An Hour of Who a Day: 10/06/14

October 6: Logopolis Parts Three & Four

Nyssa, Adric, the Monitor, and Tegan look on as the Master and
the Doctor discuss forming an alliance. (Logopolis Part Three) ©BBC

The first half of this episode is really about setting up the second half; while we get the sense that the Doctor is in danger, it's more about introducing those sonic projectors that "create a temporary zone of stasis", so that the Master can use them later on. There's also the discovery that the Master has been fouling up the working of Logopolis, introducing errors into the code they're working on (and I'm entertained at this point every time, when Tegan shows the corrected code to the Doctor on what is clearly a printer test page).

But what's most interesting about Part Three is how, after the Master introduces a temporary halt to the workings of Logopolis, the Monitor becomes incredibly distressed. And we soon learn why: this isn't a temporary halt -- Logopolis has ceased completely. The Monitor then goes on to explain that the universe has actually passed the point of impending heat death, but that they'd been staving off the entropy by opening voids to other universes (such as the Charged Vacuum Emboitment that took the TARDIS into E-Space) -- in effect, turning the Universe from a closed system to an open one. But they hadn't finished their work when the Master intervened, and now entropy is taking over. It's a complicated idea in some ways, but it's also quite imaginative in others, and the way that the death of the universe is heralded not by explosions and fire but by total silence is really clever indeed. It also means that the situation is serious enough for the Doctor and the Master to work together to fight it, by implementing the nearly-complete program the Logopolitans had devised. It's a big moment -- so much so that it actually forms the cliffhanger, as the Doctor shakes hands with the Master after scolding his companions ("I've never chosen my own company," the Doctor berates them -- something that's true for this incarnation for every companion except Sarah).

Part four is about racing to save the universe using the Pharos Project on Earth (since Logopolis is dead and crumbling to dust, and even the Monitor perishes in a really well-done effect) -- but while the Doctor and the Master are doing that, the Watcher has taken Nyssa and Adric out of time and space, where they can see the effect of the "entropy field" as it destroys huge parts of the universe (thus putting this story in the running for all-time highest body count), including Nyssa's home world of Traken. This is a scene designed to try and make this abstract concept of entropy into something concrete, and at this it succeeds: we're not dealing with the idea of places dying so much as we're confronted with it, by witnessing the destruction of a planet we've just been visiting. The Keeper, the Fosters, the Consuls...they're all gone. It's amazing Nyssa copes as well as she does.

But of course, it's all leading up to the final moments of the story, where the Doctor, after having saved the universe by permanently opening a CVE, has to stop the Master from holding the universe ransom by threatening to close the CVE by pulling out a cable, even though he must know it will mean his death (he's been receiving foreshadowing, remember). That flashback sequence as he dangles from the cable, of some of the villains he's fought as the fourth Doctor, is really nice and not something we've seen on the show before. And of course, it's followed by the Doctor's fall (accompanied by an electronic "scream" from the music) and then a flashback of all his companions, as well as the Brigadier. Then one final, gorgeous line from the fourth Doctor -- "It's the end. But the moment has been prepared for" -- and the regeneration starts, thanks to some help from the Watcher (interesting how it's been 18 years and the production team still doesn't want to take the idea of regeneration for granted -- though, admittedly, they haven't had one since 1974), and we're greeted by the youthful face of the new, fifth Doctor, Peter Davison. The whole sequence of the fourth Doctor's "death" is done so stylishly well, while hitting all the right thematic notes -- it may be the best regeneration sequence the show has done to date¹¹⁵.

Logopolis is a story about endings. There's the big theme of entropy and decay, realized in both large ways (the death of the universe) and little ways (the TARDIS's crumbling), but there's also the theme about how compromises have to be made for the greater good, with the Doctor working with the Master, the Logopolitans using technology... even Tegan swallowing her pride to roll a flat tire to the garage (even if she only makes it twenty feet). This paints a bleak picture throughout the story, but it feels entirely appropriate for the fourth Doctor's swan song. There's a sense in which the entire season, which has been all about decay and change in some ways, has been leading up to those final moments, where even the Doctor isn't immune to change and death. It's probably unintentional, but it does give Logopolis an extra sense of inevitability. But this final fourth Doctor story is done so well, with such care and style, that even without this extra edge it would still be a triumph. Writer Christopher H. Bidmead and director Peter Grimwade have defied everyone's expectations (including Tom Baker's) by giving us a story that's both monumental in its importance (this is the clearest example ever of the entire universe genuinely being at stake) and quiet in its ambitions. It neatly straddles those two positions, and the final result is gorgeous.

They had a rocky start, but season 18 has ended up being one of the stand-out seasons of the entire show. This was a season that promised all sorts of changes, and in general it delivered. John Nathan-Turner managed to rein in Tom Baker, to the show's benefit, and Chris Bidmead has brought a new direction to the show's stories, with an emphasis on science over fantasy and a reduction in the amount of humor in the show. The last five stories of this season have all been winners and have amply shown that this approach has paid off. The ratings may not reflect it (but then they haven't been reflecting this all season, hovering instead around 6 million or so -- this shows that a) the public wasn't terribly excited to see more Tom Baker shenanigans, and b) rival network ITV has finally found a decent competitor for Doctor Who, the US import Buck Rogers in the 25th Century), but this is a show with a new vitality, ready to tackle the 1980s head-on. Of course, whether it actually follows up on that promise is a different story for another time...

And so we say farewell to Tom Baker, the fourth Doctor and the longest-serving actor in the role (probably ever). His indelible mark on the programme is still felt (with his long scarf remaining emblematic of the show even today), and even while I find myself looking forward to Peter Davison I know that I will miss Tom Baker quite a bit. Baker is undeniably one of the best actors to take on the role; we can quibble about some of his later seasons, but there are large parts of Tom Baker's tenure that are held up as bona fide classics, and that's due in no small way to the man himself. Baker has always been larger-than-life, and that's a quality that served him well, as his portrayal of an alien being who occasionally finds himself at right angles to humanity, but nevertheless is interested in exploring and enjoying himself, is utterly wonderful, and there's never a moment where he's not worth watching. The show will, for better or worse, be in his shadow for the rest of its original run.

But before we move on to Peter Davison's full debut, it's time to take a slight detour toward Doctor Who's first ever spin-off: the hour-long K-9 and Company...

¹¹⁵ Though Eccleston to Tennant is also a strong contender.