The Ice Warriors and Peladon come to an end here. So too does writer Brian Hayles.
The plot is solid, the acting is ok (mostly), the characters are ok.
The direction is ok, the costuming is ok (just), the production is kinda cheap (ok for DW), the dialogue is ok, the lighting is standard, the effects are ok.
What's actually wrong with this?
Well it's slow. Watching this one ep per night is much better. Some might complain it gets drawn out too much but I feel this is a story that does not benefit from being swallowed in one giant gulp.
This is the last mid season, six parter (ever, unless you try to count The Two Doctors). It is the last of a type of story that started with Patrick Troughton/Innes Lloyd 8 years before. It's studio bound and somewhat padded. The story could be told more briefly but at the same time the 6 eps allow it to take time to develop characters and situations a little.
Monster of Peladon has better plotting than Curse of Peladon. It suffers from some action happening off camera. (I'll cite the end of the war with Galaxy Five which is covered by an Alpha Centauri line late in ep 6!) but the prefiguring of Monster attacks, the refinery is seen as early as ep2 and the positioning of Sarah's and the Queen's statements on 'womens lib' (ep2) and standing up to be a leader (ep6) make a neat progressive spread which is often underappreciated by fan reviews.
I suspect there are lot of McCoy lovin', Pertwee bashers who have decided to pick on this. While they have a case with Invasion of the Dinosaurs or Planet of the Daleks, they're pushing a barrow running Monster of Peladon down.
The age of McCoy lovers is long gone in DW fan history. So this one is probably due for revision.
Pertwee is taking the role with a comfortable, practised ease at this point. Pertwee was personally suffering from chronic back pain and was not taking rejection/'being let go' from the role terribly well. Was this showing in his portrayal? I can't see it. (I'm not sure I could tell if it was showing so comment is difficult.). The nervy guy who started in late 1969 is no longer around, the aggressive, Jo bashing guy from Claws of Axos/Daemons has vanished too. Pertwee's performance as DW was always very stiff and dignified (or stuffy and old fashioned if you prefer). That does not change but his mood and attitude moves quite a way in 5 seasons.
Interestingly this analysis gives a clue where the new Doctor might be coming from.
Are we ready for a bohemian, slacker DW who is scruffily dressed, irreverent and unsettlingly erratic (with slightly crazy as a motif)? Cause it's about to hit us.
ABM Rating 3.06/4.00
LJM Rating 3.25/5.00
SPJ Rating 6.83/10
No. 37 (out of 73)
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