Customer Reviews

Doctor Who: The King's Demons (Story 129)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Watching The King's Demons again, about 25 years after my first viewing, it's
actually hard to see why the story is so derided. Though not a classic piece of
TV by any stretch, it's still a fun way to spend an hour. In fact, compared to
many Doctor Who stories of the same period, this one has aged remarkably well.

As with the previous season's trip into the past, Black Orchid, the historical
setting helps in this regard, since (as the saying goes) nothing dates like the
future. As a result, there are few if any of the fashion victims that sometimes
make "classic series" episodes hard to enjoy, and even the interior sets feel
more substantial. All of this would be trivial, though, if the story itself
didn't have merit.

The faults are, not surprisingly, fairly easy targets. The Master's plot is (as
the Doctor points out) "small-time villainy", some of the historical background
is a bit shaky, and the resolution is somewhat lacking in drama. That said, the
process of getting to that resolution is quite enjoyable, especially the build
up of a historical mystery that takes place over the course of the first
episode. Some of that sense of intrigue falls by the wayside once the Master's
involvement is revealed, but even then there are enough questions posed to keep
things lively.

Ultimately, you get the impression that this lack of substance is the sole
reason for the story's bad reputation. If so, that's a shame because there's a
lot to enjoy here. Even though the BBC's golden-age of costume drama was a few
years past at this point, they still had the ability to create convincing period
settings that looked far more impressive than you'd expect with the kind of
tight budget a two-part Doctor Who story would have had. Better yet, both the
regulars and guest stars like Gerald Flood give very strong performances.

Of particular note is Peter Davison. Like many fans of my generation, raised on
Tom Baker's widely syndicated early seasons, I really didn't appreciate
Davison's lower-key Doctor until fairly recently. In some ways, lightweight
stories like this and Black Orchid are ideal showcases for Davison, because you
can appreciate the quiet conviction he brings to the role and how much he does
to hold the viewer's interest. In that respect, this story calls to mind, the
historical stories of William Hartnell's tenure as the Doctor, where budgets
were even tighter, and that's no bad thing.

I think, in general, that this story needs to be reviewed along two separate mindsets. First, the story itself, and second the DVD itself.

The Story:

Overall a mediocre story. It's a very fast-paced piece, and The Master's motivations are a bit vague. They try to play up the importance of Magna Carta, but realistically speaking, if you know anything about English history, it's likely that the English nobility would have eventually forced SOME king's hand in granting more power/freedom to the nobility even if they didn't get John to do it. So, as The Doctor himself points out, the Master's goal is pretty small-time stuff. The Master couches it as part of his overall goal of causing chaos over which he will then reign, but...it's more like the historical equivalent of the Master going cow-tipping.

Ok, so, the stakes aren't QUITE so high, or at least the story doesn't do a great job of explaining why they are. Typically, the Doctor will respond with "But if this happens, the entire space-time continuum will unravel!" or somesuch. In this case...not so much. But, the story's still somewhat interesting.

The Davison era is a mixed bag, really. I love Davison's Doctor, but his companions are often a bit weak, and the stories were a bit all over the place, especially the shorter two-parters. This story, along with Time Flight, and to a lesser extent Black Orchid, struck me as a "gimmick" story. In Time Flight, the "gimmick" is the focus on the Concord, and with Black Orchid, on the historical setting. Both capitalize on trends that were big in the early 80s (the Concord itself, and the sort of "Chariots of Fire" time period). The King's Demons is a "gimmick" story for its use of the Kamelion robot. It's clearly an ambitious attempt (especially considering when this was done), and it's clearly one which doesn't quite work.

From that perspective, it's actually interesting to see one of the real stumbles of the Davison era on the production side of things. John Nathan-Turner (JNT) is a controversial figure in Who fandom, and I think that his efforts with Kamelion are an excellent example of how things could go wrong during that era. JNT was undoubtedly ambitious, but his tastes weren't always that great, and his ambition was often a bit over-reaching. This story is an excellent example of how that could go. Simply put, it seems that the focus on the production side was getting Kamelion up and running, and it really just...didn't work. As a result, my sense (and I have no evidence to back this up) is that the rest of the story, including the direction and performances by the cast, suffer some. Mark Strickson is barely used at all, the story seems to jump around a bit, and the reactions by the rest of the cast to things like, for example, one character's visage dissolving into that of The Master before their eyes, along with the abduction of their king by supposed Demons...well, they just don't react in a realistic way or even in a good pantomime way. Like I said, I think the focus was on "The bloody robot's broken down again..."

Still, from the perspective of long-time Who fandom, this one is an interesting entry and worth a view. Kamelion is one of the less-used companions (I think Adam in the new series is the only one with a shorter tenure), and it's pretty obvious why that is. But if you've only ever heard about Kamelion, it's interesting to see the robot in action. As I mention, it was incredibly ambitious to do something like this, especially in 1982 when technology was nowhere near what it is now, and even more ambitious given the budgets of Doctor Who. Again, JNT's reach exceeds his graps, and his judgment is justifiably questioned by fans even many years after the fact. So, for that reason, it's worth viewing as a curiosity. And, despite the criticisms, it's not a TERRIBLE story.


The DVD:

And here's where we get down to the basic question of "Should I buy this disc?" My advice is...probably not. Not unless it goes to about $10 or below. Even then, I'd say it's more of a Netflix rental. The story is alright, but the extras -- while interesting -- are a bit weak. Basically, you get two extra shorts: a 15 minute behind-the-scenes on how Kamelion didn't quite work out, and then a short on Magna Carta. If you already know a bit about Magna Carta and the political situation in 13th Century England at the time, this probably isn't all that informative. If you're kind of in the dark about what's so special about Magna Carta, it's probably an interesting way to provide some context to the story and why it matters. Other than that, there's the usual info-text track (which is always interesting), a coming soon notification that the Troughton-era Dominators story will soon be out (huzzah!), and some other miscellaneous stuff. Nothing all that special, really.

Is it worth $10? Honestly, I wouldn't say so UNLESS you want it for archival purposes. But then, if that's the case, you've probably only read this review out of idle curiosity after having already purchased the disc. That said, the episode and special features are definitely worth a view, and for a Who collector, will be an absolute necessity, if only to see Kamelion (briefly) in action, and to get a glimpse behind the scenes of what it was such a short-lived companion.

I liked this episode, but the behind the scenes extras were better than the feature.

The story was not one of my favorites, but I did enjoy the idea., It is a shame that they used the entire budget on the robot. They could have done the same thing with a man in a suit and it probably would have looked better.

The story was basically what I remembered from seeing it on PBS.

Notice that the robot didn't show up again until planet of fire, when they destroyed the robot.

The story was another Master centric tale, where nothing happens again.

i haven't seen yet the dvd but i'll tell you one thing i did see it very long time ago on television i have seen it so many time that's why i bought it to see it again this is tony.

I disagree with the two other reviews, this is a GREAT adventure for the Doctor. Much better than most of the stories of this season, and a hell of a lot better than "Black Orchid". There are only three things that I hate about this story. For one thing it's a remake of "The Time Meddler", for the second thing the Doctor picks up a new companion in this story and yet he's absent for the next five stories with no explanation and then suddenly reappears again in the sixth story with still no explanation of where he's been all this time, and last it is quite obvious that Sir Gilles Estram is in fact the Master. But on the plus side, this was better than "The Time Meddler" and made a very good and exciting story in which we also get to see in it an epic sword battle between the Doctor and the Master.

The Doctor and his companions arrive in mideval England to find that the Master is attempting to alter Earth's history by preventing the signing of the Magna Carta. But this is just one part of a much bigger plan that will allow the Master to gain control of the entire world, and to help him is a cool-looking shape-shifting robot named Chameleon.

A great plot, great acting, great production values, and a lot of mystery and excitement. Highly recommended!

I love to go back to these old episodes. They had fewer speical effects, but they snag me into the story despite that. I recommend it for the new Who fans. You might like this Who as much as the newer ones.

Not a great story only 2 parts should be 4 parts the shortness rushes the story and leaves you to wonder what that's it.

This one is not worth a propper review so hear are some bullet points:
* The Master story and the two parter for season 20.
* Tegan finally gets something else to wear.
*BBC saves money by using "cut out" likeness of Mark Strikson since Turlough has nothing to do in this story.
*Anliey's worst Master episode (yes I saw TIME-FLIGHT). Geez did he forget how to act for the two mnutes it took to film this story?
*The Plot: The Master tries to steal the Magna Carta. No, you did not mis-read The Master tries to steal the Magna Carta. wow (Thank GOD he was stopped because I think he had his eye on the Declaration of Independence and my ten year old nephew's science fair project.)
*The high point #1: The Doctor and friends pick up this really cool robot named Kamillion who can shape shift into King John and Tegan Jovanka and any one else the owner of this thing desires. For me it would be King John and Julie Newmar....But I digress.
*The high point #2: Uhmm. Did I already mention the shape shifting robot??
*Last bullet: Buy it anyway it's only $10 bucks...And Planet of Fire will make a lot more sense to you.

What the heck???

This is a good story, a TRUE Doctor Who Fan wouldn't CARE a bit what some people write. Doctor Who is GREAT, old, new, which ever Doctor you choose, I don't care what some intellectual wannabe critics say.

Yes some are better than others, but this is a good story, and entertaining to boot.

The King's Demons is quite probably the worst Dr Who adventure of the Peter Davidson era. He had some very good adventures, Earthshock, and some stinkers, Timeflight, but far and away this is the one that the BBC should be paying *us* to take off their hands.

The rare 2 part adventure with the Doctor and his companions in 12th century England at the court of King John, where the Master is attempting to steal the Magna Cater with the help of a shape changing android. It manages the unenviable juggling act of simultaneously feeling rushed, needlessly cluttered and half finished all at once. The plot doesn't hold up, amazing given the underlying open premise of the show, traveling anywhere in time and space

The ending, SPOILER WARNING includes one of the greatest missteps in the Dr Who history. He takes the android into his TARDIS as a companion at the end and promptly loses him until several episodes later when he `dies.' It's like he was forced into the script with a happy ending and then the script editor promptly drops the ball. His absence is never explained or even commented upon. It's like he went to the "little robots' room" and got in the halls lost for several adventures.

The overall feel is that it was something rushed together by people more concerned with filling 2 half hour time slots than actually crafting a story. The King's Demons is one of those rare adventures that the BBC should have lost. Even at this low price this one isn't worth it.