5 out of 5

Director: John Crockett

See, fairly straight historical sci-fi can totally be done well, even when following, essentially, the same “let’s step off the TARDIS holy crap now we’re stuck here” formula as almost every serial leading up to this point… they key is, ahem, keeping Susan from screaming, keeping Doc #1 from tipping into annoying, keeping Barbara thinking, keeping Ian a total badass, and holding on to a sense of adventure for the whole thing.

If the title of the serial ain’t an indication, post Marinus,the crew un-TARDISes and Barbara and Susan go to check things out, exiting into a seemingly closed chamber with a table bedecked in items Babs reports as being of the Aztec era.  There are some nice touches to the show like this; in a modern show, at this point Susan would ask how Barbara knows this so that she (we) could be ‘reminded’ that she used to be a teacher.  But DW lets Ian and B slip in info like this on occasion (though frankly I can’t recall if they were specific subject teachers… besides a segment with Susan answering a chemistry question… which is where the show fails at this point, having removed that time-hopping knowledge Susie seemed to have at first) and it absolutely increases their competence to being full characters and not just, y’know, companions.  Barbara tries on a bracelet and the duo find a moving stone that allows them exit from the chamber…  Susan goes to retrieve Doc and Ian, they proceed to the next chamber and now Barbara is gone.  And that moving stone moves back into place, sealing them from the TARDIS.  While, again, this is essentially the same forced device of preventing them from just getting back in the police box, I like that this felt more natural – it wasn’t broken, they weren’t being purposefully held captive, they just parked in an inconvenient spot.  Thankfully, Barbara has been assumed to be a goddess, since she came out of the tomb wearing goddess gear (the bracelet).  And but of course, these are my attendants…

Things splinter off logically and amusingly while the gang stalls to try and find a way back into the tomb, knowing that confessing to not be a God and her followers will result in some Aztec death.  Susan is doted upon and then causes waves when refusing to follow the traditions of a patriarch-based society; Ian is wrapped into the guards and shows up the army leader with a Vulcan neck pinch and a smug grimace (Ian… total badass); the Doctor tries to learn more surreptitiously via conversation with the locals, including a comely lass whom, uh, he accidentally marries by consuming cocoa beans with her.  Hartnell’s response to this is priceless; the show has very much warmed to / found a balance for his churlishness and impulsiveness, making him appealingly wily instead of just a troublemaker.

And its only four parts.  This is the perfect length to allow things to flow naturally and not spread the TARDIS hunt out too thin.  The costumes are honestly impressive, with some great makeup work – particularly the shaman, our main troublemaker – as he doubts in Barbara’s divinity (because, y’know, she doesn’t really agree with his whole sacrifice for rain policy) – and though the battle armor is flimsy, the animal-themed head garb is cool looking.  Also good use of painted backgrounds.  We don’t really think we’re high up on onea them pyramid structures, but there’s enough space to most of the sets that you do believe in something larger than what’s on screen, which is enough.  ‘Aztecs’ is a truly fun adventure that allows all of our players to maintain their personalities and wits and yet tosses a couple thrills at us for good measure.  Best of all: no shrieking from Susan.