop by Meglos, the last of the Zolfa-Thurans. He will stop at nothing to steal back the awesome power of the Dodecahedron.

My Review:
Another TV story? For Tom Baker?? What is the meaning of this???

Okay, so I’m cheating. BUT I HAVE A VERY, VERY GOOD REASON!!

When this project was a mere twinkle in my eye, I sat down and decided on the format of one TV story, one audio and one novel for each Doctor’s era. I then selected each story that I would review. Some of these selections were easy. Some... not so much. I’ve already recounted how I more-or-less hit a wall when it came to selecting stories to represent the Fourth Doctor, so I turned to my go-to-guys for the Fourth Doctor - Shaun and Glenn of Traveling the Vortex. They both gave me some good suggestions, but one that intrigued me greatly was one that Glenn said was a personal favorite of his, but Shaun isn't a huge fan of.  That story is “Meglos.”

Funnily enough, I already owned “Meglos,” but just hadn’t watched it yet. I got it when my local FYE was going out of business and I took the opportunity to get a lot of Doctor Who DVDs for cheap. “Meglos” was on the shelf, so I grabbed it, but for whatever reason I just never got around to watching it.  So, when Shaun and Glenn gave me their recommendations, I was torn between "The Android Invasion" and "Meglos."  I wanted to gush about Sarah Jane at least once in this project, but I also was intrigued by "Meglos" and thought this would be a great opportunity to review it - for better or worse.  And then I thought - Kid, it's your blogging project! Do with it whatever the crap you want!

And that, Dear Reader, is what I did. I haven't thrown the rulebook out entirely, but just this once, I'm bending it a little.

Like I said, "Meglos" was on sale at a going-out-of-business sale at FYE.  But so were a lot of other things (that I also picked up, don't worry).  But you know what the real selling point was for me? (other than it being on sale) - it featured the return of Jacqueline Hill to Doctor Who.

For those that need a refresher, Jacqueline Hill played Barbara Wright, one of the very first Doctor Who companions. In fact, in terms of who came on screen first, she may well be the very first companion to make an appearance (I recently rewatched “An Unearthly Child” and I’m pretty sure I’m right on this one). From the word “go”, Barbara’s always been a particular favorite of mine. Back when I was first getting into Classic Who, Jacqueline Hill was one of the first people I looked up on Wikipedia and I was sad to find out that she had passed away back in 1993 (yes, I was saddened by something that happened twenty years ago - I’m that kind of person). Not that I had any real hope of meeting her or anything, but it’s just nice to think that people who were involved in the show at the very beginning are still around to see how much success and love it’s garnered through the years (also - seeing William Russell and Carole Ann Ford in interviews and DVD commentaries and Big Finish is always such a delight and it would have been fun to have Jacqueline in there with them as well). But, I think it’s very cool that she came back to the show, not as Barbara (though that would have been beyond awesome), but in a very different role as Lexa, a priestess of the god Ti. Though considering one of the best First Doctor stories features Barbara being mistaken for the reincarnation of an Aztec priest/god and she tries to end human sacrifice in that civilization (thanks to her knowledge of future history) - this role is quite appropriate. Almost serendipitous. (I wonder if anyone thought of that connection at the time “Meglos” was being made). Either way, it’s a fantastic role for her to play and she did a wonderful job with it (and I admit - I did my little Happy-Seal-Clap-of-Glee every time Lexa was on screen).

Beyond past Who connections (which are very squee-ful in their own right) - I quite enjoyed this story. I admit, this portion of the project was a little bit of a risk - I had one person telling me this story was good and another telling me that it really wasn’t. I want to keep things positive (ignore my review of “Ten Little Aliens” - I have a lot of things I want to go back and fix about the reviews I did early-on) and shower love upon my favorite shoe because, frankly, I prefer to keep a positive attitude. It’s much more fun to be happy and excited about something than it is to be mean and negative and beat-up on something. But what’s life without a little experimentation and risk? (as long as that risk doesn’t involve me strapped to the top of a bus parachuting off the Grand Canyon).

First - Meglos is an ingenious villain. He (it?) starts out as a cactus in a planter. How brilliant is that? You’re on a budget? That that potted plant that’s been in the BBC Television Centre accounting office for years? Wheel that thing in, do a few voice-overs and some witty makeup - boom! Villain!  And it's not like it stops there - oh no!  The idea behind Meglos is brilliant beyond brilliant. I mean, the thing can shape-shift AND control time? Dude - how come the Zygons get all the fanboy love and Meglos gets crapped on? (fandom, sometimes I just don’t understand you).

Second - the factions on Tigella. Savants and Deons. Science and faith. They’re set up to be at odds with one another, but it turns out that they both have a common interest in keeping the Dodecahedron around (and could you have chosen a more difficult word to type to name that thing? Honestly...) One side worships it, the other side wants to study it - but they both revere it. Just showing that science and religion actually do have a lot in common, when you think about it.



Third - Tom Baker acting for two. I sort of wish I’d kept “Double Vision” for this review (to be fair, I didn't know that was going to happen - but Lindsey Stirling's awesome and any excuse I have to put one of her videos in a review is okay by me). Doctor Who has done this prior to this story - it happened in “The Massacre” and in “The Enemy of the World” (both are sadly missing, but both audios are excellent) and it happened again in “Arc of Infinity” (another story that I simply adore). And, more recently, it happened in “Nightmare in Silver.” The trope of the Doctor’s evil doppelganger is well-used, but certainly not tired (as long as it doesn't involve vats of living yogurt, then I’m okay with it). It gives the actor a chance to do something new and be more awesome and I say that it’s a brilliant use.

Fourth - Can I get a big hand for General Gruggar and Lieutenant Brotadec? They aren't quite to the levels of Jago and Litefoot (those two are the only reason for watching “The Talons of Weng-Chiang,” by the way), but they were hilarious! Brotadec and the Doctor’s coats was just great. For them being the leaders of the villainous space pirates (whatever their real name was - I just called them “space pirates” in my notes) - they had some fun comic-relief moments.

Fifth - The pacing of “Meglos” is really great too. The writing is tight and interesting. Never once did I feel like watching this was a chore. I sat down to watch it before bedtime, thinking I’d just watch the first episode, but I ended up watching the whole thing PLUS writing up about half of my review (after taking notes while I was watching it). It’s got just the right amount of hard-sci-fi, but without being annoyingly pretentious and snobby about it. The characters are likable and the villain - man, a giant cactus! That shape-shifts! And controls time! That is... I mean... yeah, it's awesome!

Sixth - I have to mention the Earthling that Meglos possesses in order to be able to shape-shift (at least, that’s the impression that I got about how that whole thing works) - just when you’ve forgotten about the guy, he fights back and gives Meglos all kinds of trouble! It’s interesting that the story never gives him a proper name - that he’s just this random guy that the space pirates kidnapped while he was out getting milk or whatever.

Honestly, I don’t have a negative thing to say about this. That makes me happy because I had zero clue what this was about going in, but it's now on my list of favorites.  And as far as hidden gems of Doctor Who go, this certainly qualifies.

***
Next Time, on Librarian in the TARDIS -
Review 4.03 - So Much Cooler Online!

Previously -
Review 4.01 - Fill My Eyes With That Double Vision

Fill My Eyes With That Double Vision

Librarian in the TARDIS, Review 4.01

Title: The Android Invasion
Written by: Terry Nation
Team TARDIS: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith
Adversary: The Kraals
Originally Aired: November 22-December 13, 1975
Number of Episodes: 4

Synopsis (from TARDIS Wikia) -

The Fourth Doctor and Sarah find themselves in the English village of Devesham near a Space Defence Station. The village seems deserted, the telephones don't work, calendars are stuck on the same date and white-suited figures are wandering about aimlessly. Who are the Kraals and what are their plans for Earth?

My Review:

How did I not know this was written by Terry ****ing Nation???? Learning new things every day, I guess. But that means that I've reviewed two Terry Nation stories for this project - but none of his Dalek stuff.  Let me take a moment to allow myself a bit of a giggle over that.

Okay... giggle over.

Before I started this project, I made up the list of stories I wanted to review.  Every time I thought of a story to include for most of the Doctors, this was me:

But when it came time for me to pick stories to review for Tom Baker, this was me:

...because I seriously have no idea what Fourth Doctor stories are the ones that don't get much attention - or undue negative attention.  As far as I can tell, anything in which the scarf makes an appearance is treated like the Second Coming (which still doesn't quite explain the fanboy glee over "The Talons of Weng-Chiang," but never mind).  Don't get me wrong - I enjoy the Fourth Doctor's stories fairly well.  But in my quest to give love and praise to some unloved and unpraised stories, I felt like I'd hit a wall with this era.  So, I did what anyone presented with such a problem would do. I brought in the experts, which in this case turned out to be my friends Shaun and Glenn from Traveling the Vortex (I'm sure Keith would have helped too, if he wasn't in the same relative-newbie boat that I'm in). They both gave me great feedback to work with, for which I am very appreciative. And because of their feedback, this section of Librarian in the TARDIS is going to take a slightly different route, but no less interesting and fun (I hope).  I am very appreciative of their help and I really hope I do this era justice in their eyes.

When I got their collective lists and I saw that “The Android Invasion” was included, I was floored! Mostly because when I saw this story, I was quite taken with it.  I didn't think that it would be lesser-regarded (or maybe it’s just that other stories - “Pyramids of Mars,” “Genesis of the Daleks,” “The Ark in Space” - get more attention).  But it’s one that I quite liked.  At the time of my first viewing, I really didn't think too much of why I enjoyed it.  But on this go-round, where I’m requiring myself to be more critical, I've come up with several reasons:

Sarah Jane Smith: I was really glad that this story was suggested to me because I would not have been happy if I couldn't gush over Sarah Jane at least once during this blogging project.  Anything with Sarah Jane is gold.  From my first introduction of her in “School Reunion,” I could not help but think “She is a very special lady.”  Not just to the Doctor, but to fandom in general.  You ever meet someone in person or see someone on TV and immediately like them?  Not necessarily because of any special talent or flamboyant nature, but because you think it would be a treat to just sit down and talk with them over lunch?  For me, Elisabeth Sladen was one of those people.  I never met her, though heaven knows I would have been very honored to do so had I been given the opportunity.  And she probably would have been gracious and sweet and humble about it.  Now that I've seen more Tom Baker stories, I've come to the conclusion that he was at his very best when Sarah Jane was at his side.  He seemed to lose a certain shine when she left (personally, I think the reason “The Deadly Assassin” has no companion in it was because Sarah Jane left an indelible mark and they needed some time to reset things before the Doctor got a new companion).

Something I loved about The Fourth Doctor Revisited special BBC America showed in April was how they highlighted that Sarah Jane was the Doctor’s best friend.  I think David Tennant was the one who said that Sarah was the companion who was on equal footing and would do anything for the Doctor.  Hell, she saves his life twice in Episode 3! And she's the one who rigs up the electric trap for the guard so she can escape and get the Doctor out of the disorientation chamber (I think that's what that is).  While Sarah Jane would do anything for the Doctor, she also doesn't take any of his crap.  He teases her, she teases right back.  And they're marvelous to watch - they’re almost like a brother-sister relationship.  No slight meant against Leela or Romana, but it feels natural and right that Sarah Jane and the Fourth Doctor be together.

Turning UNIT On Its Head: I suppose one reason "The Android Invasion" doesn't fare so well with fans is that it feels like the last, pitiful gasp for UNIT.  While that argument is valid, I like to take a different approach here.  I feel like there is a distinct desire to do something slightly unexpected with UNIT - not unlike the alternate-universe!UNIT in "Inferno" (which seems to be a fan-favorite - and with good reason).  But it's like they wanted to bring that alternate-universe home to the real world - like they brought Pete's World Cybermen through the Void in the new series.  So, let’s create a village straight out of “The Twilight Zone” where everyone is an android controlled by an alien invasion force and - just for kicks - we’ll throw in some of the UNIT guys to be androids too!  It’s a fascinating concept - especially since the Doctor and Sarah Jane don’t know what’s really going on for the better part of two episodes.  But they see their friends and think “Okay - things are going to be okay!” and, nope - they’re really not.  Because these guys really aren’t their friends.  They’ve just “borrowed” their friends’ likenesses (without permission, I might add).



You Just Crossed Over Into...: I LOVE that the story opens with the mystery of the deserted village and all the strange things that the Doctor and Sarah Jane encounter in the first two episodes (and they don't get properly solved until Episode 3).  I'm not as big of an aficionado of The Twilight Zone, but it's something very much fixed in my consciousness (Dad watches the marathons every New Years - I'm still trying to convince him the Doctor Who is right up his alley... not having much luck...) and I can't help but be reminded of the tropes that Rod Serling used to scare the shit out of my parents when they were kids (hell, I get scared by this stuff.  Probably why I love the atmosphere of black-and-white Who).

The Kraals: On the surface, these guys look like Sontarans that got left out in the sun too long.  And considering all the iconic* villains the Fourth Doctor encounters in his time (Sutekh, Scaroth, Davros, the Wirrn, Morbius, the Zygons, Chancellor Goth, that giant rat in the London sewers - okay, now I’m just poking the fanboy bear), the Kraals could easily get lost in the shuffle.  Let’s face it - Four has a ton of one-off villains and it’s hard to keep track of them all. But I like the Kraals.  They’re kind of a butt-monkey villain - but they still possess some style.  Not the least of which is convincing Crayford that he’s lost his eye and doing it so well that not once does he ever lift up that eyepatch just to look at the scar (I took to calling it the “Hipster Eyepatch” while I was rewatching this - and now that I think of it, maybe it’s a nod to “Inferno.” Sure, we’ll go with that.  As is often said on Tumblr: “Headcanon Accepted”).



(Can't resist including a little '70s rock for this next one - yeah, it's a little bit after "The Android Invasion," but it still works)

Playing for Two: I LOVE the android doubles!  Anytime a show can get away with having one actor play two parts and those parts be on screen simultaneously is really cool to me.  I couldn't begin to tell you why, but I like it.  I think I like seeing the range that an actor can pull off.  I mean, Harry and Benton's android doubles were trippy enough, but Sarah Jane pull a gun on the Doctor was the world's biggest double-take/whiplash ever!  By episode four, you know what's going on with the invasion force and you have to work to keep track what side everyone is on.  Which is why the Doctor android getting shot at the end was such a kick in the head - for a moment, you think that the Doctor actually has been shot!  But no, the real Doctor reprogrammed the android to act like the real Doctor and that threw everyone - including poor Sarah Jane - for a loop.  The trope is used to great effect in this story and that adds to its likability.

All in all, "The Android Invasion" is a wonderful character piece for Sarah Jane and the Doctor.  They have to depend on each other in this story - there's no one else they can turn to for help (until Episode 4).  The villain is a little goofy, but still enjoyable.  The plot is something new and refreshing for Doctor Who (though I wonder if Terry Nation wasn't inspired - at least in part - by Rod Serling at some point.  The first two episodes are very reminiscent of "The Twilight Zone").  If you ask me, "The Android Invasion" deserves a spot on the pedestal next to "Pyramids of Mars" and "Genesis of the Daleks" (maybe "Talons" can be convinced to bump down and make a little room).

*I really hate the word "iconic." Can't we come up with another word that means about the same thing?
***
Previously, on Librarian in the TARDIS -
Review 3.03 - The Doctor's Family UNIT

Next Time -
Review 4.02 - This is not cheating! But how can I resist a returning "not-companion"?