The Ambassadors of Death - Episode 7

As we reach the final episode, its where the story needs to reach a satisfying conclusion but the thing is that it doesn't feel like there is an epic finale that a normal story would have. We get a nice speech from General Carrington about why he's done what he has done. It becomes clear that its all due to fear because of a previous mission he was on. As reasons go its a rather good one and doesn't feel like its been bolted at the last minute. When Carrington is arrested its hard for me to feel angry at him, I just find myself feeling sorry for him. He did what he did because he genuinely thought it was the right thing to do not because he wanted to start a war or take over the country. John Abineri has been consistently strong from start to finish and of the supporting cast members, he has been my favourite.

There is another great shot of the ambassadors forcing their way into a secure building.

The episode is building up to a live television programme where Carrington is going to show the world what is under the helmet. Of course for narrative reasons it can't be done straight away and this allows them to stretch things out a bit longer. Also as with these things just when the live transmission begins, it comes just as the brigadier and his soldiers battle their way in. It's great how its all done in the nick of time and in the episode it happens at just the right time.

This is an episode where the Doctor and Liz get to work together and Liz gets to do something constructive. I know that I've gone on about how badly Liz has been treated since she joined the show but its a point worth making and it does annoy me. The Brigadier gets to be a action hero when he escapes from the Military Police and its a great little moment and then he gets to have a scrap when he and some soldiers arrive at where the Doctor and Liz are being kept. It's the most active that the Brigadier has been for several episodes. This is very much his episode as the Doctor and Liz are like supporting characters.

As an episode its a very good one and does what it does very well and despite it not feeling like a normal final episode but its not been a normal story. It's been about trying to get some aliens who has been held hostage back to their own people before war starts. I still stand by my view of this adventure that compared to the other stories in the season its not as good as Inferno or The Silurians but in different ways it has its charms and as a seven part story it's much better than some of the six part stories that there have been recently. 

The Ambassadors of Death - Episode 6

The penultimate episode starts off with the Doctor encountering whatever it is that is coming towards Recovery 7. The effect of the Doctor leaving Recovery 7 was an impressive effect. Still not so keen on the CSO format that Barry Letts used at every opportunity but on this occasion it works quite well.

The Doctor encounters the astronauts and it’s a surprising moment when they are safe and sound and thinking that they are watching the TV. They think that at the space centre. It’s a great little scene and it at least shows us the astronauts that we have heard loads about for the previous five episodes. During this scene we get to see an alien creature and its basic but I quite like it. I think that he simple movements that it does with its arm slightly undermine it but apart from that it’s a well realised creature. This shot of the creature is achieved using CSO and unlike the first CSO shot, this one doesn’t work as well as at times its hard to see the figure. The lack of making out what it is might have been an unexpected side effect but CSO is something that will have work 50% of the time and wont the other 50%. The alien creature asks the Doctor why his ambassadors haven’t been returned. This is the first time in six episodes that the title (or part of it) has been mentioned in the story.  The look of the ambassadors that we see when we first see Liz is quite creepy and it’s a very good effect that they use. Even by 1970’s standards.

It doesn’t take long for the Doctor to gain the confidence of the alien creature and negotiates a way to be let back to earth. This is what I like about the Doctor and think that it shows that Pertwee’s Doctor is someone who will strive to find a peaceful resolution. It’s good when the Doctor and Liz are reunited after a few episodes and it’s a nice scene which is rather well played by Jon Pertwee and Caroline John. The use of Caroline John was minimal again in this episode and I was so involved in what was going on at the beginning of the episode, that I actually forgot that Liz was in this story.

I haven’t mentioned much about Reegan in these episode reviews so far and that’s quite bad of me as he’s been quite an effective baddie. He’s the one that has been doing all the hard labour while Carrington has just been walking in and out of rooms. It was Reegan that tried to stop the Doctor’s departure in Recovery 7 and it was Reegan that was the welcoming committee when he returned. Another character that I haven’t mentioned before is Cornish who whilst not being on the same level as Reegan, has been a consistently good character and someone that the viewer can trust to help the Doctor and not hinder him. General Carrington goes very trigger happy in this episode and talks about civic duty when talking about blowing up the alien threat. He then gets trigger happy when he’s about to kill the Doctor after thinking that Reegan had killed him. It was a nice cliffhanger and I think that this was the best episode of the serial so far. With one more episode to go I find myself thinking that longer running time stories can work providing the right people are involved to make it work.

The Ambassadors of Death - Episode 5

The cliffhanger was good in the last episode and it was dealt with in a good way as after being saved by the Brigadier it manages to escape by simply walking out. With Quinlan dead it seems that the only person who really poses any threat is General Carrington. The story has moved on a little bit and we finally get to see the Doctor go up into space for the first time since ‘The Space Pirates’. It’s felt like this has taken an age but when a story is seven episodes long things move at a slower pace.

The Doctor is about to launch and Carrington is trying desperately to stop the rocket from launching. They even go to the trouble of tampering with various valves and whilst this stops it for a moment its just a moment and then the Doctor manages to get into space but with another minor issue. Jon Pertwee’s Doctor is very much an action Doctor as the rest of his time will show. He’s enjoying himself and one of his best moments is the scene that the Doctor has with the Brigadier before he goes into the rocket. It’s like it’s a goodbye of sorts but we all know that its not the final time that they will be together and even in 1970 the viewers must have known this so its easy to see it as a lovely scene between two characters who’s relationship has been tested over the last several episodes.

Lennox manages to escape in what the flimsiest manner possible. He makes it as far as being put in a cell by Benton which is obviously a sign that his time on the show is limited. It’s a shame really as I like Cyrill Shaps. He was good way back in ‘The Tomb of the Cybermen’ and he’s always a dependable actor and I felt that he deserved slightly more time. The character was a good one as Lennox was someone who was quite successful in his area of expertise but had fallen on hard times. There was a little bit more that they could have done with the character but that is perhaps my only quibble with the episode.

The effect of the Doctor being effected by the G-Force is rather well done and even the model shot of the rocket was good though by today’s standards it’s not quite as good but it does the job of convincing us that he’s off to space. It’s a shame that the story starts to get going as we reach the cliffhanger. This is when the Doctor is finally about to encounter the astronauts (the real ones I mean). It’s been an odd episode with a few moments of good stuff happening but its been mixed in with an awful lot of nothing. I think that the stuff with Liz and Dr Lennox wasn’t as good today and Liz didn’t get as much to do as she did in the previous episode. That said I still think that it’s a good story but the problems that this story had at the script stage are becoming apparent because it seems like they know what to do with the Doctor and the astronauts but everything else in in a bit of a muddle. Still an enjoyable story.

The Ambassadors of Death - Episode 4

The fourth episode starts off with the weird process of the reprise and then the titles. Then we get to see the full shot of Liz going over. It’s quite an acrobatic stunt that Liz does (or at least Roy Scammell playing Liz). Liz Shaw gets to do a lot more in this episode as she has something to do and its not just a bolted on scene towards the end. It felt like she was in it more than the Doctor. Her scenes were mainly with the astronauts and with Dr Lennox (played by the wonderful Cyril Shaps).

For the first time I feel that some of the characters that we first meet are getting a little bit annoying. By that I mean General Carrington and I don’t know what’s happened but I just feel that the feeble attempts by Carrington to make it look like a foreign person was behind kidnapping the astronauts undermined the character. It’s feeble because I don’t think even Carrington thinks that it will work. It seems that he’s just saying it in the vain hope that it would work.

There is one thing about this story that doesn’t quite make sense. If they know that Taltalian isn’t 100% trustworthy then why are they letting him work in the lab again. All this actually achieves is that he captures Liz after she escapes. The use of Taltalian comes to an end during this episode when he is killed off when his briefcase is primed to go off before he knew it would. It seems that they could have done something far less convoluted to see off the character. However when you read the production notes on the DVD we should be grateful that this is one of the minor things that don’t quite work.

There are certainly some good things that I like about this episode. Firstly there is the scene where one of the astronauts walks towards the camera with the sun behind him is a lovely shot and its one of my favourites from this season. It’s helped by the music and the fact that we cant see his face and the sun makes a silhouette of the astronaut. Another good scene is when Liz manages to escape and goes for a slight wander before being captured by Taltalian.  

The cliffhanger was another good one with the astronauts’ hand very close above the Doctor’s head. This normally wouldn’t have been such a problem but moments before (well when the astronaut first arrived at the space facility), whatever it touches can kill instead of just stun. This is my favourite cliffhanger so far and it shows that the story is getting better with every episode. With just three episodes left it feels like there is plenty of mileage left in the story and there is plenty of time to tell it. My ‘least’ favourite story of the season still a good one and my opinion so far hasn’t changed.

The Ambassadors of Death - Episode 3

To say that this is a David Whittaker story is a slightly misleading idea. According to the DVD information text, he only wrote the drafts of the first three episodes. I have forgotten to mention that the first time that I saw ‘The Ambassadors of Death’ was when it was released on VHS in 2002 and the big selling point was that some of it was in Black and White but that some moments had been found it colour so I would be watching in monochrome and then all of a sudden colour would fill the screen. It was a slightly odd way of watching a story and would slightly ruin my enjoyment at times so when it came out on DVD in 2012 I was excited to know that it would be 100% in colour.

I like the idea that after spending ages trying to get the astronauts out of the capsule we learn that there is no one inside. It still doesn’t make up for the rather flimsy cliffhanger that we had at the end of the previous episode but thankfully the episode starts quickly and so that is sort of forgotten. It’s taken so long but at least we get to see more of the ‘astronauts’. It’s interesting that they seem to need radiation in order to survive. We get a bit more information about General Carrington. Liz refers to the fact that Carrington was on Mars Probe 6. General Carrington goes from being a rather impressive baddie in one scene to a nice as pie goodie in the next. When he takes the Doctor, Liz and the Brigadier to where the ‘astronauts’ were being kept, he acts all surprised when it turns out that they have disappeared. I  think that whilst it was a rather silly thing to do to have Carrington pretend to be good, narrative wise I can understand why they did it.

As performances go, everyone is working really well. Jon Pertwee is just steaming ahead in the role that is still relatively new to him. I think that Caroline John continues to be used ok but still not as well as she deserves. She really does well with the chase sequence at the end so at least she gets to do something to do other than stand in a scene looking like a spare part. Nicholas Courtney does well as the Brigadier and serves a purpose in the episode. The group of people that are working against the Doctor seem to be growing in numbers and the lengths that they will go to are getting more extreme. It even involves tricking Liz into going down to meet the Brigadier. This leads us to watching a fun chase sequence which after the previous two episodes, does have some incidental music.

The cliffhanger is the best that we have had so far as it has something dramatic about it. The chase sequence lasts for a minute or so but the final shot is of Liz Shaw being thrown over the barrier and into a river. It feels like the cliffhanger complimented the rest of the episode which is the first time that this has happened. I think the story is finally starting to find its feet and with four more episodes to run, it has plenty of time to tell its story. This is definitely the strongest episode of the serial so far and I can start to enjoy things more.

The Ambassadors of Death - Episode 2

After being not bowled over by the cliffhanger it seems to not really matter as I forget that and remember that I am not so impressed with the title sequence. I have to be thankful that it was only done for this one story but on the other hand, I still have five more episodes to endure. To be honest this is probably the worst thing about the entire serial. When the title sequence finished with the cliffhanger we were shown that the opening scene with the Doctor and Liz disappearing and reappearing did have some relevance as it was used to try and make a tape disappear.

The focus of the episode is about getting the astronauts back to earth and it’s done relatively quickly. Where the proper drama comes from is getting into the capsule. I love how it seems at first that things will be ok but then after a few moments at the capsule they discover that things are a bit more serious. When the capsule gets back they manage to make contact but for some reason they wont (or cant) open the door. This is quite a fun mystery to try and solve.

I do enjoy the location filming. Partly because it just makes the story feel more open and also it shows what a location looked like when it was filmed. The action sequence with the capsule being transported back to space command and being attacked by the helicopter was a fun scene but like the action scene in the first episode it lacked music and I again would have liked some incidental music.

Carrington is one of the first villains that we encounter (although we did see him in the previous episode), Carrington is a very good character and is utterly unlikeable. John Abineri is a very good piece of casting and even when he’s made to look foolish after becoming stuck to Bessie (that just sounds wrong), I still think that Carrington is a good character. Sir James Quinlan is a government type and instantly looks like someone who is in league with Carrington and Taltalian. It doesn’t take long for this truth to be revealed when after the Doctor and the Brigadier leave, Quinlan opens another door and after a brief moment of build up, its revealed that Taltalian managed to flee into the camp of the conspirators.  

Jon Pertwee is having fun in the episode. He starts off by putting on a funny voice to fool Carrington and then gets to be heroic by bringing the stolen capsule back to space command. He also gets to look like the star man after getting to utter the cliffhanger line. I think that Liz has more involvement in this episode. Granted it wasn’t the most active that a companion has ever been in the series but I noticed her a lot more in this episode and that can only be a good thing.

“Right, cut it open” is a weird final line and it is another odd cliffhanger. Like the first cliffhanger it lacked any major drama and instead seems to the do the opposite of what a cliffhanger is suppose to do. I think that for 99% of the episode the episode works well and I am still enjoying this story but I worry that some of aspects of the story will start to grate on me as the story progresses but only time will tell I suppose.

The Ambassadors of Death - Episode 1

The Ambassadors of Death is one of the stranger stories of the seventh series. It’s the one out of the four stories that form the seventh series that I have seen the least and so it’s the one that I perhaps don’t rate as highly as the others. I’ve never been quite sure why and hopefully by watching this story an episode at a time I will find out. The first strange thing about this story is the beginning of the episode. We get a tiny bit of the opening theme tune before cutting to some action and then a bit more of the theme with the title of the story.

There’s a strange scene between the Doctor and Liz where they disappear and then re-appear. It goes on for about a minute and it doesn’t really seem to serve a purpose at this moment but thankfully it gives way for the Doctor to notice that the Brigadier is on TV and makes a comment about blowing up the Silurians at the end of the previous episode. Apart from this brief comment there seems to be no lingering negative feeling between the two and the Doctor carries on acting like nothing has happened which I suppose in 2014 would seem strange but in 1970 it would be part of the course. Its hard trying to compare the way that a show was constructed in the past to today considering we have different standards.

The thing that I like about the setting and current situation is that its been going on for a while. The Brigadier has been there for a certain period of time. Not too long after the events of ‘Doctor Who and the Silurians’ but long enough so its not like it’s a couple of days afterwards. The idea of space travel was something that was still in the minds of the audience as it was less than a year since Buzz Aldrin had landed on the moon and so travelling to outer space was something that seemed so real. I like the moment when the Doctor is trying to remember where he’s heard a noise before but can’t and this seems to imply that it’s due to the Timelords. Jon Pertwee is absolutely fantastic in this episode from the very beginning to the scene where he’s at space control, Pertwee just loves to show off how far more intelligent the Doctor is than everyone else.

The conspiracy is kicked off relatively early when it’s clear that someone else is replying to the alien messages. We actually get to encounter it although we don’t know what the people involved have to do with the space centre so it’s a nice mystery in the first episode. There’s a great action sequence featuring the UNIT soldiers and I am surprised that this is done so quickly. Another thing that’s quite surprising is that there is not incidental music to go over it. I think that a bit of a tune would have helped make this scene brilliant but as it is a perfectly fine scene and gives the Brigadier the chance to look heroic and show why he’s there.

The cliffhanger is rather good as it is both the Doctor and Liz being held at gunpoint by Taltalian. What’s good about it is that up until that point Taltalian has been a character that appears to be a good guy and this shows that he’s not such a good guy. It’s an intriguing episode that despite a rather fun action piece, didn’t really feel like it was going anywhere. It just seemed to be there to get the Doctor and Liz to space control.

The Wheel in Space - Episode 6

So the final episode of the story and the final episode of the series should be an exciting moment yet as the story hasn’t quite lived up to my expectations then I’m sad to say that this isn’t the case. The only excitement comes from the fact that we are pretty much back on DVD territory. In fact if you include the animated episodes from The Invasion, then the next time I will have to listen to a CD is not until Day 235 when The Space Pirates starts (January 6 to be exact).

The meteorites are the main threat in this story and its because of these that the cliffhanger worked as well as it did. On CD it didn’t quite work but when we see it then despite the fact that the meteorites look like big balls on string, it works due to the performances from Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury. After the initial reprise we are reminded about Gemma’s death and its just as sad as in the previous episode.

Jarvis has lost a lot of hysteria from the previous episodes and his death is a surprise but rather well done. After Gemma, he has been one of the more entertaining characters from this story so it seems a shame that they have killed both of these characters off.

Jamie and Zoe seemed to have buried the hatchet and Zoe has taken on board what was said to her in the previous episodes. It seems like her development has reached its conclusion. They work quite well together and its good to see as they are about to spend an entire season together. I think the way that Zoe gets into the TARDIS is quite interesting as she becomes a stowaway. No reason is given why Zoe cant join them. It must be said she’s the worst stowaway in history as she’s easily spotted by the Doctor. The Doctor tries to scare her by showing her a clip from ‘Evil of the Daleks’ (episode two I think!). This was used at the time because they were repeating ‘Evil of the Daleks’ on BBC1 the week after this aired. However watching it now knowing that tomorrow will be the start of season 6, this does seem somewhat of a out of sorts thing to do.

I have finally found something good to say about Patrick Troughton’s performance. The Doctor is quite active in this episode and his best moment comes when he comes up with a way that kills a Cyberman. He’s still hampered by a lack of action but at least he gets to do something Doctor-like.

The Cybermen ‘s convoluted plan continues and whereas it seems to have taken second place to the meteorite plot, this seems to have been switched around. For the life of me I don’t quite know why they don’t just storm in and take the wheel. It’s not like they’ve got a massive arsenal to fight against. They are also defeated too easily in my mind and this is why I think that this has been a poor use of the creatures. Given that they have free reign over the show now that the Daleks are gone, it seems a wasted opportunity in my mind.

I like how they deal with the video calls. Especially Troughton’s call when he speaks to Jamie, Zoe and the others and the direction he looks in matches the positions of Jamie and Zoe. This is the first time that I have appreciated Tristan DeVere Cole’s direction. The shot of the Cybermen walking towards the wheel is another great moment and credit should go to him.

I think that this was a good ending to an otherwise poor story. I think that they could easily have taken the Cybermen out of this story and it wouldn’t have made a bit of difference. Before watching this story a day at a time, I would have rated this story quite highly but watching it like I have done this time I cant help but fee disappointed. I think that the six episode format has worked (just) in this story and its only the Cybermen that have let the side down. I think that they have done wonders on Zoe’s character over the course of the story. Now we are about to enter the final season for Patrick Troughton as the Doctor, the final season in the 1960’s and also the final season in monochrome. I cant wait.

This fifth season has been largely quite good. I think that started off really well with ‘The Tomb of the Cybermen’ before stumbling with ‘The Abominable Snowmen’, then picking up against on a three story good run with ‘The Ice Warriors’, ‘The Enemy of the World’ and ‘The Web of Fear’ before stumbling against with ‘Fury from the Deep’. Whilst I cant say that this story is the worst, its not the best. In fact out of seven stories, it ranks in fourth place. Pretty much says that this story ends the season on a relatively good note.

The Wheel in Space - Episode 5

The penultimate episode and the final time until The Space Pirates that I would be forced to listen to a CD. To be honest there’s a problem from the start and its that I cant remember what the cliffhanger was and there’s a good reason why as its not very exciting. This is the episode where it seems like they are considering Zoe as a companion when she has the speech about being raised to purely reel of stats and information. They have done a great deal since the last episode as she is far less annoying and that’s a big plus point. They have even dispensed with the slightly fractious relationship between Jamie and Zoe. I know they don’t have any scenes together but its still a point to go in the good column.

If I’m being honest then I feel that the focus seems more on the meteorites instead of the Cybermen. They don’t really get more involved in the story than they had done in the previous episode.  As the meteorites were taken everyone’s attention, it seemed the perfect opportunity for the Cybermen to continue with their plan. The thing about the meteorites it that it is something that the supporting cast can understand and believe in so we got to spend more time with them and that’s not a bad thing as they are quite entertaining.

The Cybermen have a rather convoluted plan to conquer the earth. Quite why they would go to the trouble of destroying the wheel. Surely there would be an easier way of getting the minerals that they all of a sudden desire. Also quite why its taken until the fifth episode to get this explanation is beyond me.

I haven’t mentioned the performances from Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines and that’s because there wasn’t much about them. They were perfectly fine but there wasn’t anything special. It did feel like they were trying  their best but the script didn’t really allow them to do anything and that’s a shame really. Gemma’s death is rather well done as she doesn’t do the hysterical scream that both men and women do in this show. It’s a shame that they have decided to kill her off as she was one of the few supporting cast members that stood out in any positive way.

I don’t know why but I’m not really being gripped by this story in the way that I thought it would have done.  I think maybe if I had watched/listened to it in one go then I would still think highly but it just feels like a bit of a dampener as the Cybermen are reduced to the secondary threat and I cant see how that’s going to change in the final episode. This is slowly turning into the weakest Cybermen story so far.

The Wheel in Space - Episode 4

Back to the CD for this episode and as we are in the second half of the story its where all the elements should be coming together and hopefully it will improve from the rather rubbish cliffhanger. The Cybermen don’t sound quite as tinny in the reprise which is good but they are still not as good as in previous stories. I do like the look of them and think that whilst it doesn’t beat my favourite look which is the very first design of the Cybermen, it’s a good look for them. The story has a base under siege vibe to it and it uses this to its advantage with the threat of meteorites at the forefront of the menace (apart from the Cybermen).

It’s taken until now for the inevitable disbelief of the Cybermen. It happened in ‘The Moonbase’ but it’s taken longer here because it’s a longer story. Though the disbelief tends to come from Jarvis. Jarvis is going slightly mad and hysterical with Gemma being the voice of reason, even if she’s slightly suspicious of things. The reasons behind his appointment is questioned quite rightly by the Doctor. He’s become so unstable that its clear to anyone that this is going to cause problems later on in the story.

There is another example of Zoe and Jamie having a somewhat unusual relationship. It’s certainly going to be different to the Jamie/Victoria one which was a nice one to observe (or hear in some cases). Zoe starts off as the smarty pants but by the end of the episode starts to realise that she’s not the most liked person on the wheel. I must say that Patrick Troughton doesn’t seem to have quite the impact that I have become use to. Frazer Hines has a slightly better episode but that’s only really because he got to interact with Wendy Padbury who went under a character change in a relatively short space of time so hopefully this is where Zoe will have mellowed for good now.

This episode is the first time for sometime that I’ve heard the TARDIS or the fluid link mentioned. It’s nice that we are reminded about this fact because with the knowledge that the Cybermen the point had been lost. It’s only briefly mentioned and then its dropped when its realised that the Cybermen have smuggled themselves on board.

The episode continued to move along but it still doesn’t seem to have the punch to it that I would have expected. The Cybermen are still on the outskirts of this story even though they are more visible to the viewer. I am still surprised that they haven’t come into contact with the central characters. All they did really in this episode was hypnotised several minor characters and that’s it. Whilst it might not be the greatest six parter in the history of the show its certainly maintaining my attention unlike ‘Fury from the Deep’.

A bit of trivia here to end this portion of the marathon is that this episode aired on May 18, 1968 and it aired 35 minutes late after the FA Cup Final finished late though footy fans might be happy to know that WBA beat Everton 1-0.

The Wheel in Space - Episode 3

For the first time since The Web of Fear episode six (November 28) I get to stick a DVD on and it’s the Lost in Time disc. This is the first time that we will get to see the restrictive atmosphere that the story would be set. It’s not the most awe inspiring design ever but once we get inside then it improves greatly. The reprise of the last episode sees the hand come out of the sphere. To be honest the sphere’s sound better in my head than what we would see. I know that its unfair to compare 1968 standards to 2013’s but even with the greatest will in the world, its not the best way to start the episode.

There’s a bit where Jamie looks for something and it says ‘Quick Set Plastic’. You would think that they didn’t need to label it so blatantly. I also like a shot where on the Cybermen’s ship there is a needle moving wildly and there is a company name on it and its nice to thing that the Cybermen have companies that make components for ships. Those tiny niggles aside the whole episode moves quite fluently and its good to have the Doctor and Jamie back as this keeps the theory that they are being considered as saboteurs.

We get to see the Cybermats again which serve a better purpose than back in Tomb. The Cybermen continue to be well hidden but still deeply involved in the story. It’s quite a good how they have been improved without making any modifications to them. The scene where they attack the guy is really well done. I really don’t like the Cybermen’s voices. They just sound too tinny and it’s the one downside to the Cybermen in the whole run of Doctor Who. There’s very little consistency and this is something that’s going to bug me for the next four episodes.

Patrick Troughton returns after his holiday/knock on the head and the way it’s done is really good as Jamie says that the reason he wrecked the laser was because the Doctor told him and then Troughton repeats it. Their chemistry is one of the best things about the Troughton era and as they don’t have Victoria around and Zoe hasn’t joined the team yet it means that they can show why they are so good together.

Zoe is still unlikeable and rolls of stats like she’s a machine and it takes Leo to be the one that tells her like it is. There is another round of Jamie picking at Zoe’s intelligence. I cant think what they were thinking by making her such a stuck up cow. There’s no need to be like the way she is apart from providing Frazer Hines with some opportunities to be quite smug in his own right. Speaking of Jamie he’s in the rare position of being the cause of the danger by putting the laser out of use.

It isn’t the best episode of the three but it’s a perfectly fine episode that feels like its starting to go somewhere now that Patrick Troughton is back and also the Cybermen have finally appeared. At the halfway stage its good that it feels like the padding is over and the fun stuff can finally begin.

The Wheel in Space - Episode 2

So this episode is where Wendy Padbury is introduced into the story and it’s the episode where Patrick Troughton goes on holiday. It’s several minutes before Jamie and the unconscious Doctor are rescued and that’s when we get another important part of Doctor Who trivia. This is the episode that the John Smith name comes around. The Doctor would go on and use this from time to time for the rest of time. I liked how there was an explanation about what the wheel does and how some people don’t like the wheel and will try and sabotage it (more of than in later episodes) and this leads to Jamie and the Doctor’s presence being confused for one of these saboteurs.

The thing about Zoe is that she’s not particularly likeable. Unlike pretty much every companion up until now, they have been to varying degrees likeable. Here Zoe comes across a little bit snobbish and also acts like the female version of Stephen Fry except without the charisma or humour. It’s not the greatest debut episode for a companion its has to be said. What’s slightly disappointing about this episode as well is Jamie. I don’t think that it’s the best Frazer Hines’ best episode because all he does is walk around with Zoe pretending to be interested and about to cause trouble for everyone. Normally it wouldn’t be noticeable that Patrick Troughton has gone on holiday because the story would be good enough to keep my attention and it managed to do the same here but only because the supporting cast were all interesting. Jamie and Frazer Hines were let down in this episode.

Of the supporting cast members there were two that stood out for me (apart from Zoe). They are Anne Ridler who plays Gemma and Michael Turner who plays Jarvis Bennett. It’s clear from the outset that Jarvis is going to be the worrier of the story and is instantly in this episode jumping to conclusions and its clear that you wouldn’t want him around because he would just make you worried and paranoid. At least he will be a nice distraction from time to time.

We have to wait until the cliffhanger before we get our first glimpse of the Cybermen. Even then it’s not the whole Cyberman but merely its had. David Whittaker is definelty making us wait for the Cybermen but at least its helped by not having them named in the title. I thought that this second episode was a good progression because at least Zoe was introduced and we got to meet the supporting cast and now the Cybermen will be gracing us with their presence and best of all, its on DVD.

The Wheel in Space - Episode 1

The Wheel in Space marks the last change of line up before Patrick Troughton departs the show. It’s also the penultimate story that doesn’t exist in its entirety.  This story also marks the final story of the season and it introduces Wendy Padbury as Zoe although she doesn’t appear until episode two so here we get Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines. We get one final reference to Victoria and both the Doctor and Jamie are really sad which shows how close they all were. After the initial grumpiness that they both have they are soon laughing and forget why they are grumpy.

We get a reference to the fault indicator and also the fluid link which were both from the early days of the William Hartnell era. This has to be the first instance of the show looking back at its past (if you don’t include monsters/villains). There is also a mention of the food machine which again harks back to the early days of the Hartnell era. As this is written by David Whittaker, this isn’t such a great surprise.

The main action of the episode sees the Doctor and Jamie wandering around trying to seemingly not bump into the service droid that is the only other character in this part of the episode. It’s not perhaps the most exciting thing ever but it did lead to the next episode. The Doctor bumps his head which would normally mean that he would be on holiday in the second episode and lighting does strike twice in this instance. Though he is conscious enough for a while to be of use.

For a large portion of the episode it’s just Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines which is a brave thing to do as these two have to carry the episode and they do it quite well. It’s 20 minutes before we get anyone else in the episode. It’s at this point that we learn where the Doctor and Jamie have landed and it’s a ship that’s way off course.  It’s a simple yet short introduction to the rest of the characters that we would be spending the next five episodes with although there is one noticeable exception.

As an opening episode it’s nice that the show seems to have returned to solid storytelling and I like how there was a nice mystery as to where they were and what was going on and whilst we all know that the Cybermen are coming they aren’t mentioned in the title and there aren’t any signs that they are coming. It’s a brave thing that David Whittaker has done (though its an idea from Kit Pedlar) and this will be rewarded later on. A good start.

The Enemy of the World - Episode 6

The final episode is where the two parts of Salamanders world collide and it’s where things start to go wrong and the power that Salamander once had has all but gone. The thing about this episode is that it doesn’t have quite the epic that a final episode should have. Astrid trying to help Swann stagger around before he dies. This leads to Astrid see that Salamander’s deception is worse than she thought. It’s quite a surprising and shocking moment when Astrid gets attacked by the underground gang. I thought that something grim was going to happen. Thankfully it allows Colin to actually stop whining and actually be the voice of reason, suppose it had to happen sooner or later.

Giles Kent is the one who took the underground people down along with Salamander. He becomes unlikeable and his demise is as swift as the realisation that he’s been in collaboration with Salamander. I think it’s a good performance from Bill Kerr who has effectively been in the shadows whilst Astrid and others have been holding onto our attention. Speaking of Astrid, I have been really impressed with Mary Peach’s performance as she has consistently been on fine form and she’s been the sort of female character that was a rarity in the 1960’s.

The last few minutes are brilliant. Salamander poses as the Doctor (as opposed to the other way round) and we get a great scene with the Doctor and Salamander meeting face to face for the first time and there is a wonderful split screen and one shot in particular where they are both in the same shot. It’s a great performance from Patrick Troughton and sums up how good he has been over the six episodes. To be honest I thought that Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling were rather surplus to requirements and it was only in the final scene that they really had anything to do.

It’s good how it doesn’t have a clean cut ending and it ends with all the regulars in peril with the TARDIS doors opening in mid-flight and normally that would mean that they would end up about half an inch tall but alas not, we are going to get a Yeti sequel and the second of the found stories is about to appear. I’ve enjoyed this story but think that its more style over substance and that would normally be a problem but I have to say that on the whole it was another six parter that worked quite well. It was better directed than written and I think that this story has helped make this fifth season a strong one and theres more to come.

The Enemy of the World - Episode 5

The penultimate episode sees the Doctor and Giles’ plan to reach the research base and with just one more episode after this to go, there is a sense that the story really needs to start looking like its reaching a conclusion. The episode starts off with the Doctor trying to convince Bruce that Salamander isn’t quite the nice person that he pretends to be and there is a slight sense of doubt and this is why I like the character because someone else would have either believed him 100% or gone against him 100%. The episode also sees Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling are literaly stretchered in after their holiday. From the moment that they are talking they are used quite well and its good to see them back. I thought that Frazer was slightly better because Jamie wasn’t able to the action hero because he didn’t want Victoria killed or hurt.

For the first time I’m not to sure whether I like the underground people part of the story. Salamander has trouble with them when he is found out that he’s been lying to them. This leads to Swann being led out by Salamander and his discovery by Astrid leads to the cliffhanger. I find the underground people rather boring and I don’t actually like them very much. Colin is the worst and is quite annoying. All he has done since we first saw him is sulk about not being taken to the surface. When Swann announces that he’s going up with Salamander all Colin does is to shout and I just want him to shut up. Thankfully we get to go back to the rest of the characters and we get to enjoy being in the company of Benik. Benik is a really nasty piece of work when he seems to enjoy the prospect of causing physical harm to Victoria and Jamie. However despite being rather vile, he’s one of the last people to find out that there is a double of Salamander. It’s a shame that it happens late in the episode.

There is a lovely moment when the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria are reunited. It’s been too long since they were all together and its just a heart-warming moment. It shows what a good group that they are and its just a shame that Victoria isn’t used in quite the way that she should be. Patrick Troughton is on his usual fine form and I cant think of any other way to explain how good he is. He is having fun and he is thriving in being asked to play the two roles even if it must have been quite taxing.

It’s another solid episode which sadly doesn’t have the action pieces that allows Barry Letts to show us what he can do. I am quite interested to see how this story will end but I know that there is one shot that I am looking forward to. On a negative note, I think that had this story not been found then I don’t think that I would be as positive towards it because audibly there isn’t very much to get hooked onto. Visually its enjoyable and its another sound story in a season that’s been very positive.

The Enemy of the World - Episode 4

The fourth episode sees Deborah Watling and Frazer Hines on holiday. It’s quite amusing to think that whilst they were on holiday, Troughton was having to double his workload. This is where the story needs to go in a different direction to maintain interest and it definelty does that.

The scene where the Doctor, Giles Kent, Astrid & Fariah are being cornered by Benik is a great moment and its very action driven which must be due to Barry Letts’ direction. It’s the first moment that the episode that things get moving and it doesn’t stop. It’s not until the halfway mark that it really starts to goes in the new direction as Salamander decides to go all secretive and goes to a secret underground section of the base that no one knows anything about. This is a great moment because its not something that the show has attempted to do before and gives that James Bond vibe that the story had in episode one. When Salamander lands we learn that there appears to be a group of people who hiding from the radiated surface. This is a different aspect of the Salamander character so that’s three different people that Patrick Troughton has to play during these six episodes.

When we see the new side to Salamander I find myself confused to understand what I am suppose to think. On the one hand the first time I met Salamander I found myself liking him as a villain and now I find myself thinking he’s quite a nice person even though he’s pulling the wool over so many people’s eyes. Benik makes a welcome to return and he seems even more slimy than he did the first time that we saw him. The scenes that he’s on his own are great but I also enjoyed  the scenes that he had with Bruce. I cant quite make my mind up about him but there is something interesting about the  character and there is the possibility of the character being quite integral. Despite not being in it for very long it’s a shame that Fariah had to be killed off. I thought that Carmen Munroe did a relatively good job considering that there wasn’t very much to the character.

After four episodes I have found myself amazed at how another six part adventure is still maintaining my interest. It would have been so easy to just let the idea of someone looking like the Doctor as use that for six episodes but to be fair to David Whittaker, he has managed to make more out of this scenario and the supporting characters are doing well in helping the story move along. Another good episode.

The Enemy of the World - Episode 3

The third episode is the one episode out of the six that existed before the rest were discovered in October and it’s the one that I’ve seen the most so it doesn’t quite have the wow factor that the other five will/have had/have.  The plot continues with Denes’ impending trial and Salamander instantly tries to decide whether Fedorin can be trusted. It was clear that when Fedorin was given the task of poisoning Denes that he wasn’t going to go through with it because he is someone who has a conscience so it was clear that he wasn’t long for this world.

This is another episode where the supporting characters are just as memorable as the regulars. The chef is very funny and is clearly designed to be light relief in what is a relatively dark tone. Every line is delivered brilliantly and I found myself wanting more from him.  Reg Lye almost steals the entire episode even though he’s not in it very much.  George Pravda’s time in the episode ends here which is a shame because he’s a good actor and I would like for him to have been in the story more.

I think that Salamander is becoming a stronger villain. The way at the beginning that he has a hold Fedorin is quite fun to watch and considering that the Doctor doesn’t appear it means that Patrick Troughton can devote his entire time to having fun playing this role. One of my favourite Salamander moments come when Fedorin has died and Salamander states that it was suicide as if it were nothing was made even better because it was Patrick Troughton doing it. I thought that neither Frazer Hines or Deborah Watling were allowed to do anything special in this episode and instead took a back seat (as they should) to Troughton.

Towards the end we have the moment that I’ve been waiting for since the start of episode two where Bruce brings up the fact that the Doctor was with Giles Kent and Salamander doesn’t know anything about it. I think that Bruce is a useful character that pops up and helps move the story along. It’s the first time that I’ve ever felt that the story was stalling. Not completely as I still enjoyed myself but considering that all the episode was in Salamander’s palace or whatever it is, it’s surprising that they manage to do so little and not feel like the worst padding.

The Enemy of the World - Episode 2

The opening scene is quite tense and is very good because Patrick Troughton does well in his first scene as Salamander. I actually found the moment when he returned to the Doctor role quite odd. It seems like by the end of the scene the introduction and plot set up has been done so now we are going to be getting on with the action. We are introduced to a wealth of new characters. The supporting characters are impressive in this episode. I think that Benik (played by Milton Johns) is quite an interesting character. He seems like he has been given power more for who he knows rather than actual ability. Bruce is an important figure and dominates the room everywhere he goes. David Nettheim is also quite good as Fedorin although the moment where he thinks that he’s been poisoned before realising that its just a joke is a nice moment for the character. I forgot that this story features George Pravda who returns in ‘The Deadly Assassin’. He’s a great piece of casting as he’s wonderful in every story that he’s  in.

Frazer Hines gets to be quite heroic when he first encounters Salamander. After taking a back seat in the previous story he gets to make up for this. Deborah Watling returns to the sideline role though she does have a few moments where she’s quite interesting but it feels like an awfully long time since ‘The Ice Warriors’. Patrick Troughton is clearly having a wonderful time playing Salamander. The Salamander character isn’t the most menacing character that there has ever been but I still enjoy the fact that Troughton is playing two roles and there are good things about the character which make you think that he’s come out of a James Bond movie.                            

Barry Letts should be praised in this episode. The scenes where Astrid, Jamie and Victoria are filming scenes on a park bench are impressive. The background is clearly a cloth with a  projection on it but there is a scene where Jamie is seen walking toward the camera before it cuts to Astrid and Victoria. I thought it was another great moment from Letts. It helps create a nice sense that were not in a studio (even though we obviously are).

The cliffhanger has a nice feel to it with Salamander saying that Fedorin is going to be the chief witness at Denes’ trial. There are four close ups and its ends with Fedorin lowering his head as if he didn’t want to do it. It’s not as action packed as previous cliffhangers but it makes up for this by having an interesting way to end what is a rather dull final line. I’m am continuing to be impressed with this story. It’s going to be another case where a six part story actually works. I may end up eating my words.

The Enemy of the World - Episode 1

Enemy of the World is a story that until October 11^th 2013 only survived with episode intact but thankfully we now have this entire story to enjoy and the only downside is that it wont be released on DVD until November 25 and so I am will be watching this via iTunes. I decided when they came out at midnight that I would buy them as well as the DVD because I was so determined to watch them but decided to wait until I got to them in this marathon. This story is famous for featuring Patrick Troughton playing the Doctor and the main villain who resembles the Doctor. Another thing that is interesting about this story is that its directed by Barry Letts who would go onto the produce all of Jon Pertwee’s stories and also direct several episodes.

First thing is that this is a lovely feeling knowing that I am watching something that hadn’t been seen since it was transmitted back on December 23^rd 1967. The opening moments of the episode sees us realise that sea air makes the Doctor go a bit giddy. A bit of sea and he instantly wants to run to it and have a swim. This is very much was Troughton’s Doctor would do. The story is set just five years in the future (to us) and the early moments seem to suggest that the Doctor is going to be killed and for the viewer there is a question mark as to why this would be. The explanation comes quite quickly and we are explained by people want to kill him and yet others want to help him.

This is a rare instance where the Doctor is forced into a situation. He is being forced to impersonate Salamander. The attempts to make Troughton appears subtly different as Salamander are very good. All they have done really is do the hair differently and also have him talk in a Spanish accent. It’s a great performance from Troughton and there are still five more episodes to come for him to get better. Frazer Hines is back to his best again as he seems to have gone back to being number one companion and Deborah Watling goes back to being what she’s usually like.

I don’t know if I am saying this because I think that Barry Letts is a legend in Doctor Who but I think that the directing is well done in this episode. It’s directed with a pace that there hasn’t been in Doctor Who before. There is a lot of action on the beach and its clear that some money has been chucked at this story because they have managed to secure a hovercraft and a helicopter. Even if their not top of the range they must cost a pretty penny.

The cliffhanger is rather good as we get the first moment of the Doctor being Salamander and it comes after the sinister Bruce is acting like the tough man and the moment Salamander/Doctor comes out it seems like he thunder has been stolen.

A bit of statistical information for a moment so bear with me. This episode is the 46^th episode for Frazer Hines and he is now tied for 4^th place along with Peter Purves and by the end of this story he will be just one episode behind Carole Ann Ford. Also the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria combination is the second longest running in the show behind the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan which was 51 episodes long. The opening episode is really really good and I think that my dislike for six parters is going to be under strain as this six episode run has the potential to be another cracker. It’s directed well and whilst the writing isn’t as good it all works well enough to make this a great opening episode.

The Evil of the Daleks - Episode 7

After the joint second longest Dalek serial ever, we have finally reached the end. Despite it being the final episode it doesn’t exactly start in a particularly quick fashion. In fact there is a scene where they are all in the same cell and they are just talking/arguing.  After several minutes of inane chatter, the plot finally moves along again. After episodes of hearing about the Human Factor we are introduced to the idea of the Dalek Factor as Maxtible is turned into a Dalek. Maxtible’s demise was something that I was expecting in the previous episode and it happens in a rather unexpected way.

I wasn’t quite as impressed with Troughton doing a Dalek impression as I was expecting. It served a purpose so it wasn’t particularly terrible. It would have been a good sight to see the Dalek Maxtible and Dalek Doctor standing side by side. When the inevitable destruction begins it would have been a lovely sight to see as it sounds quite fantastic on audio. The fact that the story ends in quite an abrupt manner is quite good actually. The episode ending in explosion instead of all peace and tranquillity is quite a different way to end a story.

Edward Waterfield’s demise was quite well done and rather sad. It basically gave the viewer a warning that they would be seeing more of Victoria after this episode finished airing. I think that Edward Waterfield has been a rather good addition to the story and it’s just a shame really that they had to kill him off but it was needed. Maxtible has also been a good part of the story but I wasn’t so sad about his exit which I suppose is the point. The regulars (and I am including Victoria Waterfield) all did quite well with Troughton doing his best.

This was suppose to be the big send off for the Daleks as Terry Nation was going to take his creations to America to try and get their own show but Nation realised that as much as the Daleks made Doctor Who what it is, the Daleks have little value outside of the show but it would be five years before they would return to the show.

Sadly the problem with this seven part serial is that its too long and for too long there was not much happening and in a normal story its not such a problem but in a Dalek story its simply not good enough. When the story does get going it does make up for the lack of action but I think that the six parters are a bit of a doomed to fail type story and as such the final Dalek story of the 1960’s is a bit of a let down.