In one of
the DVD extras on “The Sensorites,” Toby Hadoke mentions the fact that this
story is one that people just don’t really talk about much. Let’s try to remedy
that here. Truth be told, I’ve been having a hard time starting this entry
*because* there’s not a lot to say about it. I didn’t dislike it in the ways
that I disliked “Keys of Marinus”, but it’s not on par with “The Aztecs” by a
long shot. It very much wants to be otherworldly, and it tries SO hard, but it just
doesn’t quite make it.
One of the
first stumbling blocks is the title aliens themselves. The Sensorites are, for the most part, quiet and
unassuming. They’re sensitive to noise and darkness. Aliens like this were
never going to replace Daleks in the affections of the average viewer, and they
do make for something different, but I spent the entire story just wanting
someone to wrap them up in a shawl and pat their hands telling them “There,
there, old thing. Care for some tea?”
They’re simply not that interesting even though the story desperately wants
them to be. Their look of “old man in a jumpsuit” needed something besides
their saucer feet to grab visual interest, and when a crucial plot point hinges
on the fact that THE SENSORITES NEVER REALIZED THEY ALL LOOK THE SAME, there’s
no avoiding that there is a monotony to their look.
Something I
did think was interesting that even at being the seventh story, it seemed like
the program was trying to reaffirm how it was set up in the beginning. Ian is
the action hero, the Doctor is a little tetchier than we saw him in “The
Aztecs”, and Susan is showing some unearthly psychic ability. Barbara gets a
bit shortchanged in this story, not least of all because Jacqueline Hill was on
holiday for part of it. But after her fabulous performance in “The Aztecs” I
wanted the Barbara Wright Express to keep on moving forward. There is also a quick recap in the beginning
of all the adventures the TARDIS crew have been on. Everyone is very
sentimental about it all which is odd, considering they’ve almost died in every
story we’ve seen. It definitely is a matter of playing catch up for the
audience in case they’ve missed any of the preceding serials.
As I stated
in the beginning of this entry, there isn’t a whole lot to say for this story.
It’s by no means the worst of this season, but falls squarely in the “average”
category. The Sensorites, even the ostensible villain of the piece, aren’t that
interesting. Their psychic abilities notwithstanding, there just isn’t enough
there to make me care. Their first appearance, through the window of a
spaceship reminds me of when Snoopy appears in the pumpkin patch in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,
and it kind of goes downhill from there.
There is earnestness to the whole production that just begs to be
seen as a deep sci-fi adventure, exploring an alien culture, and even making a
political statement on exploitation of mineral rights. But it’s the equivalent
of when a small child draws a picture made up of scribbles and tells you it’s a
cow. I can appreciate the effort and the sentiment, and bless their heart for
doing their best, but in the end, it’s still a scribbly mess.
NEXT EPISODE: The Reign of Terror
Please share/+1, and comment if you could.
I'd really love some feedback. Thanks!!
No comments:
Post a Comment