THE DOCTOR WHO RATINGS GUIDE: BY FANS, FOR FANS

The Masque of Mandragora
The Hand of Fear
The Deadly Assassin
The Face of Evil
The Robots of Death
The Talons of Weng-Chiang 		BBC
Season Fourteen

Reviews

Overrated...? by Joe Ford 25/2/02

At a mere twenty one years of age I never had the privelige to see any of the Tom Baker stories when they broadcast (in fact my first terrified memory of Who is seeing Davros in Resurrection of the Daleks) and for that I am a little disappointed, I could imagine a child's perspective of the more horror orriented Hinchcliffe seasons would be really scary (I was petrified when my Ma bought me Terror of the Zygons when I was eight!!). So how do the stories hold up from an adults opinion?

Masque of Mandragora.
Still one of the best historicals in the series. Much like the rich stories of Hartnell's era, you can tell this story has been given much attention to its historical detail and has more than it's fair share of memorable dialogue. Tom Baker and Lis Sladen always work well together but this shows their relationship at its absolute peak, Sarah strong willed and passionate and the Doctor loving his involvement in all this historical fun! Even the guest characters are given detail, the power mad Count is particularly horrible and the duke is a pleasant ally. It's got some of the finest Who location work, the lush sunny town of Portmerion duplicating italy in all its ornate splendour. Even Heironymous with his silly cartoon beard is given some great scenes (when the Doc appears in a puff of smoke!). Overall one of the best tom Baker stories for its wit, charm and utterly solid production values: 9/10

Top moment: The Doctor's sword fight ("You can't count count!")
Top dialogue: Sarah: I was almost sacrificed to the great god Demnos (sorry, its just the way she says it!)

The Hand of Fear.
Hmmm, not all that good really. It all starts off well (despite stoopid Doctor and Sarah walking straight into an exploding quarry!) with the creepy possesed Sarah ("Eldrad must Live") and some more wonderful seventies location work (was it ever poor?). Even the nuclear base scenes are tense and enjoyable even if the science is silly (hiding behind a truck from a nuclear blast...please!). Then it all goes to pot as we move to Kastria with all its pantomime sets and Brian Blessed inspired voices! The last episode is a true disappointment especially the revelation about the planet (four episodes to find out that?). However it's redeemed slightly by the tear jerking ending that easily matches Jo Grant's departure for making me blub like an old woman. It ends Sarah and the Doctor's fabulous relationship on a real saddening note: 5/10 (for the story), 10/10 (for the end!)

Top moment: "Eldrad must live...just kidding!"
Top dialogue: The Doctor: "I've got to go (to Gallifrey).
Sarah: Alone? (boo, hoo...!)

The Deadly Assasin.
A return to form. What dialogue! Was it ever this sharp before? I love the way we are thrown straight into the action on Gallifrey with the threat of the assasination a tense nail biter of a first episode. Tom Baker excels, eating up the wonderful Holmes script with particular relish. Politics on Who never really interested me but all the devious wranglings here had me hooked. Of course the highlight is the third episode, about as scary as the show ever got (thank god) with the Samurai moment being the only time the show ever left me heart-racingly terrified! It is visually stunning with the vast Panopticon set and all the delicious location work, the script and direction complement each other perfectly. Until episode four that is, where I hate to say it things get a little stagey with the unfortunately poorly realised Eye of Harmony climax. Still Peter Pratt is a fine replacement for Roger Delgado (and I wouldn't say that about anyone else...Delgado rules!) and his vengeance against the Doctor and Gallifrey adds a lot of dramtic weight to this formnat breaking four parter: 8/10

Top moment: All of Borusa's scenes particularly his "We must adjust the truth" bit.
Top dialogue: " As I believe I told you long ago, Doctor, you will never amount to anything in the galaxy while you retain you propensity for vulgar facetiousness!"

The Face of Evil.
I love the premise behind this. I love the way they don't patronise you into giving you all the information at once and creatively and subtly reveal the plot (the ships hull being a gong, the weapon they taunt the Doctor with). The jungle set is a little sparse but looks great on film with some atomospheric sound effects. Introducing Leela who already shows great promise with her scenes with Tom Baker's Doc. Unfortunately it all goes pear shaped in episode four (third story in a row!) with boring scenes walkiing around corridors hiding from the not-scary Tesh. Mind you Tom Baker's turn as Xoanon is really creepy and the end of episode three is still a corker: 8/10

Top moment: The Doctor over the horda pit.
Top dialogue: "Would you like a jelly baby?"- "Its true then, they say the Evil One eats babies!"

The Robots of Death.
One of the first Who videos I ever saw and I was hooked! This is really an adult version of Who, it's got some really scary themes... the faceless Robots are terrifying with their delicate moments and silky voices and the whole Robophobia (brought to life with chilling realism by David Collins) is a psychological spin not often seen in the programme. The Doctor and Leela prove a real success team, Louise Jameson is ideal for the naīve yet strangely compelling savage. All the production values are outstanding, the model work (for once) is sumptuous, the sets are gorgeously designed and the effects used sparingly yet effectively (the red eyes never fail to scare me!). The guest cast are top drawer characters and the claustrophobic setting gives it a lovely nostalgic troughton era feel... while providing a perfect location for this murder mystery. Love Dask. Love Toos. Love SV7. Just love the story. Period: 10/10

Top moment: Chubbs murder scene... brrr!
Top dialogue: "Please do not throw hands at me"

The Talons of Weng Chiang.
I cannot believe so many people on this site don't think this is the best! It must have been a great time to be a Who fan when these two were transmitted back-to-back, ten weeks of pure Who bliss! Did I say the dialogue was sharp in Deadly Assasin? Scrap that and just listen to Henry Jago's gorgeously stylised lines... even without the other strengths this show has, it's worth watching just for the pleasure of hearing some of the phrases they come out with! This is Robert Holmes' ultimate Who story, an atmospheric, witty, horrific, pacey and satisfying piece of drama. All the actors are in check and deliver first rate performances, the location work is stunningly effective and the plot as diabolically good! Kudos for David Maloney for tackling such a demanding script and producing something that is so enjoyable to watch: 10/10

Top moment: Leela eating at Litefoots.
Top dialogue: "England's peerless premier professor of pathology!"- and so many more!

Season Fourteen: Overated, never! Sure there were a few flaws here and there, a few effects that threaten to take down classics (Talons of Weng Chiang) and the curse of the fourth episode (Hand of Fear, Deadly Assasin, Face of Evil). Despite these problems it must go down as one of the strongest seasons of Who for consistent quality entertainment, production values and acting. Could you imagine what Hinchcliffe could have achieved given another season, makes you salivate a bit!

Topiest toppest moment in season Fourteen: Anything between Jago and Litefoot in Talons. Season Overall: 9/10

Heart of Darkness by Rob Matthews 29/10/02

Situated more or less at the heart of the show's run on screen and as the culmination of the extraordinarily effective Holmes/Hinchcliffe partnership, this really is one of those turning-point seasons of Doctor Who. It features not a single bad script, and three stories that are now considered 'classics', it has solid production values, and it introduces the Robert Holmes version of Gallifrey, the Time Lords and the Master. I'm not surprised that so many fans would nominate the season as their favourite. And yet it's also derivative and violent and selfconsciously baroque. Plus it marks the first time the show got in serious trouble with that gang of busybody biddies who set themselves up as that nation's guardian angels, the National Viewers & Listeners Association, leaving the show with a taint it never entirely shook off and which - arguably - finally killed it.

Editor's note: You can read the rest of this article in Time, Unincorporated, Volume 2, published by Mad Norwegian Press. For copyright reasons, we are unable to display the online version simultaneously.

The High Point... by Terrence Keenan 1/5/03

Season 14. A producer and scriptwriter in concert with their Doctor. A season that gets stronger as it goes along. A season with no weak serials. A four story run that can't be touched.

Nothing tops this season. I'll say it again. Nothing tops this season. It goes from strength to strength in terms of writing, acting, story, concept and execution. Season 14 culminated a three year run where the creative team of Philip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes were so in tune with Tom Baker, the evidence on the screen is all that's needed.

In terms of plot, The Masque of Mandragora is more set piece than solid story (unusual during the H & H period) -- inside the helix, the chase, political intrigue, the masque, etc. As an argument between enlightenment and superstition, Masque works well, although it's definitely on the side of reason. You can also make the argument that Masque preaches tolerance over tyranny of all types (Frederico represents political tyranny, and Hieronymous is the symbol of ideological tyranny). The Doctor's advice to Guliano at the end to "keep an open mind" is a reaffirmation of the idea of tolerance and enlightenment going hand in hand, a common Doctor Who theme during the Tom Baker years.

Oh, by the way, Tom and Lis are brilliant in this one. But you knew that I was going to say that, right? You want to see the best ever TARDIS team in action ever? Watch Tom and Lis in this one.

The rest of the cast is just as good. Jon Laurimore feasts on a classic villain role as Count Frederico. Norman Jones is great as Hieronymous. Gareth Armstrong and Tim Pigott-Smith hold their own as Guliano and Marco, respectively.

We move on to the Hand of Fear. After an atmospheric prologue, the TARDIS arrives in the official BBC quarry -- which is a quarry in the story as well instead of an alien planet -- where after the Doctor and Sarah get trapped in an explosion, Sarah finds a stone hand in the wreckage. From this odd opening (it reminds me a bit of the opening of Tomb of the Cybermen) events spin off from here. It seems the stone hand is the only remaining bit of a Kastrian named Eldrad. And, being Doctor Who, Eldrad has both immense powers and issues.

The visuals are well done. Somehow, the BBC got permission to film in an actual nuclear power plant, which gives the story credibility. Even the sets for the reactor core, control room and decontamination room look well designed and plausible. The scenes set on Kastria are a bit duff, but are helped by atmospheric lighting.

The regulars are both on top of their game, but Lis Sladen steals the show, especially when she's possessed by the hand. Instead of going over the top, Lis goes for creepy. Brill stuff. Tom is on his game, as always and shines throughout. His exchanges with Judith Paris make the third episode special. Judith Paris gives a great alien performance, trusting and completely untrustworthy at once. She takes over in the third episode. Stephen Thorne is OTT as the male Eldrad, but considering his performances in both The Daemons and The Three Doctors, this wasn't a surprise. The rest of the cast hold their own and don't embarrass themselves. Glyn Houston is deserving of much praise for the scene in episode two where he calls his family to say his good-byes.

And then, after Eldrad trips over the Doc's scarf, we get the best leaving scene in Doctor Who history, bar none. Tom and Lis had a chemistry like none other on the show (and that includes the Tom and Lalla chemistry, which was amazing). Sarah bitches, with reason, and the Doc ignores her. And although we expect the Doc to use his charm to win her back after she's packed her bags, The Doctor get the summons to come back home. Sarah, who's waiting to be charmed, is suddenly told she has to go. The look on Lis's face is priceless. There's no hug and no tears between them, but the raw emotion is there. Sarah leaves the TARDIS, parked in a cul-de-sac, suburbia for all intents and purposes. It's brilliant and full of real emotion and it gets me every time.

The Deadly Assassin is one of three true benchmark serials. The other two are An Unearthly Child and The War Games. The series was irrevocably changed after its airing, yet it stands alone. It also shows Robert Holmes pushing Who to its limits and moving it beyond a mere "children's show."

Holmes, in four twenty-five minute episodes, told the be-all and end-all story of the Doctor's home planet, leaving others to try and emulate him, and not really measuring up.

The truth, though, is despite all the trappings, all the background, all the things revealed about the Doctor's home world, The Deadly Assassin is a great detective story with a surreal battle of wills bridging the gap in the detective story.

And it's the battle in the matrix that sets this story apart. The Doctor is stripped of his charm, wit, and MacGuyver-like adaptability and forced to tap into basic survival skills in order to defeat -- kill -- his enemy. The world is populated with child-based nightmares given serious weight. A surreal world where one can be run over by a train, shot at by biplanes and hunted down like an animal. Thrust into this primal dreamscape, the Doctor is forced down into the level of his enemy, and through brute force, manages to survive barely.

The Deadly Assassin features the Doctor's biggest rival, the Master in his most evil and desperate form -- a living corpse hanging on by hate and willing to destroy Gallifrey for his own survival. This portrayal is so far removed from the suave, cigar-smoking Bond-ian villain of Delgado or the comic book villainy of Ainley. It's an interpretation that was closest to Holmes's original intention for the character -- a vile, corrupted version of the Doctor, the dark soul made flesh. Peter Pratt makes him sound like a man on the verge of death, consumed by hatred, moving beyond the static face mask he wears throughout the story.

Mixed into this battle of wills is a portrayal of the Time Lords as petty, political animals; fluid of truth and more interested in appearances and obtaining their power rather than venturing out and seeking the truth of the universe. Holmes shows us exactly why the Doctor left this static, pedantic place without ever having to resort to some silly backstory. The Time Lords of Gallifrey are a living anathema to the Doctor's core ideas of curiosity and truth. And in coming back to help his own people, despite their core differences, also is true to the Doctor's character in general.

The Deadly Assassin is at one a reaffirmation of the core beliefs of what makes the Doctor tick as well as showing how the character can be pushed. It's a benchmark show, not in only of terms of the big picture of continuity, but also in having an influence on every episode of Who going forward. Not since The War Games, could a story claim this. It's also one of the best stories of all time, a classic on any fan's list.

For some reason, The Face of Evil doesn't get much love. I don't understand why. An intriguing script, with top notch performances all around.

Tom Baker and Louise Jameson have great chemistry together. Louise manages to show toughness, inquisitiveness and charm over the course of four episodes. Tom shows a more agressive side in this story (not really seen since The Seeds of Doom). He's also deeply concerned about the mess he's caused with the Mordee ship, and its consequences, contrary to conventional fan wisdom.

The story's implied theme is one of taking responsibility for onešs actions. Xoannon won't take responsibility for the actions of its madness. The Sevateem blame all their troubles on The Evil One. The Tesh are hoping the Lord of Time will save them from the savage. And of course, it was the Doctor who caused the mess in the first place. Once he remembers what happened, he sets to work on correcting the problem. The Face of Evil -- such a shame it wasn't called its original name "The Day God Went Mad" -- benefits from a strong script and a cast who gives it their all....

Just like The Robots of Death.

There's a rare moment of a director really understanding how important rhythm is in scenes. After the Chubb is killed, the rest of the crew gathers to discuss who the murderer might be. The dialogue overlaps, people are cut off by other speakers, and the whole scene seems more realistic than normal.

The script is wonderful. Robots is a murder mystery, but its also about class, the continuing dependence on machines, and perceptions based on body language and other little psychological nuggets.

And what a look. Instead of drab overalls for the crew and shiny metal boxes for the robots, we have those wild art deco costumes for the human crew, and those soft spoken, almost "human" robots who look harmless at first glance.

Tom and Louise are brilliant. It's a nice touch that Leela, an instinctive person picks up on the body language clues, and also the inherent problem of existing with robots. Tom is less violent, but even more flippant than ever in this one.

The guest cast shines as well. Like in The Face of Evil, there is a sense of a gourp of actors understanding that to play Who right, you have to play it straight.

The season closes with The Talons of Weng Chiang.

Weng Chiang read like Bob Holmes Identikit: Double Act, check. Hustler/showman character, check. Second level villain in conflict with the main villain, check. Nods to past movies and/or literature, check. Dangerous experiments with time travel, check.

It's brilliant. On all levels. It's an instantly recognizable setting: Ripper London, with nods to Fu Mancho and Sherlock Holmes. The story unfolds at a leisurely pace. In fact we don't get the whole picture until episode five. It's not as tightly plotted as other Holmes stories, but the set pieces and the character interaction more than make for this.

Like many of the stories during the Hinchcliffe/Holmes era. Weng Chiang is a horror story, with some sci-fi bits tossed into the mix just to remind you this is Doctor Who, and not Dark Shadows.

Acting, like every other serial during this season, is top notch. Everyone in the cast is a scene-stealer. Tom and Louise are brilliant, and act like they've been together for far more than just three stories.

Okay, it doesn't get any better than Season 14. Six brilliant stories. A season that gets stronger as it goes along. A benchmark tale that changed Who as we know it forever. A scriptwriter and producer who knew what they wanted and got it from the scripts, the set design and the casts, both regulars and guests.

A Review by James Neiro 7/7/10

The season opened with The Masque of Mandragora, an episode set in Italy in 1492. The following story would see the departure of Sarah which came as a shock to fans who had become quite attached to her. She had become one of the longest serving companions to date and her absence would be felt.

The following story would become one of the most, if not the most, popular episode in Doctor Who history. Set entirely on Gallifrey and the first episode to feature a companionless Doctor, the Time Lord is accused of assissanting the President. But it would not be the only twist to the story: the Master would reappear for the first time since the early Pertwee seasons. In this incarnation, he would be utterly mad and more monster than stylish villain.

The following story, The Face of Evil, would introduce new character Leela: a savage and violent warrior who would be used to pump up sex appeal to the many male fans. Tom Baker would be visibly arrogant and rude towards his new co-star, citing that the character was too bloodthirsty and that he rejected not the actress but the part she was playing. In later episodes, the on-screen duo would become closer when actress Louise Jameson would stand up to Baker in relation to some early entrance scenes Baker would deliver in error. Tom would show her more respect and the on-air chemistry saw major improvement.

The Robots of Death was the following story and would become another fan favorite. Set aboard a mining vessel, the plot saw a claustrophobic crew battle killer robots. The Talons of Weng Chiang was the final episode of the season and set in the times of Jack the Ripper in the late 1800's of London. A strong season indeed.