Planet of Evil - Episode 3

Ok so it’s clear that I am not going to rate this story as one of my favourite Tom Baker stories. Maybe with the final two episodes I might be able to find some positives to write about. The previous episode ended with the freeze frame of Tom Baker falling into the black hole. There is a good bit where the Doctor seems to be quite close to the anti-matter creature and then somehow manages to get out relatively unharmed. The thing about this episode is that it doesn’t feel like it’s achieving very much. At this point in a four part adventure it really should feel like it’s building up to something and yet it doesn’t feel like it at all.

Sorensen has gone from someone that I like because he has honourable (if slightly selfish) reasons to someone who is a little bit annoying. There is a distinct change in his look because he is changing. The scene of his eyes being the first thing of him to change did seem to have a bit of Jekyll and Hyde about it. It’s well performed by Frederick Jaeger.  Just a few minutes later, he is killing people and the full change is quite gruesome considering that this is a family show. Salamar goes from being a normal supporting character to someone that has drunk the mad drink because he then goes and point a gun at the Doctor. Way to go from hero to zero in the space of about 10 minutes. There is a moment when the Doctor punches Salamar and it’s a great punch. I know I should be surprised that the Doctor did such a violent act which seems more shocking considering that Jon Pertwee’s Doctor tended to use non violent means to subdue an opponent. It is perhaps the most exciting moment in the entire episode which is daming with faint praise.

The cliffhanger was perhaps the best one of this serial because it was this one that seemed like it could have quite a grim ending. I am still not totally convinced that this story has improved that much but at least there is only one episode left and its not the worst Doctor Who story ever.