WORLD ENOUGH AND TIME
What a difference a week can make in DOCTOR WHO. Last week I was despairing at the possible historical inaccuracies in THE EATERS OF LIGHT, but this week I’m feeling almost giddy with delight… Or it could just be the result of me taking my meds with a stiff drink. Either way, we finally got an episode of New Who that didn’t make me want to cringe in the corner with embarrassment and shame. In fact, it's the first episode of New Who that I've actually watched more than once - on purpose - since the early days of David Tennant, way back in series two. And I didn’t wait for it to be broadcast on TV - I downloaded it early, from ABC Iview on the internet.
I am also so very, very relieved that they managed to get the Mondasian Cybermen mostly right. Upon closer inspection, there might have been some extremely minor details or differences, but after over fifty years, it was still a mighty fine effort that I fully applaud and appreciate. Thank you. In fact, in some ways, they managed to come across much better now than they did in THE TENTH PLANET. There was something poignantly pathetic and tragic about them. They looked like they should be pitied, not feared. They were not villains - they were victims. I can’t help but feel that Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis would have approved of this new approach.
Meanwhile, John Simm’s disguise didn’t fool me for a single moment, despite the fact that the special effects are so much better than they once were. However, I didn’t entirely mind, because I found the Master’s use of a disguise to be quite a nice nod back to the days of Classic Who. Perhaps it was because of the lack of other notable characters being present. And whilst I was very pleased with the twelfth Doctor’s deft display of skill at Venusian Aikido, it does raise a rather obvious and unfortunate question. Why the hell hasn’t he used it before in his current incarnation? It’s not as if he hasn’t had the opportunity. And why didn’t he use it before Bill got shot?
In general, the episode was exciting, but I must admit that it did seem to be just a little slow and padded in some places, but it was never less than entertaining. The interior of the spaceship was imaginative and interesting and the inclusion of some intelligent and serious scientific concepts was very welcome indeed. The time flow differential between the top and the bottom of the spaceship - due to its closeness to the black hole - was handled very well indeed in my opinion. It’s no secret that DOCTOR WHO has always borrowed or stolen from other sources, but if you’re going to do that, at least borrow or steal decent concepts and ideas.
I have one final question… Will the authors of the original Target novelizations, such as Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke, be given any acknowledgement or credit for the dialogue Missy used when she first emerged from the TARDIS? For a brief moment, I felt sure that she was quoting directly from one of those early novels - possibly THE ZARBI by Bill Strutton. Anyway, just imagine if they started making factually accurate historical serials now and then, as well as including a few more intelligent scientific concepts and ideas in the more science fiction orientated serials? Before you know it, DOCTOR WHO could become an entertaining family TV series with educational properties as well.
What a concept! I doubt the BBC has ever tried to do anything as revolutionary as that before. Oh, wait…
