"Nothing in the vorld can stop me now!!!"
TECHNICAL SPECS: The episode exists and is available on DVD in the Lost in Time boxed set. First aired Jan.28 1967.
IN THIS ONE... The fish people go on strike, the Doctor and friends try to capture Zaroff and a famous line (above) is spoken.
REVIEW: So this is the episode we do have access to at this time, and it seems the grainy telesnaps didn't do justice to its flaws. The costumes, when seen in stark contrasts and movement look impossibly silly (especially the guard uniform with the Robin mask and conch helmet), and the sets are much more cramped than one might expect. Of course, how much scenery can there be when Joseph Fürst chews it all up like it's his last meal on Earth? Wow, that is a BIG performance from Zaroff. HUGE. And it may be on the better reasons to watch the episode. Thous looks deep to see the madness in his eyes, but he really doesn't need to. And when Zaroff gets physical, well, he can shrug big rocks off. His murder of the brave priest Ramo is another piece of camp, with the trident sticking out of him at a 90 degree angle, violent but comical.
Still, I'll give points to the production for some of its designs. The market place is small, but crowded and full of life. Those kids playing in a fountain with a small fish add a lot. Unfortunately, the music in the scene is completely insane and like a lot of the sound design, too loud to properly hear the dialog. The fish people are fairly well realized, though they skimped on the make-up by having a few of them be incomplete transformations (at least, that's what it looks like). The ballet where they swim/fly around on wires is mostly good - not that many wires showing - but oh my, it lasts forever and has no plot value. At this point, the fishies are supposed to be on strike (like everyone else, they do what they're told by, well, ANY character who speaks), so why are they shot doing stuff?
But that's the story's continued problem. The plot is nonsense and the characters all act stupidly. Even the Doctor here, whose plan hinges on Zaroff actually conducting the search himself. He does, but on the eve of his greatest triumph, should the lead scientist be acting like a common guard? If you're going to stop the countdown by capturing Zaroff, why is there a need to make the fish go on strike? And why does the food spoil within hours except to turn the farming strike into a real threat? The second Doctor, painted as a master of disguise since he set foot on his first planet, here takes on the persona of a shade-wearing swami, not that the costume holds very long, or even hides him in a crowd of Atlanteans wearing shell costumes. Camp? Yes. Drinking game in the making? Maybe. Good? Dear Amdo, no!
REWATCHABILITY: Medium-Low - The visuals sometimes take on an exotic quality not unlike The Web Planet's, but the script is cringe-worthy. Whovian Man cannot live on that last line alone!
TECHNICAL SPECS: The episode exists and is available on DVD in the Lost in Time boxed set. First aired Jan.28 1967.IN THIS ONE... The fish people go on strike, the Doctor and friends try to capture Zaroff and a famous line (above) is spoken.
REVIEW: So this is the episode we do have access to at this time, and it seems the grainy telesnaps didn't do justice to its flaws. The costumes, when seen in stark contrasts and movement look impossibly silly (especially the guard uniform with the Robin mask and conch helmet), and the sets are much more cramped than one might expect. Of course, how much scenery can there be when Joseph Fürst chews it all up like it's his last meal on Earth? Wow, that is a BIG performance from Zaroff. HUGE. And it may be on the better reasons to watch the episode. Thous looks deep to see the madness in his eyes, but he really doesn't need to. And when Zaroff gets physical, well, he can shrug big rocks off. His murder of the brave priest Ramo is another piece of camp, with the trident sticking out of him at a 90 degree angle, violent but comical.
Still, I'll give points to the production for some of its designs. The market place is small, but crowded and full of life. Those kids playing in a fountain with a small fish add a lot. Unfortunately, the music in the scene is completely insane and like a lot of the sound design, too loud to properly hear the dialog. The fish people are fairly well realized, though they skimped on the make-up by having a few of them be incomplete transformations (at least, that's what it looks like). The ballet where they swim/fly around on wires is mostly good - not that many wires showing - but oh my, it lasts forever and has no plot value. At this point, the fishies are supposed to be on strike (like everyone else, they do what they're told by, well, ANY character who speaks), so why are they shot doing stuff?
But that's the story's continued problem. The plot is nonsense and the characters all act stupidly. Even the Doctor here, whose plan hinges on Zaroff actually conducting the search himself. He does, but on the eve of his greatest triumph, should the lead scientist be acting like a common guard? If you're going to stop the countdown by capturing Zaroff, why is there a need to make the fish go on strike? And why does the food spoil within hours except to turn the farming strike into a real threat? The second Doctor, painted as a master of disguise since he set foot on his first planet, here takes on the persona of a shade-wearing swami, not that the costume holds very long, or even hides him in a crowd of Atlanteans wearing shell costumes. Camp? Yes. Drinking game in the making? Maybe. Good? Dear Amdo, no!
REWATCHABILITY: Medium-Low - The visuals sometimes take on an exotic quality not unlike The Web Planet's, but the script is cringe-worthy. Whovian Man cannot live on that last line alone!
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