Episode #233: The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe

Madge: Are you the new caretaker?
The Doctor: Usually called "The Doctor." Or "The Caretaker." Or "Get off this planet." Though, strictly speaking, that probably isn't a name.

Episode #233:      The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe.
Companions:        The 11th Doctor.
Air Date:               25th December 2011.

Christmas Eve, 1938. Madge Arwell comes to the aid of an injured Spaceman Angel, the Eleventh Doctor, who promises to repay her kindness – all she has to do is make a wish. Three years later, Madge escapes war-torn London with her two children for a dilapidated house in Dorset. Crippled with grief at the news her husband has been lost over the English Channel, she wishes to give her children the best Christmas ever. The Arwells are greeted by the Doctor, who acts as their madcap caretaker. However, a mysterious Christmas gift from him leads them into a wintry, magical world. Madge must learn how to be braver than she ever thought possible... and that wishes can come true.

Another Christmas special and a better one than recent years. Although set at Christmas the season of good will is not the centre piece of the story which immediately boosts it for me. But saying that the episode features a nice amount of Christmas spirit which does raise a little smile even now watching well past Christmas itself.

The episode itself does not tie into any of the continuing plots and is nicely self contained. The only reference to the previous show is the future setting of Androzani Major. The foresters are from that system but it isn't clear whether the story takes place there or not. If it does, it doesn't resemble anything from 5th Doctor story The Caves of Androzani.

Like previous Christmas stories, this one seems based on a piece of literary work. In this case, as I am sure you can tell by the name, it is The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Thankfully there isn't too much of a correlation between the two. Other than a play on the name, it is only the strange "magical" box which takes them from the old country manor in 1938 to an alien forested winter planet in the distant future.

While the build up is slow and there isn't an actual villain to the story, what I enjoy most about this is the emotional aspect that builds up in the second half. First off by building on the love of a mother for her children, and then the revelation of her husbands death and finally the union of the family on Christmas morning... even I had a lump in my throat watching it. Whether I had that the first couple times I watched this I don't recall but it hit me this time.

The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe is a good story but it does suffer from both slow pacing and a lack of any real story. It just starts, flows along and then ends. Not to mention, once again, that is a little too fairytale for me. I suppose that is fine from the point of view of a basic Christmas episode for the family but it isn't what I would like to see from a special episode like this. Still, enjoyable.

Episode #135 : The Caves of Androzani

"Is this death?"

Episode 135:   The Caves of Androzani.
Companions:   5th Doctor and Peri.
Air Date:         8th to 16th March 1984.

The TARDIS arrives on Androzani Minor, the source of a life-prolonging drug refined from a substance called spectrox. Production of the drug is controlled by Sharaz Jek, a facially deformed madman in self imposed exile, who blames Morgus, a powerful industrialist on Androzani Major, for all his misfortunes. Jek is fighting government troops sent to liberate the drug. His weaponry is being supplied by gun-runners secretly employed by Morgus, who receives payment from Jek in refined spectrox. This gives Morgus a monopoly of the drug on Major.

Peter Davison's time as the Doctor comes to an end with a rather disappointing tale. Many fans see this as a rather good exit for the Doctor but I find it a rather boring adventure. It simply feels as though the writer (experienced writer Robot Holmes) had seen Phantom of the Opera and far too many Shakespearean plays before he sat down to do this one. I'm not going to give it a low rating as it does sort of fit in where I feel the show is typical but for a regeneration story it should have been a hell of a lot better.

Peri gets a lot of the lime light in this one and that's not a bad thing as Nicola Bryant does seem to get a feel for her character in this one. Peri becomes the love interest for the disfigured Phantom type villain who must have her beauty at all costs when he should be worrying himself with those who want to see him dead.

We finally get an explanation for the stick of celery that the 5th Doctor carries around with him. Allow me to explain:

Peri : "Doctor, why do you wear a stick of celery in your lapel?"

The Doctor : "Does it offend you?"
Peri : "No, just curious."
The Doctor : "Safety precaution. I'm allergic to certain gases in the praxis range of the spectrum."
Peri : "Well how does the celery help?"
The Doctor : "If the gas is present, the celery turns purple."
Peri : "And then what do you do?"
The Doctor : "I eat the celery. If nothing else I'm sure it's good for my teeth."

As Peter Davison has said on many occasions while performing his regeneration sequence and giving possibly the finest acting performance of his career, the camera was aimed straight down Peri's cleavage. You may not have noticed that before but go back and watch it. You'll see what I mean.

This was the first regeneration sequence to have the final word of the story come from the new incarnation of the Doctor.

I grew up with the 5th Doctor so his adventures will always have something to them that I remember fondly. Many claim him to be the wishy-washy Doctor or the "wet vet" (Peter Davison starred in a vets drama before Who) but I think he wasn't so bad. Bit grumpy but then if you were stuck with Tegan and Turlough wouldn't you be?