| SNAKEDANCE by Christopher Bailey |
| Story 124 Synopsis: The Doctor is less than thrilled to find the TARDIS on course for Manussa - he didn't set the co-ordinates. But Tegan did. And Manussa used to be part of the Sumaran Empire, leading the Doctor to conclude that Tegan is feeling the influence of the Mara. The TARDIS lands unobtrusively in a marketplace. The Doctor makes Tegan wear a telepathic inhibitor, to stop the Mara taking over. Investigating a great temple, Tegan runs off, and Nyssa struggles to find her. The Doctor tries to convince Ambril and Lon that there is grave danger concerning the return of the Mara, but they dismiss him as a madman. A fortune teller takes pity on Tegan, and removes the inhibitor. The Mara becomes stronger in Tegan. She runs to a Hall of Mirrors, where her talking to the Mara impresses a showman. He summons Lon, who becomes possessed by the Mara also. He appeals to Ambril's vanity, in order to persuade him to bring the Great Crystal, which will make a vital part in the upcoming ceremony. The Doctor and Nyssa meanwhile are arrested, but they have made an ally, Chela, who suspects there is something to their warnings. He helps them escape, and they go to seek Dojjen, last of the Snakedancers, to find a way to stop the Mara. It involves the Still Point. Back at the Temple, Lon and Tegan are manipulated to replace the Great Crystal in its housing, which causes the Mara to manifest itself. The Doctor and co arrive, and the Doctor tries to find the Still Point within himself, as Dojjen said. He does, and the Mara is banished forever. |
| Review:- A-ha! The winner of DWM's annual story poll for Season 20. The 2nd in the series of stories pitting the Doctor against adversaries from the show's past (in this case, the recent past). I took ages to watch this video. Well, I saw part 1 prior to the redecoration of my room, and it was about 2 months before I could bring myself to watch part 2. What did I find? Martin Clunes and Jonathan Morris would go on to star in ridiculously popular sitcoms (Men Behaving Badly, Bread). They're both OK here, but have very underwritten parts. In fact, I found myself growing to loathe the whole production. The Punch & Judy scene is peculiar, and the procession of the fake Mara is astonishing in its own way. But, ugh. The only performance of any interest is Dojjen. Ambril is so one-dimensional, you could fold him up and stick him in an envelope. Tanha makes it clear that Manussa has no respect for the matriarchal system. Why doesn't she notice Lon's covering his arms with those silly gloves? Actually, Ambril gives mirth, for the wrong reasons. When he finds the new relics, his greed suddenly gives him an added dimension, and short of having his head bit off by the giant snake, there's no way that this can come to a satisfactory conclusion. Nyssa is a bit dumb too. The Doctor seems to have worms, or some sort of hyperactive disorder. When not dashing to the temple, he dashes to the TARDIS, then the palace, then treks to find Dojjen, then back to the temple. And he also manages to sit still in the TARDIS to test the small crystal, gets locked up for most of part 3 (but not quite all, cf. The DisContinuity Guide!), and then gets to sit with Dojjen and get bitten by a snake. Crazy days, man. Overall, I could have lived without this. How this won an end-of-season poll, I do not know. Unless it was supposed to be an ironical indictment of the rest of the season. |
| Disclaimer: I've seen the video, and read the book. |