Doctor Who - Snakedance Reviews

Rating		Votes
10	7%	6
9	12%	11
8	24%	21
7	34%	30
6	15%	13
5	8%	7
4	1%	1
3	0%	0
2	0%	0
1	0%	0
Average Rating 7.3
Votes 89

Synopsis

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide

Tegan falls once more under the influence of the Mara and directs the TARDIS to the planet Manussa. There the Federator's son Lon and his mother Tanha are preparing for a ceremony to celebrate the banishment of the Mara five hundred years earlier.

The Mara takes control of Lon and uses him and Tegan to obtain from Ambril, the Director of Historical Research, the 'great crystal' - the large blue stone that originally brought it into being by focusing energy from the minds of the planet's one-time inhabitants. The Mara now plans to use the crystal during the ceremony to bring about its return to corporeal existence.

The Doctor and Nyssa, aided by Ambril's assistant Chela, locate Ambril's aged predecessor Dojjen, who predicted the Mara's rebirth before wandering off into the wilderness. The Doctor allows himself to be bitten by a snake in order to enter a state of mental commune with Dojjen, who tells him that fear is the only true venom and that in order to defeat the Mara he must find the still point within himself.

The Doctor and his friends then return to the caves where the ceremony is being held. The Doctor, by concentrating his thoughts with the aid of a small replica of the great crystal, is able to find the still point and repel the Mara.

Has Prerequisite Story

13 out of 20 (65.0%) raters say this story requires a previous story.

Extended Ratings

Plot

7.5

(30)

Acting

7.9

(30)

Effects

7.3

(30)

Replay

7.1

(29)

5th Doctor

Nyssa

Tegan Jovanka

Mara

Cast

The Doctor - Peter Davison

Nyssa - Sarah Sutton

Tegan - Janet Fielding

Ambril - John Carson

Chela - Johnathon Morris

Dojjen - Preston Lockwood

Dugdale - Brian Miller

Fortune Teller - Hilary Sesta

Hawker - George Ballentine

Lon - Martin Clunes

Megaphone Man - Brian Grellis

Puppeteer - Barry Smith

Tanha - Colette O'Neil

Director:

Fiona Cumming

Writer:

Christopher Bailey

Reviews

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Snakedance

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Has Prerequisite(s):

Yes

Reviewed By: adamelijahReview Date: 3/8/15 4:23 am

0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

Snakedance is a superb sequel to Season 19's Kinda as they land on the planet Manussa after the Mara (who had possessed Tegan before) is trying to seize control again. Their arrival is timed with a key anniversary and an opportunity for the Mara to once again take control.

The script is rich and the concepts are very clever and the story is at times, thought provoking. I like the idea of the Doctor forced to prove himself and him not being taken seriously at all. Particularly as he's arguing for something this society sees as just as a superstition. It's a great reversal and really makes this an engaging story.

The acting is top notch as Janet Fielding turns a brilliant performance as Tegan and Davison's Doctor really comes to life and we even catch a glimpse of how the events of Earthshock have affected him. This also some great and memorable guest performances. While the Mara doesn't look, great, it certainly looks better than in Kinda.

The big downside is the costuming. Nyssa's new outfit was really dreadful with nothing matching. Prince Lon's outfit in Episode 4 is absurd. Plus there's no sense of style among this planet which makes it seem artificial as do some of the sets. Still, if you can get past it, this is actually pretty good.