Doctor Who Retro Review: Serial 011—The Rescue
By T. Scott Edwards
The
Rescue always had a
difficult job on its hands – it needed to introduce a new companion as a
replacement for Susan, whilst only being two episodes long, not really allowing
a great deal of detailed characterisation. Written by the outgoing script editor,
David Whitaker, it introduces Vicki admirably, by keeping the plot tight and
focussed in the 50-minute running time allowed, and with a minimal cast.
Whitaker is no stranger to the
two-episode format, having written Season 1's The Edge of Destruction. Here, though, there is very little action,
but rather serves solely to introduce Maureen O'Brien to the cast of regulars –
and it is done with wonderful panache. Vicki is clearly the sort of character
which Susan should have been; rather than constantly whining or crying or
spraining her ankles, she is dignified despite her loneliness, and seems
equally alien and out-of-place compared with Barbara and Ian. Her dealing with
Bennett, and her conversations with our regular crew, are magnificent – she fluctuates
easily between pride and misery with a flair that Carole Ann Ford never could
have handled.
When the episode starts inside the
TARDIS, there is some wonderful comedic banter between the Doctor, Ian and
Barbara – I love the scene in which she wakes the Doctor from his nap to tell
him that the "shaking" has stopped, and his retort that he's ever "so
glad!" that she is coping emotionally. In stark contrast is a beautiful
moment where he calls for Susan to open the doors before realising that she is
no longer there. Jacqueline Hill's tactile response, gently suggesting he teach
her how to open the doors instead, is beautifully played. As a group, we have
seen them bond and grow closer, a family unit of sorts, serial by serial – and
just as they have lost the youngest member of the group, they are coping with
it, delicately planning conversations to avoid unnecessary heartbreak.
Vicki, then, slots right into place –
when she saves Barbara after her fall, the pair bond almost instantly, and the
conversation flows freely and naturally. Barbara is equally careful with her,
delicately traversing topics whilst Vicki fluctuates between delight and
irritation that an outsider should claim to understand how she feels.
The only real drawback to this serial is
the character of Koquillion himself – it is all-too evident that it is a man in
a costume, rather than a believable alien creature. Indeed, that it turns out
that it really was just a man in a costume all along – Bennett pretending to be
a vicious alien being – is either quite a clever metatextual twist, with the
crew being aware of just how crap the monster looks, or another example of
budget restraints. If they made this serial today, no doubt the alien would be
entirely CGI, with huge tentacles thrashing out, breathing fire or some other
nonsense, until the reveal that it was a man in a suit done through some very
clever editing. Here, they are doing all that they can within the budget
restraints, and it isn't too bad, considering. Having said that, it is
confusing that Vicki isn't in the least bit suspicious – when Koquillion enters
Bennett's room for a chat, she and Barbara continue their conversation – but
then Bennett exits his room, saying that Koquillion has left, despite there
being only one entrance and exit to the cabin that they are aware of. What is
interesting about Koquillion is that it is the first example of a character
being given a pseudonym to hide their true identity – something we will see far
more of once the Master comes into series. That he is named after two members
of the production team, Donald Wilson and Sydney Newman, is wonderful – people
must have desperately wondered who this Sydney Wilson was! Ian's rather
flippant comment, meanwhile, is somewhat confusing. He meets Koquillion in the
caves, threatened by a spanner coated in jewels, and then, after describing him
to the Doctor, says he'd rather "take the Daleks anytime."
Hartnell is on top form throughout this
serial, between his giggling moments of realisation – "I wonder if I were
to tell Ian that it was deliberate, whether he'd believe me or not?" –
through to his touching moments with Vicki. The scene in episode 2 where he
gestures for Ian and Barbara to leave him alone with the girl, and his
grandfatherly way of explaining that Barbara was only looking after her
interests, is fantastic, and again shows how much he has grown as a character. He
never wanted others travelling with him, but as soon as his retinue is reduced,
he is eager to bring it back up to three.
Despite the Doctor's protestations that
the natives of Dido are a peaceful bunch, the episode ends on a rather
cliff-hanger involving Ian being pushed to the edge of a cliff by a booby trap
involving 'swords' coming out of the wall. Below, the Sand Beast looks on,
roaring hungrily.
Episode 2 of The Rescue allows Maureen O'Brien's Vicki to show even more
emotions, as Barbara shoots the Sand Beast with a flare gun – the creature had
been adopted by Vicki as a pet, named Sandy, and she is utterly distraught. It's
a wonderful scene for a number of reasons – the look of distaste and loathing
on Barbara's face is entirely genuine – she'd had a nasty accident using the
prop gun in a previous take, and so was genuinely distrustful of it. Vicki's
outburst – "I've been here a long time. I know what it's like here. You've
only just come and you're trying to ruin things. It was all right before. It
was. The rescue ship's coming and nobody asked you to come here. Nobody!"
– further highlights that isolation and loneliness have set in, and the
newcomers are threatening her 'safe' way of life. The sound effects used to
show Sandy dying are terrifically haunting – actually reused Tristram Cary SFX
made for The Daleks, they create a
jarring, haunting and evocative soundtrack.
The Doctor's unveiling of Bennett's plan
– he murdered everyone on board, as well as all of the indigenous locals of
Dido, to keep the fact that he murdered a crew member a secret –is ludicrous,
but also sensible in a bizarre way. Keeping Vicki alive gives him a witness,
albeit a mislead one, to support his claims, and his masquerade as Koquillion
supports his claim that the locals are dangerous. Fortunately, the Doctor has
been to Dido before, and so knows that not only are the indigenous population
humanoid, but also that the mask and cloak Bennett wears to scare Vicki is
actually a formal robe used in ceremonies in the Hall of Judgement. The scene
in which he reveals that he is aware of Bennett is magnificent – the set for
the Hall is superb, and the bravery seen in Hartnell's face as he beckons
Koquillion without even turning around is wonderful. Fortunately for the
Doctor, Bennett hadn't been as successful as he thought, and two of the locals
turn up to lead Bennett into falling into a ravine, interrupting the throttling
the Doctor is being given.
Scott Edwards is a teacher of English and Theatre Studies at Barnard Castle School in the North East of England, with a BAHons in English Literature and Film Studies. He is also a self-professed ‘ming-mong,' and in addition to http://timelordapprentice.blogspot.co.uk/ he also runs http://www.facebook.com/Classic.Doctor.Who. You can also follow him on Twitter: @TimelordTSE.
Labels: Doctor Who, Guest Blog, review, T. Scott Edwards
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