"That is, she becomes a 'one-joke' character, for whom almost everything she says or does has to reflect the fact that she's from a primitive, instinctual society."
They had the same problem with Jamie earlier on and mostly got round it by playing it for humour; I tend to think Leela fares a good deal better than that (and I have to admit to having quite a soft spot for her). But to be honest, I often find it quite exasperating with a lot of the contemporary Earth characters as well that their sole purpose is to explain the narrative on the assumption that you won't be able to understand it yourself (I won't mention a certain third Doctor companion here). I tend to think characters like Romana often work better as it's more difficult for writers to reduce them to that function (there's a particularly good character in some of the novels called Compassion, with a habit of dismissing the Doctor's comments by saying 'Obviously').
Hehe - I like the sound of Compassion! But yes, I guess in general it is quite difficult to strike a really convincing compromise between companion-as-ignoramus-who-needs-things-explained and companion-as-strong-and-interesting-character. Romana, as you imply, probably does hit the sweet spot rather better than most, in that she has the same intelligence as the Doctor, but is younger and less experienced (and I shall be getting to know her better shortly, as I have just acquired the Key to Time box-set
( ... )
I didn't really get on with "Image of the Fendahl". Many things about it just seemed to jar -- there's this whole "we can't possibly tell the police" bit that seemed totally contrived. However, I didn't watch it with close attention.
When I was younger the villain from "The Invisible Enemy" scared me immensely -- which just goes to show how little discernment I had. And yes the "please take my robotic dog and lifelong companion" was totally odd as an ending.
This would be one of your 'corner of the screen' viewings, then? I do the same kind of 'half-watching' thing sometimes while reading emails, but usually make sure I pick TV I don't really mind not following the plot of - like Poirot or something, where I'm really in it just for the period setting!
I think Image of the Fendahl is a bit like The Invisible Enemy in that it's good on paper (Gothic horror setting, malevolent primeval forces, well-defined supporting characters), but somehow not so much on screen. Still a lot better than The Invisible Enemy itself, though.
It's a bad habit to get into -- yes, you're right that Image of Fendahl is something I should perhaps go back and watch paying more attention. (But then, perhaps it does not really merit it).
Oh, for putting the gothic in Gothic horror setting try "The State of Decay", part of the "E-space" trilogy... it's quirkily amusing...
Yeah, I knew it must have been there once, in order to have left echoes on the copy-sites. It's probably best not to stray into the edit-wars which doubtless exist around its appearance and disappearance, though...
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They had the same problem with Jamie earlier on and mostly got round it by playing it for humour; I tend to think Leela fares a good deal better than that (and I have to admit to having quite a soft spot for her). But to be honest, I often find it quite exasperating with a lot of the contemporary Earth characters as well that their sole purpose is to explain the narrative on the assumption that you won't be able to understand it yourself (I won't mention a certain third Doctor companion here). I tend to think characters like Romana often work better as it's more difficult for writers to reduce them to that function (there's a particularly good character in some of the novels called Compassion, with a habit of dismissing the Doctor's comments by saying 'Obviously').
-K
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When I was younger the villain from "The Invisible Enemy" scared me immensely -- which just goes to show how little discernment I had. And yes the "please take my robotic dog and lifelong companion" was totally odd as an ending.
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This would be one of your 'corner of the screen' viewings, then? I do the same kind of 'half-watching' thing sometimes while reading emails, but usually make sure I pick TV I don't really mind not following the plot of - like Poirot or something, where I'm really in it just for the period setting!
I think Image of the Fendahl is a bit like The Invisible Enemy in that it's good on paper (Gothic horror setting, malevolent primeval forces, well-defined supporting characters), but somehow not so much on screen. Still a lot better than The Invisible Enemy itself, though.
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Oh, for putting the gothic in Gothic horror setting try "The State of Decay", part of the "E-space" trilogy... it's quirkily amusing...
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