Blog on the Lillypad
Monday, December 08, 2003
 | Running Around, Getting Captured, and Escaping with the Doctor
Yesterday while working in the kitchen I wheeled in my small telly and VCR and watched INVASION OF THE DINOSAURS, which I bought at the Doctor Who convention. A concept that Non-Who readers may not know is that of RAGCAE, which stands for "running around, getting captured and escaping." It's a device typical of all pulp adventure stories that is now almost universally derided, (as RAGCAE scenes are often inserted into adventures shows and even novels as a means of providing filler to get to a desired length). But good RAGCAE can make a story a real spell binder. DINOSAURS has plenty of RAGCAE, but as the story has got an interesting concept behind it and a genuine search for an answer among the characters (as well as a conspiracy that includes a regular from the series), it's forgiveable. Sarah Jane Smith does a lot of detective work on her own in this story, making her more than just a helpless and screaming comnpanion. Regrettably, though she does discover a lot on her own about some of the mechanics of what's going on, she only discovers who is in the conspiracy by by falling prey to each culprit in succession. |
| On the other hand, it's a great story about conspiracy, personal loyalties, and the frictions that arise between the British army and UNIT. And the downfall of a trusted member of the team *is* sad. Liz Sladen is great and believable, and it's nice to see her following out her own line of investigation to a solid conclusion. I wish her character had stayed that independent in the stories that followed this one. But watching DINOSAURS has inspired me to get together a Sarah Jane story. I've already titled it "Death and Chocolate" and hope to get it outlined over the next two weeks. To give her proper credit, it ought to be a complex mystery, and those take a lot of work! |  |
I'd still like to see Liz Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) next year at the convention and hope for it, but even if I don't, I am REALLY glad that all of the Third Doctor adventures were released at last on video (just in time for DVDs!)
