Snakedance by Christopher Bailey
18 - 26 January 1983
It's perhaps a credit to Kinda that its antagonist, the Mara, was
chosen to return just a year later in what was otherwise supposed to be
an anniversary season. Bracketed on either side by Omega and the
Brigadier, this distinctly Davison-era monster stands out. But this also
means that Snakedance, the sequel we never knew we needed, has a
chance to shine on its own merits as a story without pandering to
nostalgia. (Not to say that the rest of this season is a bad offender in
that regard, but it still bears saying.)
And shine it does! I'm struck by how utterly different this story feels
from the others of its era so far (with the obvious exception, perhaps,
of Kinda). For one thing, Snakedance seems to have a far
different take on the regular characters than the preceding serials;
here they seem just a little more vibrant, and with better dialogue to
boot. There's none of the bickering that plagued the Season 19 TARDIS
team, and more time and care seems to be given to the characters'
feelings. Tegan in particular benefits the most from this, as Janet
Fielding turns in a wonderful performance here. The Fifth Doctor also
feels a little more in his element here, and Peter Davison makes the
most of it.
The other major area of divergence is in the tone of the story, which is
a somewhat more slow and deliberate affair. It isn't afraid to take its
time smelling the roses, lingering on moments of pleasant
contentedness, like the puppet show scene, which despite seeming like a
non-sequitur at first quickly and cleverly shows itself to reflect the
core themes of the serial. Even with this steady pace, the serial never
gets mired down; the first episode in particular is absolutely packed,
making use of all of its time to introduce us to Manussa and establish
this story's high stakes, with Tegan's very soul at risk.
As with Kinda, Snakedance freely mixes Buddhist themes
with those of other philosophies and religions. The "still point" that
the Doctor needs to arrive at is an easy example of the former, as is
the story's preoccupation with "delusion" (the "Six Faces" scene ending
up a particular favorite of mine). As for the latter, while this story
doesn't take place in a literal Eden as Kinda did, Tegan finding a
garden within herself where she drops apples on the serpent's head
certainly hearkens back to it. The corrupting presence of the Mara
brings an end to innocence as the Edenic serpent did, both for Tegan and
for the unsuspecting population of Manussa.
I read Kinda as a send-up of the "base under siege" story, and while Snakedance isn't making any such obvious inversions, the fact that in this story the monster must be defeated by not fighting
it does feel like it turns the usual conventions on their head. That
final confrontation is fascinating, with the Mara trying to tempt the
Doctor into facing it head-on, while he attempts to achieve that still
point instead. It all ends with the Mara destroyed forever (pending Big
Finish appearances) and Tegan sobbing in the Doctor's arms. A
wonderfully ambiguous ending, in my opinion.
This is a decidedly non-conventional serial, and all the more special to
me for it. Four excellent episodes, and it's just a shame that they're
Christopher Bailey's last writing credit on the series. Nevertheless, I
am glad for what we got.
Mawdryn Undead is next.
