Fury from the Deep - Episode 6

The final episode for Victoria and it comes at the end of a story that hasn’t been helped by being just being on CD. The episode starts off with a nice little bit of continuity introducing the episode and then the episode begins and it was always going to be interesting to see how they were going to finish the story and write out Victoria in just 25 minutes.

The action starts with a lot of Victoria screaming and it turns out that her scream has an effect on the foam/seaweed. In fact it’s quite surprising that its dealt with quite quickly. It seems like they have spent so long talking and things that it seems that no sooner have they realised what can be done to stop it than they get Victoria to scream and then they play it until it stops.  It seems that the thing that Victoria has been doing for 11 months is the thing that saves the day so its nice that she departs the show on a high note. The final part of the episode dealt with Victoria’s departure and its dealt with quite nicely. Whereas in previous episodes there have been random moments where she has voiced her desire to leave and now there is a sense that some thought has been given to her deciding to stay. The Doctor and Jamie even stay an extra day to give her the opportunity to change her mind if she wished. This is the only time that I recall this happening and it allows for the sort of scene that Russell T Davies would have been proud of. We get a lovely little scene between Deborah Watling and Frazer Hines which is heartfelt and sincere. I thought that this was the nicest performance from Frazer Hines as he’s normally the joker or the action man and it was a nice scene for him to do.

So Deborah Watling departs after 39 episodes and I must say that she’s not as bad as I had thought. I think that sometimes she’s been badly written for and a few times she gets to do some good stuff but sadly those moments were few and far between. The Victorian girl did the best that she could and to be honest you cant blame Deborah Watling for wanting to leave at the first opportunity, I doubt anyone would want to put up with another year of inconsistent writing.

Whilst its not the best story of the fifth season, its certainly not the worst. I think that there are things to like about the previous six episodes and this one in particular but I think that it just doesn’t quite stand up to other stories such as The Tomb of the Cybermen or even Enemy of the World. The performances have been perfectly fine and I think that had this one existed to some degree on DVD then I would probably enjoy this more but sadly at the moment this isn’t the case and my abiding memory of this story is of the heart beating noise. Now we are about to see another Cyberman story and also the introduction of Zoe.

Fury from the Deep - Episode 5

The penultimate instalment of this story and whilst I cant say that I’ve loved this story or even liked it, its hard for me to really lay into it like I did with ‘The Web Planet’ or something equally as bad. I think that the bonkers idea of killer seaweed and the music help. There is a shift in style and tone in the fifth episode which is what is needed to extend the life of the story.

There is another bout of Victoria talking about leaving their current surrounding which continues laying the groundwork for her departure. It might come across as whinging but to be honest I would rather it be like this than the weird way that Louise Jameson would be written out as Leela. She is taken by Robson in the helicopter and it does feel like Victoria could be put in genuine risk. Deborah Watling doesn’t seem to have a great deal to do otherwise so talking about how she wants to leave mid-adventure and being captured are the two things that she is given to do and she does it rather well. I like Patrick Troughton’s performance in this episode as it doesn’t have the bravado that it normally does and there is the smallest hint that the Doctor doesn’t seem as confident of things as he normally would and that’s a nice to thing to have in the Doctor once in a while.

There was a line from Patrick Troughton which I found quite amusing and it’s when he says “Under control of the weed” which being the 1960’s is possibly a statement about Victor Pemberton. There’s also a moment when someone says “Miss Jones” in a way that made me chuckle because all I could think was of Leonard Rossiter in Rising Damp. Another good line comes when Jamie talks about staying out of the lions den and the Doctor comments that “were already in the lions den. What we’ve got to concentrate on is keeping our heads out of its mouth” It’s the first time that the script has seemingly had anything approaching this level of funny and witty dialogue as until now its felt rather generic. Not that that’s a bad thing but it doesn’t really go with the setting of the story.

I think that for some strange reason, this episode is stronger than the previous one (or even two). I cant put my finger on it but there is something about it that grabbed my attention. I suppose that it could be that for the first time it feels like the action is starting to take control of the story instead of just standing around being quizzical about the seaweed.  The music and Frazer Hines’ narration help feel like the pacing has had a shot of adrenaline all of a sudden. The introduction of a helicopter is a surprise and it’s the second time in three stories that a helicopter has featured in Doctor Who which bearing in mind we hadn’t had one before ‘Enemy of the World’ is a fact worth pointing out.

Fury from the Deep - Episode 4

I was thinking that the cliffhanger involving Maggie and Robson must have been difficult for June Murphy to do. In my mind it’s a really quite creepy and effective cliffhanger and it would be easy to believe that it’s probably the best that the episodes going to get. We get more of Victoria’s exit preparation with a small scene between Victoria and Jamie where Jamie is trying to convince her that things will be sorted out in the end and they will be on their merry way. Victoria isn’t convinced and it isn’t helped when she is talking to the Doctor moments later and she’s listing off all the evils that they have encountered and the Doctor chips in with Yeti and I thought that the argument was already lost without the Doctor added to the defeat. This is a very despondent Victoria and it’s not one that we have seen before.

There is a moment where Jamie thinks that Victoria has died and it’s such a lovely moment because it shows how close they have become but that is that main thing about this episode. The seaweed story is sort of little interest to me as Victoria’s sudden yet noticeable mood change is much more interesting. Don’t get me wrong there is a bit more action to the seaweed menace than we have had in previous episodes but to be honest it got sunk by the few scenes that Victoria is clearly contemplating her future.

The fact that I can only really say that the departure of a companion is the most exciting thing that I can get from these audios at the moment. This has to be the weakest episode of the story so far and that is because the main plot of the story is the least exciting thing about it at the moment. Unlike the Abominable Snowmen where I really couldn’t wait to get to the end of the story, I don’t feel the same way as I think that what this story has that the first Yeti story didn’t is that they’ve taken the time to develop the companions.

Fury from the Deep - Episode 3

Today is the 200^th episode of Doctor Who. It’s an impressive achievement and the 100^th episode came in the middle of ‘The Daleks Master Plan’ and so felt like a bit of a celebration whereas here in episode 200 we just get the Doctor fighting some seaweed. There is a moment when the idea that the seaweed is feeding of the gas from the North Sea and giving off toxic gas is quite a big one when you consider how much gas there must have been in 1968. There seems to have been a return to form from the first episode where not much seems to happen. I say this as my attention was drifting again and I wondered what happened to the pace from the previous episode.

I’ve not noticed before but Jamie seems to sneeze before they notice the seaweed/foam. Don’t know whether this happened before episode three or even whether it was something suggested by the cast but it doesn’t really seem like a particularly good idea because it cheapens what’s going on. The music is doing its best to keep my interest but I’m struggling. To be positive about this story I must say that this is the story that has suited being on audio.

Finally we get the start of Victoria’s departure from the show when she’s quite vocal about always being in trouble and this is the first time that she’s shown any sort of desire to leave and quite why its taken until episode three is a mystery. Deborah Watling puts in a good performance for the first time for several episodes and its probably the wise thing for her to leave the show because she’s been inconstantly used since she appeared in episode two of ‘Evil of the Daleks’. The only thing that Frazer Hines does in this episode is sneeze which is the sort of thing I would have expected to be given to Deborah Watling. Patrick Troughton does seem to be walking through these episodes but being him he makes it better that what’s clearly on the page.

The only moment that is quite good is the end where Maggie and Robson stand by the sea and Maggie walks into the sea and keeps going until she is completely submerged in the sea. This is a cliffhanger and a half which would have been really creepy were it on DVD. It’s clear that I would be enjoying this story more ahd it been on DVD but as it is I must say that I am finding this story rather flat and only the sound effects are keeping me interested. Hopefully more will come from Deborah Watling and she will get the ending that perhaps she should be given but I doubt it.

Fury from the Deep - Episode 2

The second episode is where the seaweed becomes a proper menace to the story and due to the fact that this is on CD it’s quite fortunate that the presence of this is noted by a rather hypnotic sound effect. I’m struggling to find things to write about this episode because I think that my attention drops during these ‘lost’ episodes and its not because I have something against audio because anyone who visits my blog knows that a good majority of the reviews that I have posted are Big Finish audios so its not that. It’s just that these are all things that were designed for TV and so despite the fine attempt from Frazer Hines, I just find my attention drifting. I pointed out that this was Victoria’s last story and there is still to be any indication that this is the case because she continues to act like she normally does.

The idea of seaweed being a threat is a bonkers one but as I pointed out in the previous episode, only in Doctor Who could they get away with this and it’s the only good thing that I can take from this story so far. The music and the heartbeat throbbing sound effect is the other thing but apart from that there are few positives to take from this. Not even the regulars are given enough to do. There is a moment which does exist on some DVD because it features Mr Oak and Mr Quill and they are under the effect of the seaweed and there is a moment where Mr Quill opens his mouth and attacks Maggie. It’s moments like this that makes me annoyed that this doesn’t exist on TV.

I’m still not totally won over with this story and I think that the next four episodes will continue to be a struggle but I think that this episode is far better than the first. For one there is a proper menace and there seems to be a nice sense of things going completely wrong. It does feel like the story is moving on but it’s difficult to sit through when there is nothing to look at. The cliffhanger is slightly disappointing as it just ended with Robson saying quite ominously that “its down there. In the darkness. In the pipeline. Waiting…” That’s a good line but it just feels like it’s the end of a normal scene not the end of an episode. I’m still waiting for the big scene to come that will grab my attention and prove to me that this is another great six parter but at the moment it just feels like I’m going through the motions and the goodwill that I was getting from watching the last three stories is starting to ebb away.

Fury from the Deep - Episode 1

Fury from the Deep is the final story to feature Victoria Waterfield but more importantly it’s the story which introduces the Sonic Screwdriver for the first time. For the second time in three stories, the TARDIS arrives on the coast on Earth and there is a bit of dialogue from Victoria and Jamie about how the TARDIS seems to be coming here on purpose. This might have been deliberate by Victor Pemberton because other would have realised this fact. The way that the sonic screwdriver is introduced is as subtle as you would want it but considering how important a part it plays in the show it seems like a very low key debut.

This story is basically playing with the idea of Seaweed going bad. Now I have never been a big fan of seaweed and so normally I wouldn’t warm to the idea but I think that in the context of Doctor Who it works. Only in Doctor Who could they get away with this. The problem with this opening episode is that it doesn’t seem to have the fizz that ‘The Web of Fear’ and ‘Enemy of the World’ had. In particular the last of those titles is what I would compare when talking about this episode because the opening episode had a lot of action and that was largely due to Barry Letts. This story is directed by Hugh David who previously directed ‘The Highlanders’ so we are definitely not going to get an action packed feel to it. Even if it were a James Bond script this wouldn’t help matters.

As this is Deborah Watling’s last story I would expect that Victor Pemberton would be allowed to begin paving the way for her exit. She is given some good stuff to do compared with ‘The Web of Fear’ where she picks locks and goes against what the Doctor has told her. I couldn’t tell you really what Frazer Hines was doing during this episode and Patrick Troughton doesn’t have a great deal to do either.

Another bit of stats information. This is Patrick Troughton’s 63^rd episode as the Doctor (excluding the episodes he has missed). This is also Frazer Hines’ 57^th episode as Jamie and he is the third longest serving companion in the show and is 17 episodes behind Jacqueline Hill and 20 behind William Russell and with another season to go its clear that he will become the longest serving companion before the sixth season ends. Finally this is the fourth six part story in a row, though based on this opening episode and the fact that its on audio does mean that the good run that the show has been experiencing may be coming to an end.

As for the cliffhanger, it’s only redeemed by the fact that Deborah Watling’s screaming which is loud and then goes worryingly quiet at the end. It’s almost like Watling herself has been really attacked by proper seaweed. Apart from that it’s an normal cliffhanger to a normal episode. It doesn’t have any of the good points of the previous two stories and I worry that the fact that none of the six episodes will be any good which is pretty much how I think of ‘The Abominable Snowmen’ and it’s a shame really because the form so far has been quite good.

The Web of Fear - Episode 6

The final episode sees us find out who is working with the great intelligence. I’m usually rubbish at guessing who the person is so I don’t tend to guess but usually it’s the person that’s least obvious. The one that hides in plain sight are the ones that it tends to be so it wont be Evans or Chorley. In this episode we finally get to see the Yeti’s base for the first time. It’s also the first time for a few episodes that we have seen Chorley and when we do see him he doesn’t act like he’s been running around the tunnels for ages. After a lot of running around and the Doctor and Ann hiding the fact that they control one of the Yeti from the others, we finally get to see who has been used by the Great Intelligence but its not a straight forward thing as there is a bit of a mini red herring because Chorley is firstly accused before the true figure was revealed.

Arnold is the one being revealed as working for the Great intelligence and its actually quite a logical choice because he’s been in plain sight and hasn’t been right in the centre of suspicion like Chorley has. Quite amusingly, Arnold’s accent goes from a cockney to the Queens English. It’s a shame though we he dies because you feel that he wasn’t really in full possession of his own body and what we saw of the character before this was quite nice and fun and so his death was quite sad. Though I suppose the fact that it bothers me like this means that the character worked and that’s always a good sign. The performances are all pretty good but I still think that the best pairing in the story is the one between Ann and the Doctor which makes her not joining the TARDIS crew even harder to get over.

There’s a fun line where the Doctor hopes that Jamie doesn’t suffer from claustrophobia and its obvious that he doesn’t considering he’s spent the last five episode in the tunnels and very small room. In one shot there seemed to be a bit of product placement with a poster for a film called Blockbusters starring Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier but this film doesn’t seem to exist. However according to IMDB the same poster that appears in episode six is the same on that on IMDB is called ‘In The Heat of the Night’ was released in 1967 so that rule about Earth stories or UNIT stories being set five years in advance would seem a little wrong here.

The big action sequence with the Yetis attacking each other is a little disappointing and is by far the least interesting part. The Doctor wanted to effectively stop it but due to Jamie’s eagerness the ‘connection’ has been cut off. I would have liked to see more in this set because it was the most modern bit of the set that we have had and it was quite a nice looking one with lots of space and light. I thought it was a slightly disappointing ending to the story. I suppose that there wasn’t much they could do once it was said that that Arnold wasn’t really aware of what he was doing. I just wish that they had done more in that final part of the episode. That said overall it was a good story, I think that they managed to keep the interest in the story going by switching the potential candidates and also by using the Yeti effectively. That’s it for the recently found episodes and I think that they have helped make the stories better than they were on audio. I think that this story benefited more from being on audio due to the claustrophobic nature of the story. Sadly that’s it for full stories on dvd/itunes for the fifth season as we are about to say goodbye to Victoria Waterfield.

The Web of Fear - Episode 5

The first four minutes are taken with the possessed Professor Travers explaining the Great Intelligence’s plans and gives the Doctor an ultimatum. This is a good moment because it sets up the next two episodes. It seems like the balance of storytelling has shifted from finding out who is working with the Yeti to firmly dealing with their plan. There are two teams in this episode, the Doctor and Ann Travers and Jamie with the Colonel. Every time I write Colonel in relation to Lethbridge-Stewart, I instinctively want to writer Brigadier. The Colonel and Jamie part is the more action packed

I like how the Doctor and Ann are working together in a way that seems to show us that the Doctor works with a scientist like a companion. Even to the point where Ann defends the Doctor when Lethbridge-Stewart and Jamie have a go at them for not achieving very much. I think that she could have become a very good companion as she’s not as brainy as Liz but is still smart enough to be useful in the show.

Evans does something which isn’t like him at the beginning of the episode and suggests that they give up the Doctor. Yet later in the episode he goes back to his comedic self. It’s like they couldn’t make up their mind about what they want the character to be like. He’s still thought of as the traitor even when Chorley’s name is mentioned it doesn’t seem to have the same weight to it as it does when Evans is pretty much accused. Colonel Lethbridge Stewart is barking orders out like a Brigadier. He continues to be one of the best supporting characters in the story and Nicholas Courtney is clearly enjoying himself. He doesn’t have the same action that he didn in the previous episode but he’s still dominant in the scenes that he’s in.

Victoria does something quite clever and drops things to leave a trail for the others. She then spends the rest of the episode with her dad…er I mean with Professor Travers. She doesn’t do very much until Travers becomes dispossessed and seems to get something to do but sadly its too little too late. Jamie has a slightly better time but unfortunately he’s next to Lethbridge-Stewart that he kind of gets sidelined.

The cliffhanger is quite good with the effect of the smoke breaking down a wall and into a room looking effective. It’s a good episode but doesn’t seem to have the same energy that the previous episode did which means that no matter what they did in this episode was always going to look a little dull in comparison. Still a good story though and the final episode should tie things up nicely.

The Web of Fear - Episode 4

Now that we are back to the proper episode we get to see the exciting cliffhanger from episode three and it was rather good. This is the first time that we get to see Nicholas Courtney walking and talking. There is more stuff to do with the Yeti and their dastardly plans in this episode which is nice. It’s seven minutes before the business of the traitor is mentioned. This week it’s Evans who is treated as te one who might be working against them. They create impression by certain things going on like the web from his tobacco tin disappearing. This is the first time in the story that the Yeti have been active in any proper way. This is the first time that I have really got a good idea as to how mobile they are. They don’t find it too difficult to move and they can be quite aggressive and physical. To add to that their web guns are effective and it shows what a good villain they are.

I like how when the Doctor tells the Colonel about the TARDIS he believes it as fact even though he must have a slight bit of doubt. He has another great moment when he encounters Yeti on the streets of London. Using the Cybermen music for this the effect shows that this is UNIT in all but name. There’s a moment where Lethbridge-Stewart and another soldier are quite clever by hiding on top of some boxes though the soldier does come a cropper but its still a good idea. Patrick Troughton puts in a good performance with similarly good offerings from Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling though I don’t think that they did anything really special in this episode.

I don’t know if this is what everyone thinks but there are moments where Anne Travers (Tina Packer) bears a slight resemblance to Jemma Redgrave’s Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. It seems strange to see her emotional as she’s been very straight face up until this point but its understandable. I quite like the character of Ann and think that both she and Professor Travers are a good addition to this story. The cliffhanger is clearly designed to imply that its Professor Travers that has been working with the Yeti and planted the homing devices. It’s a better episode the number three. I’m liking how they are keeping the suspicion going and mixing it in with the Yeti. But with two more episode yet to see, this is turning out to be another good story and also a better Yeti story than ‘The Abominable Snowmen’.

The Web of Fear - Episode 3

This episode is the only one that doesn’t exist sadly. However it does come with telesnaps. This is the episode where Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart makes his first appearance and Nicholas Courtney’s first appearance since ‘The Daleks Master Plan’ where Sara Kingdom killed her. The first thing that should be explained is how and why Lethbridge-Stewart is down there. He is now in charge which is pretty much the course for next 21 years. After being on holiday last week, Patrick Troughton returns and uses the line that he was knocked out from the explosion. This was a throwaway line to explain it and I thought that at least they tried.

The plot doesn’t really move away from figuring out who’s working against the army. The finger of suspicion has moved away from the Doctor and now comes the thing that I like about this story and it’s the air of uncertainty that exists. Who is working with the Great Intelligence? There are several potential people who could be working with them and this episode seems to have decided to point the finger at Chorley and this is done because he is acting even stranger than usual. Even Lethbridge-Stewart is under suspicion so that will be the theme for the next couple of episode.

Nicholas Courtney is brilliant from the moment he first appears and instantly carries the authority with him. He might be in the cockney army but he’s managed to insert his authority and does it quite quickly and he shows the sign of a diplomat when he tries to be all smiles to Chorley. The rest of the performances were all quite good and I think that Chorley is becoming a strong character along with the Travers’. Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines are quite good in this episode yet the only thing that Deborah Watling gets to do is to tell Chorley about the TARDIS and annoying the Doctor. This seems that its back to normal in terms of the way people are treated in the story.

I must comment on the telesnaps episode. I think that it’s well done and as I am watching it on iTunes I think that despite not having any narration it is still enjoyable. There is only one moment where text is needed to explain what’s going on but that its. I think that it was well done and I did enjoy it. I don’t think it’s the best episode of the story so far but I think that it’s got enough going for it to help me enjoy it.

The Web of Fear - Episode 2

With episode one already found before the rest were back in October 2013, this is the first of the newly found episodes and it’s also where the story starts to pick up. Within the first two minutes of the episode, suspicions are raised as to what Jamie and Victoria are there for. There is no Patrick Troughton who’s on holiday in this episode so this allows the army, the Travers and Jamie and Victoria to cover his absence and it also allows suspicion to be aimed at the Doctor which would only work because he’s not there.

So that the entire story isn’t filled with army characters they have added Chorley. Chorley is the journalist and is quite keen to get the dirt of the situation but not to put his backside in danger. His best scene comes when he gets into a verbal altercation with Ann Travers and they have a discussion about the morals of journalism which still rings true today. Ann is quite good as well as she’s a no nonsense person who is the complete opposite to Victoria. It’s a nice balance between the two. This is the episode where Travers is reunited with Victoria and Jamie and its surprising that its Victoria that realised this. It was good though to see Deborah Watling reunited with her father. After this both Travers become more mellow and likeable and they become the ones to believe that the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria aren’t in league with the Yeti. Speaking of the Yeti they are far more active in this episode than the previous one. There is a rather good shoot-out with them.

The army soldiers are all cockneys and its quite amusing. There are only a few of them with speaking parts and they are all quite good and this helped get over the fact that there were so many army people and that we are missing Nicholas Courtney. There is a new army character introduced in the form of a chap called simply Driver Evans (according to Wikipedia). Evans is a Welsh soldier that somehow finds his way into the tunnels. The explanation he gives is rather implausible and I think that a better way could have been found to introduce the character.

There is another good cliffhanger with the tunnel being filled with foam. It’s a bonkers way to end the episode and I thought that it was quite a clever way to end the episode. Overall I think that the lack of Troughton has hurt the episode somewhat. When Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling go on holiday (like they did in Enemy of the World) then their absence doesn’t have so much of an effect on the story but this time Troughtons vanishing act hasn’t been a good thing. Anyway he’s back in the next episode and so does another Doctor Who legend.

The Web of Fear - Episode 1

Today is the 50^th Anniversary since An Unearthly Child aired on BBC 1 (or BBC as it was back then) and I watch this opening episode of the Yeti’s return immediately after so I’m in a wonderful mood. This is another of the lost stories found recently and it resumes after Salamander got sucked out of the TARDIS. I am surprised that the Yeti returned so soon, not even the Daleks managed that. I wasn’t impressed with ‘The Abominable Snowmen’ which I think was because it was on CD (apart from one episode). This story takes place 30 years after the events of the first story and we are introduced to Ann Travers who is the daughter of Professor Travers. This story returns to the under siege type of story which are ones that I enjoy and another thing that’s interesting about this story is that it is effectively a pilot for the UNIT crew.

When the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive on Earth they find themselves on the London Underground and one man playing a corpse effectively announces that London is a ghost town and that’s as far out as we get. One thing that I am impressed with is the set that they use for the underground. It’s not very big but the lack of light helps create a wonderful sense that they are in the underground. The usual stuff happens in this episode as the Doctor becomes separated from Victoria and Jamie.

It’s quite good how Jamie and Victoria believe that they are helping the Doctor by not telling the officers that the Doctor was with them until they realise that the tunnel is about to be blown up. They don’t know that the Doctor is ok (or is he?). I think that Jamie and Victoria are both equal in this episode though I liked their opening scene in the TARDIS as they were all one nice big family. It must seem weird to Patrick Troughton to only have to play one role and not wear so much make up.

The Yeti are used lightly and rather effectively. Apart from the bit at the beginning where it didn’t move and when it sprayed the explosives it didn’t have much involvement in proceedings.

The cliffhanger is quite good and it looks quite good to see the explosions covered in cobwebs flashing in rather a slow way. It’s a good opening episode which shows that its going to be very different from ‘The Abominable Snowmen’ and that might be a good thing. Everything is in place to make this another six part story that will work quite well. Only time will tell I suppose.

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 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 Ice Warriors - 6

The final episode sees the story reach a natural end. Normally I would expect the episode to try and salvage the story but it didn’t need to do that as I think that this story has impressed me enough. The episode had a simple job to do and it did it quite well and what I liked was how it didn’t feel like they padded it or were rushing through the 25 minutes.

I liked how it was Penley who raised the temperature and the Doctor caused everyone to have a massive earache. It was a nice double act that shows why the character of Penley was so good but to single out Penley would be a disservice to the rest of the supporting characters who have all been solid in their own way.

It’s just dawned on me how much Victoria’s outfit in this story must have inspired Peter Jackson when dressing the Hobbits in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. She continues her good run (for what time shes in it) and this has to have been her best story since she joined the show. I’m was getting bored of Jamie not doing very much he only benefits when Victoria disappears off screen.  Frazer Hines has done well with playing second fiddle to Deborah Watling but I suspect that he knows that this is a short term measure. Not that I’m saying that Hines was trying to hog the limelight but its usually the case that Jamie gets the better slice of the action pie than Victoria. Deborah Watling appears for the first half of the story before disappearing with pre-recorded dialogue and some good acting by Patrick Troughton. Not quite sure why they didn’t just write her out of the episode completely but I suppose they didn’t think of that.

The scene where the Warriors storm into Clent control room is simple, short and effective. I quite enjoyed it and I am impressed that they waited until episode six before Hayles did this. Clent gets more action in this episode than in the previous five and I also liked the bit at the end where there was a sense of humility when he’s talking to Penley. The ending is rather abrupt though which is a shame as we don’t even get a scene with the Doctor, Jamie and an off screen Victoria entering the TARDIS.

I think that this is the strongest Patrick Troughton story and I say that as a massive fan of The Tomb of the Cybermen. I think that is been consistently strong and has proved the exception to the rule about six parters being a bit rubbish.  I am really looking forward the next story as its Enemy of the World and I will be watching this for the first time ever and then there’s Web of Fear after that so the next twelve days are going to be a treat.

The Ice Warriors - 5

The penultimate episode starts off with a nice directed reprise of the previous episode. It allows the camera to show the Ice Warrior on the screen and the Doctor in the same shot. It’s always good I think when they decide to reshoot it instead of just replaying it and that’s because they can put a difference emphasis on something without actually changing the tone of the moment.

Jamie starts the episode being pulled along by Wallace. Both of them spend the early part of the episode trying to avoid being eaten by a bear. Again he’s being given the short straw and Victoria continues to be the better of the two. There’s a nice moment when she pleads with the Doctor not to help the Ice Warriors even though it would mean the end of her life. What a difference a story makes because normally it would be the other way around and I am liking how well Victoria is being used in this story and whilst its at the cost of Jamie, its good to see Deborah Watling elevated above her usual position. Patrick Troughton is also on good form and I love how he uses a stink bomb to try and escape. There is no way that William Hartnell would have done this but that’s what makes Troughton’s Doctor so good.

I like how Clent seems to have had a conscience operation between the previous episode and this one. He seems to be letting his emotions show a bit more. However this is a short term thing as he soon’s stops thinking emotionally and more coldly. My favourite scene of the episode comes from Penley’s interaction with Clent and one particular line where Clent says that he might be a physical coward but Penley is a coward of the mind. It’s a great line and I think that it sums up both of them perfectly. I love it when these moments come out of nowhere. Penley seems to have got better since the death of Storr which is a good thing

The thing about this episode is that it didn’t seem to have the same sort of zip that the previous ones did. That doesn’t mean that it was a terrible episode because it wasn’t. I thought that there was plenty to enjoy but I think that it was inevitable that this was going to happen but I think that it builds up to the final episode rather well and I think that this story is just behind Tomb of the Cybermen in terms of top Troughton Series Five stories.

 

The Ice Warriors - 4

Back to the live action episodes and its quite an odd thing that after it seemed like the Ice Warriors were going to kill Victoria from behind that they suddenly decide not to. The Ice Warriors think that the Ioniser is a weapon against them instead of just a way of melting the ice. This is the first time that I can remember a purpose for what is going on. Quite why it’s taken until episode four for this to happen I don’t know but at least it gives some credibility to the Ice Warriors’ motives.

Victoria gets to do something quite brave and different from her usual screaming and whining.  She has to try and not get caught by the Ice Warriors and just gets on with it. This is the best that I have seen/heard from the character since she first appeared. The chase between Victoria and the Ice Warrior was quite well done. Even towards the end when she is trapped by the snow and the Ice Warrior and cries out for a long time I still thought that it was a good performance from Deborah Watling.

Something I haven’t commented on was the double act between Peter Sallis (voice of Wallace in Wallace and Gromit) and Angus Lennie who play Penley and Storr respectively. Even though they only feature briefly in each episode their performances are fun and entertaining. I can’t help look at Sallis and think of his role in the BBC comedy ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. Penley is the more likeable of the two whereas Storr seems rather mad and I get the feeling that this is a bit of a red herring. Storr’s death was a bit of a shame really as I thought that the double act was working quite well.

Troughton is very good from start to finish. When Clent is being rather rude to Victoria he is quite calm and polite to her. Then there is the moment when he is using the weird machine and he says he desperately wants it and it turns out to be water. The comedic tone was quite good and the only thing missing was Jamie. Speaking of Jamie it’s a shame that he’s given a redundant role in this episode as he is getting over his trauma. I expected him to start talking about the phantom piper like he did back in ‘The Moonbase’.

The cliffhanger is rather good as the Doctor is put in danger and instead of just cutting away from him we get to see the Doctor’s panic expression as the credits start to roll was a nice way to end the episode. Not sure whether it was intended to end like that or not but either way I thought that the cliffhanger worked and overall the episode was rather good. I think that of the six parters that we have had, this has to be the strongest so far because I don’t feel bored and think that with two more episodes there is plenty that could be done so I am liking The Ice Warriors.