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Time and the Rani |
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But is it just me or do you really love Time and the Rani? Sure, it's daft, tacky and smashes Who's credibility into the ground, but it's also a massive two fingers to the strangling old hat regime that made The Trial of the Trial of a Time Lord. I like it more with hindsight, but even at the time I remembered peeing myself when I saw Bonnie in that bubbletrap. Okay, Sylvester playing spoons on Kate O'Mara's jugs is the most light entertainment the series ever got, but just enjoy it for what it is. I'm not claiming this is my idea of perfect Who, but it's a laugh, innit? Slyvester gives a much better performance than he got credit for, and the bit where he picks up the Rani's gun and remarks how it could bring down any passing spaceship without realising what he's saying is hilarious. In fact, it reminded me a bit of Monsieur Verdoux at times with their cross purposes chats... I suspect I'm in a minority there. The Tetcraps are rank, but Andrew Morgan also proves to be one of the era's better directors. Keff McCulloch - big up, big up! This is a genius at work. When the Doctor tries on costumes, only a God would play a french organ theme on a bontempi organ when he dresses up as Napoleon. To follow this up with a school bell for his teacher, and the electronic sound of breaking glass for his cricket garb is the sort of thing that makes me wish I was a woman so I could have Keff McCulloch's babies. (Note to American readers: The previous paragraph was supposed to be ironic.) Yeah, an enjoyable episode when all said and done. Stupid but fun. The sets aren't actually that bad, and if shot darkly (as the underground Tetcrap lair is) they might have been better. Mind you, when the Lakertians are lime green with orange/yellow outfits and Limahl haircuts under a bright pink sky then you know it's not aiming for subtlety. Of the script, then Pip and Jane are letting the side down a little by not giving us anything as monumental as "whoever's been placed in there has been pulverised into fragments and sent floating in space - and in my book, that's murder" - or if they are, it's being edited out by Andrew Cartmel. That said, "I know about regeneration, of course" is Godawful exposition, and "If you're the Rani then I'm dicing with destruction" tries to recapture former glories. But this is more of a Lovesexy to their Sign "O" The Times and Purple Rain... never again would they produce anything as classic as "The tree won't harm you." A genuinely decent line, delivered well by Slyvester is "I'm suffering from post-regenerative amnesia... as far as I can remember." Actually, it's terrible, isn't it? The oldest gag in the book. Must be his delivery. He brings a lot of verve and enthusiasm to this one. The actual plot is a little weird - surely the Rani would have too much pride to seek the Doctor's help, no matter how covertly? - but is quite entertaining. There's an entire scene in this one which consists of nothing more than Sylvester playing the spoons. You can see why people hated him - the story just confirms everyone's negative preconceptions about him. This one lacks the pace and energy of the first instalment, causing you to reflect on its shortcomings, but is still quite a laugh. Where this one fails is in making the Lakertians so po-faced... they're the only ones not in on the joke. Bonnie goes into a screaming fit again when attacked by a Tetcrap. Strange, you'd think she'd be pleased by a tongue that size. Here's a thought: how rubbish would a Bonnie/Daleks story be? ("My hearing is impaired") Oh well, at least she redeemed herself in Dimensions In Time/The Big Finish plays. There's a funny line in this one: "I've met your companion Mel" "Well don't hold that against me." But a darker side to the Doctor is already presaged by him pushing a Tetrap onto a, er... trap, effectively murdering it. And even though I (quite rightly) slated Keff McCulloch, I do really like the funky Centre of Leisure theme. This seems to be making a comment about hedonism or the unemployed, but whatever it is is unclear and it does little, if anything, to further the plot. Maybe this would have been better as a three-parter, but with the ludicrous Tetcraps (worst monsters of the 80s?) this is just a kid's pantomime of a once-great series. The first episode was funny and self-aware, but this one pretends to be serious Doctor Who and so fails. In 1987 U2 released The Joshua Tree. Prince released Sign "O" The Times. And Doctor Who? It had the Rani trying to take over the universe with a giant brain... The Doctor mentions Elvis in this episode, a sign of his (albeit dated) pop culture referencing, the sort of thing Paul Cornell would stain his pants over. This started out as quite fun in a naff sort of way, but it's got pretentions of plot at this stage and its overstayed its welcome. One plot hole (just the one?) I've never noticed before is that if the Rani did use the brain to ensure the human race never existed then she would never have been able to kidnap the Earth scientists to program it in the first place. The "touching parting" scene at the climax is poor, cheesy and generic of SF. I've had a few laughs with this story, but at the end I feel strangely hollow. Sufficiently entertaining and bold, it's nevertheless undeniable that Pip and Jane Baker don't have the wit to write a satisfying comedy story. Time and the Rani can't truly be "so bad it's good" because it's intentionally bad. A pile of cobblers, really. Entertaining cobblers, but cobblers all the same. * * |
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