Terror of the Autons - Episode 2

I didn’t make a comment of it in the previous episode but Jo must have fists of steel if she could really take out Yates like that. Either that or Yates’ is a wuss. I like the quick way that the Doctor just picks up the box and chucks it out of the window where there just happens to be a river is perhaps a convenient.

This episode features some of the most incredible deaths ever seen in Doctor Who before or after. Most deaths can be argued to be quite clichéd but in the instance of McDermott, the death is anything but clichéd. Being killed by a chair is a great way to go and due to Harry Towb’s performance, the death looks really chilling on screen. Farrel’s attitude after the death of McDermott means that even though its clear he’s under hypnosis that he’s utterly unlikeable. Farrel Senior comes into the story and he is clearly more determined than his son though I like how after a moment of being the head man, it looked like that he was going to become another of the Master’s hypnosis. The troll that the Master throws in Farrel Senior’s car is a horrible looking thing and its involvement in the death of Farrel Senior is made even more grim. The death of Farrel Senior is the second interesting death in one episode as the sight of the troll running towards Farrel Senior and grabbing him by the throat is a shocking scene for what is suppose to be a family show. The effect of bringing the troll to life is quite good and whilst it might seem crude its that crudeness that actually works to its benefit.

As far as performances go, I think that Delgado is just as brilliant as he was in the previous episode. The calmness in which he presents himself is what is totally engaging about him. There is a nice moment when he almost loses against Farrel Senior but controls himself. It was nice because it showed that the mask could slip but only in the most extreme of circumstances. Jon Pertwee is also on good form and Katy Manning has showed what sort of companion she’s going to be by going against what the Doctor told her and snuck herself into the Doctor’s car whilst being out of sight. The only person who doesn’t seem to have been as good is Nicholas Courtney and it seems odd that after being such a part of the stories in the previous season that he feels like a peripheral character and just seems to pop in every couple of scenes to act like a normal army person. Not what I would have expected from the Brig.

The cliffhanger is the third thing that would have got the show into trouble and that is when the Doctor pulls off the policeman’s face and its revealed that it’s an Auton. It’s a good way to end the episode and despite the plot not really moving forward it was still a fun episode to watch because there were those shocking moments which when added to the performances of Delgado, Pertwee and Manning help make this another solid episode.