Chapter by Chapter features me reading one chapter of the selected book at the time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as read-along book club.
Last time everyone was back together until they weren’t. The Doctor is off, Barbara and Vicki have disappeared, and Ian’s on his own.
I’m not sure what I can say about Ian or Barbara that I haven’t already for the original First Doctor story I’ve already reviewed, The Time Travelers or in the early production notes review for the beginning of the series. Originally, Ian represented the science part of the science and history goal of the show. As the big young guy he was also the muscle of the group. It’s a shame he was heavily altered for the first theatrical movie and removed entirely for the second one, though that did give us Bernard Cribbins. He later returned as beloved character Wilfred Mott, grandad of Donna Noble, in the TV version. Still, turning Ian and his replacement into comic relief doesn’t feel right.
With that, let’s check in with our heroes as they go into investigation mode.
We start with yet another scene that wasn’t in the episode, or at least not the recent release. The Doctor finds himself back in the cave he and Ian were in earlier. He also finds another door that leads to a chamber holding glass cases near an altar. One of the cases is smashed, the outfit within removed, and a nameplate the Doctor translates as something close to Koquillion, possibly a poor attempt to say the name on the plate. Now the Doctor knows something is up and the enemy he hasn’t seen yet (he’s the only one who hasn’t) is a fake. According to the narrator, the Doctor hasn’t been telling his Companions everything about this world, and he seems to know that they did have a violent past before he met them, as he concludes someone may be bringing back the old ways. It might be padding but it feels like it’s building on the story rather than giving us useless trivia like the last book I reviewed.
The next scene I also don’t remember. Ian goes looking for Barbara and Vicki, running around the ship that the budget wouldn’t allow to have this happen in. Apparently the girls saw the silver people again and ran to hide, unable to warn Ian. They also thought Ian was one of the silver people and start attacking him, while Ian was sure Koquillion was nearby and almost hit them with a metal rod. It’s not intended as a funny moment and only is so in hindsight. Also, Vicki activates the beacon while they head back to the TARDIS. Ian and Barbara are sure the Doctor will return there, while Vicki would rather go searching for Bennett, who supposedly can’t walk. It helps to explain how the trio end up in the chamber the Doctor is in now.
We end on a scene that was in the book, and a cliffhanger worthy of the show itself, even though we’re still partway through the final episode. The Doctor is confronted by Koquillion, but the Doctor knows this is Bennett in a ceremonial costume. Not sure why they’d make a costume look that vicious. Even for the show’s budget the costume looks downright menacing. If you saw the episode you know the big: Bennett killed everybody to hide his crimes. Vicki is there to collaborate her story because she was sick and unable to attend, and the only one she’s seen is “Koquillion”. She backs up that the natives are bad, thus confirming his story that the locals killed the rest of the crew instead of the bomb he set off at the meeting, and nobody’s the wiser. Except know Koquillion has to kill three more people. I suppose Ian could have figured things out, but despite what the Doctor is saying, Barbara and Vicki aren’t quite convinced the locals aren’t as evil as Bennett convinced Vicki they are. Of course, the Doctor notes that’s he’s kind of gone nuts.
This was a great spot to end the chapter on. Like I said, it’s a cliffhanger worthy of the show in the old days. Had there been a third episode this would have been a good place to do it. Again, Marter takes advantage of not having a budget to worry about or William Hartnell’s age and health issues, or even being in black and white as he mentions the colored smoke. We have five chapters and an epilogue left to go, and thanks to the episode we know how the story ends. The difference in presentation is what’s interesting here, and we’ll see more of that next time.
BW Media Spotlight 