Doctor Who, season 3 continues …

The Massacre ends with more of a whimper than a bang.  The Doctor suddenly turns up, says to Steven that he should have stayed at the inn, and they go back to the TARDIS before the massacre starts.

So really, it hasn’t been a Doctor Who story at all.  It’s been four episodes of some other series with an occasional “I wonder where the Doctor is” from Steven.  That’s it.  That’s probably fine if we could see the live-action visuals but, without that, and good effort though the CGI does, it’s really not one of the best.

However, the best scene is definitely back in the TARDIS.  Steven is angry that they left so quickly after the Doctor has explained to him about the massacre and the fact that Anne Chaplet (someone Steven befriended) was doubtless killed in the massacre that the Doctor knew about beforehand.

It’s a great scene of Steven having a strop and storming out of the TARDIS at the next place they land (turns out to be Earth of the 60s).  Once Steven has left, there’s a very tearful reminiscence from the Doctor with Hartnell’s voice giving a superb performance of “they always leave”.  He remembers Susan, and Vicki, and Barbara, and Chetterton… urm, Chesterton.  You do feel that the Doctor is at the precipice of sadness and desperation, until Dodo runs in looking for a police telephone (she doesn’t seem to notice the bigger inside of the TARDIS).

Dodo has witnessed an accident and needs the police, but it’s an accident she’s quick to forget.  The Doctor tells her that he can’t help, and she should leave.  Before he convinces her of this, Steven runs back in telling the Doctor to take off quickly because the police are heading this way (presumably to use the phone), afraid that they’ll discover the TARDIS.

The Doctor takes off, and only then remembers that Dodo is still there.  Fortunately, she has no ties and is happy to be whisked away by these two men (hmm, not sure that’d pass the scrutineers these days).  The Doctor is happy again, because Dodo reminds him of Susan (I’m not sure Dodo’s accent reminds him of anything) and, when she introduces herself as Dorothea Chaplet, Steven and the Doctor ponder the likelihood that Anne Chaplet survived the massacre.  With that thought, Steven is happy to travel with the Doctor once more.

I’ve read that there was going to be a scene with Ian and Barbara in this episode.  Just a cameo with them as passer-bys, startled when the TARDIS dematerialises.  Would have been nice if that had been realised, but it didn’t happen.  Instead, an anonymous passer-by is used (not seen in the CGI version).

Next time … The Steel Sky