The Bride of Sacrifice (The Aztecs Episode 3)

The one where the Doctor makes a hot drink and gets engaged...

It's very clever of Barbara to think on her feet and use Tlotoxl's own bloodthirsty methods against him. When the High Priest of Sacrifice challenges her to save Ian from Ixta's killer blow, she swipes a knife and holds it to his throat, endangering the thing Tlotoxl values the most - his own life. We know that Barbara would never cut a man's throat, of course, but Tlotoxl doesn't know that.

Tlotoxl gets about quite a bit in this episode, as he next pops up in the garden of peace to harass the Doctor. "Oh go away, Tlotoxl!" berates the Doctor, who refuses to let Tlotoxl intimidate him. The Doctor gives this irksome villain very short shrift, which is a joy to see after all the trouble he's caused Ian and Barbara.

Meanwhile, Ian and Ixta seem to be best buddies again, despite their differences. Ixta treats Ian like an old friend, and certainly with more respect than Ian probably has for him. Later in the episode we even see them sleeping side by side, like camping Boy Scouts!

The most memorable aspect of this episode is, of course, the Doctor's accidental engagement to Cameca. We learn of the Aztec tradition of making cocoa, and what it represents, from the conversation between Cameca and Autloc, before Cameca accidentally on purpose spills her beans and the Doctor embroils himself in a chain of events he didn't foresee. Cameca asks if he is aware of their customs, and he says he is, but obviously not this one! He thinks he's mixing the cocoa as a token of his esteem for Cameca, but in actual fact it's tantamount to a proposal of marriage. When the Doctor finds this out, the look on Hartnell's face is classic. He always gave good face!

Later, we see that the Doctor has come to terms with his predicament quite quickly, but this might give us a better clue as to his true intent - he is fond of Cameca, but no more. He merely wants to get inside that tomb, inside his TARDIS, and away. He has no intention of settling down with this poor woman, and makes this clear to a highly amused Ian: "Don't giggle, my boy, it's neither here nor there!" It's actually quite sad, the viewer knowing that Cameca's hope for "a life of peace and contentment" will not see fruition.

Meanwhile, Jacqueline Hill continues to make the most of her turn in the spotlight, making Barbara steely and determined in the face of Tlotoxl and Tonila's attempt to poison her. She throws the poisoned chalice to the ground and shouts: "You defile this temple! Get out of my sight. Go!" It's another clever move to make Tlotoxl aware that Barbara is not Yetaxa, as this knowledge, which he will struggle to prove, will eat him up inside. On the flipside, of course, it will also make him even more dangerous...

I love how director John Crockett keeps proceedings fluid. He directs dialogue on the move, with characters walking around, whether it be the garden or the temple. So much drama around this time was static, with characters talking at each other instead of naturally. If you watch any American drama today, more often than not any exchange of information between two or more characters is done on the move, whether along a hospital corridor, walking to a car, or examining a scene of crime. It keeps it pacey, and Crockett was doing that (with much smaller sets) back in 1964.

This week's Susan film insert sees her refuse the Perfect Victim's hand in marriage. Carole Ann Ford gets to gnash her teeth here too: "Bride? He thinks I'll marry him? He must be mad... Let him die if he wants to die, but don't ask me to marry him... You're monsters! All of you, monsters!" The Perfect Victim storms off, his last request denied, and Tlotoxl will capitalise on this insubordination to get at his false goddess.

The cliffhanger involves Ian slowly drowning as the tunnel he's moving along to get to the TARDIS begins to fill with water. His escape has been blocked by Ixta replacing the stone (for stone, read polystyrene) block, watched in frustration by the Doctor, who I half expected to clock Ixta over the head with his walking stick. The Doctor of 100,000 BC would've done that. How our time travelling hero has changed in a few quick months!

First broadcast: June 6th, 1964

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: Great writing for and performances from the regulars - the Doctor accidentally getting engaged, steely Barbara fending off slimy Tlotoxl, outraged Susan refusing to be married off to a suicidal stranger, and that delightful moment where we see Ian just laughing his head off!
The Bad: The curse of the polystyrene stones strikes again!
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★★★★

NEXT TIME: The Day of Darkness...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: The Temple of Evil (episode 1); The Warriors of Death (episode 2); The Day of Darkness (episode 4)

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/2013/05/the-aztecs.html

The Aztecs is available on Special Edition DVD. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Aztecs-Special-DVD/dp/B00AREPA1I