Who Killed Kennedy?
written by David Bishop
directed by Barry Letts
Broadcast - 29th July 2000-19th August 2000
What an inspired episode. It’s almost as if this were an anniversary special. It certainly seems that way with it’s use of multiple Doctors – McCoy and McGann – and archive footage of Jon Pertwee. It’s certainly a treat but perhaps not such a treat for non-fans but I believe it still makes some sense. The idea to go and follow a new character for the majority of the run time that is finding out about the Doctor is certainly original and interesting however I do find it a missed opportunity not to have made James a companion.
David Bishop obviously knows Doctor Who extremely well. He can write Doctor Who fluently and unlike some other stories so far this season – Cough, Cough, Never Eat Shredded Wheat Cough, Cough – this story is not only just held up by McGann’s and the rest of the cast’s acting but also the terrific writing. It’s just well plotted, hard as nails drama that is aimed straight at your heart.
Why was this so good then? Well the very premise is one that should be admired for its audacity. Basically the story follows reporter James Stevens throughout the early seventies, a man obsessed with his work and uncovering the secrets hidden in the government. He becomes aware of a secret Intelligence service known as UNIT as more and more terrorist actions are taken against the UK, dummies massacring people in the street, a plague at a London train station, the loss of Mars Probe seven... and sets out to expose this UNIT and their frightening ability to cover up these incidents. The public have a right to know they are being manipulated and James is determined to be the one who writes the full scoop on this UNIT and their mysterious scientific advisor known as the Doctor...
What a brave, brilliant idea to have a story focussing on the public's reaction to the bizarre happenings during the Pertwee era. It is a lot of fun to see how easily the media rationalise the Auton invasion, the Silurian Plague, etc, and it is also nice to see just how many casualties there were during these adventures... a point that is skipped over in most of them after the menace has been fought. What David Bishop manages to do is to see many of the early Pertwee stories in a different light, videos that we have watched again and again now have a new angle to explore. What a clever man, I have already re-watched Inferno and The Mind of Evil since watching this episode on Saturday.
But even cleverer than that is his ability to slip his character into those TV stories. Go watch The Silurians, when the Brig picks up the phone and says "The daily what? How did you get this number?" ...well that's him! You see a strange looking man examining the Keller machine in The Mind of Evil, well it seems that’s Mr. Stevens too. You have to admire the man for his audacity, to find all this possible appearances must have taken some work but it pays of handsomely... I was grinning like an idiot.
The use of all these continuity references - Dodo, Watkins, Sutton, Petra, Black Thursday, Wenley Moor, Mars Probe, Stalhman, Liz, Jo, plastic daffodils, the Keller Machine, Magister, Ogrons... the links to previous Doctor Who episodes are relentless but amazingly this does not matter because the story was designed to slip into these stories and have a nose around. That is the very purpose of the story, rather than just slipping in references to old Who episodes for the hell of it (Mr. Moffat!) this Who Killed Kennedy takes established continuity and embellishes it, improves it. I shall certainly never look at any of these stories in the same light again.
And anyway it is one of the greatest mysteries about Doctor Who; it is fun to speculate just what happened to the companions and friends of the Doctor after he has left them. Dodo is done extremely well here. She is played effortlessly by American actress, Nana Visitor, it it really works. Dodo was packed of to the country in The War Machines and never to be seen again, Who Killed Kennedy takes advantage of her ambiguous exit and weaves her effortlessly into this story, having had her brain-washed and living in total poverty it seems only natural this elfin and sweet young lady could provide a touching romantic interest in James Stevens.
Which brings me to the man of the hour, James Stevens. Whoever decided this story should be shown from James’ point of view and not the Doctor and Sammy’s deserves a big kiss! He manages to see conspiracies everywhere and as a result the story takes on a dark, oppressive tone that is really gripping. James is never a saint, he is a reporter, which means he's out for the dirt and will ruin your life for a good story and acts like a complete twit at times. But he is still the hero of the piece and you never doubt his good intentions once he thinks UNIT is a genuine threat to the world.
One of my favourite aspects turns up here and that is abusing of the characters in an almost pleasurable way. Stevens goes to hell and back during this story and it is possible to see Bishop taking an almost perverse joy in making the guy's life more and more miserable. Losing his wife after being set up with another woman is one thing, the numerous beatings he gets is another but to let him find true love with Dodo and to have her killed by the man Stevens released and then to have his work ridiculed on live telly straight after leaves Stevens ready to put a gun to his head and end it all. It is torturous stuff for Stevens and t is for the audience too. And this may have been the very reason this story has received so many complaints during it’s airing but it is great television and it feels far removed from the Kids Show feel of McCoy’s first season which nearly killed the show. In Who Killed Kennedy you feel close to Stevens because of the pain he is put through, because you know he is wrong about UNIT and the suffering he is going through trying to prove they are bad business is for nothing. The moment HE realises this is tear-jerking stuff.
For a good while I was convinced that it would be the Doctor who killed Kennedy. I was also convinced that the title of this story was all wrong because although the story opens with a dramatic sequence in the White House Kennedy plays no real part in the story. The real shock comes when the story flowers open to reveal just how far the Rogue is willing to go to destroy the Earth, we know about his brainwashing techniques and Private Cleary but I never guessed he would send the guy back in time to stop the assassination. Such amazing storytelling, this is the stuff of proper Who as Stevens is forced to shoot the President just to make sure history is put on the right track. Sheer genius and an ending most stories would die for, the moment he looked through the sights to shoot I had goose pimples all down my spine.
However the Kennedy assassination is just the icing on the cake. This goes to prove just how well Doctor Who can be without much of the Doctor. Blink from McGann’s first season featured the Doctor less but still had him playing a major part, but here you can just have the Doctor and Sammy in it for about 20 minutes spread across the four episodes and it really works.
Another great aspect of Who Killed Kennedy is the title sequence. It’s wonderful! Although I think the ‘Starring Paul McGann as the Doctor’ and ‘Jennifer Lien as Sammy Thompson’ is slightly misleading but it gives you a real sense of the story. Also can we please have that Jazz theme full time?
Who Killed Kennedy is a masterpiece, a story that grips you throughout. I have seen the whole thing three times now and it’s just an utter joy. It was such a shock when Sylvester McCoy appeared at Dodo’s funeral and it was great to see him back, although I expect it was probably filmed at the same time as the Lazarus Project from last year. I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a good thriller and anyone who loves their Who a little bit more dangerous than usual.
