Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start...
Day 114: The Plague (The Ark, Episode Two)
Dear diary,
The Ark really is one of the best stories that we've had so far, design-wise. Everything about this spaceship has been really well thought-through, from the look of the place to the way that the characters interact with each other. It's only a small (and very silly) thing, but there's a moment where one of the Guardians addresses the rest of his people, and there's one off to the side - barely in shot - translating to sign language for the benefit of the Monoids. There's really no need to have someone specifically doing this, but it really does help to make the world seem far more real.
And then there's the design of the sets, too. Back during The Daleks' Master Plan, the existence of a surviving episode left me stunned at the sheer size of their council chamber. The same can be said of the main hall seen in this story - you really get a sense of the scale of this ship. It doesn't hurt that Imison is still proving to be one of the best directors we've had on the show, and his high-angled shots really make the most of the space.
It's frustrating, then, when things aren't done so well in this episode. There's a moment when a Guardian looks down that the Doctor on a video monitor, and the case around the screen looks like it's been thrown together in ten minutes out of MDF. I know that's more or less the way that most of Classic Doctor Who was made, but it sticks out like a sore thumb in an episode that's otherwise very well realised.
Perhaps even more of a problem for me is the Monoid's form of transport. The buggies appear to be scenery carts from the BBC (I'm willing to bet that they are), and they take me right out of the story every time they appear. There's a lovely moment early on, where a dead Monoid is taken on a funeral precision, carried through the gathered crowds to be jettisoned into space. It's far more moving than the death of a Monoid has any right to be, but then when they load him onto the back of the truck, it all falls apart.
At the end of the story, when the Doctor and his friends are taken back to the TARDIS rising on one, Hartnell looks as though he's off to the boarding gate at Gatwick. I'd not be at all surprised if he didn't turn up in tomorrow's episode… That said, how good does he look when Face Timing with the Guardian? He does it better than a few of the other actors in this story…
When people talk about The Ark, the thing that usually comes up pretty quick in the conversation is this mid-way cliffhanger. That's the unique selling point of this story - the Doctor and his friends turn up, cause a problem, save the day, leave… and then they come back again. That's the thing that everyone knows about this tale. It's almost a shame that I'm coming to it knowing that we're only half-way through, as I'd be keen to know what my reaction might be if I didn't know what was happening.
Especially since - and this isn't something that often seems to get said - the reveal of the cliffhanger is bloody brilliant. Seriously, I think it may be the best reveal that we've ever had in the series. The TARDIS rematerialises (having departed in a gorgeous shot that contains a Monoid! There's some gorgeous spilt-screen work in there), the Doctor and his friends look around, and then the cliffhanger is that the statue has been completed. That's it. They've arrived back on the Ark, and it's 700 years later. The 'Next Episode' caption comes up and everything.
It's only after that's all happened that we get the slow pan up the statue to reveal it's got the head of a Monoid. It's almost like you're let down by a naff cliffhanger, and then they hit you with that one! Bam! Oh, it's very clever, and it really works.
And it's set up very cleverly, too. What we get beforehand is the final scene of a Hartnell story. They all say goodbye. They sum up the resolution to us, wish those staying behind well and then depart for the next story. It might as well be the final scene of The Web Planet (but with less jumping around). It really takes what you expect from the series and turns it on its head.
Mind you, why do they instantly assume they're back on the Ark when they arrive? They've been in so many jungles lately that it shouldn't come as much of a shock! And, for that matter, why do they head back up to the main area instead of getting back in the ship and trying again? Dodo says it herself - 'it's only been a few seconds' - yet she still wanders around calling 'we're back!' as she looks for people. Strange.
Next Episode: The Return
Next Episode: The Return 
