| THE GREATEST SHOW IN THE GALAXY by Stephen Wyatt |
| Story 154 Synopsis: The TARDIS is invaded by an advertising satellite, to promote a talent contest at the Psychic Circus on Segonax. Despite Ace's reservations, the Doctor decides that he will enter. On Segonax, other parties are making the same quest, including the traveller, the Captain, the strongman biker, Nord, and the cycling fan, who is unnamed. Meanwhile, the circus clowns are roaming the desert, hunting Flowerchild. But she meets a sticky end at a bus. The Doctor and Ace also encounter peril at the bus, but the Doctor provides an escape. At the circus, the Ringmaster, and Morgana, a fortune-teller are agitated. Unsurprising, as most acts in the ring meet a sticky end. There are apparently only 3 people in the audience, and the Doctor is chuffed to be chosen to enter the contest. He is less chuffed to find he has walked into a trap. Escaping, he finds a set of tunnels, and a chasm, with a symbol of an eye. Though set to enter the ring, the Doctor buys time. Ace, on the loose, meets Bellboy, erstwhile robot builder. He helps keep her free, and commits suicide rather than help the Chief Clown. The Doctor meets Deadbeat, a waster who sweeps up, but whom the Doctor feels great potential in. After a fashion, the Doctor and the Captain, and his retainer, Mags, enter the ring together. Mags is revealed to be a vampire. The Doctor shoves off again. As Ace and Deadbeat struggle in the desert to retrieve the missing part of a medallion, the Doctor cuts to the chase, enter the other-realm of the Gods Of Ragnarok. They crave amusement, and have been parasitising the Psychic Circus for some time. Ace does find the final part of the medallion, and Deadbeat's memory is restored. He is now Kingpin, and helps Ace return to the Circus, using a giant robot to destroy the clowns on the way. Ace throws the medallion into the chasm, where the Doctor catches it, he having been doing a one-man show for minutes to occupy the Gods. They start to get miffed, and try to kill him, but he uses the medallion to reflect their power, and bring their world crashing down. He returns to the Circus, walking away as it self-destructs. He joins Ace and Kingpin. Kingpin decides to take the Circus elsewhere, with Mags. The Doctor and Ace seek pastures new also. |
| Review:- Is it the Greatest Show? Well, it's good, and often enjoyable, but I do have reservations. The popular criticism is that this is a watershed story for Andrew Cartmel, pre-empting the full-on MasterPlan of Season 26 and beyond. One incident highlights the Doctor's new-found tendency to have things planned instead of making it up on the fly. That incident is this : How can the Doctor know that the medallion will arrive at the right moment, when he doesn't appear to elicit unconditional help from Ace and Deadbeat? Now, it is too easy to say that he does this off-camera. And why not? But this doesn't cover the fact that the Doctor must have known the medallion would restore Kingpin, and how? I can recognise this is a problem, but I won't lose sleep over it. The story has been alluded to as a kind of universal satire on Doctor Who. Read The Discontinuity Guide for the full analysis. I can't swear to it being accurate, which sums up the D-Guide perfectly - though it is entertaining. I do want to address a comment from the TV Companion. In it, it is stated that Part 1's cliffhanger is a real humdinger. Like Hell it is. In fact, it reminds me of the Completely Useless Encyclopaedia's comments on The Daemons' Part3 cliffhanger. Let's take a look:- ACE: I don't want to go to the circus. (Sounds of screams) DOCTOR: Well, are we going in or aren't we? END OF EPISODE. Perhaps we could resolve this dramatic scenario thus. PART 2 DOCTOR: Well, are we going in or aren't we? ACE: No way. DOCTOR: Oh, alright, then. END OF EPISODE CONTINUITY ANNOUNCER: Well, a bit of an early finish to this week's programme. So here's another chance to see... Do you see my point? The Gods are great fun, brilliantly designed, and disposed of in about 15 minutes. Still, you can't have everything. All characters are given depth, the set designs are fun, there is a real feel of distance from the circus to the bus. We even see the local point of view, in the Stallslady. Many great actors, all giving their best. A nifty script, with originality and daring. Perhaps my only other sour note is the scene where the Doctor travels to the God's realm. This is just not explained, baffled me in 1989, and didn't make any more sense in 2001, when I saw it again. I realise that some mystery is vital, but please? Some of us thickies want proper explanations! Not, then, the Greatest Show, but still not half bad. |
| Disclaimer: I have seen the video. |