Menu Close

Retro-View #3: The Games Are Afoot

The War Games (Story #50, 1969)
Viewed 25 Sep, 04 Oct 2012

Doctor/Companion: Two, Jamie, Zoë
Stars: Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury
Preceding Story: The Space Pirates (Two, Jamie, Zoë)
Succeeding Story: Spearhead from Space (Three, Liz Shaw)
Notable Aspects:

  • Two’s final story
  • First mention of the Time Lords (by name)
  • First appearance of the Doctor’s home planet

It is an utter joy to watch Who with G. She’s an ideal audience for indoctrination from the beginning, as she comes into it willingly and with love and appreciation for television of the ’60s anyway. You can always count on her to giggle with absolute glee at the poor stage fighting, Two’s gurning, or the long-since-outdated science fiction props.

On the other hand, she’ll also ask the kinds of questions I imagine the audience at the time would have asked, and is often completely quiet because she’s just soaking it all in, getting involved in the plot. Either that, or she’s exclaiming about something being revealed on screen, “uh-oh”ing at all the right moments or gushing about the “wonderful” sets. I can just imagine if those responsible for creating this story were on hand to observe her they’d be grinning ear to ear the whole time.

For my part, I had a hard time not interjecting things left and right (“Look! The sonic screwdriver is being used as an actual screwdriver!” “He just said his name was Doctor John Smith!” “He just mentioned the Time Lords for the first time ever!” “It’s Philip Madoc! Isn’t he brilliant in this role?”). It was worth it, though, to get her unadulterated reactions (e.g., “I like the War Lord. He’s kind of cute.”).

As they’re so charming, allow me to share a few more gems. When we first get to the German HQ in the 1917 zone and the Captain comes in to reinforce the conditioning with his monocle, G exclaimed, “Oh! This guy’s only got one! He’s half the rank [of Smythe, from the British sector].” She then went on to equate the mind control with the Germans, as I imagine the contemporary viewing audience might have done, despite having had our first hint that something’s not right, having encountered the Romans at the end of the previous episode.

She seems suitably impressed with Jamie, too. “One-Sock Jamie – he always gets ’em with one on the jaw!” There’s just nothing that can get G down on this stuff. She even loves the ridiculous bits, like when the Doctor and Carstairs press up against a wall to hide from oncoming guards. “It’s like Elmer Fudd hiding behind a toothpick!” she chortles.

The only time I hear anything even bordering on negative from G is a “whoa!” when Carstairs, without blinking, shoots a guard. I refrain from mentioning the frequently high body count in Who stories; I figure she’ll cotton on soon enough.

As for cliffhangers, not only can G see them coming a mile away (“oh, this is where they’re going to end it!”), but she’s as good as any enthusiastic five-year-old; waiting till “next time” can feel impossibly difficult. (It’s a good thing for her that we can do 4-5 episodes in a single sitting.) War Games‘ cliffhangers and resolutions are actually among some of the better ones in the show’s history, too. Not only do we get real dramatic tension (“Now they’ve got the processing machine AND the Doctor. This looks hopeless!”), but the writers – Malcolm Hulke and Terrance Dicks really outdid themselves with this one – don’t cop out with cheap, sleight-of-hand conclusions at the start of the following episode.

The writing, the acting – even the choice not to have incidental music, but use only background noises (like gunfire) – everything comes together to make a really brilliant serial. For example, the plot unfolds so slowly and carefully that one can really enjoy its nuances. One piece of that which I find particularly delightful every time I watch is how the War Chief (who totally gives off Master vibes) seems so menacing in the early episodes – a real badass – until the War Lord shows up. Then he suddenly seems like the flunky he really is.

Even the snarking and overly dramatic posturing between the War Chief and the Security Chief works. Their mutual distrust makes for one of the few predictable angles in the whole shebang (“I knew [the Security Chief] was going to tattle [to the War Lord]!”). Sometimes it’s nice to feel like you know what’s going on.

As things roll on toward the inevitable conclusion with all three of our heroes leaving (something that G hadn’t known was coming; that may have been an oversight on my part), I can’t help but think of how the post-Hiatus era has drawn upon this moment. Most recently, of course, The Angels Take Manhattan saw a male/female Companion pair depart. Before that, though, poor Donna had her memories of her time with the Doctor erased, just as Jamie and Zoë do – though at least they get to remember their initial encounter with him.

Most of all, though, Two’s protests at being forced to change his appearance make me think of Ten’s “I don’t want to go.” He’s every bit as adamant, even if the style of it all is markedly different from now – he even has his own sort of retrospective, though it covers the enemies he’s fought rather than his Companions (it was at this stage I realized how much lore G has already missed, when she asked if I recognized these creatures – including Daleks and Cybermen!).

Succumbing to the ultimate cliffhanger, G declared we have to watch the first of Three’s stories next. Our new format has thus been decided. We’ll watch the first and last story for every Doctor (this should be interesting… and how am I going to do TOATL?), and at least one (I’m not cutting the T. Baker era that short) in the middle. So thanks for a great run, Two, but it’s time to move on. Bring on our next Doctor!

Verdict: Thumbs up

Looking ahead: Spearhead from Space

11 Comments

  1. PaulGreaves

    Awww…
    It’s just so bloody good! I think it’s almost impossible to find fault with this one. I love it to death!

    • mrfranklin

      Truth
      It really is. It’s wonderful, and so great to watch with someone who’s over-the-top enthusiastic. 🙂

  2. Tree

    Jealous
    You’re so lucky! Sometimes I like watching the show alone, but at other times, I wish I had someone to share my enthusiasm and excitement with while I watch. 🙁

    • mrfranklin

      Had to search
      I was pretty much by my lonesome for the first couple of years. Then I hooked some friends on post-Hiatus Who, and it snowballed from there. 🙂

  3. Wholahoop

    Novel Suggestions
    As a Brit who grew up in the 70’s I can’t help but wonder how much of my impressions of early Who are coloured by the Target novelisations. These were for a long time the only reference many of us had to the stories produced before we were born. There’s a lot to like about this story, but there is also a lot in the story, and if I could find my copy of the novel I could confirm what had been cut out.

    I loved the hypno-specs, not seen again until Silver Nemesis (and even then I think that scene was cut) and I wondered how uncomfortable they must have been to wear; the characters such as the acidic General Smythe, the War Chief, the grating voice of the Security Chief and of course I adore the last episode, after which the show would never be the same again. Yes I suppose The War Games is too long but at least that is probably its only fault

    • mrfranklin

      Target
      From what I’ve heard, you’re probably spot on about the novelizations.

      I don’t think The War Games is too long. 🙂

      • Wholahoop

        Poor Phrasing on My Part 🙂
        What I meant was, if there was any fault to be found, the length of the story could possibly be the only criticism that could be levelled at The War Games, not that it was necessarily too long. Oh the vagaries of the English language, if only I could speak English as she should be spoke

        • mrfranklin

          Perfectly well
          I took your meaning exactly. I simply wouldn’t bother even to level that particular criticism at it. 😉

  4. John Miller

    The War Games 10/10
    I don’t think The War games is too long at all. If you already know the outcome, perhaps. But if you’re watching it from Episode 1, watching it unfold, it is superb, brilliantly paced, and every revelation “tops” the last one, leading to the end. One of the best stories ever. And perhaps the best “regeneration” story ever, even though that specific word wasn’t used yet.

    The Target novelisation cuts out a lot of what some would call “padding”, but still retains the essence of the story. Of note, Malcolm Hulke actually added extra dialogue, especially in the Doctor/War Chief scene.

    • mrfranklin

      Spot on
      I can’t speak the comments about the novelization, not having read it, but I agree that ten episodes only seem long if you have some sort of artificial timeline in place or something (e.g., “I want to watch this all in two sittings”).

      Top notch stuff, in my opinion.

  5. John Miller

    The War Games 10/10
    I don’t think The War games is too long at all. If you already know the outcome, perhaps. But if you’re watching it from Episode 1, watching it unfold, it is superb, brilliantly paced, and every revelation “tops” the last one, leading to the end. One of the best stories ever. And perhaps the best “regeneration” story ever, even though that specific word wasn’t used yet.

    The Target novelisation cuts out a lot of what some would call “padding”, but still retains the essence of the story. Of note, Malcolm Hulke actually added extra dialogue, especially in the Doctor/War Chief scene.

Comments are closed.