5.16: The Awakening

In which I still don’t much like horror.

Broadcast: January 1984

Watched: December 2020

The Awakening, Part One

“As the local magistrate, I shall find myself quite innocent.”

Well made, quite compelling, doesn’t grab me? My folk horror thing I guess. I quite like the idea that some random local worthy has locked the village down, as if that’s a thing. I like that the Doctor has heard of the Malus, too, and Will Chandler is great.

A lot of stories in this period start with “something has gone wrong with the TARDIS”, to the point that it’s becoming annoying - can they never just arrive? I was thinking that we meet a lot of Tegan’s relatives, but it’s more than that - we see a lot of Tegan’s relatives go missing in mysterious circumstances.

“You’ll be safer in the TARDIS” is another common theme of this era. “We must tell the Doctor!” Oh, for a mobile phone.

“Split up!” Turlough continues to be an utter prick.

The cliffhanger is a bit mystifying. “DOCTOOOOOOOR!” goes on a long time. 

Have they changed the font on the credits?

The Awakening, Part Two

“Given enough energy it’ll not only destroy him but everything else. Cheer up!”

Tegan’s grandfather is only 30 years older than her. Weird. I like Will Chandler’s telling the Doctor off for his “toast of Little Hodcombe” joke.

The Malus design is great. Turlough and Tegan’s granddad going around twatting people is fun. Oh good, more randoms on board the TARDIS.

“We’ll drop you all off and then we’ll be on our way” - for a moment I thought they’d forgotten they came to see Tegan’s granddad, so it was almost a relief when everyone told the Doctor they didn’t want to leave yet.

Anyway. That was probably good, if it isn’t a genre you find tedious? But unfortunately it is, so.