Speaking of experiments, it's probably about time that we mentioned the titular experiment run by the Sontaran Field Major Styre. Styre is in the process of capturing humans and subjecting them to the limits of their abilities to observe what their weaknesses are and how to overcome them. This is achieved through torture, as we see people dying of thirst, Sarah Jane being subjected to mental torture through exploiting her fears and two men forced to hold an ever incresing weight so as to prevent the death of another man. It's gruesome stuff, showing that Doctor Who is no longer afraid to go into these dark places. It also fits in well with the Sontaran psyche, exploiting their military point of view, which is to be expected as is story is script edited by the Sontarans' creator: Robert Holmes.
But coming back to the point that was made yesterday, the shortened length of this story means that we don't get as much time to develop the characters, as plot strands are introduced and then dropped as quickly as they came. Cases in point are traitors amongst the humans, as well as the conclusion in which the Doctor defeats the oncoming Sontaran battle fleet by telling them that if they try to invade, they will be destroyed. It's anti-climactic, and lessens the overall impact of the story. All of that said though, this story wasn't that bad and shows great promise for stories of a similar length (although it will be a long time before we enounter another one), and it should also be noted that the art of writing 45 minute episodes will be honed in future years as the series continues.
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