Ah, Inferno. The tale about a parallel universe where human arrogance and hubris leads to a seemingly small event snowballing into the end of the world. I'll be honest, at a time like this it's hardly the most encouragingly positive Doctor Who to watch, but the alphabet is what it is and so here we are.
Inferno is regarded as a classic - widely considered the Third Doctor's best outing and many think it one of the greatest stories of all time. And I, err, umm, umm, err, don't quite agree.
 |
| "WHAT?!?!?! GET HIM!!" |
Before you all pitchfork me to death, I should iterate that I do like this story and think its certainly well above average. HOWEVER I don't even think its the best story of Season 7, never mind the best Pertwee or one of the greatest stories of all time. The central ideas and plots, and the performances do outweigh a few things that do drag the story down for me... and we'll do the latter at the beginning before I discuss the things that do work for me.
The first, and perhaps biggest problem with the story, is unfortunately something that is not even remotely the fault of the makers of the story - the picture quality throughout most of the story is really quite poor. I should explain why before I get into the problems this causes.
During the mid-seventies, the original videotape copies of Inferno fell foul to the Standard Issue BBC Flamethrower™ - luckily, unlike much of the previous decade, black and white 16mm film copies of the story were retained. Additionally, lower quality colour tapes, converted to the North American NTSC standard from the higher quality British PAL, were returned from Canada during the 1980s. Originally, the NTSC tapes had their original conversion reversed in a complex and weird process I won't describe in detail. This looked... crap. So, when it came to the special edition DVD (the one I have and used), they decided to take the colour signal from the NTSC tapes and apply it to the higher quality black and white film... which also looks crap.
The picture quality gets very fuzzy at times (some of the location scenes look really bad), the colour is frequently of poor quality and throughout much of the story a distracting band of black and white is visible on the right-hand side of the screen.
 |
| This Brigadier is from an alternate universe where there's a band of black and white running through the world |
Again, this is not the fault of the makers of the story, and just like I won't penalise missing stories on the basis that they are missing, the final score won't be affected by this. Equally I don't blame the Restoration Team - they clearly did their best but it just couldn't do the job for me. The blame lies with the idiots at the BBC who junked the original tapes. It doesn't ruin the story or anything, but I can't lie and say that it wasn't a problem when it came to my enjoyment of it.
So, now the problems that actually are the fault of the original makers. Firstly, this is a story with a lot of padding. There's definitely too much there for four episodes, but maybe not quite enough for six... which is why it's a problem that it's a whole seven episodes long. The excessive length is dealt with in two ways, one positive and one negative. The positive solution is to give the story a leisurely pace, which works - it allows all the themes and ideas of the story to settle in, for all the characters and their counterparts to grow on the audience and for the parallel world to be properly established. The negative solution is to drag much of the story out far longer than it needed to be. Much of the early parts of the story could have been whittled down, and the Doctor spends about three episodes in the alternate universe doing exactly the same thing - being interrogated, trying to bluff his way out of it and failing, rinse and repeat. It's all good stuff but it gets a little tiring being repeated and could have been condensed.
But that leads on to the biggest problem drawn up by the excessive length, however, is that there simply is not enough story to fill out all seven episodes, which means that the story gets very repetitive. If you've seen Mad Professor Stahlman get annoyed with everyone once, you've seen it the four or five hundred times its repeated as a plot point throughout the story in both universes and it gets very tiring. Yes, we get it, he's a nuts egotistical obsessive, that was well established the first time, constantly reminding us does nothing for anyone.
 |
| The Brigade Leader was not amused by the Doctor's attempts at being camp |
The interrogations in the parallel universes get old real quick, as does the Doctor's constant explanations of the nature of the parallel universe. The problem is that this is all actually good stuff - Stahlman is a fine character, the interrogations are masterfully put together and Pertwee carries off all the explanations with a breeze. It's just that, well, too much of anything starts becoming a problem.
This is most obvious in the last episode, where the Doctor has to essentially prevent in the normal universe what he had already failed to prevent in the parallel universe... which is tense and atmospheric stuff, it's just well, we've seen it before. It's so annoying because the fix is so simple... just knock an episode or two off and tighten the script up.
So yeah, the length is this story's biggest detriment, as it makes it feel stretched out and repetitive. Happily however, I'm ready to start being positive and talk about what does work. And there's a lot here.
The performances in this story are exceptional. While I'll mostly be focusing on the regulars, the guest cast is very solid. Stahlman might be a bit of a repetitive character, but he's saved by an excellent performance from Olaf Pooley, who manages to transcend the thin line between reasonable scientists and insane obsessive with ease. Derek Newark does a good job of a well-meaning but short-sighed oil man in Greg Sutton, but his real trick is to play the two versions of Sutton pretty much exactly the same - an irritating if useful whiner in the normal universe is literally the only voice of reason in the alternate one, despite being played essentially the exact same. Petra Williams, played by Sheila Dunn, does a good job of also keeping the variation between the two universes subtle - she's a yes-woman who has to be co-oerced into abandoning Stahlman when its clear he's gone nuts in the main universe, while in the alternate universe she's a party loyalist who's conflicts only come to a head when the danger is revealed. Christopher Benjamin (later better known as Henry Gordon Jago in The Talons of Weng-Chiang, fun fact) does a good job of the well-meaning but stuffy bureacrat, although we don't get to see the alternate version of him for story reasons that will become apparent shortly.
So all the main guest stars do a good job. But they aren't the ones who really shine - that honour goes to the regulars.
This is most obvious in the last episode, where the Doctor has to essentially prevent in the normal universe what he had already failed to prevent in the parallel universe... which is tense and atmospheric stuff, it's just well, we've seen it before. It's so annoying because the fix is so simple... just knock an episode or two off and tighten the script up.
So yeah, the length is this story's biggest detriment, as it makes it feel stretched out and repetitive. Happily however, I'm ready to start being positive and talk about what does work. And there's a lot here.
The performances in this story are exceptional. While I'll mostly be focusing on the regulars, the guest cast is very solid. Stahlman might be a bit of a repetitive character, but he's saved by an excellent performance from Olaf Pooley, who manages to transcend the thin line between reasonable scientists and insane obsessive with ease. Derek Newark does a good job of a well-meaning but short-sighed oil man in Greg Sutton, but his real trick is to play the two versions of Sutton pretty much exactly the same - an irritating if useful whiner in the normal universe is literally the only voice of reason in the alternate one, despite being played essentially the exact same. Petra Williams, played by Sheila Dunn, does a good job of also keeping the variation between the two universes subtle - she's a yes-woman who has to be co-oerced into abandoning Stahlman when its clear he's gone nuts in the main universe, while in the alternate universe she's a party loyalist who's conflicts only come to a head when the danger is revealed. Christopher Benjamin (later better known as Henry Gordon Jago in The Talons of Weng-Chiang, fun fact) does a good job of the well-meaning but stuffy bureacrat, although we don't get to see the alternate version of him for story reasons that will become apparent shortly.
So all the main guest stars do a good job. But they aren't the ones who really shine - that honour goes to the regulars.
 |
| It was the first and last time the Doctor tried acid |
First, Jon Pertwee, and while this isn't quite his defining early performance (Silurians takes that prize in your reviewer's humble opinion) it's certainly a strong one, as the Doctor's journey through the story is also mostly the audience's. Pertwee starts off in typical Third Doctor fashion, pleasant and sociable, but somewhat arrogant and more than happy to resort to Venusian Aikido to prove his point if he feels it necessary. Which he frequently does. The transformation his actions and behaviour go through in the alternate universe, from bewilderment, to concern, to utter horror at what is happening, to determination to return to prevent the same thing happening again, therefore serve to convey to the audience how serious it all is. He doesn't, however, lose his sense of humour and anti-establishment streak, which therefore keeps his character grounded and within the parameters we all know. This all therefore combines to make the Doctor's reactions feel serious and genuine while keeping him relatable to the audience. Pertwee naturally sells all of this wonderfully - while he's certainly not the best actor to play the part, there's no doubt he was an excellent performer and he had performing the Doctor down to a t. Pertwee never gave a bad performance as the Doctor but this certainly ranks among his best.
Caroline John, in her final story, is also excellent. I'm deeply conflicted on the character of Liz - while she was a decent character in her own right and was probably unfairly removed from the show, the fact is Jo was the much better foil for Pertwee's Doctor and this somewhat clouds her premature departure. Nevertheless, John was always the character's greatest asset and she definitely delivers in her final appearance.
 |
| Although her alternate reality haircut leaves a lot to be desired |
For regular Liz, her status as a scientist not only provides a strong comparison with her alternate self, it also gives her a solid relationship with the Doctor. Regular Liz is mostly irrelevant though - she does some of the science stuff regarding the Doctor's journey into the other universe and that's about it. The alternate Liz is where John (and to be fair, Don Houghton and/or Barry Letts depending on who you believe) really shine. The regular Liz is clearly buried deep beneath the cold exterior of this Liz - she's a soldier and a party loyalist, but the Doctor's probing reveals her desire to be a scientist and some buried discontent with the life she has been forced to live. The subtlety in her performance, as the Doctor gradually breaks down her is excellent, and it progresses naturally to its ultimate conclusion - her choosing to save the Doctor from the Brigade Leader, allowing him to return to his own universe and potentially save billions of lives. It's all superbly done and a real success for the story.
But the real prize of Inferno goes to Nicholas Courtney, He's great as ever as the Brigadier of course, likeable but short-tempered, reasonable but single-minded; everything that made the character great and enduring is present in this story in spades. But like John, Courtney's real triumph is in the alternate universe. The Brigade Leader is one of the series' best villains - a cold, merciless and humourless soldier, recognisably the Brigadier, if everything likeable and moral about the Brigadier was suddenly stripped away.
 |
| Although his spinny-chair introduction is a bit too Dr Evil for my tastes |
While the regular Brigadier can sometimes be a bit too trigger-happy, the Brigade Leader is nothing short of a brutal murderer; while the regular Brigadier could be a little too dismissive of the Doctor's expertise, the Brigade Leader tries to have him shot and then denies the evidence of his own eyes. It's a fascinating and terrifying look at how different the same person can be and Courtney absolute sells it - best of all he manages to create a subtlety to the performance that isn't apparent just by looking at the basics of the character. Courtney makes sure there's always the impression that this simply a man following party doctrine, a man following his orders, and while he's certainly not averse to some of the brutal things he has to do, he's really just doing as he's told. It's another shocking parallel with the regular Brigadier, who was also usually following orders, albeit orders that were universally acceptable and when the line was crossed, he did have a conscience he would follow. Was he really just an eyepatch away from that? The Doctor's line upon returning to the regular universe commenting on how he prefers him with the moustache, not only echoes an earlier comment when the Doctor and Brigadier were having a friendly discussion, but also betrays how the new-found appreciation the Doctor has for the Brigadier having seen what he could have been... even if he does still lose his temper at him occasionally. But that was always the nature of their relationship.
The Brigade Leader isn't just an effective villain because of how brutal and heartless he is - he's an effective villain because he's a mirror of one of the show's most long-lasting and popular characters, showing how a few small differences are enough to completely change him. Inferno was a vital story for the Brigadier - not only did it allow Courtney to prove himself and really settle into the role he would make his over the next four decades, it gave the audience an appreciation for the Brigadier that they didn't have before. He really was the hero... after all, we've seen him as the villain.
Now we've looked at the characters and the performances, we should touch on Inferno's other great strength - the central concept.
 |
| Although Alt-Stahlman's sunglasses come in a close third |
I've heard in a few places that the original story was only four episodes long and Barry Letts added the extra episodes with the alternate universe when the story needed padding out. How true this is I couldn't say, and as I said, the extra length does not do the story many favours, but this story without the alternate universe stuff would frankly be average at best. The story with the drilling is a good idea, don't get me wrong - it's a good 'humans underestimate nature' story - and Stahlman is a good central character for it, but without the alternate universe it wouldn't have much focus and the consequences and dangers wouldn't be nearly as apparent.
The alternate universe serves two vital purposes to the story that elevate it - first of all, it provides us with a mirror of our regular characters to show what they could have been, and secondly, it allows for the true consequences of the drilling to become very real and very apparent. Never had Doctor Who done something so brutal and so shocking - the entire Earth is destroyed. Taken in this it probably has by far the largest body count of any Doctor Who story and it also leads to the death of characters like Liz, Greg and Petra who we've been with for six episodes now. It also sets up the stakes excellently, leading to a tense final episode that makes it clear that we'll see Liz, Greg and Petra die twice if the Doctor fails.
The alternate universe also allows for the tension throughout the middle of the story to be raised - without it, there wouldn't be much threat to the Doctor apart from the ultimate one, which given the story's length, would need to be developed slowly to be effective. The tension is allowed to be kept constant because of the alternate universe and the threat to the Doctor it creates.
Also, alternate universes are great aren't they? This may be a personal thing but I think they're a terrific story device in any context (and surprise, surprise, a device NuWho wouldn't use to its full potential). Not only do they allow important character moments by showing us other possibilities, they also have practically limitless story opportunities. Going with not only a mirror of our characters, but also of Britain itself was a genius move - showing viewers back in 1970 what their country could have been would have been shocking, especially given the political context of the time I talked about when I did Doctor Who and the Silurians and makes the mirror of the characters more obvious and pertinent. Overall, Inferno succeeds on the basis of this concept - it gives the story its central character strength, moral centre, tension and drama.
Finally, I should point out the smaller things that make Inferno work. The soundtrack is very restrained, barely prominent in most scenes, which is an excellent choice, as it helps contribute to the atmosphere. Speaking of which, the atmosphere throughout the story is great. The alternate universe feels as alien as it should while still being recognisable, while the sense of danger present throughout the story is enhanced by the great atmosphere. The location scenes with the 'Primords' (silly names notwithstanding, they're a decent monster for the story as well) all feel far creepier than they should, once again building on the overall danger. Much of the tension is created by the script, but it wouldn't be nearly as successful without the direction.
 |
| The Primord was green with envy... alright that one was bad even for me |
Inferno is not a perfect story - the excessive length and the problems this create being the chief issue - but where it succeeds, it really does. The character work is exceptional, the central performances some of the best of this era and the alternate universe was a stroke of genius that provided the story with almost everything that makes it succeed. It's a success - not an unqualified one - but a success none the less.
And for the record, the Season 7 story I prefer is Doctor Who and the Silurians simply because I think it utilises its length better and has a tighter focus, alongside similarly strong character and story work. Both are excellent however and the difference is slight - Season 7 was really such a strong season. Given the show was threatened by cancellation before, and went on to a decade that would be its most successful after, it was a strong season at exactly the right time. Inferno was a major part of why it succeeded - proving the earthbound format could create adventures and characters just as strong as what had come before. And that may be its greatest success.
Final Score: 8/10. A very strong story with excellent character work and a fantastic alternate universe concept - those strengths and the other small ones throughout the story easily outweigh the story's flaws.
Next Episode: Invasion of the Dinosaurs
Comments
Post a Comment