Doctor Who does satanic ritual… and frankly does it rather well.
The story is predicated on the idea that magic (and by implication in this story, religion) is basically just science that hasn’t been explained away yet. I’ve always liked that idea and I think this is a story that explores that in a surprisingly adult way. The story does start with Jo being quite ditzy and the Doctor being quite rude to her about her beliefs. I suppose that could be a metaphor for how Richard Dawkins speaks to the church…
As befits the subject matter the story is very dark and atmospheric from the very start. That being said, it is also amusingly scripted and as the fateful dig into the ancient tomb develops (Seriously, who thinks digging up ancient tombs on Satanic holidays is actually a good idea?) the archaeologist gets to be quite funny and the story trots along quite nicely.
The story basically takes the line that religious (or in the case, Satanic) iconography through the centuries is actually down to the reappearance of an alien race (The eponymous Dæmons) who pop along to Earth every now and then to help out. I quite like this theme as it’s one that is addressed over the years in science fiction and extends the theme of faith and science being part of the same thing.
This theme is expanded even further when the Doctor explains that black magic is basically the venting and channeling of negative human emotions – again waving away religion as a factor of science that humans simply don’t understand yet.
UNIT obviously play a major part on this and by this stage they are firmly established. The Brigadier gets all the best lines and frankly makes the story. I remember having a T-Shirt with the line “Chap with the wings there. 5 Rounds rapid” on it as a young nerd and I honestly think this story is UNIT’s finest hour.
I love The Master in this – He is again allying himself to an alien force but this time it is vaguely well thought through. If The Doctor hadn’t turned up his plan may well have worked, which makes a refreshing change from his usual idiocy where the alien he is allying himself with turns on him and always would have done…
I do think that some of this story (and in particular some of the imagery) is a bit strong for youths – The attempted sacrifice of Jo, the Master’s satanic incantations (which paraphrase an Aleister Crowley quote) and the image of the exploding church at the end. The attempt to kill the Doctor at the Maypole is also quite reminiscent of The Wicker Man and must have been very frightening for kids.
I rarely comment on sets or scenery but in this case it’s very relevant. The village they found to set the story in is perfect. From the local pub to the maypole and the church itself. It really adds to the story and almost feels like a character in itself.
There are very few negatives in this story. Some of scripting is a little clunky at times (this is maybe made more obvious by the bits of script that are great) and the ending is a little bit swift. Also, everyone seems to be quite irritable – Many people insult Jo, The Doctor is rude to everyone, including a poor UNIT sergeant who is trying to make some bit of machinery he can never have heard of before. But I guess these are very minor issues and again are probably only highlighted because everything else is so good. The secondary cast are good value, from the archaeologist to the white witch and 5 episodes is an absolutely perfect length for it.
Dark, edgy and well scripted. And best of all it's helped me learn how to get my Mac to type that "æ" symbol. Great stuff – 9/10.
The story is predicated on the idea that magic (and by implication in this story, religion) is basically just science that hasn’t been explained away yet. I’ve always liked that idea and I think this is a story that explores that in a surprisingly adult way. The story does start with Jo being quite ditzy and the Doctor being quite rude to her about her beliefs. I suppose that could be a metaphor for how Richard Dawkins speaks to the church…
As befits the subject matter the story is very dark and atmospheric from the very start. That being said, it is also amusingly scripted and as the fateful dig into the ancient tomb develops (Seriously, who thinks digging up ancient tombs on Satanic holidays is actually a good idea?) the archaeologist gets to be quite funny and the story trots along quite nicely.
The story basically takes the line that religious (or in the case, Satanic) iconography through the centuries is actually down to the reappearance of an alien race (The eponymous Dæmons) who pop along to Earth every now and then to help out. I quite like this theme as it’s one that is addressed over the years in science fiction and extends the theme of faith and science being part of the same thing.
This theme is expanded even further when the Doctor explains that black magic is basically the venting and channeling of negative human emotions – again waving away religion as a factor of science that humans simply don’t understand yet.
UNIT obviously play a major part on this and by this stage they are firmly established. The Brigadier gets all the best lines and frankly makes the story. I remember having a T-Shirt with the line “Chap with the wings there. 5 Rounds rapid” on it as a young nerd and I honestly think this story is UNIT’s finest hour.
I love The Master in this – He is again allying himself to an alien force but this time it is vaguely well thought through. If The Doctor hadn’t turned up his plan may well have worked, which makes a refreshing change from his usual idiocy where the alien he is allying himself with turns on him and always would have done…
I do think that some of this story (and in particular some of the imagery) is a bit strong for youths – The attempted sacrifice of Jo, the Master’s satanic incantations (which paraphrase an Aleister Crowley quote) and the image of the exploding church at the end. The attempt to kill the Doctor at the Maypole is also quite reminiscent of The Wicker Man and must have been very frightening for kids.
I rarely comment on sets or scenery but in this case it’s very relevant. The village they found to set the story in is perfect. From the local pub to the maypole and the church itself. It really adds to the story and almost feels like a character in itself.
There are very few negatives in this story. Some of scripting is a little clunky at times (this is maybe made more obvious by the bits of script that are great) and the ending is a little bit swift. Also, everyone seems to be quite irritable – Many people insult Jo, The Doctor is rude to everyone, including a poor UNIT sergeant who is trying to make some bit of machinery he can never have heard of before. But I guess these are very minor issues and again are probably only highlighted because everything else is so good. The secondary cast are good value, from the archaeologist to the white witch and 5 episodes is an absolutely perfect length for it.
Dark, edgy and well scripted. And best of all it's helped me learn how to get my Mac to type that "æ" symbol. Great stuff – 9/10.