Doctor Who (TV Series) Snakedance: Part Three (1983) User Reviews

Poisoned Minds

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 7/10 · 6 November 2019]

Review of all 4 parts:

This adventure involves Tegan coming under the control of the Mara, who had remained dormant in her mind since their adventure in the previous season (Kinda) where they had previously taken her over. They influence her to get the Doctor to take the TARDIS to Manussa to attain the 'great crystal' which can bring the Mara back into physical form.

Janet Fielding as Tegan gets a really strong story where she can show her dark, possessed side as well as her struggle to fight the mental effects of the Mara. She does really well. Nyssa is given a prominent role too but I enjoy her less in this adventure. Peter Davison is strong as The Doctor and support cast Martin Clunes, Colette O' Neil, John Carson and Johnathan Morris are all good too.

The story starts interestingly and is all done well with some menace, some fun and some decent ideas. The first two parts are the strongest. Parts 3 and 4 are a little more muddled and the resolutions are slightly disappointing to me but it is still an enjoyable, slightly dark serial overall.

The effects are average but the filming is pretty good with director Fiona Cumming doing well. Christopher Bailey's script is decent and not dumbed down.

My ratings: Parts 1 & 2 - 8.5/10, Parts 3 & 4 - 7/10. Overall - 7.75/10.

It's a so so episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 19 October 2019]

The Doctor is imprisoned and helpless, as a possessed Lon and Tegan plot the return of The Mara.

It's not bad, it's just a bit dull, there doesn't seem to be a lot happening, other then Fielding and Clunes going a little overboard as the bad guys, it feels a bit clunky.

Colette O'Neil continues to impress as Lon's doting mother, seeing no bad in him, as only a mother could. She also gets to wear a wonderful costume, very regal, she seemed to somehow rise above the problems that I felt affected this one, over the top acting and sometimes tacky production values.

It is not a patch on Kinda. 6/10

Only one more part to go...

[poolandrews · 4/10 · 10 April 2008]

Doctor Who: Snakedance: Part Three starts as the Doctor (Peter Davison) is thrown in prison by Ambril (John Carson), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) tries to rescue him but ends up being caught by Tanha (Colette O'Neil) & also thrown in prison. Meanwhile the Mara has totally possessed Tegan (Janet Fielding) & is using the also possessed by the Mara & Manussan king to be Lon (Martin Clunes) to make Ambril the Director of Historical Research on Manussa reveal the whereabouts of the Great Crystal the Mara need to bring itself back into existence...

Episode 7 from season 20 this Doctor Who adventure originally aired here in the UK during January 1983, directed by Fiona Cumming I think Snakedance has been a rather dull & lethargic story with little to get excited about. The script by Christopher Bailey is full of silly exposition that is starting to get annoying, everyone keeps referring to the Great Crystal & it's power which becomes highly annoying since we already know & got it the first time someone told us, we don't need it constantly rammed down our throats. Nyssa has been pretty much wasted here as well, she has been used as a typical slow female companion who ask's the Doctor all the questions that the audience want to know & therefore she's an easy way out for the the writer to get lots of exposition across with the minimum of fuss. Again there's really not much going on here, the story is failing to either grip or engage me on a dramatic level & as a piece of light hearted sci-fi it doesn't work either since it's no fun to watch. During Part Three the Doctor spends almost the entire episode behind bars in a prison cell. Also if the Mara want to know where the Great Crystal is & possesses Lon to find out from Ambril why doesn't the Mara just possess Ambril as well? Then there's the most unguarded prison in television history, Nyssa is quite literally able to walk into the prison area & openly talk to the Doctor without being noticed & considering what she is wearing together with her high heeled shoes which make a loud clicking noise every step she takes the security on Manussa must be pretty loose. Have they not invented the security camera yet?

Snakedance has a been a disappointment so far in the monster & alien department, quite simply there hasn't been any so far at all unless you count the rubber snake that is wrapped around Tegan's arm that is. I personally thought the hand puppet snake in the Punch & Judy show in the market looked more convincing. Anyway, why would the Manussans stage Punch & Judy show's? Isn't that a very Earth bound tradition? Then again maybe it's just a coincidence & in fact the Manussans have developed a form of hand puppet styled visual entertainment exactly the same as us! You never know, it could happen... The acting is alright, Davison as the Doctor is just great anyway as usual, Janet Fielding as Tegan is both annoying & awful as usual while Martin Clunes is OK. The showman Dugdale played by Brian Miller is in fact the real life husband of Elisabeth Sladen perhaps better known to Doctor Who fans as the popular companion Sarah Jane Smith.

Snakedance: Part Three is no better than the previous two if I am honest, I am sure there are Doctor Who fans who will love it but for more casual viewers & Doctor Who fans who remember how good it was during the 60's & 70's they will probably not be too impressed, I certainly wasn't.