Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start...
Day 594: The Visitation, Episode One
Dear diary,
Is it just me, or is the opening to this story very reminiscent of the opening of The Time Warrior? A group of period characters watch as a ‘shooting star’ falls to the ground one evening, and then bad things ensue! That said, it’s a very strong opening to a story, and a somewhat bold move to go and kill off a load of guest characters before the TARDIS has even arrived in the time period! There’s something rather brilliant about watching these people prepare for battle, and then cutting right to the next morning to find the house deserted. It’s fitting, I guess, that Eric Saward’s first script for the series should open in such a bloodthirsty manor, considering his reputation for violent stories over the next few years.
Once the TARDIS is back in the picture, though, things are a bit more of a mixed bag. We open with the Doctor telling Adric off for the reckless use of the Total Survival Suit in the last story, and while it feels right that there should have been some kind of follow up to that action, I’m not sure we actually needed to see it. The whole exchange just feels like a hang over from Kinda, and is possibly the worst example of linking between stories that we’ve had of late. This is quickly contrasted by Tegan filling Nyssa in on the envenoms of the last tale, and worrying that she may not be free of the Mara’s influence - this is the kind of link that feels right! It gives Janet Fielding another chance to do some proper acting, and it feels far more real than the Doctor’s anger with his young companion.
I rather like the idea that the Doctor is just out looking for some fun in his adventures. While the Fourth Doctor and Romana often felt like they were simply bumming around the universe with nothing much better to do, Davison’s more youthful Doctor feels like he really wants to go out and explore, meeting new people and experiencing new times and places. I feel like I’ve referenced Time Crash a lot so far during this era, but it can be a good touch stone, and this story is the perfect example of the Doctor stopping that sense of ‘trying to be important’, and just going out looking for a good time (although, ironically, this story is one of those instances where he does end up being important to the flow of history).
His meeting with Richard Mace is another great example to show how much better this Doctor can work with one off characters compared to his own companions, and he’s still showing that wonderful sense of wit, especially when he’s making a point of just going where he wants at the manor house. Mace is another of those characters that everyone sings the praises of, and if the partnership with the Doctor continues in this vein for the next few episodes then I think I can understand why, because it’s great fun.
Most of all, though, I think I’m just happy to be back in a historical setting once again. I think I’m right in saying that the last such example of this was Horror of Fang Rock way back in Season Fifteen, and while we’ve had stories like The Ribos Operation, The Androids of Tara, and State of Decay set in almost historical settings since then, we’ve not actually visited Earth’s history for a full adventure in absolutely ages. I’ve already compared this season to the early 1960s years of the programme before now, and I think this may just be another link. It really does feel as though the programme is being taken back to the original format once more, and that really rather appeals to me…
