"I must be mad. I'm sick of being cold and wet and hypnotised left, right and centre. I'm sick of being shot at, savaged by bug eyed monsters, never knowing if I'm coming or going... or been... I want a bath, I want my hair washed, I just want to feel human again... and, boy, am I sick of that sonic screwdriver. I'm going to pack my goodies and I'm going home."
Episode 87: The Hand of Fear.
Companions: 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.
Air Date: Four episodes. 2nd to 23rd October 1976.
The TARDIS arrives on contemporary Earth, where Sarah comes into contact with what appears to be a fossilised human hand. This is in fact the last surviving fragment of a Kastrian called Eldrad, who was blown up in space as a punishment for attempting to wipe out his own people.
The Hand of Fear is another tale that upon first watch seems rather bland, but upon repeated viewings has a lot of potential. The story deals with an exiled Kastrian scientist believed destroyed by his own people for perceived sabotage. Sarah becomes possessed by the surviving hand, forced to go around repeating "Eldrad must live" and seeking a way to restore Eldrad. When the Doctor and Sarah take Eldrad home they find that he isn't the well meaning scientist they think he is.
This story is especially noteworthy for being the farewell story for Sarah Jane Smith. She has come a long way from the feisty no-nonsense woman she first appeared. She ends her run as a typical female companion who frequently gets captured/hypnotised/possessed and screams a lot. She is still by far my favourite companion. She leaves the series having grown annoyed at what happens to her in recent adventures. Goodbye for now, Sarah Jane.
At the end of this story the Doctor receives a summons from Gallifrey. Since outsiders are not allowed on the home world of the Time Lords he is forced to leave Sarah behind. It then runs on to the next story, The Deadly Assassin.
The Hand of Fear is a fair story but could have been better.
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