The Aztecs

❤️89% = Superb! = Essential!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

THE ONE WHERE THE DOCTOR GETS ENGAGED!

Writer John Lucarotti showcases a huge understanding of Aztec culture, which is why this story feels grounded and believable while also having memorably funny and exciting parts not previously seen on the show.

This story leans strongly on the idea of non-interference during historical events, a principle that the show itself isn't always very good at following; here, it makes for good tension between the Doctor and Barbara.

The light power play and abuse of power are the driving forces behind the plot, proving that these historicals have the potential to rely on character-driven plots.

I love the ominous cliffhanger ending to Part 1, which they somehow dialled up even further for the Part 2 reprise.

This story effectively splits up the TARDIS team and shows different sides of Aztec culture through each of the characters before bringing everyone together again for the conclusion.

It's brilliant how the Doctor isn't in control of anything during this story and actually manages to make things worse for his friends a lot of the time.

The Aztecs marks one of Jaqueline Hill’s finest performances in the series, and it’s the only story that truly allows her to steal the spotlight for once. These four episodes also form a great arc for Barbara, who stands up to the Doctor and Tlotoxl but also learns to admit her mistakes.

Thanks to Carole Ann Ford's holiday, Susan appears gracefully little, and suddenly everything feels so much more bearable.

It's strange to see a companion perform an action so Doctor-like as Ian vanquishing Ixta with his thumb, but it is one of Ian's finest moments.

The little romantic subplot with the Doctor and Cameca allows William Hartnell to showcase his warmer, lovelier side, even if it feels like the least integral part of the plot.

John Ringham provides another memorable and terrifying villain with his almost comically creepy take on Tlotoxl. He is the type of antagonist that one would gladly despise, and Ringham appears to have an authentic affection for the character. I'm happy Lucarotti seems to like Tlotoxl because he has a very sinister presence from the onset and remains at the forefront until the end. He is neither a slow burn like Tegana in Marco Polo nor non-existent like Yartek in The Keys of Marinus (both 1964).

Ixta proves to be a pretty capable supporting villain, which is more than you can say for most of them on this show.

With the way he speaks, I can't get over the fact that I find Autloc actor Keith Pyott to be drunk all the time.

The backgrounds are obviously fake but somehow manage to convey a sense of space during the scenes set on top of the Aztec temple.

Okay, so the actors pretending to move a fake cave entrance stone slab as if it were very heavy is too unconvincing to come across as realistic, even for my imagination.

This story builds a strong atmosphere and introduces its setting convincingly during its opening minutes, also giving Barbara a chance to step up properly for the first time.

Despite being a bit clumsy, the duel at the end of Part 2 is surprisingly long and tense, as well as exciting.

The pacing is slightly off in Part 3, which struggles a bit to proceed the narrative towards the climax.

The latter half of the serial does take some narrative and logical shortcuts to ramp up the tension and race the story towards a finish.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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The strongest story of Doctor Who's first season is a fantastically atmospheric historical adventure, with strong performances, production values, and themes to carry the story.

Psh. And they say the classic doctors are non-sexual creatures.

 

This is a Barbara episode, which was just what was needed. She had until now established herself the least, but this gives her the chance to show off her pragmatic cleverness and some of her morals. Which is great stuff.

 

The other focus is the rewriting of history. Can it be done? And should it be done? It’s kind of difficult to look back on with the modern knowledge, because that doesn’t really allow me to judge this attitude on its own. It also feels slightly contradictory. Didn’t they interfere with the daleks? With Marco? With Marinus? So why now?

 

Modern knowledge pushes me towards this being a ‘fixed point in time’, but that’s very handwavy. Instead, I think we can look at it as the show discovering what it wants to be. At this point, that’s still a diary through history, instead of true fiction. I know a shift in that perspective is coming, and I wonder how it is handled. Will it suddenly appear or will it transition. Time will tell.

The other elements in this story work well. Ian has shown himself as capable throughout the episode, but might comes before the fall, which is a small, but fun subplot. The doctors romance is mostly comedy, but it gave me a big smile. I also like how the 2 overlap to test the relationship between our cast, which is very strong by now.

 

I do think the major villain is pretty weak. He basically walks around, plans and hates, which could be good, but gets monotonous. The strongest villains are the ones who have an understandable perspective, but are still a hindrance (like Marco Polo). Still, he works for getting the most out of our cast (except Susan, but that’s fine for an episode).

 

I wonder if moral clashes are going to come more often in these stories, that would be interesting. For now we have a pretty good tale of a society that just wasn’t ready for change, but also some hope, because there was a first shift within its people. It’s a bit of a pessimistic approach, but it is done well enough that that isn’t a hindrance.

I don't think there's anything I can say about the Aztecs that hasn't been said already. It's a phenomenal story that examines the ramifications of time travel, historical bias, colonization, and morality. All of the regulars get a chance to shine (well, except perhaps Susan. Ah well.) in a variety of ways; leadership, fight scenes, romance, all weaving together into a fantastically paced and plotted story.

My only real criticism is that, as one might expect from a '60s episode about other cultures, it's a bit iffy on the actual depiction of the Aztecs. Not as bad as some might fear; there is nuance present. But oh dear, Tlotoxl...

8.5/10

Once in a while, no matter the era, a story comes along with writing so good that all the tiny flaws fade away, you lose yourself in the world and forget about the silly costumes and overacting as you see magic come to life, and the first example of this happening in the history of Doctor Who is... actually the pilot, that was a cracker, wasn't it? but the second time... honestly Marco Polo is also kinda up there, if I'm honest, but my point is, this is one such story. And it's not as if it is really complex, or really tries to do a lot, or has some great metaphor (at least on the surface), it's just a really really well-written historical episode, and quite frankly, sometimes that is all you need.

Though this, of course, is not to say that it has nothing to say, no, it's an interesting journey into Aztec culture that teaches the watcher and the TARDIS Team that certain events are set in stone and must not be tampered with, an ideological debate (as is the centre of most great Doctor Who stories), between The Doctor, who wishes to help but knows that he can't, and Barbara, who feels she must help, but learn she cannot, executed beautifully because we can see the problem from both perspectives; is it really our right to go into a foreign culture and say what is right and what is wrong in what they do, that sounds like colonizer talk, but on the other hand, can we stand by as innocent people get killed for no reason whatsoever. And most stories leave it at that, two opposing sides, but with fault and logic, but here there's a twist; what if the intended victim wants to die, what if they consider it an honour, should you save someone who does not wish to be saved, well, really that is just brainwashing, and really we should rid them of these rituals, oh you sound like a colonizer again.
And I guess that is the thing with The Aztecs it is such a simple story, yet deceptively complex, if you choose to engage with it, as it shows you a problem with no one-size-fits-all solution, no solve without issue, some small, but most great.
And then it ends with a line that would in time come to define The Doctor "You failed to save a civilization, but at least you helped one man"
10/10

The Aztecs has always been one of my favourite Hartnell stories, and is probably in my all time top ten of the whole series, classic and new (although I tend to be unable to limit myself to 10 and the titles tend to be a little changeable depending on the mood I’m in).  I must have watched it countless times before and it never fails to entertain and amuse me.

What struck me the most though, on this viewing, is how different it is to John Lucarotti’s previous script for the series: Marco Polo. This is everything that Marco Polo wasn’t for me. Superb sets and costumes coupled with an intelligent, tightly plotted script, brilliant performances and the regulars actually doing something rather than being on the sidelines.

Of the regulars, this is Barbara’s story and allows us the pleasure of Jacqueline Hill’s best performance as Barbara – her sparring with Tlotoxl is amazing. William Russell gets to be a proper action man coming up against a man who is basically his Aztec equal, Ixta. William Hartnell’s scenes with Cameca in the garden (and the heartbreaking scenes towards the end when they part) show that the softer side of the First Doctor was evident much earlier than we may sometimes consider. Even Carole Ann Ford’s Susan is less screamy and useless than in surrounding stories and although partly due to her ‘holiday’ episodes, gets some decent, if brief scenes, in the seminary educating children everywhere on what it was like to be a young, single Aztec girl. Her opinions on marriage are fun, if a little more like a emancipated 60s girl’s thoughts than an alien Time Lord’s.

John Ringham, as Tlotoxl, is probably the series best villain up to this point – far more menacing than Tegana and a character who actually succeeds in certain aspects of his dastardly plans. Possible a touch melodramatic at times (particularly in his final scene sacrificing the Perfect Victim after the TARDIS crew have escaped), but huge fun. His scenes of plotting against Barbara, in particular his tricking her into agreeing to have Susan punished, are a joy to watch. He is supported ably by Keith Pyott as Autloc, Ian Cullen as Ixta, Walter Randall as Tonila and Margot Van de Burgh as Cameca, all working together to create a believable Aztec community.

The script allows for these wonderful performances. Is there any scene better than the Doctor getting accidentally engaged to Cameca? It’s hilarious and is coupled with the wonderful scene where the Doctor casually mentions to Ian what has happened with William Russell’s brilliant double take. Episode 3 also has the superb scenes where Barbara saves Ian by threatening Tlotoxl and later where Tlotoxl and Tonila attempt to poison her. There are so many excellent scenes across the four episodes (in fact I cannot think of a duff scene or even line in any episode). The dialogue sparkles and even though it strays towards the ‘Shakespearean’ vibes I didn’t find appealing in The Crusade (or for that matter Marco Polo), it just seems to work in this instance.

In teaching us a little about the Aztec culture, the majority of information is concentrated on the practice of human sacrifice. We are presented with the balance of the priests of sacrifice and knowledge; we are given detailed information about the Perfect Victim and we have the odd nugget of detail dropped into dialogue such as the Aztecs not having invented the wheel. We also have the reason for Barbara’s drive to change the Aztec way of life in her explanation of the arrival of Cortez – although we never actually see this for ourselves.

The costumes and sets look authentic and are in no small part responsible for how wonderful this story is as a whole.

I honestly cannot think of one bad thing to say about this story and look forward to watching it again some time in the far distant future when I’ve finally finished this marathon.