There's a simple little scene within this episode. Sarah Jane, possessed by the power of Eldrad (who MUST live), has infiltrated a nuclear power complex and is making the reactor go critical. Professor Watson, the leader of the complex, is suddenly faced with the very real prospect of dying, so he calls his family. He doesn't let them know that he's going to die, he instead says that he's going to be at the reactor a little bit late. By having this scene, Bob Baker and Dave Martin, the writers, are able to make us immediately sympathise with this character who we've never met before, thus giving us a reason to pay attention to the story, because we suddenly care about this character and want him to make it home to see his children.
This is followed up with the cliffhanger to the story, which features the reactor having some sort of crisis, with the final shot being Professor Watson lying unconscious on the floor. It is an implicit rule of television that the regulars will always survive whatever cliffhanger you throw at them. As Professor Watson is not a regular, there is suddenly a very real chance that he might die. This simple character that we care about is now in danger and so we are encouraged to tune in to see the following instalment. Forget Eldrad, Professor Watson MUST live!
No comments:
Post a Comment