Five Hundred Eyes (Marco Polo Episode 3)

The one with an episode of Jackanory in the middle...

If nothing else, Five Hundred Eyes is educational! The original remit for Doctor Who was for it to be a source of knowledge as well as to entertain, so that younger viewers could learn something as well as be thrilled by the fantasy elements. The historical stories educated the children about history and culture, and the sci-fi serials tended to have more about technology and ideas.

Marco Polo is perhaps one of the richest historicals Doctor Who ever did. John Lucarotti's research is obvious, but the educational element in Five Hundred Eyes isn't exactly delicate. We learn about the Hashashins, Ala-eddin and Hulagu, and also how condensation forms. It's all very interesting, but woven into the script with little subtlety.

The formation of condensation inside the TARDIS (I do wish John Cura had managed to telesnap the darkened Ship interor!) seems all very convenient, and it's unbelievable that the Doctor would be able to gather enough water for Marco's entire caravan. Ian slips effortlessly into science teacher mode to explain to Marco how condensation works, and in a flash, the caravan has managed to get to the oasis and catch up with Tegana. All too contrived for my liking, like Lucarotti realised he'd written his characters into a corner.

The writer's sudden reliance on telling, not showing, means we get awkward exchanges like this between Barbara and Marco: "Karakorum? That used to be to the north of the Great Steppes"; "It still is, Barbara." At least Marco realises Barbara's being a bit stupid there.

Something else that makes Five Hundred Eyes more of a school lesson than an adventure serial is Ping-Cho's story time. Everybody settles down to hear her recount the tale of Hulagu and the Hashashins, which lasts two and a half minutes and serves no real purpose other than to add some background to the Cave of Five Hundred Eyes down the road. Having said that, Zienia Merton delivers Lucarotti's lyrically-written monologue with mesmerising delicacy, and it would be lovely to be able to watch this scene. And just to add an extra history lesson, Ian tells Susan that the word Hashashin is still in use today as "assassin". I can forgive this blatant etymological aside as it does have some relevance to what Tegana's really up to, but it amuses me to think that "the drug hashish" gets its first and only mention in Doctor Who way back in 1964!

It's in this episode that Tegana goes from being morally suspicious to an out-and-out villain. His plans are laid out clearly when he meets Malik, Acomat and his men in the Cave of Five Hundred Eyes, and Derren Nesbitt really cranks up the suave villainy, which he was so good at. When everybody's fearing for the missing Barbara's safety toward the end of the episode, Nesbitt oozes smugness - "You'll never find her alive" - when he knows all too well that she is being held at knifepoint by Acomat's men.

The Cave of Five Hundred Eyes itself sounds like it might have been a great set, and the surviving pictures, while dimly lit, back this up. The masks on the walls are particularly gruesome, and I imagine that when the eyes in one mask swivel at the end of the episode (prompting one of Susan's ear-splitting screams), it could have made a truly eerie cliffhanger.

First broadcast: March 7th, 1964

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: Zienia Merton delivers Ping-Cho's monologue beautifully.
The Bad: John Lucarotti's script is a little too preachy (and that sudden leap from everyone being on the verge of dehydration to being safely camped at the oasis is poorly paced). Perhaps worst of all though, is Suffolk-born Jimmy Gardner's Chenchu, which I am sure would be a reprehensible example of 1960s "yellowface" if we could see it.
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

NEXT TIME: The Wall of Lies...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: The Roof of the World (episode 1); The Singing Sands (episode 2); The Wall of Lies (episode 4); Rider from Shang-Tu (episode 5); Mighty Kublai Khan (episode 6); Assassin at Peking (episode 7)

Find out birth/death dates, career information, and facts and trivia about this story's cast and crew at the Doctor Who Cast & Crew site: http://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/marco-polo.html

Marco Polo is available as a soundtrack CD. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Original-Television-Soundtrack/dp/0563535083