MR 142: The Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories

Special Features is by far the best in this set but I honestly think the other stories are good as well. Particularly have a fondness for The Entropy Composition as it is exactly the sort of story that befits the Fifth Doctor.

So tonight I've posted a slew of comments on the last few stories I've listened to, including soome of the "greats." I've had a lot of very positive things to say tonight, but I saved the very best for last. And so here I am, at the very end, nearly ready for sleep, prepared to talk about Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories.

And, very pointedly, not Jubilee.

So here's the buried lede: this anthology is, I am quite confident, one of my very favorite Doctor Who releases of all time. I cannot sing it's praises enough.

But in deference to any poor soul who's suffered through any of my other output tonight, I shall endeavor for brevity.

Part of what makes this collection so good, I think--and it's a very small part--is cheap misdirection. Anthologies are typically named after the "best" story contained therein, at least according to the author or editor. Strange News From Another Star may sit beside several other excellent tales, for example, but few would disagree that it also stands above them. So one would expect that the titular Demons of Red Lodge would be the standout story of this collection.

It is, in fact, the opposite.

As the weakest story in the collection, it sets our expectations for everything that follows: and each subsequent story is leaps and bounds better than the last, in thunderous ascent.

But first, some short comments on each one:

The Demons of Red Lodge: "It's always my fault." Davison's delivery of this one line is legendary. His subdued tone and matter-of-fact delivery perfectly encapsulate just who the 5th Doctor is: he is the man who takes responsibility. For everything. As a matter of course. It speaks to both a profoundly inflated ego as well as a severely inflated sense of responsibility and duty. The 4th Doctor famously asked, "Have I the right?" Questioning the value of his intent and actions on the course of history; here we see the logical outcome of that wondering in the 5th Doctor who has question the value of his lack of intent and inaction. Tom Baker asked, "Have I the right?" And never found a satisfactory answer; Peter Davison asked, "Am I responsible?" And was inexorably drawn to the only possible answer he could conceive.

That is the tragedy of Davison's Doctor. That is the genius. That is why this incarnation, despite any other issues, is--always and effortlessly--the Doctor. (Part 4 of 343.)

The Entropy Composition: A solid if unremarkable tale predicated on the potentially interesting concept of good music versus bad music. It didn't do much for me, but I am also--for various reasons I won't get into--not a "music person." Yes, I'm aware that very likely does not make sense to some or many or most of you. I am well-aware. This story furthers to modify expectations going forward... which is good, because the back half of this anthology is unabashedly spectacular.

Doing Time: sometimes all it takes for a good Doctor Who story is a good premise. After that, it almost seems to to write itself, yeah? How can you not love a story about the 6th Doctor in prison? How could this not be one of Colin Baker's very best adventures? Throw in some timey-wimey hijinks, a power-mad warden with zero morals, an well-thought-out twist and some hilarious humor with Nyssa's repeated attempts to get herself arrested and there's not a single second of this story that isn't an utter delight to listen to.

Before, I've pointed to the equally-short Urgent Calls as, perhaps, the quintessential 6th Doctor story. Now, I think that honor has to go to Doing Time. There's not an ounce of fat here, the story is gripping from the very first scene, and Colin Baker is clearly having the time of his life. 

Special Features: there's a specific line I'd like to call attention to. "Not the best dialog in the world. Fairly functional." This is, of course, a John Dorney script. And this is, in fact, not my first time tonight fanboying over Dorney. The man is a remarkably consistent writer--and I think I've figured out why.

John Dorney? Nah. More Like John Dorney Dialog, amirite?

Don't get me wrong, Special Features is a remarkably inventive story, with a brilliantly unique premise and perfectly-paced execution, but most impressive of all is how well it showcases Dorney's greatest strength as a writer: his unfailingly excellent command of dialog. Each character is well-defined with clear personalities, evident almost immediately from their first lines. The narrative is built entirely on dialog, yet the necessary exposition is so deftly-woven that you can scarcely even notice it. Each line is humorous and engaging and full of personality and humanity. Each character speakers in a very distinct voice.

I shudder to think how much revision it too, to polish the script to this level.

Or worse, I shudder at the thought of just how practiced he could be that Dorney could write dialog like this without much revision.

In either case, I am absolutely certain Dorney has expended monumental efforts honing his craft. All I can do is stand in awe.

I've been living, perhaps hyperbolically, in a state of anxiety. I tend to ignore writers' names. As I've said before, I don't like the expectations that recognition brings--for both good and ill. And, as I've noted, writing one good story does not prevent a writer from delivering a poor story, nor does one bad story prevent better. That's just the nature of the beast: sometimes stories work, sometimes they don't.

But I've taken notice of Dorney, because his work (thus far) is without exception. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's all a matter of odds, right? Statistically, not every script can be a winner, so there must be some stinkers out there. And the more stories I get through that don't stink, the more likely it'll be the next one, right? Hence the anxiety.

But, the thing is, I think I realize now why Dorney is so consistent: when the dialog is this good, this punchy, this immediate, it doesn't really matter if the story itself isn't as good, because you'll be having so much fun along the way.

And, to be perfectly clear, despite consisting entirely of dialog, Special Features is no slouch when it comes to plotting. The overall structure of the story is beyond brilliant, with a lovely twist on the usual time travel tropes (this time moving forward rather than back) all the while striking an unfailingly self-aware tone that imbues the whole affair with a meta textual layer of humor on top of the bizarre premise of the Doctor inviting himself to do a DVD commentary for some old B-movie sci-fi thriller. How can one not hear a line like, "It's like you just walked in off the street?" Without grinning like an absolute loon?

Which, in matter of fact, is precisely what I was doing. For the whole episode.

Goddamn. Just: goddamn.

So, as I implied earlier, I've also spoken tonight about Jubilee, the famous 6th Doctor audio story by Robert Shearman that was later adapted into the universally-acclaimed 9th Doctor TV story, Dalek. 

It's a funny thing that happened, right?

Sorry, sorry. I misspoke. Let me try again:

It's a funny thing that happened only the one time, right?

How in God's name is the TV show not mining Big a finish for story ideas? Can you imagine how perfectly this story would work on television? Admittedly, it already works perfectly in audio--so much so that as much as Doing Time may be the quintessential 6th Doctor story, Special Features may very well be the quintessential Big Finish story--but even so!

Just imagine: the audio would be the same, just the commentary, but the video would consist entirely of the 1970s-style B-movie focusing on the companion. How on Earth was this story not immediately snatched up for a TV adaption? Everyone loves Blink and Trials and Tribulations--and this is that exact sort of thing, only twice as clever. Look, I know we don't inhabit one of the better timelines--but even so!