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Editorial Reviews
"The TARDIS makes an unplanned landing on Manussa, where preparations are underway to celebrate the defeat of the Sumaran Empire five centuries earlier. But the ancient evil of the Mara lives on, and Tegan, who has been haunted by disturbing dreams since her time under the Windchimes on Deva Loka, is now a pawn in its plan to re-enter the physical world and subjugate the Manussan people. Only the Doctor can stop the Mara – but first he must convince the authorities that he is not just a deluded fool who believes in children’s fairytales."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Snakedance is one of the most cerebral - and consequently one of the best - Doctor Who stories ever produced. Curiously, fans of the show have a tendency to under-value stories like this one, favoring "action-packed" or "scary" stuff like Earthshock and When a Good Man Goes to War. But, for me, Doctor Who is always at its best when it's being aggressively intelligent. Even now, the BBC can't match Hollywood in terms of action and spectacle; but they can produce good, thoughtful drama like Snakedance, which stands the test of time in every area except production values.
Perhaps the most unusual aspect of this story is that the main antagonist, Lon, is not totally evil as most Doctor Who villains are; he's merely bored and amoral, and so he is easily corrupted by the real villain of the piece, a malevolent psychic entity called the Mara. The Doctor, who is used to fighting more belligerent opponents, has a hard time convincing people that Lon is truly dangerous. Indeed, for most of this story, the Doctor comes across as some ranting doom merchant who is alternatively ignored and locked up by the very people he's trying to help. This makes an interesting - and surprisingly realistic - change of pace from the show's usual formula of making the Doctor powerful and very much in charge.
Christopher Bailey's script is interesting in many other ways, as it touches lightly but intelligently on issues such as religion, family, and our common failure to learn the appropriate lessons from history. Unfortunately, Bailey did not enjoy his experience of writing for Doctor Who (as he explains on one of the DVD special features), and he quit writing both for the show and for television in general; this is a shame, as he is clearly one of the best and smartest writers to take a crack at the series.
Speaking of the DVD, I must reluctantly report that it falls into the "merely competent" category. In the UK, Snakedance was released in a combo pack with Bailey's other Doctor Who story, Kinda; and it seems to me that most of the budget for the UK release was lavished on Kinda, which got a more extensive package of special features, and new CGI effects for the snake-like physical manifestation of the Mara. Snakedance, alas, gets saddled with fewer special features and the same old rubbery version of the Mara. I think it's pretty stupid that they put new Mara effects in one story but not the other, but I guess money was a concern. It's just my tough luck that I've always liked Snakedance more than Kinda!
On another slightly disheartening note, the audio commentary by actors Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, and Sarah Sutton is too caustic and negative for my tastes, and also very repetitive of Davison's past commentaries. I know that many fans like his commentaries precisely because they're critical and "honest," but at this point I'm tired of listening to him constantly complain that Doctor Who needed darker lighting and faster pacing. Yeah, yeah, I noticed that the lighting on old BBC productions is bad when I was five years old - talk about something else already! I much prefer the more thoughtful analysis provided on this DVD by Doctor Who fan/writer Robert Shearman, who actually understands the story (unlike Davison and Fielding) and is capable of deconstructing it in a way that interests me. Bizarrely, the best feature on the DVD - a fairly long chat between Shearman and Bailey, covering a range of cool topics - is buried in an Easter Egg, which is well worth hunting down if you actually like the story and want to hear a cogent analysis of it.
Perhaps the most unusual aspect of this story is that the main antagonist, Lon, is not totally evil as most Doctor Who villains are; he's merely bored and amoral, and so he is easily corrupted by the real villain of the piece, a malevolent psychic entity called the Mara. The Doctor, who is used to fighting more belligerent opponents, has a hard time convincing people that Lon is truly dangerous. Indeed, for most of this story, the Doctor comes across as some ranting doom merchant who is alternatively ignored and locked up by the very people he's trying to help. This makes an interesting - and surprisingly realistic - change of pace from the show's usual formula of making the Doctor powerful and very much in charge.
Christopher Bailey's script is interesting in many other ways, as it touches lightly but intelligently on issues such as religion, family, and our common failure to learn the appropriate lessons from history. Unfortunately, Bailey did not enjoy his experience of writing for Doctor Who (as he explains on one of the DVD special features), and he quit writing both for the show and for television in general; this is a shame, as he is clearly one of the best and smartest writers to take a crack at the series.
Speaking of the DVD, I must reluctantly report that it falls into the "merely competent" category. In the UK, Snakedance was released in a combo pack with Bailey's other Doctor Who story, Kinda; and it seems to me that most of the budget for the UK release was lavished on Kinda, which got a more extensive package of special features, and new CGI effects for the snake-like physical manifestation of the Mara. Snakedance, alas, gets saddled with fewer special features and the same old rubbery version of the Mara. I think it's pretty stupid that they put new Mara effects in one story but not the other, but I guess money was a concern. It's just my tough luck that I've always liked Snakedance more than Kinda!
On another slightly disheartening note, the audio commentary by actors Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, and Sarah Sutton is too caustic and negative for my tastes, and also very repetitive of Davison's past commentaries. I know that many fans like his commentaries precisely because they're critical and "honest," but at this point I'm tired of listening to him constantly complain that Doctor Who needed darker lighting and faster pacing. Yeah, yeah, I noticed that the lighting on old BBC productions is bad when I was five years old - talk about something else already! I much prefer the more thoughtful analysis provided on this DVD by Doctor Who fan/writer Robert Shearman, who actually understands the story (unlike Davison and Fielding) and is capable of deconstructing it in a way that interests me. Bizarrely, the best feature on the DVD - a fairly long chat between Shearman and Bailey, covering a range of cool topics - is buried in an Easter Egg, which is well worth hunting down if you actually like the story and want to hear a cogent analysis of it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
Not exactly a sequel, but a decent follow-up to "Kinda", has the Doctor trying to stop the return of the Mara through Tegan. Janet Fielding makes a great vilianess. The design is wonderful. Davison is a tour de force trying to convince people of worldwide destruction. Love the archealogical spin on this story. And Lon is a great character. Another of one of the charming 5th Doctor Stories.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By DJ PHILLY B?
Format:DVD
Below you will find the available information for Snakedance, including bonus material. In the United Kingdom, Kinda & Snakedance are only being sold together as "Mara Tales" boxset, but in the USA and Canada it is the opposite: they are only being solicited to retailers as individual titles.
1 disc, 125 minutes, 4 episodes, full frame video, English mono audio, English subtitles, [...]
The TARDIS makes an unplanned landing on Manussa, where preparations are underway to celebrate the defeat of the Sumaran Empire five centuries earlier. But the ancient evil of the Mara lives on, and Tegan, who has been haunted by disturbing dreams since her time under the Windchimes on Deva Loka, is now a pawn in its plan to re-enter the physical world and subjugate the Manussan people. Only the Doctor can stop the Mara - but first he must convince the authorities that he is not just a deluded fool who believes in children's fairytales.
Extras:
*Commentary - stereo. With actors Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton.
*Snake Charmer (dur. 24' 37") - cast and crew look back at the making of the story. With actors Peter Davison and Janet Fielding, director Fiona Cumming, writer Christopher Bailey, script editor Eric Saward, designer Jan Spoczynski, and new series writer Robert Shearman.
*Deleted Scenes (dur. 3' 05") - scenes from the original ending of episode four, courtesy of a timecoded recording kept by producer John Nathan-Turner.
*In Studio (dur. 6' 12") - a rare glimpse inside the studio during recording of effects sequences for the story, including the infamous `farting Mara'!
*Saturday Superstore (dur. 14' 16") - Peter Davison guests on the Saturday morning children's show, where he plays cricket with Mike Read and John Craven and takes questions from callers.
*Photo Gallery (dur. 5' 21") - production, design and publicity photos from the story.
*Isolated Music - option to watch the story with the isolated music score.
*Radio Times Listings in Adobe PDF format.
1 disc, 125 minutes, 4 episodes, full frame video, English mono audio, English subtitles, [...]
The TARDIS makes an unplanned landing on Manussa, where preparations are underway to celebrate the defeat of the Sumaran Empire five centuries earlier. But the ancient evil of the Mara lives on, and Tegan, who has been haunted by disturbing dreams since her time under the Windchimes on Deva Loka, is now a pawn in its plan to re-enter the physical world and subjugate the Manussan people. Only the Doctor can stop the Mara - but first he must convince the authorities that he is not just a deluded fool who believes in children's fairytales.
Extras:
*Commentary - stereo. With actors Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton.
*Snake Charmer (dur. 24' 37") - cast and crew look back at the making of the story. With actors Peter Davison and Janet Fielding, director Fiona Cumming, writer Christopher Bailey, script editor Eric Saward, designer Jan Spoczynski, and new series writer Robert Shearman.
*Deleted Scenes (dur. 3' 05") - scenes from the original ending of episode four, courtesy of a timecoded recording kept by producer John Nathan-Turner.
*In Studio (dur. 6' 12") - a rare glimpse inside the studio during recording of effects sequences for the story, including the infamous `farting Mara'!
*Saturday Superstore (dur. 14' 16") - Peter Davison guests on the Saturday morning children's show, where he plays cricket with Mike Read and John Craven and takes questions from callers.
*Photo Gallery (dur. 5' 21") - production, design and publicity photos from the story.
*Isolated Music - option to watch the story with the isolated music score.
*Radio Times Listings in Adobe PDF format.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Mara's Back!
A great story. Just like "Kinda" it's kind of confusing and what's happening may not get a full explanation, but I think that's what attracts me. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Adam
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Doctor encounters a foe thought destoyed
Peter Davidson returns as The Doctor in the episodes entitled "Snakedance". Tegan has been having strange visions of a cave that looks like a serpent. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Jacob
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sequil
Well the first story wasn't that great so they decided to do a sequil. This was a gift for my brother who is a Dr. Who fan and has the first story. I do like Dr. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Bill
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of my favorites!
Snakedance is one of my favorite episodes. What makes it is the acting - the royal family is superb, and Tegan who I usually find annoying is excellently evil. Read more
Published on January 26, 2010 by Cara Wallace
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Mara Returns...
Just like the first Mara story, "Kinda", this has a very good plot in it. Unfortunately, like "Kinda", the story suffers badly from lack of action. Read more
Published on February 13, 2009 by Jero Briggs
4.0 out of 5 stars
Snakedance is worthy sequel to Kinda
"Where the winds of restlessness blow, where the fires of greed burn, where hatred chills the blood, here in the Great Mind's Eye, here in the depths of the human heart, here is... Read more
Published on February 17, 2004 by Daniel J. Hamlow
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cultural Examination
Snakedance is a tremendously strong outing for the Doctor and is highly recommended.The guest cast is superb, Martin Clunes is first class and the absence of Adric gives the Doctor... Read more
Published on September 28, 2002 by Glenn Ogden
4.0 out of 5 stars
Am I free of the Mara, Doctor?
The evil Mara from the previous season returns to haunt Tegan's dreams and then take control of her once again. Read more
Published on April 30, 2000 by John S. Drew
4.0 out of 5 stars
The follow up to Kinda! The Mara is back again!
In this episode we discover that Tegan is not free of the Mara from the Kinda world.The Mara makes the TARDIS land on the planet Manussa. Read more
Published on April 9, 2000 by Aaron Amos
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mostly good.
The Mara, a snake-light entity, lives on in Tegan, who it soon has control over.
Overall a good follow-up. Read more
Published on January 26, 2000 by G.Spider
