SJA #12 : Enemy of the Bane

"In my day UNIT battled Daleks, Cybermen, Autons and Zygons and all manner of space-thuggery."

Episode #12:        Enemy of the Bane.
Companions:        Sarah Jane Smith, Luke Smith, Rani Chandra and Clyde Langer.
Air Date:              1st to 8th December  2008.

Gita Chandra is kidnapped by Mrs Wormwood. This turns out to be a snare for Sarah Jane. Mrs Wormwood has joined forces with another of Sarah Jane's enemies, Kaagh. As they prepare to settle old scores, Sarah Jane turns to an old friend.

The final adventure of this season brings back Kaagh and Mrs. Wormwood, this time working together for their own nefarious schemes. They pretend to be allies and then as expected, stab the team in the back. As stories go it isn't very original and I think even the young audience this was aimed at worked it out within the first few minutes. It is the problem with these short episodes that the writers cannot put enough content into the show and keep it good. I know it is kid's television but I am sure CBBC can do better than this.

This episode features the final "proper" appearance in the Whoniverse of fan favourite Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. This was Nicholas Courtney's final appearance before he died in 2011. It's rather heart warming to see him back as the Brigadier and it brought back many fine memories of his time on the show.

Enemy of the Bane introduces us to the Black Archive, which we see later on in Day of the Doctor. I was genuinely surprised by this as I didn't know it existed before that episode. Things have changed though as in this story the Archive is a fortified building outside London so I guess everything gets moved to the Tower of London following the events of this story.

Sitting here writing this review I am having trouble thinking of anything really positive to say for this episode. To repeat myself, I understand that the Sarah Jane Adventures are children's programming so I can't expect the same level of awesomeness as I feel for Doctor Who and Torchwood. But still I find episodes like this are dumbed down somewhat. There just isn't anything to them and it is very frustrating because I know that the writers and everyone behind the show can do so much better.

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 #129 : The Five Doctors

"A man is the sum of his memories. A Time Lord even more so."

Episode 129: The Five Doctors.
Companions: 1st Doctor, 2nd Doctor, 3rd Doctor, 4th Doctor, 5th Doctor, Susan, The Brigadier, Sarah Jane Smith, Romana, Tegan, and Turlough.
Air Date: 25th November 1983.

The Doctor's past incarnations are taken out of time by a forbidden time scoop device. The fourth Doctor becomes trapped in the vortex but the others find themselves, together with a number of their old companions, with the fifth Doctor and his companions in the Death Zone on their home planet Gallifrey. Here they face a Dalek, a Yeti, a quicksilver Raston Warrior Robot and numerous Cybermen. Also present is the Master, who has been summoned by the High Council of Time Lords to help the Doctor. It turns out that President Borusa is the mysterious operator of the time scoop. He aims to use the Doctors to breach the defences of the Dark Tower - Rassilon's tomb - so that he can enter there and claim immortality.

The Five Doctors was commissioned for the show's 20th anniversary and the BBC pulled out all the stops with this one. We get four out of the five Doctors taking part (the 4th Doctor and Romana get stuck in the time vortex for the duration of the story), cameo's by a Dalek and a Yeti, and the Cybermen with the Master as a major element of the story. Lots of Who elements and references, even spectral former companions, coupled with a fast punchy script makes this story just awesome for any fan of the show. There are so many references I could write a whole page just about them.

The interaction between the different incarnations of the Doctor are just awesome. You get a strong vibe that the different versions really don't like one another, and their banter comes off as a familial grieving which anyone with siblings can relate to.

By the time of the 20th anniversary William Hartnell had passed away so the role was given to Richard Hurndell who did such a good job as the 1st Doctor that I think he did better than Hartnell. Some may consider that heresy but that's how he comes across to me.

The 4th Doctor and Romana only appear in shots from the the unfinished Shada. Tom Baker felt that it was too soon since his departure from the show to make a return even for the anniversary episode. A great shame but four Doctors were enough really. had he taken part I wonder whether the script would have allowed enough screen time and dialogue for all of them.

I really cannot shout the praises of this story enough. If you haven't seen it hunt it down on DVD and watch it. I'm sure you will agree how good this one is.

Tegan: "You mean you're deliberately choosing to go on the run from your own people, in a rackety old TARDIS?"
Fifth Doctor: "Why not? After all, that's how it all started."

Episode #125 : Mawdryn Undead

"Maybe the capsule's malfunctioned. I hate those transmat things. Like travelling in a food mixer and just as dangerous. I'd be afraid of coming out puréed."

Episode 125:   Mawdryn Undead.
Companions:   5th Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa and Turlough.
Air Date:         1st to 9th February 1983.

The Black Guardian recruits a young man named Turlough to assassinate the Doctor. Although outwardly an ordinary pupil at a boys' private boarding school, Turlough is in fact an alien who believes that the Guardian will return him home if he succeeds. The TARDIS meanwhile has its instruments jammed by a mysterious signal and is forced to materialise on board a massive spaceship in a fixed orbit. The Doctor discovers that the signal - a beam to guide the ship's transmat capsule - is being transmitted from Earth. He travels down to the planet in the capsule, leaving Nyssa and Tegan in the TARDIS with the co-ordinates pre-set to follow. Things go wrong, however, as the Doctor arrives in 1983 but the TARDIS materialises in 1977.

Mawdryn Undead is a very well written story utilising a plot element that has been ignored for the past twenty years of the show, that of the time travellers being split up into different years and how their actions affect the events in the later time zone. In this regard Mawdryn Undead is an excellent example of the sort of stories that could come out of the show if the writers put their minds to it.

The second well conceived element of the story are the villains. Mawdryn and his followers aren't villains because they want to kill, conquer or destroy the universe. They simply want to die but can't. Now that the Doctor has arrived they feel that they can both be freed from their eternal agony and get some small revenge on the Time Lords who did this to them in the first place. A villain who isn't out to be evil for the sake of it is a nice change.

The Brigadier returns to the show with this story, now retired and working as a maths teacher in a boys school. Bit of a departure from running UNIT but I guess retirement can do that. Mawdryn Undead does introduce the biggest continuity issue of the entire show, the infamous UNIT dating controversy. You can read about that here.

The character of Turlough is introduced in this story and by the end of it he has become a companion of the Doctor. Turlough is an alien for some reason not yet explained is being forced to stay at a private boys school though he longs to return home. He is coerced into aiding the Black Guardian in his desire to kill the Doctor for revenge following the Key to Time storyline.

Episode #80 : Terror of the Zygons

 

"You can't rule the world in hiding. You've got to come out on

to the balcony sometimes and wave a tentacle."

Episode 80:    Terror of the Zygons.
Companions: 4th Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 30th August to 10th September 1975.

When the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry arrive in Scotland, having received an urgent request for assistance from the Brigadier, they discover that the mysterious force which has destroyed three oil rigs has left giant teeth marks on the wreckage. The mystery deepens, leading them to the shores of Loch Ness where they find that the legendary monster really does exist – and is the murderous tool of the Zygons, aliens intent on overpowering the planet.

For reasons that I can't quite put my finger on, this is one of my favourite early Tom Baker stories and the Zygons are a particular favourite. I think part of it comes from my childhood. Although too young to remember the airing of the episodes, I do recall seeing an old Doctor Who magazine which featured a black and white photograph of Zygon attacking Tom Baker. It has stuck in my memory ever since and must go someway to explaining my love of this story.

The show has in recent stories touched upon a number of mythical tales from Atlantis, the minotaur and the yeti. This time we get an explanation for the Loch Ness Monster in the Whoniverse, the Skarasen - a monster used by the Zygons in the plans. It is another touch that excites me when watching the story. Sometimes the writers got things so spot on that it works despite any other failings of the episode.

The Zygon costumes are definitely of the man in a rubber suit variety but are extremely memorable. The Skarasan on the other hand has it's detractors. I think that the stop-motion style of movement when you see the monster in it's entirety is really good but there are plenty of fans who think it is just terrible. Watch and decide for yourself.

With the completion of this adventure we lose Harry Sullivan who decides to return to UNIT rather than continue travelling in time and space. As much as I love Harry, you can understand it from what he has just experienced in the last few stories. Sarah Jane Smith however, thankfully stays with the Doctor. The Brigadier seems to have mellowed somewhat by this story as he doesn't feel like the old stick in the mud that he did previously. Thankfully, this won't be the last time we see the Brigadier.

Terror of the Zygons is an excellent story and for my money, the last of the truly excellent Tom Baker era. That is not to say that what comes next are poor stories, just that nothing seems to live up to the writing nor the appearance of the show after this. But for now, Terror of the Zygons is up there in the top stories of the classic era.

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 #71 : Invasion of the Dinosaurs

"Look, I understand your ideals. In many ways I sympathise with them. But this is not the way to go about it, you know. You've got no right to take away the existence of generations of people."

Episode 71:     Invasion of the Dinosaurs.
Companions:   3rd Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.
Air Date:         Six episodes. 12th January to 16th February 1974.

The Third Doctor and Sarah arrive in 1970s London to find it has been evacuated because dinosaurs have appeared mysteriously. It turns out the dinosaurs are being brought to London via a time machine to further a plan to revert London to a pre-technological level.

Invasion starts with some wonderfully creepy scenes of a deserted London. It seems that our time travellers took a few months to get back from medieval England, and now dinosaurs have started to appear. All of it part of a plot to do away with the the modern world and return to a more primitive Earth, one without technology and pollution. If the entire population of mankind has to never have existed, well, the reward is worth it. Or is it?

We have here a really nicely thought out premise that involves time travel, dinosaurs (about time!) and some wonderful pseudo-science. Shame that the dinosaur models are just down right atrocious, as you can see from the picture above. If the models had been even half way decent this would have been just fantastic.

An odd addition is the surprise that Mike Yates, long time member of UNIT, has become disillusioned and is now a traitor. Maybe it is just me but it seems a bit far fetched considering everything he has seen and done in recent years. Another addition is the introduction to the Whomobile, the Doctor's new UFO looking car. This was a personal vehicle of Jon Pertwee, commissioned by him. Why it was used in the show rather than Bessie, I don't know.

I also feel that there is a lack of continuity in this tale. When using their time scoop technology to pluck dinosaurs out of the past, why do they not see Silurians? After all, they ruled the Earth back then and presumably had great cities. Doesn't help the story I suppose but some reference would have been nice.

In this story we get more of an impression that there is more to a Time Lord than just time travel. Similarly to events in The Time Monster, the Doctor seems able to see/sense time distortions and even be less effected by them.

If you can look past the awful dinosaurs, then this is a really good story.

Episode #70 : The Time Warrior

Sarah Jane Smith : "You're serious, aren't you?"

The Doctor : "About what I do, yes. Not necessarily about the way I do it."

Episode 70:   The Time Warrior.
Companions: 3rd Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.
Air Date:       Four episodes. 15th December 1973 to 5th January 1974.

 

Journalist Sarah Jane Smith is impersonating her aunt, virologist Lavinia Smith, in order to gain access to a research centre where top scientists are being held in protective custody while UNIT investigates the disappearance of a number of their colleagues. The missing scientists have been kidnapped by a Sontaran, Linx, and taken back to medieval England, where they are working under hypnosis to repair his crashed spaceship.

 

Another excellent story that gets us away from UNIT and back into time travel. In The Time Warrior, a Sontaran officer has been forced to crash in 13th century England and using crude time travel techniques is abducting scientists from the 20th century to held repair his space ship. The Doctor with new companion, and stowaway, Sarah Jane Smith travel back to medieval England to stop him. This story is good classic science fiction and the OTT acting from the medieval inhabitants is so amusing that you can easily ignore any issues with the story.

 

In this episode we have the introduction of the most famous and arguably the most beloved companion ever, Sarah Jane Smith. In my opinion, no one will ever match her as a companion. Played by the late Elizabeth Sladen, Sarah Jane became an immediate hit and would remain about of Who lore right up until the current incarnation of the show. The character starts off as a tough no-nonsense feminist which is a big change to Jo Grant. There is immediate great chemistry between her and the Doctor.

 

This is our introduction to the Sontarans as recurring villains. A race of warrior clones at war with a race called the Rutans (who will eventually make an appearance). They seek to conquer the galaxy much like every other villain out there but in all of the show they never seem to actually get anywhere.

 

We also learn for the first time the name of the Doctor's home world: Gallifrey. Now that it has a name, we will be seeing it a bit more often in the future.

 

I have great fondness for this story because although there has been humour before, I think this is the first time that it is used so well by the Doctor and will become part of his make up from here on. The show is about time travel and for ages we do seem to have been bogged down with UNIT stories.

 

The Time Warrior is another great story that everyone should check out.

 

 

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 #65 : The Three Doctors

"Well Sergeant, aren't you going to say that it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside - everybody else does."

Episode 65:   The Three Doctors.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, 2nd Doctor, 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 30th December 1972 to 20th January 1973.

Time itself is in peril! The Time Lords find themselves besieged by a mysterious enemy, the legendary Time Lord, Omega. Omega has been inhabiting the anti-matter universe on the other side of the black hole from which the Time Lords draw their power.
They enlist the Doctor in his first three incarnations to battle this foe, who turns out to be a legend from the Time Lords' remote past.
But vital cosmic energy is draining into a black hole and the Time Lords are under siege. The Doctor is their only hope but, trapped in the TARDIS, he's powerless. The only way out is to break the First Law of Time to let the Doctor help himself - literally.

The first of the multi-Doctor stories and a rather good one to boot. Although called The Three Doctors, it is primarily Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee. William Hartnell was rather unwell at the time of filming so he is shown only on the TARDIS display screen giving advice to his other selves. Sadly, he would pass away only a few months after this episode. It does however set up the possibility of other stories where multiple Doctors can meet and interact. Other than the presence of multiple Doctors, what makes it work so well is how their interactions together are written and how you get the impression that different incarnations don't really get along with one another.

The villain of the piece is a former legendary Time Lord named Omega. He has been trapped in an anti-matter universe since giving the Time Lords the ability to travel through time and space. Driven somewhat mad by his isolation he wants to return to our universe. Although defeated, Omega will return much later during Peter Davison's time as the Doctor in The Arc of Infinity.

The Brigadier shows his usual lack of thought in this story, refusing to believe anything the Doctors tell him, and insisting that the anti-matter universe is in fact somewhere near Cromer in East Anglia. While it may work for the story it does make his character seem awfully thick.

Upon the completion of this adventure, the Time Lords forgive the Doctor his transgressions and free him to travel in time and space once more.

The Three Doctors is a great piece of entertainment that every fan of the show should watch.

Episode #64 : The Time Monster

"One moment you're talking about the entire universe blowing up

and the next you're going on about tea."

 

 

Episode 64:    The Time Monster.
Companions:  The 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 20th May to 24th June 1972.

 

The Master, in the guise of Professor Thascalos, has constructed at the Newton Institute in Wootton a device known as TOMTIT - Transmission Of Matter Through Interstitial Time - to gain control over Kronos, a creature from outside time. The creature is summoned but proves to be uncontrollable.

 

Despite a reasonable start, The Time Monster unfortunately is one of the more uninteresting stories of the Jon Pertwee era. The effects, especially those of the bird-form Kronos, are just laughable and the acting is fairly poor, though I put that down more to the script than to the actors themselves. They can only work with what they have after all.

 

The story starts off just outside of Cambridge and deals with the Master trying to access the power of the chronovore Kronos. When the Doctor dreams of disaster, though never explained, he an UNIT descend on a small university to deal with the threat. From there, the story travels back three thousand or more years to the last days of Atlantis, whose destruction is caused by the Master releasing Kronos. Ultimately the Master escapes yet again and everything goes back to normal.

 

In the past we have had mention of the destruction of Atlantis, in The Underwater Menace and referenced in The Daemons. In the latter story, Azal claims to have been the one to destroy the greatest civilisation of the ancient world but we now know that story to be a lie. We never see the actual destruction but seems more of a whimper than a bang.

 

There have been a lot of stories featuring the Master of late and I think the ideas for plots involving him have begun to wind down. Sometimes less is more and in this case, I think he has been used to much. Roger Delgardo was a great actor and it is his acting that at least keeps you interested when pondering why he keeps returning to UNIT's backyard all the time.

 

 

Episode #60 : Day of the Daleks

"There are many sorts of ghosts, Jo. Ghosts from the past, and ghosts from the future."

Episode 60:    Day of the Daleks.
Companions: The 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 1st to 22nd January 1972.

Freedom fighters from the future attempt to thwart a Dalek invasion by coming back in time to assassinate a delegate at the second World Peace Conference.

After a lengthy absence, the Daleks have returned to the show. It's a shame that it isn't a great story. The concept is fine and it starts off well but bleeds out the further in you go. The story deals with a temporal paradox where the death of numerous world leaders in a single moment sparks the third world war, and leads to the Daleks being able to take over the weakened peoples of Earth. A group of freedom fighters accidentally cause the paradox by being the ones who come back to the kill one of the delegates before he can cause the war. Hence a paradox of their own making.

As for the Dalek element of the story, it isn't made too clear but it would appear that these events in the alternate future time line replace the Dalek invasion that the 1st Doctor stopped. Already it seems that time can be rewritten.

The story also introduces the Ogrons, a servant race who only make a couple further appearances. How and why they are working for the Daleks is not really explained. After all, we know that the Daleks want to eradicate any life that isn't Dalek so why have they enslaved (or hired) them as soldiers? Doesn't make much sense to me.

This story also features one of the very few times that we see the Doctor actively using a firearm to kill an adversary, as he shoots Ogrons when they try to stop him.

Sadly, this is one story that could easily be overlooked. Bringing the Daleks back is a good move, but the story works out weak and just not very good.

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 #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 #57 : The Claws of Axos

"Obviously the Time Lords have programmed the TARDIS always to return to Earth. It seems that I am some kind of a galactic yo-yo!"

Episode 57:   The Claws of Axos.
Companions: The 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 13th March to 3rd April 1971.

A group of gold-skinned aliens land on Earth and offer wondrous technology in exchange for fuel. The Doctor, however, isn't fooled, uncovering the Axons' true nature and once again facing his arch enemy the Master.

In this excellent story the Master is up to his old tricks again, only this time he has messed it up before the start of the episode. He is attempting to use the Axons, in fact a single being in multiple forms, to destroy the Earth only they have taken him captive.

The Claws of Axos follows a typical science fiction trope of an extraterrestrial race coming to Earth, offering advanced technology in exchange for something reasonable, but being in fact evil invaders. In this case it plays out quite well starting with the arrival and turning into a base under siege type story as the Doctor and the Master try desperately to find a way to defeat the Axos entity.

The Master is supposed to be this uber genius villain yet, as I have mentioned before, his plans never seem to work out mainly because of his own incompetence. Although it is some what annoying, in a good way, it does diminish him somewhat as a major villain.

At the end, the two time lords succeed in getting the Doctor's TARDIS to take flight and they are able to look the Axon's ship into a permanent time loop. However the Doctor is not free of his exile yet for the Time Lords have made sure that whatever happens he would always return to Earth.

The Claws of Axos is one of the better stories of this period and well worth a watch.

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 #55 : Terror of the Autons

"I am usually referred to as The Master!"

Episode 55:    Terror of the Autons.
Companions:  The 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:        Four episodes. 2nd to 23rd January 1971.

The Earth is in terrible danger when an evil renegade Time Lord known as the Master arrives at a circus run by a man named Luigi Rossini and steals a dormant Nestene energy unit from a museum. He reactivates it using a radio telescope and uses his hypnotic abilities to take control of a small plastics firm run by the Farrel family, where he organises the production of deadly Auton dolls, chairs and daffodils.

This story features the return of the Autons and the introduction of a villainous time lord calling himself The Master! The Autons are more of a secondary villain in this tale as it focuses more on the introduction of the Master as a major recurring bad guy for this season of the show. The Master is played exceedingly well by the actor Roger Delgardo. His appearance with goatee, mad staring eyes and his voice immediately make the character a hit.

Elements of this story, mainly an Auton plastic troll doll and a killer inflatable plastic chair, were part of a campaign by Mary Whitehouse and others, who claimed that the show was too frightening for children. Of course the hype only served to make the show more popular. The show would get many such complaints in the 70s and early 80s.

We get an introduction of two new characters starting with this story; Mike Yates - a new addition to the UNIT team, and Jo Grant, a rather ditzy young girl would replaces Liz Shaw as the Doctor's companion. Although Jo and the Doctor don't hit it off immediately, the two of them have great chemistry. Jo will go on to be one of the memorable companions of the classic show.

Terror of the Autons isn't a bad story but it could have been better I feel. It mainly serves to introduce the Master and Jo Grant.

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.