To Every Who There is a Season

My Doctor Who story cravings are often tied to the seasons of the year. As a Canadian, I have an emotional attachment to the changing of the seasons. Each with its own memories and rituals. Not surprisingly, a particular story is most often associated with the time of year I first saw it. Tom Baker stories are Fall and Winter, Peter Davision stories Spring. Hartnell, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy are tied closely to the Summer. Pertwee floats a bit more around the calendar year, but he's probably best viewed in the Fall (although for some odd reason The Mutants is a Christmas story?!). Troughton, alas, never seems long enough to merit a season.

There can be other considerations too--Doctor Who stories like Black Orchid, Silver Nemesis will always feel Summer-y by virtue of what's going on in the story. Ditto on The Daemons, although it fits well at both Halloween and May Day. Despite its chilly backdrop, Dragonfire is a light, breezy Summer tale.

The Seeds of Doom is a Fall story in every respect: the crackling fire in Chase's library, the laconic shadows everywhere and the golden, decaying leaves. It's just so bloody sensual in this respect. All the running around on the Athelhampton House grounds provide a great distraction for the healthy does of capture and escape (which is never excessive, considering this is a 6 parter).

No other story during this re-watch has given me a greater feeling of nostalgia, happy memories, and a sense general well-being. Whether it's the body horror (at its pinnacle here--poor Keeler), the radical change in locations from Antarctica to the Home Counties (and anyone who knows me, knows how much I like films or TV shows with snow--even fake snow), or how much the story makes me laugh-out-loud.

The Seeds of Doom is just so damned funny. In the best Doctor Who way, the humour is completely integrated into the action and the horror. The characters are all stock, but they're so brilliantly played with such wonderful lines. Harrison Chase (the effete megalomaniac), Emelia Dukut (the canny eccentric), Sir Colin (the brilliant straight man), Hargreaves (the loyal and long suffering butler) and of course the gloriously cynical, can't-help-but-love-him Scorby.

There's a wonderful scene where Chase rails about why he is surrounded by idiots, Scorby suddenly appears and Hargreaves gives him a dry, withering look. Love it, love it. And Hargreaves is always a perfect balance of dignified toady and horrified bystander. He's clearly appalled by what has happened to Keeler, but in Hargreaves proper world, Mr. Chase knows best.

Of course the story isn't perfect. Once Chase goes completely nutty under the influence of the Krynoid, he's somehow less interesting, and solving the whole thing with a couple of well placed RAF bombs is hardly satisfying.

Wow, I can't believe the curtain has fallen on season 13 so fast. It's a very consistent season in terms of tone, and style. Whereas both seasons 12 and 14 have strong currents of transition, (whether in front or behind the camera), here things hold relatively steady. Over the past several weeks Tom and Liz have built up their famous rapport almost effortlessly, and that's definitely going to up the resonance of The Hand of Fear in a few weeks. Curiously, I've had almost no changes in my feelings or attitudes to season 13 stories (yeah sure, Androids has slipped further, but that was almost expected). But the funny thing about Doctor Who is that, come the right circumstances, any story can suddenly find the right season--let the pub arguments commence!

Original viewing date: November 13 or November 20, 1983

Wine: In honour of Harrison Chase I picked up a Pinot Noir called "megalomaniac." Why it made for a great gimmick, unfortunately it wasn't a very good wine. It was too light and tasted vaguely of cotton candy!? Graeme texted me that the perfect wine for The Seeds of Doom would be called Green Cathedral. If I'm ever making small talk with a vintner, I shall wholeheartedly suggest the moniker.

Music: "True" by Spandau Ballet. It just defined the times. No link--thank EMI.