By Ross Ruediger
One of the great conceits of tonight's Dr. Who episode “Tooth and Claw” (8 p.m. and 1 a.m. Eastern, Sci Fi Channel) is the Doctor’s attempt to take Rose to see Ian Dury and the Blockheads in 1979. Had I a time machine, there would be countless sights to behold, but near the top of the list would be mythic, classic concerts I was too young to attend. It’s refreshing, after years of vicarious TARDIS travel, to see the device used in a manner which I’d likely exploit. (The Doctor half-jokes, “What else is the TARDIS for?”) But alas -- a wee lass? -- the TARDIS materializes in 1879 Scotland. I mourn this not because their Scottish adventure is lackluster, but because given the Doctor’s propensity for finding trouble, I ponder the potentially sinister plot brewing behind the scenes of a rock concert. And how might the Doctor have been the inspiration for "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”? (Warning: The rest of this column is all spoilers.)
“Tooth and Claw” opens with a sequence unlike anything the series has ever showcased: a group of dangerous-looking monks take over Torchwood Estate in true Crouching Tiger, Hidden Werewolf fashion – brandishing staffs, they flip about in both graceful slow-mo and lightning-fast real time, taking down the estate servitors with ease. No doubt a striking, well-choreographed opening, and yet I couldn’t get past the gimmick: the monks never again in the episode exhibit these skills. Did producer Russell Davies worry the historical setting might be off-putting, and feel the need to open with such theatrics? Och! Ne'er min' th' karate, what’s inside th' cage th' monks dragged intae th' cellar?
Star David Tennant is a Scot, and upon the Doctor realizing he’s in Scotland, the actor loses his Doctored affectation in favor of his natural accent…which Rose attempts to mimic, to comically disastrous effect.
The Doctor: Oh, I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this wee naked child over hill and over dale. Isn't that right, you...tim'rous beastie?
Rose: Och aye! I've been oot and aboot!
The Doctor's claim that he’s Dr. James McCrimmon is an in-joke for fans – Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) was the Doctor’s Highlander companion during the Patrick Troughton era of the series. And speaking of that era, we next meet Queen Victoria, played by Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine), who way back in ‘67 appeared with Troughton and Hines in the story “The Faceless Ones” (pictured above). Collins' 1967 character, Samantha Briggs, was even considered for companion status, but instead the position went to Deborah Watling who played – wait for it – Victoria Waterfield. Was all this meant to subliminally fester in the mind of the hardcore Who fan, or have I simply taken Six Degrees a step too far?
Psychic paper: ACTIVATE! Before you can say Victoria's Secret, the Doctor is onboard as the Queen’s protector, and Rose has made a bet with him that she can get the Queen to proclaim, “We are not amused." There’s much giggling and merriment between the two leads bordering -- intentionally, it seems -- on the insufferable.
The caravan arrives at Torchwood Estate, and is greeted by its proprietor, Sir Robert (Derek Riddell). Clearly ill at ease and surrounded by meddling monks (now dressed as staff), he begrudgingly ushers Queen and company inside. Soon the Doctor discovers an alien plot to infect Her Majesty with the curse of the werewolf; in true Who fashion, even a werewolf is given scientific explanation. The resolution - involving a telescope that belonged to Sir Robert’s father, which was also a pet obsession of the late Prince Albert (who spent much time at the Torchwood Estate) – is clever and well written, and everything ties together pretty tightly in the end.
Truth be told, I didn’t much care for “Tooth and Claw”, which is bizarre as there’s nothing intrinsically off-putting about it. It’s a tighter story than “New Earth," and it’s got some great performances; Collins and Riddell are both standouts. The production design is gorgeous and accomplishes the one thing at which Doctor Who’s always been successful – period pieces. The werewolf looks fan-friggin’-tastic, the action scenes are well paced, and there’s a genuine atmosphere of menace shrouding the goings-on. Indeed, during the UK run, many fans considered it a season highpoint – which illustrates one of the oddities of Doctor Who: What often works for you may not work for me, and vice versa. (Contrast this with Battlestar Galactica, where we can all pretty much agree that “Black Market” is a turkey.) After the crazed antics of “New Earth”, I wasn’t game for another episode full of chase scenes – I wanted some heart, an element I’ve come to appreciate about the new Who.
Furthermore, Tennant hasn't been given a chance to delineate his character since the last 20 minutes of “The Christmas Invasion” (although the moment the Doctor first sees the werewolf and marvels, “That's beautiful!” is defining). Further-furthermore, I had difficulty dealing with the feeling that I was falling out of love with Rose Tyler. She is no longer the Rose I warmed to in Season One. That’s okay, and dramatically sound – but please don’t put me in a position where I find myself disliking her.
“Tooth and Claw’s” final moments do provide some meat, with the Queen, who is most definitely not amused, chastising the Doctor and Rose for their flippant attitudes, banishing them from her Empire, then proceeding to set up the Torchwood Institute for battling forces from the unknown. The Doctor’s theory, however, that the future Royal Family bloodline is corrupted by the blood of lycanthropes hints that his flippancy remains intact (with Rose cackling all the way into the TARDIS).
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NEXT WEEK: The return of two old friends, Anthony Stewart Head as the baddie, and lots and lots of chips in “School Reunion”. (A recap that could alternatively be titled “You’ll Believe a Fanboy Can Gush!")
Classic Who DVD Recommendation of the Week: "Pyramids of Mars," starring Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen.
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Ross Ruediger is a San Antonio-based critic and columnist, a contributor to The House Next Door, and publisher of The Rued Morgue. For more writing about the series, see "Dr. Who" in the sidebar at right.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Doctor Who, Season Two, Ep. 2: "Tooth and Claw"
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8 comments:
Okay, now that the episode has been broadcast I'll cough up my theory on the "golden age" issue from last week and how "Tooth and Claw" might explain it.
I'm thinking that the timeline containing Britain's new "golden age" was one that, when the Eccleston Doctor surveyed it, did *not* reflect his regeneration as Tennant. Had the regeneration not taken place when it did,
it would have been the Eccleston Doctor, not the Tennant one, who went back to 1879. My hypothesis is that if the Eccleston Doctor had taken part in the events of "Tooth and Claw", he might have solved the situation in a manner that *didn't* piss off HM Queen Victoria, therefore preventing the creation of
Torchwood.
What stops the Golden Age isn't Harriet Jones being genocidal but
simply the existence of Torchwood--if that option wasn't there, she'd never be tempted to use it, but when it *is* there, the temptation is too strong
to resist. Make sense?
That's a bold, sound theory, Andrew - I like it alot. My own "history" with DW often prevents me from looking for stuff like that (of course, I don't know your own history with the series). In the past, the Doctor's regenerations haven't had such effects on the timeline...but given the near godlike weirdness surrounding his last regeneration, I'm open to new ideas and concepts.
Mostly, I've gotten used to DOCTOR WHO wildly contradicting itself over the years - for example, Atlantis was destroyed on three different occasions in the old series - so I often just blow it off. But I did find it off-putting for the new series to so quickly botch continuity within the new series itself.
I thought it was terrific myself, tho I missed the season opener. Persuaded a ten year old to watch it, and he fidgeted for about fifteen minutes until the caged man started turning--then he was hooked.
The best part for me (at least, as a parent) was when Tennant marched resolutely up to a bookshelf, pulled out a volume, put on a pair of reading glasses. I pointed that out and said "See? He's just put on his weapons. He's going into battle." So cool.
My DH "history" is pretty minimal--I saw a handful of Tom Baker episodes at SF/comics conventions I attended as a teenager in the mid-'80s, but I'd lost interest in the series by the time it became widely available on DVD in my adult years, so Davies' version, which I got instantly hooked on, is really all I'm familiar with. In the past, did the Doctor anticipate his regenerations or have any hint that they were coming? My assumption is that he wouldn't, but I could easily be totally wrong.
Noel wrote:
Persuaded a ten year old to watch it, and he fidgeted for about fifteen minutes until the caged man started turning--then he was hooked.
Despite my reservations - objectively speaking - it's the best of the season so far. Definitely designed to grab your inner (or outer) child.
Andrew wrote:
In the past, did the Doctor anticipate his regenerations or have any hint that they were coming?
The circumstances surrounding each regeneration have been pretty different. The one case that would most match what you're talking about would be Tom Baker into Peter Davison - the story is "Logopolis". This bizarre figure called The Watcher appeared early on and several times provided the Doctor counsel - but always from afar and it was unknown precisely what was said.
When the regen hit, the Watcher merged with the Doctor (he was some sort of intermediate version between the 4th & 5th Doctor) during the process. The 4th Doctor's last line was "It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for" and the vibe of the entire story indicates he knew it was coming. It's a very esoteric, humorless story, but well worth a gander. It'll be on DVD next year with the two stories that bookend it in the "Return of the Master" box set.
Andrew's theory is fascinating, but I'm going to withhold judgement until I see the rest of this season. Is "torchwood" going to be this season's "bad wolf"?
At any rate, I thought this episode was a lark -- classic new Dr Who. It had the expected silliness, the obligatory chased-by-monster scenes, and a fair amount of real emotions and a hint of greater consequences. Queen Victoria was awesome.
I share some of Ross's concerns about Rose, though. She was a bit too glib, here. "Seriously, though, a werewolf?" followed by laughter (if they didn't actually high-five, they certainly conveyed that spirit), with the Queen and poor Torchwood looking on in amazement -- that was just rude. Although the bits where Rose was reporting the Doctor's rudeness to him were funny, because he's still figuring himself out. What was Rose's excuse then? She doesn't have one.
I've always liked Rose because she was "just Rose," and being just Rose, she was pretty special. It was pretty awesome when she spoke for the entire planet in The Christmas Invasion, doing the best she could and hoping it would work. She still had some sense of humility then. But now she seems to be getting a little full of herself, and I find that off-putting.
On an entirely trivial note, I love the new Dr's trench coat (it is marvelously tailored) and his sneakers. Are they Chuck Taylors? I haven't been able to get a good look at them yet, but it seems they could be. Knowing that at least one chase scene is required per episode, the choice of the trainers was inspired.
Joan -
Is "torchwood" going to be this season's "bad wolf"?
As the "phrase of the season", it is, yes. But it isn't woven into the fabric of the season in the same mysterious way as "bad wolf" was. I really don't want to say any more.
I share some of Ross's concerns about Rose, though.
I am deliberately trying to write these pieces as if I haven't already seen the entire season. Ultimately, I think there are methods to the dramatic madness that I'll hopefully cover in future articles. That is all.
Addendum for Andrew: I may have found a snag in your theory - Torchwood was first mentioned in BAD WOLF as an answer to a question when Rose was on "The Weakest Link". Have at it, man...
Ross, can I just say I am in awe of your command of the minutia of Dr. Who lore? I mean, "torchwood" was an answer on "The Weakest Link" when Rose was a contestant in S1? C'mon, man, that's just insane that you would know that!
Of course, even though I think it's insane that you know that, I also think it totally rocks. Kudos!
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