The Curse of Fenric  (Story #158, 1989)
Viewed 15 May 2012

Doctor/Companion:   Seven, Ace
Stars:  Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred
Preceding Story:  Ghost Light (Seven, Ace)
Succeeding Story:  Survival (Seven, Ace)

The masses have small number of regular readers has spoken! The lucky winner of our who-do-the-Ladies-watch-next contest is Seven. Since we’ve already seen my favorite (Remembrance of the Daleks, Nu-View #6), I decided to go with another one that seems to be generally well-regarded by “the fans” (whatever that means).

Even more exciting than having let the readers decide our viewing material, we’ve got a new addition to the team! Please welcome the newest of the Ladies of WhoFest, L! L is a more recent acquaintance (now friend) of mine, and always acted a bit jealous when I’d talk about WhoFest. Finally, she asked, “how do I get in on this thing?” and here we are.

I’ve known for a while that L is a Whovian, because I could tell her things like the fact that Louise Jameson was a guest at Gally (though I did have to clarify with a “Leela”) and she knew enough to be jealous. It turns out she, much like jE, grew up watching Who, though not religiously. So there’s a lot she’s already seen, and plenty she’s missed. Sadly, jO was unable to join us again, but the rest of us had fun anyway.

After we’d made introductions all ’round, and L was settling in, jE took it upon herself to explain the format: “we make snarky comments while we watch.” What’s not to love? And L seemed to fit right in with the gang. As the story opened, jA noted that even the font used to subtitle the Russian was evocative of the ’80s; jE wondered how, with the boats all of 2 feet apart, the soldiers didn’t notice their “comrades getting eaten”; and L said she liked how they make them Russian by adding eyeliner. I just loved the way that Seven and Ace bluff their way onto the base: “About time, too!” huffs Seven, as the British soldiers finally get around to pointing guns at them to question their presence. It was very “Hounds of Baskerville“- or, y’know… vice versa.

Later snark was mostly directed at our young evacuees. “See what happens when girls let down their hair?” “Yes, they’re so beautiful now [that the soldier cannot help but follow them into the water] …” I also noted that the wayward lasses, once they were back on land, were clad in trousers – clearly a sign of evil, in that day and age.

Some pieces were a bit silly, which is obviously par for the course in Who. The whole bit with Ace “distracting the guard” left us all a bit confused. Was that supposed to be seduction? And later, when Cmdr. Millington whines to Fenric that “[his] creatures are killing my men!” jE interjected, “uhh… what did he think ‘nothing living shall remain’ meant?” Bad guys can be so thick…

For someone like me who’s been soaking in Who in order to blog about it for the better part of a year and a half now (as opposed to the Ladies, who are more recreational consumers), several things stood out about Fenric that I hadn’t specifically noted before. I love that Seven’s character has become darker by now. It’s a shame he wasn’t allowed to continue that trajectory, as the show was canceled after the next story. I also adore the chemistry between Seven and Ace – the way the relationship has matured enough for them to have an all-out row (twice, with the second a hundred times worse) and still come out of it with their friendship intact.

Then there are bits that make me think of other stories, both before and after. Like how the Ancient One is sort of a reverse Silurian, in that it’s just as much an Earthling as the humans, just from a different (in this case later) epoch. Or how the Doctor protests that the firing squad should spare Ace because “she’s only a child!”, which made me flash back to Nine’s grief at Rose’s supposed demise in Dalek (“she was nineteen years old…”). Most obviously, of course, The God Complex drew directly on the climactic scene of Fenric when the Doctor – in each case – must ruin his Companion’s faith in him. Ace got the worse deal, of course, but she can also hack it, because she’s tough as nails. No one here will be sad to watch more of her.

General reactions:

• jA – “Possibly the most bizarre episode I’ve ever seen”
• jE – likes Ace, likes Seven
• L – “That was great!”
• mrfranklin – some interesting themes; plus, I enjoy Norse mythology

Clearly, I’ve been too choosy with what I show the Ladies, if jA thinks Fenric, a quasi-historical, is bizarre. Perhaps it’s time to show them a true stinker rather than focusing primarily on the creme of the crop. Oh, the mind boggles…

Verdict:  Thumbs up

Looking ahead:  TBD – but I’m considering The Web Planet(!)