Day 442: The Face of Evil Part 3

One of the working titles for this story was 'The Day God Went Mad'. It refers to the computer Xoanon, one which at some point received help from the Doctor who reprogrammed it but got something slightly wrong. He hadn't realised that the computer was actually alive, the first of a new species, and thus when he connected his brain to it (for reasons) the computer took the Doctor's personality along with it. Xoanon then developed its own personality, thus sending it mad. This is all exposed in the lead up to the Part 3 cliffhanger, as seen above. It's a fascinating idea because it explores the capabilities of computers, relatively new pieces of hardware for 1977, hypothesising on their intelligence and personality, whether they have minds and could be considered to be alive. It also allows us to build up to another fantastic cliffhanger, this time more on the psychedelic as voices from all around deny the existence of the Doctor, building up to a child's voice shouting "Who am I?" repeatedly. It's strange, and begins to convey the full amount of insanity that is going on inside of Xoanon, which we shall continue to explore as The Face of Evil reaches its conclusion.

Day 441: The Face of Evil Part 2

The next great idea to come out of The Face of Evil is one of the setting. We arrive on a planet that is a weird hybrid of both the future and the savage. The thrones where the chieftain of the Sevateem sits is adorned with wires and tubing, in one instance a gong is quite obviously a refined metal sheet, and the helmet that the shaman Neeva uses to communicate with Xoanon is clearly from a different age than the surrounding area of crossbows, hunting, and animal skins used as rudimentary clothing. What this represents is the way in which a society can easily devolve, when cut off from its surrounds. It also shows, by using the futuristic equipment, that this is a problem that transcends time, and that even the future will be affected by this issue. And aside from everything else, it is clear that the juxtaposition of technology with the wild ways of the Sevateem makes for an interesting image visually, and engages the viewer in the ongoing story. So as The Face of Evil continues, so too do the continuing mysteries of the serial.

Day 440: The Face of Evil Part 1

This story is one that introduces itself with some fascinating ideas, one such idea being the Face of Evil. The Doctor arrives on this unknown planet and is almost immediately taken away and sentenced to death. The odd thing about this is that they seem to recognise the Doctor as the 'Evil One', showing that they have possibly met the Doctor before, or someone who looks like him. This brings forth several questions for the audience, which continue as one of the natives of the planet suddenly hears Tom Baker's disembodied voice in the form of their God, Xoanon. This scene works because it draws up more questions as to the nature of this 'Evil One', representing to the audience yet more questions about the Doctor's true involvement with the story. This all comes to a head when we reach the cliffhanger, showing the face of the Doctor carved into the side of the mountain. This shows once and for all that the Doctor's prior involvement in this story will be paramount to how things will unfold, and giving a strong hook to get the audience to continue with this story. As has been shown the first part has thrown up enough questions for us to want to watch the next episode, balancing it with just enough evidence to make us feel like we have an idea of what might be going on with no real idea of the answer to the underlying questions in the story keeping the audience well and truly engaged.

Day 439: The Deadly Assassin Part 4

The villain of The Deadly Assassin is The Master, making his return after last being seen in Frontier In Space. He's changed since trying to pit Draconians and Humans against each other, however, both physically and mentally. Physically, he has changed from the suave looks of Roger Delgado (who sadly passed away after an unfortunate car accident in Turkey) to a sack of rotting vegetables with eyes, hiding away in the shadows. It reflects the mental change as well, as he has become a more desperate  creature, desperate to stay alive and regain his former form. This can be seen, for instance, in the climax of the story where the Doctor and the Master fight each other as Gallifrey collapses around them. The fight is more visceral than we are used to, with them punching and wrestling each other to stay alive, indeed in what is believed to be te last time that we see the Master, we see only his hands as he desperately tries to hold onto an edge and prevent his fall. It serves as a representation of his own journey as well, as he desperately clings onto life even after using up all of his regenerative powers, just so that he can survive. It's interesting to see this change in demeanour take place, and one that shows that the series is not afraid of taking old ideas and repurposing them for a new use, whether it be the Master or indeed the Time Lords themselves, showing that this series can still be interesting 438 episodes into its run.

Day 438: The Deadly Assassin Part 3

This individual episode stands out in the story that surrounds it. Previously, the Doctor had connected himself up to the Gallifreyan Matrix, which will hopefully lead him to the titular assassin. What then follows over the next half hour or so is an extended piece on location, where the Doctor fights with what is eventually revealed to be Chancellor Goth, a fellow Time Lord and a Presidential candidate. But what stands out is not the plotting, it is instead the visuals as given to us by David Maloney, the director for this story.

Maloney creates an interesting atmosphere, with two main characteristics. One is the ability to be unsettling. This brings forth the dream-like qualities of the Matrix, such as seeing eyes appear in cliffs or injuries disappear simply by thinking about them. This makes up much of the first half of the episode and emphasises the disturbing and occasionally dangerous side of the Matrix.

The second half of the episode changes tack slightly, however, moving from the surreal to a hunting expedition, with the Doctor acting as prey to Goth's predator. Here, tension runs high with strong close ups and a focus on the vegetation that surrounds the area that masks the two Time Lords and makes for a for tense experience. It's also worth mentioning that the episode is far more violent than most from Doctor Who, with an awful lot of blood being shown, reminding us of what is at risk and that they are both in a vast degree of danger (and occasionally pain).

All in all, it makes for a gripping and stand out episode, and stands testament as an excellent piece of work from one of Doctor Who's strongest directors.

Day 437: The Deadly Assassin Part 2

It's worth noting that this is the first and only story in the Classic Series of Doctor Who to not feature a companion. The Doctor is alone on Gallifrey, which makes for a remarkably interesting story. Aside from serving as an audience identification figure, the companion also serves as an ally for the Doctor. This is especially apparent in this story, where the Doctor is almost immediately accused of something and is thrown into a bid to prove his innocence. In this instance, we sort of miss the companion, to act as defendant for the Doctor and hopefully turn the tide in his favour. However, it's also apparent that the absence of a companion makes for a better story. We truly get the sense that the Doctor is fighting for his life and thus we are gripped to discover whether he will survive or not. It makes for a nice piece of storytelling from Robert Holmes, but we're only halfway through The Deadly Assassin.

Day 436: The Deadly Assassin Part 1

Gallifrey, home planet of the Time Lords. As far as we're concerned, it is a mystical and wonderful place, where Gods wander the corridors and observe the Universe. It is a place that we have only briefly visited before, with visits generally being confined to one room, or with the Time Lords kept away whilst we focus on the main action. But now, in The Deadly Assassin, we finally get to see the true power of Gallifrey.

It's not entirely what's expected, to be perfectly honest. Instead of meeting Gods, we meet bickering old men who worry about the colour of their robes and such. One could easily be disappointed, but it's also easy to accept these new facts and move on, as we can enjoy the old men bickering (thanks mainly due to Robert Holmes, the writer of this serial and several other classics), and just settle into witnessing all of this previously untold history fold out before our eyes. We can see Time Lord Presidents, Prydonian chapters, Castellans and the like and we can be excited to see all of what we could only guess about come forth and reveal itself. It's good to watch The Deadly Assassin, and discover more and more about the Time Lords.