Thursday 27 March 2014

FEATURE: The Arc of Fenric


DOCTOR: Do you think I didn't know? The chess set in Lady Peinforte's study? I knew. 
FENRIC: Earlier than that, Time Lord. Before Cybermen, ever since Ice World, where you first met the girl.

Or perhaps... even earlier?

When we say goodbye to the happy-go-lucky Mel at the end of Dragonfire, we're also saying goodbye to the happy-go-lucky 7th Doctor, who played the spoons, hugged Stratocasters and went on treasure hunts without knowing what the treasure was.

Remember him?

Remember his days like crazy paving, and how they ended overnight, or at least how number seven went from silly to sinister between seasons?

Well forget him, because he's not real.

The 7th Doctor of season 24 is as much the real 7th Doctor as John Smith is the 10th (or 7th come to that). He's a man denying his true nature, running away from who he knows, deep down, that he really has to be. He knows he can't run forever; he knows that somewhere there's danger, somewhere there’s injustice, and somewhere there are monsters, and a big bad wolf, to be fought...

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you."
"Beyond Good and Evil", Aphorism 146 (1886) Friedrich Nietzsche.
Having just stared into his own personal abyss at the conclusion of his second trial, the Doctor is a man determined not to walk the dark path, to find a different future.  Forced to regenerate and dragged down to Lakertya by the Rani, he sees an opportunity to make a clean break, a fresh start. Befuddled by the Rani's drugs, his new persona not yet settled, the 7th Doctor appears at first to be a whimsical little clown, mirroring the last incarnation put on trial by the Time-Lords, the 2nd.

But like the 2nd Doctor, the fooling is mere dissembling and a darker, more purposeful character lies beneath that iceberg's tip, the character of a man who sets himself against the evil in the universe and is not content to merely observe it as the Time-Lords have done.

He knows that there are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things, which act against everything that we believe in, and must be fought.  He knows that courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, it's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway. But he is afraid, afraid of his own shadow, the dark and secret future self known as the Valeyard.

And so he tries his hardest to be the opposite, to be the carefree, puckish, directionless wanderer in the fourth dimension, the man who burbles malapropisms. But he's worried that "Perhaps this is my new persona, sulky, bad-tempered..."

Luckily for him, he's got walking, talking, hopping, skipping, star-jumping personification of perky, Mel Bush from Pease Pottage as his perfect disguise. 

And then Ace turns up.

And he knows.

He knows the game is up, the holiday is over. It's time to roll his sleeves up, leave his days like crazy paving behind, and set course for worlds where the sky is burning, and the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream, with people made of smoke, and cities made of song. Because there's work to do.

Because there's no way on Earth or any other planet that misfit Dorothy MacShane caused a timestorm in her bedroom mixing up explosives in knackered old cans of B.O. spray, and just happens to land herself on the same planet as space "entrepeneur" Sabalom Glitz, last seen as a star witness at the Doctor's trial.

It's just a little bit too like someone helped her along the way and homed in on someone they knew had recently been in contact with the Doctor, isn't it?

And he's no fool, our 7th Doctor, no matter how badly he wants everyone to believe that. So he knows. He doesn't have a long list of suspects either; almost immediately he knows whose particular M.O. this situation fits. His enemy can't reach him on Svartos, he can only send his agent, his wolf. The enemy is still on Earth, from whence it sent her. That narrows the field considerably. He recognises the moves, recognises that it's time to get back in the game.

His first move? Clear all the WMDs out, take them off the board. The Hand of Omega and the Nemesis, they have to go. 

As statements of intent go, wiping out the Dalek homeworld is about as grandiose as it gets. 

Got your attention? Good. If you're sitting comfortably, then we can begin. What's next? I can hear the sound of empires toppling... 

The 7th Doctor is getting into his stride now. Tying up loose ends, paying off plans centuries in the making. All the while, still playing the fool. No longer playing the spoons, perhaps, but still pretending he doesn't know that there's something about Dorothy.

The chess set in Lady Peinforte's study? He knows.

It's surely no coincidence that he decides to take down the self-styled "Gods of Ragnarok", the spiders at the heart (or should that be eye) of the Psychic Circus. How's that for Norse mythology? The enemy doesn't seem to take the hint, and basks in over-confidence, believing all the while that the Doctor isn't on to him. He is.

Before he goes into battle, though, there are still some questions to be answered, some soul-searching to be done.

First, does he really have no alternative future than the Valeyard, a distillation of all that's evil in him from somewhere between his twelfth and final incarnation, whichever number that turns out to be (at least the 26th, now, presumably)? Thankfully, a resounding yes. He gets to be Merlin, and ginger. He's always wanted to be ginger.

Second, can Ace face her fears and overcome all pervading evil? Half time score: Ace 1, Gabriel Chase 0. Any regrets? "Yes, I wish I'd blown it up instead!"

And so the scene is set, and it's time to cast the runes...

The whole of the 7th Doctor's era has led to this point, to this climactic showdown. The time is now. Let the chains of Fenric shatter.

They play the contest again, and not only does the Doctor trap Fenric in a human body and persuade the Ancient One to kill him, ending the paradox of its own existence, but also has Ace in position to create her own future, rescuing the baby that will grow up to be her mother. Victory is his, Ace is freed from the chains of Fenric. No more undercurrents.

With Fenric finally defeated, maybe the 7th Doctor can relax, take things just that little bit easier?

Or maybe an even older enemy has laid more traps for him, the latest in a game that might never end. One might not get him...

But sooner or later, even the arch manipulator is bound to make a mistake, to let his guard down, maybe even grant a request that should never have been granted...?

"The chessboard is the world, and the pieces the phenomena of the universe. The opponent makes no allowances for mistakes nor makes the smallest concession to ignorance."
Thomas H Huxley, 1868.


TTFN! K.
Coming Soon... "What If... Season 12 starred Jon Pertwee?" 

Monday 24 March 2014

A2 "Space Fall"

WHAT. A. THEMETUNE.

By Terry Nation. This one must have Daleks in then.

It's only a model.

We start aboard the prison ship "London" taking Blake, Jenna and Vila to Cygnus Alpha.

This scene on the flight deck of the London reminds me of . So I'm sure there'll be Daleks in this.

First look at Gan and Avon there, as "Sub Commander Raiker" lays down the law. This is before he grew the beard, obviously.

"There are other rules but you'll find out what they are when you break them!" What is this, some sort of guessing game?

"So you're Blake. I saw your face in the credits. You're quite a celebrity."

Raiker cracks on to Jenna, so she whispers something in his ear that gets her a slap in the face.

Jenna's more interested in what Avon's doing. So's Avon, to be honest.

He's the no. 2 computer expert. Who's no. 1? No, not Raiker, it's the man who caught him, ba-dum-tish!

"What went wrong?" "I relied on other people!"

Vila's heard a rumour the prison ship doesn't go all the way to Cygnus Alpha... Have to assume it's run by First Trains.

The London's running close to a furious space battle, so things could get hairy. Bet it's the Daleks.

Blake tries to recruit Avon. "Give me one good reason why I should help you."

"Nervous? I'm not nervous, just poised for action!" Vila always gets great lines.

Avon decides the best way to enter the computer room is on film.

Nova is the equivalent of a redshirt. He volunteers to go in the crawlspace & is promptly drowned in toothpaste.

Avon fiddles with the computer with a device that look's suspiciously like Wogan's Blankety Blank mic.

Someone jumps Avon from behind. Probably Kenny Everett trying to bend his mic.

Gan is obviously the Little John type of the gang. "Look, we only need the hand.

Love those Federation guns. Blake & Jenna make it to the computer room & join Avon.

"Find the armoury, he says. I don't even like guns!" Vila's 'complaint' resurfaces.

"Drop your guns!" Vila throws his to the floor like a twonk. Gan: "Veeeela!" Not decided how his name's pronounced yet?

Raiker starts shooting hostages to get Blake to surrender. Blake surrenders. Raiker shoots another hostage.

Well, that was 35 minutes well spent, we're back were we started! At least we've met Avon & Gan now.

So back to that space battle then. Seems there's an abandoned ship drifting towards them. Let's check it out...

Ah, the Liberator. There's nothing "only" about that model.

The London crew attempt to open the airlock and get into the Liberator...

Anyone who goes on the flightdeck of the Liberator is attacked or goes nuts or something. Probably Daleks.

Raiker suggests sending Blake & Co. over as they're expendable.

Blake, Avon & Jenna are sent aboard the mystery ship where they suffer a psychic attack at the hands of a pale, spider's-egg-sac looking thing.
 

Blake rumbles it and saves the others. With the security system off, the 3 have themselves a ship.

Blake tries to shut the door on Raiker, who shoots him in the shoulder. Then Jenna finds the hatch closing button and Raiker goes for his own personal .

"With a ship like this and a full crew, then we can start fighting back!"

Really gathering momentum now. Love the way this early part of the series builds up its origins.

TTFN! K.
Coming Soon... Planet of Fire