The Daemons
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The Daemons
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night, because how else do you open a story called "The Daemons?"
JFC, guys, there's a difference between "dark and stormy" and "incoming hurricane."
And there goes our Poor Unfortunate Sap Who Dies Two Minutes Into The First Episode.
Huh, I'm not sure if this is supposed to be an archeological dig or a film set.
"But it really IS the dawning of the Age of Aquarius!" Also, hi Jo!
We're literally less than 3 minutes in and nearly every single character we've seen has been all "OMG MAGIC AND DOOM YOU GUYS AKASFHLDS."
In other news HOLY SHIT BESSIE IS ALIVE.
Or just remote-controlled by the Doctor to prove a point to Jo about magic. Okay, that works too.
A show about opening a burial chamber? So I guess it was a TV set AND an archeological dig.
Also, I think this is the first time in a while we've seen Three without a smoking jacket, or at least something velvet.
Never mind, there's the red jacket. Also, hi Yates!
And there's the BBC going meta again and talking about itself on one of its shows.
Cutting into the barrow "as if it were a giant pie." #ASIFITWEREAGIANTPIE
Benton! We're still missing the Brig, but other than that the gang's all here!
Ah, Beltane. An event I hear about from a bunch of my friends upstate but I've never actually been to myself.
Hawthorne is going to be our token Local Prophet Who No One Listens To But Is Still Right in this story, isn't she?
Actually, I'm not sure why that's even a question. She is. She just is.
Okay, not a prophet but a white witch. This'll be interesting.
It seems that Three has either changed his mind about magic or sees science that needs to be done.
So after that cutaway to the local pub, I honestly have to wonder if we'll ever see any of those characters ever again.
Wait there was wind and the cop tried to stone the witch and then she embraced the wind and made it stop and he put the rock down and what.
Hey, hey guys, remember that time that the Master decided that putting on glasses would be a great disguise? #seriouslywhatisonyourfacesir
Not sure why I'm so conscious of it this serial, but everyone's outfits and accessories look even more '70s than usual.
OH MY GOD NEVER MIND THE MASTER'S GLASSES *BRIG* WHAT ARE YOU WEARING.
Aww, poor Benton wants to go to the party but only the Brig gets to wear the fancy suit. Also, Sergent is disappointed in sandwiches.
Hawthorne appears to be resistant to the Master's hypno-gaze. I'm liking this woman more and more with every scene.
Script for the Master's Fingers: "Snap! Hail Satan! Sic 'em, boy!"
I love how Benton starts off calling Yates "sir," but 10 seconds later they're chumming around about the football highlights. #UNITfamily
I think that's the first time I've heard Three accused of wearing a wig. (Seriously, where did that come from?)
They're doing the ceremony already? Huh, I thought this would be the climactic scene of the serial, not the first episode.
I'm trying really hard to not say that the Master's demon summoning looks more like a half-hearted LARP. Really. Hard.
Don'tcha hate it when you pull a boulder down in a cave and a huge snowstorm comes out? Me too.
Meanwhile back at UNIT HQ, we interrupt Happy Funtiems With Benton and Yates to bring you a special broadcast of Jo Grant Crying In A Cave.
I think this is the first time the Master's actually thanked someone for responding to "you will obey me." (Not in as many words, but still)
Yikes. So Three wasn't just slightly buried, but he appears to be *frozen solid.*
Aaaand then we cut to Benton, Yates, and Random Dude #3 all on the phone at once with jaunty elevator music in the background. ...Okay.
Ah yes, the traditional Doctor Gets Examined By Another Doctor Who Thinks He Surely Must Be Hearing Things When He Finds The Second Heart.
"Cheer up. While there's life, there's hope, right?" #eerilypropheticwords
Also, "we've been cut off" has never been quite so literal. Someone just took what looked like a butcher knife to the telephone wire.
On a completely unrelated note, I REALLY love Jo's outfit in this serial. It almost makes her look like a blonde Sarah Jane.
Can I just take a moment to appreciate the fact that the helicopter says "G-UNIT" in big letters on the front.
"Come on, first thing's first."
"What? Like breakfast, you mean, sir?"
Benton. BENTON. I love you.
Oh wow. I would not be remotely surprised if the A-Team theme started playing over that shot of Benton and Yates getting out of the chopper.
And of course that U-Team video seems to have vanished from YouTube. Balls, I loved that mashup.
Usually when I watch McCoy-era Who, I feel like the '80s is radiating off the screen. Here, I can feel the '70s radiating off the screen.
Suddenly, Brig in bed. Oh my god why can't I stop laughing. "MY HELICOPTER?!?"
Cut from Brig in a bed to Benton saving a woman from a box. Because why not.
Also, I kind of love how Hawthorne has taken the most instant of instant shines to Benton.
Okay, does that design on the ground look like an archaic Trivial Pursuit board to anyone else?
Look dude, when you tell Benton to "move," he'll move, but not in the way you want him to. He will "move" his foot to your face.
Boy, that round orange filter over the camera lens sure does love chasing our heroes around the churchyard, doesn't it?
Also disintegrating people and setting things on fire and causing earthquakes and oh my god seriously what is happening. #hellbrokeloose
"...EUREKA!!!" On the plus side, hi Three, nice to see you awake again.
...That guy's van just exploded for no apparent reason. At least it had the courtesy to scare him away before going up in flames.
"Oh dear, you're a very heavy young man." Well, now Hawthorne has returned the favor and saved Benton.
"Jo, did you fail Latin as well as science? Magister is the Latin word for Master!" Three sees through your celophane-thin disguise, Master.
Brig's back! And it looks like the van blew for a reason. There seems to be a forcefield up that makes fire happen to whatever touches it.
Or it could be a heat barrier, that too.
"I see, Yates. So the Doctor was frozen stiff at the barrow and was then revived by a freak heat wave. Benton was beaten up by invisible forces and the local white witch claims she's seen the devil."
"Yes sir. I know it sounds a bit wild."
"It does indeed, Yates."
Okay. I love, LOVE how the Brig is completely stonefaced for all of that but then puts on his determinedface when he hears about the Master.
...Does that sign say "Nothing in my hand trinity?"
"If my theory is right, we're all in mortal danger."
"Everyone in the village?"
"Everyone in the whole world."
As per usual.
Damn gargoyles, always jumping into tunnels and ruining our exposition.
Unless I'm mistaken, Three just repelled a monster with a random incantation and a small garden trowel.
There's a "books! Greatest weapon in the world!" reference here somewhere.
So I'm not quite sure if Three just said that the "devil" was a creature from another world or that EVERYTHING with horns was an alien.
And we have our explanation. And it's more or less exactly what I expected it to be.
*sigh* Okay, I have to say I'm really not fond of plots with a "this species was crucial to the development of human civilization" twist.
Naturally Three's immediate reaction to the Brig's plan of "we will shoot at it" is "no, stop, stop saying words."
"I'm not going to sit here like a spare.........like a spare lemon..." #likeasparelemon #thebrigisnowalemon
Suddenly ALL OF THE TECHNOBABBLE.
What was that smirk for Bentoooon, c'monnnnnn, tell ussssss...
*whisper whisper whisper* *scheme scheme scheme*
The Master seems to have reached full-on Bond-villain-with-a-god-complex mode here.
Also, I love how Bok is basically the Master's Pokemon.
Yates is straight-up PUNCHING THIS DUDE IN THE FACE REPEATEDLY and it is having absolutely no effect. Just...just wow.
Yates...that's a handgun. Somehow I don't think you can shoot down a helicopter with that.
Motorcycle Yates! Also, if the guy in the helicopter is trying to pull a kamikaze on Three and Jo, he's REALLY bad at aiming at the ground.
Suddenly A CHASE SCENE!
And there goes the chopper right into the heat barrier.
Motorcycle Three! Pertwee must've had fun making this serial.
I wonder if the UNIT tech guy with the glasses was any kind of precursor to Malcolm Taylor in Planet of the Dead.
Granted, they act nothing alike, but they look a bit similar and have similar UNIT positions.
WOW. I've seen Delgado!Master look concerned and angry before, but here he's in full-on HOLY SHIT WHAT HAVE I DONE mode.
Richard Franklin and the others must've had fun throwing themselves around the set like that.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Jo's about to sneak out of the window since she can't go down the stairs.
(Ack, no pun intended. But yes, it seems I was right.)
Also, I was going to mention this a while ago, but I love how the tavern's name is The Cloven Hoof.
"Reverse it."
"Reverse what?"
"Reverse the polarity!"
Okay...I'm sorry, but after all this build-up to the reveal of the Daemon himself, he looks like he's standing on giant chicken legs.
I am suddenly rather intrigued by the very visible vein on the side of Delgado's head.
Um, Master, with all due respect to your ego, who said anything about Earth or satanic powers being "rightfully yours?"
This scene is making me unimpressed with the Daemon itself, but VERY impressed with the fact that Delgado is BARELY BLINKING AT ALL.
Seriously, I've been watching his eyes and *they are barely moving.*
So Yates, you chose now to go and check up on Jo and not the last time the heatwave struck? Oh right, because the plot.
I'm surprised Benton's still calling him "sir" at this stage, considering they're out of uniform the situation doesn't call for formalities.
Then again, that's probably Tumblr imprinting a slightly different (and more casual) image of the UNIT Family in my brain.
Now we can add "motorcycle windshield" to the list of Things The Doctor Improvises As Science-Diagram-Explaining Surfaces.
"You know, Sergent, I sometimes wish I worked in a bank."
Ouch. Yates, I thought you liked Jo, stop calling her an idiot so much.
Huh. According to the InfoText, Pertwee had a stunt double. Considering how action-oriented he was, I'm a little surprised.
Come on, Benton, you've had a rough day. Sit down for a minute and let the nice witch make you some tea.
Suddenly...accordions? ...Sure, why not...?
The Maypole is the only thing that makes sense in this scene right now. I just...what...?
I can barely put this into words. There's cricketers(?) dancing with sticks that aren't bats and a man in half a chicken suit made of paper.
And they're all dancing.
MORRIS DANCERS. Suddenly everything makes sense.
And now Yates is dancing around the Maypole and Three's being held at gunpoint and stickpoint and I can't even this scene you guys.
Okay, maybe that wasn't Yates.
Tying Three up in the Maypole? OH how DASTARDLY.
That One Time Benton Was Attacked By A Morris Dancer And Was Saved By A Witch And Her Handbag.
That Other Time The Doctor Was Accused Of Being A Witch And Was Tied To A Maypole Presumably For The Sake Of Burning.
"You would dare to harm the great Wizard Qui Quae Quod?" #whyhappening
Thanks to the InfoText I know what that means, but still...
Some say "the secret to your power was inside you the whole time," but for Qui Quae Quod's "magic," it was made of pure Benton.
Also Bessie. (Guys. Guys why is everything in this scene wonderful.)
Just for good measure, That One Time Jo Grant Blew Her Cover To Save An Innocent Chicken.
Again, my apologies, but I really feel like Azal is the K-1 robot of the Pertwee era. It just...doesn't work.
When the only guy trying to yell the crowd into submission is wearing a paper-clippings suit, I don't think that's going to work.
On that note, pipe down, everyone, Three has a science lesson for you.
...and now I'm left to ponder the horrible implications of how exactly they got Jo into that dress.
Advantage of being a UNIT agent in plainclothes: enemies won't suspect that just tying your hands behind your back will get you to stay put.
I love how Bok doesn't even really need to *do* anything to keep people out of the cavern, he just needs to stand with his arms crossed.
(No seriously, he's just standing there like "bitch, *please.*")
And now newspaper-chicken-suit-man is no more.
Now one of the Master's Faceless Dudes In Cloaks seems to be waking up to the situation, which might be nicer if we knew who he was.
Somewheeeere uuunder the raaaaainbowwwww, the Briiiig wiiiiill riiiiiide...
So naturally JUST after they get the epic Daemon-breaking machine through the heat barrier, it explodes. Naturally.
Aww, poor Bok is reduced to stumbling around like a drunk and can't catch that damn kid on his lawn, I mean, the Doctor.
"...What in the blazes is that. Some kind of ornament?" Brig. Never stop saying things. Ever.
Speaking of which... "Jenkins! Chap with the wings, there, five rounds rapid."
Huh. According to the InfoText, that line was almost cut but was ultimate saved by Barry Letts. Thank you, sir!
So I was wondering earlier if Azal was played by Stephen Thorne, which apparently he is. Weird, usually I love his hamtastic characters.
Three has Jo back, so now I can only assume he's going to try and talk Azal out of destroying Earth. Or something. He sure is talking.
Meanwhile, UNIT is doing what UNIT does best: emptying its full payload into a creature that only takes damage from Science.
And naturally Yates' reaction is "well, this is doing jack shit. Go grab a bigger gun."
I kinda love how the Master seems *physically incapable* of comprehending the fact that a giant alien monster won't do what he tells it to.
"Who else is there strong enough to give these humans the leadership they need?!"
"I seem to remember somebody else speaking like that. What was the bounder's name...Hitler. Yes, that's right, Adolf Hitler. Or was it Genghis Khan?"
So Azal has decided to pass on his power to the Doctor and not the Master. Neither of them are particularly pleased with this conclusion.
Oh. And for a second I actually thought that bazooka worked.
Ah, never mind, Azal changed his mind after all. Only six minutes left...how exactly are they going to resolve this?
Umm...so Jo committing an act of self-sacrifice causes Azal to brain-melt in DOES NOT COMPUTE. Well. I can't say I was expecting that.
("Jon Pertwee took the model Bok home and kept it in his garden as a quirky alternative to a gnome.") #thebestpeople
HAH! Apparently the shot of the church blowing up was so real that the BBC got complaints for "demolishing" it.
And now Benton has the Master at gunpoint. This must be an incredibly satisfying moment for UNIT.
So of COURSE the second Benton looks away, the Master cloaks him in the face. And Three's more concerned about people not shooting Bessie.
"You want him to get away??"
"Don't worry, Bessie'll bring him back."
#SCIENCE
Well, at least the Master has the decency to come quietly. Of course, I think Delgado!Master had the most decency out of any other Master.
("Christopher Barry asked the villagers to boo the Master as he goes but the children liked him so much that they wanted to cheer instead.")
All together now: awwwwwwww...
"Sergent, we must do the fertility dance to celebrate!" ......I'll just leave this here.
"Fancy a dance, Brigadier?"
"That's kind of you, Captain Yates. Think I'd rather have a pint."
Awwww, happy musical dancing ending!
Next: Season 9: Day of the Daleks