Castrovalva Part Four

The one where Castrovalva folds in on itself...

I really like the idea behind this episode - or rather, behind the idea of Castrovalva as a place - because it plays with time thematically, in keeping with the story as a whole. The Doctor gradually works out that The History of Castrovalva (all 30 volumes of it) consists of books which were bound 500 years ago, but which chronicle the rise of the township up to the present day. Oops! That's a major boob, Master! But I do like the slow realisation that these old books contain new information from after the time they were created, like "time books"! The entire history, and by association the entire existence, of Castrovalva is a fiction!

At first it's considered that Shardovan the librarian has invented the history himself, a further example of writer Christopher H Bidmead trying to distract the viewer by making them think the man in black is the bad guy here. Actually, he's far from the bad guy, he just likes to dress that way.

Castrovalva Part Three

The one where the Doctor struggles to count to three...

The Doctor is now up and about, making his own way to Castrovalva while Tegan and Nyssa run away from local tribespeople and try to scale the rocks in heels. I do like the little contretemps between the two girls when Nyssa wishes they had a three-micron beam wedge, and Tegan snaps: "Well we haven't!", to which Nyssa shoots back: "I said 'if'!" It's a little moment like that which makes a dramatic situation that bit more truthful, with people annoying one another or taking their frustrations out on each other. They're like two sisters squabbling. Let's face it, Tegan and Nyssa are two very different people, so they're bound to annoy each other from time to time.

The Doctor is taken inside the town of Castrovalva (so it's a town, not a planet then?) by the furry tribespeople, and confronted by a man called Shardovan who's dressed for all the world like the Master, all in black with facial hair. This is actually quite a clever little distraction, making the viewer think about him possibly being the Master, or an agent of his. Actor Derek Waring didn't usually have a moustache, so the look of Shardovan - so dark against the generally pastel hues of his surroundings - is a purposeful attempt to lead the viewer.

Castrovalva Part Two

The one where 25% of the TARDIS is thrown away...

Nyssa, the girl who seems to know everything and likes you to know it, has to learn all about hydrogen by reading aloud from the TARDIS databank. This databank is quite a utilitarian affair: a uninspiring dun monitor screen, with verbose jargon in place of straightforward definitions and information. It's Wikipedia written by Christopher H Bidmead.

The entry for Standard Flight Procedures (stage 387) reads like an academic report: "If the Logical to Physical mapping techniques described in Stages 11-275 have been understood [some hope!] and implemented, i-o ambiguities should not normally create difficulties at this stage. On zeroing the coordinate differential, automatic systems reactivate the real world interface (see: Main Door, The Opening of). Main door closure techniques, though not a direct reversal of the above procedure, are centred around similar differential layer-slippage to create the minimum of user involvement in the mathematical sub-structure."

And the user is supposed to understand what the heck all that means?

Castrovalva Part One

The one where the new Doctor becomes unravelled from his past (and his scarf)...

It was unheard of for Doctor Who to do a cold open at the time, but the reprise of the regeneration at the top of this episode is a wise move. It edits what went before, but reminds the viewer where we were up to (although anybody who'd been watching The Five Faces of Doctor Who repeat of Logopolis would already be aware). It provides a tantalising jumping-off point for the new era, revealing the Doctor's new face to us before launching into those thrilling, galloping opening titles. A new era has begun!

By rights, Peter Davison should be "my Doctor". I was five years old when Season 19 began, so the Fifth Doctor ought to have been the version I grew up with and got attached to. But I've never been terribly fond of this Doctor. It's not that I dislike him, I just don't think he quite fulfils my search for eccentricity in my Doctors. To me, Davison was more of a bland hero figure, and less like the "crazy" Dr Who I knew. I don't think I actually grew attached to a Doctor until Sylvester McCoy took over, by which time I was 11 years old. Sylvester is "my Doctor", even though I grew up with Davison (and, I suppose, Colin Baker). So, let's see how I feel about Number 5 now I'm in my forties!