Episode #96 : Underworld

"There are no gods but me! Have I not created myself? Do I not rule? Am I not all-powerful?"

Episode 96:    Underworld.
Companions:  4th Doctor, K9 and Leela.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 7th to 27th January 1978.

The TARDIS arrives on a Minyan space craft, the R1C, commanded by a man named Jackson. Jackson and his crew are on a long quest to recover the Minyan race banks from a ship called the P7E which left their planet centuries ago. The Doctor helps to free the R1C after it becomes buried in a meteorite storm, but it then crashes into another newly-formed planet.

The plot behind Underworld is essentially a new take on some of the myths of ancient Greece. In this case it conveys elements of Jason & the Argonauts and the Odessey. I give bonus points because the look of the costumes and the way the episode plays out give a sense of that same quest of myth and legend that you would expect.

The story itself is fairly simplistic. The companions arrive on the Minyan ship and become caught up in their quest to find and secure the race banks of their almost dead civilisation. The survivors of the ship bearing those records now lies at the heart of a newly formed world but have been taken over and ruled by their ships computer which has gone somewhat mad. With a story about an insane computer already in recent stories (The Face of Evil) it feels a bit of a let down. Move along nothing to see here. However, the rest of the story flows well and is rather enjoyable if lacking in elements.

The only real issue is with an overused CSO (colour separation overlay) where the actors are cheaply green-screened into a series of CGI cave tunnels. It was done in this case to save budget for the following story but it does make it laughable at times.

We do get something for continuity out of Underworld; the reason for the Time Lord's policy of non-interference. It turns out that thousands of years before, the Time Lords had encountered the Minyans and given them advanced technology, including limited regenerative technology. The Minyans rebelled against their "gods" for some reason, driving the Time Lords out and destroying their planet in a massive war.

Even though this review may seem negative I actually find the story entertaining and watchable.