Episode #152 : The Happiness Patrol

"You see, I make sweets. Not just any old sweets, but sweets that are so good, so delicious that sometimes, if I'm on form, the human physiology is not equipped to bear the pleasure."

Episode 152:    The Happiness Patrol.
Companions:    7th Doctor and Ace.
Air Date:          2nd to 16th November 1988.

The TARDIS arrives on the planet Terra Alpha where the Doctor and Ace discover a society in which sadness is against the law - a law enforced with considerable zeal by the brightly uniformed Happiness Patrol. The planet is ruled over by Helen A with the aid of her companion Joseph C and her carnivorous pet Stigorax named Fifi. The penalty for those found guilty of unhappiness is death in a stream of molten candy prepared by Helen A's executioner, the robotic Kandyman, and his associate Gilbert M. The time travellers help to foment rebellion amongst the downtrodden population and the subterranean Pipe People - the planet's original inhabitants - and Helen A is overthrown.

This is the worst story in Doctor Who from the 1980's. It really is just so bad. The whole look of the sets, the acting, the plot and then there is the  utterly ridiculous Kandyman. The whole combination is just a bad surreal dream sequence that should never have been.

The whole story is meant to be a take on the age of Margaret Thatcher though personally I don't see it. However it can be seen perhaps, as how governments try to control their population but you have to look hard to see it.

The most infamous issue with this story is the character of the Kandyman - a half robot half confectionery creature with psychotic issues. This for me really was a low point in the show back then. This sort of figure might have worked in the old black and white days but by the late 1980's the show had progressed past such things.

I am afraid I don't have a single good thing to say about this story and I recommend avoiding it.

Episode #79 : Revenge of the Cybermen

"You're nothing but a pathetic bunch of tin soldiers skulking

about the galaxy in an ancient spaceship."

Episode 79:    Revenge of the Cybermen.
Companions:  4th Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 19th April to 10th May 1975.

Expecting to be reunited with the TARDIS following a secret mission for the Time Lords, they instead find themselves on a plague-stricken space station orbiting the remnants of Voga, Planet of Gold. The Doctor, Harry Sullivan and Sarah Jane Smith have stumbled into the last battle of an ancient conflict between humankind and one of its most terrifying foes — the Cybermen.

At last we have the long awaited return of the Cybermen to the show. We last saw them in The Invasion, story of the 2nd Doctor. The appearance of the Cybermen has been improved and they now look much closer to the excellent 80's Cybermen design. These ones even sport weapons in their foreheads which is somewhat odd. The voices are now supplied by the actor in the suit and we can finally understand what they are saying properly. Unfortunately this is the only on screen appearance for the Cybermen for the 4th Doctor and we have to wait several years until they return.

The reason for the Cybermen's revenge is the fabled moon of Voga which is made of gold. The Cybermen have been given a new weakness which doesn't make too much real world sense, but then I am no scientist to explain it. Supposedly because gold is noncorrosive substance it can block their breathing apparatus. Why does a machine like being need a breathing apparatus? I have no idea. But you can just go with it.

This story concludes the Nerva Beacon arc which started with The Ark in Space, and we get to see what the Nerva Beacon looked like before the solar flares. The only disappointing element to this story is how closely it resembles The Moonbase. Both stories feature a Cyberman attack with Cybermats and a plague to strike down the human crew. While it may have been a staple mode of operation for the future Cybermen it just comes across as reusing the same old plot elements from an older story.

But saying that I can't complain about this story. Revenge of the Cybermen is a good piece of entertaining Who made better by the return of the Cybermen. The plot is straight forward but we get some good acting from our regular actors and Harry Sullivan gets to shine once again. Sarah Jane though seems to have continued the trend of being a screaming female companion.

At the culmination of this story our companions are reunited with the TARDIS and discover that the Brigadier has summoned them back to the Earth.

Episode #58 : Colony in Space

"You’ll never understand. I want to see the universe, not to rule it."

Episode 58:       Colony in Space.
Companions:    The 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:           Six episodes. 10th April to 15th May 1971.

The Time Lords discover that the Master has stolen their secret file on the Doomsday Weapon. They grant the Doctor a temporary reprieve from his exile on Earth to deal with the crisis. Jo and he arrive on the planet Uxarieus and become enmeshed in a struggle between an agrarian colony and a powerful mining corporation.

For the first time since Jon Pertwee took over the role as the Doctor, we get him off of Earth and out in to space again. The Time Lords sent him and Jo to prevent the Master from finding and using an ancient weapon of mass destruction before he can hold the rest of the universe to ransom with it. As an episode hook goes it doesn't really see a lot of time except near the climax of the story. Most of Colony in Space is action and some politics as the Doctor tries to deal with two conflicting sides (colonists and corporate miners) who both claim the planet as theirs. The Master meanwhile pretends to be an arbitrator sent from Earth to settle things.

It is a nice change of pace to get back away from the Earth bound UNIT stories and the issues dealt with are even more relevant in the modern day than they were in the early 1970s. The story deals with ruthless corporate interests over the plight of the common man (or worker). As it is portrayed, even Earth has become very draconian in its dealings with colonists. A possible look at our future perhaps?

Colony in Space is not the most interesting or gripping of stories but it is worth a watch. The Doctor and Jo both get some good moments of screen time, especially Jo, for whom this is her first visit inside the TARDIS and her first experience with time and space travel.

Episode #37 : The Tomb of the Cybermen

"Our lives are different to anybody else's. That's the exciting thing, that nobody in the

universe can do what we're doing."

 

 

Episode 37:   The Tomb of the Cybermen.
Companions: The 2nd Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 2nd to 23rd September 1967.

The TARDIS arrives on the planet Telos, where an Earth archaeological expedition led by Professor Parry is trying to uncover the lost tombs of the Cybermen. With a lot of help from the Doctor, the archaeologists enter the tombs. There, one of the party, Klieg, reveals himself and his business partner, Kaftan, to be planning to revive the Cybermen.

There are time as I go re-watching these stories, that I realise that I am often overly-critical of some of them. Especially these which are pre-Pertwee. But The Tomb of the Cybermen is a gem among these early stories and a must-watch in my opinion. Very rarely does 1960's Doctor Who get such a well written, well paced and well-acted story, but this one does it.

The story deals with the Cybermen having put themselves into a hibernation state for 500 years. My guess would be because of Mondas' destruction in the mid 20th century though as machine life forms who could live indefinitely it makes me wonder why that would be necessary. Now that they have been found they plan to start assimilating, for lack of a better word, the archaeologists and rebuild their race. The story also introduces the concept of a Cyber-Controller and Cybermats, both of which will last throughout the Cybermen's appearances in the series.

This is the first time that I can say I've seen Victoria Waterfield on screen and I quite like her as a companion. Unlike Jamie, who just seems to leap into the idea of time travel and space, Victoria actually plays the culture shock of being a person out of time, dropped into things she doesn't truly understand.

We get a follow up to the events of this story with the 6th Doctor in the story Attack of the Cybermen, which also ties into the events from The Tenth Planet. Nice to see that the writers were considering previous stories at some point.

For those who want to watch the better classic stories, I heartily recommend this one. A big thumbs up.

Episode #11 : The Rescue

"You destroyed a whole planet just to save your own skin. You're insane!"

 

Episode 11:    Planet of the Giants.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Vicki, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Two episodes. 2nd to 9th January 1965.
 

Having left Susan on Earth, the Doctor, Ian and Barbara land the TARDIS on the planet Dido in the year 2493. There they discover two humans, Bennett and Vicki, trapped in their spaceship, the only crew to survive death at the hands of the hostile Didonians. But the Doctor is baffled: the Didonians are a peaceful nation. What has happened to change them? Why have they murdered the crew of the spaceship? Why, apart from the mysterious Koquillion, are they strangely absent?

In all honesty, this is quite a disappointing story. Initially you have a bit of a mystery going on for the companions to uncover and investigate, but it is so transparent and obvious. Also, the story just seems to be a jumping off point for the introduction of Vicki as a replacement for Susan. I know I'd much rather have kept Susan for a while longer.

For those interested, however, The Rescue is the first story to feature the trademark wheezing-groaning noise for the materialisation/re-materialisation of the TARDIS.