Episode #33 : The Moonbase

"There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things. Things which act against everything we believe in. They must be fought."

Episode 33:      The Moonbase.
Companions:    The 2nd Doctor, Polly Wright, Ben Jackson and Jamie McCrimmon.
Air Date:          Four episodes. 11th February to 4th March 1967.

The TARDIS arrives in 2070 on the Moon, where a weather control station under the command of a man named Hobson is in the grip of a plague epidemic - in reality the result of an alien poison planted by the Cybermen. Jamie is knocked unconscious and lapses into a delirium, leaving the Second Doctor, Ben, and Polly to fight off a massive Cyberman attack.

Two episodes of this story currently survive and I have never seen the remaining two. However, I do own and have read repeatedly, the novelization of The Moonbase so that and an internet synopses are what I will base this short review on. Supposedly though, at the end of this year, 2013, this story will get the animation treatment to make it a fully watchable episode again.

We have a rather quick return of the Cybermen, perhaps because they proved popular in the Ten Planet the BBC decided to see if they could be the new Daleks? The costumes have massively improved since we last saw them and they appear much more mechanical now than then. Despite that they do seem to have vulnerable plastic elements which eventually leads to their destruction at the end of the story.

The story is set upon the moon only fifty odd years from now, where the worlds weather is controlled by a piece of machinery called a Graviton. How it does this with gravity I don't know. When it goes out of alignment the world is struck by strong winds and hurricanes. The Cybermen want to eradicate human life on Earth so they can claim the planet. I guess the assimilation ideas weren't fully thought through at this time though the story does mention some crewmen of the moonbase being made cybernetic.

Not a bad story really though I am looking forward to watching it if the rumours of animation are true.

Episode #32 : The Underwater Menace

"Just one small question: Why do you want to blow up the world?"

 

 

Episode 32:   The Underwater Menace.
Companions: The 2nd Doctor, Polly Wright, Ben Jackson and Jamie McCrimmon.
Air Date:       Four episodes. 14th January to the 4th February 1967.

 

The TARDIS arrives on an extinct volcanic island. Before long, the travellers are captured and taken into the depths of the Earth, where they find a hidden civilisation - the lost city of Atlantis.

 

This is a rather unusual story as it feels all too comical without actually being funny or a comedy. it all comes down to the villain of the piece, a man scientist named Zarkoff. Zarkoff carries off a strange almost eastern European accent and is played as a stereotypical mad scientist complete with shout "NUFFINK IN ZE VORLD CAN STOP ME NOW!" All in all it is a tad strange and cringe worthy.

The other element that failed for me was the appearance of the fish people (see the photo above) decked out with glitter, sparkly things and carried on strings to emulate swimming. All very cheap and nasty, not to mention plain old silly looking. Considering I love the dodgy cheap special effects later on this just goes to show how bad these are.

 

The Underwater Menace is the first to mention Atlantis, though in this case what the Doctor has found is merely a surviving outpost. Atlantis will get referenced twice more (as of this time), and the story of what happened changes each time.

 

Ultimately it is a very silly story and just boring to watch. it is one of those where I found myself unconsciously looking to flick through a book or check my phone throughout the viewing. Not a good sign.