Doctor Who - Vengeance on Varos (1975)

The Other Baker Meets Bonds' Son

"Vengeance on Varos" opens up with a couple watching the torture of a young man (Jason Connery). I guess you could say that they are watching the ultimate reality television show. They're on the planet Varos, which just happens to be the only place where the good Doctor (Colin Baker) can find Zeiton-7, a rare mineral that's key to much needed repairs on the Doctor's TARDIS. When the Doctor and Peri (the always lovely Nicola Bryant) arrive, they immediately fall into a big bit of trouble. They free the young man who's being tortured for Varos' viewing pleasure and get tangled up in a bargaining war between the governor of Varos and Sil, a nasty little thing representing a company (or so it seems) that's interested in buying Zeiton-7 at a bargain rate. Of course, the pricing argument is only a cover-up for Sil's true intentions: taking over Varos. In a world where death equals ratings and negative votes prove painful, can the Doctor and Peri free Varos from Sil's dirty plans?

This tale is considered by many to be one of the best Colin Baker storylines. It has a lot of action, a decent amount of gore, and some brilliant one-liners from Baker and Bryant. We get to see Jason Connery, Sean Connery's son, who plays Jandar, a rebel leader trying to overthrow the ancient ruling families of Varos. We also get our first look at Sil (Nabil Shaban), who is quite possibly one of the vilest, funniest enemies the Doctor ever faced. "Water me!" and Shaban's tongue-flicking laughter entrench Sil into your mind long after the story is completed. The rest of the enemies in this tale are some of the best during Doctor #6's run. This tale visits the idea of "reality" TV and just how far it can go. Today, many people argue over having the opportunity to pay-per-view executions. Could this tale have been a harbinger of things to come?

The special features are pretty light. This DVD comes with the standard "Who's Who," outtakes, production notes, trailers, a photo gallery and a decent featurette. The best special feature on this disc has to be the running commentary provided by Baker, Bryant and Shaban. Of special interest is Shaban's tale of how he came up with Sil's twisted little laugh.

I have to agree with the majority that this is one of Colin Baker's best outings as the Doctor. I always felt that he, along with Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy, were cheated out of excellent storylines for the bulk of their respective runs as the Doctor. If you are unfamiliar with Colin Baker's work as the Doctor, pick this DVD up as well as the "Trial of a Time Lord" DVD. It's some of his best work. August 23, 2007

"Nah, he's not hurt. He's only acting."

Maybe the medium is the message, maybe it's just a case of mixed messages, but there's something very odd about this "Doctor Who" storyline. On the one hand, "Vengeance on Varos" presents us with a deeply thoughtful and bitingly harsh satire of televised violence and viewer desensitization. On the other hand, it's exhibit A of that very tendency! As a sophisticated science fiction adventure then it's at once enormously entertaining and yet naggingly unsettling.

What is it about "Vengeance on Varos" that's so disturbing? Surely it can't only be the dystopian setting, although Varos paints a grim and forbidding picture of the future indeed: an economically backwards colony planet where, with not a lot of bread to go around, the powers that be rely overly on circuses to keep the populace mollified--the televised torture and execution of criminals, rebels, and dissidents for purposes of entertainment and edification, to be exact. Meanwhile the government itself is hemmed in by a strictly draconian constitution and a sadistic system of referendum, making meaningful change all but impossible--and this includes changing the way an intergalactic corporation represented by the delightfully slimy and evil Sil exploits them for Varos' one mineral export of value. Still, we've seen this kind of thing before on "Doctor Who", most recently in "Caves of Androzani" but way back in "Underworld" as well. This is just the stuff of good science fiction.

Is there more violence in this storyline? Maybe, but compared say to the Daleks blasting everyone in sight elsewhere in the show's history, much of the violence here is only suggested or else is bloodlessly abstract (inducing hallucinations that trick the mind that one is dying of dehydration). Of course there is an incredibly gruesome scene where two prison guards trying to kill the Doctor slip and fall into the acid bath they meant for him; this elicited a collective gasp from even such jaded viewers as my wife and me, granted, but is it really so much worse than the flesh-disintegrating nerve gas in "Resurrection of the Daleks"? Maybe it's the Doctor's blasé nonchalance in the face of their deaths, but we've seen the Doctor at his most popular and beloved exhibit this trait before, in "Pyramids of Mars" to be exact, and it didn't really faze us (and it was "good guys" rather than "bad guys" who bit the dust there). So what is it then? Maybe it's just the total overall effect, but I suspect maybe it's the way the mechanics of the story make the viewer complicit with the citizens of Varos--when the Doctor in almost James Bond style quips to the dying guards "you'll pardon me if I don't join you" I laughed out loud in spite of myself, this just moments after my horrified gasp.

Only Colin Baker could really pull this off, though. This is but the third storyline featuring the sixth Doctor and (as of this writing) the earliest of his storylines to make it to DVD. So what are we to make of this incarnation? Well, if the fifth Doctor was bland and beige and goody-two-shoes likable, the sixth Doctor was clearly designed to be a startling contrast to his predecessor on all fronts. Intense, vivid, and a bit of a jerk--maybe even an arrogant cold-(doubly)-hearted son of a [you know what] in a way we haven't seen since the very most earliest stories with William Hartnell. And yet for all that and for all his disturbing nonchalance when people trying to kill him are hoisted on their own petards, his moral gyroscope is much intact as ever, alloyed with a refreshing spontaneity and a bitingly sharp wit. He's inapproachably alien in ways you might expect from a centuries-old space-time traveler from a distant planet, but eccentric and likeably imperfect and ultimately a fine version of the Doctor indeed.

Incidentally, just who was getting their revenge, and on whom, on Varos? Never quite figured that out... August 1, 2007

Watch out for the little turd guy

Vengeance on Varos is often hailed as classic Who. I don't think it is. It is, however, easily the best Colin Baker story of all time. Considering that it's the only Colin Baker story that's even remotely good though, that's not saying too much. I rather think that people became so numbed by how bad Doctor Who was under maniacal John Nathan-Turner's deadly reign (it was deadly for the show) that when Varos came out, with its faint glimmerings of a modicum of the intelligence and wit that once littered the show in abundance, that people by sheer comparison hailed it as a masterpiece. Some also hail this story as "prescient," implying of course that it predicted our addiction to reality TV. This odd praise actually only serves to camouflage the actual point of the story. The point has nothing to do with reality TV of course, I mean how could it, or silly shows like Idol where viewers actually vote, though the similarities are certainly striking. The actual point of the story concerns television itself, how people come home from work, kick up their heels, switch on the telly, and switch into a passive, thoughtless mode of absorption. The point of the story is how bad things can get without people caring as long as they have some addiction to come home to, like an idiot box. Peckinpah said that television shows are called "programming" for a reason--the viewer is the one being programmed. This point aside, Vengeance on Varos plays a bit like The Running Man. Colin Baker, and especially companion Bryant, are both as annoying as usual. Has anyone else noticed that upon the Doctor's arriving, and before the Doctor even knows who's good vs. who's bad, he frees a prisoner who easily could have been a mass murderer? That he attacks guards he doesn't even know are bad people? He later kills a guard by pushing him in a vat of acid, and not even in self defense! If you're a fan of Colin Baker's mentally disturbed version of the Doctor, then you'll love this stuff. If you, like others, can hardly stomach the sixth Doctor, what with his pompous, egotistical tirades and his bizarre, homicidal clown getup--not to mention the most immature, ignorant, and annoying companion in Who history (that he could even stand her at all was completely out of character for the Doctor)--then Varos is simply average stuff. March 3, 2007

One of the best Sixth Doctor stories

Scripted by Philip Martin and directed by Ron Jones, Vengeance on Varos is story number two of Doctor Who's twenty-second season (Colin Baker's first full season as the Doctor). The Doctor and Peri are forced to land on Varos as the Doctor's TARDIS is in need of repairs which require the use of Zeiton-7, which can only be found on Varos. The planet and its Zeiton are being exploited by the Galatron Mining Corporation, represented by a repulsive, slug-like being called Sil played by Nabil Shaban. Shaban really makes a delightful villain as Sil, who controls the leaders of Varos including the planet's governor (Martin Jarvis). Jason Connery (son of former 007 Sean Connery) puts in a nice supporting appearance as the rebel leader Jondar, with Geraldine Alexander as his girlfriend Areta. Stephen Yardley and Sheila Reid also shine as Arak and Etta. The strong supporting cast for this story also includes Nicholas Chagrin as Quillam, Owen Teale as Maldak and Forbes Collins as the Chief Officer. Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant (Peri) and Nabil Shaban join together on the DVD commentary track. Other extras include BBC trailers, pop-up production notes, outtakes and deleted scenes. Altogether, Vengeance on Varos is one of the stronger stories of the short-lived Sixth Doctor era largely due to its great supporting cast as well as Philip Martin's writing. October 28, 2005

A true masterpiece of science fiction a dark and complex vision from the Colin Baker era.

This is an episode that people who like the darker and more complex stories of Doctor Who might enjoy. In this story we see a world where people are glued to their televisions delighting in the real life suffering of others. Where televisions serve up an unending diet of torture and humiliation and an ability to vote on who gets it next. Including the Governor who when his policies are unpopular and recieves a no vote is forced to under go the cellular disintegrater. No Governor has ever survived more than three no votes and the current Governor as this story begins we watch him survive his second no vote.

And why does he get a no vote he is currently in negotiations over the price of zyton-7 Varos's main export this being a mining planet. The Governor believes he can get more money for his people but for this to happen the people must be willing to accept a lower food ration while the new price is being negotiated. But the two no votes in a row seem to indicate they won't accept. But the Governor persists in trying to do right by his people and demands a better price.

The slug like Sil the representive of the Galatron Minning Corperation (Who is one of best Doctor Who villians ever by the way)as well as the Varos government officials with the real power whom are illegally bribed by Galatron minning know that soon the Governor will have to face yet another no vote and soon he'll be dead. Then things will return to bussiness as usual as they make massive profits while those on Varos who work for those profits live in poverty.

Into this situation comes the Doctor the Tardis needs zyton-7 for repairs so he travels to Varos. Soon the Doctor is traveling through "Punishment Zones" with Varos rebels these zones are designed to kill people in entertaining ways while the people of Varos watch on live television. Can the Doctor unravel the madness that is Varos before it's too late?

This is a wonderfully dark yet complex story, Doctor Who has always been at it's best when it offers a combination of action, moral questions to ponder as well devious intrigues. I've always been a fan of stories filled with intrigue and I found the underhanded plots in this story to be exceptional. This story is very much in the same tradition as Genesis of the Daleks and The Caves of Androzani in the sense they contain the same combination of action, moral questions and intrigue. No I don't claim Vengence on Varos to be in the same ballpark as "Genesis" or "Androzani" but I do suggest it is in walking distance of that ballpark.

This might not be a good story for those who are just looking for a fast good time without becoming too involved. This story is very involved and needs real attention. Wich of course is why it withstands the test of repeated viewings there is alot going on.

It has well above average costumes sets and special effects. It really looks like they spent some money on this one. Also most not all but most of the acting is truely excellent. One of the more mediocre performances is by Jason Connery (yes he's Sean Connery's son)not awful acting but compared to the other acting in the story it stands out.

Now on to the DVD special features if I were to rate the special features on this disk i'd have to give them a three out of five. They just didn't go to to much effort on this one. The information text for example has very little information you can go well over five minutes without new info appearing on your screen. The behind the scenes are just some raw footage of the actors playing the scenes making mistakes flubing lines and the like. Okay to watch once or twice but not very interesting. But on the upside there is a good commentary by Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Nabil Shaban who plays Sil. You get lots of interesting info about the story as well them explaining alot about the political situation surrounding Doctor Who when this came out. Also on the upside I really enjoyed the deleated scenes there's quite a few of them and they are good I found they added depth to my understanding of the story.

I had held off on getting this on DVD for some time since I already owned the video. But seeing it on DVD really re-sparked my love of this story the picture and sound are far superior.

If your a huge fan of the Colin Baker era like me this is a must have even if you already own the vhs. And if your not a huge fan of the Colin Baker era but enjoy the more complex and dark side of Doctor Who this might be for you.

September 18, 2005

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