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Episode four could reliably be renamed "The Marquis Is The Doctor, Could You Give Him The Job Now, Please."
I can never quite decide whether the Marquis is immensely brave or immensely stupid in episode four, which is yet another chalk mark on the "He's The Doctor, Really He Is" board. When he goes to see Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar, he must know that they're not going to let him leave in one piece? He arranges a deal that they'll give him an hour's head start, but could he really be fool enough to believe that they'd keep their word on that? The other option is that he is brave enough, and loyal enough to Door as his employer, to risk whatever they're likely to throw at him just for the chance of obtaining information. The Marquis would never admit to being that sort of man, but I suppose that he must be. It makes him very interesting indeed. Unfortunately, him being so interesting is what gets him tortured to death by Croup and Vandemar, but it's still a great audition for the role of the Doctor - and he does a lot of running about in corridors whilst wearing a long, swirly coat, too. Give him the job now, BBC. :)
The rest of the episode is a rather odd affair, in which Richard and Door collide with Monty Python. The Angel Islington has sent them to the Blackfriars for a special key (more London Above placenames with a decidedly London Below twist). Down below, the Blackfriars are exactly that - black friars, a bizarre religious order whose job it is to keep the key safe. In order to obtain it, Richard has to endure an "ordeal", which is preceded by "the ritual of the nice cup of tea". To add to the Pythonesque quality if it all, the smiling friars take his photograph, pin it to their memorial board, and cheerfully send him off to certain death. His ordeal takes the form of a dream in which he's mad, and his reality is all just an hallucination; designed to encourage him to kill himself. He wins through, though, and claims the key - much to the horror of the friars. Their dismay is with good reason, too, as it's finally revealed that Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar are working for the Angel Islington; so whatever he wants with the key, it can't be good.
Episode four is very strong, but the necessary shallowness of the script does let it down. We've only just met Islington. Yes he's an angel, but we have no other particular reason to trust him. In episode three, when he arrives for his audience with them, it's hinted that the Marquis might actually be the boss. That works. We've had three episodes to get to know the Marquis, and become inordinately fond of him. But the Angel, though - who cares? It's really not all that great a surprise. Yet another point where I'm not at all convinced that condensing this again, into a two hour movie, is really a good idea.
But we'll see. I guess.
In the lion's den. The Marquis - hero, nutjob or quite a bit of both?
Atlantean wine, apparently. I shudder to think what it does to your insides. ;)
Hunter the bodyguard, in Dramatic Speech Mode. Again.
Richard meets with the leader of the Black Friars.
"I think I broke him."
Oops.
The London Underground's latest poster campaign.
Richard wins a peculiarly suggestive key.
I can never quite decide whether the Marquis is immensely brave or immensely stupid in episode four, which is yet another chalk mark on the "He's The Doctor, Really He Is" board. When he goes to see Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar, he must know that they're not going to let him leave in one piece? He arranges a deal that they'll give him an hour's head start, but could he really be fool enough to believe that they'd keep their word on that? The other option is that he is brave enough, and loyal enough to Door as his employer, to risk whatever they're likely to throw at him just for the chance of obtaining information. The Marquis would never admit to being that sort of man, but I suppose that he must be. It makes him very interesting indeed. Unfortunately, him being so interesting is what gets him tortured to death by Croup and Vandemar, but it's still a great audition for the role of the Doctor - and he does a lot of running about in corridors whilst wearing a long, swirly coat, too. Give him the job now, BBC. :)
The rest of the episode is a rather odd affair, in which Richard and Door collide with Monty Python. The Angel Islington has sent them to the Blackfriars for a special key (more London Above placenames with a decidedly London Below twist). Down below, the Blackfriars are exactly that - black friars, a bizarre religious order whose job it is to keep the key safe. In order to obtain it, Richard has to endure an "ordeal", which is preceded by "the ritual of the nice cup of tea". To add to the Pythonesque quality if it all, the smiling friars take his photograph, pin it to their memorial board, and cheerfully send him off to certain death. His ordeal takes the form of a dream in which he's mad, and his reality is all just an hallucination; designed to encourage him to kill himself. He wins through, though, and claims the key - much to the horror of the friars. Their dismay is with good reason, too, as it's finally revealed that Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar are working for the Angel Islington; so whatever he wants with the key, it can't be good.
Episode four is very strong, but the necessary shallowness of the script does let it down. We've only just met Islington. Yes he's an angel, but we have no other particular reason to trust him. In episode three, when he arrives for his audience with them, it's hinted that the Marquis might actually be the boss. That works. We've had three episodes to get to know the Marquis, and become inordinately fond of him. But the Angel, though - who cares? It's really not all that great a surprise. Yet another point where I'm not at all convinced that condensing this again, into a two hour movie, is really a good idea.
But we'll see. I guess.
In the lion's den. The Marquis - hero, nutjob or quite a bit of both?
Atlantean wine, apparently. I shudder to think what it does to your insides. ;)
Hunter the bodyguard, in Dramatic Speech Mode. Again.
Richard meets with the leader of the Black Friars.
"I think I broke him."
Oops.
The London Underground's latest poster campaign.
Richard wins a peculiarly suggestive key.
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