Customer Reviews

Doctor Who: The Monster of Peladon (Story 73)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the penultimate Jon Pertwee story, this sequel to The Curse of Peladon takes place fifty years after the Doctor's first visit, only this time, he has Sarah Jane in tow. He was meaning to revisit Peladon (both the planet and king), but Thalira, Peladon's daughter, is the monarch. High Priest Hepesh's successor is Ortron, who is chancellor and high priest. And once again, they are in the middle of a crisis with many complications.

First off, entry into the Galactic Federation has only benefitted Ortron and his aristocratic lackeys. The miners, led by Gebek, have worked harder and for the same rewards. "It's always been the same. Work and sleep, little else... earn barely enough to feed our families." Gebek is a working class moderate, loyal to the queen, and more patient, but hotheaded radicals like Ettis, keep leading armed rebellions against Ortron. The Doctor saves Gebek's life and gains a friend and ally in the miner.

Ortron, like Hepesh before him, dislikes the Doctor. He thinks the Doctor is a spy for Galaxy Five, a power bloc that Federation are at war with. However, Alpha Centauri, the one-eyed hermaphrodite hexapod, recognizes the Doctor and vouches for the Time Lord.

The crux of the problem is once again the spirit of Aggedor, who this time is vaporizing the miners digging for trisilicate. They refuse to work with sophisticated machinery, like the sonic lance. As for engineer Eckersley, who's in charge of the refinery, he's a non-political professional. All he's concerned with is getting the trisilicate mined for the Federation. Current technology is dependent on trisilicate, and whoever controls it wins the war.

The Doctor tries to be the voice of reason, getting Gebek to voice his grievances to the queen without Ortron's presence, and the queen to give the workers a better deal to cut the grass from under Ettis' feet. At the same time, he thinks that Aggedor's manifestations are technological trickery by saboteurs. However, just when he's cleared himself of some trouble, something else comes up that barely gives him breathing room. Worse, the situation deteriorates to the point that a panicked Alpha Centauri calls in Federation troops under Commander Azaxyr, a ruthless Ice Warrior who immediately places Peladon under martial law and threatens execution of hostages unless the miners get back to work.

Of the guest actors Rex Robinson is solid as Gebek. Nina Thomas (Thalira) plays the queen as another vulnerable, indecisive, but well-meaning ruler just like her father, but those large, deer caught in the headlights eyes really got me.

This time, the basis for the story is the miner's strike, whose poor handling of it led to Prime Minister Edward Heath defeat at the polls. The Conservatives lost and Labour under Harold Wilson returned to office in 1974, the same year this story was broadcast. However, a group of television professionals polled said the story reminded them of Poland in 1970, where a workers' uprising due to rising prices and unfair work incentives led to the resignation of General Secretary Wladyslaw Gomulka. Others saw the miners' situation to that workers in Russian prior to the 1917 revolution, and they saw Ortron as symbolizing bureaucracy today. The Doctor was the voice of reason, the real hero, saying "there is an answer if you will listen to it." That's the problem, getting factions to listen.

A shot at woman's lib is given here, as Thalira, dominated by Ortron, seen as little more than a child, and made queen just because she was the only offspring of the king, tells Sarah of her weak position. "Things would be different if I were a man, but I'm just a girl." To which Sarah flat out tells her, "There's nothing only about being a girl. Never mind why they made you a queen. The fact is, you ARE the queen, so just you jolly well let them know it!"

Though severely panned due to its 6 episode length and the back and forth fighting, defeats, fighting again, it surpasses its predecessor due to the multiple conflicts and politically-charged message, with Marxist sympathies and responsibilities and benefits of being part of a collective union. Underrated and due for some reevaluation.

If you're going to watch Dr. Who, it really is necessary to suspend your disbelief. Alpha Centauri sometimes stretches that disbelief, but "Monster" has a really strong storyline if not great special effects. Like many of the Pertwee episodes, the themes of this story mirror the primary concerns of Great Britain in the early seventies; class division, industrial fallout and a shrinking influence over world events, namely the Cold War. Not the best, but definitely in my top twenty.

I personally love this story. I think it's very underrated and has some wonderful cliffhangers and exciting moments that most fans don't seem to appreciate. The restoration by the esteemed Doctor Who Restoration Team is wonderful as usual, and the extras are also top notch.

However, I feel I must protest against this price-gouching tactic of Warner Brothers/BBC Worldwide Video to separate the boxsets out so that they can charge more for each story. What could have been a boxset of 3 discs for about $39.95 becomes one 2-disc set for $32 and one 1 disc DVD for another $19. This is why this DVD gets only two stars. If you happen to be made of money, however, please feel free to buy this disc as it's really good.

PLEASE STOP SPLITTING UP THE BOXSETS FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN RELEASES, WARNER BROTHERS! It's not fair!

Thank you!

Why can't amazon.com seperate reviews? vhs with dvd? dvd and vhs with blu ray? they do not even make vhs tapes anymore. And few shows get reviews like doctor who does. Individual stories get trashed left and right and they seem to forget that this was a low budget sci fi tv series that was kid friendly and even today still is! So this episode to me is exactly what I expected a decent far out space tale featuring a cool performance from the great jon pertwee. The story isn't as good as some other stories but I don't think any doctor who story ever rated a one star review , not even time and the rani which is rather slapstick. They of course did a good job remastering this dvd and it's good to see more dw out on dvd!

I am a very big Doctor Who fan. And I remember watching this Doctor Who story, way back in the day. However, it was so long ago that I didn't remember much of it. I was interested in watching the sequel to the previous Doctor Who Peladon story. I'd read in other places where people didn't consider this to be a very good story, so my expectations were low. I was pleasantly surprised, however. No, it isn't the best story, and not the best Jon Pertwee Doctor Who story, either, but give it a try, I think you'll find it better than you expected.

For those who have this show placed solidly in their childhood or teen years, this is a great show, a great story in the Pertwee years which bridged Sarah from Baker backwards to Pertwee. It was one of the first Ice Warrior shows we saw in America, and the monsters have always been important, so this was a special story for that element as well. However, it always suffered from being slow and a dreary political muddle.

The ideas aren't so bad, and relate an interesting potpourri of social/labor/political ideologies and situations. Thus it is less of a rollicking sci-fi adventure and more of a rollicking intrigue story. There was nothing particularly purposeful within Peladon stories which gave the Ice Warriors a strong reason to be there. Ice Warriors could have been men with guns or any other creature. Resonance from returning to Peladon after 50 years was nice, but the story was a rehash with a slight twist. Not the greatest offering of Doctor Who, but it isn't unwatchable.

Ice Warriors of the Troughton stories were the typically rousing monsters of Doctor Who: "RAHR! I COME FROM THE UNKNOWN AND KILL!" Ice Warriors in these Pertwee shows were more civilized, ambassadors, and were more along the lines of: "Nice to meet you, RAHR! NOW I KILL YOU WITH PERMISSION!"

Pacing of these older shows have strengths the newer series don't have, because the writing and acting can connect to viewers better through heart. On the other hand, the old shows are limited with effects and scripts and locations and technical aspects which might bore younger viewers used to modern pacing and writing conventions.

DVD commentaries for these 6 episodes are packed with people:
1-3 have Nina Thomas (Queen Thalira), Donald Gee (Eckersley), Ralph Watson (Ettis), Letts & Dicks, and Terry Hadoke (who? what the-?)
4 has Hadoke (who?) returning with FANS of the show: Robert Shirman (writer of "Dalek" 2005 - wha?), Mark Alrdrige(who?), Phil Newman(why?), Kate DuRose(huh?)
5-6 has Hadoke (who?) moderating with Stewart Fell, Dicks & Letts, and Donald Gee

The actors' commentaries were great, but I never like the moderators they plug in, especially when they could be on headphones to prod people instead of in the room taking time and injecting directorial commentary that is distracting. The fourth episode of the DVD has utterly boring commentary. I'd rather they put such tracks on an further commentary level and have people involved in the show's production through all episodes. It made sense when the animators on "The Invasion"s first animated episode had commentary, but these people had nothing worthy of inclusion on the track. Now, months after Lett' death from cancer, it seems pitiable that we couldn't have had him on all episodes possible. The producers, script editors, and lead actors are never dull on Doctor Who commentaries.

Disc 2 has a ton of extra little films and documentaries which combine the Peladon stories, the first Peladon story having only one disc.

A good deal. Nice package of stuff. Worth it for the dedicated Who fan.

Pencils ready?.........The Galactic Federation becomes embroiled in a war with Galaxy 5, Peladon becomes strategically important, being rich in a mineral vital to the war effort. Fed tech is brought in to speed things up, but only end up adding to the escalating clash between Peladon's old ways and new. Then add to that there's the ghostly visage of Aggedor appears attacking miners. Naturally this is when the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith arrive, missing the Citadel again, some 50 years since the Doctor's visit with Jo. The Queen, the Daughter of the late King Peladon (of the Curse of Peladon) knows of the Doctor from her father, enlists him to find the cause of the manifestations of Aggedor. He guesses someone is deliberately trying to interrupt Trisilicate production, be it saboteurs or spooks, they seem to have succeeded when the miners decide to strike, then before long attack the Federation armory to get weapons. This further sets back Trisilicate supplies, so a human engineer in charge of the refinery, sends for Federation troops to help restore order. None of the involved parties want Federation occupation, especially when the ICE WARRIORS implement some ruthless Martian tactics. Martian ICE LORD Commander Azaxyr sole objective is to maintain Trisilicate production at all costs, creating political realignment: the Plebs and Patricians join forces in seeking to rid the planet of the Martians. Except for a raving MINER attempts to blow up the Citadel allowing for the Ice Warriors to impose martial law on the capital, imprisoning the Queen and her courtiers, and even killing another Peladonian Chancellor (wonder if this is in the job description)...then it gets complicated....well everything sorts itself out with some help from the Doctor and Sarah.

There are still some painfully cheesy moments, such as Sarah Jane explaining "Women's Lib" to the Queen, "There's nothing "only" about being a girl." Also the Doctor's hilarious `rassling match with the Miner Ettis in which it is clearly the late-great stuntman Terry Walsh and not Pertwee, but while "Monster's" plot is seems unnecessarily over-complicated, like it's predecessor "Curse" the enthusiasm for the material shines though all of the missteps. I guess the same can be said for all Classic Dr. Who.

Another important (atleast to me) note: the voice of Alpha Centauri is again played by Ysanne Churchman worked as an actress on British radio, TV and film (returns as the Voice to voice the Spiders in Planet of the Spiders for the end of this season). She is my favorite thing about the Peladon stories, de-lightful!


More Peladonian Drinking Games:

Drink whenever you see.....

-a stalagmite or stalactite ("another rotten, gloomy, old, tunnel")

-a Venusian Karate Chop or hear a Venusian Lullaby.

-the Doctor call someone dear "FELLOW" or old "CHAP"

-the Doctor drop-names.

-Sarah complains about being left to "twiddle her thumbs" or whenever she actually "twiddles her thumbs."

-good ole ALPHA CENTAURI again "Cheers!"

-good ole AGGEDOR again "Cheers!"

The Doctor and Sarah land on Peladon, a barbaric planet and member of the Federation, to catch up with old friend, King Peladon. All is not well, as forces of Galaxy Five are driving the Federation into war, which will mean Peladon will be the first battleground! A quaint little sequel to "The Curse of Peladon", nice continuity, some sword and gun action, the return of the silly looking Alpha Centauri, and last appearance of the Ice Warriors add up to fun Pertwee runaround. Although, don't annalize it too closely. It's heavily padded(as is all Pertwee six-parters) which might make the casual Who viewer looking for something else to watch. However, Pertwee is in fine form(except for Terry Walsh's inadvertent appearance) and Lis Sladen continues to grow into her character.

Sadly, this sequal to the classic 'Curse of Peladon' is a light-hearted 'fun' story, rather than something which repeats the intelligent, stylish and well-written 'Curse'. True, it's certainly worthwhile entertainment, but the whole thing is undermined by weak human characters - the miners with their idiotic badger hairstyles, the pathetic queen (how could she ever have clung to power for any time at all?) and the 'baddie' who just stands around like a spare part for most of the episodes. There's also a fight scene in which a stuntman doubling as the Doctor is wearing a wig which looks nothing like Jon Pertwee's hair. You can even see the stuntman's face at one point. However, the story is saved by the Ice Warriors, who have returned to their evil ways and dominate their every scene. Especially good is the Ice Lord Azaxyr (spelling?) who has real menacing on-screen presence.

Don't get me wrong. This is not a bad adventure - in fact I enjoyed most of it. It's just not the sequel it might have been.

The Peladon stories (first "The Curse of Peladon," followed by "The Monster of Peladon" two seasons later) are fondly remembered by many Who fans for their menagerie of imaginative alien creatures and lively, action-driven plotting, but it's an enthusiasm I have difficulty sharing. I've always found the stories' setting dark and claustrophobic, and the action feels cramped. The Peladon stories could almost have been performed on radio without losing much in the translation.

"Curse" is notable for reintroducing the Ice Warriors as a reformed, peace-loving race that now eschews war for a leading role in a growing Galactic Federation (they return to characteristic, evil form in "Monster"), but the other aliens in these stories are hard to take. First, the hermaphroditic hexapod from Alpha Centauri (who appears in both "Curse" and "Monster") is screechy and annoying, a one-eyed green monstrosity that must wear living-room curtains around its neck to cover up the unnatural juncture of its head with its stalklike body. The design of Arcturus in "Curse" is equally preposterous, a primitive puppet head inside a transparent dome attached to a machine body--he's basically a Dalek with the organic bits visible on the outside. The "monster" of Peladon, fear of which drives so much of the action in both stories, is essentially a man in an ape suit with the head of Alf whom the Doctor easily tames with hypnosis and Venusian lullabies.

Both stories revolve around the struggles of Peladon's weak monarchs to maintain rule in the face of, first, a double-dealing High Priest in "Curse" and then sex discrimination and a miners' rebellion in "Monster." In "Curse," you either warm to the supposed chemistry between King Peladon (played by David Troughton, son of Patrick) and Jo Grant (Katy Manning) or you don't (I didn't). I found Peladon's daughter and heir, Queen Thalira (Nina Thomas), in "Monster" an empty cipher, and Sarah Jane's feminist exhortations for her to step up to power sound hopelessly dated now.

The Special Features accompanying "The Monster of Peladon" include the second part of an enthusiastic, overreaching "making of" documentary on the Peladon saga; a contemporary television interview with voice actress Ysanne Churchman, who created the high-pitched nattering of Alpha Centauri (skip this); and a captivating retrospective on the Doctor Who novelizations penned by longtime script editor Terrance Dicks (a similar feature on the Doctor Who novels of Malcolm Hulke comes with "The War Games"; don't miss either).