Ah, I have been looking forward to this moment since I got
into the Troughton era. It’s the final story of the Troughton era and it’s the longest
story of his time. Due to problems with scripts that seem to have dogged this
season badly, it’s seemed inevitable that something was going to have to be
longer than intended. I have made my feelings very clear about six part
episodes but ‘The Invasion’ was eight episodes long and I really enjoyed that
so I hope that my enthusiasm for this ten part adventure would be as it always
was. Like the last few stories this has a slightly different way of showing the
titles. It should be clear that this is the beginning of the end for our
favourite characters as the moment they exit the TARDIS and step in mud they
laugh together and it’s about the happiest that they will be over the course of
the next ten episodes.
The initial problem with Lady Jennifer is that she’s
terribly clichéd. Even by 1969’s standards the character would have seemed
outdated. Within a few minutes of appearing on screen she been captured by
German soldiers before being rescued by Lt Carstairs. I think that Lady
Jennifer and Carstairs are a good partnership and will see this in future
episodes. General ‘The Butcher’ Smythe is one of the many baddies that appear
in this story. It’s at this point that the seemingly ordinary setting of World
War I takes an unusual turn. Soon after he hypnotises people which is something
that’s not terrible original but like it as a character trait for Smythe as he
is instantly unlikeable from the moment he appears on screen.
The court martial scene is the best moment of the story
because of the injustice of it because two of the people on the panel
encountered the Doctor and due to the hypnosis from Smythe is unable to
intervene. It wasn’t much of a court martial and I like how Smythe bulldozes
the guilty verdict even though others aren’t so sure of their guilt. This
pretty much shows how screwed the regulars are and I think that they put in
solid performances and I like in particular how the Doctor is quite naive that
he will be able to explain the situation but its clear to everyone else that it
might not be so easy.
I thought the kiss that the Doctor gives Zoe is lovely and
very tender. It’s another sign to viewers that this isn’t going to be a normal
adventure. At the end of the episode the Doctor is about to face a firing
squad. I personally think that this is one of the grimmest ends to a Doctor Who
episode ever. The fact that its suppose to be a First World War firing squad as
opposed to a firing squad on Telos or Skaro or somewhere else makes it much
grimmer and much more real than it normally would be. I thought that this was a
really good cliffhanger for a really good episode. I don’t know whether it’s
because I was so despondent from enduring/watching ‘The Space Pirates’ but I
can’t believe how happy I am now I have got to this story.
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