The Ambassadors of Death - Episode 4

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

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

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

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

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

The Ambassadors of Death - Episode 3

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

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

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

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

The Ambassadors of Death - Episode 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Ambassadors of Death - Episode 1

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

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

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

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

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

Doctor Who and the Silurians - Episode 7

It doesn’t feel like a week since I started watching this story. Compared to other long running stories, this one hasn’t felt like a seven part story but this episode is where the threads are all tied up and we get to see the Silurian’s plan in motion. The start of the episode sees the Doctor being taken by Silurians. It was a great start to the episode and there was gunfire and lots of drama. Considering the characters that we had at the beginning of the story, it surprising how few of them made it to the end of the serial.

After spending several episodes doing very little, Liz gets to do something. It’s not very much but its probably the most active that she’s been for the entire story. Caroline John is very good as Liz but its frustrating that she’s been given so little to do. She’s too smart to be a companion and she’s paying the price for her intelligence. There is one thing that doesn’t quite make sense is how she didn’t spot the massive scorch mark on the wall outside the office that the Doctor was working in.

It’s a very action packed episode with an awful lot happening. The main scene is when the Silurians are trying to get the power turned back on so that they can effectively get rid of the Van Allen belt and make the Earth a very hot place indeed. It’s due to the Doctor saving the day that the Silurians are defeated and go back into hibernation. However there is another sting in the tale when the facility is about to explode except that they are trapped and I like how this gives the Doctor the opportunity to save the day for the second time in five minutes when he messes around with some wires and hey-presto, he manages it. The Doctor’s best scene comes when he discovers that the Brigadier has blown up the caves. The look of disgust on his face is what makes this work so well. It might sound silly but I don’t like the idea that the Brigadier has gone behind the Doctor’s back as anyone who does something that the Doctor disapproves of is normally a baddie but we are suppose to like the Brigadier. It’s a unusual way to end the episode as it doesn’t end it on a high positive note but a rather glum and downbeat one.

As an episode I found it to be the most entertaining as it had everything that you would want from a Doctor Who episode and my opinion of the story and the season so far hasn’t changed. This was a cracking story that even with a seven episode running time, managed to hold my attention and another reason why I love this story is that it has a great story, great characters and the pace of the story works well.

Doctor Who and the Silurians - Episode 6

The penultimate episode is where the virus starts to take hold of most people. The virus is pretty much the main focus of the story as we get to see how effective this virus is. The Silurians are a more effective villain than there had been in the last dozen stories of the Troughton era. It’s not as clear cut as a normal villain because there the possibility of the villains being tamed and the only Silurian that was likely too be peaceful has been killed which instantly cranks up the drama and know that there is another thing that the Doctor has to try and solve. It only dawned on me whilst watching this episode that I don’t worry that Pertwee’s Doctor cant deal with it. I’m not so sure whether Troughton’s Doctor or Hartnell’s Doctor would have been able to deal with it even though it’s the same character. Pertwee is having a great time being the scientist, trying to figure things out and it’s a shame that Liz Shaw is reduced to being bossed about by the Brigadier. She’s a bleedin’ scientist not a receptionist and this just feels like she’s been badly used.

Miss Dawson seems to have disappeared with only a brief line explaining where she’s gone. To be honest I cant say that I am sad to see her go because if Dr Quinn had served his purpose several episodes ago, then Miss Dawson has definitely done the same. Miss Dawson isn’t the only supporting character to be written out in this episode. We say goodbye firstly to Masters who after doing very little in the previous episodes that appeared in, made up for that in this one. Masters has left the facility and this is where trouble really starts to go as everyone he encounters becomes ill. He manages to last quite a while before he succumbs to the virus and has a very impressive death scene. Dr Lawrence takes a turn for the worst during this episode and it’s the end for him as he also gets a good death scene when he lunges for the Brigadier and seems to suffer a heart attack. As much as he was reduced to a high pitched shrieker in the latter part of his involvement in the story, I found the character to be quite fun to watch and it’s a shame that it will be several stories before we see Peter Miles again.

The cliffhanger is rather good as the Doctor is prevented from writing out the formula that will stop the virus from spreading any further. It’s agonising how close they are from sorting things out but with another episode left to run its needed to add one last bit of drama to the adventure. I think that its still working quite well and compared to most six parters that I have had to endure recently, this story shows that it is possible to make longer stories work and nothing has changed in my opinion of this story and with one episode left, I cant see that opinion changing.

Doctor Who and the Silurians - Episode 5

The cliffhanger from the previous episode wasn’t as exciting as others but what we got at the beginning of this episode is an interesting plot idea where the elder Silurian seems to be more hospitable than the senior one. The drama in the early stages of this episode is centred around the Brigadier and the UNIT soldiers are trapped in the caves. I personally wasn’t so bothered really as the main interest was coming from the Doctor’s conversations with the elder Silurians and the power struggle that seems to be coming between the elder and younger Silurian.

We learn finally why the Silurians are underground and why they have remained asleep until now. It’s a simple reason of getting confused about the moon and a problem with a timer. Despite this minor example of them being a bit silly, they have a plan (or some of them do) to try and rid humans and this is done in a good way of contaminating Major Baker with a poison and letting him come into contact with everyone else. The elder Silurian gives the Doctor the antidote and this forms the structure of the last two episodes.

Dr Lawrence continues to be the best of the supporting characters as his lack of caring over whats happening to the Doctor and the Brigadier. His mood doesn’t improve when Masters tells his that he’s going to recommend closing the facility thus ending Lawrence’s career. Speaking of Masters, he again does very little in this episode except at the end when he starts to look ill and that’s it. Miss Dawson has become the female equivalent of Major Baker. The difference is that there is a plausible reason why she is the way she is. Major Baker on the other hand does nothing but spout drivel and his only contribution is to be infected. Apart from the Doctor, Liz and the Brigadier do very little again but the Brigadier probably edged in the activity stakes as Nicholas Courtney was doing his very best running out of oxygen acting.

The cliffhanger is good because its simple yet it works because it simply ends with Jon Pertwee just says “The First One”. I think that it means that things are about to get interesting and the plan that the Silurians have got is working and there doesn’t seem like a way that they can be stopped. As an episode I think that once the business with the UNIT soldiers being trapped is dealt with then it gets better but I still found it an enjoyable episode which moved the story along significantly. The final two episodes are going to be just as good as the previous five.