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| Ace and Mel in the depths of Iceworld. (Dragonfire Part Two) ©BBC |
It's nice that Dragonfire is filled with a number of good moments and scenes, as it means that it has a greater impact on the viewers. Whether it's the genuinely funny scene of the Doctor ending up discussing philosophy with a security guard ("You've no idea what a relief it is for me to have such a stimulating philosophical discussion. There are so few intellectuals about these days. Tell me, what do you think of the assertion that the semiotic thickness of a performed text varies according to the redundancy of auxiliary performance codes?"151) or the genuinely impressive manner of Kane's suicide (with his face melting away, rather like Raiders of the Lost Ark), there's a lot to recommend this story -- it's certainly the most accessible story of season 24 for people (both at the time and now, if fan polls are anything to go by).
There are some duff moments, though; I'm not really sure what the point of having the little girl, Stellar, wandering around the restricted area is, as she doesn't really interact with anyone, and the attempt to do Aliens (the ANT hunt) on a Doctor Who budget doesn't come off at all. And while Mel is better in these two episodes in her interactions with Ace, her decision at the end to leave comes totally out of left field, and barely any time is really spent dwelling on her choice: a brief speech from the Doctor ("That's right, yes, you're going. Been gone for ages. Already gone, still here, just arrived, haven't even met you yet. It all depends on who you are and how you look at it. Strange business, time") and then it's off to keep Glitz on the straight-and-narrow. It's the sort of farewell that would be almost unthinkable nowadays, but that's how what turned out to be the last companion departure of the 20th century went.
Still, as I said, there's quite a bit to enjoy about Dragonfire. It's not perfect by any means, and it's not my personal favorite of the season (that's Paradise Towers), but it's an entertaining enough story with enough incident and cleverness to keep you amused. The feeling of freshness and energy that's been present throughout the whole season is still here, and that means that even when stories falter a bit, they're still worthwhile -- and Dragonfire is no exception.
For some reason fandom generally seems to be down on season 24. Time and the Rani certainly doesn't help things one bit (and the shortened season means that this accounts for over a quarter of season 24's screen time), and it's true that there aren't any out and out classics this time around. But what's eminently clear is the sense of renewal blowing through this show like a crisp wind. Andrew Cartmel has stepped in as script editor, and John Nathan-Turner seems to be giving him quite a bit of leeway to remake the show more how he sees fit. It's significant that, with the exception of Pip & Jane Baker (who were hired by Nathan-Turner rather than Cartmel), none of the writers during the McCoy era have written for the show before -- and in fact, for many of them this is one of their first gigs. This lends everything a freshness, a vitality, and a sense that they can do anything -- and crucially, there's no one there to simply tell them "no". The production team is instead much more willing to work with the writers to realize their visions -- not always successfully, but with more hits than misses. This is no longer a show constrained by continuity or accepted beliefs about how the show works; instead it's treating the show's format as a sandbox that can do anything and say anything they want, and the start of this new approach can be seen here in season 24. It's not perfect, but nevertheless this is the clear beginning of Doctor Who's creative renaissance.
151 This is a reference to a line from Doctor Who - The Unfolding Text -- an academic work that I have to confess I've never managed to plow all the way through.