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Dr Who Season 1 Volume 4
It may come as something of a shock to
those who don't follow the genre, but Science Fiction fans are far less
unified in their tastes than is popularly considered. Over the years,
there have been numerous, sometimes heated, disagreements: Star Trek vs
Star Wars, for example. Another of those contraversial areas sure to
engage passionate debate is Dr Who, specifically which actor's portrayal
of the Doctor was "best". Until recently, the most popular camps seemed
to be Jon Pertwee vs Tom Baker, he of the long scarf, while more recent
incarnations received little favour.
When the BBC revived their long-standing TV serial with Christopher
Ecclestone, fans either loved or hated it. The choice of companion,
played by Billie Piper, was another bone of contention. Personally, I
was a big fan of Piper's music, and considered her one of the more
underrated performers of the 80s and 90s, so I had another bias to sort
through. Ecclestone only lasted one season before being replaced by the
current Doctor, David Tennant, who seems to be winning fans over.
This DVD contains the final three episodes of the Ecclestone season:
"Boom Town", "Bad Wolf" and "The Parting Of The Ways", none of which I
had seen when they aired here on the ABC. There were a lot of things to
like about this season; for the first time, there was an exploration of
the social and personal impact of being the Doctor's companion on the
family and friends left behind, for example, and many of the plotlines
were clearly more contemporary than those of the past; the problems and
their solutions are not always black and white. But there were also
things to annoy and distract, not least of which was the pacing forced
on the new series by the decision to do 1-hour complete episodes instead
of the traditional 3-5 half-hour episodes. Instead of forcing plot
twists and cliffhangers and a consistant pacing, the hour long format
sometimes seems to drag and sometimes to rush.
In this DVD, that format proves to be less inflexible; the first episode
is a sequel to an earlier one, and the other two are a two-parter that
is not only a sequel to two previous episodes but resolves a sub-plot
that was running throughout the first season. At the same time, they
tell you everything you need to know about those previous episodes, so
there is no danger of finding yourself lost in terms of the plot. I have
to say, I enjoyed these episodes immensely! The pacing throughout works
well, the undercurrent of humour is used effectively to contrast the
darker moments, and the spirit of the show - one which has always been
at the heart of it, through every incarnation - is layed bare. That's
not to say that it's without fault; some of the sillyness of earlier
episodes still manifests, and the bad habit picked up from B-grade
American SF, polysyllable technobabble persists. One of the things that
I always liked about the old series was the way they could use milder
technobabble with profound implications - "Chameleon Circuit", "Time
Stabaliser", and the like, are self-explanatory without sounding overly
pretentious.
There was nothing exceptional in terms of vision and sound, except for
the annoying brevity, and consequent rapid repetition, of the soundtrack
over the menu, which was extremely annoying. But that's a minor quibble
at worst. There are no extras, another dissappointment. I would have
liked to have at least an interview with the principle characters,
writers, and producers, at the very least. Their absence means that the
DVD has to live and die by the main feature; fortunately, for this DVD,
the main feature is good enough to do that. Some episodes of the
Ecclestone series would not be as successful.
If you like Doctor Who, or well-written Science Fiction in general, or
just want to see what all the fuss is about, this DVD is an excellent
way of getting into the Dr Who story. Solidly entertaining! - Mike
Bourke
Feature: 9/10
Sound: 6/10
Picture: 6/10
Extras: 0/10
Overall: 7/10
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