Doctor Who: The Dæmons: Episode Two starts as Jo Grant (Katy Manning) rushes into the Devil's Hump barrow only so see the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) & Professor Horner (Robert Wentworth) apparently frozen dead by an icy wind, the Doctor is taken to the local pub The Cloven Hoof where Dr. Reeves (Eric Hillyard) miraculously detects a faint pulse. Meanwhile Captain Yates (Richard Franklin) & Sgt. Benton (John Levene) have witnessed the events at Devil's Hump on telly, realising Jo & the Doctor may be in trouble they fly to Devil's End in a helicopter to assist them. Back at the barrow & something has been released, something huge & something with immense power. To add to everyone's problems there's a mini heatwave which forms an impenetrable force field around Devil's End & the Master's (Roger Delgado) black sabbath has brought to life a stone Gargoyle (Stanley Mason) to do his bidding...
Episode 22 from season 8 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during May 1971, directed by Christopher Barry The Dæmons is considered one of the very best stories from the Pertwee era which I have to agree with. The script was co-written by producer Barry Letts & Robert Sloman under the joint pseudonym of Guy Leoplold & it's been a nice mix of horror & sci-fi themes so far, the story is coming along nicely & well balanced as it's not overly slow or rushed which makes a nice change. While not quite as good as Episode One the story is still developing & staying quite mysterious as the reason behind the Master's involvement still isn't clear, we still don't know what came out of the barrow or even what significance the barrow has & it's still keeping the audience guessing & wanting to stick with it to find out these things. There's an amusing scene with a great bit of dialogue in this as Captain Yates attempts to explain to the Brigadier the situation to which the Brigadier says 'I see Yates, the Doctor was frozen at the barrow & then revived by a freak heatwave, Benton was beaten up by invisible forces & the local white witch claims she's seen the Devil?' in a very droll matter of fact sort of way. I've really enjoyed The Dæmons so far & I think it's one of those Doctor Who stories that will appeal to a wider audience & will be enjoyed by those who don't necessarily like the series. Having said that a few annoying plot problems occur, the explanation for why the Doctor survives the freezing wind & then is subsequently revived is not made that clear (certainly not to anyone who hasn't seen the series before & maybe aren't aware of who the Doctor is) & after two death's at the barrow (both the Doctor & Professor Horner are pronounced dead to start with) it's a real stretch to suggest that there wouldn't be an investigation. I mean wouldn't there be more of a police presence than one local Bobby posted at a gate? Where are the forensics guy's? Where are the rest of the police? I live in Britain & it's not that big, hell there wasn't even see an ambulance at the scene! I'm sorry but it's just hard to swallow, two death's would have been investigated & no-one can tell me otherwise.
This episode has moved along at a decent pace with helicopter rides, a fight & an exploding milk van! Although if such a big explosion happened so close to a wooden signpost wouldn't that have caught fire also? This also sees the first appearance of Bok the living Gargoyle that for some reason walks around with his tongue sticking out! To be honest like most Doctor Who monsters it's obvious Bok is just a guy in a one piece body suit, stuck on tail & wings & a mask, but one of the better ones from the series in my opinion. The Dæmons has been very atmospheric so far & Episode Two is no exception with some great sets & impressive location filming. The Dæmons actually looks quite cinematic at times although the fact only 16mm film prints exist for four of the five episodes means that it has the characteristic's of film rather than the tinny look of videotape which the studio sequences would have been shot on.
The Dæmons: Episode Two is another great, atmospheric, fast moving & watchable Doctor Who story despite a few scripting problems & some far fetched moments which threaten to ruin it but thankfully never quite manage to.
Episode 22 from season 8 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during May 1971, directed by Christopher Barry The Dæmons is considered one of the very best stories from the Pertwee era which I have to agree with. The script was co-written by producer Barry Letts & Robert Sloman under the joint pseudonym of Guy Leoplold & it's been a nice mix of horror & sci-fi themes so far, the story is coming along nicely & well balanced as it's not overly slow or rushed which makes a nice change. While not quite as good as Episode One the story is still developing & staying quite mysterious as the reason behind the Master's involvement still isn't clear, we still don't know what came out of the barrow or even what significance the barrow has & it's still keeping the audience guessing & wanting to stick with it to find out these things. There's an amusing scene with a great bit of dialogue in this as Captain Yates attempts to explain to the Brigadier the situation to which the Brigadier says 'I see Yates, the Doctor was frozen at the barrow & then revived by a freak heatwave, Benton was beaten up by invisible forces & the local white witch claims she's seen the Devil?' in a very droll matter of fact sort of way. I've really enjoyed The Dæmons so far & I think it's one of those Doctor Who stories that will appeal to a wider audience & will be enjoyed by those who don't necessarily like the series. Having said that a few annoying plot problems occur, the explanation for why the Doctor survives the freezing wind & then is subsequently revived is not made that clear (certainly not to anyone who hasn't seen the series before & maybe aren't aware of who the Doctor is) & after two death's at the barrow (both the Doctor & Professor Horner are pronounced dead to start with) it's a real stretch to suggest that there wouldn't be an investigation. I mean wouldn't there be more of a police presence than one local Bobby posted at a gate? Where are the forensics guy's? Where are the rest of the police? I live in Britain & it's not that big, hell there wasn't even see an ambulance at the scene! I'm sorry but it's just hard to swallow, two death's would have been investigated & no-one can tell me otherwise.
This episode has moved along at a decent pace with helicopter rides, a fight & an exploding milk van! Although if such a big explosion happened so close to a wooden signpost wouldn't that have caught fire also? This also sees the first appearance of Bok the living Gargoyle that for some reason walks around with his tongue sticking out! To be honest like most Doctor Who monsters it's obvious Bok is just a guy in a one piece body suit, stuck on tail & wings & a mask, but one of the better ones from the series in my opinion. The Dæmons has been very atmospheric so far & Episode Two is no exception with some great sets & impressive location filming. The Dæmons actually looks quite cinematic at times although the fact only 16mm film prints exist for four of the five episodes means that it has the characteristic's of film rather than the tinny look of videotape which the studio sequences would have been shot on.
The Dæmons: Episode Two is another great, atmospheric, fast moving & watchable Doctor Who story despite a few scripting problems & some far fetched moments which threaten to ruin it but thankfully never quite manage to.
