Arc of Infinity is the opening story to the 20th Season of Doctor Who and it’s the story where Doctor Who goes dutch. This is the second time in as many years that Doctor Who went abroad following the 1979 story ‘City of Death’. The bonus about filming abroad is that it gives the story a different feel in a way that we don’t get when a story is based on another planet where it feels exactly like a BBC studio. The baddie in this story is Omega who previously appeared in 1973 story ‘The Three Doctors’ and would feature in the 2003 Big Finish play ‘Omega’. At the end of the previous story (Time-Flight), Tegan had been left behind and so it was just the Doctor and Nyssa which is a superb combination as you will know if you listen to any Big Finish play featuring this pair.
The Omega we get in this story is much better and stronger than the 1973 version. In The Three Doctors, Omega is a mad and ranting character than doesn’t seem to actually do very much. This time he’s given much more scope and we actually get an Omega that poses much more of a threat to the story than before.
Whilst the location stuff is very well shot and there is a lot of it. I feel that after a while there is only so much running about that I could take. Thankfully it’s replaced in Part Four with some fine chasing between the Doctor/Nyssa/Tegan and Omega with the ultimate showdown. However the location stuff is a lot more interesting than the studio work. The problem with filming in studio is that there is only so much that could be done and there is more running about in very narrow and long corridors.
The story isnt perfect. The cliffhanger of episode one has taken on a silly feel to it with the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker here as Maxill) shooting the current Doctor. Back in 1983 it would have been a good cliffhanger but sadly since Colin was cast as the Doctor there have been jokes about Baker trying to get the job early and other such jokes. I also found Robin to be utterly irritating. I just found him to be a downer and also slow scenes down. On the other hand his friend and Tegan’s cousin Colin was ok but unfortunately has to look a bit possessed and doesn’t really pull it off. However they all pale into insignificance when it comes to the Ergon who are just rubbish and rubbish to a degree that I didn’t think was possible. They just ruin any drama that had been built up.
As this story is the return of Tegan it’s interesting that she spends a large portion of the story separated from the Doctor and Nyssa. In fact it’s episode two before she makes an appearance. It is quite funny looking at the Doctor’s face with the prospect of Tegan re-joining the TARDIS crew. I remember watching Time-Flight and being shocked at her sudden departure (not realising it was part of JNT’s plan) and was glad when she returned.
Michael Gough returns to Doctor Who after his 1966 stint as the Celestial Toymaker he plays Heddin who is portrayed as a good guy but it turns out is a traitor and has been working with Omega. Gough’s performance was very good and was great to watch. Colin Baker is ok as Maxill but my attitude is based against his performances as the Doctor and this one is more subdued and is slightly ruined by having to hold that bloody helmet everywhere because it was too big to get through the doors without the need to stoop.
There is a lot going on because as well the finding a plausible reason for setting the story in Amsterdam, Johnny Byrne (writer) has to bring Omega back, the Timelords and Tegan and credit to Byrne he does a good job. It doesn’t feel like he’s rushed things or added too much to the story and it moves at a cracking pace with some wonderful scenes. I really like Arc of Infinity, it’s a good story that is made even stronger by the location filming. The filming is put to better use than in City of Death.
Arc of Infinity is a strong season opener which mixes the filming in Amsterdam with the story very well and with this season set to feature monsters from the Doctor’s past in every story this is perhaps the best story of the season and that’s not a very comforting statement.
The Omega we get in this story is much better and stronger than the 1973 version. In The Three Doctors, Omega is a mad and ranting character than doesn’t seem to actually do very much. This time he’s given much more scope and we actually get an Omega that poses much more of a threat to the story than before.
Whilst the location stuff is very well shot and there is a lot of it. I feel that after a while there is only so much running about that I could take. Thankfully it’s replaced in Part Four with some fine chasing between the Doctor/Nyssa/Tegan and Omega with the ultimate showdown. However the location stuff is a lot more interesting than the studio work. The problem with filming in studio is that there is only so much that could be done and there is more running about in very narrow and long corridors.
The story isnt perfect. The cliffhanger of episode one has taken on a silly feel to it with the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker here as Maxill) shooting the current Doctor. Back in 1983 it would have been a good cliffhanger but sadly since Colin was cast as the Doctor there have been jokes about Baker trying to get the job early and other such jokes. I also found Robin to be utterly irritating. I just found him to be a downer and also slow scenes down. On the other hand his friend and Tegan’s cousin Colin was ok but unfortunately has to look a bit possessed and doesn’t really pull it off. However they all pale into insignificance when it comes to the Ergon who are just rubbish and rubbish to a degree that I didn’t think was possible. They just ruin any drama that had been built up.
As this story is the return of Tegan it’s interesting that she spends a large portion of the story separated from the Doctor and Nyssa. In fact it’s episode two before she makes an appearance. It is quite funny looking at the Doctor’s face with the prospect of Tegan re-joining the TARDIS crew. I remember watching Time-Flight and being shocked at her sudden departure (not realising it was part of JNT’s plan) and was glad when she returned.
Michael Gough returns to Doctor Who after his 1966 stint as the Celestial Toymaker he plays Heddin who is portrayed as a good guy but it turns out is a traitor and has been working with Omega. Gough’s performance was very good and was great to watch. Colin Baker is ok as Maxill but my attitude is based against his performances as the Doctor and this one is more subdued and is slightly ruined by having to hold that bloody helmet everywhere because it was too big to get through the doors without the need to stoop.
There is a lot going on because as well the finding a plausible reason for setting the story in Amsterdam, Johnny Byrne (writer) has to bring Omega back, the Timelords and Tegan and credit to Byrne he does a good job. It doesn’t feel like he’s rushed things or added too much to the story and it moves at a cracking pace with some wonderful scenes. I really like Arc of Infinity, it’s a good story that is made even stronger by the location filming. The filming is put to better use than in City of Death.
Arc of Infinity is a strong season opener which mixes the filming in Amsterdam with the story very well and with this season set to feature monsters from the Doctor’s past in every story this is perhaps the best story of the season and that’s not a very comforting statement.
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