The second story of the silver anniversary series continues
with The Happiness Patrol which has to have the most ironic title in Doctor Who
history. I think that this story is the first proper story that deals with a
darker tone. Sadly this is one of those stories that is purely studio bound. I
think that we were somewhat spoilt in the previous story. Terror Alpha is a
place where being unhappy is a crime. Anyone who is unhappy is referred to as a
Killjoy. At the very beginning of the episode someone is rumbled as a killjoy.
I liked this opening as it pretty much told you everything that you needed to
know about the current setting for this story.
The TARDIS gets painted pink for some reason. Pink is a
colour scheme in this serial as everything from sets to costumes has something
pink about them. The titular Happiness Patrol are basically the police force
used to enforce happiness but I don’t think that they look right because their
design is very 1980’s. Included in the patrol is Lesley Dunlop who can
currently be seen in Emmerdale.
I like how there is a purpose for why the Doctor and Ace
have arrived on Terror Alpha. Sometimes it’s good that the Doctor has planned
something from the very beginning instead of stumbling across it. I would have
liked to know how long in the past that the Doctor heard something about this
planet. The Doctor and Ace spend several minutes trying to get arrested which
is quite funny because in any other story this wouldn’t be a problem. The
subtle humour that takes place in this episode is quite good and something that
is written in well by Graeme Curry.
Sheila Hancock plays Helen A who is clearly as play on
Margaret Thatcher who was nearing her time in office. There is an unnerving vibe
from her performance and it’s one of the main things that I am liking about
this story. It’s easy to see the parallels between Helen A and Margaret T. She doesn’t
raise her voice but reigns with terror with the words that she uses.
Despite being rather impressed with several parts of this episode
there is an elephant in the room. The big issue is with the serial is that of
the Kandy man which looks a lot like Bertie Bassett. I seriously don’t believe
that no one clocked onto the similarity. But the problems aren’t just with the
look of the Kandy Man but also the voice. I don’t quite know what would have
worked to make this monster work but the voice used just confounds the problem.
The cliffhanger is slightly disappointing but does end with the Doctor trying
to smile (in terror) but failing. That is more of the subtle/black comedy
breaking through.
It’s not been a really strong episode but I think that the
tone is just right and I don’t think that I am going to dread this serial as
much as I thought that I would but compared to the previous story, this does
lack some of the drama and more important sunlight.
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