8/19/08The TARDIS lands on a planet named Varos where society revolves around television and the citizens hold the fate of their leaders in their hands by being able to vote for death or life, all based on a green "Yes" button or a red "No" button. Executions and torture are broadcast live as entertainment, and the politicians are tortured and killed when their policies are not approved.
This is a really dark story, and familiar territory for the genre. We saw it in the X-Men comics with Mojo and we saw something very similar with "The Running Man." It's actually a really sharp episode with a lot to say, and I think it does so with a reasonable amount of success. This story contains the infamous "acid bath" scene, in which the Doctor struggles with two henchmen beside a vat of acid, and they fall in. It's gory and pretty gruesome, considering that it's a children's show, and this Doctor doesn't feel nearly as pacifistic as the previous Doctor.
Also starring Jason Connery, son of Sean, as a man trying to escape the gauntlet of cruel tricks set up for the viewer's enjoyment. It's also got a pretty disturbing creature called SIL, who does this thing with his tongue that just really freaks me out.
The Doctor is really coming into his own, slowly, and is not nearly as disagreeable as he was at first, and while still incredibly arrogant, he does seem to care for those around him. He actually wants to help, as opposed to not caring about anyone else. He's not my favorite, but it's a start.
I give Vengeance on Varos a 7/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment