DOCTOR WHO-DELTA AND THE BANNERMEN parts 2 and 3

 

DOCTOR WHO-DELTA AND THE BANNERMEN parts 2 and 3

 

BURTON: Now, let me try and get this right. Now, are you telling me that you are not the Happy Hearts Holiday Club from Bolton, but instead are spacemen in fear of an attack from some other spacemen, and because of the danger, you want me to evacuate the entire camp?

 

DOCTOR: An excellent summary, Mister Burton.

 

I freaking love this story. Sure, it has flaws but what DW story and indeed what TV script doesn’t? Goronwy Jones doesn’t react to Delta’s green child being green, seems to know the Doctor already, has been beekeeping and has stored up honey…much so that he must have been doing it for at least a century so he must be a Time Lord, right? He also seems to understand bee talk and has butterflies land on his hand. The Doctor knows somehow that Goronwy, before meeting him in this story, keeps bees. In another area, it’s assumed he’s a future DOCTOR!

 

In DWM 485's "Ask Moffat" column, Cory Eadson enquired whether Goronwy could be a future Doctor, similar to the Curator, citing Goronwy's mysteriously alien nature, his "curious relationship to the Doctor", and the line in The Name of the Doctor where the Eleventh Doctor mentions planning to retire and take up beekeeping. Moffat replied, "That was a lovely character in Delta, and I think that's a lovely explanation." After acknowledging that he had only meant the beekeeping line as a Sherlock Holmes joke, he concluded: "Your idea is better though - quick, write it! Season 24 isn't over yet!"

 

The expanded version is better, though I suspect some of the music has been changed and not for the better. I love the Kitty Tardis scene and all the extra scenes put back in. The text also gives us the Ray coming in as a companion scene…almost. The Doc’s lines from it are wonderful. Sly is again wonderful here and in full Doctor mode in every way, mysterious, commanding, slapstick, useful, gadgets, and just…well, he’s marvelous.

 

This is Bonnie’s best story despite the fact that it is loaded with other pseudo companions: Hawk and Weissmuller, Gorowyn himself, Ray, Billy, Delta, her daughter, Burton, and probably others as well. The cliffhanger about the Doctor going too far when he demands and gets the release of Mel and Burton is just fabulous. The use of music is great, too and keeps the pace moving with the action, which wouldn’t feel so urgent without the music. At times, it is a bit BENNY HILL but never mind. I love it. The use of rock and roll music works, too.

 

BUT…Mel sees the baby hatch, screams, and then realizes Bannermen are on their way and…she goes to sleep? Did the baby or Delta do something to cause her to go to sleep? In other, more dark tones, fans speculate that maybe Delta is also doing something to Billy to perpetuate the furthering of her race but that’s really sinister. The actor Don Henderson, playing Gavrok seems to have suggested when he was eating that it was a live baby (not sure if that means human baby or baby animals! That’s gross and it’s gross even as it is).

 

Mel also seems…to change her clothes and put a ribbon in her hair before warning everyone away and that the Bannermen are on THEIR way to the holiday camp (Butlins?).

 

In a few short lines, the Doctor, Ray and Burton talk Welsh?

 

The Doctor has more mixed idioms:

Yes, there's more to this than we can fry, Mel.

All haste and no speed makes Jill a dull girl.

 

…and this from the song from the TV show RAWHIDE: “Head 'em up! Roll 'em out!”

Burton’s dog is JNT’s dog and she’s beautiful.

 

MY WIFE IN SPACE just didn’t get this story. It’s fun, it’s dangerous, it’s different, and it looks bloody fantastic.

 

Wish I had the inspiration to transcribe the Ray coming on board scene but I just don’t just yet.

 

In short, DELTA is an under rated successful and wonderful story, fast paced, witty, and fun and yes with flaws.