Wednesday, September 2, 2009

JJJ2 - The Daemons 2



I've often seen in reviews for this story that there is no reason for Sergeant Benton and Captain Yates to be wearing their street clothes in this story, especially given that they were wearing their UNIT uniforms before they left for Wiltshire, and that the whole exercise was a blatant excuse for Barry Letts to show a more human side to our friends at UNIT.

While I agree with Letts' intention, I will point out that the plot contrivance makes sense. Despite the fact that Yates and Benton use the Brigadier's UNIT helicopter to travel to the village, there is no other UNIT presence at this point in the story. As result, it would be better for Yates and Benton to investigate on their own and not spook the villagers (who are all easily spooked, by the looks of it) by arriving in full military regalia.

Having said that, Yates clearly has the higher UNIT salary as his clothes seem a tad more stylish than Benton's, the latter of who wears some of the longest pants seen on a man in Doctor Who to date. Benton has a rough episode - forced to wear ludicrous burgundy trousers and beaten up first by a Morris Dancer, and then by what appears to be elemental forces in the cavern of the church. John Levene acquits himself rather well, though, and does a superb job in the Morris Dancer fight sequence, which is one of the stronger studio shot (without the luxury of editing) fight sequences the programme has seen.

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