 |
| The Doctor suspects the Ice Warriors of sabotage and murder! |
4 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 98 minutes. Written by: Brian Hayles. Directed by: Lennie Mayne. Produced by: Barry Letts.
THE PLOT:
The primitive but mineral-rich world of Peladon is hosting a delegation from the Galactic Federation, one which may result in the planet's admission. Chancellor Torbis (Henry Gilbert) and High Priest Hepesh (Geoffrey Toone), are split about this plan. Torbis hopes that the Federation will lead Peladon to a new age, free of superstition. Hepesh believes that the Federation will turn Peladon into little more than a vassal state.
Young King Peladon (David Troughton) agrees with Torbis. But when the chancellor is mauled to death, Hepesh loudly declares that this is the wrath of Aggedor, the ghostly Royal Beast of Peladon. The priest adds that, unless the planet returns to its old ways, more deaths are sure to follow.
It's into the middle of this situation that the Doctor and Jo arrive. Mistaken for the Earth ambassador and his royal charge, the Doctor takes control of the investigation. It takes little time to realize that Hepesh is involved, but the plot is too elaborate to be his work alone. The priest has to be in league with one of the Federation ambassadors - which includes a delegation from Mars, in the form of the Doctor's old adversaries: the Ice Warriors!
CHARACTERS:
The Doctor: As Jo observes, he enjoys playing the role of Earth delegate, particularly when the others make him the chairman of the group. In a conversation with Hepesh, he gets the other man to admit that he has outside help, largely by just keeping him talking long enough to let it slip. His suspicion of the Ice Warriors is only natural given their past encounters, and most of his exchanges with Izlyr (Alan Bennion) are adversarial.
Jo Grant: For all that she projects being an airhead, she's anything but dumb. When the High Priest announces that the only women allowed in the throne room are of royal blood, she doesn't hesitate in adopting a haughty manner and playing the role of "Princess Josephine." This is quite a strong story for her overall, with her challenging the Doctor on his assumptions about the Ice Warriors when she isn't pushing King Peladon to stop relying so completely on his advisors and to take a stand for himself.
King Peladon: I'm afraid that I find the king himself to be one of the story's weakest elements. David Troughton is decked out in an outfit that's a bizarre combination of Shakespeare and 1970s disco, complete with thigh-high boots. If he were to suddenly burst into song ala David Bowie, it wouldn't seem out of place. The story wants to give him an arc, going from weakness to strength. Unfortunately, there's not much to signal that he's become particularly strong by the end, with him still seeking more dominant personalities such as Hepesh or the Doctor to tell him what to do. When he tries to persuade Jo to stay at the end, all I can think in response is, "Run, Jo. Run fast."
Hepesh: He genuinely believes he's acting in Peladon's interest, which should make him an interesting character; I usually prefer villains who believe themselves to be in the right. However, his actions are sometimes in conflict with his motives. He plots to kill the Doctor... even though he believes that the Doctor is the Earth delegate and that his death might bring Federation retribution down on the planet. Surely he should just be trying to kick him and the other delegates offworld? Geoffrey Toone plays too much to the character's fanaticism, when a more restrained performance might have highlighted Hepesh's entirely legitimate worries, which leaves the character coming across as more two-dimensional than he should have.
Ice Warriors: Writer Brian Hayles plays on audience assumptions. Their two previous appearances were as villains, so both the Doctor and the viewer naturally assume they are the baddies again. Jo points out that the Doctor is making assumptions based on very little evidence, to which he hotly replies that he knows them and what they're like. The Ice Warrior designs translate well to color, and they remain an effective presence. Izlyr, the career diplomat, allows us to see another side to Hayles' creations. Izlyr may not be above using force when all else fails, but he prefers to rely on his own determination, observational skills, and intellect.
THOUGHTS:
There is much to recommend The Curse of Peladon. The serial is well put together, with interesting ideas about the conflict between tradition and progress and between superstition and modernization. Mix in some nods to Shakespeare that somewhat justify the staginess, a stronger-than-usual role for Jo, and a fresh and unexpected take on the Ice Warriors, and it's not hard to see why the story has garnered such a strong reputation within fandom.
Unfortunately, while I don't mind the story at all, it's also one I've never been able to get excited about. I like it a lot on paper - but not so much when I actually sit down to watch it.
Hepesh's fears about his world being exploited should come across as anything but unreasonable. Historically speaking, when a more advanced civilization becomes involved with a more primitive one, the primitive one doesn't tend to end up the better for it. Too bad, then, that the Doctor - the show's moral and expositional authority - brushes this aside, assuring us that the Federation will only help Peladon. That instantly strips away a potentially interesting layer and makes Hepesh seem even more like the cartoon baddie that the actor is playing.
The guest cast mostly take themselves extremely seriously - to the point of eliciting giggles. I think the trappings here match a lot of people impressions of "Classic" Doctor Who: costumed aliens, an older man (Hepesh) whose every line is a grave pronouncement, and a healthy heap of narrative clichés. Oh, and a plot that is twisted around the need for cliffhangers, with both Parts Two and Three getting cliffhangers out of the same plot turn: the Doctor arrested for a crime with "only one punishment... (say it with me now)... Death!!!"
Lest I overstate the negatives, I should say that I still find this story easy to take. At four episodes, it moves along briskly. In terms of realization, the alien designs and the "actor-in-a-suit" creature are well above the series' average. Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning are at their best, with the dynamic between the Doctor and Jo sparkling throughout. I may have rolled my eyes here and there, but I wasn't bored.
Still, if the actors and script took these theatrics just a little less seriously, I actually think I'd have found it easier to fully connect with it.
OVERALL:
I don't really have much else to say about The Curse of Peladon. It's a decent slice of "bread-and-butter" Doctor Who, and I'd happily rate it as average or even slightly above. Even so, I find it frustrating, because the ideas were here for something more than that. And despite the story's status as a fan favorite, I find that the end result falls short of that potential.
Overall Rating: 6/10.
Previous Story: Day of the Daleks
Next Story: The Sea Devils
Review Index
To receive new review updates, follow me:
On Twitter:
On Threads:
No comments:
Post a Comment