The Randomiser: Invasion of the Dinosaurs
Aug. 21st, 2019 08:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
purplecatI don't think we've ever had two randomiser stories in a row which followed each other consecutively on TV. Here were are at the penultimate randomiser and it finally happens!!
Invasion of the Dinosaurs is a good second story for Sarah and definitely benefitted from being viewed directly after her debut in the The Time Warrior. People have commented elsewhere how her character is gradually toned down through the seasons and it is very obvious here. She's not as combative as she is in the Time Warrior but she's also very clearly working to her own agenda, identifying her own problems and objectives and using her own resources and expertise to (re)solve them. She's not yet completely a team player wrt. the Doctor and UNIT and the character is stronger for it.
I've written much over the last few years about how much better Jo Grant is as a companion than I had believed based on received fan wisdom. But where Jo generally chose to hide her competence behind a facade of girlishness, Sarah is very upfront about what she thinks and intends. While I think Jo is underrated as a companion, the immediate contrast is very obvious and you can see why Sarah felt to viewers like a change rather than a continuation.
The most infamous aspect of Invasion of the Dinosaurs is the titular dinosaurs themselves. This is another of those occasions where classic Who's ambition somewhat exceeded its ability. Surprisingly I don't think this actually particularly damages the story. At a remove of 40 years, there is a certain charm to clumsy dinosaur puppets fighting each other and while the T. rex puppet is pretty terrible some of the others are actually passable. It may help that the cast are taking the threat seriously and the moments when humans and dinosaur interact are kept to a minimum. They are mostly separate from the central plot thread so can be viewed as interesting (flawed) set pieces before the rest of the story resumes.
The rest of the story isn't bad either. There is some essential nonsense at the heart of it, but the human side - who is part of the conspiracy and who is not, how far will each person's ideals let them go - unfolds slowly enough that there are surprises up until the end and there is even enough internal consistency in the nonsense to allow it to be revealed in stages. I half-wished I had gone into this unspoiled since Tame Layman was genuinely intrigued by all the stuff on the "space ship" and quite taken with the "twist" when it was revealed.
It's a good story for Benton too. He has the reputation as the stupid UNIT soldier, but here he is both resourceful and cunning. Mike Yates had the more obvious character arc in the course of the Pertwee years, but I think one could argue that Benton was the more nuanced character: someone limited by class and/or education to a level rather below his ability but accepting that with grace and good-humour.
I think this is generally considered one of the lesser Pertwee stories, but I'd argue its definitely one of the stronger ones in season 11, if not in the era as a whole. If you look beyond the dinosaurs then there is a solid story with interesting characters here.
Invasion of the Dinosaurs is a good second story for Sarah and definitely benefitted from being viewed directly after her debut in the The Time Warrior. People have commented elsewhere how her character is gradually toned down through the seasons and it is very obvious here. She's not as combative as she is in the Time Warrior but she's also very clearly working to her own agenda, identifying her own problems and objectives and using her own resources and expertise to (re)solve them. She's not yet completely a team player wrt. the Doctor and UNIT and the character is stronger for it.
I've written much over the last few years about how much better Jo Grant is as a companion than I had believed based on received fan wisdom. But where Jo generally chose to hide her competence behind a facade of girlishness, Sarah is very upfront about what she thinks and intends. While I think Jo is underrated as a companion, the immediate contrast is very obvious and you can see why Sarah felt to viewers like a change rather than a continuation.
The most infamous aspect of Invasion of the Dinosaurs is the titular dinosaurs themselves. This is another of those occasions where classic Who's ambition somewhat exceeded its ability. Surprisingly I don't think this actually particularly damages the story. At a remove of 40 years, there is a certain charm to clumsy dinosaur puppets fighting each other and while the T. rex puppet is pretty terrible some of the others are actually passable. It may help that the cast are taking the threat seriously and the moments when humans and dinosaur interact are kept to a minimum. They are mostly separate from the central plot thread so can be viewed as interesting (flawed) set pieces before the rest of the story resumes.
The rest of the story isn't bad either. There is some essential nonsense at the heart of it, but the human side - who is part of the conspiracy and who is not, how far will each person's ideals let them go - unfolds slowly enough that there are surprises up until the end and there is even enough internal consistency in the nonsense to allow it to be revealed in stages. I half-wished I had gone into this unspoiled since Tame Layman was genuinely intrigued by all the stuff on the "space ship" and quite taken with the "twist" when it was revealed.
It's a good story for Benton too. He has the reputation as the stupid UNIT soldier, but here he is both resourceful and cunning. Mike Yates had the more obvious character arc in the course of the Pertwee years, but I think one could argue that Benton was the more nuanced character: someone limited by class and/or education to a level rather below his ability but accepting that with grace and good-humour.
I think this is generally considered one of the lesser Pertwee stories, but I'd argue its definitely one of the stronger ones in season 11, if not in the era as a whole. If you look beyond the dinosaurs then there is a solid story with interesting characters here.
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(no subject)
Date: 2019-08-22 10:31 am (UTC)I think I read on a blog somewhere that, excluding the cliff-hanger reprises, the dinosaurs are on screen for twelve minutes out of a six part story, so Malcolm Hulke's interest was obviously elsewhere, which works to the benefit of the story in multiple ways.
I have a lot of fondness for this story, partly because I think, as you say, it does unfold pretty well, and I like the gentle questioning of the usual political certainties of the era, but I also have a personal reason in that my review of the story in the Outside In collection was the first professional piece of writing that I had published. Possibly I hold it in higher regard because of that, but I do think it is genuinely under-rated.
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Date: 2019-08-23 08:56 am (UTC)