The Daemons: Doctor Who: Season 8

Goldby

Grob

Long

The Daemons REVIEWS



Goldby

However it's pronounced "Demons" or "Daemons" couldn't really see what all the fuss was about with this one. Guess my expectations were raised too much by the time it came out on video. Anyway we're back on Earth and the Doctor is trying to fool Jo into thinking his car Bessie can drive around by itself. Then it's onto our UNIT chaps passing the time watching an archeologist digging into a barrow on T.V. Man is television portrayed as dull when people on TV shows are shown watching TV. Ok so it starts off slow, a death in a churchyard, the Master turning up (didn't see that coming) as the local vicar of a village where this dig is being held and a local loony white witch, Miss Hawthorne who runs around lisping of the danger if anyone dares open the barrow. She is the first of the batty, eccentric old spinsters who pop up in the series from here on in.

Then it suddenly speeds up to about 20 times the pace of the Colon In Space. The Master and his college drop out satanic cult cast offs manage to reactivate a 30 foot tall alien Daemon via an occult type ceremony. Interesting that Unca Barry let such subject matter through for story telling. The Daemon itself is well realised being only seen as a shadow or shot from either over the shoulder or from between it's legs, meaning it really makes an impact when we finally see him in all his glory with the first and best time actor Stephen Thorne is shown in all his ranting demi God glory. How would this guy 's acting style fare in a soap opera? For most of the story the resident monster we do see is the Daemon's servant Bok, a nimble stone gargoyle, that proves indestructible, even blown up in the last part only to pull itself back together.

The atmosphere is nice and creepy as the village is cut of from the rest of the world by a heat barrier. Like the effect when the Brig finally manages to get a tunnel through it. You can tell the cast all enjoy this one, the Doctor is indignant, frozen, super heated and tied to a maypole and just generally heroic and fatherly, Jo is silly, naughty and plain dumb. The Brigadier is quite capable, it's his electronics expert who takes the moron duties in this one. Yates and Benton actually have a lot to do for once and dash about trying to help the village residents and get the our two leads out of various scrapes. The same can't be said of the villagers, didn't relate or find any of them believable or interesting, they're the stock standard stereo types and no one stands out apart from Miss Hawthorne who wants to get in Benton's pants and maybe she did after he had a few pints with his UNIT chums…a UNIT piss up and THAT would be worth seeing...

Despite it all you finally get the feeling at the end that the Master just may not be back in the next story and we get a nice ending to the season, not sure of the Daemons classic status though it's great but not brilliant. 7.5/10



Grob

My turn. And I've come in late so all the stuff I was gonna say has been done - thanks guys. I'd agree and say this is one of the better Barry/Terry/Pertwee/Unit stories. There is a genuine creepiness to it with the archeological dig and the scenes at the Cloven Hoof pub (renamed "The Camel Toe") and then there is all the supernatural Daemon things as well.

The dwarf in the lyrca bodysuit that is supposed to be a statue didn't do it for me. And the fact that the Daemon itself was actually Neil Barnett in hairy cargo pants (although that in itself was a surprise) was a bit of a let down thanks to some (once-again) dodgy use of CSO. The UNIT family are trundling along well, and Mike Yates isn't as much of a prat-dressed-up-as-cardboard as he usually is but you gotta wonder at his and Benton's choice in civvie clothes. Speaking of fashion; Jo is trundled off to be prepared for sacrifice and when we see her again she is a perfectly fitting virginal white dress. Where the fuck did THAT come from? Do they have various sizes and styles hanging on a rack to fit whatever virgin they can find? (although I wouldn't call Jo a virgin...)

In the end; I woudn't call it the classic that a lot of people say it is (or was) I'd give it 7/10.



Long

There are a lot of reasons why the Daemons works. Beltane falls on my birthday… that was enough to hook me in and make it work in the first place! (although Beltane should really fall on May 1… according to Wikipedia!) And the thing that makes it work the most - "Jenkins! Chap with wings, five rounds rapid!"… come one, Dr Who doesn't get any better than that!

Surely that's enough to make it a classic?

OK, the story's great too!

The first part is kind of fun, finishing with classic "how the hell are they going to get out of that one" moment… that's how first parts should be. Then we get a new option - technically not an alien invasion, and technically not a mad scientist… it's the summoning of a Demon. And as we've seen in Buffy, there are endless possibilities with Demon summoning… I'm assuming they've seen Buffy by this one, as it is set in the future with a BBC3 and everything!

All up, this is probably the Master's most logical plot of the series… he wants to use the power of the big hairy demon thing - and why wouldn't you? Have you seen that guy - he's ripped!

So this one ends up with some classic UNIT moments, a different menace, a well thought out story, and an interesting, if not slightly confusing, resolution (Jo saves the day… is she Bad Wolf too?!)

8.5/10

BTW - you know that Uncle Barry Letts co-wrote this one? Maybe he's not so bad after all!

Return to top of page

Return from The Daemons to Dr Who Classic Series

or

Return to the Old TV Shows home page