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Saturday, October 05, 2013

Doctor Who Rewind - The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve




Surviving The Dalek Masterplan, I feel like I can tackle anything, so when this four part completely missing historical gets underway I breath a sigh of relief...but alas, it's short lived.

This is really one of those stories you need to pay close attention to. Not only that but a degree in 15th century French history is advisable.

On landing in Paris in 1572, the Doctor and Steven go for a welcoming drink in a nearby tavern. Soon after, the Doctor announces to Steven that he's going to visit the apothecary Charles Preslin and swiftly leaves. Leaving poor old Steven alone and confused, and it's not long before he's caught up in tensions between the Protestants and Catholics.

There is a lot of dialogue in this story which is all well and good, but as far as action goes, not much going on until the final episode. The clue being in the title.

There's not much Doctor action either, and I did begin to think he might have popped over to the continent for a quick break at one point. When he does show his face, it's not even him. It's Hartnell playing the Abbot of Amboise. Confused? You will be.

Steven again puts in a solid performance, and is as fidgety and quarrelsome as ever. There's great support as well from the rest of the cast, but this story didn't really do much for me until it reached its final scenes.

Steven and the Doctor split just before all hell breaks lose in Paris, and Steven isn't happy that the Doctor leaves Ann (a servant who he has befriended) behind. When the TARDIS lands on Wimbledon Common in 1966, Steven storms out vowing never to return.

The Doctor is left on his own for the first time, and sadly remembers all the companions that he has left behind. He considers going back to his own planet but then realises that he can't!

It's a wonderfully poignant scene by Hartnell, and we really see the vulnerability of the Doctor. It's broken by a young girl wondering in through the open TARDIS doors. The Doctor is taken by surprise and asks her if she's lost. She answers that she wanted to call the police as a boy has been knocked down. Just then Steven returns claiming the Police are heading for the TARDIS and the Doctor, panicking, hastily closes the doors and dematerialises toward their next adventure.

The name of the girl is Dodo Chaplet, she's an orphan who lives with her great aunt. She claims no one will miss her and she doesn't seem fazed that she's just entered a ship that can traverse time and space. The Doctor, remembering his granddaughter Susan, manages a wry smile (despite the fact that he's just kidnapped another young girl, you can get arrested for that you know).

Next time on Doctor Who Rewind, the new companion comes down with a cold that wreaks havoc in the distant future.

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