Story: Vengeance on Varos
Written By: Philip Martin
Length: 2 Episodes
Year: 1985
"Vengeance on Varos" is one of the highlights of this dismal season. It might be one of the best stories of Colin Baker's short tenure in the role of the Doctor. He isn't as overbearing as he is in his first two stories, though he doesn't really nail the Doctor down until the start of "Trial of a Time Lord" (in which his performance is much better in the midst of an even worse storyline). Frankly Baker doesn't show his full potential as the Doctor until he was given the chance on audio.
This story sees the Doctor and Peri land the TARDIS on Varos, a former prison planet that has created it's own government. This government creates it's own form of entertainment: death via television. There are cameras everywhere, and the government controls what they show, and it is usually violence, torture, and death for entertainment purposes. In some ways, Phillip Martin's script is ahead of it's time, almost predicting the reality television nightmare that invaded TVs about 10 to 15 years after this story aired. In other ways it was more of a statement on violence in TV and Movies in the 80s, something "Doctor Who" was being accused of at the time.
One of the mistakes JNT made during this season was insisting on only employing new writers. The results were usually weak, as the writers weren't as familiar with the show and had problems. Phillip Martin is the only new writer to the show who contributed well written stuff. Even the two returning writers, former script editor and Who classic Robert Holmes and current script editor Eric Saward, didn't write a story this good.
That coat doesn't look nearly as bad in atmospheric lighting, and there is a lot more in this adventure than most of the 80s.
Sil is also definitely a memorable character, and the performance of the character warranted his return in the next season. Nabil Shaban's evil Sil laugh is wonderful creepy and hilarious all at once. The best villain of the Colin Baker era by far.
A diamond in the very difficult rough of Season 22.
NEXT TIME: Enter the Rani
Written By: Philip Martin
Length: 2 Episodes
Year: 1985
"Vengeance on Varos" is one of the highlights of this dismal season. It might be one of the best stories of Colin Baker's short tenure in the role of the Doctor. He isn't as overbearing as he is in his first two stories, though he doesn't really nail the Doctor down until the start of "Trial of a Time Lord" (in which his performance is much better in the midst of an even worse storyline). Frankly Baker doesn't show his full potential as the Doctor until he was given the chance on audio.
One of the mistakes JNT made during this season was insisting on only employing new writers. The results were usually weak, as the writers weren't as familiar with the show and had problems. Phillip Martin is the only new writer to the show who contributed well written stuff. Even the two returning writers, former script editor and Who classic Robert Holmes and current script editor Eric Saward, didn't write a story this good.
That coat doesn't look nearly as bad in atmospheric lighting, and there is a lot more in this adventure than most of the 80s.
Sil is also definitely a memorable character, and the performance of the character warranted his return in the next season. Nabil Shaban's evil Sil laugh is wonderful creepy and hilarious all at once. The best villain of the Colin Baker era by far.
A diamond in the very difficult rough of Season 22.
NEXT TIME: Enter the Rani
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