Holistic Review: A simple but entertaining story, with an interesting race of monsters, that could probably only be told on Doctor Who.

For me, The Ark falls into the category of "always fun to watch, but not a stellar piece of television". That's not something I mind at all - I can definitely appreciate a nice fluffy piece of entertainment. Well, not so much that The Ark is fluffy, it's just more obviously made for children than some of its seasonmates.

But at the same time, it's an unusual story - Doctor Who is probably the only show in existence where you could have a viral-plague storyline followed up by a look at how that incident affected the community's descendants 700 years later. So this story walks a fine line between fascinating and silly, with varying results.

The reason I feel this story is aimed more at children is basically due to the scripting, and to a lesser extent the plot. It's sort of simplistic - Dodo exposes humans in the far future to an antiquated virus, the TARDIS crew are arrested, and the Doctor finds a cure; generations later, the slaves are now the oppressors and the Doctor must find a way to stop them from destroying humanity. But aside from the plot, the dialogue sometimes dips into "ludicrous" as the characters lose intelligence points. I'm thinking particularly of the early scenes involving the TARDIS crew. As soon as Dodo steps out of the TARDIS, she's convinced they're in a zoo. But a little while later, Steven and the Doctor spend some time debating what kind of place could be host to so many different kinds of animals from all over the Earth - as if that's an unusual thing! The Doctor finally comes to the same conclusion as Dodo, declaring a gigantic zoo to be unusual, but not impossible. Well, of course it isn't! Their dialogue seems clearly designed to intrigue children, but it's not naturalistic at all.

The scene above highlights one of the main failings of the story, I think - the director and his crew make some choices that I find unfortunate. Chief among them, this generational ship. The dialogue is meant to reinforce the idea that this ship is enormous (as, for example, in the bit I mentioned, where the Doctor marvels at the improbable size of the indoor zoo), but the sets don't give that impression at all. Now, I don't want to malign the jungle set - it's actually quite nice, especially since they actually use real animals, including a rather large elephant - but it never looks larger than an ordinary zoo exhibit, and we only ever see about four rooms onboard the ship, none of which look that large either (although in the control room, the ceiling does give the impression of stretching way back into the distance). Even a glimpse of a model of this generational ship might help us to understand how large it is, but we don't get that (only a difficult-to-interpret map), so there's a lot of disbelief-suspension involved.

The camerawork is shaky on at least two occasions - once after the Doctor discusses the "zebra with two heads" cave drawing, and again after a full-frame image of Mellium switches to being shown on a monitor. Then there's one of my pet peeves - using one camera angle to represent both an outside recording of events and a monitor screen. In the former, it's practically forbidden for an actor to look into the camera; in the latter, it's practically required. So I find it extremely frustrating when characters are talking via viewscreen, and the character on the monitor is staring off into the distance somewhere. I can forgive it a little more easily in this era, because the effects had to be done live, but it still irks me, and it happens twice in The Ark. First, when the Commander becomes ill, the image of Zentos becomes blurry - but we're not looking at him from the Commander's perspective, we're looking at him from somewhere off to the side. It happens again when Monoid Two has called the ship from the launcher on Refusis, and his image is displayed on the scanner in the central chamber.

Then we've got visual effects. There's a moment in episode 1, after a negligent worker is sentenced to miniaturization, when the camera refuses to let us see the bottom of the miniaturization chamber; the man shrinks down past the bottom of the screen, and the sound effect continues, but we don't actually get to see him "disappear". Was technology not quite good enough to shrink an image down to nothingness? In the landers, a whining noise accompanies the exterior door opening, but the first time this happens, the noise starts long before the door starts moving, and stops when it's only halfway open. Some of the lander models flying through space are obviously being supported by wires, and the statue moves oddly when it gets ejected into space - it looks like it's about to topple over before it starts floating away. Then, when it explodes, the model simply vanishes, to be replaced by a bright white light.

Incidental music. See above, re: "The Daleks" (for the third time, no less!) Liked it the first time. Still liked it the second time. Doesn't really fit this time. Why did they insist on re-using this score so much? Oh well, at least it helped them save some money.

So, it's fair to say that this story contains a number of moments that make me tut and think "they could have done that better." (I'm sure, of course, that the production team did the best they could for the time, but I think a few changes could have improved the end product quite a bit.) But there are a lot of positives to this story, too.

The Monoids are pretty interesting monsters, subject to the same highs and lows as the rest of this story. They really never look like anything other than men in loose rubber suits, and I can't decide how I feel about their wigs, which are almost always compared to Beatle mop-top hairdos. Some days I like them, because it makes the Monoids look alien and unusual, but other days I just think they look kinda silly. But they're sympathetic in a way, given that they were only seizing the opportunity to turn the tables on their enslavers. They're given some great alien touches, like the single eyeball which is manipulated inside the costume by the actor's tongue, and the suggestion of mouths in what would appear to be their necks. I like the notion that they communicate by sign language (and apparently use a pidgin version with the Guardians) before they develop their communications devices. When they do obtain the ability to speak, they have neat voices, and surprisingly, their speech is much more colloquial than most monsters and villains. (At one point, Monoid One says, "Good! Then let's hope that they succeed in their mission.") They also make interesting noises when they die. Then there's their behavior, your opinion of which will depend on what mood you're in. If you're feeling especially serious, then the Monoids are just dull ranting megalomaniacs who talk about their secret plans loudly in the open and gloat in an over-the-top manner. But I personally like the theory (not mine) that after centuries of servitude, the Monoids didn't quite know what to do with rebellion, and as a result they're rather ludicrous conquerors. For one thing, it makes them vastly more amusing to watch, and I feel fully justified in giggling at them. After all, they way they speak and act does seem to be deliberately humorous. I'll talk about this more later.

Costume design also has its ups and downs. Well, really only one down - I just can't say that I really like the Guardians' outfits, although I wonder if they might look better in color. However, this is entirely made up for by Dodo's fab outfit. Love the bold monochrome look. This is definitely one of my favorite costumes in the entire series - but then, so is her costume for the following story! and I'm tickled that she gets to unveil her Toymaker outfit at the end of episode 4, since we're missing so much of its onscreen time otherwise.

Finally, and the area where the episode is almost wholly successful (aside from the aforementioned wire problems), props and models. I think the only one in the story that I'm not entirely happy with is the model of the Earth burning up. Otherwise, I have only praise. The heat guns that the Monoids use have a neat design, very futuristic and dangerous-looking. All of the modelwork with the statue is great, and it actually doesn't look like a model - it's very detailed. The landers look great when they take off and land, especially when the modelwork is combined with live-action footage, and we see them land in front of a Monoid. Then there are the Refusians, which are so well done I can hardly believe it. I really like the effect used to convey them sitting in the landers, and the moment when a Refusian gathers up some scattered flowers and replaces them in a vase is extremely well done.

Acting, unfortunately, tends toward the low end of the scale. Aside from the regular cast, there's really only one guest character that's noteworthy. In the latter two episodes, Eileen Helsby as Venussa is so many leagues better than any of the other guest cast, it's almost funny. She's the only one who seems to have the ability to deliver her lines naturally and convincingly; the others all seem to think they're in some kind of low-end Shakespearean production. Ordinarily I'd have laid the blame for this partly at the foot of the script, but Helsby demonstrates that in the right hands, this script sounds just fine. Brian Wright as Dassuk isn't bad either, and the actors who provide the Monoid and Refusian voices all do amusing and impressive jobs as well, but the others are largely forgettable, to the point that I couldn't even keep them all straight.

The regulars are, as always, delightful. William Hartnell gets to be his usual absentminded self, but he also has some cute moments chiding Dodo over her speech (although, as a linguist, I must object to his intention to "teach [her] English"! Please! She already speaks it just fine.) and he gets to be the intelligent scientist when he's tracking down a cure to Dodo's cold. Peter Purves is also good throughout, although his shining moment is clearly his turn on the stand in episode two, as he argues their defense and denounces the ignorance of the Guardians.

And then there's our brand-new TARDIS crewmember, the cheeky and enthusiastic Dorothea Chaplet. Since this is effectively Dodo's introductory story, how does she fare? Well, I have to say that I adore her. The thing is, she reminds me of Mel in a lot of ways. She's highly optimistic, eager to get involved, intelligent and reasoning, persistent, and not easily intimidated. It's true that there are times when Jackie Lane seems to deliver her lines in an overstated way, but I'm chalking that up to Dodo's youth and energy. And I know a lot of people complain about her variable accent, but my own personal pet theory is that she grew up in a rather posh home but spent her time with Cockney-accented friends at school, so she grew up bidialectal. When she's away from school, a RP accent has more advantages, so the Cockney disappears. Well, I think it makes sense, anyway. (Then again, the Doctor does spend the story promising to teach her English... maybe he carries through and forces her to speak RP!) However, I do wish that Dodo had been given a different hairstyle. It looks great with a cap, at the end of the story, but the rest of the time her hair just looks kind of odd, and not very flattering.

Minor points:

• When Steven runs over to Dodo to keep her from sneezing and alerting the Monoids, they hold that shot for a very long time. Surely a few seconds of holding Dodo's mouth shut would have been enough? Besides, it's not like they're all that concerned about keeping quiet anyway. When Dodo actually does sneeze later (and quietly, I might add), Steven doesn't whisper at her, he practically shouts "BE QUIET!" Now, really, which was more likely to alert the Monoids - a tiny little sneeze, or a booming voice?

• Love this exchange:

  Steven: "What's the matter, are you crying?"
  Dodo: "No, me nose is running!"

• Another directorial decision I don't understand: while the Doctor and the commander are talking, we move to a discussion between Zentos and Mellium. Zentos is expressing his suspicion of the TARDIS crew, but despite only standing a couple of feet away, he's not making any effort to lower his voice. In fact, because we can't hear the Doctor and the Commander talking, it almost looks as though they're listening to Zentos scheme! But no; they finish their conversation and the camera moves back to the Doctor and the Commander, and William Hartnell begins speaking: "Including the Daleks!" So clearly, there has been a conversation going all this time (which we couldn't hear at all), and they weren't listening to Zentos (who was talking very loudly just beside them).

• The Doctor asks the Commander what segment of time they're in; the Commander replies that it's the 57th, to which Dodo begins counting on her fingers. Why exactly did she decide to do that? Was she not sure how to count to 57? Was she trying to figure out how many years were in a segment of time? Was she trying to figure out how many years into the future they were (by counting on her fingers?!)? It's very unclear!

• But poor Dodo, Steven's very patronizing of her. When she climbs up to examine the statue, Steven doesn't seem to trust her to be around it at all, implying that she's a huge klutz and will somehow manage to topple the whole thing if she's not carefully monitored. Putting completely aside the fact that Dodo never demonstrates this sort of clumsiness onscreen (we have to wait for Jo on that), this also implies that she has done something of the sort before, therefore implying missing adventures. Or is Steven just making irritatingly ageist assumptions?

• Upon hearing the Monoids' funeral procession outside their cell:

  Dodo: "What is it?"
  Doctor: "I don't know."
  Dodo: "Sounds like savages."

  No, Dodo honey, that's not for another three stories.

• Why exactly is it that Dodo's cold affects Steven so dramatically? Presumably he comes from a time period when the cold is common, so he should have the same immunity as Dodo.

• Many of the characters take to wearing a kind of breathing mask to keep them from being infected by Dodo's cold. Why, then, do the Monoids wear them over their eyes?!

• When Baccu announces that a Guardian has died, I really like the way that Dodo reaches over to hold the Doctor's hand - very sweet.

• Oh dear, I just cannot figure out for sure who these two characters are, but I think it's...

  Manyak: "Tell us what animals you need."
  Rhos: "Well, we need two..."

  And then, a moment, later, the camera cuts away. I can understand that they didn't want to name an animal, lest future science prove them utterly ridiculous (although it would appear that an elephant is among the animals required), but couldn't they have cut a bit closer to the end of the line so it wasn't so obvious?

• I like the fact that it takes a while for the cure to take effect - I'm really glad they didn't succumb to the temptation of having Steven's symptoms immediately abate once it was administered. Hooray for some level of realism!

• The carts that the Monoids drive are terribly slow! The Doctor, Steven and Dodo would have gotten back to the TARDIS faster if they'd just strolled there!

• I'm also rather surprised that the ship keeps security logs from 700 years ago. Do they have much reason to consult them?

• It's kind of a chilling moment when we learn that the Doctor's cure wasn't as effective as he thought. Essentially, they just abandoned the Guardians to their fate. Shiver.

• Funny Monoid moment:

  Monoid One: "Two, take them away to the security kitchen!"

• Everyone gets all excited when they realize that the Doctor is back. But why would they be so thrilled to learn that humans from 700 years ago had come to rescue them? If we were being enslaved, would we really be optimistic about the idea of being rescued by a military hero from the fourteenth century?

• It's interesting (read: sad) how little Ark fashions changed over 700 years.

• The food pills are a very neat idea, though, and I like the effect used to realize them. But it's funny that so many people have to work in the Security Kitchen when the food really takes no preparation at all. I also began to wonder - how exactly do the pills work? Is each individual new potato dehydrated to such a degree that it shrinks down to a tiny size, and then a number of them are pressed into pills that rehydrate when put into water? In which case, what would happen if somebody accidentally swallowed one of the pills? Might their stomach be suddenly full to bursting with new potatoes? Not a very pleasant thought! They should keep those things under lock and key!

• Throughout this story, the Monoids and Guardians continue to refer to the Doctor and "his young friend", "the girl", "a young couple", etc. If they can learn the Doctor's name, why can't they learn Dodo's?

• Funny Monoid moment:

  Dodo: "I bet it'll take some time to get the whole of the population down here, so the sooner you get started, the better, I should think."
  Monoid Two: "Don't worry. It may not take as long as you think!"
  Dodo: "What do you mean? Are you up to something?"
  They both turn to look at Yendom, then back at each other.
  Monoid Two: "Uh... no..."
  Dodo: "No? But you gave yourself away, didn't you?"

  Ha! Go, Dodo!

• The Refusians seem like a very interesting race, with an interesting backstory explaining their invisibility, and at least the one we meet is very nice.

• I like that One idly taps his fingers on his sash while he ponders.

• Funny Monoid moment:

  Monoid One: (pats Three on the shoulder) "Don't worry."

• There's a nice directorial flourish when Steven and Venussa begin searching for the bomb - as she nods and moves out of the frame, the statue that conceals the bomb they're looking for is revealed behind her... Very nice.

• If there was no equipment onboard the Ark capable of lifting the statue, then how on earth did they plan to get it to Refusis? Was it just a decoration for the voyage that they didn't plan on relocating to their new home? A similar problem afflicts Steven's worry that moving the statue is going to set the bomb off - why is he only concerned about that when the Refusian moves it? He didn't seem to think it would be a problem if they lifted it by machine (which probably wouldn't have cradled the statue the way the Refusian did, either!).

So, there are enough little problems with The Ark that it probably won't be winning awards anytime soon; but, it's a fun little story that's nice to watch when you don't want your brain to be too heavily taxed. And if you have kids, they'll probably love it.