Doctor Who - Arc of Infinity

A reviewer

To sum up ARC OF INFINITY simply, it's AGATHA CHRISTIE on Gallifey. A few sets, a selection of suspects, one detective and one riddle easily solved. Building off the low that was previous season's cliffhanger with TIME-FLIGHT, ARC OF INFINITY is supposed to be our launch into 20 YEARS OF DOCTOR WHO, an anniversary year which would see the return of many old friends, villains and one wax dummy. A lot of fun to be sure, but in ARC there is very little traction to get us going. Omega has returned from a ten year anniversary absence to try his anti-matter hand once again at returning home (and, finally!, getting that parade he's always wanted for giving the Time Lords the power of time travel). Seeing as the Doctor is the only match close enough to him he employs a rogue on the High Council to do his bidding and collect the Doctor's data so he can clone/fuse his anti-matter person into a real live boy... in Amsterdam. And if there has ever been a location so ill suited for a DOCTOR WHO story, then Amsterdam is that location. From the commentary it is made clear that Amsterdam was chosen simply because they could go there, not because they should go there. Because nothing in Amsterdam has any relation or connection to anything that is happening at all with the story. It looks rushed and the location scouts seemed to have taken the script literally, simply looking for street scenes for the cast to either strut or run along. Like a travel slide show, it's a complete waste of time. ARC, while a disappointment, does at least have some moments. Seeing Colin Baker as Maxil is a lot of fun and despite all the court drama on Gallifrey, Nyssa is given the chance to take a stand here and actually do something. Tegan, sadly, is always playing catch up here, but, at the very least it does show us that she has had a life outside the TARDIS. There are a host of extras that make the grade. Commentary is a lot of fun and a first for the series as two Doctors sit down for the first time. Davidson, Baker, Sutton and Fielding are very funny and there is a wonderful moment when Fielding arrives late to the commentary only to find that they have started without her (while she was out doing them a favor!). Great stuff and always worth the price of admission. UNDER THE ARC LIGHTS takes us on stage as the cast records and, like the rest, it's always interesting to watch how the series was created. Sutton and Davidson spent a lot of time on this story together and watching them doing their best to keep the energy up between takes is fun. TEXT COMMENTARY is detailed, but also overstuffed with some useless information. It spends too much time on giving us alternate script takes and scene breakdowns than real information. It also moves too fast in some spots (and in a few it actually is ahead of the scene it's speaking to), with whole paragraphs appearing on screen for less than two seconds, so, keep the PAUSE button handy. Overall ARC OF INFINITY is all bluster and court politics that simply just stops the story cold too often for it to really be considered much of an adventure. But as a moment in history, there is some love to be found. 20 years in and still going strong with a few more years to come, take it for that and enjoy.

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Omega Returns

This Doctor Who story is notable for the villain being Omega, who was introduced to the Whoniverse during the John Pertwee years, in the episode The Three Doctors (wherein Doctors One, Two, and Three joined forces). Also notable are its Amsterdam location and the return of Tegan. Both of these latter bits are sort of MacGuyvered into the narrative, but the episode is still enjoyable--particularly for someone like me, who started watching the show during the Tom Baker and Peter Davison years. Dig that 80s hair!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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