DOCTOR WHO-THE AZTECS

 DOCTOR WHO-THE TEMPLE OF EVIL, THE WARRIORS OF DEATH ----aka THE AZTECS part one and two

 

Again, the first thing to notice about these two episodes and this story in general is that much of later DOCTOR WHO, even though most of it is not pure historical and this sort of is…is that the traditional four parter starts here (for New Who that would be a two parter but never mind…).

 

There are also factions within factions and while we’re meant to boo and hiss most of the traditional bad guys, who is really in the wrong here? The four travelers inflict themselves on a culture that has its beliefs and its religion, both with what they perceive as its good and bad aspects. There’s no way to look at human sacrifice as anything other than bad but…the travelers also lie from the get go and take TWO good allies in Autloc and Cameca, lie to them, change their belief systems, and upset their lives, trying to survive for themselves. In other words, the travelers are just trying to get back to the TARDIS while Barbara is also trying to change what she sees as an evil part of the Aztec culture and she and the others are intruding on the lives and culture of those around them.

 

Ixta has, as Barbara says, trained long and hard and deserves his place as leader of the army. Suddenly, Ian is thrust upon him. Of course, this is a machination of the evil minded Tlotoxl but Tlotoxl is just trying to protect his culture’s long lived ways. How would we react if someone came to our time and tried to change our traditions? Yes, he has in mind, his own place in things and yes he’s evil minded. BUT he’s telling the truth as he sees it and he’s right in thinking that Barbara is lying about being a god. AND she is! So the “bad guy” is telling the truth and the “good guys” are lying all the way through and using two goodly allies! For their parts, Ixta has a right to defend his position against this intruder and Tolotoxl is defending their way of life and his beliefs. He makes no lie about it! In fact, the four travelers are just there for…and this might be a flaw of most of DW overall---for aimless traveling and trying to sight see in time! Not a real reason for them to shake up good people like Autloc and Cameca’s lives!

 

There are many villains here but there are some that are lesser characters (Tonilla, The Pefect Victim, for just two) and yet they have their place in the story, something which follows through DOCTOR WHO to the present day, although not as much in the New Series. Sometimes it’s very frustrating as some of those characters (especially in New Who and especially in Moffat WHO) are more interesting than the ones we get to see more of and spend more time with. It’s a large cast here.

 

The confidence of First Doctor stories (and probably Second and Third as well) is something to be seen to be believed and could be taught to New Who (again, especially to Moffat WHO) in that…they did an Aztec story at all (not to mention a story in ancient China). And it’s grim and serious…and for a short bit I was worried it was too grim and serious. BUT again, there are charming moments from the Doctor, mostly. Ian is in a predicament and hasn’t time for jolly. Turns out he can fight with his thumb. The Doctor, for all his apologizes about being harsh to Barbara, is nowhere near as harsh as in the first story and EDGE OF DESTRUCTION and here, he’s right. Instead of commanding Barbara to stop trying to change time (which, here, he insists CANNOT be done), he pleads with her to stop this futile nonsense trying to change Aztec sacrificial ceremonies and save the Perfect Victim. She’ll fail…at this…twice. 

 

The four parter is absolutely FAST paced compared to all the stories before it and the dilemmas set up, interesting ones. The Doc is even tricked into helping Ixta, rather than being just a dumb warrior, a tricky warrior, not unlike Tegana…defeat Ian with a numbing agent.

 

The Doc also…far from what I recall…sets his eyes on Cameca from the moment he steps into the Garden of Peace in some very nice sequences. Hartnell is perfect as the Doctor and probably, at this moment, Tom Baker aside and way off for the time, my favorite Doctor. He’s marvelous and nuanced.

 

The fights between Ian and Ixta, Ixta and his training warrior (WHAT was that, though, with Ixta ending the fight with the trainee off screen and Ixta hitting a mantle on the floor?) are well choreographed. The outfits, while probably having too much of them (everyone’s too covered up and in comparison see the children’s series with Patrick Troughton as an evil Egyptian, THE FEATHERED SERPENT, with Richard Willis who later will play Varsh, Adric’s ill-fated brother), are quite elaborate.

 

The plot as far as the Doctor is concerned is twofold: not to interfere with time and to get back to the TARDIS, which is locked inside a tomb!

 

An enjoyable and stirring, involving two episodes and a good story overall. Amazing! If only story telling could again be a part of DW and not gimmickry and silly super hero sensationalism. 

DOCTOR WHO-THE BRIDE OF SACRIFICE aka THE AZTECS part 3 and THE DAY OF DARKNESS aka THE AZTECS part 4

 

Anyone who claims the First Doctor was just a cranky old man who was mean spirited and nasty with a loud personality knows NOTHING about Doctor Who and certainly nothing about the First Doctor era or the First Doctor. Here, he’s charming, is attractive to a woman and attracted to a woman. He worries about Barbara, comforts her and tells her that even though Autloc is in the wilderness she changed him for the better and brought him truth, even if she couldn’t save the entire Aztec culture.

 

Ian also tells Barbara that Autloc was the only one of his kind, the others were all thinking like Tlotoxl, that Autloc was the civilized, odd man out. Ian faces the cliffhanger of almost being drowned in a tunnel and it’s good to see The TARDIS again.

 

The last fight between Ian and Ixta is a good one but not as well staged as the previous fights. There’s also something KINGS OF THE SUN about this entire story, a forgotten Yul Brenner movie. Except …we don’t get crowds and crowds of Aztecs, just sound effects of them. It’s also odd the warriors are not all over the tomb area but it’s exciting to see the four travelers working together to get inside the tomb and get to the TARDIS. The cliffhangers are or seem re-filmed here.

 

THE AZTECS was watched effortlessly and the moral dilemmas set up by it are overwhelmingly good and that means that I, for one, didn’t mind all the talk. And there is a lot of talk but it’s tinged with tension and scenes of hiding and subterfuge by both sides of this. Cameca proves herself as does Autloc. And again, the Doctor is simply charming. Love how he waves Tlotoxl off, “Oh, go away, Tlotoxl.”  He did the same in another story before this, possibly KEYS OF MARINUS. We don’t really see the TARDIS vanish here but before he enters the TARDIS, the Doctor thinks about the item Cameca gave him and re-takes it from the tomb after having previously put it back---as if he wants it to remind him of her. He’s very thoughtful. I wonder why he didn’t take Cameca with him. This actress appears again in KEEPER OF TRAKEN YEARS later.

 

In BRIDE, Susan calls the Aztecs, “Oh, you’re all monsters, all of you. Grandfather. Grandfather.” It is a nice scene. In fact, everyone has nice scenes throughout and all are used well. When he’s reunited with her, he hugs her warmly and is quite caring.

 

And for once, there are no explosions to rid us of the bad guys and in fact, almost all the villains, if they can be called that, survive and the sacrifices continue and it seems the main villain has won.

 

 

DOCTOR WHO-STRANGERS IN SPACE-aka THE SENSORITES part one

The gang recall all their adventures up to now. During this, unless I misheard, Susan calls the TARDIS, just TARDIS, without the “the”, possibly for the last time. They realize that they’ve changed and the Doc has one of his famous lines, “It all started out as a mild curiosity in a junkyard and now it’s becomes quite a…a spirit of adventure.”  In fact, Hartnell has great lines AND is charming, intelligent and commanding. He calls Carol “my dear child” and seems genuinely upset when he thought she was dead, stating that she was only a few years older than Susan. 

 

The story itself unfolds slowly but is all necessary. A mystery starts as the humans there from Earth’s future seem dead but aren’t; unseen aliens have been controlling their status and putting them and their ship in a suspended state and here, they even try to fake-crash it into the planet in an impressive (for the time) sequence; and Barbara and Susan are cut off in another part of the ship with what seems like another crewman, but one who seems to have gone mad. Only he’s not. When Barbara realizes he’s harmless but suffering, she comforts him. Wonderful. The unseen aliens even take the lock out of the TARDIS!

 

Then there’s that last scene, the cliffhanger. As Ian looks out the window into space, he calls, “Doctor.” At the window, out in space, the head of the Sensorite appears as its body rises up to look in at them! Creepy and outstanding. Another well done and exciting episode that takes its time to build but is so worth it.