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WATCH ALONG | CLASSIC DOCTOR WHO | 10x8 | Carnival of Monsters: Part 4
🕑 Added 2024-05-30 12:01:01 +0000 UTCA Few Notes:
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Comments
Azmat Mahmood
This is actually a very popular story, so I'm quite surprised you didn't like it more. Oh well, the next story is great too so hopefully that'll be more to your tastes.
Azmat Mahmood
This is such a creative and imaginative story. The political commentary is so subtle and cleverly written, and as would become typical of Robert Holmes in the years to come, it's very funny too. The three grey aliens' dislike of outsiders and reluctance to let them in feels more relevant than ever in the wake of Brexit. The two subordinates conspiring against their leader and being willing to cause harm to their own people and city all just to get their own way and for political progress is also a great way to show how self-serving and manipulative certain politicians are. The idea of miniaturising the Doctor and Jo and putting them inside this miniscope is ingenious, especially for the first proper story in space (the Doctor hasn't been sent on a mission by the Time Lords this time) since 'The War Games'. The miniscope - with all the creatures and lifeforms held in captivity and put on show for entertainment - is clearly meant to be an allegory for zoos, but it could also easily be read as a tongue in cheek reference to the general premise of Doctor Who itself. There are more little inside jokes like that in this story. Vorg and Shirna are meant to be a parallel to the Doctor and his companions with their machine that doesn't work properly and unreliable mode of transport. There's also Jo's little comment of "it's all right. I know the routine.", which seems to be poking fun at the capture/escape/recapture trope that keeps on popping up in Doctor Who. This story is Doctor Who's first proper foray back into travelling the universe since the 60s and it seems to pay homage to the type of stories we'd be getting on a regular basis back then. It's as if it's tipping its hat to the past, whilst at the same time putting its own spin on the old formula and pitching it as a sort of mission statement for the show going forward. It's so much fun and weird in the best way. This is in my top five for Pertwee's era, I love it.
