Episode #155 : Battlefield

"Well if my hunch is right, the Earth could be at the centre of a war that doesn't even belong to this dimension!"

Episode 155:   Battlefield.
Companions:   7th Doctor and Ace.
Air Date:          6th to 27th September 1989.

The TARDIS materialises in the English countryside near the village of Carbury, where a nuclear missile convoy under the command of UNIT's Brigadier Winifred Bambera has run into difficulties. Lying on the bed of the nearby Lake Vortigern is a spaceship from another dimension containing the body of King Arthur, supposedly held in suspended animation, and his sword Excalibur. Ancelyn, a knight from the other dimension, arrives on Earth to aid the King but is followed by his rival Mordred and the latter's mother, a powerful sorceress named Morgaine. They all recognise the Doctor as Merlin - a fact that the Time Lord attributes to events in his own future.

Doctor Who meets Arthurian legend and surprisingly does it very well. Our lore of King Arthur comes down to us from another dimension where the figures of legend are very much real, and where a possible future version of the Doctor (in an untelevised adventure) is the wizard Merlin. Or maybe that universe has it's own Doctor? The writers have combined the Arthurian tales with a strange pseudo-science that gels very well even when you realise that you are watching knights in armour fighting with swords and laser guns.

The Doctor is back to his dark manipulative self at last. Ace also gets a good amount of screen time and a fair amount of dialogue which is refreshing since she hasn't really had the opportunity since Dragonfire. It is a shame that the writing and storytelling for McCoy get so much better on his last year as the BBC plot to cancel the show.

This story also sees the long awaited return of UNIT and the Brigadier. Even good old Bessie gets brought out of mothballs for this adventure. We also get a short meeting with Doris, the Brigadier's wife who was frequently mentioned but never seen. Though I do think the references were probably lost on younger fans at the time who hadn't watched the earlier classic show.

With Battlefield I do appear to be in the minority as apparently many fans dislike this story. It is considered to have too many characters who don't get enough individual screen time. I've also read that many feel the battle sequences uninspired and the sparkler-like effects for the laser guns just a poor choice. I can see past all that and find Battlefield an entertaining adventure for the Doctor.

Episode #75 : Robot

"You know, just once I'd like to meet an alien menace that wasn't immune to bullets."

Episode 75:    Robot.
Companions:  4th Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 28th December 1974 to 18th January 1975.

A newly regenerated Doctor joins UNIT in an investigation into the theft of top secret plans and equipment from supposedly secure premises. Sarah discovers that the raids have been carried out by a robot invented by scientist Professor Kettlewell while he was working for Think Tank, a body involved in developing emerging technologies.

The first adventure for Tom Baker involves a robot and yet another conspiracy to take over the Earth. This time the villains are a bunch of scientists who feel that only the intelligent should rule, and to achieve this aim they are prepared to destroy the world with an arsenal of nuclear weapons. Which to me seems pointless because then there won't be anyone for them to rule. Otherwise a good start to the 4th Doctor's extensive run on the show.

Tom Baker brings a fantastic character portrayal to the screen from his first confused post-regeneration lines. I have always felt that the 1st Doctor was simply an eccentric old man but, depending on cause of regeneration, each subsequent one has been more mad rather than eccentric. The 4th Doctor, especially, certainly is not playing with a full deck and it works so well. I'm sure that it must have taken some getting used to by the audiences who had previously watched Jon Pertwee's more restrained performance only a few months previous.

The story itself isn't too bad but it does plod along in places making it feel much longer than it actually is. When I re-watched the story recently in preparation for writing this, at one point I thought I was on part 5 when it was the start of 4! That is how it felt. Another minor niggle is the continued references to green/environmental issues as part of the background. There seems to be a lot of that going around in stories recently and in this it had reached the saturation point for me (though I am watching these in quick succession to be fair). There comes a point where the writers do need to find something else to present as a contemporary point of reference.

On a high note however, the Doctor and Sarah are joined by a new companion, Harry Sullivan. Harry is a UNIT medic and helps them throughout this story, and is then tricked into the TARDIS when the the Doctor and Sarah take flight. Harry is one of my favourite companions so I'm looking forward to re-watching the next few stories.

Episode #74 : Planet of the Spiders

"The old man must die, and the new man will discover to his

inexpressible joy that he has never existed."

Episode 74:   Planet of the Spiders.
Companions: 3rd Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.
Air Date:       Six episodes. 4th May to 8th June 1974.

The blue crystal that the Doctor took from Metebelis III in a previous adventure is desperately sought by the Eight Legs, a race of mutated spiders, as the final element in their plan for universal domination. With help from an old mentor, the Doctor realises the only way to foil the plot is to make the ultimate sacrifice. The Doctor must risk death to return to the cave of the Great One and save the universe.

Planet of the Spiders is the final story in the Jon Pertwee era and while it has it's good and bad elements, it is a pretty good ending to one of the best Doctors (in my opinion) of the classic show. The story deals with a race of giant mutant spiders from Metebelis III who seek power to travel to Earth and enslave mankind. They need the crystal that the Doctor took from the planet a long time before their arrival to do so, and must use mantric time travel to achieve their aims.

Firstly, while the story is quite good, I am left with the feeling that the writer probably didn't watch the previous story where the Doctor picked the crystal up from Metebelis III. I say this because the planet as it appears in Planet of the Spiders in no way resembles the planet as it appeared in The Green Death. It now appears bright, earth-like and devoid of the giant monsters that the Doctor encountered before. Secondly, the one element that really lets the story down is the appearance of the giant spiders. I am sure that the BBC special effects department could have done a lot better even back then.

There is a lot of padding to this story and part of it comes from a lengthy James Bond-esqe chase involving cars, gyrocopters, speedboats and a hovercraft. Most of that episode was taken up with the chase and it all ends with a bit of a let down. Jon Pertwee may have liked his stunts and cars but it didn't need to find it's way into the story.

The story also sees the return of Mike Yates, who was discharged from UNIT following the events of Invasion of the Dinosaurs. Having retreated to meditation centre to contemplate what he had done, he becomes embroiled in the plot unfolding, and brings Sarah Jane and the Doctor into the story. Having really come to like the character over the last twenty-odd stories it was nice to give him a final send off.

At the end of the story after defeating the giant spiders, he regenerates into Tom Baker. Going through these stories in order I really do feel that I am going to miss Pertwee. His mannerisms and acting approach really have made him stand out far more than the two actors before him, and he has made his run the most enjoyable.

Episode #69 : The Green Death

"Stevens, listen to me. You've seen where this efficiency of yours leads. Wholesale pollution of the countryside. Devilish creatures spawned by the filthy by-products of your technology. Men... men walking around like brainless vegetables. Death. Disease. Destruction."

Episode 69:    The Green Death.
Companions:  3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 19th May to 23rd June 1973.

A death at an abandoned coal pit brings UNIT and the Doctor to the South Wales town of Llanfairfach when the body is found glowing bright green. Are pollutants from Global Chemicals responsible? Where are the giant maggots coming from? And who is the mysterious BOSS?

The Green Death is an excellent story that deals with issues just as relevant to us now in the 21st century as they were to us forty years ago; pollution and it's effects on the environment. In this story a mining company has closed down and started pumping vast amounts of chemical waste into the tunnels. The resulting mess has created a new form of life... giant, almost invulnerable, maggots that eventually transform into some monstrous fly-like insect. All of it orchestrated by the company's new machine BOSS - Biomorphic Organisational Systems Supervisor - which has achieved a form of sentience.

Throughout the current season of the show the Doctor has made a few references to wanting to visit Metebelis III, an apparently beautiful blue world famed for it's crystals. At long last we get a visit to that planet and it isn't anywhere near how he describes it. In fact it seems to be full of monsters, ranging from giant tentacles to enormous birds. We do come back to this planet in a few episodes time.

There is great chemistry between the characters in this story which has been lacking of late. Jo seems ever more ditzy than usual but it is endearing to see her fall in love with the local hippy scientist. Jo leaves the Doctor in this story to marry her new love and you get a real sense of conflicting happiness and sadness on the part of the Doctor. Even the Brigadier doesn't seem quite so trigger happy in this story.

The effects bring back a lot of memories of watching science fiction as a kid, and I really can't fault them in this story. The maggots seem a bit odd at times but they still give the creeps even now. The only element which I feel doesn't work is the giant fly. I mentioned this way back in the 1st Doctor story "Planet of the Giants". In that story there is a admittedly static model of a giant fly that looked awesome, but here we have something that truly does look like it was a rush job of paper-mache, bits and paint. When the BBC could do something that looked as good as it did in Planet of the Giants, it does beg the question why couldn't they do it here?

It is sad to see Jo leave the show and she is remembered with fondness by many fans. But it is time to get a stronger companion I think and we do that in the next story. Jo does make a re-appearance in the SJA adventure "Death of the Doctor" which I will cover later on.

I suggest The Green Death as one of the better Jon Pertwee era stories and well worth checking out if you haven't seen it.

Episode #59: The Daemons

"Jenkins...chap with wings there, five rounds, rapid!"

Episode 59:   The Daemons.
Companions: The 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:        Five episodes. 22nd May to 19th June 1971.

The Master, posing as a rural vicar, summons a cloven-hoofed demon in a church basement.

The Daemons is perhaps my most favourite story of the Jon Pertwee era. Everything about it is so well written, acted and portrayed on screen. Whoever wrote it did their homework, because although it has been given a spin for the television show, a good amount of the Wiccan/Pagan dialogue almost spot on.

The story deals with the Master's attempt to gain ultimate power by summoning up Azal, the last of the Daemons. The Daemons (pronounced demon - daemon is just the old English spelling) were an ancient race who manipulated other younger races as part of some vast experiment, including early humans which explains legends of demons and of the Devil himself. Once again however, the Master hasn't fully thought his schemes through very well. At the end of the story, the Master is captured and taken away by UNIT at last.

There is a moment in the story when the model of a church explodes in flames. Apparently for the 70's audience, it seemed all to real and the BBC received complaints for them destroying a real church just for television. It does make you wonder I think.

The Daemons is also perhaps the first time that we see the show really do a horror themed episode. I find that some of the better episodes have been those which have the freakier or more scary approaches.

Even as I sit here writing this, I can't help but think that The Daemons is possibly the best story from the Jon Pertwee era. If you haven't seen it, I recommend checking it out.

Episode #56 : The Mind of Evil

"Do you think for once in your life you could manage to arrive before the nick of time!"

Episode 56:   The Mind of Evil.
Companions: The 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 30th January to 6th March 1971.

The Master plots to plunge the world into war through a complex scheme involving an alien entity that feeds on evil and fear, a prison riot, and a stolen nerve gas missile.

Lets see if this makes any sense to anyone else. The Master uses an alien parasite to drain the evil from men's minds (turning them into innocent child-like individuals) so that he can take over a prison, free the inmates and get them to steal a nuclear missile so that he can start the third world war. It sounds rather far fetched and unusual, and doesn't make much more sense on screen.

We also see the Master for all his evil brilliance is really not as sharp as all that. In most of the stories in this time of the show the Master sets up some dastardly scheme only to have the Doctor point out an obvious flaw that we, the viewers, picked up on ages ago and he has to switch sides to stop his own defeat.

UNIT is shown as performing duties other than hunting for aliens and monsters. In this story their job is protect delegates from governments across the globe as they talk to avert war. The soldiers still get to amass a small body count however against the inmates of the prison.

I have to be honest and say that this isn't a great story by any means. It tries to do the James Bond thing again and fails to pull it off properly. The BBC are trying to give the show a different feel under Jon Pertwee but the political intrigue and world domineering isn't very well done.

Episode #54 : Inferno

"Listen to that! It's the sound of the planet screaming out its rage!"

 

 

Episode 54:    Inferno.
Companions: The 3rd Doctor and Liz Shaw.
Air Date:        Seven episodes. 9th May to 20th June 1970.

 

UNIT is providing security cover at an experimental drilling project designed to penetrate the Earth's crust and release a previously untapped source of energy. Soon however the drill head starts to leak an oily green liquid that transforms those who touch it into vicious primeval creatures with a craving for heat.
The Doctor is accidentally transported by the partially repaired TARDIS control console into a parallel universe where the drilling project is at a more advanced stage. Thwarted by his friends' ruthless alter egos, he works to save both universes.

Inferno is an excellent story that keeps you fixed throughout. The story deals with two elements: a drilling operation that has gone too far and threatens to destroy the world, and an alternate dystopian Earth where the drilling has gone too far allowing the Doctor to learn how to avert disaster.

The story deals with a mining operation led by an unscrupulous man named Stahlman who seeks to drill down into the core of the Earth looking for something he has named Stahlman's Gas. Unfortunately all he finds initially is a strange green goo that transforms those who touch it into weird green furred primitives called Primords. The effects for these look awful and remind me far more of the old werewolf effects from the 1930's wolfman movies.

From there an accident sends the Doctor sideways in time to an alternate Earth where Great Britain is a dystopian society. Much like the classic mirror universe Star Trek stories there are evil versions of the characters from the Doctors universe, including an evil version of the Brigadier and Liz Shaw. On their world the drilling has punctured the core and the release of energy has set the Earth on the path to fiery death. The Doctor must find a way to travel back to his universe and save the Earth.

Although the story is really good elements don't make much sense. Why does the green go create Primords and why do they want to bring about the end of the world? That never gets explained. Also, considering that later on in the show we learn that Torchwood managed to drill down to the Racnoss ship at the centre of the Earth, why didn't they encounter the problems presented here? Think too much and there are continuity issues here.

Unfortuantely this is the last time we see Liz Shaw. No goodbye. She just doesn't return in the following season. The character of Liz is another strong female role and I wonder if she was replaced because it is easier to have a screamer type companion who can ask questions and needs to be rescued.

Episode #53 : The Ambassadors of Death

"No, no. You vanished first. I only seemed to have vanished because you went into the future, and I wasn't there yet."

Episode 53:   The Ambassadors of Death.
Companions: The 3rd Doctor and Liz Shaw.
Air Date:       Seven episodes. 21st March to 2nd May 1970.

The Doctor joins UNIT's investigation of the mystery surrounding Mars Probe 7. Space Control, headed by Professor Ralph Cornish, has had no contact with the astronauts on board since it started back from Mars seven months ago. Now the Recovery 7 rescue mission has run into similar difficulties.

The Ambassadors of Death is a difficult story to review. It features a mix of fairly typical science fiction elements along with aspects of conspiracy, first contact with extraterrestrials and action sequences. All together it is an odd mish-mash that also makes it tough to follow. The story deals with a first contact with an alien race who are never identified. For some reason it leads to a conspiracy on behalf of a military officer who first encountered them while part of the United Kingdoms space missions to Mars (though the aliens are not from Mars), who fears they are violent aggressors.

The alien ambassadors are not named and for some reason following the orders of the men who have captured them. These aliens are fed by radiation and can use it as a weapon to burn out electronics and even kill with a touch. They are not evil however, just being forced to serve.

Because the story is such an odd mish-mash it feels like it runs far too long when the length of the story overall is about right. The real problem is that the story just ends and you are left hanging with unanswered questions. What happens with our contact? Do they aliens leave or do they maintain contact with us? They are never mentioned again so I assume they leave, disgusted with mankind. A little explanation would have ended the story better.

This is another story to prove that the Whoniverse is not our own. The UK has its own space agency and in 1970 we have already reached Mars with manned craft, despite the Americans only just reaching the Moon a year earlier.

Overall it isn't a great story and it is another where I found myself looking to flick through books or whatever was at hand. Not a good sign.

Episode #52 : The Silurians

 

"My dear Miss Shaw, I never report myself anywhere, particularly not forthwith."

 

Episode 52:   The Silurians.
Companions: The 3rd Doctor and Liz Shaw.
Air Date:       Seven episodes. 31st January to 14th March 1970.

 

At Wenley Moor nuclear research facility, they're experiencing technical difficulties. The source is something old, the former rulers of the Earth, and they have awoken.

 

This story introduces a new villainous species, the former inhabitants of the Earth, a species that we call the Silurians. Not an accurate name but it fits for the purposes of the story. Fearful of a global catastrophe, the Silurian race entered hibernation along with some dinosaurs awaiting a time when the Earth would have been restored to being able to support life. Unfortunately the catastrophe never happened and their technology has broken down, preventing their awakening. When this group awakens they find that mankind has arisen in their place.

 

We are also introduced Bessie, the Doctors new car while he is exiled to the Earth. Throughout his time, the third Doctor upgrades the car to be something more suitable to him, and the start of that can be seen towards the end of this story.

 

I find the end of the story a little blunt however. The Doctor wants mankind and the Silurians to live together in peace. Throughout the story this seems to be his primary objective and at the end he thinks he may have started that. Unfortunately the Brigadier, under orders from the British government, blows up the hibernation compound, which upsets the Doctor greatly. Although he was following orders, I think it strips the Brigadier of something and he comes across as callous.

 

The Silurians is a very good story and I fully recommend it.