It's interesting to backtrack into a pure historical at this particular point in the marathon. The Moonbase and The Macra Terror are very much of the "new wave" taking hold of the program at this period, with The Highlanders at this point passing into memory. So what we have here is more of that serial's type, set at the last point in the show's history when it realistically could have been set. A bit of a trick is pulled in employing a more modern storytelling sensibility however, which shows in a couple of ways.
See for example the switching perspectives at the start of the play, between Polly and who we later learn is her uncle, Randolph Wright. This sort of narrative trick isn't totally absent in the show at this point, as we do switch between two character perspectives - but never in totally different timeframes, as we see here. The focus on the "home life" of a companion, even past tense, is also unusual for this period, and is to be expected at this point from these Companion Chronicles.
There are a number of compliments that I can pay Resistance, namely the rather good portrayal of the desperate wartime atmosphere in occupied France. The description of Randolph's descent into France is also quite riveting. It leads me to think of how brave the flyers of the Allies were during the War, and of just how many never returned home.
We're also once again reminded of just how chronologically approximate this era of the show was to the Second World War, something which hasn't really crossed my mind since I watched the second Cushing movie. Polly's remark about how everyone in her time lost someone in the War definitely got to me.
The twist that the Randolph she meets is not, in fact, Randolph actually blindsided me. The moment where he threatens her in the train is absolutely bloodcurdling. Definitely more so than any of the scenes where Polly was thrown about by the Macra in the last story. It's a very human, very grounded story, something served well by the absence of any new sci-fi elements within it.
If I had to fault it for anything, it's that with the exception of these heavy emotional moments, the story feels fairly light. We barely hear from Ben and Jamie, which is understandable but unfortunate, and I don't feel that we really get to know the side characters. This is a side effect of the Companion Chronicles' short runtime, and I think it points to the sensibility in all the stories from this era on TV being at least 100 minutes. There just isn't the time to let things breathe otherwise.
At any rate, a fairly good audio, but not an extraordinary one. There were a few sweet moments, and some that genuinely left me startled, and in any case it's nice to get a bit more character examination for Polly. The Faceless Ones will be landing next.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 29 September 2020.)
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