Doctor Who - The Ark
For the benefit of my non-Who fan friends who kindly read my posts, I thought I'd start posting a little background info and a story summary from now on. :)
This was a four-part serial, first broadcast on BBC TV between 3 March 1966 - 26 March 1966. It was written by Paul Erickson and Lesley Scott, and directed by Michael Imison. It starred William Hartnell as the Doctor, Peter Purves as Steven Taylor, and Jackie Lane as Dodo Chaplet.
The Doctor, Steven and Dodo find themselves inside a gigantic space Ark. The population of a dying Earth are being taken to Refusis II to start a new life there with the Guardians monitoring their safety, while the reptilian Monoids act as their servants. Dodo's cold starts to infect them all, and the time travelers are put on trial but the Doctor soon puts this right, and they depart, only to materialize on the Ark again, hundreds of years in the future when the Monoids now rule, and the humans are their slaves...
"The Ark" is a diamond in the rough, overlooked amongst so many other classic First Doctor adventures, and actually tells two stories: the beginning and end of the Ark's journey, separated into the first two and last two episodes.
It is, however, best remembered as the first full story for Dodo, who boarded the TARDIS at the end of "The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve". She starts off in an annoyingly chirpy manner, baiting Steven and giving the impression of being a bit of a know-it-all, but she eventually settles down and becomes plucky and rather more likable actually. It's a nice touch that the tale's main crisis is inadvertently caused by Dodo's cold, and the severe repercussions the virus has on the human Guardians and the alien Monoids on board the Ark. The guilt and grief that Dodo displays is nicely handled, as is the Doctor's genuine pity and compassion towards her.
William Hartnell gives a wonderful, commanding performance, and it is interesting to note that the Doctor is the only one who suspects the intelligence of the Monoids when one of them helps him out with his experiments for a cure. I love the scene toward the end with the Doctor fairly pointing out some of humanity's flaws, including intolerance and how they treated the Monoids as slaves in the first place.
Peter Purves goes from strength to strength, proving Steven to be one of the best companions. His role is limited in the first half of the story as he becomes a victim of the virus, but he does get a lot more to do in the last two episodes, having been separated from the Doctor and Dodo, he displays his leadership skills amongst the rather insipid Guardians aboard the Ark.
The acting of the guest cast is fair, with only a few characters making an impact. Eileen Helsby (Venussa) is positively charming as Steven's underplayed love-interest in the story's second half. Roy Spencer (Manyak) plays his limited role well, as does Terence Bayler (Yendom).
Micheal Imison's direction is impressive and stunning, leaving nothing to the ordinary: from the live animals (including a baby elephant!) to camera angles, he put his stamp on the series just as he'd intended. It's a shame he never worked on Doctor Who again. Imison makes "The Ark" look massive, and the story also benefits from Barry Newbery's effective set designs.
"The Plague" (Episode Two) features one of the more chilling moments from the Hartnell era, when a vision of Earth is shown burning up as it approaches the sun, and the cliffhanger is also very cleverly devised, with the head of the giant statue supposedly meant to represent humanity, is shown to have been completed with a Monoid head atop it.
The costumes for the Guardians and the hapless, waddling, Ringo’s-bad-hair-day Monoids are what seem to put most fans off "The Ark". But the story's failings ultimately come down to the script, with the courtroom trial scene being tiresome and predictable, the fact that the oppressive treatment of the humans toward the Monoids is sadly glossed over, and it is not fully explained properly why the Guardians (who seem to vastly outnumber the Monoids) have their "spirits" broken by the more severe outbreak of Dodo's cold, but it does serve as an excellent example of how the oppressed can become the oppressors.
Intriguingly, humanity is not celebrated in this vision of the far future and are depicted in a less than flattering light. For example, their aggressive determination to colonize Refusis II is worrying in the extreme. The Refusians are willing to share their world, but this is only made clear later in the story. The humans we meet in "The Steel Sky" know that their intended new home is already inhabited, and Zentos is paranoid the Doctor, Steven and Dodo are Refusians sent to stop their journey. So he's concerned they might not be welcome. But it's evident the Guardians intend to land - whether the inhabitants welcome them or not. In any case, their plan smacks of arrogance and great aggression.
It may not be perfect but "The Ark" is an extremely entertaining and thought provoking story. It suffers from similar pitfalls as other science-fiction stories of the time - clunky dialog and a wooden guest cast - but it is very well directed and has an enthralling central premise.
3 ½ / 5 stars
This was a four-part serial, first broadcast on BBC TV between 3 March 1966 - 26 March 1966. It was written by Paul Erickson and Lesley Scott, and directed by Michael Imison. It starred William Hartnell as the Doctor, Peter Purves as Steven Taylor, and Jackie Lane as Dodo Chaplet.
The Doctor, Steven and Dodo find themselves inside a gigantic space Ark. The population of a dying Earth are being taken to Refusis II to start a new life there with the Guardians monitoring their safety, while the reptilian Monoids act as their servants. Dodo's cold starts to infect them all, and the time travelers are put on trial but the Doctor soon puts this right, and they depart, only to materialize on the Ark again, hundreds of years in the future when the Monoids now rule, and the humans are their slaves...
"The Ark" is a diamond in the rough, overlooked amongst so many other classic First Doctor adventures, and actually tells two stories: the beginning and end of the Ark's journey, separated into the first two and last two episodes.
It is, however, best remembered as the first full story for Dodo, who boarded the TARDIS at the end of "The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve". She starts off in an annoyingly chirpy manner, baiting Steven and giving the impression of being a bit of a know-it-all, but she eventually settles down and becomes plucky and rather more likable actually. It's a nice touch that the tale's main crisis is inadvertently caused by Dodo's cold, and the severe repercussions the virus has on the human Guardians and the alien Monoids on board the Ark. The guilt and grief that Dodo displays is nicely handled, as is the Doctor's genuine pity and compassion towards her.
William Hartnell gives a wonderful, commanding performance, and it is interesting to note that the Doctor is the only one who suspects the intelligence of the Monoids when one of them helps him out with his experiments for a cure. I love the scene toward the end with the Doctor fairly pointing out some of humanity's flaws, including intolerance and how they treated the Monoids as slaves in the first place.
Peter Purves goes from strength to strength, proving Steven to be one of the best companions. His role is limited in the first half of the story as he becomes a victim of the virus, but he does get a lot more to do in the last two episodes, having been separated from the Doctor and Dodo, he displays his leadership skills amongst the rather insipid Guardians aboard the Ark.
The acting of the guest cast is fair, with only a few characters making an impact. Eileen Helsby (Venussa) is positively charming as Steven's underplayed love-interest in the story's second half. Roy Spencer (Manyak) plays his limited role well, as does Terence Bayler (Yendom).
Micheal Imison's direction is impressive and stunning, leaving nothing to the ordinary: from the live animals (including a baby elephant!) to camera angles, he put his stamp on the series just as he'd intended. It's a shame he never worked on Doctor Who again. Imison makes "The Ark" look massive, and the story also benefits from Barry Newbery's effective set designs.
"The Plague" (Episode Two) features one of the more chilling moments from the Hartnell era, when a vision of Earth is shown burning up as it approaches the sun, and the cliffhanger is also very cleverly devised, with the head of the giant statue supposedly meant to represent humanity, is shown to have been completed with a Monoid head atop it.
The costumes for the Guardians and the hapless, waddling, Ringo’s-bad-hair-day Monoids are what seem to put most fans off "The Ark". But the story's failings ultimately come down to the script, with the courtroom trial scene being tiresome and predictable, the fact that the oppressive treatment of the humans toward the Monoids is sadly glossed over, and it is not fully explained properly why the Guardians (who seem to vastly outnumber the Monoids) have their "spirits" broken by the more severe outbreak of Dodo's cold, but it does serve as an excellent example of how the oppressed can become the oppressors.
Intriguingly, humanity is not celebrated in this vision of the far future and are depicted in a less than flattering light. For example, their aggressive determination to colonize Refusis II is worrying in the extreme. The Refusians are willing to share their world, but this is only made clear later in the story. The humans we meet in "The Steel Sky" know that their intended new home is already inhabited, and Zentos is paranoid the Doctor, Steven and Dodo are Refusians sent to stop their journey. So he's concerned they might not be welcome. But it's evident the Guardians intend to land - whether the inhabitants welcome them or not. In any case, their plan smacks of arrogance and great aggression.
It may not be perfect but "The Ark" is an extremely entertaining and thought provoking story. It suffers from similar pitfalls as other science-fiction stories of the time - clunky dialog and a wooden guest cast - but it is very well directed and has an enthralling central premise.
3 ½ / 5 stars