The Enemy of My Enemy

Librarian in the TARDIS, Bonus Review #2

Title: The Enemy of the World
Written by: David Whitaker
Team TARDIS: Second Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon, Victoria Waterfield
Adversary: Ramon Salamander
Originally Aired: Dec 23, 1967-Jan 27, 1968
Number of Episodes: 6

Synopsis (from TARDIS Wikia) -
On Earth in 2018, the Doctor and his companions are enmeshed in a deadly web of intrigue thanks to his uncanny resemblance to the scientist/politician Salamander. He is hailed as the "shopkeeper of the world" for his efforts to relieve global famine, but why do his rivals keep disappearing? How can he predict so many natural disasters? The Doctor must expose Salamander's schemes before he takes over the world.

My Review:
The idea to review this story came to me on my way into work today right after I finished watching “The Enemy of the World” on iTunes (let that statement sink in for a bit...) Because this was one that I thought I would enjoy watching and I am so very pleased to report that it lived up to my expectations. So, why not slot in a special Bonus Review to go along with the rest of my 50th Anniversary reviews? (it’s my blog, my project, I do what I want!)

Let me back up - last night, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and the various fansites were all aglow and abuzz with the joyous news of the return of “The Enemy of the World” and “The Web of Fear” to the BBC archives. The joy was even more palpable because both of these stories had been made available to the public immediately via iTunes, with the further announcement of DVD releases for both (“Enemy” next month, “Web” in January 2014). I hadn’t intended on getting either one of them quite yet, mostly because my personal finances are a little bit strapped at the moment (don’t worry - things are fine. It’s just that there are certain things in life that take precedence). However, upon doing a few further calculations, I reasoned that I could purchase one of these two stories. I settled on “The Enemy of the World” because I had watched Episode 3 on the “Lost in Time” box set some months ago and for whatever reason, that’s the one out of all the missing Troughton stories that really resonated with me at the time (I know people are the most excited about “The Web of Fear,” and I will be getting to that one eventually and I have no reason to say anything against it - if indeed there is anything negative to say about it at all. I just haven’t seen it yet, so I have no idea).

So, “The Enemy of the World” it was. And after a 3+ hour download (I’m on my internet provider’s “It’s Better Than Nothing” El Cheapo plan), I was ready to tuck in and enjoy a veritable feast of Who.

And what a feast it was! There are so many things to love about this story and I’ll probably only be able to go in-depth on a few, but it was so very worth the ten bucks (plus whatever the DVD ends up costing - because I’m likely going to drop dineros on that as well).

Here I am wishing they'd taken this approach
with all of the DVD cover art! Oh well...

One of the greatest things about this find of Classic Who is that these are two stories that restore the lovely Miss Victoria Waterfield (played by Deborah Watling) to our screens. I’ve said before that I found the dismissal of Victoria as “just a screamer” not very fair, but I didn’t have much evidence to support that. But I am tired of the surface impression of the early Who female companions just being screamers in short skirts (I could do an entire essay on the many ways in which those assertions are wrong - with specific examples - but the people who need to hear them wouldn’t bother to read it anyway). Granted, the Victoria I found in “The Enemy of the World” may be a bit timid, sure. But there’s nothing wrong with being shy and reserved. Remember - Victoria joined Team TARDIS as a result of the death of her father and she didn’t have anywhere else to go (not really). Imagine being thrown into a situation like that - you don’t know who you can trust or how you’re going to be taken care of. Some may not like the idea of Victoria being the poor, weak little girl who needs a big, tough man to protect her - and I wouldn’t even go as far as to say that she needs a man, per se. But what she does need (and what everybody needs at one point or another) is a friend. The Doctor and Jamie become Victoria’s friends because they care about what happens to her. That doesn’t make someone weak or insignificant or less-valued. That makes someone human. And, as often happens on Team TARDIS, those friendships evolve into a feeling of family. Sure, you’re hopping all around in space and time and running from frightening monsters and crazy psychopaths - but as long as you’ve got your adopted family with you, things are going to be just fine. And on that level, I love Victoria’s characterization. I love her bravery and her courage. I love her dependability. I love that she gets scared, but she still steps up when she is needed. That’s what makes a hero. It’s not necessarily the willingness to throw a punch that makes someone heroic

(Though I wouldn't trade Jamie knocking out a hostile on the beach while shouting “Creig au Tuire!” for anything - that was awesome. But that’s in Jamie’s character and there are things that I love about Jamie that make him different from Victoria or Zoe or Ben or Polly - but I talked a lot about that in my review of “The Evil of the Daleks,” so I’ll let that analysis stand on its own).

But there are a fantastic couple of scenes in Episode 5 where Jamie and Victoria have been captured by Salamander’s men and they’re being interrogated by Benik. And Benik is quite the horrible little sadist. He threatens Victoria, which upsets Jamie but there’s nothing he can really do about it - not without getting Victoria hurt or killed. There were some moments where I actually thought “Holy... this is supposed to be a kids’ show!” (before amending my own thought - “family show.” Still, it was scary stuff! And I’m 28!)

I really liked the iTunes
 cover art for this story - nice
and intense!

But then the Doctor comes in, clearly impersonating Salamander and fooling everyone - including Jamie and Victoria - and says that he will continue the interrogations. Which he does - even with Benik and Benik’s little “puppy dog” (as the Doctor calls Random Guard #3) out of the room. And Victoria has had it! She finally tells off “Salamander” and yells what a horrible man he is and all the things she and Jamie found out about him while they were sneaking around his compound in Episodes 2 and 3 - which amounts to the proof the Doctor has been looking for when Astrid and Giles first asked him to help them bring down Salamander (plus, Benik comes back, still thinking the Doctor is Salamander, and hands him some documents to sign. Who knew the catering bills would be so damning?) Jamie gets in the fracas too, thus proving to Bruce that Salamander really is a creep.

And then - just when Victoria and Jamie are so angry that they’re probably going to beat the crap out of “Salamander” (yes, even sweet, innocent Victoria is pissed enough at this point to throw a punch or two), the Doctor reveals to his friends that it’s really him. But neither Jamie nor Victoria quite believe it (who can blame them?) and it’s only when the Doctor plays “air-recorder” (in one of the most heartwarming and delightful moments I’ve seen Patrick Troughton display) that both Jamie and Victoria recognize their friend and their reunion is something that should be ranked on one of those “Top Doctor Who Moments” lists that someone somewhere has probably compiled (we Whovians are fond of our lists).

I haven’t even gotten into any plot elements of this story! The storytelling in “The Enemy of the World” is just so tight and engaging. The only reason I realized that I had already watched four episodes when I suddenly felt very sleepy, on account of it being so late (I decided to go to bed at that point and save the rest for when I was fully alert). This story trucks. It moves and it’s interesting and it’s just so much fun to watch! Patrick Troughton is simply brilliant as both the Doctor and Salamander. The best part about his performance is the subtle differences when he’s the Doctor impersonating Salamander. You know that he’s playing the Doctor playing a different role, but even if you didn’t know that, you would probably be fooled right along with Jamie and Victoria and the rest. And the other characters are phenomenal too. I think my favorites were Astrid and Fariah - Astrid’s kind of the action-lady who saves Team TARDIS from the guys hunting Salamander on the beach at the beginning and Fariah is Salamander’s food taster who actually hates Salamander and she ends up helping the Doctor escape (and sacrificing herself in the process, but her death scene is really quite good).

I could go on and on about this story and how much I enjoyed it. But it’s also such a wonderful treat to FINALLY have it back. It was one of those that I pretty much had resigned myself to never being able to see, but I figured I could listen to the audios and read the novelization - but there’s so much that you miss with just having those little pieces of the story. You miss the facial expressions and the movements and the scenery (the wallpaper in Salamander’s compound - yeah, even that made me laugh) and you miss just what kind of people these characters are. Animation and recons help, but there really is nothing like seeing the story as it was originally broadcast.

Of course, rumors persist and there’s always hope - however dim - for more finds. This huge discovery has brought the number of missing episodes down to 97 (down to double-digits! HOORAY!) and there are expert archivists out there still searching for whatever else they can uncover. There’s still a long way to go to having a complete collection of every Doctor Who episode ever made - and who knows whether or not that’s actually possible...

But for now - we dance!

***
Other Librarian in the TARDIS reviews of the Second Doctor -

Review 2.01 - A Work of Heart (TV: The Evil of the Daleks)
Review 2.02 - A Reunion of Friends (Big Finish: The Forbidden Time)
Review 2.03 - The Celestial Chessmaster (Novel: Dreams of Empire)

***
Next Time, on Librarian in the TARDIS -
Review 10.3 - The Most Ancient and Noble House

Previously -
Review 10.2 - Life Can Be a Bumpy Ride, Let the Doctor Smooth It Out

Missing No Longer

I've been posting all over Twitter and Facebook about the news and it seemed silly, in a year where the Librarian in the TARDIS has been hopping all over time and space, to not devote some blog space to this momentous event.

Turns out all those crazy, overblown rumors were true - at least, that there have been nine previously missing classic Doctor Who episodes recovered.  Details of the find and today's press screening are here (background info on missing episodes in general - if you need it - can be found here).  We now have "The Enemy of the World" in its entirety and "The Web of Fear," minus Episode 3 (which, undoubtedly, will be animated in due course for a future DVD release).



Some months ago, I borrowed the "Lost in Time" DVDs set from my local library and I, like many other Whovians, mourned the fact that I couldn't see these stories in their complete forms.  I was especially heartbroken after seeing the one episode of "The Enemy of the World" that was available (that was episode 3) because that seemed like a remarkably fun story (I loved Jamie and Victoria's interactions in that one - and how wonderful is it that we have more Victoria stories!  There are so few of hers available).  "The Web of Fear" seems to be one that's fairly well-loved that I just haven't gotten around to experiencing, but I love the Brigadier and that's his first appearance as the Brigadier (though he was Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart at the time), so that's just as exciting.



What's interesting is that the Great Intelligence featured heavily in the most recent season of Doctor Who, even though neither of the Classic Who serials that it was featured in were available.  But now, we have one of them ("The Web of Fear").  I don't mean anything by this - other than that's pretty serendipitous, if indeed it was a coincidence (I'm inclined to think that it is because the Great Intelligence didn't show up until last year's Christmas Special and that was filmed last August, so that's a hell of a long time to be sitting on news like this).

In the run-up to this announcement, everyone had their pet episodes and everyone was saying "I hope they find X!"  I admit, neither of these were on my radar, but I'm glad to have them nonetheless.  And of course, I hope that more are found.  But for now - I'm off to iTunes!

The Celestial Chessmaster

Librarian in the TARDIS, Review 2.03

Title: Dreams of Empire
Author: Justin Richards
Team TARDIS: Second Doctor, Jamie, Victoria
Adversary: General Cruger, the VETACs
Original Release Date: August 1998
Range and Number: Past Doctor Adventures #14

Synopsis - (from TARDIS Wikia)
1998 BBC Books Edition -  The history books were clear: the once-proud Haddron Empire, fatally weakened by civil war, was finally brought to its knees by a catastrophic explosion. But, then again, history books can lie...

Landing in what seems to be a medieval castle, the Doctor and his friends discover that the final act of a drama that has torn apart a stellar empire is being played out around them.

Who is the man behind the mask, and how are his chess games linked to life and death in his fortress prison? What is the secret of the suits of armour which line the banqueting hall? Who is on the battle cruiser that is getting closer all the time, and what will they want when they finally arrive? The pieces are all in place, and the TARDIS crew soon find themselves under siege. With both deadly robot troops and human traitors to defeat, it seems the future of the entire empire hangs in the balance...

2013 BBC Books Edition -
On a barren asteroid, the once-mighty Haddron Empire is on the brink of collapse, torn apart by civil war. The one man who might have saved it languishes
 in prison, his enemies planning his death and his friends plotting his escape. The Second Doctor arrives as the last act of this deadly drama is being played out – and with both terrifying killers and cunning traitors to defeat, the future hangs in the balance.

My Review -
(Helps to have a synopsis or two, doesn’t it?)

If you read the last book review I did for “Librarian in the TARDIS,” you know that I started to have second thoughts about including novels in this project. At first, I thought that maybe I was taking on too much and the books were too complicated to review (at least, compared to the audio/visual media I was reviewing elsewhere). With books, you really have to focus on the characters you know and recall how they act and sound in your imagination. And when you have something so vivid in your mind for the Doctor and his companions (characters you already have a reference for from TV and audio plays), sometimes you shortchange the one-off characters that only exist within the pages of the novel you’re reading. Sometimes, these one-offs become, well, cardboard (as I referenced early and often in my previous book review). So, was I doing a disservice to these stories by expecting them to be as fantastic as anything Big Finish or the television stories presented? Was I being too harsh, too critical, too (dare I say) entitled?

But then I picked up “Dreams of Empire.” And my fears for the future of the project were soundly put to rest. Truly - “Ten Little Aliens” really was that mediocre (I've since read another First Doctor novel that I wish I’d reviewed instead because it was so good.  In fact, I still might review it just as a stand-alone post.  It’s “The Time-Travellers,” in case you’re interested).

The premise of “Dreams of Empire” alone is intriguing. In the specially-written-for-the-50th-Anniversary Introduction, author Justin Richards talks about how the idea for this novel came as a result of watching a documentary about Julius Caesar and thinking a string of “What ifs?” pertaining to the Roman Empire. What if Rome had stayed a Republic? What if Julius Caesar had been defeated after crossing the Rubicon? Well, they couldn't have executed Caesar as a war criminal because he was so popular, but what if they’d simply imprisoned him? Of course, as a good Doctor Who fan, you can’t ignore these changes in time without considering how they’ll affect the rest of established history. This is probably why, instead of setting the story in the Roman Empire of Earth, this is set in the midst of a civil war on an alien planet with comparable events to Roman times (even some comparable characters - see if you can guess who the Expy for Julius Caesar is).

“Dreams of Empire” is more a political thriller than anything, but still distinctive as a Doctor Who story. Richards is careful to portray the Second Doctor as close as possible by referencing his mannerisms and frenetic personality (and I can’t help but imagine every intonation of “Splendid!” in Patrick Troughton’s voice - even with that little happy clap that is so reminiscent of the Second Doctor). Team TARDIS’s opening scenes (which came much earlier than in “Ten Little Aliens”) served to set me firmly in the story with this Doctor and these companions - with the Doctor forgetting how many sandwiches he’s pocketed from the plate Victoria offers him because he’s so caught up in working over the TARDIS console. Not to mention Victoria’s quiet patience with the Doctor over the way he responds to her thoughtfulness in making lunch. Though Jamie does say “Thank you” to Victoria when the Doctor pretty much ignores her gracious act. In fact - *puts on shipping goggles* - there are a lot of wonderful moments between these two in this story, giving some credence to the Jamie/Victoria ship (nope, those goggles weren't going anywhere anytime soon ^_^).

Jamie and Victoria really step up and have a lot of great moments in this story.  They both have major parts to play in the narrative while the Doctor is off doing his own thing. One thing I've enjoyed about Jamie and Victoria is that they tend to take a more active role as companions.  Either from their own initiative or because the Doctor tells them to, the Second Doctor's companions often end up with a lot more to do in the story and that's just fun (and it definitely brings the "Team" into "Team TARDIS").

There is one scene in this book that I just love and I want to recount it a bit here - Prion (who is Consul Trayx's adviser and bodyguard) takes Jamie and Victoria away from the most dangerous part of the fighting. Jamie is suspicious of Prion because Prion does everything so perfectly, but Victoria seems to have a fondness for the man (which seems to irritate Jamie all the more - bless). Turns out, Prion is actually an automaton (his real name is Prion Seven), which is why he looks and acts so perfect. This revelation makes Jamie feel better about the situation, but Victoria feels like she’s been deceived. It’s just one of those moments that lets Jamie and Victoria’s personalities shine through the prose and reminds you that, yes, these are the same characters you remember from the show.

I would be very remiss if I didn't mention the chess motif that winds itself throughout the narrative (but not in an obvious or heavy-handed way. It fits quite well in the story).  Admittedly, I know very little about chess.  My knowledge of the game is limited to the names of the pieces and and the kinds of moves they can make, but other than that, I stink at it. But that didn't keep me from enjoying the use of chess in the story - not to mention the overhanging threat of who the real chessmaster is. I can't go into it too much without spoiling everything, but it was a nice little touch (the three sections of the novel were named after the three traditional stages of a game of chess - that was something new I learned from reading this book. Doctor Who is an educational show, after all!)

The action ramps up towards the end, which certainly brings to mind the ramp-up in action in the last episode of a Classic Doctor Who serial.  I love it when the novels still hearken back to the format of the TV show.  There have been New Series novels that I felt could have fit the format of a New Who two-parter with just a little tweakage here and there, which makes it easy to picture this story as a TV story.  That doesn't take anything away from the unique characteristics of the book format (because there are things you can do in books that you could never do on TV, nor would you want to), but it's just nice to feel like all these stories are still part of one big universe.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read and a wonderful addition to the 50th Anniversary celebrations.  I can see why this was included in this reprint line - a definite treasure for the Doctor Who family.

PS - Contrary to my subject line, the Celestial Toymaker has nothing to do with this story. I just thought "Chess --> Chessmaster" and "Space --> Stars --> Celestial" - HEY! This could work! (it was either that or "War Games")

***
Next Time, On Librarian in the TARDIS - 
Review 3.01 - If it's Pertwee, then he must be Earthbound.  Except... when he's not. But everything's better with princesses!

Previously -
Review 2.02 - A Reunion of Friends

A Reunion of Friends

Librarian in the TARDIS, Review 2.02 

Title: The Forbidden Time
Written by: David Lock
Team TARDIS: Second Doctor, Ben, Polly (narrates), Jamie (supporting character)
Adversary: The Vist
Release Date: March 2011
Range and Number: Companion Chronicles 5.09


Synopsis:

Time Walkers have descended upon the Earth. This alien race, known as The Vist, has claimed an area of time for itself – any species entering into the immediate future will pay the most terrible forfeit.

The human race is in a state of panic, but one woman knows the truth. Her name is Polly Wright, and she visited that future many years ago, with the Doctor, Jamie and Ben.

She has stepped into the Forbidden Time – and this is her story…


My Review: 

Soon after coming home from Gallifrey One this past February, I was motivated to go on a splurge of '60s Who.  Not sure why, exactly - maybe it was meeting such luminaries like Peter Purves, Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling or maybe it was seeing the heretofore missing episode 2 of "Galaxy 4" with a convention ballroom full of my new best friends. Or maybe I just wanted to find some new-to-me Doctor Who.  Whatever the reason, the fact remains that I went seeking out eras of Doctor Who I'd only ever heard about and not experienced for myself.  In the course of this adventure, I discovered the rather unsung companion duo of Ben and Polly.

Ben and Polly were the first companions to experience their Doctor regenerating - they joined Team TARDIS in the Hartnell-era "The War Machines" and left in the Troughton story "The Faceless Ones."  I don't know the numbers precisely, but there is a substantial percentage of their stories missing - maybe theirs are missing the most, who knows?  But I've come to enjoy Ben and Polly quite a bit - just from the standpoint of them both being such ordinary, modern (for the 1960s) people.  Ben is a sailor in the navy on shore leave and Polly is a secretary for a high-powered scientist/businessman.  They're joined later by Jamie McCrimmon, who I fangirled over extensively in my previous entry (and rightly so).  I know this is kind of backwards, but like I mentioned before, Jamie really takes a backseat to Ben and Polly in his earliest stories - probably for similar reasons that Turlough gets captured or knocked out or locked up a lot in the Fifth Doctor's era - the writers didn't really know what to do with a third companion.  Which is why "The Forbidden Time" is so much fun.

Like the last Companion Chronicle I reviewed, this story also makes use of cutting between two narrative structures.  The difference here is, where “The Rocket Men” cut between different points in Ian’s timeline, “The Forbidden Time” cuts between two different characters’ points of view of similar events (in this case, Polly and Jamie - with the help of a digital voice recorder that Jamie becomes quite adept at using.  Like I said, he’s a fast learner).  Also, this story is an anomaly for the Companion Chronicles line in that both of the actors in the story are companions, even though one is clearly the lead narrator for the story.  This was a fantastic decision on the part of Big Finish because, while Jamie was often the second fiddle to Ben and Polly in televised Who, this story makes it clear that he was learning and adapting to time-and-space travel even before he became the Second Doctor's right-hand-man.  It also gives a clearer picture of how he interacted with Ben and Polly and how they all regarded each other as sort of a sibling, let's-all-look-out-for-each-other relationship.

I also loved this story because of the one-on-one time Polly gets with the Doctor.  Team TARDIS gets separated early on, with Ben being displaced in time by the Vist's time fence and Jamie simply running in the opposite direction (though equipped with a digital recording device that Polly gave him at the beginning of the story that she uses as evidence when the Vist's mysterious message comes back years later to haunt the people of Earth).  So, Polly becomes the audience's eyes-and-ears to what the Doctor is doing.  And it turns out that the Doctor tells Polly a lot more that the TV stories ever let on.  This is due in no small part to Polly's thoughtful questions and tenacity in confronting these problems head-on. I like the opportunity that Polly gets to spend this time on her own with the Doctor. She gets to ask him some things that she wouldn't normally ask him if Ben and Jamie were around.  It’s not anything that would ruin continuity, but it’s a chance to see another companion try to connect with the Doctor on an emotional level (it happens with the Doctor and Victoria in “The Tomb of the Cybermen” when Victoria asks the Doctor about his family). It’s just nice to get to know these people who you’re spending all this time with running from peril to peril, that’s all.

I want to talk about Polly as a companion in general because some of the way she's perceived really bugs me. I don’t know where this idea comes from of Polly being this simpering, coffee-making doormat that haunts feminism’s nightmares, but the only time I've ever seen (or heard) her do that was in “The Moonbase” and the coffee actually turned out to be a rather important plot point (well, the sugar in the coffee, anyway). She certainly has her scared-out-of-her-wits moments - who doesn’t? - but she’s also a very competent and resilient girl. One moment of hers that I really loved was in “The Underwater Menace” when she's about to be turned into a fish-slave and - prepped for surgery and strapped to a gurney while people are waving hypodermic needles around, no less - she yells out defiantly, “You’re not turning me into a fish!” So, yeah, Polly’s not a pushover.

(Don't know about the rest of you, but the needles alone would be enough to reduce me to a weeping pile of mush).

I’m starting to think that the stereotype of the weakling girly companion is just something the press made up to pick on Doctor Who back when the cool kids were picking on the show and its fans. Actually, they still do it when there’s a new companion and she’s suddenly the only one ever that hasn't been a screamer, even though the last four or five haven’t been either (according to the press, anyway. Fans who know what they’re talking about just roll their eyes and get on with their damn day). I've never really gotten the impression that any of the girls were truly that helpless. Okay... maybe Mel and even then, only at cliffhangers. But other than that - yeah, can’t really think of one (and because I know someone will come along and bitch about Jo Grant and that she was this screaming ninny in a miniskirt - your smackdown is coming. Never fear).

Back to “The Forbidden Time” - I really like the framing device for this story where the human race is being threatened by alien creatures in the future and Polly, as one of the Doctor’s former companions, comes forward to share her knowledge of the threat. It’s very reminiscent of what Sarah Jane's gang does in The Sarah Jane Adventures and I’d like to think that other companions have done similar things.  The opening setting of "The Forbidden Time  sounds almost like a press conference of sorts and Polly proves that she’s been on these fantastic adventures by producing the voice recorder that has Jamie telling his side of the story as he is wandering around in this “time fence” that the Vist have created.

According to TARDIS Wikia, this is the first time since “The Faceless Ones” that Anneke Wills and Frazer Hines actually appear together performing their characters from Doctor Who, even though they both had other stories in the Companion Chronicles range previous to this story. It is cool to hear Jamie and Polly in the same story, sort of interacting via the voice recorder.  This framing device was used so well that I almost forgot that Polly and Jamie were supposed to be separated.  That sense of friendship and shared experience even works at the end when Polly's alone and she rewinds the recording of Jamie saying that he would not have traded traveling with the Doctor, Ben and Polly for anything.  And Polly closes out the story be replying "That goes for me, too."  I don't know how better to end this very special story that reunites friends and companions - if only for a short time and not in a very precise way.  It underscores the special experience of being the Doctor's companion - kind of like an exclusive club that the rest of us get to look in on from time to time.

I wouldn't trade it for anything.

***
Next Time, on Librarian in the TARDIS -
Review 2.03 - Let's Checkmate Caesar!

Previously -
Review 2.01 - A Work of Heart

A Work of Heart

Librarian in the TARDIS, Review 2.01

Title: The Evil of the Daleks
Team TARDIS: Second Doctor, Jamie, Victoria (joins)
Adversaries: The Daleks, Theodore Maxtible
Originally Aired: May 20-July 1, 1967
Number of Episodes: 7 (only Episode 2 survives)

I chose to review “The Evil of the Daleks” for several reasons.  Because there’s only one episode out of seven still in existence, it’s one of the lesser-known of the Patrick Troughton era.  That being said, it may be one of the better-known of the missing stories - one that frequently gets recommended to those seeking to venture into the realm of so-called “Lost in Time” stories. The brilliant writing, the character development, the introduction of a new companion, the in-story-time-travel-sans-TARDIS and the hilarity of imagining Daleks playing like they’re trains (it makes sense in context) all make for a memorable narrative.

The topic of missing Doctor Who episodes is well-documented and has been discussed in interviews and documentaries and forums ad nauseum, so I won’t go into it much here (if you are not familiar with the topic, Wikipedia has a pretty good rundown of it).  There are some magnificent gems worth searching out, which is why the hunt for missing episodes is such a popular subject for discussion (to be fair, there are a few stinkers still missing, but those are rare - it seems that The Greater Cosmos decided that they only wanted the best stories wiped, just to screw around with us). I could easily have chosen to review any of the Troughton-era stories that exist in full, but a big component of this blogging project is to pay respect to as many aspects of Doctor Who as I can and I felt it would be a shame not to give the lost stories their due (also, it's kind of fun to listen to Doctor Who stories in the car and count it as having "watched" them because they were originally televised - and before anyone asks, yes, I did watch the surviving Episode 2 on the "Lost in Time" DVD).

“The Evil of the Daleks” starts out where the previous story, “The Faceless Ones” (also mostly missing), left off.  The Doctor and Jamie are still at the airport, having just said goodbye to Ben and Polly, but they are thrown into another adventure almost immediately when it turns out someone has pilfered the TARDIS.  Elsewhere, a man named Waterfield is in his office, consulting with the driver who took the TARDIS and led the Doctor to investigate a thoroughly 1960s coffee bar (complete with modern music in the background).

Something immensely fun about Doctor Who having been around for so long is that I can watch (okay, listen to) “The Evil of the Daleks” in 2013 and not be bothered by how “dated” it is.  To me, it’s just the Doctor and Jamie traveling back in time to 1966.  And even to viewers in 1967 - there’s an element of “They aren't in my modern times, but it’s time travel - I’m okay with this!”  Especially when you have the Doctor traveling with a companion originally from the 1700s (who catches on very quickly), “modern times” takes on a more fluid definition.

Speaking of Jamie - this is the first story where he truly gets to shine.  Previous to “The Evil of the Daleks,” he was more or less window dressing - someone for Ben and Polly to look out for like he was their baby brother.  But now that Team TARDIS is less a Sailor and an Duchess, the young Highlander gets to show the Doctor (and everyone else) that he does have something to contribute and he can take care of himself and those around him.  Jamie has a natural, easy-going, lovable nature I can’t help but be drawn to.  And that on its own might have been enough to make him an enjoyable character.  But it is in his first story as a proactive character that he truly earns my respect and a spot on my personal list of All-Time Favorite Companions (As an aside - Steven Taylor has a similar moment at the end of "The Massacre" that is just heartwrenching if you don't know it's coming).

Episode 3 is where this starts happening and it’s almost jarring to see this unfold (culminating in a bit of a confrontation between Jamie and the Doctor in Episode 5), especially if you’re used to the Jamie and Doctor friendship of the later Troughton-era.  As far as Jamie knows, Maxtible and Waterfield are no-good, dirty rotten scoundrels who have murdered people and stolen the TARDIS.  When he sees the Doctor cozying up to these guys, Jamie’s had it.  He calls the Doctor out on the carpet for this BS - not in a malicious way, but in such a way that says “Nobody’s given me a straight answer and I don’t want to be a doormat!”  It’s there that you realize that Jamie is not going to be a rubber-stamp-yes-man of a companion (and when it comes down to it - completely forgetting the Doctor Who stereotypes and media-perpetuated-perceptions - has the Doctor really had any of those?)

Jamie, to me, is the companion with heart.  Lots of companions have brains and are accomplished intellectually and that’s great, but there’s something about a companion who is loyal, courageous, honorable and kind.  That’s not to say Jamie isn’t smart, but it’s a different kind of smart from the Doctor or astrophysicist Zoe.  Jamie’s intelligence and instinct is vital to his character - he’s a fast learner and can quickly adapt to his strange new life traveling through time and space, though he never forgets his sense of bravery and honor instilled in him as a piper for Clan McLaren at Culloden.

All of this is why the Doctor volunteers Jamie (without Jamie’s consent, mind you - there could be an entire discussion of the ethics of that) to provide the Daleks with “The Human Factor” - some unknown element that humans have that the Daleks don’t that the Daleks believe will help them become Supreme Masters of the Universe! (um... again).  In collaboration with Maxtible and Waterfield, the Doctor sets Jamie up to go on a rescue mission to save Victoria Waterfield, who has been kidnapped by the Daleks and is held prisoner.  With the help of the mute servant, Kemel, Jamie saves the lovely Miss Waterfield (and my shipping goggles come back out to play).  Somehow during this excursion, the Doctor has isolated the Human Factor that Jamie displays and implants it into three brand-new Daleks.  And, oh Dear Reader, such a merchandise opportunity was born!  If Fisher-Price could get a hold of the rights to it, that is.

These three Daleks (named Alpha, Beta and Omega by the Doctor) exhibit all the intellectual maturity of the preschoolers who come to my storytimes at the library.  They want to play.  They want friends.  They sing their new names in a sweet little scene that makes me want to teach the “Alpha, Beta, Omega!” chant to the next group of three-year-olds I come in contact with (I wonder if the Dalek action figures from this story had an option to sing that song, because that would be amazing).  And then they start pushing a wheeled-desk chair around like they’re playing some strange game of Four Square.  But these Daleks mature rapidly and develop the ability to ask questions - something very much in opposition to Dalek culture.  Later, the Human-Factor-Daleks are targeted by the Emperor Dalek for destruction - but the Doctor appeals to their nature to fight for themselves and against the oppressive Dalek regime, eventually destroying the entire Dalek Empire “forever” (or, at least until Terry Nation needs a paycheck again).

This story has so many delightful and remarkable moments in it that would be wonderful to watch and it’s a shame that it doesn't exist (print that line out and keep it handy the next time you’re listening to a missing story audio or watching a recon).  I think “delight” and “remarkable” can fairly well sum-up the Troughton era and it’s clear why his Doctor remains a favorite of so many people - both people who watched his stories brand new and the newer fans who discovered his stories later (such as a certain fellow by the name of Matt Smith you may have heard of).

Heart, innocence and joy - some of the greatest hallmarks of Doctor Who.

***

Next Time, on Librarian in the TARDIS -

Review 2.02 - It's dangerous to go alone! Take this!

Previously -

Review 1.03 - Recycled Christie Cardboard... IN SPACE!!

Fiction > Reality

SPOILER ALERT! The following post contains obscene amounts of SPOILERS for the following Big Finish "Doctor Who" stories: #133 - City of Spires, #134 - The Wreck of the Titan, #135 - Legend of the Cybermen.  Not to mention scattered SPOILERS for all of the Second Doctor's era (especially from "The War Games" and "The Mind Robber") and maybe a few other minor things. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

I love all the Doctor's companions, though some I love more than others.  It's just the way things happen.  One of my absolute favorites is Jamie McCrimmon, the lovable Scottish highlander who was a mainstay of the Patrick Troughton era.  The Second Doctor had a good handful of companions, but Jamie was THE companion in the late 1960s.  He was brave, if a little naive, but definitely a quick learner and always eager for adventure.  He could roll with the changes in the Doctor's traveling lifestyle with ease and the most adorable smile you've ever seen.  Jamie's story arc is one major reason I often bemoan the fact that so little of the Troughton era remains complete - how cool would it be to watch Jamie's character progression from an 18th century Scotsman with little knowledge of anything outside his own circumstances to someone who fully accepts and embraces time-and-space travel?  But there's no point in lamenting what you can't control, I suppose.  But I can get annoyed that Jamie and Zoe Heriot's memories of traveling with the Doctor were taken away by the Time Lords at the end of "The War Games" because - ARGH! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO A COMPANION??? WHY WHY WHY??

Yes, I'm side-eyeing you, RTD. SO HARD! (poor, poor Donna...)

So, when I discovered Big Finish had produced a trilogy of audio stories with the Sixth Doctor with Jamie as the companion, I wondered "How in the name of Gallifrey is this going to work?"  How are they going to justify Jamie meeting the Doctor again and how will he remember the Doctor and what will the Doctor have to do to bring Jamie along on these adventures?

(Before I go on - I'm blaming/crediting Traveling the Vortex for my renewed binge on Big Finish.  Last week, they had a Companion Archive for Evelyn Smythe, who is a Big Finish-only companion.  And we're watching "The War Games" for Friday Night Who last week and this week.  So, this is their fault).

Long story short (and spoiler-free) - Big Finish did all of that. And more.  You owe it to yourself to seek out these three stories and listen to them (and there is a Companion Chronicle that goes with them - "Night's Black Agents" - but I haven't bought it yet. I will soon, though).

Short story made longer - Let's just take this one story at a time:

(SPOILERS really begin here, so if you're looking to remain unspoiled on the Big Finish stuff, this is where you ought to stop. Seriously - stop now.)

"City of Spires" - This starts out where you'd expect Jamie to be, given how "The War Games" ended. The highlanders are at war with the Redcoats (though Jamie doesn't show up until later).  The Sixth Doctor sort of stumbles into the middle of the fighting (you know, like the Doctor always does) and eventually meets up with Jamie, who is now much older and doesn't remember the Doctor at all.  This story is pretty straightforward - your standard Doctor-meets-new-companion (or former companion who's about to get re-recruited) story.  I won't lie - it's a little odd to have Jamie with the Sixth Doctor at first, but the decision to write Jamie as someone older and with more life experience (and not all of it positive) helped make the reunion work.  Plus, there's a mystery for the Doctor to solve that directly relates to Jamie.  Recall that, at the end of "The War Games," when the Time Lords erased Jamie and Zoe's memories, they were allowed to keep the memories of their first adventure with the Doctor, but they never left in the TARDIS.  The mystery here is this: Jamie doesn't remember anything about the Doctor.  Not even his very first meeting (which would have taken place in "The Highlanders").  So, there's that to figure out on top of the other, more pressing weirdness of anachronistic oil drilling in 18th century Scotland.

"The Wreck of the Titan" - This is where things get really odd.  It starts with the title and the trailer for this story.  The trailer mentions the Doctor and Jamie have landed on the Titanic - which is all the trailer could really talk about without giving away the entire thing.  And as similar as the two are, Titanic is NOT Titan.  BUT - and this is where serendipity comes in because I listened to this the weekend all the Titanic centennial commemoration was going on - there is a book called "The Wreck of the Titan" that was published 14 years before the actual Titanic sank (go here to read about the uncanny similarities between the fictional Titan and the real Titanic).  So, I'm wondering where in the world this is going.  This isn't going to be the movie Titanic with Jack and Rose being replaced with the Doctor and Jamie? Because that would be cool on one level, but totally bizarre on another level.

Luckily, they kept James Cameron away from this one and brought in the fictional Titan.  And that's where things start getting interesting (and where I had my AHA! moment).  Right before the Titanic is due for her date with the iceberg, everything shifts and turns into the story of the Titan.  Even the characters change.  And instead of falling into the ocean, the Doctor and one other character wind up on the iceberg being chased by hungry polar bears (it's a lot cooler in the audio, believe me).  In the meantime, Jamie hooks up with Captain Nemo and the Nautilus and it's about here that my absolute favorite Troughton-era story comes into play.

My friends - Big Finish actually revisted "The Mind Robber." And the fandom rejoiced. (don't click that link if you value your free time).

By "fandom," I mean one crazy fangirl that's bouncing up and down in her seat while driving down to visit her folks for the weekend. Amazing that I didn't careen into the ditch.

"Legend of the Cybermen" - And we're back to the Land of Fiction. Oh and Zoe's back!! (HOLY CRAP - IT IS ZOE!)  And the White Robots! And the Karkuss! And the unicorns! And the - and the - *squee!*

(And there is an absolutely hilarious scene where the fictional characters start narrating their own stories - but Jamie thinks he's in a booth in a sound studio recording for a radio play. Complete with Nicholas Briggs directing and the Doctor/Colin Baker tapping the window of Jamie/Frazer Hines' sound booth and referring to them being trapped in meta-fiction.  It's downright brilliant).

All right, all right - not everything is a fantastic trip down memory lane.  For one thing, the Cybermen have invaded the Land of Fiction.  For another, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe discover that the oil that was being drilled clear back in "City of Spires" isn't oil.  It's ink.  And what do you do with ink?  You write stories with it.  Stories like "Alice in Wonderland" and "Dracula" and "Oliver Twist." Oh, and you bring an old traveling companion to life in the Land of Fiction so you can call on the Doctor to come help you get rid of the clunky old aliens that you inadvertently dragged into this place when they attacked your home.

Translation: Zoe became is the Mistress of the Land of Fiction when the Cybermen attacked her home, she created a fictional Jamie from her memories of him, fictional!Jamie took on a life of his own to the point of getting older, the Doctor got pulled into the Land of Fiction by Zoe and I'm a pile of goo because "What? Jamie's not real???"

(That was FOREVER HEARTBREAK when Jamie realizes he's not a real person and even goes so far as to berate the Doctor for never going back to check in on the real Jamie back in Scotland.  I mean, Jamie does have a point - but does he have to be so mean about it?  Well... yeah, he kind of does... Doesn't mean I have to like it, though).

In the end, the Cybermen are defeated.  Jamie sacrifices his own life to allow the Doctor to escape with Zoe.  The Doctor gets Zoe back to her home on the space station, but not before Zoe forgets the Doctor again.  And the end theme tune plays - with the Troughton-era tune melding into the Colin Baker tune and I want to crawl into a corner and sob.

(On a lighter note - I can't help but think that there was someone at the Big Finish studios that, in a fit of boredom fueled by whimsy, doodled various mythical creatures like fairies and mermaids as partially-converted Cybermen.  On the surface, the idea sounds terrible, but it really works and it's even worth a good laugh).

On the whole, I loved this entire trilogy (I'm not even sure what to call it.  The Jamie Trilogy? The Mind Robber sequel?)  It's Big Finish doing what they do best - creating new stories for well-loved characters and putting them in physical and emotional situations that were unheard of Back in the Day (and probably couldn't be done on TV anyway).  I love that Jamie gets another chance to shine and underneath all that life experience as a jaded war hero, he's still that lovable and endearing traveling companion that I absolutely adore.  This aspect of Jamie meshes well with the Sixth Doctor - where Jamie isn't 100% sure of this goofy-looking "Frenchman" and the Doctor is able to handle it with grace and appeal to that part of Jamie that never really forgot his friend (I maintain that the companions who are made to forget the Doctor still retain a bit of remembrance deep in their subconscious because an experience like the Doctor is too wonderful and precious to ever truly erase.  Sure, it's sentimental and goopy but I don't care).

Bottom Line: I need a Jamie marathon now. (I don't care that it's 12:30 in the morning - where is my "Mind Robber" DVD???)