(John S. Drew) 4 episodes.
The Doctor and Christine arrive on a world where perfection is valued above all else. Children deemed not perfect in the eyes of the people are killed before they are born. When Christine is branded imperfect by the rulers of the planet, the Doctor races to save her from execution.
From the Back Cover:
Fleeing an Earth corrupted by passions, cruelty, and hatred, the people of Kelos III sought to create the perfect society. But how could man overcome his very basic nature unless it was bred out of him?
A century after their society was established, the people of Kelos thought they had finally succeeded. A colony of genetically perfect humans; anyone born or who would be born imperfect was subject to vaporization.
When the Doctor and Christine arrive, they find a society where only perfect life is valuable and the imperfect are hunted down as so much animal fodder, an infection that needs to be stamped out before it corrupts their world.
Can the Doctor save a society whose zeal for perfection will ultimately lead to their own extinction? Or will time run out as Christine is branded an imperfect and led away for vaporization before the Doctor's very eyes?
Plot:
The badly-damaged TARDIS crash lands on a distant Earth colony Kelos 3 where the exhausted new Doctor and the paranoid Christine split up and fall afoul of the locals. It transpires their society has such rigid rules of genetic purity than anyone that fails to meet the grade is vaporized. Thirteenth-century serving wench falls into this category, believe it or not. And the two-hearted Doctor isn’t safe, either. Christine is taken to be zapped live on TV. The Doctor rescues her and gets captured himself, discovers a shady government conspiracy around the definition of ‘perfect’, has the evil ringleader executed, and leaves. That’s it. Only took two whole hours, too.
Story:
While Jeffrey Coburn’s Doctor could never be said to be based on Peter Davison’s Doctor, Jim DeNatyle’s Doctor is very clearly based on Colin Baker’s. While he lacks the garish outfit, he is still portly, rude, arrogant, in love with his physical appearance, prone to speeches and incredibly ruthless behavior – see him sadistically blind an immoral scientist and then mock the crippled man afterwards; attack the Collector by causing his bluetooth to explode while wearing it. However, his pockets of weakness and unconsciousness make the character seem spiteful, and his fainting spells become more and more predictable. His complete disregard for his former self makes him less than endearing, and it is unsurprising that Christine does not believe his claims that he is the same man in a new body. However, Christine is not particularly sympathetic – she shows no pity, imagination or common sense during the first episode and her refusal to accept anything the Doctor says makes it hard to care for either her fate or the Doctor’s.
The story curiously parallels The Twin Dilemma much as The Chronic Rift paralleled The Caves of Androzani. We have a replica Sixth Doctor having a hostile relationship with his companion, lengthy TARDIS scenes, and a relatively simply plot to showcase the new actor. There’s even an identical scene where the new Doctor tries to crack the codes of the lock on the door of the room he is trapped in by a possible ally. However, while The Twin Dilemma was a planet hopping space saga, The Perfection Society is focussed on one society on one planet – the opposite to the massive universe-spanning chaos of the previous story, and the sudden change in tone renders the whole thing rather trivial. Why should we care about the Kelosians, who dug a rod for their own back? Portraying the ‘moral majority’ of the populace as redneck Texans with accents straight out of South Park is not particularly subtle, either.
Part of the problem is the story is so slowly paced, with long scenes with very little happening – Christine remains in the same predicament throughout the second episode. The TARDIS crew barely appear in the first episode, and the Doctor only leaves the ship halfway through the second episode and spends most of that unconscious. The plot consists of Christine being arrested and the Doctor rescuing her. Worse, there is little dialogue, just long moralistic speeches from characters explaining their viewpoints. The story could easily be a two parter if it cut to the chase, perhaps losing the new Doctor’s painful attempts at eccentric humor as well. The cliffhanger reprises are surprisingly long too – it is three minutes into the 40-minute long episode four before we get any new material. The length of the story could accommodate six episodes, but the plot barely stretches to three.
Another part is the similar blight that strikes Vengeance on Varos – quite simply, the Kelosians have been raised for generations believing in genetic purity being a good thing. Why would any of them consider it morally wrong if they were raised with a different morality? When they are not allowed contact with outside ideals and influences? Yet it seems they have all known it was wrong but simply were too embarrassed and worried about social status to speak up or do anything.
There’s also a high level of coincidence, such as the Doctor being conveniently found by the person that could both want and be able to protect him and also desires to overturn the ruling regime. The Doctor has also heard much about this isolated colony – which in turns is either a forgotten backwater or a major power in galactic affairs, which makes you wonder why no Empire or Federation has attacked Kelos 3 for violating some equivalent of the Geneva Convention, since most people seem to know about its stance on purity and the lengths it will go to.
Although unengaging, there are good points – the central concept is a fine one, especially Leland’s “for the good of all” mentality, but this decays in the final scene to yet another half-thought-out attempt to conquer the universe. If this idea was more to the forefront of the plot, that Kelos 3 was set up to breed a super army, thus threatening the rest of the planets, we’d get some tension going. Instead, the plot rambles along like the Doctor’s post-regenerative trauma, coming to a false end before being entirely forgotten about. A disappointing end to a disappointing regeneration saga.
Personal Appreciation: **
The story seems as bored as I am, though it’s got all the makings of a cracker.
Character Stuff:
The new Doctor is taller, fatter with a thick moustache that seems to be trying to turn into a beard. Depending on what pictures you look at, he looks like a fat version of the Master, or Billy Connelly dressed as the Eighth Doctor. Perhaps as part of his regeneration, he is the total opposite of his former self – not just in looks, but in tastes: he hates his outfit, magic tricks, rabbits, frippery and the Banana Splits, and his people skills are rusty enough to require a tetanus shot. He wants a new, respectable outfit and a clean slate involving a redesigned console room. Dignity is very important to him. He on several occasions refers to his past self in the third person, like the Second Doctor did the First. Like the Sixth Doctor (who he resembles in more ways than one), he falls in love with his reflection rather than dismissing it as most other Doctors do. This is, I think we can now agree, a bad sign. The injuries that triggered his latest regeneration were so serious that the process doesn’t quite complete itself (that and the damaged TARDIS), effectively restoring his health for a short period and increasing periods of exhaustion and unconsciousness and could conceivably end in another regeneration. He confuses Melanie, Sarah (Jane Smith) and Peri with Christine (or Candice, Corrine, Cynthia, Catherine or “What’s his name?” as he calls her at some points). The old Doctor’s outfit is rigged to perform magic tricks, such as spewing out comedy flowers and the TARDIS will play Banana Splits song on the scanner at a touch of a button. He instinctively points out everyone’s flaws and lack of intelligence. His new outfit is a late 19th century suit but keeps his possessions, including his sonic screwdriver. His body language is very similar to his old self, if Christine is any judge... on second thoughts, just forget it.
Christine’s thick-headed stubborn refusal to accept new concepts reaches a new height. Not only does she rejects the idea of the Doctor changing his body, she automatically assumes the new one is an evil demon trying to bewitch her and won’t let him get a word in edgeways, which shows all the Doctor’s education has been proved a waste of time. She is in total denial at the Doctor dying, believing he is still alive despite the fact she saw him die right in front of her. She runs off into the TARDIS to sulk, gets lost, then lures the ill-looking new Doctor into a trap where she buries him in hardback books, the bitch. She says “It’s impossible” about five hundred times. I mean, Dara was annoying, but THIS is something else. She automatically offers to look after a baby, and she irritates it as much as she bugs me. She is still 15 years old and falls apart when asked some basic questions. She insists on telling the truth despite the obvious benefits of being able to lie and get off scott free. She finally accepts the Doctor is who he says he is after she gets yelled at to shut up and use her brain. She freaks out again at the thought the Doctor might die again... but he doesn’t. Which shuts her up. Briefly.
Observations:
Gesto is played by Chip Jamison. As such we lose sympathy for the story in the first few seconds once the titles are over...
There’s a neat symbolism between Dana giving birth at the same time the Doctor regenerates. And also the idea that midwifes are called ‘Channellers’ because they ‘channel’ babies out the ‘birth channel’ technically makes them the rudest-named characters ever. And contractions called compressions... there’s a difference you know.
Speaking of symbolism, as the Doctor regenerates so does the razorback. Pity Christine didn’t as well.
“Begone demon!” And with that sentence, you want to punch the cow unconscious.
“I do believe I’ve finally achieved perfection!” Whoa, way to flag up the story’s themes AND show the new Doctor as a smug, arrogant little bastard in one line!
The TARDIS rearranges itself around Christine. Is it trying to help her because of the old “she’s the companion and the TARDIS likes her”? Or is it because it’s trying to get the insane bitch out of the ship before she kills the owner? It goes to a lot of trouble to get Christine to the console room and out the doors – significantly into instantly fatal straits. Full fist, TARDIS, full fist.
Those two Collectors – one a stoned, mellow Frenchman and the other an incredibly furious Collector 32 – seem like sitcom material, like Whitnail and I...
I hate to seem personal, but how does Christine feed the newborn baby on her own with no baby food? Unless she’s hiding something about her private life, I think it will be difficult for her.
Seriously, that baby crying REALLY gets irritating.
There are more than ten galaxies, surely?
Malchus... shut up... quickly... that run on sentence full of exposition... flee! Flee for your lives!
Kelos rhymes with Telos. Pity. A perfect Cyberman would be just the twist this story needed.
So the battered, bloodied and partially fried outfit of the Coburn Doctor is abandoned in a museum display of Olde Earth historical costumes. Not much use to the poor, naked magician back on Earth, though, is it?
Wow. A planet that despises randomness and genetic chaos comes up with boring, sterile art. Who saw that coming boys and girls? All of you? That’s because it’s an incredible predictable plot detail, isn’t it?
“Are you mentally incompetent?” Leland sums up a lot of Christine’s character. Perceptive chap, Leland.
At one point, the female baby has a sex change and then back again while in Christine’s care. Maybe the genetic purity IS worth worrying about...
God, the Doctor’s talking about his mother! This, coupled with music from the TV Movie, a TV movie costume and TV movie title sequences, makes me think there might be a pattern here...
The Doctor’s ploy to escape is very good – rabbit on about the crap architecture until the Collector uses his communicator, giving him a chance to talk about it, then jam a sonic screwdriver in the bastard’s ear.
Oh God, a reference to Daleks... how pathetic. Racial purity = Daleks, does it?
Does anyone get the feeling no one involved in this story actually gives a damn?
Preposterous Plot Points:
How can you tell the TARDIS is bigger on the inside by touching it?
How does the Doctor know the colony was established centuries before he arrived? Especially when he’s forgotten he has a companion? [Though you could argue his piecemeal amnesia is more credible.]
If the Kelosians are so xenophobic, why do they participate in Intergalactic Olympics? Do they wash and sterilize the medals before bringing them home?
The original colonists never thought that they might face extinction if they slaughtered most of their population? Were the imperfects the only ones with brain cells? And then they add a virus? How subnormal are these freaks?
Why does the scientist mistake the Doctor, a fat moustached bloke in fancy dress holding a lockpick, as a guard? Was he perhaps blind BEFORE the incident with the UV lamp?
Let me get this straight: the indestructible razorback, capable of regrowing almost its entire body after taking the entire brunt of the TARDIS power supply is killed... by some poofy handguns?
Gesto’s death scene (strangled by the lobotomized Dana) is incredibly disturbing in plotting and execution... Shoulda happened in episode one.
Notable Dialogue:
DOCTOR: Colony ships from Earth landed several centuries ago to create The Perfect Society.
MALCHUS: Do you know what they do to imperfect sympathizers?
DOCTOR: I can only imagine it’s perfect in its irony.
Nifty speech – but it’s so late in the story, you know everything he’s going to say before he can say it:
LELAND: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the Southern District. This evening I am proud to announce that we have, once again, successfully managed to round up a group of imperfect subversives. Now, there’s no need to feel sorry for these people. While they are victims of unfortunate circumstance, what is to become of them should have been carried out long before birth. To have allowed them to suffer for so long with their imperfections is the highest of cruelties – a wrong which we shall put right, tonight, for the good of society! Everything we do we do for the betterment of our society. It’s better for us. It’s better for them. We shall now display those scheduled for vaporization and their times. Each will be televised so that YOU too can re-affirm your convictions.
DOCTOR: Regeneration. I regenerated. That explains the weakness in knees. And there was I thinking we were in for some bad weather.
Heh. It’s not what you think:
MALCHUS: I cannot expose myself! Not now! I will not risk my wife’s safety!
Or this:
DOCTOR: Hm. These episodes I’m having are proving quite annoying.
CHRISTINE: Why dost thou call me a number?
LELAND: It is your designation. To call you by your name would make you seem... human.
The Doctor in the middle of Malchus’ bragging about his humanitarian efforts:
DOCTOR: It’s not enough.
LELAND: Gesto, perfection is not only an ideal or a goal to be obtained, it is a privilege. Not everyone is entitled to it. When one is perfect, one sets him or herself in a position to rule.
Cliffhangers:
1. Christine finally escapes the TARDIS to find the Collectors threatening Dana and her blind baby. Christine is scanned, found imperfect and dragged away for vaporization – assuming they don’t shoot her in the mean time for resisting arrest. Mostly this thing happens in the first five minutes, not the cliffhanger.
2. The Doctor sees Christine being summoned for execution and realizes who she is and vows to rescue her, but Dana and Malchus insist she is beyond help. Just like The Twin Dilemma cliffhanger three.
3. The Doctor and Malchus try to escape the Collectors but the Doctor, still weakened from his regeneration, collapses unconscious. As they are caught, Gesto gloats over Malchus’ capture. Just like The Invasion cliffhanger two. Or The Green Death cliffhanger five. Or...
4. Christine announces she wishes to keep travelling with the Doctor, now she believes he is who he says he is. The Doctor sets the TARDIS in motion to a random destination, suggesting to Christine, “Let’s see what’s out there together?”
Miscellaneous:
Rather than a simple pre-credits sequence of the regeneration like Apollyon, the first episode begins with the Seventh Doctor-style credits and theme music, the entire regeneration scene followed by the new title sequence based on the Eighth Doctor’s: swooping between the twin planets of Androzani, then into a starscape, a blue flash, an explosion and then the incredibly pathetic logo (now in blue) appears, revolves and hurtles down a relatively decent time vortex, a full length portrait of the new Doctor leaning on a walking stick, then a spinning TARDIS. Yep, in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s a “new era” dawning. The end credits are just the starscape vortex stuff sans photos, logos or TARDISes.
What Could Have Been Done To Improve It:
- A near total rewrite. Leave the razorback dead, speed up the action, have Kelos 3 be a forgotten colony gone bad, make Christine a bit more open minded, maybe have a memorable returning foe to lighten the story up from “the evil men do”, give the new Doctor a more original personality, lose all the boring moody speeches, lose the conquer the universe tale, come up with an exciting plot.
- Better music – they should have kept the Seventh Doctor theme, for a start.
The Party Line:
Pending.
The Awful Truth:
Like The Chronic Rift, the ideas and background situations of this story are fascinating, but the plot around them is rudimentary in the extreme, as if someone added the ideas to a generic plot – it’s seemingly a remake of The Price of Paradise. There’s a lot of running around, moralistic speeches and a lot of picking up the pieces from the previous story (six episodes not enough?!) Christine’s decent into paranoid superstition pushes her from ‘irritating yet worthy’ to ‘annoying and pointless’. It lacks any returning friends or foe and there is a palpable lack of enthusiasm in all involved. It has it’s good points (particularly with Leland) but The Perfection Society in no way feels like the start of a brand new era, especially when one knows this era will be cut short exactly the same way the one it is imitating was.
Illustrations:
Fan cover for The Perfection Society. It may have a naked man on the cover, but it's better than the genuine article...
The real cover for The Perfection Society. God, they look gormless, don't they?
The most irritating and annoying TARDIS crew in the history of anything ever.
The evil badguy Leland.
Christine is screwed. Who cares? I don't. Do you?
A different look for the Twelfth Doctor.
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