Written by Dennis Spooner | Directed by John Gorrie | Produced by Verity Lambert | Original air date 08/22/64
Susan hits her absolute nadir as a character in this episode. It's been much remarked upon, but it cannot go without saying that she refuses to try to escape the guillotine because she has a headache. Is it just bad writing on Spooner's part, or does he really think the character is this stupid? Like I said yesterday - I think it's the latter. All she does the rest of the episode, after escaping with Barbara (who decides to stay with Susan rather than try to escape the guillotine, too, which makes me think Spooner probably hates her, too) with the aid of a lucky rescue by men with guns, is read a map, eat a meal, and go to bed because she's sick. I feel bad for Carole Ann Ford, having to suffer through this garbage.
I do rather enjoy Ian's escape from the jail, though. I mean, the jailer is an idiot, just leaving the keys in the lock like that, but it's a pretty good play on Ian's part. Not immediately escaping is wise - doing so may put him at risk of being caught by some visitor to the prison. Escaping at night would do him better.
The Doctor has finally reached Paris, and needs to get new clothes to pose as a French official. He doesn't have any money, so he trades his outfit to the clothier in exchange for a uniform. He trades his ring, in, too - which gives us our cliffhanger later, when it's turned in by the clothier to point out the Doctor is a fraud (we're not shown why this might be the case in this episode). The ring is interesting - he uses it in The War Machines to hypnotize Dodo, and it hasn't really been remarked upon thus far in the show, so whatever its significance is will be a revelation. The only other scene I remember the ring being in is when it falls off the finger of the Second Doctor, no longer fitting his hand.
The Doctor huffing and whinging his way into the prison as the official is wonderful, though. He is mocking everyone he comes across and is enjoying himself in doing so. He treats the jailer as the moron he is, barely giving him a half second to look at his "credentials" before going on about the lack of escort for his arrival in Paris. Hartnell, like all the Doctors to date, is absolutely amazing when he's dressing down everyone around him.
Susan really makes this episode awful to sit through, though, especially with the reading I have where Spooner just has utter contempt for her as a character. Tomorrow is the first of two missing episodes remaining for this season - unlike Marco Polo, though, they've been animated. The poll I did on Twitter a few weeks back said I should watch the animated versions of stories where they exist rather than the recons, so that is what I'll be doing.
"Doctor Who" puns so far: 2 | Tomorrow: "The Tyrant of France"
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