Skaro is a much more atmospheric place - not a claustrophobic quarry, but 'an endless bare plain with a scattering of rocks, stretching away into fast-gathering darkness'. All the initial scenes, including the ship landing, take place at night.
Deja vu is a common sensation for time travellers, the narrator tells us.
The funeral procession have flaming torches, and there's a digression about the ceremony being similar all over the universe. Romana is particularly startled by the Doctor's return because he's got white dust on his hand, which she connects to his earlier talk about zombies.
There's a reason why he mentioned them, by the way:
Perhaps it had been unfair to make Romana's flesh creep like that, but her icy Time Lady composure sometimes got on his nerves. He hadn’t been able to resist the chance of shaking it just a little.
Up to now I've been with TD's changes to the story - they're giving it an atmosphere which it lacks on screen - but that's a bit mean. And I find the idea of Romana 2 being the same person as Romana 1 jarring - yes, I know that they are supposed to be the same. But just look how odd it is in Creature from the Pit where 2 is doing lines written for 1.
The Doctor's book concerns the Tenth Galaxy, not the whole universe. The author is not named, but is a Time Lord historian whose errors of fact the Doctor enjoys contradicting.
The Movellans are not stated to be dark-skinned, just tall and handsome. Though Sharrel's voice is described as deep and mellow, which could be a hint. I don't know whether TD imagines them actually looking different, or whether he's showing us that the Doctor doesn't necessarily expect humanoids to be light-skinned. (Though that wouldn't explain why he mentions the Swampies' green skin so many times).
The anti-radiation pills are not basically forgotten about as on screen; they are referred to several times. The Daleks even supply them to their unhealthy coughing slave workers.
TD repeats the idea (from Death to the Daleks) that the Dalek 'sucker' is actually a sensitive scanning device.
The Daleks use anti-gravity discs to get down to Level Four, TD clearly having in mind the Doctor's taunt about them being unable to climb. (By the way, he doesn't say 'Back off' or any variant thereof).
When the Doctor tells Romana and Tyssan to leave him with Davros, he makes a strange joke about hating people who 'use age and rank to enforce their will - so don't make me do it!'
Tyssan's 'prophecy' that he'll die on Skaro recurs in his thoughts later.
TD works hard to create the impression that there are lots of Daleks on the mission to Skaro, not just 3 or 4.
Davros is only 'possibly' mutant according to the Movellan computer display.
There's a retcon re Genesis: Davros 'had suspected the possibility of treachery' by the Daleks, and deployed a shielding device. During this conversation, the Doctor wishes the Movellans would arrive 'like the US Cavalry', and mentally compares himself to Custer - who he once met. Custer never listened to his warnings...
Romana doesn't just run into the Movellan ship. She has to slip past the sentry first.
Just before the Doctor detonates the bomb on Davros' chair, he has a moment of doubt where he recalls the wires scene in Genesis. 'Who knows what horrors he had unleashed upon the Universe?' So it seems he did have the right after all...
The Doctor speaks kindly to the Kaled mutant, which has crawled onto his shoulder, before dropping it gently into a crevice. (Rather than splatting it aggressively onto the ground).
It's a male Movellan whose chest the Doctor opens to discover that he's a robot.
Romana knows how to play paper, stone, knife because the Doctor taught her (an unspecified time ago).
Tyssan has considerable engineering and robotics experience. That's why he can reprogramme Lan ad hoc.
Having despatched the kamikaze Daleks, Davros settles down to dream of never-ending Dalek victories.
When Romana and the Doctor get back to the TARDIS, they're carrying spades, with which they dig it out.
No comments:
Post a Comment