I watched the first half of Snakedance this morning. It's a great story, and I'll get to it in a second, but first -- you absolutely have to watch this scene, from the 1959 Fritz Lang classic The Indian Tomb, featuring the dance sequence that I always think of when I hear the title of this current Doctor Who story. If Debra Pagen doesn't entrance you like she does the snake, I don't even know what to say.

Anyway, let's talk about today's viewing.

Snakedance - Parts 1 & 2

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

Snakedance is a direct sequel to last season's Kinda, with the Mara turning out to have not been destroyed as previously believed. Instead, it has been lurking deep inside Tegan's subconscious waiting for the opportunity to arise. Its chance finally comes when the TARDIS materializes on the planet Manussa where the Mara had been banished five hundred years earlier. The Doctor realizes what is happening, and creates a device to keep Tegan's mind safe as long as she is wearing it. 

Of course, events contrive to get her to stop wearing it, and the Mara is unleashed.

Although this is a sequel, written by the same author, stylistically it is quite different. Where Kinda was a thinly-veiled commentary on Colonial British expansion into Africa and India, this story is all about rationalism vs. superstition. Unfortunately in this case, the superstition happens to be true. While the Doctor tries to convince the local scientist/archeologist that the legends are true and the Mara really exists, Tegan/Mara makes use of a local huxter's hall of mirrors to entice and entrance the decadently bored and very rich young basically-a-prince named Lon.

It is worth noting that the huxter is played by Brian Miller, the husband of Sarah Jane Smith herself, Elisabeth Sladen. It's a fairly small part, but he does get to shine in a couple of scenes. Also, the part of Lon is played by the very well-known British actor Martin Clunes. He is best known for his role in the British series Doc Martin and British Men Behaving Badly, although you might also recognize him as playing Richard Burbage in Shakespeare in Love.

In any case, by the midpoint of the story both Tegan and Lon are controlled by the Mara while the Doctor and Tegan have identified the crystal by which the Mara can fully manifest itself into our reality.

This is exactly the kind of subtle and existential story that Peter Davison excels in as the Doctor. There are no big battles or explosions (at least not so far), just a race against time to understand the true nature of a threat that is slithering just in the shadows beneath the notice of everyone else. I love it, and I am looking forward to tomorrow's resolution. I had almost forgotten how much I really enjoy the Fifth Doctor.

STATS:

Doctor(s): Fifth
Companion(s): Tegan, Nyssa
Episode(s): Snakedance - Parts 1 & 2
Steps Walked: 7,469 today, 2,047,856 total
Distance Walked: 3.95 miles today, 1,046.22 miles total
Weight: 245.90 lbs (five day moving average), net change -61.40 lbs