1 episode. Approx. 37 minutes. Written by: Moris Farhi. Adapted for audio by Nigel Robinson. Directed by: John Ainsworth. Produced by: David Richardson. Performed by: Carole Ann Ford, William Russell, John Dorney.
THE PLOT
The TARDIS crew have been enjoying a restful stay on the utopian world of Fragrance. The people of this planet know neither conflict nor illness, enjoying harmony with nature and with each other.
Now that the time has come to leave, the time travelers find it difficult to make their goodbyes. The Doctor gives elders Iamb and Rhyme a tour of the TARDIS, while Susan says farewell to a pair of friends her own age. Barbara has the most complicated goodbye of them all, however. She has befriended Rhythm (John Dorney), a sincere and athletic young man she liked very much as a friend. But Rhythm's feelings for her extend beyond friendship. He proclaims his love and begs her to remain.
What Barbara doesn't realize, even as she breaks the young man's heart as gently and delicately as possible, is that there exists one dark wrinkle to this otherwise perfect society: There is no unrequited love on Fragrance. "The bridge of love" always extends in both directions, and it always exists for life. When a mature adult is no longer loved by another, he or she is compelled by instinct to die.
Which means that by not returning Rhythm's feelings, she is unwittingly condemning him to death!
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: Though normally jealous of his timeship's secrets, in this case he shows the TARDIS with pride - even eagerness. When Ian questions him about his lack of caution, he reveals that Fragrance lacks many of the elements needed to work the TARDIS. Even if the elders understand every aspect of the ship's control, he knows they will be unable to replicate it. This leaves him free to enjoy "showing off" his miraculous vessel with no fear of consequences, and it's clear that he relishes the opportunity.
Barbara: Is at the center of this story, with Rhythm's feelings for her providing the catalyst for the events. She is as tactful as possible in dealing with the young man's infatuation, and she probably believes exactly what Ian does: That, like an Earth man, he will recover from his hearbreak and settle down with another young woman. When she discovers the truth, she does hesitate, but ultimately asks the Doctor to open the TARDIS doors and let her back out, choosing in effect to sacrifice her own happiness for Rhythm's life. The Doctor (to his credit, in my opinion) takes a different course of action.
Ian: Fiercely protective of Barbara. When Rhythm's family effectively besieges the TARDIS at the end, he urges the Doctor to take off without a thought for the young man - His priority is Barbara's welfare. Also notable is his clear relief when Barbara tells him that she does not return Rhythm's feelings.
Susan: The only poorly-characterized regular. Susan's knee-jerk reaction that "Barbara must stay" in order to save Rhythm doesn't ring true. She might be concerned for Rhythm's life, but she seems like a poor friend at best to want to make Barbara stay on an alien world with a man she does not love... particularly when Rhythm himself indicates that her staying will make no difference to his fate if she does not ultimately love him back. Carole Ann Ford does a solid job in recreating her performance, but the script largely serves as a sad reminder of how badly-characterized Susan usually was.
THOUGHTS
The Lost Stories' "First Doctor Box Set" is rounded out with this bonus story, a single-episode piece written by Moris Fahri more as a "calling card" to the production team than as a serious submission for the television series. On its own, it would not be worth a purchase - but as an extra accompanying Farewell, Great Macedon, it's hard to complain about an extra 1960's story, particularly one as well-produced and well-acted as this.
Judged as a calling card, The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance does its job. It shows that Fahri can develop a passably detailed alien society and do so in a way that could have been realized on a 1960's Who budget. He has a firm grasp on the characters of the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara; and if Susan comes across more weakly, well... That didn't exactly stop other writers' work from getting to air, now, did it? If I was David Whitaker, reading this script, I would have felt reasonably confident in commissioning Fahri to write a proper serial.
As a story, however, there just isn't much here. The regulars are well-characterized, but the guest characters are all one-dimensional. Rhythm is well enough voiced by John Dorney, whose sincere and sensitive performance is a far cry from his manic/depressive Alexander. But Rhythm himself is so clingy and dewey-eyed that I can't imagine very many women even his own age being patient with him for long, let alone a mature woman like Barbara. He is there only to be in love with Barbara, with nothing to him beyond that. This makes him dull, and makes his tragedy meaningless.
Fragrance's society seems fairly silly, too. We are presented with a perfect utopia, but one in which any adult who is not part of a couple must commit suicide. This is apparently due to instinct, rather than any cultural pressure, but it just doesn't feel like something sustainable for a people. Dialogue suggests that the idea of unrequited love is alien to Fragrance... But what about when one member of a couple dies young, leaving children still to be raised? It feels like a concept that has not been fully worked through - which is probably the case, given that this script was never written with actual production in mind.
And that's the whole problem with doing a proper review. Picking on this story's faults feels like the critical equivalent of kicking a puppy. This was a story never intended for release. Big Finish did produce it, leaving it open for review as a finished product - but even here, it is the "bonus" that comes with Farewell, Great Macedon. It's the equivalent of William Russell's reading of a The Lair of Zarbi Supremo on The Web Planet dvd - not much of a story, perhaps, but worthwhile as a curio.
Still, as a story in its own right, The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance is lacking. It's a worthwhile extra... but as a piece unto itself, it is thin and unconvincing, and entirely expendable.
Overall Rating: 4/10.
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