Thursday, March 24, 2022

The Trial of a Time Lord Part Eleven


The one where killer plant monsters go on the rampage...

"Stop her! Stop Lasky!" the mutated woman in the incubation case tells the Doctor. It transpires this is not some random mutant, but Doland's lab assistant, Ruth Baxter, who was infected during a "particularly delicate cross-fertilisation". Pollen got into a cut on Ruth's thumb, and she ended up mutating into this half-plant hybrid. Giving this character a name, and allowing us to see actor Barbara Ward's youthful face, makes this plot twist more effective than if it was just an extra in make-up. But then, the Colin Baker era is quite good at "humanising" mutants, whether they be Professor Stengos, the Necrosian mutant, or the Lukoser. Giving the product of terrible scientific experimentation a face, a name and a character makes what's happened to them all the more horrific.

And with every piece of new information gleaned, the Doctor and Mel, like an intergalactic Tommy and Tuppence, continue to investigate the strange goings-on aboard the Hyperion III. The Agatha Christie theme really works, with Mel craftily lingering in corridors so that she can nip into Mr Kimber's cabin to snoop about, while the Doctor consults with the Commodore.

In fact, Mel remains the most active investigator of the two, determined to get to the bottom of the murders. After harassing the grouchy Professor Lasky in the gym, Mel then corners Doland. She's quite a passive-aggressive inquisitor, but at least she gets results. Her admirable resourcefulness comes to the fore when she hears something sinister in the ventilation shaft, and shoves a headset through the grille to record it. Unfortunately, she is accosted by a mystery assailant and her unconscious body thrown in the laundry bin.

But why is the dirty laundry sent to be pulverised in the waste disposal? Shouldn't sweaty towels and used washcloths be freshly laundered for reuse, rather than just chucked in the incinerator and cast into space? In any case, it's a good job the Doctor happens to find Mel's recording when he does, rescuing her from being incinerated in the nick of time. It really is a close call!

Unbeknownst to the human crew, there is something nasty festering in the ventilation shaft. The Vervoids (who seem to have very quickly established their own species name) are a startling race of monsters, designed creatively with colour and texture, their heads based around a human brain, but the rest of them distinctly vegetative, with leafy bodies and stingers for hands. They look really good, like stereotypical Doctor Who monsters. That is, until they open their mouths and burst the bubble, because they're just so well-spoken. Their polite, chatty tone makes them comical, and the language they use makes them seem well-educated conversationalists.

On the one hand I like how they refer to humans as "animal kind", and see humans as things rather than people ("Quickly, help me with this"). It's hard to accept the idea of talking plants to start with, but the fact they're so loquacious and courteous is just laughable. "We are doing splendidly!" beams one as they build their gruesome human compost heap. "Congratulations must be delayed," replies another. And you can tell they are written by Pip and Jane Baker (or maybe their dialogue is being edited by the verbose Valeyard?) when they talk in tongue-twisting riddles: "Bruchner... cannot be permitted to prevent us from reaching planet Earth."

There's a moment where we see the Doctor, axe in hand and a glint of madness in his eye, standing over the smashed-up remains of the ship's communications room, at which point the Doctor stops the tape to deny it as the truth. Yet again he claims the evidence has been altered, but the Valeyard is much cleverer than the Doctor, and manages to corner him by stating that the accused is condemned whether with or without the Matrix evidence. This is a needless side-step in the narrative, bringing the courtroom too far into what is proving an engrossing, enjoyable adventure. No wonder fans scream for the trial scenes to be edited out of the season so we can just enjoy the stories uninterrupted. Sadly, that is only realistically possible with parts 9-12 (available on the Season 23 blu-ray).

A few more thoughts:
  • The special effect of the Hyperion III approaching the Black Hole of Tartarus is quite good for the show at that time, although it hasn't aged well.
  • As of the end of part 11 (which is, by the way, Doctor Who's 650th episode), the human passengers still have no idea the Vervoids exist, just tiny hints that 'something' is in the ventilation. Anyone who ever sees a Vervoid doesn't live to tell the tale.
  • The Mogarians get quite bossy with Rudge in the lounge, insisting he drops what he's doing to sit down and tell them what's going on. We're not privy to this conversation, but the hold they seem to have over him is odd. Later, Ortezo has a little strop when he tips Janet's tray to the floor, giving a disingenuous apology.
  • The Vervoids, as well as being budding raconteurs, seem to struggle with their balance, swaying from side to side like they're drunk. Or, as it's also known, Doctor Who Monster Acting.
  • Why does Mel have a mini grudge against poor Janet? She zones in on her as a potential suspect very quickly, with no evidence whatsoever, and then breaks into her cabin (how?) to rifle through her things. What has Janet ever done to offend Mel?
  • The Inquisitor's line to the Doctor when they return to the evidence on screen is ominous, especially in light of what happened to Peri: "You had, as before, sent your companion into danger." With the additional presumption that Mel is only in this set of episodes - 'cos she's from the future, remember - there's a very real possibility that Mel could end up dead.
At the end of the episode, a crazed Bruchner (too) easily hijacks the apparently hijack-proof Hyperion III, and steers it toward the eye of the Black Hole of Tartarus. He wants the Hyperion III, and the horrors unleashed aboard it, destroyed forever. He's trying to save Earth, but nobody's listening to him, so he's taken drastic, and selfless, measures. It's a nice little performance from David Allister, and I particularly admire the zoom in on his fearful face as he steers the ship toward oblivion. Bruchner is scared, but he is serving the greater cause.

First broadcast: November 15th, 1986

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: I'm loving Mel's fearless resourcefulness, getting involved at every turn and unafraid to roll her sleeves up. Bonnie Langford is really good in this.
The Bad: The timing of Bruchner shooting Travers' hand is a bit iffy, with Michael Craig reacting to the laser beam at the wrong moment (not his fault so much as visual effects guy Danny Popkin's).
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★★☆☆


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