Well, I figured I would do something a little different in this post and lump in three reviews in one as I will continues to look at the remaining stories from The Trial of a Time Lord starring Colin Baker as the 6th Doctor.
So, this review will cover the following three stories: Mindwarp, Terror of the Vervoids and The Ultimate Foe. So, how do they all fair??? Well, let's take a look.
And yep the usual warning is coming...
PLOT SPOILERS WILL BE AHEAD FOR ALL THREE STORIES
MINDWARP
OK, so first up is the four part story Mindwarp, which sees the Doctor still on trial by the Time Lords and is being prosecuted by the Valeyard (Michael Jayston) who provides more video evidence of the Doctor's interference in the affairs of other planets. So, the Valeyard show video footage of the Doctor and his companion, Peri (Nicola Bryant) arriving on the planet Thoros Beta where they soon get mixed up in a struggle with Sil (Nabil Shaban) a slug-like creature called a Mentor, who is an arms dealer.
Sil, however is with his boss, Kiv (Christopher Ryan) who's body is dying and is awaiting a brain transplant into a host body and the surgical procedure is to be carried out by a scientist named Crozier (Patrick Ryecart) of which Sil recommends the Doctor to be intended target. However, the Doctor manages to escape with the help of another test subject, Yrcanos (Brian Blessed) a warlord. And its from here that the Doctor must try and find a way to defeat Sil and rescue Peri from his clutches, as Crozier intends to make Peri the permanent replacement for Kiv's mind....
THOUGHTS
Mindwarp is a very entertaining story and a good follow up to The Mysterious Planet, which continues with the Doctor and the Valeyard bickering away at each other, while either states their case to the Inquisitor (Lynda Bellingham) who is supervising the trial. The story also features some colourful characters that sees the return of Sil, the slug-like Mentor, who previously appeared in Colin Baker's story, Vengeance on Varos. And of course we can't forget the warlord, Yrcanos, who bellows everything at the top of his voice! The story is also quite well written by Philip Martin, who also previously wrote Vengeance on Varos.
PERFORMANCES (No notable scenes but the odd spoiler might be here!)
As for the performances, well they are all very good here with Colin Baker providing another fine performance as the Sixth Doctor and he converys his usual traits of arrogance and ignorance but at the same also his innate goodness as well as a great sense of humour. Nicola Bryant also puts in a nice final performance as Peri, the Doctor's companion, who get's caught up in the events involving Sil and Yrcanos, who takes a shine to her. Brian Blessed is hilarious in his role as the exceptionally LOUD war lord, Yrcanos, who rants and raves of war, blood and power but at the same time is essentially a gallant goody with just a slighlty overpowering voice!
Nabil Shaban is also excellent as he reprises his role as Sil, the slimey (literally) villainous Mentor, who is an arms dealer and is hoping to save the live of his boss, Kiv by having his mind transferred into another body. Christopher Ryan also does very well in his role as Kiv, Sil's boss, who is in need of a body transfer as his mind will ultimately kill his own body and the Doctor and Peri at different stages in the story become his likely replacements. Patrick Ryecart does very well also as the scientist, Crozier, who has something of a megalomaniacal streak in him as well as he intends to save Kiv by using Peri's body as a host for his mind.
And lastly, Michael Jayston and Linda Bellingham reprise their roles very well as the Valeyard and the Inquisitor respectively, the two Time Lords that prosecute and oversee the Doctor's trial respecetively! And Jayston's bickering with the Doctor provides some of the story's highlights and Bellingham acts as something of a head teacher as she tries to keep them in order!
DIRECTOR AND MUSIC
As for the director, Ron Jones does a very good job here with Mindwarp as he paces the story nicely and provides enough moments of action, drama and humour to keep things moving along. Jones also directed five other stories for the show during the Peter Davison and Colin Baker eras that include Black Orchid and Frontios from the Davison era and this story and Vengeance on Varos from the CB era.
And lastly the music by Richard Hartley is also pretty good although I have to say I was confused as to who composed it at first as I really thought it was Dominic Glynn's score. Ah well but its still a good one.
SUM UP
So, to sum up, Mindwarp is a very enjoyable story from the Colin Baker and it nicely follows on from the Mysterious Planet although its a bit of a pity that things would take a slight downturn after this one.
TERROR OF THE VERVOIDS
Next is the four part story, Terror of the Vervoids, which sees the Doctor present his own case of defence to the Valeyard and the Inquisitor at his trial as he shows footage directly linked from the Matrix (which stores all the Time Lords mental conscious thoughts) of his own future as it details his actions on a spaceliner named Hyperon III. The Doctor having received a Mayday message in the TARDIS, lands on the spaceliner along with his companion, Mel (Bonnie Langford) are captured as soon as they step onboard by guards and taken to the Commodore Travers (Michael Craig) who the Doctor has met before. The Doctor suggests that Travers send the Mayday call but he denies this, so the Doctor is determined to find out who sent it as he believes he was called on purpose.
However, another problem that is onboard the spaceliner has to do with a series of pods contained within a hydroponics centre section of the ship. Mel at one point is taken on a guide by one of the crew, Edwardes (Simon Slater) who is electrocuted when he tries to access the centre, he is electrocuted. And its not long before the pods hatch and its inhabitants, plant-like creatures called Vervoids, run amok on the ship and start killing the crew one by one and it is again up to the Doctor to stop them.
THOUGHTS
Although this isn't one of more liked stories within the original Doctor Who series, I still happen to like Terror of the Vervoids, as it is something of an enjoyable Who-dunnit (no pun intended) as there is a traitor in the story, who is behind the murders and the release of the Vervoids. The story however is still guilty of introducing one of the show's most irritating companions ever in Mel as played by Bonnie Langford as she is overly cheery, who likes to think she is real clever and also has an annoying scream! The story nicely builds on the conspiratorial nature of things in the Doctor's trial as he believes the Matrix footage they are watching at his trial has been manipulated to show him in a bad light. The Vervoids themselves are actually not too bad as villains and they are somewhat creepy even if the outfits are a bit cheesy looking.
PERFORMANCES (Warning this section may contain spoilers but no notable scenes!)
As for the performances well they are all mostly pretty good here.
Colin Baker again provides another fine effort as the Sixth Doctor as he continues to battle against the Valeyard at his trial as the Doctor tries to provide evidence to support his case in his tendency to get involved with the affairs of other planets. And he has some nice moments such as when the Doctor is onboard the spaceliner and he doesn't managed to get a word in edgeways for once as he is interrupted by Mel and one of the crew, Professor Lasky (Honor Blackman).
Bonnie Langford however doesn't fair quite so well and she really does provide a rather annoying performance as Mel although to be fair she still does have some not bad scenes here and there but her scene with the Doctor at the start of the story where she is forcing the Doctor to work is just cheesy and naff.
As for the supporting cast, Michael Jayston and Lynda Bellingham are both on good form again as the Valeyard and Inquisitor respectively with the Valeyard going full out to find reason and ways to confirm the Doctor's guilt and he has a pretty big one by the end of this story. Honor Blackman provides a good performance in the story also as Professor Lasky, one of the scientist passengers onboard Hyperion III. Michael Craig also does very well in his role as Commodore Travers, the security chief onboard the ship and his role kind of reminds me of the security chief, Sanders, in the Peter Davison era story, Kinda, although not quite as military minded. And last of all is Malcolm Tierney as the scientist, Donald, who is part of Lasky's crew but he isn't all what he appears to be.
DIRECTOR AND MUSIC
As for the director, Chris Clough provides the directorial duties here and he does a pretty decent job with the story and it doesn't really lag too much at any given time. Clough also directed six serials in total for the show during the producer era of John Nathan-Turner for both Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's eras.
Music wise, the score is actually pretty good and it sees the welcome return of Malcolm Clarke, who provides a very atmospheric score that is similar in sound to his score for the Davison era story, Earthshock. So, any score that sounds like that one is very good in my book and well worth a listen.
FLAWS
As for flaws, yep Terror of the Veroids does have some, the who-dunnit aspect of the story get's a little obvious as things go on as the one character we'd suspect (I won't say who!) turns out to be the very one who is behind it all! And of course there is the issue of the Doctor presenting his evidence at the trial for the story as he says its event that are in his personal future. But, if the events are part of his personal future, how can he possibly know about them if it hasn't happened yet?!
The story also has some cringeworthy moments we could have done without, especially Mel's intro scene where we see her push the Doctor to workout on an exercise bike! And this is especially daft and I think just thrown in because Bonnie Landford herself was a TV fitness instructor around that time!
SUM UP
So, while this story has its problems, Terror of the Vervoids is still an enjoyable one that acts as something of a who-dunnit and it has some enjoyable characters in the story although it has to be said that Mel, the Doctor's new companion isn't one of them! But that aside, its still not a bad adventure or at least as bad as its been made out to be.
THE ULTIMATE FOE
And last of all is The Ultimate Foe, which is a two-part story that concludes the Trial of a Time Lord season and indeed the Colin Baker era of the show.
The story begins with the Doctor claiming that the Valeyard's evidence has been falsified and the Matrix has been tampered with. However at this point, his companion Mel and the mercenary, Sabbalon Glitz (Tony Selby) arrive in the courtroom and the Doctor's arch enemy, the Master (Anthony Ainley) suddenly appears on the video screen, claiming responsibility for what has been happening and that the Matrix can indeed be manipulated. The Master also further explains that the Valeyard is in fact a manifestation of the Doctor's darker side that had been created from his 12th incarnation and that the High Council offered the Valeyard, the Doctor's remaining regenerations in exchange for falsifying evidence.
So, at this point the Valeyard flees from the courtroom and he goes into the Matrix itself, which is a virtual reality where all the normal laws of physics and reality do not apply. So, the Doctor decides to go in after the Valeyard in an effort to stop him once and for all and to save his own life in the process....
THOUGHTS
Well, it has to be said that The Ultimate Foe is easily the weakest story in the Trial of a Time Lord season and its actually just as well it was only a two parter, as it is somewhat poorly paced and not particularly well scripted. And even though the script was originally written by Robert Holmes, rewrites where required when the script editor of the time, Eric Saward, resigned from the show and refused to let his script edit be used. So, this called for the writing team of Pip and Jane Baker to be brought in to finish the story, which would explain the rushed feel to it all.
PERFORMANCES (Warning: the odd spoiler might be here!)
As for the performances here, Colin Baker is on excellent form and despite the lacklustre story he is in, he still does have some very impressive moments, most notably in the scene near the start where the Master reveals the corruption in the Matrix and the Time Lord High Council and it leads the Doctor to go on a rant about how corrupt the Time Lords really are. Its a real highlight of the story and certainly one of Colin's best moments of his performance in the role but its a pity that he had to go on this one.
Bonnie Langford however continues to grate here in her performance here as Mel although you can see her trying her best to tackle the more dramatic moments here in the courtroom scenes but it has to be said she is no great actress for sure. Regardless of all this though, Bonnie would carry on as the 7th Doctor's companion during the Sylvester McCoy era.
As for the other performances, Michael Jayston puts in a fine performance again in his final appearance as the Valeyard, where his true motivations are revealed and we discover exactly who he is. Its a very solid performance from Jaystont throughout the season but it is a bit of a pity that it does end on a disappointing note.
Tony Selby also reprises his role as Glitz very well, although you really do have to question as to why they needed to bring him back at all, other than perhaps he was considered to be one of the better characters from that season, so he deserved a shot at reappearing again.
Anthony Ainley puts in another good performance here as the Master and he clearly enjoys playing the part as he plays it with a fair bit of cheese and ham and he laps up the Master's lines. However his performance is somewhat limited to just appearing on a video screen, so his lack of physical presence is a bit of a disappointment.
And last of all is Lynda Bellingham who once again does a fine job in her role as the Inquisitor, who oversees the Doctor's trial and she appears to have been kept in the dark regarding alot of the corrupt goings on behind the scenes of the High Council of the Time Lords.
DIRECTOR AND MUSIC
Direction wise, Chris Clough takes up the helm again as the director and it has to be said he has been given a bit of a dud story to direct here, so even though its only two parts, it does feel a bit laggy and lacking pace. This of course could have come down to the rewrites for the story that were needed, which affected the story in itself.
Music wise, Dominic Glynn provides the score and its actually a pretty good one and one of the better aspects of the story itself as it is moody and atmospheric. Glynn also composed the new title theme for this show's season but it was never again used and instead the following theme version was composed by Keff McCulloch and was used for the remainder of the Sylvester McCoy era.
FLAWS (Warning: Spoilers are ahead here!)
As for flaws, well yep The Ultimate Foe has its share and it has to be said that they are mostly down to the script being not so well executed and as a result, the whole story has a rushed feel to it given that they had to bring in Pip and Jane Baker to do the rewrites after Eric Saward resigned as script editor.
Another issue is to do with the whole idea of grasping how the High Council can give the Doctor his remaining regenerations to the Valeyard and just how can the Valeyard be made up from a future regeneration of the Doctor???? It just doesn't quite make sense as to how it all has come about not to mention that the Doctor's evidence shown in Terror of the Vervoids is all a bit higglety piggelty with being from his own personal future. If so, how can he really present it????!
And last of all is to do with the half-assed happy ending for Peri, as she was apparently killed at the end of Mindwarp when Yrcanos rushes into the operation room not long after Peri has had Kiv's mind transplanted into her own. But at the end of this story, it has been rewritten with Peri being rescued by Yrcanos and the two of them fall in love and live happily ever after! Yep, that's all just a bit too pat isn't it?! And even Nicola Bryant herself said she was really disappointed with this ending and she had preferred it if they left as was at the end of Mindwarp.
Anyway that's it for the flaws.
SUM UP
So, in summing up, The Ultimate Foe is a letdown and a poor end to the Colin Baker era as it is a story that was re-written and as such it feels rushed and not very well put together. And its a pity that Colin Baker's era should end such on a low note and indeed a greater shame that his Doctor had been done such a disservice and was replaced in the role on the orders of BBC controller, Michael Grade, who said it would be the only forward for the show to remain on air.
But despite that The Trial of a Time Lord is quite an enjoyable season and I'd give it three out of five (or 7 out of 10) as overall it has alot going for it and its worth giving Colin Baker a second chance, if you didn't like his Doctor first time round, he's worth taking another look at.
OK, that's it for now and I will be back soon with my updated look at the role play action game, Dark Souls, which I have just completed, so I will be giving a more indepth look at my thoughts as to what I think of it.
So, till the next one, I'll say bye fer now!
No comments:
Post a Comment