Planet of Giants [Episode 1]
Hannah: They've had time to change clothes since their last adventure.
Me: It's always not continuous.
Hannah: Sometimes it is.
Me: Okay, but this time it isn't.
To Hannah's delight we get yet another model shot of the TARDIS doing its thing, and once again the emphasis is very much on the word "model."
Hannah: Yay, little toy TARDIS!
Me: You love that model, don't you?
Hannah: I think it's cute.
When the TARDIS crew steps outside to assess the terrain, Hannah is baffled by their immediate fascination with the nearby stonework. And of course, there's the usual problem with their technique.
Hannah: Splitting up always works. Carry on.
When the travellers come across a series of giant objects that look like pine nuts, ant eggs and a dead earthworm, the penny drops.
Hannah: I know what's going on. I remember you told me about it before.
Me: No I didn't.
Hannah: You did. You told me there was a story where they shrank.
Me: I told you that it was originally going to be the plot of An Unearthly Child when they were creating the series, but they couldn't afford to do it so they did cavemen instead.
Hannah: Okay, yes, I remember that's what you said now. But in my head I was thinking that they've obviously been shrunk because you said there was a story where it happened.
Me: And do you remember what you said?
Hannah: That it was a stupid idea and it's been done before?
Me: Pretty much. Words to that effect, anyway. Is that still how you feel?
Hannah: I don't know. It depends what they do with it.
And it's not just the story, either.
Hannah: (laughing) The music is silly.
Me: This is Dudley Simpson's first episode. He'll later go on to be the show's regular composer in the 1970s and do over 300 episodes.
Hannah: It's alright if you like banging flowerpots together.
In what would be a fairly mundane cliffhanger in any other episode, our heroes are menaced by a domestic cat.
Hannah: Okay, it is a good idea. I like it.
Upon finding the dead body of a government scientist, murdered by mad businessman Forester in the previous episode, Barbara's suggestion that they do something about the dead body is met with a snort of derision from Hannah.
Hannah: Like what? Get some sort of pulley system and try to cover him with a shroud?
Other suggestions that fail to meet with her approval include Ian and Barbara hiding in a briefcase...
Hannah: Yes, in things. In things was a good idea last time.
... and Forester's plan to cover his tracks by leaving the corpse in a boat to be discovered at sea.
Hannah: He's still got a bullethole in his chest though.
After Forester and his accomplice Smithers discuss the murder, I turn to see Hannah beaming broadly; this is slightly worrying, although she insists that it's only because the temperature in our living room has now reached nineteen degrees. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Susan have climbed up a drainpipe and emerge in the laboratory's sink.
Hannah: All of these great big sets that they've made and they're only going to use them once.
Me: I know. Although I suppose that's true of most of the sets they make.
Just when it looks like Barbara is about to reveal to Ian that she's been infected with pesticide, they hear the Doctor and Susan calling for them. Barbara abruptly changes her mind and decides her news isn't that important after all.
Hannah: It's always important, finish your sentence! People in TV shows never finish their sentences when it's going to be something important. Just say "we'll go and find them, but I need to tell you that I might be dying."
Meanwhile, Forester and Smithers need to wash their hands. Fortunately there's a sink in the lab.
Hannah: Of course there is.
We're treated to another incongruous cliffhanger; this time we watch a man pull the plug out of a sink, and the credits roll over a close-up of the water draining away.
Hannah: It's very easy to make it threatening, you don't have to think too far outside the box. Everything is dangerous and scary when you're tiny.
Appropriately enough, the story itself has also been reduced in size.
Me: This story was originally four episodes, but it was too long so they edited parts 3 and 4 into a single episode to tighten it up a bit. We're watching two episodes combined into a single one here.
Hannah: Yeah, I wouldn't have thought it would work as a longer story.
Me: And this wasn't at the script stage either, they actually recorded two full episodes and then edited them together.
Hannah: That's interesting. Does that mean they were a week behind?
Me: No, they added another standalone episode to the end of the production block, which will be coming up in season 3. The two original episodes are now lost but the scripts still survive, so both episodes been recreated for the DVD extras by recording the dialogue and dubbing it over still images and recycled footage.
Hannah: But that's... I know that's interesting, but they made the creative decision to turn them into one episode. What's the point of re-doing it?
Me: Just to show what it would have been like. It's 25 minutes of deleted scenes; the point is to show what was cut out and where it would have been, and how it would have changed the story.
As hilarious as it is to watch something as commonplace as an empty sink with such dramatic music over it, Hannah is still frustrated at Barbara's constant reluctance to tell anyone about her condition ("Such an idiot!"). When they finally work it out for themselves, we find that some of the edits are rather more obvious than others.
Hannah: Obviously that's a bit that's been edited. At some point she changed her mind, she was perfectly happy two seconds ago to go back to the ship, just a bit tired. And now in the very next scene they're saying "come on, let us take you". They must have found out about the murder plot or something.
Me: And something else that got edited out: the cat died from the pesticide.
Hannah: Ohhhh!
Me: I know. Probably too upsetting for children.
After a failed experiment with the telephone, the Doctor decides that the best way to attract attention to the house is by starting a fire.
Hannah: How does that help?
Me: They want to stop the mass production of the pesticide.
Hannah: They shouldn't really care, they just need to get back.
Me: Not if it indiscriminately kills everything it touches. Still, he's brought Ian and Barbara back to modern-day England at last.
Hannah: Yes, right era and everything.
It takes all four of them to turn on the gas tap.
Hannah: It looks like they're doing ballet.
Me: Does it?
Hannah: I don't know why, but that's how I feel. Holding a bar and pointing their feet.
Me: Okay.
As they return to the TARDIS, the Doctor decides to bring one of the contaminated seeds with him.
Hannah: (laughing) Erm...
Me: I love the Hartnell Doctor.
Hannah: What do you want a disgustingly powerful poison for?
As the Doctor restores the TARDIS and its occupants to normal size, the seed appears to shrink.
Hannah: Why wouldn't it appear to stay the same size? Everything else in the TARDIS is getting bigger. Why is it selective?
Me: The things that were shrunken are being restored to their original size. Everything else is retaining its normal size.
Hannah: But it's now inside. I know it's from outside, but it's now inside.
Me: But it wasn't affected in the first place, so there's nothing to reverse. That's why the amount of pesticide in Barbara's system is now fairly harmless in relation to her size.
Hannah: Maybe.
Hannah seems to be coming round to Dudley Simpson's music. Which is just as well, because she's going to have to get used to hearing it a lot more in the future.
Hannah: Quite an interesting style he chose. Funky.
Hannah: Well, I understand that they needed to cut it down into one episode at the end there, because the first couple didn't quite have enough going in them to make a four-episode story out of it, however... I think they ruined it. It was a little bit bitty and hard to comprehend everything, and there was a lot of plot cut out. I wish there was more of the cat.
Me: We'll have to watch the reconstructed episodes.
Hannah: I want to, because I feel like they've ruined it, but if this is how they've chosen to do it...
Me: I think four episodes would be too much.
Hannah: Yes, four episodes is too much, but they ruined it by making the third episode all weird and choppy. Obviously their intention to call the police was never going to work; basically they just had to sit round until the operator got suspicious and sent the popo in.
Me: The what?
Hannah: So yeah, it's a fun story and there were some good elements, some tension and excitement, but they ruined it at the end. It's very middle-of-the-road.
5/10
Hannah: Okay, it is a good idea. I like it.
Dangerous Journey [Episode 2]
Upon finding the dead body of a government scientist, murdered by mad businessman Forester in the previous episode, Barbara's suggestion that they do something about the dead body is met with a snort of derision from Hannah.
Hannah: Like what? Get some sort of pulley system and try to cover him with a shroud?
Other suggestions that fail to meet with her approval include Ian and Barbara hiding in a briefcase...
Hannah: Yes, in things. In things was a good idea last time.
... and Forester's plan to cover his tracks by leaving the corpse in a boat to be discovered at sea.
Hannah: He's still got a bullethole in his chest though.
After Forester and his accomplice Smithers discuss the murder, I turn to see Hannah beaming broadly; this is slightly worrying, although she insists that it's only because the temperature in our living room has now reached nineteen degrees. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Susan have climbed up a drainpipe and emerge in the laboratory's sink.
Hannah: All of these great big sets that they've made and they're only going to use them once.
Me: I know. Although I suppose that's true of most of the sets they make.
Just when it looks like Barbara is about to reveal to Ian that she's been infected with pesticide, they hear the Doctor and Susan calling for them. Barbara abruptly changes her mind and decides her news isn't that important after all.
Hannah: It's always important, finish your sentence! People in TV shows never finish their sentences when it's going to be something important. Just say "we'll go and find them, but I need to tell you that I might be dying."
Meanwhile, Forester and Smithers need to wash their hands. Fortunately there's a sink in the lab.
Hannah: Of course there is.
We're treated to another incongruous cliffhanger; this time we watch a man pull the plug out of a sink, and the credits roll over a close-up of the water draining away.
Hannah: It's very easy to make it threatening, you don't have to think too far outside the box. Everything is dangerous and scary when you're tiny.
Crisis [Episode 3]
Appropriately enough, the story itself has also been reduced in size.
Me: This story was originally four episodes, but it was too long so they edited parts 3 and 4 into a single episode to tighten it up a bit. We're watching two episodes combined into a single one here.
Hannah: Yeah, I wouldn't have thought it would work as a longer story.
Me: And this wasn't at the script stage either, they actually recorded two full episodes and then edited them together.
Hannah: That's interesting. Does that mean they were a week behind?
Me: No, they added another standalone episode to the end of the production block, which will be coming up in season 3. The two original episodes are now lost but the scripts still survive, so both episodes been recreated for the DVD extras by recording the dialogue and dubbing it over still images and recycled footage.
Hannah: But that's... I know that's interesting, but they made the creative decision to turn them into one episode. What's the point of re-doing it?
Me: Just to show what it would have been like. It's 25 minutes of deleted scenes; the point is to show what was cut out and where it would have been, and how it would have changed the story.
As hilarious as it is to watch something as commonplace as an empty sink with such dramatic music over it, Hannah is still frustrated at Barbara's constant reluctance to tell anyone about her condition ("Such an idiot!"). When they finally work it out for themselves, we find that some of the edits are rather more obvious than others.
Hannah: Obviously that's a bit that's been edited. At some point she changed her mind, she was perfectly happy two seconds ago to go back to the ship, just a bit tired. And now in the very next scene they're saying "come on, let us take you". They must have found out about the murder plot or something.
Me: And something else that got edited out: the cat died from the pesticide.
Hannah: Ohhhh!
Me: I know. Probably too upsetting for children.
After a failed experiment with the telephone, the Doctor decides that the best way to attract attention to the house is by starting a fire.
Hannah: How does that help?
Me: They want to stop the mass production of the pesticide.
Hannah: They shouldn't really care, they just need to get back.
Me: Not if it indiscriminately kills everything it touches. Still, he's brought Ian and Barbara back to modern-day England at last.
Hannah: Yes, right era and everything.
It takes all four of them to turn on the gas tap.
Hannah: It looks like they're doing ballet.
Me: Does it?
Hannah: I don't know why, but that's how I feel. Holding a bar and pointing their feet.
Me: Okay.
As they return to the TARDIS, the Doctor decides to bring one of the contaminated seeds with him.
Hannah: (laughing) Erm...
Me: I love the Hartnell Doctor.
Hannah: What do you want a disgustingly powerful poison for?
As the Doctor restores the TARDIS and its occupants to normal size, the seed appears to shrink.
Hannah: Why wouldn't it appear to stay the same size? Everything else in the TARDIS is getting bigger. Why is it selective?
Me: The things that were shrunken are being restored to their original size. Everything else is retaining its normal size.
Hannah: But it's now inside. I know it's from outside, but it's now inside.
Me: But it wasn't affected in the first place, so there's nothing to reverse. That's why the amount of pesticide in Barbara's system is now fairly harmless in relation to her size.
Hannah: Maybe.
Hannah seems to be coming round to Dudley Simpson's music. Which is just as well, because she's going to have to get used to hearing it a lot more in the future.
Hannah: Quite an interesting style he chose. Funky.
The Score
Hannah: Well, I understand that they needed to cut it down into one episode at the end there, because the first couple didn't quite have enough going in them to make a four-episode story out of it, however... I think they ruined it. It was a little bit bitty and hard to comprehend everything, and there was a lot of plot cut out. I wish there was more of the cat.
Me: We'll have to watch the reconstructed episodes.
Hannah: I want to, because I feel like they've ruined it, but if this is how they've chosen to do it...
Me: I think four episodes would be too much.
Hannah: Yes, four episodes is too much, but they ruined it by making the third episode all weird and choppy. Obviously their intention to call the police was never going to work; basically they just had to sit round until the operator got suspicious and sent the popo in.
Me: The what?
Hannah: So yeah, it's a fun story and there were some good elements, some tension and excitement, but they ruined it at the end. It's very middle-of-the-road.
5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment