The Smugglers

Polly, put the kettle on.

The Smugglers is the first full adventure with Ben and Polly and the last full adventure of the First Doctor. It also happens to be the last full recon for me. The two remaining recon stories I haven't seen (Galaxy 4 and The Underwater Menace) both have at least one episode that exists. I have not reviewed The Evil of the Daleks but I have seen that one and Episode Two exists there. So this one is something of a milestone for me.

Plot Summary

The Doctor discovers Ben and Polly aboard the TARDIS after he has taken off. They land outside a set of caves just off the coast. Ben refuses to believe what has happened and wanders off. Polly believes they have landed in Cornwall, though the Doctor chastises them that they don't know when. The Doctor follows them as they walk away to ensure they don't get into any trouble.

They walk to a nearby church where they meet the church warden, Joseph Longfoot who invites them in for a meal. The Doctor figures they are in the 17th century. The Doctor notices Longfoot suffering with a dislocated finger and pops it back into place for him. Grateful, Longfoot gives a warning while about at the inn that the spirit of Avery is about and gives them a code.

Confused, the Doctor and his party make for the inn. The proprietor, Jacob Kewper, tries to turn them away but relents when he learns they know Longfoot. They head inside and dry themselves off by the fire, Polly getting annoyed at being mistaken for a boy.

Back at the church, Longfoot is confronted by a former crewman, Cherub, now serving under pirate Captain Pike. They are looking for Captain Avery's treasure. Cherub forces Longfoot to tell him about the three travelers gone to the inn. Longfoot tries to run away but Cherub stabs him in the back.

Kewper's son arrives back at the house, having been sent by his father to see Longfoot. He tells his father that he was found dead. Kewper sends his son out for the Squire.

Cherub arrives at the inn, posing as a guest. He confronts the Doctor and tries to get him to tell him what Longfoot told him. The sailor knocks Ben out and knocks Polly down before dragging the Doctor away. Polly pleads for help and Kewper finds her. He tells her that the squire has been sent for.

The Squire arrives and examines Ben and finds him fine. He then interrogates Polly about where they come from. Ben comes to but also refuses to tell where they are from. The Squire arrests them both for the murder of Longfoot.

The Doctor is taken aboard ship and shown to Captain Pike. Pike tells the Doctor that Longfoot was once a crewman with him and Cherub under the pirate captain Avery. They are now looking for Avery's treasure and threaten the Doctor to tell them what Longfoot told the Doctor just before they left.

Ben and Polly are placed in prison to await trial. They are overheard by Kewper's servant Tom who tells them he has the keys and is keeping them under guard. Polly gets and idea regarding 17th century superstitions and develops a plan to escape.

The Doctor flatters the captain and he invites the Doctor to sit and talk as gentlemen. The Doctor drinks wine and asks for a share of the treasure for his information. Pike considers it but before they can continue, Pike's slave Jamaica interrupts and speaks of someone sailing towards the nearby caves. Pike orders the Doctor taken below to wait while they deal with the visitor.

Ben signals Tom while Polly moans about. He claims that Polly has been taken over by the soul of their warlock master. Ben tricks Tom into believing that the Doctor's soul will take over and possess them unless they are freed. Tom gives in and lets them out. Ben also gives him a straw doll as a token against the Doctor's evil.

Ben and Polly return to the church and search about for evidence of the Doctor's abductor. They search around but find nothing. They prepare to leave when a secret door opens and a cloaked figure emerges. They knock him out and Polly heads off to tell the Squire, believing him to be the murderer while Ben ties him up.

The cloaked stranger tells Ben that he is Josiah Blake, a treasury officer of the King. He has been investigating a group of smugglers operating in the area and that the passageway he found leads into a set of caves and down to the beach. Ben gets excited and heads into the passageway to investigate.

Pike and Cherub meet with the Squire, posing as goods smugglers to the Squire and Kewper are involved. The Squire discusses the drop at the church, unaware of Pike's real identity. Their discussions are interrupted by Polly. She fingers Cherub as the man who abducted the Doctor. The Squire doesn't believe her. Pike suggests that they play along with Polly to capture the revenue officer who might thwart the smuggling ring. They tie and gag Polly.

Back on the ship, the Doctor finds Kewper has also been taken by the pirates and Kewper tells the Doctor that Pike is the most dangerous pirate around. Kewper and the Doctor plan an escape to help save the village from Pike's potential rampage in search of Avery's treasure.

Ben returns to the church, having found the passage to the TARDIS. He and Blake are then confronted by the Squire, Pike, Cherub and the bound Polly. The Squire recognizes Blake and has him released. Despite being on the king's business, Blake agrees to take Ben and Polly back to jail for murder and suspicion of smuggling.

The Doctor pretends to be able to divine a person's fortune from cards. His draws for Kewper attract the interest of the slave Jamaica. When he comes near to have the Doctor tell his fortune, Kewper knocks him out. They tie him up and leave the ship in the longboat intending to inform the Squire of what is going on.

The Squire and Pike arrange a meeting for the exchange of goods. The Squire has his goods hidden in a grave while Pike will leave his on the beach. The Squire decides that they should discuss payment over dinner and he and Pike leave together. Cherub watches from a distance.

Blake takes Ben and Polly back to the inn and releases them. He tells them that the Squire has been rumored to be the head of the smuggling ring. Blake needs armed men to spring a trap at the exchange point tomorrow but he is interested in hearing more about the Doctor. The Doctor enters at that moment and tells of his escape. Blake takes his information as conformation of Kewper's involvement with the smuggling ring. Kewper hears this as he enters and curses the Doctor for entrapping him. He then flees before Blake can arrest him.

Pike returns to the ship where Jamaica tells him of the Doctor and Kewper's escape. Jamaica tells Pike that they are heading to tell the Squire and Pike now suspects that the Squire might try to set a trap for him. Pike decides to strike during the day and plunder the goods before the trap is set while he and Cherub search for Avery's gold. He then kills Jamaica for his failure.

The Doctor tells Blake of Pike's plan and insists that Blake leave at once for reinforcements. Ben tells the Doctor of the secret passage that leads to the TARDIS. The Doctor refuses to go as he feels a moral responsibility to save the village. He decides to find Avery's treasure and use it to stall Pike until the reinforcements arrive. Cherub emerges from the shadows as they leave and demands to know of the stable boy where they went.

Kewper arrives at the Squire's and tells him of Pike's planned savagery. Kewper also tells the Squire that Pike is looking for Avery's gold. Kewper suggests finding the treasure first and then setting a trap for Pike along the church passageway. They also ride off for the church.

Ben, Polly and the Doctor arrive at the church. Ben and Polly look around in the graveyard while the Doctor tries to work out the clues Longfoot told him. He realizes that the clues Longfoot told him refer to names in the crypt. They head to the crypt where Ben shows the Doctor where the secret passage is. They then find two of the clue names.

The Squire and Kewper arrive at the church and pull a gun on the Doctor. Kewper threatens to kill Ben and Polly if the Doctor doesn't help them but the Squire objects. While they argue, Cherub enters and kills Kewper with a throwing knife. He shoots the Squire in the shoulder. He then threatens to kill the Doctor's companions if he doesn't tell the secrets.

The Doctor tries to play for time. He tells Cherub the names given, but does not disclose the locations in the crypt. Cherub recognizes the names as old crewmen but suspects the Doctor is stalling. He threatens Polly if more is not disclosed.

Meanwhile, Pike and his men land on the beach. Pike sends a man to look for Cherub while he and the rest of his men enter the churchyard. They open the crypt indicated by the Squire as the drop point. He orders his men to unload the goods on to the beach while Pike heads toward the church.

Pike enters the crypt and finds Cherub holding Polly. Pike accuses Cherub of deserting and trying to find the treasure himself. Cherub protests but draws on Pike when his back is turned. They cross swords with Pike slowly gaining the upper hand. The Doctor orders Ben to take Polly back to the TARDIS down the secret passage. Pike stabs Cherub, killing him.

Pike turns on the Doctor, demanding the secret from him. The Doctor agrees but demands to change the terms of their agreement. He agrees to tell the secret and will take no gold if he keeps his men out of the village. Pike agrees, though neither side trusts the other.

Two of the pirates return to the beach, carrying the smuggled goods. On the beach, they discover the TARDIS outside the cave. In the caves, Polly stops to rest while she sends Ben back to help the Doctor. Also, Blake arrives on the edge of the village with a squad of militia.

The Doctor tells Pike the riddle of the four names and points out the locations of the four names in the crypt. He also points out they intersect at a flagstone in the middle of the crypt, which is loose. Pike lifts the stone and discovers a small treasure. But they hear ruckus going on upstairs. Blake's militia pours in, killing and arresting the pirates.

Polly comes on the TARDIS and is grabbed by the two pirates. Ben however, hears her scream up the passageway and runs back. He knocks out one and fights with the second. Their struggle is heard by Blake and the two men are taken by the militia. Ben sends Polly back to the TARDIS while he and Blake head back up the passage.

Blake emerges from the passageway and attacks Pike from the rear before he can go back up with his men. Ben and the Doctor drag the Squire up out of the crypt but Pike breaks off his fight with Blake to pursue him. Blake grabs his gun and shoots Pike in the back. The Squire and Blake help each other to their feet and find the Doctor and Ben have fled down the passageway.

The Doctor and Ben return to the TARDIS and find Polly waiting for them. They enter and tell Polly what happened as they take off. Ben hopes to land back in 1966 but instead find that they have landed in the coldest place in the world.

Analysis

The Smugglers is an excellent story and I would definitely put it fairly high on the list of stories to be returned if possible. I could see some people not caring for it too much, but I really enjoyed it. The story struck me as a variation of Treasure Island, only set in Cornwall rather than on an island. But I also got a dash of The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, although I might be the only one who thinks like that.

The Doctor was quite good in this one and while he did have to rely on the arms of others, notably Blake, there was a good deal in this story where he had to outthink his enemy. I would also note that while the Squire was a bit of a dim, Pike was not and that made him a more formidable villain and the Doctor's triumph over him that much better. I also enjoyed the Doctor's quiet patience and rationalism in contrast to Ben's hot headedness.

Ben and Polly were decent, though not without their flaws. Ben get a bit loud and he does complain a lot about just going back to the TARDIS. I've also noticed that this is an unfortunate recurring feature with him, though his ability in a fight is quite good. Still, it seems a bit of a downgrade from the somewhat more introspective Steven.

Polly wasn't bad, although a bit useless in this story. She served more as the damsel in distress with her only real moment of interest being her posing as possessed in her and Ben's escape in Episode Two. It also strains credibility that Polly is mistaken for a boy the entire run of the story. Right in the beginning I could see perhaps, but someone should have clued in to her femininity towards the end. Granted, when dealing with a story about pirates, it's best not to include a woman since that leads itself to obvious conclusions. Pike is something of a gentleman pirate, but I doubt he would be that restrained.

Pike, as noted above, was quite a good villain. I think in attitude he was modeled after Long John Silver, but there was also an air of Captain Hook about him with the hook hand and the Charles II dress coat. He also had a pirate dichotomy of being gentlemanly and almost elegant with the Doctor and the Squire and also savage and ruthless with his dispatch of his own men for their failures. He made an excellent foe for the Doctor.

Lesser villains in the form of the Squire and Cherub were decent although more stereotypical. That the Squire was corrupt and in on the smuggling business was not surprising. He did come somewhat good in the end, refusing to go along with Kewper in his threatening of the Doctor. Cherub was also good as the true pirate savage. He was played full to the hilt of savagery and yet not without intelligence. He would never have been the gentleman pirate that Pike was, but you could understand why he was mate and how he could have made a strong and savage captain in his own right had the opportunity arisen.

Because of the savagery of the story, the Australian censors took a bit more out, especially Kewper and Cherub's deaths so that was a nice glimpse into the story. It helped because there were other parts of the recon I was watching that were very poorly done so I had almost no idea what was going on. But in the quality parts of the recon (both the slightly moving bits and the better pictures) it was clear that this looked like a well done story. Trust the BBC for period drama to look well and this did not disappoint from what I could tell.

I enjoyed the pacing of this story. About the only parts I didn't care for were the bits with Ben and Polly toiling away either in their makeshift jail or fussing about in the crypt. The scenes with the Doctor and Kewper on the ship or Pike and the Squire were far more interesting and I was openly hoping to go back to those scenes whenever Ben and Polly popped back up. But aside from that, the story moved well and you never felt like characters were loitering in one place too long to kill time (again, except for the jail scene).

I would also say this was a pretty good cap for the First Doctor, since he was so absent and nearly irrelevant in The Tenth Planet. This story is also a good yardstick for his growth as a character as it is the Doctor who stays and fights and changes things rather than his companions who drag him back and get involved in the action in spite of him. In fact, lining up The Smugglers next to An Unearthly Child, you'd be hard pressed to recognize the Doctor as the same character. I'd still probably take Ian and Barbara to Ben and Polly as companions, but the Doctor is so much stronger a character here.

Overall, I'd say this was a good one. I would like to see a better recon than the one I watched or even better, some of the episodes discovered, but the story still stands well on it's own. You have to be in a special mood to watch recons but if you knew someone who liked pirates, this would be a good one to delve in to.

Overall personal score: 4 out of 5