NOTE: The Project Team watched “The Enemy of the World”, primarily as recons, from May to June 2013, several months before the discovery of the full story was announced. While rumors abounded at the time, there was still no confirmation that any stories had been recovered.
The Enemy of the World episode 1 discussion:
P: Bucket and spades! What does he think we are, children?
R: No, he’s just trying to distract them from the fact that they are in the Triassic. The laugh he had, the sort of manicness to it, I really thought he was going “yes, we’re doomed. But I’m trying to keep you all cheered up.”
H: I think he was just thrilled to be at the seaside instead of the ice-side.
E: Yes, me too. I do like how they lamp shaded the successive ice settings.
R: Was it just me, or did it sound like the TARDIS’s parking break was on?
H: Yeah. That sound effect was slowed down, and that tends to be noted in episode guides about this story. Speaking of episode guides and what else they say about this story – did everyone notice the director of this story?
K: Only because you pointed it out.
H: I was pretending for the write up that I hadn’t said anything. But yes, the director of this story, making his Doctor Who debut – Barry Letts!
K: I know who that is!
H: For those who don’t know…
Sp: Stop looking at me.
P: Or me.
H: Barry went on to produce all four years of Jon Pertwee’s tenure, as well as executive produce Tom Baker’s last season.
<Off topic discussion of the careers of Tom Baker and Peter Davison. Cows.>
H: As can be seen from the hover craft and the helicopter, Barry became known for that kind of thing.
P: It’s Bond! The pre-Bond days.
K: The first few Bond movies had already been out by now.
Sp: So Letts was responsible for Bessie?
H: Pretty much. It was under his watch. It’s more Bond than you know, if that exploding helicopter looked familiar to anyone.
K: They used clip scenes from Bond movies for the recon?
H: It’s from “From Russia With Love”. Not the recon – the actual episode. I wonder why the recon didn’t use more of the clip.
Sp: It wouldn’t match. The recon did a really good job matching display aspect and film stock and all that. This episode was a lot more orchestral too. The music was completely different tone than one we’ve gotten to date.
H: I’m pretty sure that’s library music too.
<pun deleted>
R: There were definitely a couple of moments of “Yargh! Soundtrack SMASH!”
Sp: That though was not nearly as funny as the straight two minutes, or what felt like two minutes, of different engine noises and pictures of vehicles, going back and forth to imply the chase. That’s not a slam on the recon guys at all. It was just unintentionally hilarious. Eeeeee… Errrrrr… Whirrrr… Moving pictures might have made that slightly better, but it may not have been much.
P: Still more exciting than a stubbed toe.
H: The Doctor might disagree with you there.
K: I didn’t get the point of having the stubbed toe as part of the story.
R: It was to reveal the growing strain between Jamie and the Doctor. “It’s a helicopter, you ignorant savage!” It was funny joke, but that’s kind of mean. He’s from the 17th century or something. “It’s a chopper” Ah ha “A whirly bird” “A bird?”
Sp: It is starting to get to be a tired joke. Jamie is agog at all of these modern marvels. Victoria seems to be getting it all in stride.
H: Not at all. When she saw the helicopter she couldn’t even more.
Sp: But at least she’s not asking constant questions like a toddler.
H: Well, not is Jamie here.
P: At least he’s not running away from it like last time.
K: Or assuming it was a “great beastie” like with the airplane.
Sp: Where I will leave this, he’s been a companion long enough that he should be a little more jaded. He’s traveled across time and space. He’s seen monsters. He should be able to handle a car or a flying thing.
H: I think he tends to do better than you’re giving him credit for.
P: Well, think of it this way, the fact that they had a woman piloting the helicopter – we don’t see that as being different. But 30 years earlier women barely drove.
H: I think it goes back to the James Bond thing. The woman in the tight suit swooping in on the helicopter goes with the James Bond feel.
Sp: I can get behind that! Arg!
<Discovery online that Mary Peach, who played Astrid, the helicopter pilot, did actually try out for the role of Emma Peel in the Avengers.>
R: Astrid’s a recurring name in Doctor Who, isn’t it.
K: It’s obvious. TARDIS. ASTRID. Anagram.
<minds are blown>
R: I liked the fact that the hovercar actually was a hovercar. It was the 60’s and people were actually using them. I was expecting them to do the Jackie Chan thing – you get run over by a hovercraft, but it doesn’t actually DO anything.
Sp: So, I’m going to jump around a bit because one thing really leaped out at me as an exceptionally cool, almost meta moment. The entire scene where the Doctor is thinking out loud and considering how he would do the accent for Salamander, where the actor is figuring out how to imitate himself as a different character. And the Doctor is behaving like an actor breaking down an approach to a character. It’s just such as actor’s scene, and I hope that Pat had as much fun doing it as I had watching it. That was just tremendous.
H: This whole story was a Pat Troughton request. He wanted to try playing a bad guy. It’s very similar to why they did The Massacre, with William Hartnell playing the Abbot.
Sp: But this takes it to a whole other level because of the scene I just described.
H: Yeah. Something that impresses me about this, and admittedly it’s mainly from stills, although one episode does exist – is how good an actor Patrick Troughton is. They change his hair slightly, and he changes his expression – it’s still enough that he can impersonate himself – but he looks so different, and just gives off a completely different feeling. He’s just such a good actor. Some people think he’s the best actor to ever do the role, and this story helps cement that.
Sp: It’s enough to get me past a bad guy named Salamander, and that’s saying a lot.
H: Well, again the James Bond thing. Salamanka.
R: I immediately thought “Pat Troughton IS Salamander, the Man with the Golden Sun!”
Sp: <Bad Pat impression> “So, Mister Bond, would you… um… care to talk? I’ll… I’ll be right here. That’s… that’s very good. Jamie, turn the laser on.”
H: <impression> “No Mister Bond… I expect you to die… really.”
R: <As Jamie> “But Doctor, I cannae kill a fellow Scotsman!”
<laughter>
R: The revolutionaries teamwork was so staggering impressive. “Don’t kill him!” “Well, try and stop us.” This revolution is not going to go well if you guys kill each other off already.
Sp: Be fair – they may have been having the same problem I was – which was they couldn’t understand each other!
H: You don’t get bad fake Australian accents?
Sp: That was Australian? It didn’t sound human.
K: Maybe they got actors who played Zarbi or something in previous stories.
H: <Bad Australian accent> “Shrimps! Barbies! Rocket Sounds!”
K: I got it when the Doctor called the guy Bruce. But not before.
H: Excuse me, I know you’re trying to shoot me, but can I just call you Bruce to make it clear?
R: <Australian accent> “What’s new Bruce gonna teach? Impersonation of world leaders! Ah spit!”
<everyone> “G’Day!”
H: We apologize to any Australian readers who might someday come across this writeup.
Sp: Or any readers who are not familiar with Monty Python. All three of you.
P: Okay, who here liked “Humans, favorite pass-time, trying to destroy each other!”
<hands go up>
R: Is that the first time the Doctor has done his “stupid monkeys shtick.”
K: No, we’ve definitely seen it before. Not “stupid monkeys” specifically, but violent and annoying humans, definitely.
H: So, final thoughts?
E: I really enjoyed the humor in this episode. It was really awesome. Particularly how Astrid is very calm about the helicopter that was supposedly about to explode.
A: It was awesome.
H: That’s it?
A: I really liked the Avengers feel. The James Bond feel. It was exciting.
P: I liked the scene where the Doctor explained what his doctoral degree was not in.
H: He never quite denied anything. Interestingly the one thing that he came the closest to denying was the thing that he mentioned as actually studying in a previous episode. The Highlanders, I think.
P: I thought the sun catcher concept was interesting.
K: Certainly better than melting icebergs and global cooling. So why couldn’t they use the suncatcher to melt the icebergs in the previous story? Does this take place before or after that one?
H: Different writer! And before, probably.
P: The phones were some of the loudest in… the… world.
E: And they sounded suspiciously like crickets.
K: Or phones in a James Bond movie.
K & Sp:<phone sounds>
P: That’s it. Next.
Sp: Oh Doctor! Good, you’re here! The plot’s on it’s rail and it’s leaving the station! Quick, get in! Get in! Get in! Seriously, this was the most transparently quick setup that I can remember seeing in quite some time. If you take out all of the Bond vehicle beach hoobahjoo at the beginning, this could be pretty much black box theater one act play kind of thing. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just amusing how fast they immediately drop into “And scene!” So yeah, fun. It was awesome. Next.
R: Does anyone else remember the day when people genuinely didn’t know who the Doctor was, and this kind of shtick would actually work?
H: Yes! Yes I do!
K: Like nearly all of the TARDIS project.
H: Like, nearly everything until 2005.
K: Unless you were dealing with Daleks or Cybermen or Timelords. But no one else know who the heck he is.
R: It was just refreshing, that’s all. I liked the episode on a whole, even including the silliness. And I look forward to seeing the rest.
Sp: But was it awesome?
Cz: I thought so.
<laughter>
H: You didn’t watch it.
Cz: But I heard laughter when I was out of the room sleeping, so.
Sp: Ronelyn still hasn’t answered my question.
Cz: Two words. Awe. Some. Nyeh.
Sp: That’s three words, and Ronelyn still hasn’t answered my question.
R: I will not use the word because I’m trying to take it back.
P: Well, that’s awesome of you.
K: Did I REALLY type all of that?
H: Apparently you did?
P: Yeah, but you missed 9 other of my puns, so that’s okay. It spares the reader(s).
R: That a public service that she provides.
Sp: I believe it’s your turn to say that the episode is awesome, Ketina.
K: Sure. It was. That word. In all seriousness… horrible soundtrack.
Sp: Awesome soundtrack.
K: No. Too loud at minimum. I couldn’t hear dialog over it. And it being a recon ruined the chance of finding out if it was a good chase scene.
Sp: Still make it funny, though.
K: And again I’m concerned about the pace of 6-parters. But other than those issues, I’m enjoying it so far.
H: Well, the dialog in general of this story is great. But the script’s by David Whitaker, so we expect that. I have never been impressed with this story plot-wise. I’m interested in seeing whether I feel differently this time watching it. This episode does not exactly give me ammunition for changing my opinion of the plot. But the acting and the dialog is still a lot of fun. And Pat Troughton is amazing. We’ll see how I feel next week.
