"We play the game again, Time Lord..." Well, this Seventh Doctor certainly has undergone quite a change since his debut story Time and Rani; from a playful buffoon to a dark game-master with a questionable past in ten stories flat. The Curse of Fenric attempts to give a few answers to some of those questions and to tie up some loose ends that started in the previous season. In this respect, The Curse of Fenric is quite busy, and it has quite a bit to say from a variety of different angles. Critic Peter Anghelides, in an attempt to sum the serial up, in 1990 wrote,
"Was it a discourse on the morality of warfare - questioning the
rights of the Allies to bomb Germany into submission fifty years
after the event? Was it a lurid spy drama about double-crossing
the Cold War enemy? Was it a vampire story of the first order?
An eco-thriller cashing in on the green renaissance? An
investigation of Ace's background? A traditional Doctor Who
monster thrash? The culmination of the seventh Doctor's
mysterious and omnipotent opposition to an unknown evil force?
Well, actually, it was all of these. Blink and you'd miss one."
"Was it a discourse on the morality of warfare - questioning the
rights of the Allies to bomb Germany into submission fifty years
after the event? Was it a lurid spy drama about double-crossing
the Cold War enemy? Was it a vampire story of the first order?
An eco-thriller cashing in on the green renaissance? An
investigation of Ace's background? A traditional Doctor Who
monster thrash? The culmination of the seventh Doctor's
mysterious and omnipotent opposition to an unknown evil force?
Well, actually, it was all of these. Blink and you'd miss one."
In fact, if one had to say something critical about The Curse of Fenric, it is that there is too much going on. Similarly to Ghost Light, The Curse of Fenric moves quickly without necessarily feeling obligated to let the audience know the exact details of what is happening. It probably requires two to three solid viewings before the viewer will fully comprehend what actually turns out to be a pretty air-tight plot (for classic Doctor Who anyway); anything less than your full attention though, a metaphorical blink, and wham, you'll miss something critical to the plot.
The most prominent idea in The Curse of Fenric is the concept of faith and not necessarily that of a religious nature. Faith in a better future. Faith in people. Faith in the Doctor. In fact, the man who does have religious faith, the vicar Wainright, is the one who gets eaten by the Haemovores in the end. He's a man broken by the war, convinced that the price of winning has become too high. Intuitively, the monsters pick up on his despair and hound him. After the Doctor and Ace interfere in their first attempt to have him they snarl at the vicar as they retreat, "We'll be back for you!" However, near the end of episode three Wainright decides to meet them himself, this time without protection. It's his way of putting his faith to the ultimate test, a test of fire, because he himself wants to know what he truly believes. At first the Haemovores back away hissing. But then, Wainright falters and the monsters surround him. Phyllis tells him, "You are weak yourself. There's no good in you!" In a moment the whole thing's over. And so ends the grisly tale of the vicar Wainright.
What's surprising is that the actor who portrays the good vicar, Nicholas Parsons, is perhaps better known for being the game-show host of Sale of the Century, a show in the same vein to The Price is Right and Jeopardy. This transformation from gaudy show-host extravert to tortured English vicar from World War II is quite convincing: the only reason he doesn't steal the show by himself is because there are so many other memorable performances. Dinsdale Landen does an honorable job portraying the miserable old Dr. Judson, and then also the first incarnation of Fenric. Captain Sorin and Commander Millington deserve plenty of praise as well for being well-written and portrayed characters.
What's surprising is that the actor who portrays the good vicar, Nicholas Parsons, is perhaps better known for being the game-show host of Sale of the Century, a show in the same vein to The Price is Right and Jeopardy. This transformation from gaudy show-host extravert to tortured English vicar from World War II is quite convincing: the only reason he doesn't steal the show by himself is because there are so many other memorable performances. Dinsdale Landen does an honorable job portraying the miserable old Dr. Judson, and then also the first incarnation of Fenric. Captain Sorin and Commander Millington deserve plenty of praise as well for being well-written and portrayed characters.
Possibly the most exciting aspect about The Curse of Fenric is that it has the most sophisticated production the series has seen yet. The underwater shots with the bodies. The fight scene in the church. The translation of the viking inscription. The vicar being eaten. The scenes that seem to stick in the memory are almost countless, and most of the credit for that should go to director Nicholas Mallet, coincidentally the same man who directed Paradise Towers (ah, even the best have some bad days). Mallet really works hard to get the most out of his actors, the on-site location, and the script. With the Haemovores rising from the waters he pays homage to The Sea Devils, and in general, his camera-shots with the monsters are superb.
The Curse of Fenric most definitively proves that Doctor Who was not the dead show that every BBC producer thought it was. It has atmosphere, it has great monsters, plenty of good scenes, and a plethora of interesting characters. This throwback from the Hinchcliffe era has everything, all carefully assembled under the thoughtful supervision of Nicholas Mallet. Without a doubt, The Curse of Fenric has to rank as one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time.
Final Notes:
- How does Commander Millington know to get rid of all the chess boards?
- Doctor Who has always had trouble navigating through the somewhat blurred lines of the supernatural and merely the fantastic, and I think this crops up again with the Haemovores. They're essentially made out to be vampires, a purely supernatural creature, but then since the show is a science-fiction show, they feel obligated to give them a scientific explanation. "It's not the crucifix that frightens them, it's the faith of the person carrying it. It creates a psychic barrier," the Doctor tells Ace. What's the point of this? The Haemovores would be scarier if they were simply made out to be monsters summoned by Fenric, without the technical explanation of how they came to be. Trying to explain your evil creatures sometimes just cheapens them, and I think this is the case here.
The Curse of Fenric most definitively proves that Doctor Who was not the dead show that every BBC producer thought it was. It has atmosphere, it has great monsters, plenty of good scenes, and a plethora of interesting characters. This throwback from the Hinchcliffe era has everything, all carefully assembled under the thoughtful supervision of Nicholas Mallet. Without a doubt, The Curse of Fenric has to rank as one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time.
Final Notes:
- How does Commander Millington know to get rid of all the chess boards?
- Doctor Who has always had trouble navigating through the somewhat blurred lines of the supernatural and merely the fantastic, and I think this crops up again with the Haemovores. They're essentially made out to be vampires, a purely supernatural creature, but then since the show is a science-fiction show, they feel obligated to give them a scientific explanation. "It's not the crucifix that frightens them, it's the faith of the person carrying it. It creates a psychic barrier," the Doctor tells Ace. What's the point of this? The Haemovores would be scarier if they were simply made out to be monsters summoned by Fenric, without the technical explanation of how they came to be. Trying to explain your evil creatures sometimes just cheapens them, and I think this is the case here.
- In general I was impressed by Sophie Aldred's portrayal of Ace, but her attempted flirting with the British soldier is really weird (albeit that's the scripts fault). Here's the dialogue..
LEIGH: Are you looking for someone?
ACE: No. You.
(Ace walks away and Sergeant Leigh follows her.)
ACE: There's a wind whipping up. I can feel it through my clothes. Is there a storm coming?
LEIGH: I wasn't expecting one.
ACE: The question is, is he making all the right moves or only going through the motions?
LEIGH: What are you doing here?
ACE: You have to move faster than that if you want to keep up with me. Faster than light.
LEIGH: Faster than the second hand on a watch?
ACE: Much faster. We're not even moving yet. Hardly cruising speed. Sometimes I move so fast, I don't exist any more.
LEIGH: What can you see?
ACE: Undercurrents, bringing things to the surface... I can't stay.
LEIGH: You promised.
ACE: I can't.
Eh? What are they talking about? Don't you think just conventional flirting would have gotten the job done?
- Sure, Fenric can win the chess game in one move..... if he breaks the rules. I actually thought the whole thing was a clever idea, but man, can you imagine how annoyed you would be if you were Fenric? For 17 centuries you've been wondering how to the win that stupid game, and the answer turns out to be you have to cheat!
LEIGH: Are you looking for someone?
ACE: No. You.
(Ace walks away and Sergeant Leigh follows her.)
ACE: There's a wind whipping up. I can feel it through my clothes. Is there a storm coming?
LEIGH: I wasn't expecting one.
ACE: The question is, is he making all the right moves or only going through the motions?
LEIGH: What are you doing here?
ACE: You have to move faster than that if you want to keep up with me. Faster than light.
LEIGH: Faster than the second hand on a watch?
ACE: Much faster. We're not even moving yet. Hardly cruising speed. Sometimes I move so fast, I don't exist any more.
LEIGH: What can you see?
ACE: Undercurrents, bringing things to the surface... I can't stay.
LEIGH: You promised.
ACE: I can't.
Eh? What are they talking about? Don't you think just conventional flirting would have gotten the job done?
- Sure, Fenric can win the chess game in one move..... if he breaks the rules. I actually thought the whole thing was a clever idea, but man, can you imagine how annoyed you would be if you were Fenric? For 17 centuries you've been wondering how to the win that stupid game, and the answer turns out to be you have to cheat!