Marco Polo

Dear Gary—

After completing my run of classic Doctors and before forging ahead, I would like to take a moment to go back to the one serial that I missed in my first go through—Marco Polo. I did not discover the wonderful world of reconstructions on the internet in time to view this in its proper order, but I would like to take the time now to properly finish out the original series.

What a treat.

It is pure delight to revisit the First Doctor along with Barbara and Ian and yes, even Susan. I had nearly forgotten how truly wonderful these early Doctor Whos could be. This is good old fashioned story telling that takes its time to develop character and plot. This is Doctor Who that is not afraid to depict the Doctor as a grumpy old man who is vulnerable to the elements and to ordinary aches and pains. This is Doctor Who that trusts itself enough to not rely on monsters and aliens and big bangs. This is Doctor Who that allows the companions to carry the show for an episode or two. This is Doctor Who.

This is a well-rounded Doctor Who. Strong script, strong characters, strong actors, strong production values. This is a Doctor Who that everyone involved believed in. No doubts; no undermining office politics; no backstage drama. At least none that are evident in the finished product.

As the story opens the TARDIS and crew are stranded on a snowy mountaintop. Ian and Barbara speculate that perhaps they are on Earth—the Alps or Andes maybe. Ian and Barbara are not joy riders or thrill seekers or groupies. Ian and Barbara are run-of-the-mill school teachers who happened to get whisked up into the Doctor’s world and all they want is to go home. It is therefore particularly poignant when Susan suggests the Himalayas and Ian ponders this thought: “The Roof of the World. I wonder. If only.”

It turns out that is exactly where they are; unfortunately they are several hundred years off the mark; they are in the year 1289. Ah, the historical. These are the storylines that get abandoned down the road; but here in the early days of Doctor Who the strength of the show is such that a seven part historical can grab and hold the audience.

The strength of the show is also such that it can revel in vulnerabilities. The vulnerability of the companions, the vulnerability of the Doctor, and the vulnerability of the TARDIS. The unreliability of the TARDIS is a major plot point in the early stages of Doctor Who. In Marco Polo the TARDIS has completely failed. (“Everything’s gone to pot.”) A burned out circuit means the loss of light, heat, and water, and our quartet is stranded. Luckily for our heroes they are found on that lonely mountaintop by none other than Marco Polo.

The broken down TARDIS is very much front and center in Marco Polo. Polo confiscates the craft and Tegana covets it. I love Tegana’s description: “It just stands there like a warlord’s tomb on one end.” Tegana secretly plots to sabotage the caravan, steal the TARDIS, and kill Marco Polo, all with the eye to aiding the Khan Noghai against Kublai Khan. Polo desires the TARDIS in order to present the flying caravan to Kublai Khan in hopes that he will be so grateful that he will allow Marco to return home. To this end he takes the TARDIS key and prevents the Doctor from entering, thus forcing the group to follow along on Polo’s long journey.

This slow path is a trek of several months, perhaps the longest single period of time covered in a Doctor Who serial, but it is neither leisurely nor tedious, and the voiceover narration by Polo and the tracing of their route on the map helps to speed the action along.

The length of the trip and the lack of an obvious threat makes Marco Polo a multi-layered tale allowing for rich character development. The warlord Tegana is the main antagonist, however he remains undercover. As Polo observes, “Does the lamb conceal the wolf, or the wolf the lamb?” Ian and Barbara both suspect Tegana’s motives, but Polo cannot take these strangers’ words as proof. Working mostly in the dark, the intrepid companions still manage to thwart most of Tegana’s devious schemes, although they are unable to unmask him. It is a fascinating dance acted out from the snows of the Himalayas through the desert landscapes of the Gobi; all the while nature poses its own unique dangers.

Marco Polo himself could be considered an adversary since he has commandeered the TARDIS. It is a complex relationship, however, with Polo and our travelers forming a warm bond despite their rivalry for possession of the TARDIS. Each can understand the others’ need, and there is sympathy mixed with suspicion in all their dealings.

Meanwhile Susan has found a friend in Ping-Cho, the young girl being escorted by Polo to meet her aged and unknown husband-to-be. Ping-Cho proves invaluable in gaining access to the TARDIS, but it is in the quiet moments that she shines. That is something that I find lacking in the more recent fare — the quiet moments that add such depth to the show.

One of those quiet moments belongs to Susan. She and Ping-Cho are discussing their respective homes, and much like Ian’s wistful contemplation to begin our serial, Susan pauses to reflect on her own distant world. “It’s as far away as a night star,” she says. Similarly, in discussing the loss of the TARDIS with Barbara, Susan remarks, “We should be up there; another time, another galaxy.” And then: “One day we’ll know all the mysteries of the skies, and we’ll stop our wandering.” Some pensive and melancholy moods that are allowed to breathe.

The strength of the show lies in these vulnerabilities, in these subtleties, in these reflections; and it all rests on the frail shoulders of William Hartnell. Polo describes the Doctor as “both difficult and bad-tempered,” and Susan says of him, “Grandfather’s being rude and sulking by himself.” I agree, the First Doctor can be a grumpy curmudgeon, but delightfully and amusingly so; and just when you think you have him pegged, he breaks out into fits of gleeful laughter even when things seem their bleakest.

Barbara gets him. “Well, you know him better than I do,” she tells Susan, “but I’d have said he was just feeling defenseless.” Barbara has always struck me as the most perceptive of the group. “He has a wonderful machine,” she continues, putting things in perspective, “capable of all sorts of miracles, and it’s taken away from him by a man he calls a primitive.” And then she concludes, “Oh, he’s like a rubber ball. He’ll come bouncing out of there soon full of ideas.”

That is the Doctor, the First and Original Doctor. He is not perfect. He is not superhuman. He is not godlike. He has his weaknesses and is capable of feeling helpless. But he always bounces back. He also always bears up with remarkable poise. It is a long and difficult journey to the Khan’s court, and the Doctor suffers much. However it is the pampered and privileged Khan who complains bitterly of old age. “It must be borne with dignity, sir,” the Doctor advises.

As I write this, rumors abound that these lost episodes have been found and are being restored. This timeworn tale has aged with dignity, and despite adversity is bouncing back with renewed vigor.

I send this out into the Doctor’s time swirl, Gary, wondering if you now know all the mysteries of the skies . . .