The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Episode 6

This is the final episode of the story and also of the season. The cliffhanger works just as well as second time. It was perhaps the right thing to only have it shown briefly for a short amount of time because it is quite gruesome. The mask is quite an effective one but it must have been annoying for Michael Spice because that was the only time we got to see his eyes. The first meeting between Weng-Chiang and the Doctor is a good one. The way that the Doctor sits down thinking that he is talking to Leela when in fact it’s not is a funny moment. As this scene progresses it does feel very much like it could be on the stage.

I like the scene between Jago and Litefoot when they talk about being brave and this is where the friendship. Despite only being together for two episodes, both Trevor Baxter and Christopher Benjamin have been fantastic together and despite being from two very different walks of life, they have become firm friends and its easy to believe that these two would be friends and the Big Finish series of adventures has expanded on this.

I think that Greel got slightly devalued in this episode because Mr Sin suddenly becomes the better villain. Greel becomes almost a hysterical person for some reason. I still think that he has been a good villain but in this last episode something happened and Mr Sin suddenly became the better villain. Deep Roy suddenly leapt to life (forgive the pun) when he was shooting at things and people. It was perhaps inevitable that Sin was going to turn on Greel.

Greel’s death is a bit of an anti-climax as it came after Mr Sin had turned on him. Mr Sin’s demise was a little bit entertaining but only because Tom Baker was throwing the dummy version of him around like a dummy. Once both of them had been dealt with the story had reached its natural conclusion and there is a nice little scene to ends things and then the story is over. As a six parter this story has been just as fun as I remembered. I think that this story has used all six episodes well and it’s the perfect way to end the fourteenth season and one that has seen a lot of change and one of the best stories in Doctor Who.

 

 

The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Episode 5

Now that Weng-Chiang has his beloved cabinet. The story can move on and it does very much so in a good way. I like Weng-Chiang’s new digs in this episode. They are much better than the previous one. It’s clear that the budget was saved for this set. It wouldn’t look out of place in a Hollywood movie. Despite having the cabinet, he now doesn’t have the key to open it. He’s gone from having the key and not the cabinet to the other way around in quick time.

Mr Sin becomes more or a villain now that Li Hi-sen Chang. Speaking of him, he has got worse since the last episode. He is pretty near death and high on opium. It’s a sad exit for him and it’s a great little speech that he gives before he dies is rather sad and I am still confused about whether I was supposed to sympathise with him or not. At the end of the day, he didn’t outstay his welcome and is one of the reasons why this serial works as well as it does.

The writing and direction have worked really well and whilst watching this episode I am reminded of Robert Holmes’ earlier work and how poor those stories seemed in comparison. David Maloney has always been good and even when the story hasn’t been as good, he has managed to get the best out of the stories. On their own, Tom Baker and Louise Jameson have been very good but together they just don’t seem to have gelled as much as previous Doctor and companion combinations. I think the fact that Tom Baker wasn’t as keen about Louise Jameson as he was about Elisabeth Sladen shows.

We have waited an age for the first meeting of Jago and Litefoot. It’s a great moment because Jago thinks that Litefoot is a servant and when he is corrected he changes his tune. The subsequent scene between the two of them working things out just makes me want to listen to the Big Finish series. They actually steal the show and the Doctor and Leela are the supporting characters.

The episode ends with Leela ripping off Weng-Chiang’s mask and reveals a disgusting melted face. We only see it for a second but it’s long enough to leave a lasting image. It’s been an interesting episode which might sound like damning with faint praise but it’s all really good and there isn’t a specific stand out moment which shows how solid and consistent the episode is. Looking forward to the final episode very much.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Episode 4

It’s a shame that the episode starts off with the unconvincing rat versus Louise Jameson’s impressive acting. The focus in this episode is on the cabinet and we know this because its referred to at every opportunity. If I were watching this for the first time in 1977 then I would be wondering just what the cabinet is going to do and there is a nice sense of mystery going on with this aspect of the story. However the only thing that does annoy/worry/concern me is that considering the cabinet is so important, its odd that the Doctor leaves just Litefoot to guard it which considering the resources of Weng-Chiang isn’t perhaps the wisest move. This is a decision that the Doctor would regret but not until the end.

I still think that Jago and Litefoot are superb after another episode where separately they show their awesomeness and its weird to think that they haven’t met yet and still go on to become as loved as they are. Christopher Benjamin is the comedian of the two but Trevor Baxter has a charm to him that cuts through the pomposity of the character’s poshness.

The new costume that Leela wears is quite nice and its better than the one she started the story in. It’s just a shame that she doesn’t stay in it for very long. After complimenting the fact that she does more that the Doctor in the previous episode, the balance is changed and she doesn’t seem to do very much whereas the Doctor does a great deal. The highlight of the episode comes when the Doctor and Leela go to the show. Li H-sen Chang picks the Doctor out and what seems like a normal trick takes a rather dramatic turn when Chang shoots at deck of cards and the Doctor moves the deck closer to his face.

I like the speech that Li H-sen Chang gives when it’s clear that he has reached the end of his life in this story which is a shame as I was starting to like him. The last shot of him is of him being nibbled by the giant rat that nearly got Leela. John Bennett started off with a strong character but he sort of went downhill the moment that Weng-Chiang came in. Bennett still gave it a good go and it was the best character that he has played in the show.

The cliffhanger is ok because it ends with Weng-Chiang leaving with the cabinet that he has apparently been spending years searching for. The story is reaching that moment when it changes direction and it does it rather well during this episode. I think that despite not really have as much location footage compared to the previous episode, I still thought that there was enough going on to make this an entertaining episode.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Episode 3

As I approach the half way mark of the story, I am getting to the stage where the adventure starts to take its change in direction in plot terms. Leela is shown to throw a knife at Mr Sin’s neck and then jumps out of a window within the first two minutes of the episode. The idea that a companion is seen (or at least implied) throwing a knife at someone even a villain is something that I am not sure whetehr I think should have been done. Even though Leela is a savage and doesn’t behave like Jo Grant or Ian Chesterton, its still something that perhaps didn’t need to be seen. Jamie was perhaps a bit more likely to be fighting back than most companions but even he didn’t do what Leela did. Leela is quite active in this episode and she is separated from the Doctor so that means that Professor Litefoot is the one that becomes his side-kick. Leela replaces a woman that has been hypnotised and is taken down to the sewers where Weng-Chiang is hiding.

In fact this is more Leela’s episode than the Doctor’s as it doesn’t feel like the Doctor is used very much in this story. The closest that the Doctor comes to being active is when he’s talking to Litefoot in his lounge. Chang does the hypnotism thing again and this means the rather poor effect is used. That and the rat aside, the effects used in this story are all quite good and the production values are all top notch like I mentioned in the previous entry. The location filming is fantastic in this episode. It’s hard to believe that this was filmed in 1977 and I could watch an entire six part run with just location filming.

Leela has muscles like a horse according to Weng-Chiang. I think that the mask does help a lot to make him seem like an effective villain. Like most actors forced to work in a restrictive costume, Michael Spice does a good job moving around. I also think that John Bennett continues to do a great job with what is a rather watered down role. I cant quite make my mind up whether I am suppose to sympathise with the way that he is being treated or whether I am still suppose to dislike him. That is a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things.

Unfortunately the episode is let down a little bit by the ending. Not only is the disappointing rat used again but Leela is made to do what the character shouldn’t be doing and that is screaming and wearing a costume that is even skimpier than her usual garment. It’s perhaps the characters poorest moment. Perhaps the only positive that can be taken from it is that Louise Jameson really makes it look like it’s a real rat as opposed to a cuddle rodent. It was clearly an early Roland Rat in Doctor Who!

Also on a final note, this is the 450^th episode of Doctor Who

 

The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Episode 2

Starting with the unconvincing rat isn’t perhaps the wisest thing to do. The only upside to it is that it leads the Doctor to work out that the rat is a guard. Luckily the lighting does help shield the dodgy rat. The effect used when Li H’Sen Chang is hypnotising Jago doesn’t quite work as its clear that its an effect and that he is looking at Jago. This is the episode where Chang is shown to not be the leading villain that he was perceived. Weng-Chiang is a masked individual and its revealed that he has been getting Chang to kidnap girls for something that enables Weng-Chiang to live. It’s a nice bit of intrigue that is given to us because we know something but not everything.

Watching Litefoot talking to the Doctor and Leela reminds me of just how good the Big Finish series is. Despite their being over thirty years between when this story was made and when the series began, it shows how Trevor Baxter and Christopher Benjamin haven’t missed a step in their audio adventures.

The scene with the Doctor and Jago is quite funny due to the Doctor performing magic tricks and Jago being less than impressed with him. These two are very funny together and Tom Baker and Christopher Benjamin work well together. For completely different reasons, Louise Jameson and Trevor Baxter are just as funny together because its two worlds colliding. Leela’s savage no manners style of eating against Professor Litefoot’s etiquette of eating with plates. It was rather amusing.

The part where the Doctor was chasing Weng-Chiang is rather good and does remind me a bit of the prolonged chase sequence in ‘Planet of the Spiders’. However in this case it was better because it wasn’t as long or as indulgent. Also its helped that the lighting is kept low again which means it adds something to the moment and that is what makes the episode work so well (just like in the previous episode) and that is the direction which coming from David Maloney isn’t much of a surprise.

The episode ends with Mr Sin walking towards Leela with a knife in his hand which is quite a powerful way to end an episode. I think that this is a stronger episode than the first because its done all the setting up and can just get on with it and it does it very well. I like how all the characters are really strong and the story allows them all to be wonderful. Two episodes in an I think that this serial is the perfect end to the season, a much stronger six parter adventure than ‘The Seeds of Doom’.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Episode 1

The final story of the fourteenth season ends on what is widely considered one of the true greats in Doctor Who history. This is the six part adventure that bought Henry Gordon Jago and Professor Litefoot to our lives and over thirty years later they would be have their own series with Big Finish. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to them then you should because they are rather fun. The opening minutes of this episode introduced Henry Gordon Jago and Li H’sen Chang and they are two very good characters. Christopher Benjamin is superb and John Bennett (previously in Invasion of the Dinosaurs) is very creepy. Mr Sin is also quite creepy and is played really well by Deep Roy. The way that he was used is one of the things that sets up this story rather well. Professor Litefoot is introduced quite late into the episode and his introduced is less flamboyant than Benjamin’s debut. I really cant wait until they get their first scene together because the fanboy in me is really looking forward to it.

When the action moves to the sewers that it when it gets interesting for me. It’s when it feels like the story is heading towards something. This is when however some of the problems with this story start to become present. The sight of a huge rat is something that wouldn’t look that effective via CGI by today’s standards so the rat that is used in this episode doesn’t look as good as it could. The only thing that stops it from being totally embarrassing is that the lighting is quite low and so you don’t see a great deal of it.

This early part of this story is designed to educate Leela and make her less of a savage than she was in previous stories and I always think that the Doctor was on a hiding to nothing with this. It’s good how there are a few moments where her instincts show why she is fine as she is. Attacking a bunch of guys just on her own shows that she is very different to any companion that came before her. Tom Baker seems to be in autopilot during this episode but even Tom Baker on autopilot is fun to watch and his Sherlock Holmes impression is very fun to look at.

One thing that stands out is the high production value of the costumes and the setting. The BBC has always done quite well and it really shows here. It almost gets in the way of the story telling. It’s not perhaps the start that I remember it having but I think that with five more episodes, this story can afford to take its time. So at the moment I cant be to gushing about this story but I am pretty confident that this will change in future episodes but a promising start.

The Deadly Assassin - Episode 4

This if the final episode of the story without a companion and also the final story of 1976. I have been totally bowled over by this story and even though I loved this story before I started watching this I have been surprised with just how much I have loved this story. Despite Goth being such an important part of the story, he doesn’t last very long in this episode. I think that Horsfall’s last scene was great and he definelty left the show on a highnote. The idea that Goth was working with the Master to try and get some power and knowledge is a bit clichéd but doesnt mean that its not a good idea and serves a purpose in the story.

The Master pretends to fake his death to try and make people think that the troubles are over. He’s out of things for a while and when he’s eventually mobile, he’s very creepy and the dark lighting makes the Master’s costume even more effective. Peter Pratt has been very good as the Master and due to the story means that its difficult to compare his performance to Roger Delgado. In fact during the previous four episodes, I never thought about whether it was as good as Delgado.

The line about their being twelfth regeneration was designed to be a throwaway line and yet if you try and go beyond this, then certain fans will get a bit stroppy. I can see why people would use this as part of the shows folklore because there wasn’t anything telling them otherwise but the fact that nothing was mentioned before means that we can ignore and I cant believe that Robert Holmes intended this to be part of timelord information, its clear that he was just using it as a plot point.

The final fight between the Doctor and the master is very good and its made even better by the fact that things are crashing down around them. The sets in this serial have been highly impressive and something that I haven’t mentioned so far. The sets are dark and they just look really top notch and its great how they have made Gallifrey seem vast despite filming this in a studio. As much as I enjoyed all the location filming, its rare that the studio filming is just as good.

The Master is defeated by falling over the edge and its not long before its clear that he survived and leads in his TARDIS just after the Doctor does. If I were watching this in 1976, then I would be hoping that it wouldn’t be too long before the master would return but sadly it wont be until Tom baker’s penultimate story before he would return. I think that this has been one of the best stories for quite sometime (not the first time that I have said that) but the experiment of not having a companion is now over and Leela of the Sevateem is about to come on board the TARDIS.

 

The Deadly Assassin - Episode 3

The information text on this episode says that this is one of the most controversial in the shows history and it’s not hard to see why. The story takes place largely in the matrix and apart from a few cutaway scenes, this story takes place in the matrix and with just the Doctor and Goth. It’s a rare thing to balance the story to this degree and its only because of Robert Holmes that this works. I think that if it were done by someone else then it wouldn’t have worked as well.

I often wonder what would happen in this episode if there were a companion and I think that it would lose quite a lot because just having the Doctor means that the viewer can just focus on him. There is a nice chase going of between the Doctor and the masked individual. When its revealed that Goth is the masked hunter it doesn’t really come as a great surprise but that’s not a problem because the whole chase has been so good that its at least a relief that they dispense with not mentioning what everyone must have known. I think that Bernard Horsfall gives another solid performance and this is perhaps his best. He manages to stand up to Tom Baker performance wise and speaking of Baker, this is his best episode I think since he took over the role.

The location work is superb and the high quantity of location filming means that this episode (and story) have a different vibe than previous stories. I mentioned in the previous episode’s review that David Maloney did a great job directing this story and it’s even better in this episode because Maloney uses the locations to their best and even though its filmed in a british quarry, it’s possible that some of them could be filmed in a rainforest and its funny watching the really hot summer on the screen when its equally just as hot outside during one of the warmest summers in a long time.

The cliffhanger is possibly the most controversial moment of them all. There is a shocking sight of Goff on fire but that’s not compared to when the Doctor is being held underwater by Goth and the shot freezes on him. This is another solid episode and I can’t find any fault with this episode whatsoever. This has been a great run of episodes and the problem with the story being as ‘controversial’ as it is perceived to be is that it is effectively the best that the Hinchcliffe era will get.

The Deadly Assassin - Episode 2

After being totally thrilled with the opening episode this episode doesn’t waste any time in getting going. They add something to the reprise when they show someone else holding the gun which kills the President. The scene where the Doctor is being tortured does highlight why having a companion would be good for the Doctor.

The ‘trial’ is a weird scene because it starts with the Doctor sketching and its clear that Bernard Horsfall’s character is trying to manipulate things. He clearly has aspirations to become President and its obvious even to a blind spielsnake that he’s working with the Master. The Master’s mask is very good. It might be a bit primitive but it still looks creepy. In his first scene he still isn’t named but its moments later when we see a figure in the camera and it’s clear that it what the Master use to do. When the Doctor finds out that the Master is on Gallifrey his attitude changes a great deal. Tom Baker has been very good so far in this story and it weird to see how different he has been since Elisabeth Sladen has left the show. Baker’s argument he didn’t need a companion are proven here.

The Doctor invokes article 17 to avoid being executed. Robert Holmes has invented some things in this story which become part of Doctor Who’s folklore. Not sure that this is one of them but it’s a good plot device to use and helps move the story enough and gets the Doctor out of his current predicament (and into another one).

The Doctor decides that he is going to try and convince Spandrell by proving that he couldn’t have shot the President. George Pravda returns to the show and is again someone that the Doctor (and thus the viewer) can trust and effectively becomes the Doctor’s companion.

It’s in this episode where the Doctor goes into the Matrix and this is where the episode shows its greatness to everyone. The Doctor is in peril pretty much from the moment he arrives in the matrix. These scenes are fantastically directed by David Maloney who is one the best directors to have ever worked in Doctor Who purely based on his consistently high quality. To try and pick out a particular highlight would be unfair to those moments that I don’t choose. The cliffhanger is a great one with the Doctor about to be mowed down by a train. This is a great end to a great episode. I think that my original thoughts about this being a fantastic story are spot on and this has to be one of the best Tom Baker stories that there has been. Half way through and I still want to watch the next two episodes now but I suppose I have to wait.

The Deadly Assassin - Episode 1

Ok lets get this out of the way straight away and address the title. An assassin is deadly, so quite why you would need to put deadly at the beginning is a bit of a mystery. That said it’s the biggest weakness in this entire story so that tells you how highly I rate this story. After the departure of Elisabeth Sladen in the previous episode, this is the first time since ‘Mission to the Unknown’ that a companion doesn’t appear at all. This is also the first time that the story has been set on Gallifrey as opposed to briefly being in the story. It’s been 92 episodes since the Master last appeared which when put into context is just over 1,300 days. The Master was last seen in ‘Frontier in Space’ episode six way back in season ten. Then it was played by Roger Delgado who sadly passed away shortly afterwards so it was a brave decision to recast the role.

The previous episode ended with the Doctor getting a call from Gallifrey and the episode starts with a nice star wars style caption. Within a few moments the Doctor gets a sense of what’s going on when it appears that the President has been shot. The big thing that is going on Gallifrey is that the President is resigning and a new one is going to be nominated and the president is assassinated before he can name the successor. What I quite like is that the Doctor is on his own and has his back against the wall straight away. The whole episode is building up to the assassination and it’s very unusual for the tension to feel as high as it does in what is an opening episode.

The portrayal of the guards is slightly comedic and reminds me an awful lot of UNIT soldiers because they act tough but are easily outfoxed by the Doctor and by the end of the episode don’t come across as anything to worry about. What does work better is the Master and even though he’s not named its obviously him and its clear that he has someone working for him. Sadly Bernard Horsfall doesn’t do a great job in hiding his voice. This is probably the same approach that Christian Bale took when he was playing Batman.

The cliffhanger ends with what appears to be the Doctor shooting the outgoing President. The episode ends (for the second time in a row) with a freeze frame, however time it actually has a purpose because of the shocking conclusion. As an opening episode its one of the best that I can recall and shows that this is going to be one of the best stories of Tom Baker’s time on the show. I think that whereas this story was designed to show Tom Baker why he needed a companion, I think that it actually achieves the opposite and shows why the show might have benefited from not having anyone for the Doctor to worry about. This episode has to be one of the best one for Tom Baker so far and I really cant wait to watch the rest of the story because I know that there are going to be some classic moments and some interesting moments to mention.

Planet of Evil - Episode 4

The final episode of this serial which hasn’t exactly been the greatest in Doctor Who history. The reprise was quite well resolved because the Doctor and Sarah are saved by Vishinky at what felt like the last minute. Once the Doctor gets saved he throws himself into the story and it’s the best episode for Tom Baker as far as I am concerned that he has had in this serial. Elisabeth Sladen hasn’t been paritcuarly memorable since the serial started. I was expecting things to get better for Sladen since Ian Marter left but obviously in the case of this adventure that wasn’t the case.

There is a nice scene between Sorensen and the Doctor. Unfortunately its over before it begins but there is a bit more between these two towards the end. I think that Frederick Jaeger has been one of the best things in this serial and really turns the madness up to 11 and he seems to be having lots of fun when the anti-matter version of the character really takes over. The effect of used on Sorensen which achieved a blue light effect was quite well done. It’s from this moment that I actually start to get interested in the adventure. The drama comes from when its revealed there is more than just Sorensen. The effect of the anti-matter Sorensen is far more impressive than the original anti-matter creature we saw in the first part of this story.

I think that Prentis Hancock is really good in this episode and his best moments come when he is arguing with Vishinsky. I think that the way that Salamar was killed was perhaps the best way that he could have done since the character had reached its natural conclusion. The best moment came between Salamar and Vishinsky came when Vishinsky took control and the reaction of Salamar’s face was pricesless. It looked like Sorensen was not going to make it during this episode but he makes it and is free of the anti-matter. It was the best way to end the character and it even ends

I think that this was a good end to what was a rather lacklustre story. Ok there was a good idea at the centre of it but for some reasons it just didn’t grab me in the way that I would have expected. That’s not going to be the case in the next story but the thing about Planet of Evil is my opinion of it hasn’t changed really but I think that the Zygons story is the better of the two that season thirteen have produced so far.

Planet of Evil - Episode 3

Ok so it’s clear that I am not going to rate this story as one of my favourite Tom Baker stories. Maybe with the final two episodes I might be able to find some positives to write about. The previous episode ended with the freeze frame of Tom Baker falling into the black hole. There is a good bit where the Doctor seems to be quite close to the anti-matter creature and then somehow manages to get out relatively unharmed. The thing about this episode is that it doesn’t feel like it’s achieving very much. At this point in a four part adventure it really should feel like it’s building up to something and yet it doesn’t feel like it at all.

Sorensen has gone from someone that I like because he has honourable (if slightly selfish) reasons to someone who is a little bit annoying. There is a distinct change in his look because he is changing. The scene of his eyes being the first thing of him to change did seem to have a bit of Jekyll and Hyde about it. It’s well performed by Frederick Jaeger.  Just a few minutes later, he is killing people and the full change is quite gruesome considering that this is a family show. Salamar goes from being a normal supporting character to someone that has drunk the mad drink because he then goes and point a gun at the Doctor. Way to go from hero to zero in the space of about 10 minutes. There is a moment when the Doctor punches Salamar and it’s a great punch. I know I should be surprised that the Doctor did such a violent act which seems more shocking considering that Jon Pertwee’s Doctor tended to use non violent means to subdue an opponent. It is perhaps the most exciting moment in the entire episode which is daming with faint praise.

The cliffhanger was perhaps the best one of this serial because it was this one that seemed like it could have quite a grim ending. I am still not totally convinced that this story has improved that much but at least there is only one episode left and its not the worst Doctor Who story ever.

Planet of Evil - Episode 2

The second episode of this story starts with the less than convincing anti-matter monster. What it lacks in visual menace it does make up for it in ability to cause a convincing death. One thing I don’t get about the deaths in this story however is what happens to them. When they are killed they disappear yet in the next shot they are a skeleton. It might have been because they couldn’t make it work on screen but it just looks a bit odd as it is.

One guy in the supporting characters look an awful lot like Terry Scott from Terry and June. Clearly its not but it made me smile a bit. It was at this point that I realised that the story wasn’t connecting with me. I think that Louis Marks should be praised for trying to do a different type of story but unfortunately it just doesn’t work. Another major problem that there is about this episode is that apart from learning that the planet is trying to stop people leaving with its minerals, there is nothing that really happens and that’s a frustrating thing that happens.

I do love the bit where the tracking prop is flying around the jungle and the shot that we see from its POV is one of if not the best shots in Doctor Who. Even when it was flying through the jungle it still look really good. I think its quite good that its dropped into the plot that no one may be allowed to leave the planet because of what Sorensen has bought on board. It’s hard to dislike Sorenson even when the viewer knows that what he’s doing isn’t a great thing. His discovery is for the greater good but its made clear that he’s also thinking about his legacy.

The Doctor falling into the black hole ends with a freeze. It’s a trick that was last used in ‘Genesis of the Daleks’ and I think that it works better here than it did in that episode. Despite some good things that happen in this episode, I just can’t get excited about this story. It’s not terrible and its directed with a certain level of enjoyment but I just think that the story itself is not great. I would like there to be a bit more drama to proceedings because at the moment it’s one of the least exciting stories of Tom Baker’s tenure.

Planet of Evil - Episode 1

Planet of Evil is a story that I have never really had much love for this story. It’s not one that I have had any real interest but I am hoping that watching an episode a day will change my opinion. This story was written by Louis Marks who previously wrote ‘Day of the Daleks’ which was an ok story and before that wrote ‘Planet of Giants’ which is a highly enjoyable adventure. One thing that this story does have in its favour is the set of the jungle. It’s very dark and very claustrophobic which the point is presumably.

The death of Braun is quite simple but very effective and it pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the story. Baldwin is the next to go in a similar fashion. It’s very typical of the tone that Philip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes were aiming for and the more that this progresses, the more that its clear that the show is trying to (in a nice way) distance itself from the Pertwee/Letts/Dicks era of the show.

The famous Ealing Studios is where several scenes were filmed and this is perhaps the first time that it looked like some money had been spent of the story. It’s still obvious when it’s a BBC studio and when its Ealing but they still match up pretty well and it’s a good quality of the story that perhaps doesn’t get flagged up when people are knocking the show about production values.

It’s six minutes before we see the Doctor and Sarah and their first scene is in the TARDIS and it’s the first time that we have seen the TARDIS interior since ‘Death to the Daleks’. Tom Baker’s first TARDIS scene is a very good one because he races around it and pressing buttons like he’s been doing it for ages. Now that Harry isn’t around it means that the Doctor/Companion relationship between the Doctor and Sarah can become stronger as the stories progress and I think that Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen have become closer than Sladen had become with Jon Pertwee.

In the first scene with Salamar (played by Prentis Hancock), we are told that there is only enough fuel on their ship for a return journey and some emergency supply. This seems not to relevant in the first episode but it’s a point that will have some importance in future episodes. I think that whilst they are good characters, I cant believe that someone like Vishinsky would be answerable to Salamar. Michael Wisher makes his second appearance in two seasons when he appears as Morelli. At first I didn’t recognise him but it was only when he spoke that his voice became recognisable.

The cliffhanger was ok. It was just the anti-matter creature approaching the screen. I will comment more on the anti-matter creature as it becomes more involved in the story. As an opening episode, I thought that it was a perfectly fine episode but I still don’t think that the four episodes together will be any better than I previously thought. Then again it’s fair to say that it wont be any worse than I thought.

Genesis of the Daleks - Episode 6

The cliffhanger from the previous cliffhanger works just as well at the beginning of this episode. At the beginning of the episode comes one of the most famous speeches and moments in Doctor Who. Its fair to say that there have been several such moments in this serial but this is perhaps this much more important because it sees the Doctor give a philosophical speech about whether you would stop a child if you knew that they would grow up evil and then the Doctor continues with saying that some worlds are better and are united because of their fear of the Daleks. This is a valid point and I would be surprised if people haven’t written a paper on this topic and cited this scene as an example. It’s a great scene because Tom Baker makes it work really well and is supported by Elisabeth Sladen, sadly Ian Marter is a bit of a spare part in this scene and doesn’t say a word until Gharman appears.

Another solid scene comes when Davros is trying to put his case to everyone which is clearly designed to stall things and one thing that he manages to achieve beforehand is to show that those opposing him don’t have the stomach for combat really. This ends quite grimly with all the Kaled scientists and members of the military being killed by the Daleks. The sight of all the dead bodies was quite a shocking thing to see on teatime telly.

Davros’ demise was a great one and one that people couldn’t have seen coming. It’s not an original thing that a creature has been destroyed/killed by its creation. The idea that the Daleks have already discovered that they don’t allow to think of anyone greater than the Daleks means that Davros’ use has come to an end. Michael Wisher has been a fantastic Davros is arguably the best of the actors to have played the role. Sadly no story that he features in will be quite as good as this one.

I was quite sad that Nyder met his death in this episode because I thought that it would have been nice for the character to pop up in a future story (perhaps even with Davros). The fact that you don’t actually see Davros’ death on screen allows the character to come back (and he does obviously). Peter Miles has been a very good supporting actor to Michael Wisher and did his job brilliantly.

At the beginning of the episode the Doctor nearly killed the incubation chamber but doesn’t do it. It’s quite apt that a Dalek does it for him. It means that the chamber is destroyed but the Doctor hasn’t committed genocide so it means that the character hasn’t done a truly appalling thing.

If there is one thing that I would have taken out is the stuff with the Thals and the mutos which just got in the way of things and with the Time Ring and Davros plot lines the story doesn’t really lend itself to much else. Even their goodbye at this episode is rather quick and short which suggest that they weren’t that important. The episode ends with the regulars swinging around with the time ring and the Doctor giving a speech which I always seem to miss because I am so amused by what they are doing.

I’m back to the stats thing and would like to point out that this is the 48^th episode that Terry Nation has written and it takes him 1 past Malcolm Hulke and becomes the most prolific writer in the shows history. This is David Maloney’s 31^st episode which puts him 10 behind Douglas Camfield and 4 behind Christopher Barry. Elisabeth Sladen has appeared in 42 episodes and it puts her 4 episodes behind Peter Purves and 6 behind Wendy Padbury.

As an episode I thought that it did what it needed to do and used every minute to do it. I thought that as a story it managed to erase the awful memory of ‘Death to the Daleks’ and now every time that there is a Dalek story in the classic era, there will be Davros in the middle of it. I think that it was one of the strongest stories that Terry Nation has written since the very first Dalek story. There has certainly been some critiscm of Nation’s quality in recent adventures but I think that this would have silenced those critics. This was one of the best stories of the season and some would argue the best but that is in the past now and tomorrow sees the return of a classic monster that hasn’t been seen in over 200 episodes and over 2,000 days (not in marathon days obviously).

Genesis of the Daleks - Episode 5

The penultimate episode of this serial is where the course of the story has changed when a new issue is introduced. Not only does the Doctor have to try and complete his mission for the timelords but there is the rebellion to Davros’ leadership and the main issue is the tape that the Doctor reveals the Dalek loses. I like how there is a fade over to indicate a passing of time which isn’t something that the show does very often. There is a great scene between Davros and the Doctor and was the highlight of the episode. I wish there were more of these scenes because it would have made this story one of the best stories ever. There is one thing about Davros’ chair design because I don’t quite know why he put a button on it where anyone could press it and it would affect Davros’ life support system. Why put it in such a place and why even have the button in the first place? That’s the only thing that I am not keen on about the character design of Davros.

I like the moment when Nyder seems to disagree with Davros and not in a way that is designed to con anyone considering that there wasn’t anyone in the room at the time. It felt at this time that his 100% loyalty had taken a dip a little but it went back to 100% after this. Peter Miles has really been a solid piece of casting in this story and has worked well with Michael Wisher.

The Doctor’s story in this episode is building up to one of the most iconic cliffhangers in the shows history. He has only one option left to him that the timelord at the beginning of the episode gives and that is to commit genocide. The idea that the Doctor would commit genocide is such a horrible idea and yet it could be argued that he has done this before in the show but this time has knowingly done it.

There is a scene in this episode which deserves mention and praise for David Maloney. The shot of the Daleks walking over the top of the bunker with the dark background is a fantastic. It’s easy to overlook his achievements in this story but one of the consistent things about the five episodes so far is that it has flowed well even though the story hasn’t moved along a great deal. The cliffhanger is quite a horrific one and is one of those that must have had people wondering just how the Doctor was going to get out of this one. As the penultimate episode of the story, it does a good job in ratcheting things up to give us a great final episode. It has been a problem in some six parters that they haven’t been able to make me feel the final episode was going to be the big pay off but in this case there is enough to feel like the final episode is going to compliment the rest of the story very well.

Genesis of the Daleks - Episode 4

As I approach the quatercentenary of Doctor Who episodes, today sees the whole of the country watching England lose (probably) to Italy at the World Cup in Brazil but I have decided to choose this moment to what the fourth episode of this Dalek renaissance. The episode doesn’t waste time in getting back into the action and within the first 90 seconds of the episode the dome is being attacked and the Doctor tries to stop the rocket. As the viewer knows that it was Davros that did the treachery it’s fun to see him blame Ronson. There is no time for a trial or any lasting speech but Daleks come in and do what they are famous for doing.

The death of Ronson is quite an important and interesting one. Chronologically speaking he the first person to be killed by a Dalek and also its quite interesting that its taken until part four before a Dalek kills someone. On another note its taken until episode four before we get another female character. Harriet Philpin plays Bettan and her first scene with the Doctor is quite a calm and controlled one. Someone that never gives a calm or controlled performance is Michael Wisher who continues to screech at anyone who can hear.

After what felt like a fast paced opening to the episode, the plot then seems to take a leisurely pace again. At least the story seems to be moving around a bit more. Apart from the opening reprise, there isn’t another scene in the rocket silo and that’s a good thing. It had some good moments but it has served its purpose and this episode needs to do what the story needs to do at this stage and that’s shift focus to keep the story going for another couple of episodes and Terry Nation seems to do it in a more subtle way that most writers have done in the past. The plot to try and overthrow Davros is what seems to take centre stage with Nyder being particularly impressive in this respect because he overhears a plot and then tries to pretend that he has turned against Davros when really he is trying to find out the exact names of people plotting against him. Nyder is strangely convincing of this. I think that Gharman (Dennis Chinnery) is a very good character and is played well.

The final five minutes of this episode makes this episode as far as I am concerned. From the moment that the Doctor is tied up it sets up a great scene between the Doctor and Davros. Davros is determined to find out how the Daleks lose their battles and forces the Doctor to try and tell him. If there is one thing that will make the Doctor cooperate it is the potential harm of his companions. It sets up a cliffhanger which matches episode two’s in terms of drama. It’s just Davros screeching and for me that’s a perfectly fine way to end. The thing about this episode is that it starts and finishes in quite a good way but it’s the middle part that doesn’t quite match it. It’s not terrible by any means and Terry Nation manages to make padding seem interesting but compared to the first and final acts of the episode its doesn’t quite stand up.

Genesis of the Daleks - Episode 3

Right so it’s clear the freeze framing the last shot is a great way of ending an episode. It won’t work every time but on this occasion it works. The fact that she doesn’t fall very far might seem like a cop out to many but I think that it was perhaps the best way that they could got around it.

It’s nearly five minutes before the Doctor and Harry enter the episode and it shows that Terry Nation saw Sarah’s plight far more dramatic than that of the Doctor and Harry. Harry’s first big thing in this episode is to be almost eaten by a clam which shows that Nation doesn’t really like to write for Harry and would much rather get back to Sarah and Davros. Sarah continues to be working on the rocket. She really did draw the short straw in this story when it came to job. Despite a spirited attempt at escaping she doesn’t really get to do a great deal. She even seems to have become somewhat dimmer during the previous episodes when she doesn’t realise until long after that they will die when the rocket launches. Considering she was suppose to be an intelligent person, she did seem a little bit dim.

I like the partnership (if you can call it that) of Davros and Nyder. They work well together and there is one moment when Nyder has a look on his face that seems like he is doubting what Davros is saying. I think that Davros shows why he’s such a good villain when he goes to the Thals and gives them a way of attacking the Kaled dome. I think that Michael Wisher owns this episode as Davros is really strong as he tries to show that his plans aren’t as sinister as they seem to be.

I haven’t commented on it for a couple of episodes but I think that Tom Baker has been superb since ‘Robot’ finished. When he’s given some good stuff to do then he shows that he’s just as good as the actors who have played the Doctor before him. I’m not saying that he’s better than William Hartnell but the stories have worked really well. I think that despite the occasional iffy episode, Elisabeth Sladen is still a very good companion and whilst I don’t like the fact that the character has been watered down, Sladen’s performance allows her to be more than the writing sometimes allows. Sadly Ian Marter is never going to be one of the greatest companions and I think he is a bit of a spare part and the calamity that befalls him at the beginning of the episode is just one example of this.

The cliffhanger occurs at the rocket and it’s the second episode in a row that this happens which pretty much sums up the problems with this episode. All the progression has happened has done so with Davros and the supporting characters. The Doctor and Harry just seem to have circled around a bit with Sarah staying where started. I am hoping that the next episode will be more active because I could do with a bit more running around corridors.

Genesis of the Daleks - Episode 2

As the second episode starts I thought that it was odd that we don’t get a reprise in this episode but it just carries on. This immediately puts the viewers on the back foot because they would have been expecting to be reminded what happened in the previous episode. The first thing that strikes me is that the bleakness continues and in fact at times it seems to get worse.

The Kaleds are much better in this episode.

The scene where Davros enters the room after his brief first appearance at the beginning of the episode is the one which I thought was his first appearance. It’s such an iconic scene in the show because it brings a Mark 3 travel machine in and it looks like it’s going to kill the Doctor before Ronson intervenes. Ronson starts the episode as being just like one of the other Kaleds but very quickly becomes someone that the Doctor and Harry can trust and as a result the viewer can trust.

Michael Wisher is fantastic in this episode. The scene where he is yelling at Ronson for interfering in the experiment is a great moment and is perhaps the most animated character in the entire serial. Quite ironic considering how restricted he is in movement.

The model of the rocket that we see from Sarah’s POV is quite an impressive model and does a good job in making us believe that this is actually what Sarah is seeing. I was thinking that maybe Sarah was being left out of the action in this story but after what could be considered a rather light involvement in proceedings, this was improved in this episode. Whilst I wish that Harry was the one that was separated from the Doctor instead of Sarah, I think that Harry would have benefited from being the one forced to work on the rocket.

There is a great shot when we see Harry and the Doctor looking through into a lab which has the most marvellous noises coming out of it. It’s a great bit of directing from David Maloney because it leaves the viewer with the responsibility as to what they saw. Maloney is one of the best directors that Doctor Who has ever had and one of the longest serving directors on the show. I think his best work is yet to come but does well in maintaining the drama and increasing the bleakness.

The final few minutes are the best of this episode because not only are the Doctor and Harry in a relative amount of peril, it is Sarah that gets the cliffhanger which shows that Terry Nation hasn’t forgotten about her. It’s something that I didn’t realise until I saw this bit was that at this moment in time, there aren’t any other female characters apart from Sarah. I suppose by 2014 standards it would seem wrong now to just have one female speaking part but I would hazard a guess that even in 1975 this wouldn’t have been ideal. The decision to end the episode with a freeze frame is something that had never happened before on the show and whilst it might become more common in future stories, it’s a great way to end an episode and they’ve used it in a good way. This is another great episode and the good form of the twelfth season continues.

Genesis of the Daleks - Episode 1

If I am being honest, this is the story that I have been waiting for since the Tom Baker era started. I enjoyed ‘The Ark in Space’ obviously and there was something to enjoy about ‘The Sontaran Experiment’ but this is the one that I think not only cemented the Daleks’ popularity again but also Tom Baker’s stature as one of (if not the) best Doctors. This is the first Dalek story since the rather dreadful ‘Death to the Daleks’. That story did a pretty good job of making the Daleks look boring and dated. What this story does is freshen them up and also set them on a new journey in the shows history. From the opening moments, this story looks like it’s going to be different to anything we have seen before in Doctor Who. Not being filmed in a quarry but the ‘Apocalypse Now’ inspired slow-mo of soldiers being shot down and walking into the mist. The first scene between the Doctor and the Timelord effectively sets up the entire serial and gives us something to worry about in later episodes.

The thing that is clear in this episode is just how dark it is. It doesn’t have any of the warmth of ‘Robot’ or even ‘The Ark in Space’. This is highlighted when the Doctor and Harry are told that they will be hung and not shot like normal. The Doctor is threatened with being killed all the time but somehow due to the rather bleak setting, this seems to carry more weight and menace. The bleakness continues when Nyder (Peter Miles) makes his first appearance. If he were any colder then he would have frost on him. This is the story where Miles really shows us how much of a swine he could be (acting wise of course). Sadly we don’t get a great deal of him in this episode but what we do get is still fun to watch. The rest of the Kaleds that the Doctor and Harry meet aren’t particularly memorable and seem to be more like the humans that we meet in the previous story.

Davros gets mentioned in this episode and it’s a teaser for his appearance later on in the episode. For some reason, I always thought that his first appearance came later on in the episode when he walks into the lab not being outside. It’s a rather understated debut and leads to a great cliffhanger with Davros saying that they can now begin before the camera zooms in on the Dalek. Despite this cliffhanger not giving us much in drama or tension but despite this I still thought that it was a great cliffhanger and one that shows that ‘Death to the Daleks’ was a distant memory