Friday, July 26, 2002

 

Cora's comments on Doctor Who:

Last night I watched Logopolis, a Doctor Who episode from 1981.

This story seems to be regarded very highly, probably because it is Tom Baker's final episode. However, when I finally saw it last night, I was underwhelmed. Because it just isn't a very good story. Especially the first half is hard to sit through (I came close to switching it off in the middle of the second part) with lots of pointless running around in the TARDIS (well, multiple TARDISes actually) and lots of equally pointless shots of the ultra-annoying Tegan attempting to repair a flat tire.

It actually starts off quite good. A hapless policeman approaches what he thinks is an ordinary policebox and is brutally murdered. Only an evil chuckle can be heard from inside the policebox. Even the "Crisis of Infinite TARDISes" is in itself an interesting idea, though it doesn't make much sense. Two TARDISes decide to assume the same shape and land in the same spot, so why do they suddenly multiply? Still, it could have made for a good story. But the execution is awful. Because what we get are endless scenes of the Doctor and Adric running around the multiple TARDISes intercut with scenes of Tegan wandering around the TARDIS. I know that the TARDIS set was probably very expensive to build and the room with the vines and the columns is very pretty indeed. But that's still no reason to have the actors wander aimlessly about in those beautiful and expensive new sets for two whole episodes! And what was that bit about landing under water and "flushing out" the other TARDIS supposed to be? Though I must admit, I got a good laugh when they materialised on the deck of the ship instead.

The sad thing is that there are actually quite a few good bits in this story. There is a strong sense of foreboding from the beginning with the inexplicably chiming of the TARDIS warning bell and the mysterious white figure appearing in the background. And it's also very clear that the Doctor knows that he is not going to survive this adventure, even though he's trying to keep it hidden from his companions. And the story itself gets a lot better once it moves to Logopolis, planet of elderly mathematicians, and the Mastermind (literally) behind the plot is revealed. And once the fate of the universe hangs in the balance, there is a real sense of menace and the scenes of Logopolis literally falling apart are very effective. But you have to sit through two episodes of TARDIS runarounds to get there.

A large part of what makes the second half of the story so much more enjoyable than the first is the latest incarnation of the Master. I have no idea how he managed to change from the walking skeleton he was in The Deadly Assassin into something that looks a lot like the original Master, especially since he had run out of regenerations the last time I saw him. Apparently, he took over someone's body. It seems that this incarnation of the Master was not as popular as the earlier ones, but at least in this episode he is very good. That scene with Nyssa is very creepy (I could swear he was trying to seduce her). And his interaction with the Doctor when they are forced to cooperate was very enjoyable to watch. The evil chuckling may be a bit much, but somehow it fits. This version of the Master clearly enjoys being evil, so why shouldn't he chuckle.

But is it me or are the Master's plans never very well thought through? In Terror of the Autons he first helps the Autons to invade the Earth then changes his mind at the last possible instant and helps the Doctor to stop the invasion. Interestingly, the climax of both this and Logopolis has the Doctor and the Master climbing around a giant satellite antenna. Coincidence? In The Deadly Assassin he comes up with an incredibly convoluted plan to kill the Doctor and gain a new lease on life, when there certainly would have been simpler ways to archieve both. And in this one - did he even have a plan this time around? Okay, he gets to kill a few people and he thoroughly messes up the Doctor's attempt to repair the TARDIS. btw, why is it such a problem that the TARDIS is shrunken to a third of its usual size? I thought the very point of the TARDIS is that it's bigger on the inside, so why should the outside appearance even matter? Then the Master does whatever he does on Logopolis (what was he trying to archieve anyway?), which accidentally results in the near destruction of the entire Universe. Horrified, he changes his mind and decides to help the Doctor stop the destruction. Then, all of a sudden, he changes his mind again and decides to blackmail the "peoples of the Universe" (how were they supposed to respond btw?). "Let me rule the universe or face destruction!" - very logical. Okay, he clearly is utterly mad, just like the Doctor says. And very dangerous, after all he succeeds in killing one incarnation of the Doctor in the end.

The companions: This is very clearly a transitional episode, because Tom Baker is already paired up with Peter Davison's companions Adric, Nyssa and Tegan here. And those three are rather useless characters. The flashback at the end showing the fourth Doctor's previous companions really emphasises how weak these characters are compared to Sarah or Leela or Romana or Harry. Even the Doctor doesn't seem to like them overly much and tells them off quite brutally (Don't blame me, it's your own fault you're here) in one scene.

Adric: I don't know why so many people seem to hate him, for at least in this episode he is the least irritating of the three. He's very clearly a frustrated teenager in search of a father, stuck with the Doctor who doesn't want to be a father. I actually felt sorry for the poor kid, considering that he was constantly ignored by the Doctor. I suspect the reason why Adric is hated by so many fans may be that his character was too close to the typical Doctor Who fan at the time (i.e. frustrated, male, somewhat nerdy teenager). The fans probably looked at him and saw themselves and they didn't like what they saw.

Nyssa: First of all, whoever designed that costume she's wearing deserves to be shot. Secondly, just what is her purpose in this story? She was okay in the two Peter Davison episodes I saw, but she has absolutely no point in this one. She suddenly shows up somewhere in the middle, allegedly brought to Logopolis by "a friend of the Doctor's". No real explanation what she is doing there, except getting taken over by the Master whom she mistakes for her father. In fact, I first thought that she was the Master's daughter (now that would have been interesting), but apparently he killed her real parents and then goes on to destroy her home planet. The whole Nyssa - Master situation apparently refers back to a previous story (that I haven't seen), which makes it extremely confusing. Still, the scene where the Master tricks her into helping him is very creepy, especially as his feelings towards her are anything but paternal. A rematch between those two would be interesting to see.

Tegan: She actually gets some funny scenes in this episode (such as insisting on changing the tire even though she's unable to do it or running around the TARDIS demanding to speak to the pilot) and the actress is not bad. But as a character she's still incredibly annoying. In fact, I found myself hoping against hope that the Master would just use his shrink ray on her. I mean, her aunt has been murdered, the universe is about to be destroyed and all that she can think of is how to get back to Heathrow Airport and her job as a stewardess. God, woman, get your priorities sorted out!

Scientific accuracy: According to the episode guide on the BBC website, Logopolis is notable for its use of "hard science". By "hard science" they presumably mean that we get the Doctor explaining the laws of thermodynamics to the viewer (and he does a pretty good job of it, too). And there is more talk of entropy in this episode than in a class on postmodern literature. But apart from that, the science of laughable. Not to mention illogical. A couple of mumbling old men holding back the heat death of the universe by mathematical calculations. Waves of entropy destroying large chunks of the universe. Hard science?!? Yeah right.

Tom Baker turns into Peter Davison at the end of this story, so that means that I've finally seen a regeneration (previously I'd only seen the aftermath twice). Is the white figure that silently watches the proceedings and merges with the Doctor in the end a standard feature for regenerations? It would certainly be interesting, especially as it's very clear that the Doctor knows early on what's going to happen to him. And that apparently there is very little he can do about it. The "death" scene itself is very well handled with the flashbacks of past friends and enemies and Tom Baker is consistently great throughout the whole episode. But in the very end, when Peter Davison sits up, I wonder how many viewers back in 1981 thought, "Oh God, he regenerated into Tristan Farnam!" Because that's certainly what I thought.

posted by Cora link 02:11