4.26: The Stones of Blood

In which we wish they’d had tone meetings back in 1978.

Broadcast: October-November 1978

Watched: September 2020

The Stones of Blood, Part One

“I used to be a brown owl.” “Really?”

The tone of this one is extremely odd. Bits of it are spooky. Bits of it are consciously silly. I have no idea what they want us to make of the opening conversation about how it wasn’t actually the president who sent Romana along – are we meant to be suspicious of her now? K9 erasing tennis from his memory banks is mildly amusing, but we’re drifting into the era of entirely unearned smugness.

The implication that the stones have moved is quite interesting, or would be if I didn’t know that this whole thing is going to end in a nonsensical space trial bullshit situation.

Emilia Rumford is if anything too convincing as a tedious batty old woman who won’t stop going on about nothing. Honestly, she’s very naturalistic, but a convincing portrayal of someone you would walk away from at a party is not entertaining.

“He doesn’t like scientists.” This is a sentiment one only gets in Doctor Who. Real people do not have views on scientists.

The bit where Tom wanders off and the women talk about putting Romana to work is rendered sinister entirely through the music.

Anyway. Not as hateful as I remembered it but has all the flaws of this era in bucketloads.

I like the bit where the laird and the Doctor earnestly look at the missing portraits.

The Stones of Blood, Part Two

“Vivian is making some sausage sandwiches.” Also the truncheon. Filth.

This is really, really silly. The killer stones, obviously made of polystyrene. Vivian Fay explaining the plot for no reason and then immediately laughing it off. The bit where the Doctor and Rumford do spooky looks to camera is like they think they’re in a panto; then, there’s bit where the regulars talk about putting K9 down that’s weirdly dark. The tone is all over the place. I think if they showed more commitment to make it a comedy it might work, but...

Anyway, the lack of recap is weird – we just start with Romana hanging off a cliff. Her suspicion of the Doctor feels odd, even though it’s a rational response in the moment.

The heavy use of day-for-night filming is annoying.

The Stones of Blood, Part Three

“You’re trapped in hyperspace forever!”

The scene with the campers is genuinely quite horrifying, with the skeletal hand etc. Surprised it comes so late in the story, I thought it would have been part of the set up, not towards the end of part 3 before the whole thing turns into a mental court drama.

The Ogri from Ogros have nothing to do with the Ogrons do they? Weird there isn’t a whole Big Finish spin off about how they’re related. The hyperspace stuff is very weird too, since I’m sure in other stories hyperspace is an actual method of going faster than light. I quite like the space music we get when the Doctor first appears.

The Megara are actually quite amusing. Is “the great seal” a deliberate reference? I quite like the model work. Vivian Fay enjoying a nice taste of scenery at the end.

The Stones of Blood, Part Four

Ooooh right it is the same kind of Great Seal.

The trial bit is quite fun, but this is the most mental plot twist in Who so far. Almost as mental as Fay’s outfit. Not quite as mental as the face she pulls when she’s sentenced.

Anyway, I think this would be better if it was either more serious or more obviously comic, but this is silly and smug without deserving it. Poor show. At least it’s done.

The joke at the end that the Doctor can’t assemble the key requires you to remember the beginning of part one and honestly who would.