(602) The Five Doctors

When the Three Doctors aired to celebrate the shows 10^th anniversary, it was done quite well and it had one simple premise with the three Doctors and a few of the regular companions. Fast forward 10 years and the show has progressed a lot since then. This episode got its world premiere on American TV and formed part of the BBC’s Children in Need night. There are a couple of problems before the story even starts and that Tom Baker isn’t in it because I imagine that as he only left two years before that enough time hadn’t passed by. Also William Hartnell had died eight years before so they decided to recast him with someone who looked like him.

The ‘episode’ starts off with a brief clip from The Dalek Invasion of Earth with the William Hartnell speech that he gives to Susan. It is almost as if they are highlighting the fact that the person that is playing the First Doctor isn’t the real one. In fact Richard Hurndall is the first of the Doctor to be picked up. Richard Hurndall does a fairly good job in what must have been an impossible postion to be put in. He was never going to convince us that he was trying to do William Hartnell but he does enough to make me appreciate that they tried to get around a problem in the best intended way possible.

The scoop effect is rather poor and looks a bit lazy really. Hurdnall’s happens when he is walking in a garden. The one with the second Doctor and the Brigadier is better. I think the one used for the special edition is much better but that’s with the advancement of about 25 years’ worth of technology.

The return of the Brigadier seems a lot better than in Mawdryn Undead. I like how he gets to spend most of his time with Patrick Troughton’s Doctor. The Brigadier is perhaps more associated with the third Doctor, I like how they work together on screen and I am reminded of such stories as The Invasion and The Web of Fear. The brief appearance of Jamie and Zoe is quite nice even if Zoe is wearing a bubble dress. Their appearance is rumbled when the Doctor reminds us that Jamie and Zoe had their minds erased which is true.

This episode sees the return David Saville to Doctor Who after playing Carstairs in The War Games. It was more of a cameo and I do wonder whether they realised this when they put him in but it was fun for the fans to watch. The “You’ve had this place redecorated….Dont like it!” seems to have become a bit of a running joke because it pops up in the 50^th Anniversary special.

Jon Pertwee is doing his action bit from the moment that he appears on screen. He has missed a beat since he left the show 221 episodes ago. The opening scene between the third Doctor and the Master is quite good because the Doctor is still very distrusting and even though Pertwee had some great chemistry with Roger Delgado’s Master. It seems that things don’t change even if the actor does.The Third Doctor gets to slide along a rope to get to the tower. There is no way that the other Doctors would do. Pertwee is just brilliant in this story and he gives it the same enthusiasm as he did when he was the main man. The brief reunion of the Third Doctor, Mike Yates and Liz Shaw is a good one that is used to keep the Doctor from progressing in the chamber. Sadly its ended with Liz doing a rather odd deliver of ‘stop him’.

Elisabeth Sladen returns to the show with K9. This is where people get confused because they assume that they were both together during Sarah Jane’s time on the show but it was only in the 1981 K9 special and this story that this happened. The reunion of the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane is slightly undermined by the Doctor trying to pull Sarah Jane up small incline. My back garden is steeper than the one in this scene.

There are clips from the transmitted story Shada used to at least have Tom Baker appear in the 20^th Anniversary. A plausible point is used to explain why the Fourth Doctor isn’t used in the story.

The Master’s first scene is quite good as the idea of the Doctor being requested by the Timelords is something that would have been expected and then the Master is left perplexed when he is asked to help the Doctor. After a while he does look like he wish he hadn’t bothered when he gets knocked by two Doctors. His plan to work with the Cybermen is quite clever and its clear that things aren’t going well in this partnership. He is going to use the Cybermen to his own ends but its clear that whilst he’s smarter than the Cybermen he still hasn’t got the nack of thinking his long term plans through. Sadly after a punch from the Brigadier, he is left to have a bit of a kip of the floor.

It doesn’t seem like Susan has really grown up in the 19 years since she left the Doctor. She manages to twist her ankle running along and it seems like we are back in 1964. She is then reduced to being stuck in the TARDIS with Turlough and this is a problem with this story and that there are too many companions and not enough for them to do.

The brief appearance of the Dalek is a bit of a shame really when you consider that the show wouldn’t have got to the 20^th year without the Daleks so they deserve a better role in this story. The first appearance of the Cybermen is very atmospheric. They get a better deal in this story. There is one shot when they are approaching the Fifth Doctor and the Master and Peter Moffatt did a great job with this. The Raston Robot is a brilliant creation and one that is used to superb effect. It’s a simple creature and one that doesn’t do a lot yet manages to create a lot of carnage. It’s attack on the Cybermen is one of the best scenes in this story. This sequence only last about a minute but is incredibly violent for a Doctor Who story.

I like the idea that the story takes place on Gallifrey as it seems right to use this setting for the 20^th Anniversary of the show. The Timelords are an interesting if yet flawed race and it seems quite obvious that they would do a treachery style story for Gallifrey. There is a scene which is funny to me. “No not the mind probe” is a line that Paul Jericho delivers quite well and yet everytime I hear it I find it amusing.

I like how the Doctors seem to be on their own individual storylines that over the course of the story start merging into one. The Fifth Doctor (you thought I had forgotten about him didn’t you!) seems to have been given the role of trying to figure out who the traitor to Gallifrey is. The traitor turns out to be the President. He has done this to get immortality. He has clearly gone mad because he’s gone from wearing white to black. This is the most important plot strand so its not surprising really that he gets to do this but it’s a shame that he stuck for an awfully long time waiting before he figures out that there is a spare room.

The three Doctors don’t meet until 20 minutes before the end which is perhaps the right way of doing things. Whilst the Doctors are working together, its nice to see the Brigadier, Sarah Jane Smith and Tegan. The big scene takes place in the tomb of Rassilon and whoever removes a ring gets immortality. If I have learnt one thing from TV, its that immortality isn’t a great as it sounds. The President gets his chance at immortality thanks to the first Doctor speaking up him even though the others said the opposite. He ends up being part of the tomb which must be a horrible way to live.

The final line about running away in an run down TARDIS away from his own people being “How it started” is a nice way to end this adventure. I am a little confused as to how I feel about this because on the one hand it was a nice story but on the other hand there are way too many characters in the piece and as a result it slightly makes the end result a little bit odd. I think that there are some good things in it and the running time is one of them. They could have done four 25 minute episodes but the feature length running time allows the story to progress at a nice pace and Terrance Dicks did a great job of writing a story and Peter Moffatt did an equally great job in directing.

To end this review I would just like to point out that there is just one season of Peter Davison’s era left. That has gone quick although there is one or two stories that I must endure before I get to arguably one of the finest stories in Doctor Who history, The Caves of Androzani.

Planet of the Spiders - Episode 6

So this is it, after 128 Jon Pertwee bows out of the show which very nearly could have ended after his first season. The show has gone under a tremendous transformation over the past four seasons and whilst this season hasn’t been the finest, one thing for sure is that it’s going to end on the sort of high note that Pertwee deserves. I don’t know why but it feels like the cliffhanger goes on for even longer than in previous episodes. The stuff where Lupton’s goons are shooting at Tommy appears at the five minutes mark.

The shot of Sarah Jane shooting the Doctor and him reacting is one of the most played clips from the 3^rd Doctor’s era. Elisabeth Sladen doesn’t really have much of a purpose in this episode and that is because it is all about Jon Pertwee and what involvement she does have in the episode is strong and she has done really well in her first season on the show. Due to the nature of the episode, Lupton doesn’t have quite the impact that he had in previous episodes which is a shame because I really have liked the character.

The fact that the Doctor never really shares a scene with the Great One would normally be one that causes some annoyance to me but I think that due to Pertwee’s performance and the awesome sight of the Great One model, it works really well and is the epic final scene that the story deserved. Had Roger Delgado not being killed then the Master would have featured in this story and I would like to think that there would have been an equally great scene. As it is, the final scene ends with the Great One falling victim to her own plan and it is perhaps the best way for this part of the story to end.

The final scene is lovely and its odd that it starts quite slowly with the Brigadier and Sarah Jane talking about if the Doctor would come back. When the Doctor does return he instantly falls to the floor and utters these words “While there life theres….”. I like this scene not only because it’s so sombre and well acted by everyone but that it involves those that it features the Brigadier who was in Pertwee’s first episode and it does feel like a goodbye between two friends.

This episode marks the final appearance of Mike Yates and I think that he has been really good in this season and in particular ‘Invasion of the Dinosaurs’. This serial was more of a redemption that anything else and it was a good story for him and Richard Franklin has been one of the unsung heroes of the UNIT family and whilst Benton takes a lot of the glory due to his goofyness, Franklin has done some good stuff during his time on the show.

The actual regeneration is rather ordinary and I couldn’t help but notice that when Tom Baker finally makes his appearance, that he looks a lot like Tom Jones. I don’t know who or whether that was what they were intending (doubt that very much) but I think that considering Jon Pertwee’s involvement and contribution to the show seems like a bit of an anti-climax. One thing is for sure, whilst we have been witness to some truly classic moments in Doctor Who we are about to enter a whole load of more iconic moments and this week it was revealed that Tom Baker was voted the favourite Doctor from the first 50 years of Doctor Who and I am about to find out why. As much as I have enjoyed the Pertwee era I must say that I am looking forward to the Tom Baker era.

Planet of the Spiders - Episode 5

After the rather disappointing cliffhanger, it didn’t take long for the episode to get back going and considering that this is the penultimate episode it’s has to move the plot along to just the right point to have an epic final episode. The thing that is noticeable about this episode is that there isn’t a particular trait that would show an aspect of the Pertwee era. There is no Bond chase sequence and no fight sequence. The Doctor manages to be put (somehow) into a cocoon and escape within the first couple of minutes. I do find the way that the Doctor escapes to be quite fun. I don’t quite know why he does free the bloke that he’s trapped with.

The scene where Sarah Jane is talking to the spider is a creepy. This is the episode where the spider jumps on Sarah’s back and also on other peoples back and its still a good effect and also a creepy idea that could be these eight legged disciples of evil on people’s back. I like how the spider that’s on Sarah Jane’s back affects her in the way that it does. It’s the first time that Sarah Jane has been affected in the way that she has been.

The episode trundles along well enough until the ten minute mark when the Doctor comes across the great one. The way that the Doctor comes across this is quite clever with the Great One using Sarah Jane’s voice. The ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’ line is quite chilling and like the Doctor, we don’t get to see what the Great One looks like though we learn that the cave is killing the Doctor slowly and this will lead to his regeneration. The first encounter between these two is brilliant because the Doctor is shown to have fear of the Great One and at times didn’t have full control of his body.

I was surprised at the death of Cho-Je in this episode as he has been one of the nicest characters in the serial. Though the involvement of this character isn’t ended here but I thought that as death scenes go in this serial, it’s the second best/most shocking death.

The appearance of all the spiders during the death of Cho-Je was rather good as there was at one point a mixture of CSO and live model. I admit that the CSO in this story isn’t quite as good especially with the scene where the Doctor encounters the Great One. It is suppose to be one of the most important sets and yet it’s let down with by the CSO.

The cliffhanger is another rather disappointing cliffhanger. I know from the information text that this was due to timing reasons but surely they could have come up with something more dramatic. As much as I like the idea that Tommy has become more intelligent and seems to be stronger and able to withstand a lot of pain, I think that the cliffhanger should have featured either the Doctor and/or Sarah. This seemed like a bit of a wasted opportunity to get us ready for the final episode.

Planet of the Spiders - Episode 4

It’s over two minutes before the cliffhanger ends and the episode starts. As much fun as it is to see Pertwee doing his thing it’s too long. Thankfully once that is over I can start to enjoy the episode. Now that I have reached the second half of the story it seems that the plot has picked up and it feels like the ending has been prepared for and now that this is clear on screen you can feel the tension ramped up during certain scenes.

Lupton has become quite brave in this episode when he confronts the Queen Spider and over the course of the episode, he seems to have become a sort of lieutenant though this doesn’t last for long as the power struggle seems to have taken control between the spider on Lupton’s back and the Queen.  

This is the episode where Tommy goes from being child-like to an adult. The scene where he realises that he can read and starts to read his children’s book is one of the nicest moments in Doctor Who. John Kane is arguably the best thing about this episode as his development is one of the few positive things in this serial.

It’s good that there is a bit of backstory about what happened on Metebelis 3 and how the spiders got to be the size they are. The spiders (or eight legs) came from Earth on the ship with the colonists and the spiders came across the blue crystal and they became bigger and cleverer. I think that is a reasonable explanation and I like how the explanation is split so that the Doctor is being told and a part of it and Sarah Jane is told the other half. As much as I have tried I just cant get worked up about the humans. It’s the only real aspect of this story that doesn’t quite work.

The cliffhanger was rather poor. It’s simply the Doctor walking into the cell that Sarah is in and that’s it. The most disappointing end to an episode for quite sometimes and it’s a shame that after what was a rather interesting episode. I think apart from this minor blip the final story for Jon Pertwee has been just as I have thought of it in the past. Even the spiders haven’t been able to dampen my enjoyment of this serial and apart from the humans on Metebelis 3 I still I still think that this is a strong story and hopefully that continues for another two episodes.

Planet of the Spiders - Episode 3

I am reminded a little bit of the issues with the second half of the previous episode when we get a repeat of the Bond sequence but the idea that Lupton disappeared off a moving boat is still impressive. There is a scene which has a roomful of spiders which is a little bit creepy. Up until now it there has been a lack of spiders and their planet hasn’t appeared but that all changes in this episode. I like how the spiders consider themselves to be superior to humans and call humans ‘two legs’. The Great One is mentioned in this episode and just from a few mentions the impression is created that the Great One is going to be an impressive set.

The CSO of Lupton in the Spiders chamber is very good but the shot of the spider that was on Lupton moving across the floor just looked poor. Other poor CSO shots include when Sarah Jane is looking at Lupton it’s clearly a CSO shot.

There is a nice bit of backstory about Lupton which isn’t something that Doctor Who does very often when it doesn’t concern a monster. Basically it boils down to him being snubbed and decides that he wants to take over the company, then the country and then the world. The scene where the spider tries to hurt Lupton and then he does the same to the spider is a great little moment and shows that there is something more to Lupton than what first appeared.

The episode sees the action change direction a little bit with the action moving to Metebelis 3 where there is a human village and they seem just as scared of the spiders as I am. Just as the spiders call the humans two legs, the humans call the spiders eight-legs and it seems to be frowned upon to use the word spider. I don’t know why they have decided to create Metebelis 3 with CSO screen instead of doing what they did in ‘Planet of the Spiders’ and use every plant in the garden centre. On the matter of the two legs, I think there is an interesting mix of strong characters and rather ordinary characters. I am hoping that the stronger ones will be the more memorable ones at the end of this story.

Whereas in the previous episode, there was a fair amount of airtime given to indulge Jon Pertwee. Here there a short but sweet fight scene which is very much of Pertwee’s era but it doesn’t last anywhere near as long as the Bond stuff so I don’t mind it. The episode ends in a good way with the Doctor collapsing in front of the TARDIS. This episode takes a substantial step in terms of plot and I found this episode to be very exciting and the story has really found its feet and Pertwee’s final story could be a fitting end to his tenure in the role. It wouldn’t be a review if I didn’t mention stats and todays stat is that this is the 38^th episode for Richard Franklin who has now appeared in more episode than Roger Delgado did.

Planet of the Spiders - Episode 2

The journey to the end of the Pertwee era takes a more gentile pace in this episode than perhaps the last one or any that we have had recently. It doesn’t take long for the spider prop to look more than just a prop. The spider talks to Lupton must have been a surprise to viewers at the time and I always find the bit when it jumps on Lupton’s back very creepy and it always makes me shudder. The effect of it jumping is actually quite good and they have got around how silly it might look by making it disappear.

We find out the reason as to why the spider has come to earth and it’s to do with the blue crystal that the Doctor gave to Jo and she gave back. It’s good that the two plot strands seem to be joining up. The voice of the spider isn’t quite what I was expecting. I can’t figure out whether I like it or not but one thing is for sure is that at least they’ve made an attempt to make it sound less human. Lupton gets better in this episode as his villainy takes shape and this is largely down to the spider. On the downside he looks a bit silly when he sticks his hand out so that the blue spark effect can be used. The main problem with Lupton being involved in the chase sequence is that he looks like he could run about 100 yards before having to take a breather whereas Pertwee looks the peak of physical fitness and looks like he could easily catch him

It takes about ten minutes for Sarah Jane and the Doctor to meet and it’s good that their plot strands meet up. When they reunite they have a fun scene where Sarah Jane is talking about her experiences and the Doctor is blatantly not listening. The Brigadier is on the phone to Harry Sullivan who will appear in a few episodes time. I like to think that this is the production team getting ready for a smooth transition.

The second half of this episode is basically one long action chase sequence. It lasts 11 minutes and involves Bessie, a gyroplane, the whomobile and hover cars. This was clearly designed to indulge Pertwee and whilst I have no objection to him being indulged, I think that it goes on just a bit too long. The moment when I knew that it had gone on for too long was when the Whomobile goes into the air and is flying. The CSO shot doesn’t quite work but its not the worst that there has been

This is essentially two episodes in one because the first half sees the plot developed somewhat and then the second half is just a homage to Bond films and I sort of wanted less Bond and more Doctor Who. It does feel also like Sloman was trying to pad the story.

I thought that the cliffhanger was rather good and it was one that no one could have seen coming and that is perhaps the best way to have ended the episode. Thinkabout it when was the last time the episode ended with the Doctor on a powerboat? Never and that’s because William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton rarely left the studio and even then it was never to do the sort of things that occur in the final 10 minutes of the episode. I think that the ‘silliness’ will end in the next episode and we can get back to the story.

Planet of the Spiders - Episode 1

The final Jon Pertwee story has arrived and I am going to make this joke many times over the next five episodes when I say that the moment has been prepared for. Hey if you have been following this since the early days then you will know I did this during the previous two regeneration stories. I am going to say straight from the beginning that I don’t like spiders. I seriously don’t and I hate it when people say “oh but they eat flies!” like that’s a perfectly fine excuse. I would quite happily wipe every single spider off the face of the earth. So with potential sitting on the fence issue dealt with, I start to watch Jon Pertwee’s 123^rd episode as the Doctor.

This episode sees the return of Richard Franklin who last we saw of him was allowed to leave UNIT quietly. So quietly we didn’t see him leave and so his return was much appreciated. He seems to have found himself at some retreat where a lot of people meditating in the basement. It takes just over four minutes for a spider to feature when Yates walks into a spiders web. It’s good that they go to the trouble of reminding the viewer of what happened to him and why he has ended up in the retreat. The scene where Yates is talking to Sarah Jane ends up with them swerving off the road avoiding a tractor that appeared from no-where and disappeared instantly.

The Doctor and Brigadier seem to have been watching some talent show. It’s a weird way to start the episode for these two which considering its Pertwee’s last story lacks the impactful start that I would have expected. It was all to introduce Professor Clegg (played by Cyril Shaps) who goes from being a proper clairvoyant and then pretends to be a fraud before being shown as the real deal but doesn’t actually want the ability.

I love it how Lupton would have accepted a journalist coming to the retreat but a female journalist is one step too far. The Master was due to feature in this story but with the death of Roger Delgado meant that Lupton was introduced and from the very moment he appears he seems like there is more to him that the meditation.

Tommy (played by John Kane) is introduced as a simple yet strong person. By the end of his first scene he is holding a squashed flower and looks over it like someone looking over a dead loved one. When he pops up again alongside Sarah Jane and Yates, I found him to be slightly annoying because he seems to be holding the story up and even though its only for a moment, its long enough to bother me.

The Doctor’s journey in this episode isn’t quite what I was expecting because he doesn’t really seem to be involved in the story and even towards the end the involvement with what is going on with Sarah Jane and Yates doesn’t seem very clear. The wedding present that the Doctor gave Jo in ‘The Green Death’ makes a return and it’s the first time that an ex-companion had an involvement in the story. Even though she doesn’t appear on screen her involvement does have detrimental effects on the Doctor and the show.

The ending is very simple yet effective because it’s the titular spider (not including the one Yates bumps into at the beginning of the episode). There are issues with the spiders that will be mentioned in future episodes but as a cliffhanger it’s a good one and the opening episode is very calm and all the building blocks seem to have been put in place. I suspect the story will pick up once the Doctor and Sarah Jane start to interact but I think that that this a promising start to Pertwee’s departing story.

The Monster of Peladon - Episode 6

Today is the final episode of the penultimate story of Jon Pertwee’s reign as the Doctor. It is his 122^nd episode as the timelord which means he overtakes Patrick Troughton into second place. This is Elisabeth Sladen’s 20^th episode which means she overtakes Jackie Lane (19) and this is the 150^th episode to be have Terrance Dicks as a Script Editor. With the facts over with that means that I can talk about this episode which after being a bit of a rollercoaster in terms on consistency needs to end on a good note.

The way that the threat from the cliffhanger is dealt with is quite a tense moment. I know that the Doctor will save the situation but its still a good moment. The part where the Doctor is trying to carry on despite what Eckersley is doing is a good moment for the Doctor because obviously I know that he has one more story left in him. On a side note, don’t you think that Eckersley looks a bit like Tom Baker. Maybe he’s a version of ‘The Watcher’ that went rogue.

The Queen suffers from not having much to do in this episode apart from sitting in her chair. She does get a bit of excitement when Eckersley uses her as a hostage when he’s trying to flee at the end but apart from that the problems with the character restrict what she can do. Throughout the six episodes, Nina Thomas has done her best and at all times has given the character a dignity that helped sell the idea that she was playing the King’s daughter.

The Ice Warriors are thwarted at the half way point so the last half of the episode sees Eckersley as the main threat. This is the episode where Eckersley becomes a more convincing baddie than he seemed in the previous episode. The fact he is killed by Aggedor is perhaps the best way that he could have departed the show. Had he died via some rocks falling or tripping over something then it would have ruined it somewhat but as it is the death was spot on.

The final scene where the Queen says goodbye to the Doctor and Sarah Jane was a nice departure scene as part of me wanted the Doctor to become the Queen’s Chancellor but instead does a nice thing of suggesting Gebbek which was a good way for the story of Peladon to end. There is a moment at the very end when the Doctor has one last look at Peladon before closing the TARDIS door which seemed to be a slight nod to the fact that the end has been prepared for. The episode did what it needed to do and did it well and my opinion of this serial has changed. Ok so a couple of episodes aren’t quite as good but overall the story is a good one and now we are about to enter the final stage of the Pertwee era. The serial works well because the characters were good, the Ice Warriors were effectively used and the writing and directing were both fine. A good story overall.

The Monster of Peladon - Episode 5

The penultimate episode of this story starts off with the knowledge that the laser thing was going to kill the Doctor but that isn’t the case (obviously). As the show has been on the air for 11 years at this point, it seems weird that they would expect the viewer to believe that the Doctor would be killed. Normally this would rankle with me but on this occasion. But the only benefit that I can see is that for a large portion of the story, everyone in the story thinks that he has died. The best reaction comes from Elisabeth Sladen who as Sarah Jane won’t believe that the Doctor has died and utters a line that will come back in the next story. Here she says part of it when she says “While there’s life there’s….”. It seems like this is foreshadowing the next story but this is the production team laying down the ground work just like they did in ‘Planet of the Daleks’ to get us use to the idea that Jo might leave (which she did).

It’s good that Ortron has changed from his usual lack of trust in the earlier stages of the serial. I noticed this just before he was killed by the Ice Warrior. This is the second episode in a row that I have spotted something just before they meet an unfortunate end.  I thought that Frank Gatliff has been quite good in these episodes and I was just getting use to him being on the good side of things.

The way that Eckersley treachery is revealed is done in a good way. It’s explained why he has done this and it’s down to a rather unoriginal idea of being the ruler of Earth and the richest man on Earth. I don’t know why but I just don’t buy Eckersley as a baddie. I don’t know whether it’s the reason he’s a baddie or just the actor, but I think that the Ice Warriors are the more effective villains in the story.

I like the bit towards the end when the Queen is acting defiantly (if somewhat futilely) against Azaxyr. I think that Nina Thomas has a thankless role and she does the best that she can but everytime she has a great scene I just remember how the character gets lost in the action and due to the fact that the role is a Queen and so cant really get involved

Whilst I don’t think that this is a terrible episode, it doesn’t quite have the feel to it. I think that it is building up to something which is more than could be said in some stories recently. I think that my impression of the Ice Warriors has improved since I started watching this story and this story as a whole is better than I had previously given it credit for.

The Monster of Peladon - Episode 4

This is the episode where traditionally in a six part adventure, the narrative changes slightly and there is a renewed freshness to the story. This is also the case here as the Ice Warriors enter the story after briefly appearing in the previous episode’s cliffhanger. We get proper Ice Warrior involvement in this episode with Azaxyr playing the role of detective in the early stages of this episode when he tries to figure out what is going on. He doesn’t waste time in laying down the law to the Queen when he basically says that the miners should go back to work or the Federation will come in and do it for them. I have commented how the Ice Warriors were basically watered down after ‘The Seeds of Death’ and this was based mainly on ‘Curse of the Peladon’ and also this story but watching this episode, it’s clear that this isn’t really the case because the Ice Warriors and Azaxyr in particular are anything but good.

I noticed in this episode that Bert from ‘The Green Death’ has made a full recovery and found himself mining. Although by the time I noticed this his involvement is somewhat reduced after being stabbed. The problem with the headgear that the miners have to wear is that they all look the same, there is no distinguishing features so it takes a fair amount of effort to spot Rex Robinson or Roy Evans. The two people that aren’t suffering from this problem are Jon Pertwee and Elisabeth Sladen because both are really good in this episode with Pertwee just edging it and I base that largely on the early scene with Azaxyr and also that the fact the Doctor is the only one that Gebek trusts so his importance is increased. There is a moment when Sarah Jane considers leaving Peladon which doesnt seem like a Sarah Jane thing to do. I don’t know why but it just didn’t seem right and I think that its only purpose it to remind us that they cant just leave because it would be difficult to find it.

I think that the only thing that let this episode down is the cliffhanger which despite a good build up just didn’t have quite the punch that the final shot should have. That said this is the second episode running which has been good and my optimism has been restored somewhat and I look forward to the final two episodes which didn’t seem possible during episode two. I think that the inclusion of the Ice Warriors has done exactly the thing that was needed and it seems that writer Brian Hayles was breathing a huge sigh of relief when he could bring them in cause he was back on familiar territory.

The Monster of Peladon - Episode 3

The third episode of this story starts with the rather disappointing cliffhanger. I was worried that this was going to be another episode where I was counting down the minutes and seconds until the cliffhanger but I am happy to report that this most definelty wasn’t the case. Firstly there is the nice way that the Doctor is reunited with an old friend in Agador. I thought after the cliffhanger of the previous episode that it was a weird way to end the episode because the Doctor knows how to clam down Agador and the viewer knows that so where exactly was the threat?

There’s a nice bit where Sarah Jane’s feminist side comes out as she has a chat with the Queen. It seems like they haven’t totally forgotten about what they were trying to do with the character of Sarah Jane. The Queen is more interesting in this episode because simply put she’s given the chance to show she’s there for a reason instead of just making up the numbers. Ortron becomes more interesting in this episode, it’s clear that he seems to be thriving with making the Doctor look like a guilty man. I think that the Queen was more active in this episode than the previous one. The way that she tries to stand up to Ortron is one of the highlights for the character in this episode. Eckersley has been one of the characters that seems to be on the Doctor’s side however there are moments in this episode which seem to suggest that there is something else. Having seen this episode before I know what the truth is about the character but writer Brian Hayles has done a good job of hiding this and waiting until episode three before they started to develop this. Gebek continues to be a good character in this story and well played by Rex Robinson.

If I had to pick a fault with the episode then it would be that it’s weird that Alpha Centauri didn’t mention the fact that the Doctor pretended to be the earth delegate in the previous story. I would have thought this would provide even more ammunition for Ortron. Everything about this episode is better than the episode two. The cliffhanger pretty much sums this up when we get the Ice Warrior appear. It’s amazing what difference an episode makes because my confidence is back to where it was at the end of episode one. I don’t know whether it will stay where it is by the end of the story but one thing is for sure this was a much better episode.

 

The Monster of Peladon - Episode 2

I wrote when watching the previous episode that I was more confident about this story. Oh what a difference one episode makes. That’s because any confidence has all but gone, this is largely down to the fact that for a while at the beginning of the episode nothing seems to happen. There’s a bit of excitement with trying to get the Doctor out of the holed up cave but after that the Doctor does very little apart from running around. It’s nearly twelve minutes before the Queen appears and considering she’s suppose to be one of the most important supporting characters in the story it’s surprising that she’s effectively reduced to cameo status.

There’s a nice bit of mystery when Sarah Jane encounters a frosty window with a figure walking behind it. Sadly though that mystery isn’t mentioned again which is a surprise considering there is time for this to be looked at in this episode. I think that Elisabeth Sladen has a better time in this episode but that’s only because the only thing that Pertwee does is the escaping from the cave of doom at the beginning of the episode.

This is going to be a shorter review than normal for the simple reason that I really cant think of anything to say. The central performances were fine and Alpha Centauri was one of the few highlights in this episode. I’m not very keen on this episode because nothing of any worth really happens. There was nothing that grabbed my attention and apart from occasional moments, this was a pretty forgettable episode and I think the next four episodes are going to be a struggle to get through. I am struggling to come up with any positives.

The Monster of Peladon - Episode 1

I just realised something this morning. I am just two stories away from the end of the Pertwee era. I am just 12 episodes away from welcoming the Tom Baker. But that’s in the future and what we have is a blast from the past because the Doctor returns to Peladon for a sequel that I don’t think we really needed. It even starts off with the same model shot that was used in the first one. As you may know if you are a regular visitor to this blog, I am fond of the occasional stat. It has now been 143 episodes since the Cybermen last appeared in a story (not including that brief appearance in Carnival of Monsters). It’s been 27 episodes since the Master last appeared and it was 59 episodes since The Ice Warriors last appeared in ‘The Curse of Peladon’. Curse dealt with the issue of Peladon joining the Galactic Federation and this one still seems to be about the Galactic Federation. The story takes place 50 years after the events of Curse.

Instead of David Troughton, we have Nina Thomas who plays Queen Thalira. Thalira is the daughter of Troughton’s King Peladon and its clear that Thalira has inherited her fathers diplomatic style. According the information text, Tahlira was suppose to be King Peladon’s fiancé.  I think that Nina Thomas gives a more stronger performance than David Troughton did. Like in Curse, there is a Chancellor who seems at odds with the Queen. In the case of Curse there was Chancellor Torbis played by Henry Gilbert and in this story there is Chancellor Orton played by Frank Gatliff. I cant really pick between the two as to which one is the best because its essentially the same role and its performed in equally the same way. I had forgotten that Rex Robinson was in this story as Gebek. It’s always good to have Robinson in an whilst I don’t think that its as good a role as Dr Tyler. I still think that he’s good in this episode.

I haven’t really commented about the performances from Jon Pertwee and Elisabeth Sladen too much recently. I think that its clear that Jon Pertwee is in the process of divorcing himself from the show as there doesn’t seem the intensity that there was in the previous seasons. If you look back at the previous Peladon story then you would notice a massive difference. I am not saying that he is putting in a below par performance but its clear that there isn’t quite the swagger that there use to be. Elisabeth Sladen has settled into the role and whilst there seems to be some of the traits from her first story, its clear that the 100% feisty feminist part of her character has been reduced to about 40%.

The person from Vega clearly has something covering his eyes with holes drilled in to allow the actor (Gerald Taylor) to see. I really don’t know what they were thinking when they put the headpiece on the Peladon mine workers. It’s something that is very much of its time. That said there aren’t as many things wrong with this episode than I was expecting. I’m still not entirely won over with this story but the opening episode is promising and the cliffhanger is much better than the ones we got in the previous story and so I am a lot more confident about the remaining episodes of this story and also of this season.

Death to the Daleks - Episode 4

As I started to write this I noticed that they had put episode two of this story on the Horror Channel. If only I had started this marathon two days later then I could have watched it whilst it aired on TV. Chances of this happening again are remote but that all depends on Horror. I was less than excited to go through the previous episodes cliffhanger where the Doctor simply says “Don’t Move”. Now everytime I watch this episode I hope that somehow the reveal would be better but sadly this isn’t the case. The problem with this episode is that it starts off very slowly. Despite the Daleks following the Doctor and Bellal, there seems to be no really sense of urgency. There are a few moments which do cause a bit of interest when Bellal turns against the Doctor and when two figures appear and try to stop the Doctor from destroying the city. The parts of the episode with the Doctor were very dull and I found nothing exiting about it.

It’s weird that the Sarah Jane part of the story is more interesting but sort of damning with faint praise really because even the stuff with Sarah Jane isn’t particularly exciting. The only good thing about her portion of the episode is that she is involved with swapping the Parrinium with sand. That’s quite inventive for a companion but shows that Sarah Jane isn’t your dumb companion.

Another thing about this story is that you could have taken the Daleks out and replaced it with any monster. There is nothing special about the Daleks in this story and we get nothing new from them. The Dalek over reacting when he notices that Jill has escaped is sort of the problem with their involvement in this story. The Daleks decide not to kill the Doctor, Sarah and the earth people which makes no sense. Why wait to fire a plague bomb when they could just kill the Doctor there and then? This is one of those things that comes up in every Dalek story or even when the Cybermen and the Master are in a story.

The idea of Galloway sacrificing himself to destroy the Dalek ship is perhaps the only good thing that is done in the entire story. Galloway had always seemed to be on the outside but soon showed why he had been put into the story. I thought that throughout the four episode Duncan Lamont has played Galloway really well and has been the strongest of the supporting characters. Sadly the rest of the supporting characters are quite bland and don’t really stand out and I never found myself wanting them to get of the planet and when I don’t really care about the good guys then I know that the story isn’t working.

It’s not a very good episode but then again the whole story has been something of a disappointment. This is by far the weakest Dalek story that there has ever been and I really think that this season is going to be a disappointment and after the previous season that’s really disappointing. The only good thing to say about this story is that was four episodes instead of six.

Death to the Daleks - Episode 3

The episode of this rather tiresome story starts with the Doctor being attacked by some weird creature that looks like a giant worm. Sarah Jane is stuck with Bellal who is played by Arnold Yarrell and the costume he wears is quite good. He becomes a sort of companion to the Doctor when he decides he doesn’t want Sarah Jane following him into the city.

I haven’t mentioned this but the voices are perhaps the only good thing about the Daleks. Ok the look of them is good but is made even better with the addition of fire. After a while of thinking that this episode was going to be a boring collection of scenes in a corridor so changes when it seems like it’s going to be a chase but that doesn’t last long with the Dalek is defeated by a gap in the wall being thinner that it is.

Just when I have given up on this story (and I’m still not convinced that I won’t), it takes a turn towards something interesting. This is because the story moves properly to the Exillon city which is the cause of the power loss and the moment that the Doctor and Sarah Jane see it (via CSO), it’s a impressive model and the CSO works quite well. There is a lovely moment shortly after which shows the Doctor and Sarah Jane being closer than I had noticed before and it shows how well they have gelled since Elisabeth Sladen joined the show.

When the story moves into the city and they have to follow puzzles I found this to be thoroughly enjoyable. Ok so it’s not the most exciting television that there has ever been but I have been waiting for something entertaining to happen and welcome anything that maintains my interest. They through in a bit of drama with the Daleks just behind Bellal and the Doctor. The bit where they have to follow the maze on the wall is fine for the Doctor but not quite sure how the Daleks can really get away with it considering they only have a sink plunger.

The Dalek that falls into the ‘lake’ after being attacked by the tentacle thing is rather well done. It’s always good when a Dalek is set on fire as it’s a great visual.

The cliffhanger is ridiculous. There is no other way of putting it. If you want people to tune in the following week then you need to give them an incentive to tune it. Why would anyone want to tune in to see how the Doctor and Bellal overcome a pattern on the floor? I know that there were issues concerning the running time but I could think of 1000 ways of ending this episode better. Anyway for the first time since I started watching this episode, I am seeing some positives in this adventure. I only have one episode left and the final Dalek story of the Pertwee era is almost over. Its sad to say that I cant wait.

Death to the Daleks - Episode 2

Anyone watching the previous episode would have wanted the following Saturday to arrive so they could see how the Doctor was going to survive. The truth is rather dull and its that they are affected by the power loss that affected the TARDIS. The Daleks shoot and there is no death which is instantly an interesting idea but sadly any hopes that the story will pick up lasted less than three minutes when the story moves to Sarah Jane and the Exillons.

The scene where the Daleks are talking amongst themselves where they talk about not wanting to reveal their true intentions is a nice moment. There is a moment when they are being attacked by the Exillons and I was thinking why are they screeching when arrows cant hurt them and they could just run away. The shot of one of the Daleks on fire is quite an iconic one and is perhaps the highlight of the entire episode.

The humans that the Doctor encounter are mildly interesting but lost a bit of sparkle when John Abineri got killed by the Exillons. Now they are just a group of rather weary individuals that are trying to pretty much stab the Doctor in the back to get what they need to and get off the planet. That’s pretty much all that is accomplished in this episode.

This is a thoroughly dull episode. It is the first time for quite a while that I have felt so downbeat about a story. I am just greatful that this is a four part adventure could I don’t think that I could have dealt with six episodes of this. At four episodes the plot is stretched a bit and I cant wait to get past this story and that’s a terrible thing to say about a Dalek story. This has to be one of the worst Jon Pertwee’s stories that I have seen and that’s pretty much all I can say about this story so far. I am still holding out a bit of hope that this story will pick up but I’m not holding my breath.

Death to the Daleks - Episode 1

1 year ago today I decided to start my Doctor Who marathon with An Unearthly Child. What a difference a year makes. There has been a whole range of stories and some have been good and some have been bad. We have had reunions and the birth of some classic monsters and villains. Sadly year two starts off with Death to the Daleks which is one of my least favourite Dalek stories. This story is written by Terry Nation and directed by Michael Briant who previously directed ‘The Sea Devils’, so it’s a surprise as to why this story suffers in the way that it does.

It starts off well enough with Jon Pertwee’s stunt double Terry Walsh being killed by a mysterious arrow and then the TARDIS is forced to land after its power source is drained and considering the power that it has its surprising that this has happened. Sadly the moment that the Doctor and Sarah Jane leave the TARDIS the story falls apart. There’s a brief moment when Sarah Jane returns to the TARDIS with one the exillons inside. After this not much happens and its fifteen minutes before we meet any of the supporting characters. One of those is John Abineri who we last saw as General Carrington in ‘The Ambassadors of Death’.

It seems that all the good work that was done with Sarah Jane because from the very beginning of the episode it seems that they have decided to ditch that feistiness and stick her in a bathing suit. Then all she does is shriek and then run around for a bit, get caught and then find herself in trouble. This is the sort of thing that would have been done to Katy Manning and does show that Terry Nation didn’t get the memo about the new companion and how she was suppose to be different to other companions.

The story does start to pick up when Sarah Jane is about to be sacrificed towards the final stages of the episode but it’s the Doctor that gets the cliffhanger when a ship arrives and with the humans thinking that it comes from Earth, they are somewhat shocked to find that it’s Daleks. The last shot is of them shooting at the Doctor and that’s quite a good way to end and episode that hasn’t quite worked in the entertaining department. I don’t know why but I am finding this story rather dull and that’s a weird thing to write in a Dalek and Terry Nation story. I don’t quite know why the story doesn’t work but it just feels like Terry Nation is going through the motions. Whereas people were quite quick to critisce Nation for ‘Planet of the Daleks’ but I think that this has many more issues in that the previous Dalek story. Never mind, things can only get better. Can’t they?

Invasion of the Dinosaurs - Episode 6

Day 365 sees the final episode of this story that isn’t as clear cut as many people would suggest in terms of quality. Yes the episode doesn’t start off in the best way due to the fact that there is the darn T-Rex. The Doctor is doing his best to look scared against something that would win 2^nd prize at a kids making competition. It’s made worse by the fight between the T-Rex and whatever it was fighting. The fight was very poor and had no entertaining value to it whatsoever. Whereas we didn’t get very much dinosaur action in the previous episode, we got more than our fair share here.

I like how the Brigadier comes in to save the Doctor just as General Finch is about to collar him. The Brigadier really does show his loyalty to the Doctor in this story and also Benton does as towards the end of the episode, he gets to have a scrap with General Finch and I love how he apologises to Finch, totally Benton. Yates pulling a gun on the Doctor, Benton and the Brigadier is one of the most unexpected turns in the show. Even when he’s telling them on the plan he has a look of someone who believes he’s doing the right thing.

Normally I wouldn’t talk too much about actors that are recurring but not what I would class as supporting actors. Bryson is a character that has a great look on his face when asked to make a cup of tea. His usefulness is made even greater when he distracts Yates. I think it’s a shame that Yates gets sidelined again after this moment. When the episode ends there is a brief mention about what is going to happen to him but that’s it.

The only aspect of this episode that is somewhat frustrating is the bit with Sarah Jane trying to convince Adam and the others. If Sarah Jane could escape without causing harm to the others why wouldn’t they let her do what she did in the previous episode? Thankfully Adam is the one that sees sense and leads the revolt against Grover. When they do realise it does lead to a good final scene with Whittaker and Grover. Grover goes to a lot of trouble to convince the Adam and Ruth that all is well but it does seem like a last ditch attempt and its doesn’t feel like it has much heart in its execution which is why it doesn’t last long. The effect where the Doctor is trying to reverse the time effects is done rather well and it is one of the better effects that are used in this story.

It’s good that Grover and Whittaker end up sending themselves back to where the dinosaurs were coming from (with a little help from the Doctor). It’s good that the Doctor didn’t have a direct involvement in this but Grover and Whitaker were hoisted by their own petard.

I think that whilst this story has a fantastic premise but it totally let down by the models. There are many ways that they could have got around the dodgy dinosaurs so this story is known as the one with the dodgy dinosaurs but if you put that to one side then what we have is a great story that has some very impressive performances especially from Richard Franklin and Malcolm Hulke and Paddy Russell deserve credit for coming up with this story and making it work as well as it did on screen.

Invasion of the Dinosaurs - Episode 5

Today is day 364 of my marathon and it starts off with General Finch telling the Brigadier that the Doctor is a monster maker and by the end of the reprise he is under arrest. The plan to discredit the Doctor doesn’t really seem to have had much thought apart from placing the Doctor in the right place at the right time. Even the Brigadier clues up to the fact that the Doctor might not be guilty. Sarah is still stuck with trying to deal with the natives. It doesn’t take her long to sus out what is going on. It takes her less than 10 minutes to escape right in front of Mark. She manages to make it out for most of the episode before being recaptured by General Finch. It’s hard to believe that she is as dim as she is in not suspecting that General Finch is basically leading her back to where she started the episode. To be fair to her she does realise her mistake just as Finch is holding a gun at her.

This is the episode where it becomes clear to the Doctor that Yates is working with General Finch and it’s a lovely moment. There is moment when it seems that the Doctor thinks that the Brigadier is involved and it ends with Benton willing being knocked out by the Doctor. Going back to Yates, after being revealed that he’s involved he then proceeds to do nothing. It does seem like a bit of a waste but apart from my annoyance with the dinosaur models, this is the only issue that I had with the episode.

There is a portion of this episode which seems to be a tad bit indulgent as it’s the Doctor being chased by the army and to be fair it does at least have a purpose to it and is less like a Bond film that the similar scene we get in ‘Planet of the Spiders’. It does mean we get a bit of Jon Pertwee doing a cockney accent which is far better than the one Dick Van Dyke attempted to do in Mary Poppins.

There is a nice shot of Butler smashing a mug and then it reforming and even though it’s a relatively normal effect it looks good on TV. I still like the relationship between Whittaker and Butler and think that there is a potential spin-off series that Big Finish could do wonders with.

Apart from the reprise, its 22 minutes before we see any naff dinosaur models and they saved the worst still the end because yet again the T-Rex is chosen to pose a threat to the Doctor but a five year old couldn’t find it scary. It’s a shame really because up until this point I had found the episode to be a lot of fun and built upon the good work that came from the previous episode. As I am about to watch the final episode I do so knowing that the story is building up to something and it will be a corker.

Invasion of the Dinosaurs - Episode 4

As I approach the second half of the story there is a desire to ensure that things keep moving. This is where traditionally the story shifts in direction and we are as a result introduced to new characters. In this cast we are introduced to Mark (Terence Wilton), Adam (Brian Badcoe) and most famously Ruth (played by Carmen Silvera). This episode is where we are introduced to the Whomobile which will show off itself in a future story but in this case just seems like a weird thing to introduce into this story but hey-ho.

The Doctor and Sarah are in very different surrounding in this episode with the Doctor going to find out where and who has been sabotaging his equipment. He manages to make it down to where Butler and Professor Whittaker who are playing games in trying to get the Doctor to leave. When the Doctor returns with the Brigadier there’s a depressing inevitability about what they are going to find and that is nothing.

Sarah Jane is still led to believe that she’s on a spaceship and she isn’t accepting what been told to her. There is a moment when Sarah is watching a video in the reminder room which I thought was similar to when the Doctor was watching a video in ‘Colony in Space’. It’s simple yet effective and it explains why Mark, Adam & Ruth have moved away and there is a nice CSO shot to show that this is a vast number of people involved. Although as the story will show this is as fake as the CSO.

General Finch, Butler, Professor Whittaker, Yates and Grover share the same scene for the first time in this story and it’s a great moment to see the people responsible. They come up with quite an ingenious plan by trying to discredit the Doctor and they do this very well to set up the cliffhanger because the last shot is of General Finch and the Brigadier basically catching the Doctor red handed. This hasn’t been an episode that has been about the dinosaurs which is why this is the best episode of the story. Yes there were some dinosaurs that appeared but I think that we have now got to the part of the story where the Dinosaurs have become a tool of the conspirators as opposed to being the main menace and now the good parts of this story are going to take centre stage and that’s a big relief really.