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| The TARDIS is held hostage by Marco Polo! |
7 episodes: The Roof of the World, The Singing Sands, The Cave of Five Hundred Eyes, The Wall of Lies, Rider from Shang-Tu, Mighty Kublai Khan, Assassin at Peking. Written by: John Lucarotti. Directed by: Waris Hussein, John Crockett. Produced by: Verity Lambert.
Note: This review was prepared using the Loose Cannon color reconstruction of the story.
THE PLOT
In the wake of the strain put on it during the previous adventure, a key component has broken, leaving the TARDIS stranded in the Himalayas, circa 1289. The time travelers are rescued by Marco Polo (Mark Eden), the Venetian servant of the Kublai Khan. However, it soon becomes apparent that they have traded one serious problem for another. Polo plans to trade the TARDIS to the Khan for his freedom to return to Venice. Polo isn't the only member of the party with his eyes on the caravan, however. The Mongol warlord Tegana (Derren Nesbitt), an emissary traveling to the Khan's court to make peace, sees the Doctor's "flying caravan" as a chance to turn defeat into victory, and "bring the mighty Kublai Khan to his knees!"
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: He is quite crafty in finding ways to keep getting back into the TARDIS while it's under Marco's guard to effect the needed repairs. Even when forced to surrender the key to Marco, he makes sure that the Venetian knows that he cannot simply use the key to get inside. Hartnell, always more at home in the historicals than in the outer space serials, is wonderful from start to finish. I mentioned in the reviews of the previous two stories that Hartnell's infamous line fluffs had already become noticeable. In this 7-episode serial, where he is given a very reasonable amount to do, he barely has any fluffs. Even without all of the visual information, one can sense Hartnell sparking to a particularly fine script and a director in whom he has confidence, delivering his finest performance since the show's first episode.
Ian: Forms a friendship of sorts with Marco, and it's not that surprising. Both are thirtiesh men, both with sharp minds, and both born leaders. Even when Marco starts to distrust Ian, the two frequently seem to be on the same page when discussing and dealing with their various dilemmas, particularly when fighting off a bandit attack in Episode Five.
Barbara: Her background as a history teacher allows her to put the pieces together very quickly after meeting Polo, and identify their new captor/companion. She shows a sharp eye for detail, as well, observing when the caravan reaches the oasis that there is no sign of a fire or of any bandit group, leading her to realize - ahead of Ian and the Doctor, and well ahead of Marco - that Tegana cannot be trusted.
Susan: For the first time in the series, Susan gets the chance to spend time with someone her own age, the young Ping-Cho (Zienia Merton). She is instinctively trusting of her new friend, and their closeness botches the team's first major escape attempt, at the end of Episode Five. Her influence on Ping-Cho also creates a crisis late in the serial, as Ping-Cho attempts to flee her arranged marriage largely because of Susan's view of the arrangement.
THOUGHTS
Marco Polo is regarded as one of the great achievements of '60's Doctor Who, and is a regular staple in lists of the series' best offerings. It is a tremendously well-scripted outing, directed with confidence by Waris Hussein, and wonderfully-acted by both regulars and guest cast.
The story itself isn't the most intricate. The regulars journey with a historical figure and a vaguely Iago-like enemy, and encounter a series of adventures along the way. It's not the story that counts here, it's the journey. Seeing these characters interact in this setting is the principal appeal. In structure, it is basically a 13th-century "road movie."
Lucarotti's three historicals are highlights of the Hartnell era, and it's rather sad that only one of the three actually survives. He has great skill at making different settings and time periods come to life. As with earlier serials, it's the details that are so critical. Ian describing the reason why water doesn't boil properly at high elevations, that it's not the cold but the air, not only feeds into the program's educational remit but is a nicely-observed moment (cut from the condensed DVD cut). Crossing the Gobi Desert in Episodes Two and Three, we observe the importance of water conservation. We hear the sound of a dust storm, battering against the tents, with Marco describing all the different things "the singing sands" have been mistaken for: music, voices, and devils out of hell. The painstaking trudge to the oasis, with Ian and Marco observing that without water, none of them will survive another 24 hours. Ping-Cho telling a story to the assembled listeners at a way station. So many tiny little moments, that don't always necessary feed the plot, but that do make it feel authentic.
I think this is why '60's Who is my favorite. As enjoyable as I find many of the later stories, the show increasingly had - and has - less and less time for this type of detail, and so with rare exceptions, I find myself getting less enveloped in the worlds of the later stories than in those of the very early stories.
Character work has been a particular strength of these very early Who serials, and remains excellent here. All of the regulars are well-characterized. The cast clearly recognizes that this is a strong production of a particularly fine script, and seem to give a little bit more in their performances. Lucarotti gives each of the regulars something to do, and allows them to interact with the major guest characters in their own unique ways.
He also creates strong guest characters. Marco and Tegana are well enough acted and characterized that they could probably have carried a story all on their own. Tegana is definitely the series' best villain of the first four serials. He is no idiot thug. Instead, he is crafty, well-spoken, and patient. A key scene for his character is the chess match in Episode Two. He sits back and watches Ian and Marco play, allowing that he finds the game a fascinating "test," with each player wanting to be the one to call out, "The king is dead!" He sits and patiently watches Ian and Marco play the game out, occasionally throwing out a comment on the proceedings - comments which show that he is following every move.
Tegana plays his own match against Marco like a chess game. Tegana makes various aggressive moves - slashing the water barrels, arranging for the bandits to attack the caravan - and when each fails, he finds a way to turn it to his advantage. He does not allow a single opportunity to pass by that will make himself look good to Marco, either, starting with when he brings Susan and Ping-Cho back to camp in the Gobi Desert. Gradually, over the course of the story, Tegana wins Marco's trust through a few well-judged whispers in the Venetian's ear, and makes Marco distrust Ian and the Doctor. To Marco, the regulars seem treacherous, and the villain trustworthy - and the longer the story runs, the more this situation escalates, culminating in the desperate situation of the serial's end: Tegana is in a position of trust; Ian in prison; and Marco facing disgrace. Watching this situation unfold creates a great deal of tension, which again builds so much more convincingly for being allowed to unfold gradually, rather than all in a rush.
Rating: 10/10. The best story yet, and a fine conclusion to a very fine first set of Hartnell adventures.
Marco Polo Missing Episode Notes
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Next Story: The Keys of Marinus
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