From Newsgroup: rec.arts.drwho.moderated
From Address: jphalt@aol.com
Subject: Re: jphalt's Doctor Who reviews

SHORT TRIPS: THE WONDROUS BOX

1 episode. Approx. 18 minutes. Written by: Juliet Boyd. Directed by:
Nicholas Briggs, Ken Bentley. Produced by: Nicholas Briggs, Jason
Haigh-Ellery. Performed by: Louise Jameson.


THE PLOT

The TARDIS materializes in the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1885. For the
Doctor, this is a wonderful stroke of luck - a chance to kick back and
enjoy the show while taking in living history at the same time. Sarah
Jane is less enthusiastic, but largely goes along to keep from
disrupting the Doctor's good mood.

Unfortunately, their arrival was observed. Benjamin, a low-level
circus worker, saw the TARDIS materialize. Entranced by the thought of
selling such a marvel to P. T. Barnum, he and a circus clown hatch a
plan to gain access to the blue box. The results will go down in
history...


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: The Fourth Doctor's more childlike qualities are on
display here, as he reacts with joy at the prospect of enjoying some
down time at P. T. Barnum's famous circus. He reacts to Jumbo the
elephant with genuine awe, laughs hysterically at the antics of the
clowns... and studiously ignores Sarah Jane's concerns until he
reaches into his pocket and physically recognizes that his TARDIS key
is missing.

Sarah Jane Smith: Is very much in her role as the Doctor's anchor. As
we've seen in the television stories, Sarah Jane has far more empathy
than the Fourth Doctor does. She finds it cruel to put "freaks" on
display in the circus, something the Doctor dismisses as simply being
in keeping with the time and place. She is also more pragmatic. The
Doctor is carried away by being at the circus, but Sarah Jane doesn't
surrender her instincts. She recognizes something is "off" about the
clown who comes up to tickle the Doctor. When she hears the TARDIS
move, she won't let the Doctor ignore it, pestering him until he
checks for his key.


THOUGHTS

While Chain Reaction was more of a fun sketch, The Wondrous Box is an
attempt to tell a proper (if minor) 20 minute Doctor Who story. It's
not a bad one, either. Writer Juliet Boyd does a good job of capturing
the characters of the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane. It's easy to
visualize both, because both characters feel very much in keeping with
their television personas. OK, Sarah Jane's a bit grumpier here than
she usually was on television... but maybe she isn't too fond of
circuses.

It's an entertaining diversion, ideal for helping either a walk or a
drive to go by just a little bit faster. The script even manages to
sketch some added dimension to its two guest characters: Benjamin and
the clown. There's a brief scene from the clown's viewpoint, in which
he resigns himself to Benjamin's bossiness and takes advantage of a
few minutes' respite to take a nap. It's a tiny moment, entirely
unnecessary to the story - but it hints at a partnership between these
two that has extended back well before this story, and will extend
well beyond it, making these two supporting players feel much more
real in the process.

As with most "Short Trips," however, it does come across as a bit
insubstantial. The direction of the story is very obvious very fast,
leaving it an exercise in preditability. The period detail is
adequate, but it lacks texture. There's little sense of the life of
the circus or of the community in which it's performing. That bit of
extra life given to Benjamin and the clown? No real trace of that is
given to the setting, leaving it existing solely to fuel the story.

It's an above-average "Short Trip," don't mistake me on that. But only
just above-average, and largely on the strength of the
characterizations. It's a limitation of the format, I think. Barring
the odd, outstanding piece, the extremely limited format is better
suited to showing a single scene or reaction than it is to actually
trying to tell a full story.


Rating: 6/10.

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