Friday, August 28, 2009

HHH4 - Colony in Space 4



Wahey! The Master's in this! His first scene is an odd one in that he appears on screen first from behind (and looking about a foot taller than Roger Delgado actually is. Did they get Bela Lugosi's double from Plan 9 From Outer Space to do that one shot?), as to disguise the identity of "the adjudicator". He also doesn't speak. But then, in the very next shot when he enters the dome, Delgado turns to camera to reveal his identity to all. Was it worth the four seconds of added suspense, on top of the awkward silence thanks to The Master not speaking?

Also, how much of a surprise is it that The Master is here when he's explicitly mentioned by the Time Lords in Episode One, and is, indeed, the precise reason why the Time Lords sent The Doctor on this special mission anyway! I mean, did Terry Nation, king of all shock appearance scenes for villains whose names are in the title of the episode, write this scene?

We finally see the inside of the primitives' ancient city, and the Hulke characterization of "one faction, many viewpoints" is evident here, too, as the blind high priest wants to offer The Doctor and Jo as sacrifice, while the wise leader of the city (who spends most of his time sitting in a cupboard and looking like a cross between a baby doll and a puppet. Which is interesting because that's precisely what the creature is) sees reason and grants The Doctor his wish to leave the city in peace. Nice guy.

And look fast for the second time in the programme's history where The Doctor kisses his companion (the first being in The War Games, Part One), as Pertwee plants a quick peck on Katy Manning's forehead when he is thrown in the same cell as her in this episode.

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