A deadly secret lies at the heart of Peladon. Has the Curse returned?
1 Comment
Styre
on May 8, 2016 at 1:06 AM
THE BRIDE OF PELADON
When it comes to Doctor Who, sequels are interesting things. Obviously, the wide range of the format means that the show never has to return to the same place — but storytelling being what it is, it’s surprising that Doctor Who revisits locations so rarely. Besides the “big three” planets of Earth, Gallifrey, and Skaro, the series almost never revisits alien environments — but the most conspicuous TV exception is Peladon, visited twice in the Jon Pertwee era. For some reason, the Peladon stories resonate with fans — there’s a great deal of fan fiction involving returns to the planet, and the NA “Legacy” served as a more official sequel to the TV stories. And now we have “The Bride of Peladon” by Barnaby Edwards, Big Finish’s first foray to this inexplicably popular planet — and the final outing for Caroline Morris as Erimem.
I’ve never been a particular fan of “The Curse of Peladon,” and “The Monster of Peladon” is excruciatingly boring, so I’ve never seen the appeal that many do in this setting. And I really don’t understand the unwritten rules of Peladon stories: there has to be intrigue involving conflict between the royal family and the religious advisers; the story must involve Ice Warriors, Alpha Centauri, and an Aggedor; nobody’s motives are as they appear, etc. Perhaps this is why I didn’t enjoy “Bride” all that much: it seems like it was written according to a recipe, with all the characters following the same arcs as their predecessors. Zixlyr (Nicholas Briggs, excellent) is a good guy! No, wait, he’s a bad guy! No, he’s a good guy after all! Alpha Centauri (Jane Goddard) is timid! The ruler is deeply rational, and the high priest is a raving religious nut! There’s conflict between the miners and the ruling class! We’ve seen every part of this before; it’s nothing new, nothing interesting, and nothing thought-provoking. Did it tickle my “fan gene?” Of course it did, but there has to be more to a story than that.
And there is, to some extent. There’s a shocking revelation that the haunting voice floating around the citadel is actually that of the Osirian Sekhmet (Jenny Agutter), which takes the story on a sharp right turn into a “Pyramids of Mars” sequel. Surprising, yes, and Edwards’s script carries the listener through the revelation at a rapid pace, but on reflection, the main motivation for this twist appears to be to give Erimem a cool exit. Which is fine — but there needs to be a greater sense of threat, as Peter Davison doesn’t sound particularly concerned and most of the sound and fury concerning Sekhmet requires a strong familiarity with “Pyramids.”
I shouldn’t gloss over Erimem’s departure, either. Certainly she was the most inherently interesting of the original Big Finish companions, as she brought the perspective of an ancient Egyptian to the TARDIS, coupled with a strong desire to learn. Some authors used her unique viewpoint to great effect (“The Council of Nicaea”) while others treated her as a generic companion, but the originality of the character coupled with Caroline Morris’s strong performances helped make her a compelling addition to the Doctor Who mythos. Edwards gives Erimem lots to do in “Bride,” and the character is impressive right up to the end — I’m just not sure I liked the departure. While she has wanted to leave for the past few stories, the character was introduced as someone who resisted the trappings of royalty and strived to learn more about the world. Yet here, she takes up a royal mantle out of what appears to be a sense of duty to a people she knows little about. Admittedly, she is shown not to object to the concept of forced marriage, but considering the political motivations behind the original planned marriage, I’m surprised a total outsider could come out of nowhere and claim a share of the throne!
As usual, there are no complaints to be found about the acting. Davison’s Doctor is clearly enjoying his return trip to Peladon, complete with Aggedor lullaby — but how much had he been smoking before he rasped out the words? I haven’t mentioned Peri yet in this review, but Nicola Bryant is on top form, particularly in her encounters with Zixlyr and in her departure sequence with Morris. Morris herself is excellent as usual, and shows every inch of Erimem’s strength of will in the final encounter with Sekhmet.Phyllida Law and Christian Coulson support the script well, and Agutter is particularly enjoyable in her role as the villain. Thomas Brodie-Sangster is noticeably wooden as the young miner, however, and even though his scene lasts a few minutes at most, it grates considerably. The production, by ERS, does a fine job of recapturing the Peladonian atmosphere, and all the related alien characters sound just like their 1970s counterparts. Edwards directs his own script, and wisely allows it more room to breathe with the luxury of four parts.
I can’t say I didn’t enjoy “The Bride of Peladon,” because I did. I’m just not sure that it was particularly good. It certainly pushes all the right buttons, and it feels like a “Peladon story,” whatever that means — but even with the twist, and the departure of a companion, it seems curiously empty. “Bride” feels like a shell, with all the substance missing from the middle. Is it an especially nice shell? Sure — but I’ve always wanted something more solid.
THE BRIDE OF PELADON
When it comes to Doctor Who, sequels are interesting things. Obviously, the wide range of the format means that the show never has to return to the same place — but storytelling being what it is, it’s surprising that Doctor Who revisits locations so rarely. Besides the “big three” planets of Earth, Gallifrey, and Skaro, the series almost never revisits alien environments — but the most conspicuous TV exception is Peladon, visited twice in the Jon Pertwee era. For some reason, the Peladon stories resonate with fans — there’s a great deal of fan fiction involving returns to the planet, and the NA “Legacy” served as a more official sequel to the TV stories. And now we have “The Bride of Peladon” by Barnaby Edwards, Big Finish’s first foray to this inexplicably popular planet — and the final outing for Caroline Morris as Erimem.
I’ve never been a particular fan of “The Curse of Peladon,” and “The Monster of Peladon” is excruciatingly boring, so I’ve never seen the appeal that many do in this setting. And I really don’t understand the unwritten rules of Peladon stories: there has to be intrigue involving conflict between the royal family and the religious advisers; the story must involve Ice Warriors, Alpha Centauri, and an Aggedor; nobody’s motives are as they appear, etc. Perhaps this is why I didn’t enjoy “Bride” all that much: it seems like it was written according to a recipe, with all the characters following the same arcs as their predecessors. Zixlyr (Nicholas Briggs, excellent) is a good guy! No, wait, he’s a bad guy! No, he’s a good guy after all! Alpha Centauri (Jane Goddard) is timid! The ruler is deeply rational, and the high priest is a raving religious nut! There’s conflict between the miners and the ruling class! We’ve seen every part of this before; it’s nothing new, nothing interesting, and nothing thought-provoking. Did it tickle my “fan gene?” Of course it did, but there has to be more to a story than that.
And there is, to some extent. There’s a shocking revelation that the haunting voice floating around the citadel is actually that of the Osirian Sekhmet (Jenny Agutter), which takes the story on a sharp right turn into a “Pyramids of Mars” sequel. Surprising, yes, and Edwards’s script carries the listener through the revelation at a rapid pace, but on reflection, the main motivation for this twist appears to be to give Erimem a cool exit. Which is fine — but there needs to be a greater sense of threat, as Peter Davison doesn’t sound particularly concerned and most of the sound and fury concerning Sekhmet requires a strong familiarity with “Pyramids.”
I shouldn’t gloss over Erimem’s departure, either. Certainly she was the most inherently interesting of the original Big Finish companions, as she brought the perspective of an ancient Egyptian to the TARDIS, coupled with a strong desire to learn. Some authors used her unique viewpoint to great effect (“The Council of Nicaea”) while others treated her as a generic companion, but the originality of the character coupled with Caroline Morris’s strong performances helped make her a compelling addition to the Doctor Who mythos. Edwards gives Erimem lots to do in “Bride,” and the character is impressive right up to the end — I’m just not sure I liked the departure. While she has wanted to leave for the past few stories, the character was introduced as someone who resisted the trappings of royalty and strived to learn more about the world. Yet here, she takes up a royal mantle out of what appears to be a sense of duty to a people she knows little about. Admittedly, she is shown not to object to the concept of forced marriage, but considering the political motivations behind the original planned marriage, I’m surprised a total outsider could come out of nowhere and claim a share of the throne!
As usual, there are no complaints to be found about the acting. Davison’s Doctor is clearly enjoying his return trip to Peladon, complete with Aggedor lullaby — but how much had he been smoking before he rasped out the words? I haven’t mentioned Peri yet in this review, but Nicola Bryant is on top form, particularly in her encounters with Zixlyr and in her departure sequence with Morris. Morris herself is excellent as usual, and shows every inch of Erimem’s strength of will in the final encounter with Sekhmet.Phyllida Law and Christian Coulson support the script well, and Agutter is particularly enjoyable in her role as the villain. Thomas Brodie-Sangster is noticeably wooden as the young miner, however, and even though his scene lasts a few minutes at most, it grates considerably. The production, by ERS, does a fine job of recapturing the Peladonian atmosphere, and all the related alien characters sound just like their 1970s counterparts. Edwards directs his own script, and wisely allows it more room to breathe with the luxury of four parts.
I can’t say I didn’t enjoy “The Bride of Peladon,” because I did. I’m just not sure that it was particularly good. It certainly pushes all the right buttons, and it feels like a “Peladon story,” whatever that means — but even with the twist, and the departure of a companion, it seems curiously empty. “Bride” feels like a shell, with all the substance missing from the middle. Is it an especially nice shell? Sure — but I’ve always wanted something more solid.
6/10