The Temple of Evil
1)Huh. In the "Talons of Weng-Chiang" thread, we were just talking about the issue of having white actors play non-white characters and here we have a story in which all of the Aztecs are played by white actors. I suppose one could argue that Aztec actors were in short supply in Britain in the 1960's.
2)I don't actually know much about the Aztecs myself, I must make a note to find a good book on the subject and read up on them.
3)Of course, this is another "true" historical in which their are no science fictional elements present other than Team TARDIS themselves. Having pretty much stumbled into events here, our heroes mostly spend the whole story trying to get away again. Really, it's a wonder that they didn't at least have a go at enlisting Richard III Tlotoxl on their side: "You want us gone? Fine - get us into the tomb, and we promise you will never see us again." He might have gone for it.
4)The story raises an interesting moral issue - what would be the moral imperative for a time traveler regarding the sins of what for them was the past? Is preserving your own history more important than prevenitng an evil that's right in front of you?
5)I find the relationship between the Doctor and Cameca interesting - it's not often we get to see him playing Mr. Smooth. Poor Cameca, she deserved better.
6)Some fun quotes:
- "The rains will come with or without sacrifice."
- "The Aztecs always showed the utmost courtesy to their intended victims." Nice of them.
- "What name did your mother give you?" Hey, leave his mother out of it!
- "But you can't re-write history, not one line!" Makes a change from "Time can be re-written."
7)Cliffhanger: Richard III Tlotoxl denounces Barbara as a false goddess!
The Warriors of Death
1)Wow, the argument between the Doctor and Barbara gets pretty intense.
2)Ian knows the Vulcan neck pinch! That's not actually real, is it?
3)Lots of good scheming and plotting in this. The fight scene was knid of lame, though.
4)"I would ask you, how shall a man know his gods?" Probably they will have name tags.
5)Cliffhanger: Richard III Tlotoxl challenges Barbara to save Ian!
The Bride of Sacrifice
1)Barbara is hardcore in this - pulling a knife on Richard III Tlotoxl like that!
2)The conversation between Ian and Baraba shows up their characters - Ian the pragmatist, Barbara the idealist.
3)The Doctor comes across as a bit of a bumbler in this - getting tricked into helping Ixta, getting himself engaged to Cameca, and so on.
4)Some fun quotes:
- "What an excellent idea - a currency you can drink!" Is that what they mean by "liquid assets"?
- "You can't fight a whole way of life, Barbara."
- "...I acknowledge and accept your gentle proposal." D'Oh!
- "Yes, I made some cocoa and got engaged."
5)Cliffhanger: Ixta traps Ian in the temple as it floods!
The Day of Darkness
1)I like the scene wher eIan sneaks up on Ixta - ha-ha, Ixta, the Perfect Warrior got punked by a science teacher!
2)The final fight scene was a bit lackadaisical. I gather form watching the extras that they were afraid the prop clubs would break if they swang them too hard.
3)The "eclipse" effect was a bit lame, too , even for the 60's.
4)I did like the scene at the end, where the Doctor changes his mind and keeps the brooch.
5)Cliffhanger: The TARDIS has stopped - but it's still moving!
Overall:
I quite enjoyed this - an interesting story that raised interesting issues - and the scenery was reasonably well-constructed, and only one or two scenes where you could see off the edge of the set.
[Part of list of Doctor Who episodes here.]
Replies
"3)The Doctor comes across as a bit of a bumbler in this - getting tricked into helping Ixta, getting himself engaged to Cameca, and so on."
Well, at least no one accused him of "bilking the widow". : D
...Re: the racial issue , I suppose that , centuries later , the Aztec bloodline/ethnicity had been pretty much mixed with the Spanish conquerors , etc. , too !!!!!!!!!!!
And , yeah , in 1964?? London the number of qualified actors who were of some sort of ethnically native Mexican-leaning background and known to the BBC were pretty thin on the ground , methinks...Taking into account that it was for stylised B&W TV , do they appear to be wearing a " brown " kind of make-up ?????????
Here's a picture:
John Ringham and Keith Pyott as Tlotoxl and Autloc.
And for what it's worth, watching the story, they seemed to be trying their best to give an even-handed portrayal of the Aztecs, presenting both the good and bad sides of the culture.
...Thank you .
I just saw this on BBC America On Demand. My first time EVER seeing the First Doctor! He's very snide but an almost Edwardian gentleman. He's treats everything seriously yet doesn't seem overly concerned...like he already knows how everything will end! ;-)
Weird but I can see the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory in the same situation thouigh maybe with spicier dialogue.
The sets were very good for the time though I could do without the main villain mugging for the camera and they probably pre-seasoned the scenery for him to chew on!