Day 315 – November 11th 2021
Planet of Fire Parts One and Two
Planet of Fire – Part One
I came into this one knowing exactly what I was going to say about it. I was going to say that they ruin the impressive effect of going to Lanzarote by having it serve as both itself and an alien world, and that they’d have been better off choosing one and sticking with it. And then, as the episode began, I started to eat my words. There’s a really impressive moment a few minutes in where we finally move from Sarn (which has been presented as barren and hot and rocky) to Lanzarote, with a sweeping shot of the crystal blue ocean. It makes them look like entirely different places, and it’s a really clever juxtaposition which is properly striking when you see it in action.
But then they go and undo all that good work because in the very next scene we return to Sarn, where two characters gaze out at the ocean! Narratively it makes the story harder to follow, because I think you naturally read it as being the same body of water where we’ve just seen Howard’s boat. There’s not any other examples quite as bad as that as the episode goes on, but it was more than enough to convince me that my initial gut feeling was correct.
That said, I don’t want to be disparaging about the location work in this one, because it’s actually very good. In the opening shots I didn’t think it looked all that much more impressive than any old quarry, but there’s points later on in the episode which are genuinely breathtaking. It’s incredible to think that this is the only time the Old Testament went overseas for an alien planet, and it genuinely makes Sarn look like the most impressive world we’ve ever seen. There’s some shots here where Timanov is clambering across the landscape with mountains in the distance which look far too good for Doctor Who. The sequences where Lanzarote is standing in for itself don’t feel quite as impressive, but it’s nice to see a sunny harbour and some nice beach locations after a series which has largely felt a bit claustrophobic. The locations in Resurrection were beautiful, but they were drab. This feels like a breath of fresh air.
Briefly, while we’re on the topic of locations, it’s fun to note that this episode sees the introduction of a brand new TARDIS prop, constructed specially for this story. It’s actually the third new prop introduced in the style developed for The Leisure Hive, but I completely forgot to mention the second last series. What’s particularly interesting about the use of the prop here is that there was some real debate about it. They took the smaller model TARDIS built for Logopolis with them to Lanzarote, and it can be seen used in several of the publicity photos taken out on location. For years it was assumed that they simply used this on the beach, and that it was the reason for the slightly unusual framing of the police box in these scenes. Paperwork discovered in recent years has shown that they actually flew out the front, base, and a single side of the new prop, and that this was used. The framing is presumably to hide that we’re missing half the box and the roof!
I don’t have an awful lot to say on the subject of the story yet, but there’s some nice moments in here. I love Doctor Who rushing off from the restaurant and paying with alien currency, and it’s nice to see Davison out of his full costume for a chance. I’m not convinced that the waistcoat does anything for him, though…
And then there’s the return of Kamelion. In hindsight it feels bonkers that they welcome him aboard the TARDIS in The King’s Demons and then he’s not seen again for ages. In practice, though… I’ve honestly not noticed his absence. It’s not had any real impact on the stories, and it’s probably better to have not had him hanging about. I’m not sure whether or not Kamelion turning into Howard and the Master means I need to count them as having been ‘guest stars in the TARDIS’, but I think probably yes.
5/10
Planet of Fire – Part Two
I know I’ve already praised the locations, but let’s be honest they’re a big part of the story, abs they really are very beautiful. This episode is even more impressive than the first for my money, with loads of great shots which really show off the scale of the place. We’ve genuinely never seen anything even close to this before. I know I praised the look for Frontios, and it was a good example of a studio-bound planet, but it’s got absolutely nothing on this.
Impressively, Sarn feels genuinely alien. There’s shots in here where you can see the landscape stretching out for miles behind the actors and there’s nothing in sight but rocks and sky. I think because I went into this one not expecting very much from the overseas filming, it’s had all the more impact for me.
Unfortunately, the locations being so good does rather show up the studio sets. It’s not that there’s anything particularly wrong with them – they’re decent enough – but they just don’t feel as though they bear any relation to the world on film outside. When Peri escapes from the studio set outside the TARDIS and is then seen running along the cliffs of Lanzarote you may as well be watching two different episodes cut together. They just don’t match up. Things are a little better when it comes to the cave systems leading into the volcano, but even there I don’t quite buy it. Once again I wish the whole thing had been filmed on location.
I’ve gone all this way without mentioning Nicola Bryant, who’s going to be with us for the next three weeks or so as Peri. It’s an unusual introduction for a companion, so separate from Doctor Who, but I think it’s working pretty well. She certainly comes across as competent; stealing a component from the TARDIS and standing up to the Master in one of my favourite showdowns with him ever;
The Master: ‘You will obey me.’
Peri: ‘No.’
The Master: ‘I am the Master!’
Peri: ‘So what? I’m Perpugilliam Brown and I can shout just as loud as you can.’
I always used to think that Bryant’s accent was pretty flawless and would be confused by people who thought otherwise, but I’ll admit that in these episodes I’ve spotted it wandering more than ever before. That sounds like a criticism, and I suppose it is, but Peri’s voice is so ingrained in my mind that it still works somehow, and she’s a nice change of pace.
The decision to change the face of the series so rapidly across the space of three stories feels especially odd in this one, where Turlough is like a spectre at the feast; a hangover from the previous era, while Peri has shown up as the first element of the next one.
I still don’t know if I’m counting Kamelion’s different faces as guest stars inside the TARDIS or not, but I do think they make a really good job of reminding you that you’re looking at a robot no matter what form he takes. There’s a great bit early on where Peri kicks the Master in the shin and recoils in horror because she’s just kicked a metal leg. Moments later he grabs her in a powerful grip. It’s also a really simple but effective thing to have the regular Master in his normal costume, while the Kamelion version wears a suit. Oh, but doesn’t Ainley look good in one? I can take him much more seriously than in his usual costume!
If I’ve one disappointment, it’s that we get loads of great shots where Kamelion is stood around at the edge of a cliff, but he’s never in danger of falling off. I’d love a Terror of the Autons moment, where you see him fall down to the base and then get straight back up again.
7/10
