TV Review - Doctor Who, "The Aztecs"

Today I review the Doctor Who serial from 1964, "The Aztecs" written by John Lucarotti.

The TARDIS arrives in Mexico at the height of the Aztec Empire. Barbara is mistaken for a reincarnation of the god Yetaxa, giving her great influence over Aztec society. However, Barbara learns to her horror that she is to preside over human sacrifices, a practice she tries to stamp out by declaring it illegal. Meanwhile, Ian runs afoul of an arrogant warrior while the Doctor's attempts to reclaim the TARDIS draw the affections of a local noblewoman.

"The Aztecs" is remembered as one of Doctor Who's early classics and rightly so. It's a tightly plotted serial that explores two fascinating time travel concepts: adapting to a completely different society and, a recurring theme in Doctor Who, the implications of trying to change history.

These themes revolve around Barbara's 'ascension' to godhood. While Barbara's attempts to change the Aztecs' thoughts on sacrifice is well-intentioned, there's an unmistakeable note of moral superiority about it. Barbara doesn't consider the implications of trying to radically alter a society's conception of death overnight. Her attempts also ring somewhat hollow given she argues her case on her presumed divinity – something she knows to be false but still tries to use to manipulate the Aztecs.

Barbara's efforts lead her to clash with Tlotoxl, the High Priest of Sacrifice. John Ringham adds a lot of flavour to this villain, walking with a stoop to match his plotting nature, and sneering every line with undisguised glee. Once-off villains in Doctor Who can sometimes feel a bit one-dimensional and unremarkable; Lucarotti tackles this by showing that Tlotoxl is not some abhorrence to Acztec society, rather he represents a cornerstone of the Aztecs' belief system. It's Barbara who comes across a threat by trying to impose a completely alien belief upon to the Aztecs, and expecting them to accept it because of her alleged godhood. Tlotoxl may be an unsavoury individual, but to the Aztecs themselves he can't possibly be a “villain” because he represents order.

The serial further shows how different the Aztecs' society is with its inclusion of the Perfect Sacrifice, a man who is to be honoured by being sacrificed and is thus treated like royalty. This isn't some police state that deprives its citizens of their rights (making the Doctor and his friends into heroes for fighting the regime), but a society where people understand and accept the reality of death. These moral complexities make “The Aztecs” one of the most compelling of the early Doctor Who serials.

Then there is of course the famous argument between Barbara and the Doctor, leading to one of the show's most famous quotes: “You can't rewrite history, not one line! Believe me I know, I know.”

I feel this is a scene that's even more important when you look at it in the context of the series. The Doctor was characterised very early on as a prickly, stubborn, and sometimes stupidly selfish person. This was demonstrated in earlier serials like The Daleks, where the Doctor sabotages the TARDIS on Skaro to give him an excuse to explore the planet's surface.

This however is the first time we hear the Doctor discuss the implications of time travel, along with the suggestion that he's tried to change history himself and failed. These days, we're used to the Doctor being the authority on time travel and warning his companions of its dangers. This though is the first time we hear the Doctor struggle to educate his companion in such a manner, using dispassionate logic against Barbara's strong sense of morality. It's one of those little character establishing moments that sees the Doctor slowly change from an irritable meddler into the wise and authoritative figure we know him as today.

A more controversial element (controversial in the fannish sense) is the Doctor's budding romance with Cameca. I'm not normally a fan of the Doctor being written as a romantic as I feel it undermines the aloofness and alienness that's crucial to his character. I will however cut this story a bit of slack largely because the Doctor hadn't yet been confirmed as an alien – the pilot confirms he's from another world, but he could've been a future human colonist for all the information the show gave us.

Besides, the dynamic is so well executed (especially with some lovely understated performances from Hartnell and Margot van der Burgh) that it's hard not to find endearing, even if it does 'violate' your normal fan preferences. At the end of the day, being a Doctor Who fan generally involves a bit of doublethink, as the show's longevity and parade of writers and creative teams mean certain contradictions of canon are bound to appear.

To use another example, I quite enjoy a number of stories from the Cartmel era of the show, even though I generally don't like the Doctor being written as some cosmic, godlike figure. I appreciate the Cartmel interpretation of the character even if it doesn't fit in with my ideal version of what the character should be, and the same is easy to do here as well.

In conclusion, “The Aztecs” is definitely one of the highlights of Doctor Who's early years. It's a story that takes the concept of time travel and runs with it, and is also a great example of how to write a protagonist (in this case Barbara) who's sympathetic but still heavily flawed.