Premise: The population of Varos is entertained/controlled via violent TV shows. The Varosian Governor is dealing with Sil, from the Galatron Mining Corporation, who want Varos’s minerals.
Notes: The story was originally written for the nineteenth season back in 1982. However, it was repeatedly pushed back and rewritten until it ended up here. The final draft had many comedic sequences which were either cut or played seriously. One of the ones that was played seriously was the notorious acid bath scene which is criticised by many fans because of it's grim tone and Colin Baker's flippant remark afterwards. This serial was the first to feature Sil (the second being Mindwarp the following year) who was played by Nabil Shaban who was co-founder of the disabled actors theatre group, the Graeae. During the first recording of the noose execution scene, the set colapsed under the wight of all the actors. Luckily, the actors did not have their heads in the nooses at the time. As a safety precaution for when they did, the nooses were not actually tied up.
Verdict: A thoroughly enjoyable tale with some great action sequences and an intriguingly grim plot. The opening minutes are extremely atmospheric and the sets are very well done. However, the acid bath sequence is deeply problematic and the ending is poorly written and very anti-climactic 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment