4.17: The Talons of Weng-Chiang

In which the giant rat is not the only problem. Because of all the racism.

Broadcast: February-April 1977

Watched: July 2020

The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Part One

“Then it’s time you started.”

Yeah this is racist from literally the second shot. Though it is quite funny* that there’s a scene in which the Doctor is trying to persuade a nice Victorian policeman to be more suspicious of the Chinese street gang. (*Massively problematic.)

Anyway. Quite fun. More than I thought on my only other viewing 15 years ago – another that benefits from being watched in context, and also from having some sense, which I lacked then, of all the things it’s drawing on. It’s really well made too. 

Until that f**king rat.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Part Two

They really do make pathetically little effort to sell us on the idea that the rat is ten feet long. So little that I think it’d be possible not to notice that was even the intention, were it not for dialogue.

I like the way we can tell Jago is alright because he doesn’t want the Doctor to kill the giant money spider; while Litefoot is alright because Leela can be left with him and he won’t judge her for eating like a savage. 

This one had a bit where the Doctor almost falls to his death, and the thought occurs that this is the end of Tom’s third season. Mad to think if he’d done a “normal” tenure this would have been it. [For the uninitiated – oh who am I kidding, no uninitiated are reading – he does four more seasons yet.]

The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Part Three

“Well, they were Chinese ruffians” HOW IS THE MAKE UP NOT THE MOST RACIST THING HERE.

One of the problems with that last cliffhanger is that “Mr Sin can move on his own!” isn’t a shock when you already know, but I appreciate that’s not a problem anyone had in 1977.

Leela taking the place of the blonde girl is bad ass.

I enjoyed, “Made in Birmingham. Yes, that’s the main requirement.”

The rat is more impressive when it’s a man in a rat suit.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Part Four

“The yellow man” NOT YOU TOO LEELA Jesus Christ why are we only talking about the yellow face when the script is also massively, massively racist? 

Anyway. I watched part 3 when a bit pissed, and often when I do that I find I miss stuff but this time I’m honestly not sure I did – Holmes is good at creating characters and settings and packing his scripts with incident. But I don’t feel his stuff gives up more if you pay more attention (unlike Moffat, or Boucher, say). I remember the broad strokes of part 3, I don’t feel like I need more than that. Am I wrong?

Anyway, this one. I like the magic sequence, and the Doctor ruining Chang’s trick. I like the unexpected twist, of Chang being eaten by the giant rat (Chekhov’s Rat, one might term it) – you can see the script changing direction, as it leaves the theoretical four part version behind. It is, still, very nicely done. But I am not, frankly, finding it thrilling. 

I think this season, Assassin and Robots are clearly better; Face didn’t quite click for me but is clearly a much cleverer script; Hand is dumb but I enjoyed it more. Why is this one so feted again? Is it just that it’s so well made?

“Mrs Hudson will help” oh bugger off.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Part Five

“Chinese! Dozens of them!”

The thing is – it isn’t just the make up that’s racist, is it? It’s the treatment of Chinese people as if they’re an undifferentiated alien horde, with no attempt to deconstruct this. One of my favourite SmithDoc moments is in The God Complex, when he finds out thingy is a Muslim and he treats it as an interesting fact about her; she says “Don’t be frightened” and he looks baffled. The Doctor here is *the exact opposite*, absorbing the prejudices of his time without even questioning them. The Chinese might as well be Daleks. It’s sick.

The swine brain thing feels weirdly racist against pigs too, but that may just be me. The phrase “Peking homunculus” is a bit uncomfortable too.

Other things – Greel’s cackling at the start is proper mad villain stuff, he’s basically chewing his time cabinet. Nicely unexpected that Chang gets one more scene – he’s an oddly sympathetic character (another reason the yellow face, as appalling as it is, really isn’t the biggest problem here).

Funny how everyone remembers Jago and Litefoot as a pair, but they don’t meet until episode 5. The bit where they climb into the dumb waiter is cute.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Part Six

“You’re thinking of the druids aren’t you? I’m not aware of the Chinese making human sacrifices” FINALLY, SOMETHING THAT ISN’T RACISM IF YOU SQUINT A BIT.

In the BF audios do they make Jago and Litefoot a couple and if not why not? Never mind subtext, in the scene where Jago is scared and Litefoot is comforting him, it’s practically text.

Everyone loves the future history stuff. I find it silly.

I quite like that the final shot is of the poster of Chang – though it does feel a bit like it’s meant to be redemption which, given that he conspired to murder eight young women, I’m not sure it is.