Serial F, in four parts:
- The Temple of Evil - 5/23/64, 7.4m viewers
- The Warriors of Death - 5/30/64, 7.4m
- The Bride of Sacrifice - 6/6/64, 7.9m
- The Day of Darkness - 6/13/64, 7.4m
Sound Bytes:
"To my mind The Aztecs was a more complex serial than Marco Polo as it dealt in far greater depth with the human relationships and conflicts of those involved. Essentially, it was Barbara's show as she was the central character..." - John Lucarotti, from The Doctor Who File by Peter Haining (W.H. Allen, 1986)
"In spite of its six basic sets, a
small cast and a wordy script, The Aztecs is probably one of William
Hartnell's best yarns with the high standard of writing and acting
easily triumphing over the limited resources." - Richard Marson, from the 1985 Doctor Who Winter Special
"The Aztecs gains its strength not from highlighting historical characters, but by placing the philosophies of the past, particularly Aztec social mores, in opposition with those of the main characters who represent 1963 London. For that reason alone, The Aztecs is one of the most fascinating time travel stories in the history of television. Rarely has a culture clash been so well-delineated or involving." - John Kenneth Muir, A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television (McFarland & Company, 1999)
Comments:
I'm not going to beat around the bush; The Aztecs is my favorite Doctor Who serial and maybe the best example of television that I've ever seen. Though I enjoy plenty of silly Doctor Who episodes featuring rubber monsters invading downtown London, this is the sort of story -- literate, entertaining, ahead of its time -- that makes me actually proud to be a fan of this weird little kid's TV show. Whenever I have to justify why I watch Doctor Who instead of, say, Buffy or Battlestar Galactica, I always haughtily cite The Aztecs as superior brain food.
This is no dry academic story, however. Lucarotti builds up tension immediately as the TARDIS is sealed inside an Aztec tomb. The Doctor and his companions are placed at the mercy of a society that is civilized in some respects but utterly barbaric in others. Fortunately for them, Barbara is mistaken for a god, and she uses her "divine" authority to keep her friends safe.
The Aztecs aren't bumpkins; they're smart enough to realize that Barbara might be a fraud. Tlotoxl, the High Priest of Sacrifice, is immediately suspicious of her, and he hatches a series of devious plots to prove her false. Autloc, the High Priest of Knowledge, is more trusting of Barbara, but his faith is tested as she struggles to play her role properly.
While Barbara is contending with Tlotoxl, Ian develops a dangerous (yet strangely playful) rivalry with the Aztecs' greatest warrior, Ixta. Meanwhile, Susan is shunted into an Aztec seminary, where the priests try to impose their alien values on her. And the Doctor, in the strangest subplot of all, romances a middle-aged Aztec woman named Cameca, but he has an ulterior motive; he thinks that she knows a way into the tomb where the TARDIS is trapped. Once again, the First Doctor demonstrates remarkable tendencies toward selfishness and manipulation, as he leads her along in order to gain information.
The fun twist is that, after a while, the Doctor develops genuine affection for Cameca. I think he's tempted, if only briefly, to remain in happy retirement with her. It's a lovely, bittersweet romance -- the only one the Doctor got in twenty-six seasons of the original series!
But the most interesting conflict is Barbara's. As a history teacher, she is well aware that the Aztecs are fated to be destroyed by the Europeans. Using her divine authority, she tries to eradicate the violent aspects of Aztec life in the hopes that she will ultimately save their society. Tlotoxl, who seems to like his job of cutting out people's hearts, resists her every step of the way.
Of course, Barbara is doomed to fail. In the Doctor Who universe, it is virtually impossible for anyone to change the established pattern of history. So, watching The Aztecs becomes like watching a movie about the Titanic; you know that it will all come to grief in the end, but you vainly hope that disaster will be averted anyway. What's interesting about this story, as opposed to The Massacre and other historicals, is that the heroes manage to do at least some good by persuading Autloc that human sacrifice is wrong. In a nice, tragic touch, Autloc is so upset by such revelations that he leaves civilization and goes to seek his truth in the wilderness -- it's a rather sad fate for such a nice character.
This being a theoretically balanced review, I guess I should say some negative things about The Aztecs. Well, it's technically crude of course. Ixta's initial fights with Ian look like they're filmed in slow motion, but thankfully their final clash has some verve. There are a couple of shaky shots (no doubt resulting from those big, clunky BBC cameras). The temple sets obviously ain't made of stone. A few fan critics have argued that Doctor Who's ratings dropped during this serial, indicating slumping public interest, but actually the drop came earlier, during The Keys of Marinus.
The Aztecs' flaws, obvious though they may be, do very little to distract me from its chief strengths -- excellent acting and a fine script from the underrated Lucarotti. John Ringham really dives into his role as Tlotoxl, and while some fans say he over-acts, I think he's easily one of the most memorable Doctor Who villains. Jackie Hill obviously relishes her chance to make Barbara shine, and Hartnell again strikes a perfect balance between being sinister and sympathetic.
I could continue gushing about The Aztecs, but instead I should just let the story speak for itself. This is one serial that shouldn't be gathering dust on your video or DVD shelf. Show this one to your skeptical friends, and you might just convince them that the original Doctor Who was great.
Grade: A