Monday, March 07, 2011

Target: Snakedance

A semi-classic from Terrance Dicks here, not quite up there with his masterpieces but a lot better than his production-line ones.

Dojjen's staff has a live snake wrapped round it, and he's meditating with his eyes wide open.

Nyssa actually does remember that it was Tegan who set the wrong coordinates, but she wants to cover up for her friend.

Lon and his family don't live on Manussa all the time. In fact he has just arrived there from the homeworld of the 'Federation of Three Worlds'. He's described as the Federator's 'favoured son' which might mean that he has brothers. Tanha is often bored by her official role as the Federator's wife.

The anti-dreaming device reminds Tegan of the personal stereos that were just coming into use when she left Earth.

Dugdale (the hall of mirrors man) sees the official party as an opportunity for trade, leading to the excellent sentence: '"Nobs," thought Dugdale.' He doesn't realise exactly who they are until too late - and when he does, he's actually in fear of being executed for impertinence.

In the tunnels, when the Doctor overhears Ambril's lecture he says 'Someone's well-informed,' before setting off towards the sound.

Ambril's office 'would have been luxurious' - if it wasn't so cluttered.

The Doctor strides into said office while Ambril is telling Chela to send him away, because he's 'never one for hanging about in ante-rooms.' That's true enough. The Doctor has never liked to be kept waiting.

Ambril's mocking summary of what the Doctor fears might happen has 'the end of Civilisation As We Know It' thus capitalised.

Chela can't help smiling when he grasps the Doctor's explanation of the sixth face of delusion.

The hall of mirrors is unmanned when Tegan arrives because Dugdale is in the tavern, soothing his nerves with a cup of wine.

When Dugdale comes to deliver the 'summons' to Lon, the latter plays along because he assumes that a local girl, drawn by the glamour of his position, is spinning a fantastic tale to arouse his interest. (TD clearly having no truck with fan suggestions that Lon isn't interested in girls).

When Lon returns, it's the next morning, and his mother is breakfasting on toasted grains and fruits. She wants to know where he was out last night. TD is often keen to establish clearer divisions between days in an adventure, in Loch Ness Monster for example, which also has a breakfast scene added.

Nyssa spent the same night in the TARDIS:

When the Doctor still hadn't returned next day she had decided to go to the palace and look for him. Assuming that the Doctor was (a) in trouble and (b) probably locked up, Nyssa had persuaded a friendly kitchen servant to direct her to the prison area.

Now that's a lapse into 'conscientious' mode - not the voice of someone telling a story, but the voice of someone trying to fill in the gaps in one. And the bullet points are quite extraordinary, worse than the parenthetical explanation about Azaxyr's spaceship in Monster of Peladon.

But we're quickly back on form with the puppet show, which has an extra bit where Punch (the 'villain-hero') chases away the policeman, or 'Federation civic guard'.

Lon buys paper lanterns, not candlesticks, for himself and Ambril to use in the caves.

The scene where Lon manipulates Ambril by threatening to smash the artefacts is well done. 'Ambril could have resisted bribes or threats but to watch the wanton destruction of irreplaceable antiques was more than he could bear'. On his return to the palace, his manner is one of suppressed excitement, seemingly drunk even (on screen he looks very unhappy as if failing to resist a hypnotic spell).

The attendant demon has a bucket of water ready to throw, not an amphora.

The Doctor, Nyssa and Chela get to Dojjen by climbing up the rock face above the cave mouth.

The man with the megaphone (the Voice of the Mara) has more lines to shout, including a ceremonial declaration that they are all too weak to resist the Mara, the 'Father of Lies'. The Doctor thinks of this epithet (often used for the Devil) when the Mara tries to trick him by having Tegan plead with him to look at her.

The ending is slightly less abrupt: the Doctor looks round to see Lon, Tanha, Chela and Ambril recovering. Ambril is already putting the Great Crystal away in its box. The Doctor resolves to slip away before the questions begin - 'they could invent another ceremony.' In his mind's eye he sees Dojjen turn and wave before he walks away.

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