Day 417: The Android Invasion Part 4

There is an absolutely ridiculous moment in this story. One which threatens the quality of rest of the story by simply existing. There is a character called Guy Crayford. He is an astronaut who was rescued by the villainous Kraals, reassembled after a nasty accident (sans one eyeball which is replaced with an eye-patch), and then used as an unwitting pawn in The Android Invasion. Towards the climax of this story, the Doctor points out that Crayford has been used as a pawn by the Kraals, and to demonstrate this fact he reveals that Crayford actually has two working eyes, and thus no need for an eye-patch.

This is truly and legitimately stupid. For a start, it defies all logic that Crayford would not have lifted his eye-patch once since getting it, meaning that the Kraals must have relied on him being extremely gullible for him to believe them. Not only that, but there is actually no reason for them to give him the eye-patch in the first place. They could have just as easily told him that they rescued him and gone about their merry business on this lie, but instead they decide to utilise a plan which could fall apart almost instantly. This shows some poor writing from Nation, who is clearly going for such a big dramatic moment that he has failed to notice the obvious flaws staring right in his face, meaning that what once had the potential for a rather nice story instead becomes a story that has its moments, but not too much else.

Day 416: The Android Invasion Part 3

It's worth mentioning that this is essentially the last script for Doctor Who to be written by Terry Nation (he will be credited for one more story but there are varying accounts as to how much he actually wrote of the story). It's also one of only two stories that he has written not to feature the Daleks, out of 10.5 stories that he is fully credited for. It's thus interesting to see what he does when he's clearly not able to write to the set structure that he is used to employing for Dalek serials. There are less allies for the Doctor and Sarah Jane, for instance, instead they are surrounded by danger at every turn. There's also a knowledge that visuals can make for more memorable moments than dialogue, Part 1 ends with the reveal of the monster's face, Part 2 with the reveal of the android face of Sarah Jane and Part 3 has an entertaining set-piece where the Doctor is tied to a spire in the centre of the village. But there are still issues. Nation doesn't let things be subtle, with future plot revelations being hinted at throughout dialogue or set-pieces (there's one particularly egregious example which we shall look at tomorrow relating to an eyepatch), but on the whole he provides some generic action adventure fun, and sometimes we all need a little bit of that in our lives.

Day 415: The Android Invasion Part 2

The iconic moment that defines this story is the cliff-hanger to Part 2. The Doctor quickly deduces that the TARDIS has not taken them to Earth and that they have instead landed on a replica of Earth, then he deduces that the Sarah Jane that has been with him for the past few moments is also a replica. He throws her to the ground, at which point her face falls off revealing a robotic underside. It's a good scene, partially due to the direction from Barry Letts but mostly due to the design of the android face from either Len Hutton (Visual Effects) or Barbara Lane (costumes) which provides an unsettling visages and one that is guaranteed to stick in the nightmares of children.

That's not to say that there aren't problems though. The scene is simple enough to work out from what precedes it, as we have already seen the fact that android duplicates have been produced and that Sarah Jane is acting oddly, thus we can surmise that she is an android duplicate. But it still remains iconic due to the nature of the cliffhanger, something which has to be designed to stick in the viewer's mind for an entire week. There will be a massive post about cliffhangers at some point in the future, but for now let's just accept the fact that of all cliffhangers, this is one of the better ones.

Day 414: The Android Invasion Part 1

Never having seen this story before, the first thing that struck me was the speed with which it started. We're used to beginning stories with establishing shots, a quieter beginning to ease the viewer into the adventure. This time, however, we begin immediately with some disjointed music from Dudley Simpson and a UNIT soldier walking erratically to camera. The suddenness of this opening scene immediately shocked me, and encouraged me to sit up and pay attention to the story.

By paying attention, I was rewarded with sone excellent camera work from Barry Letts, the former producer/director/writer for the series, making a return as a freelance director for one last time. Here, he shows off his skills at creating suspense, particularly in a scene in the middle of this episode where people get off a truck and walk into a pub, then remaining perfectly still. Letts creates tension from thsi scene by holding long close ups of the people's faces, as we expect them to make any sort of movement, yet they don't. It's eerie, unsettling and exacerbates the mystery, prompting the viewer to wonder more about The Android Invasion.

Day 385: Robot Part 4

This episode marks the end of an era. It is the last story produced by Barry Letts, and is written by his long time script editor Terrance Dicks. Both will make contributions to Doctor Who in the future, but now is as good a time as any to reflect on what they brought to the series.

Both brought a sense of consistency to their respective fields, for a start. Stories up until they took over could wildly vary in tone, as well as quality. Both were able to ensure that what was put out adhered to a certain tone, and that it was of some quality. Granted, this did not always occur, but the overarching effects can be seen throughout the series.

Terrance Dicks as well brought with him an ability to write stories, or at the very least improve them. He can add necessary action, reign in unachievable ideas and enhance themes of various stories. This can be seen in Robot, as we get a reasonably action packed climax that also has at the heart of it a Robot struggling with a crisis over its function as orginally programmed, due to it harming various humans, not least its creator. This crisis is able to engage viewers who are looking for something more substantial than just a Robot attacking humans, as we can see that this Robot has thoughts and struggles with its life.

Letts as well brings new technologies such as CSO, or Green Screen as it is commonly known. This allows for new effects to be produced, occasionally enhancing what can be achieved in the environs of a TV studio, but also occasionally bringing with it yet more effects that age particularly poorly. And yet this sort of thing is to be commended, as it broadens the scope of what Doctor Who can do, as can be seen by the Giant Robot in this story.

But as the TARDIS dematerialises at the end of this story we can look forward to a new team, and see what ideas they will bring to the infinite table that is Doctor Who...

Day 384: Robot Part 3

Taking a look at the story of Robot reveals some interesting ideas. Once again, we have an invasion of Earth not from aliens, but instead from political radicals. This time, they wish to replace all politicians with scientists, who will then choose what is best for humanity in all aspects of life. This is an interesting concept, as it is a cause that is not too hard to sympathise with until you realise that in effect you are taking away the freedom of humanity. But then again, you would achieve the best for humanity, even if this is at the cost of freedom. Much like with Invasion of the Dinosaurs, I am somewhat swayed by the villains argument and I'm pleased that it got at least some airing, even if it were in the context of evildoers plotting to take over the world.

Day 383: Robot Part 2

Tom Baker is the Doctor. It's actually shocking to see how both how quickly he is able to settle into the character of the Doctor and how quickly his characterisation of the Fourth Doctor forms. He is a bit erratic, a bit wild, and instantly more fun than the more stoic Pertwee. And we can see all of this within his first episode. This is in part due to the way in which Terrance Dicks, the writer, has written him. But it's also in part due to the performance of Tom Baker, who is able to instantly prove to audiences that he is the Doctor, and the series will never be the same again.

Day 382: Robot Part 1

The new Doctor has arrived. Much like Spearhead from Space before it, the decision has been made to surround the Doctor with familiar faces (in this case Sarah Jane and UNIT) in order to ease the transition. This certainly helps, because it allows for an immediate acceptance of the new Doctor, to help audiences accept him as well. It also helps that Sarah Jane has been built up as a character in her own right, as we can follow her adventures whilst the Doctor comes to terms with his new body, and we come to terms with the new Doctor. Although that said, we don't really need that long to come to get used to the Fourth Doctor, as we'll discuss tomorrow.

Day 381: Planet of the Spiders Part 6

"I had to face my fear". The Doctor who has been defined as a man of courage, a man who is full of action, is afraid. But what is he afraid of? The way in which this story states this means that it could read that he is afraid of the Great One, the enormous spider which can control people with a single thought. But it can also be read another way. The Doctor set all of these events in motion by stealing the crystal on Metebelis 3. Now, there has been much death and destruction as part of his greed for knowledge. So is he perhaps afraid of seeing the consequences of his actions? This is something that we will see in the future, when the Day of the Doctor approaches.

But that's the future, and we are focussing on the present as the Doctor collapses to the floor. Death has overcome the Doctor. But with death comes life, at least for some people. The concept of regeneration is introduced for the first time in this episode, as we see the Doctor become reborn. We do not know what he will be like, but can look forward to seeing how this new man shall perform. The end for the Pertwee era may be nigh, but there's still a future, meaning that We've Got Work To Do...

Day 380: Planet of the Spiders Part 5

There's a nice sequence that occurs about halfway through this episode. The Doctor is running to help Sarah Jane, when he encounters a voice. The voice tells him not to come any closer, because the radiation levels near it would kill him. It also tells him to return the crystal that he stole, all the way back in The Green Death. As described, it doesn't sound too intimidating. But actions speak louder than words, as the voice then forcibly takes control of the Doctor, making him turn around on the spot, to show the power that it has over him. This causes the Doctor great pain as he encounters something which has true power over him. His face is contorted into a face of fear as he tries to fight it but can't. It's disturbing to see Pertwee's Doctor like this, in particular as he is the Doctor that is the most cool in deadly situations, as he comes up against a foe that frightens him, and surely cannot beat. Well, maybe he can beat them, but at what cost...

Day 379: Planet of the Spiders Part 4

The Pertwee era is defined by two types of story. Those which are set on Earth, and those which are set on another planet, which generally concern Earth colonists. This story somehow manages to weave the two together. It's achieved by having the Doctor and Sarah Jane, as well as the main human villain, investigate goings on on Metebelis 3, while we follow the actions of the characters that we've met previously in the story on Earth as they come to terms with the plot. It's nice to have this ability to leap between spaces in such a way, and takes full advantage of the spacetime travelling mechanic at the heart of the series. However, there is one small problem, being that half of what happens on Metebelis 3 (through mixture of writing, acting and direction) is incredibly poor. This drags down the overall quality of the story, which is a shame as there are some good things here, but we forget about them as we focus on the negative that it surrounds. Still, we have much to look forward to as we enter the final days of Planet of the Spiders.

Day 378: Planet of the Spiders Part 3

The villains of this piece are over-large spiders. This is a fantastic idea as it brings forth one of the basic foundations at the heart of Doctor Who: the ordinary made extraordinary. Spiders are commonplace in society, and a common fear for several people. So by having Doctor Who involve them in its universe, we can make them even more frightening, giving thrm extra powers such as the ability to jump on people's backs and telepathically control them, which us builds on the pre-existing fear and amplifies it for the audience. In a way it harks back to Pertwee's first story, which took the mundane shop window dummies and made them something terrifying, using the fact that surrounding objects can be easily recognised to amplify the fear for the purpose of the story.

Day 377: Planet of the Spiders Part 2

This episode makes the interesting decision to dedicate half of its running time to an extensive chase sequence involving Bessie, the Whomobile, a gyrocopter, a police car, a boat and a hovercraft. It sounds excessive, mainly because it is. The entire thing feels remarkably poor, much of which can be given in hindsight due to the fact that the enemy is teleported away at the end of the chase rendering the entire thing worthless. But, it does celebrate the Pertwee era. It shows us that it was all about action and cool stunts, something which hadn't really been covered in previous eras of the show. It comes across as fun, if a little overlong, and aims to excite and entertain the audience. This is one of the things that the Pertwee era brought: a renewed focus on excitement with bigger stunts and the like to both compete with other programmes and provide something new for the audience.

Day 376: Planet of the Spiders Part 1

And so the end begins. Pertwee had decided that it was time to leave the series, making Planet of the Spiders his last story. As such, it begins with what feels like a reunion. The Doctor is back working for UNIT, the Brigadier and he are exploring strange goings on with a clairvoyant, while Mike and Sarah Jane are investigating a Buddhist monastery which is being remarkably suspicious. Benton's there as well fulfilling the role he always has of being in scenes and being likeable. There's even a letter from Jo Grant, and references to Metebelis 3. All in all, it feels like everyone coming together for the last hurrah, going through the motions one last time. There are some indications of the theme behind this story, and we shall delve into that later, but for now it feels comfortable and safe. This is, of course, one of the things that the Pertwee era brought to Doctor Who. Instead of being uneasy about each new story or location, we grew to know that we were always safe with these characters, and that we can just oet everything fold out in front of us. But then again, sometimes it's nice to be able to get something truly unexpected and out of this world. And who knows what the future will bring...

Day 375: The Monster of Peladon Part 6

Much like Planet of the Daleks, as a child I somewhat wanted to see The Monster of Peladon above other stories. I'd already seen and enjoyed The Curse of Peladon, so The Monster of Peladon was high in expectation as something to look forward to. Unfortunately, in the 9 or so years between watching Curse and watching Monster, I discovered the reputation of certain stories. The Monster of Peladon, it is fair to say, does not have the best of reputations. This all meant that when I watched it, I wasn't allowed to fully engage with the story, instead I was already in a mood to criticise and poke fun at its flaws. I could make a comment here about how wrong I was, and how the story is actually incredibly good. But it isn't. That's not to say that I don't like it though. The fact that it chooses not to hide its flaws makes for some incredibly fun viewing, and I'm actually kind lf glad that I knew this story was going to be poor before I watched it, because it meant that I wasn't going to be let down again, like I was with Planet of the Daleks.

Day 374: The Monster of Peladon Part 5

This story sees the return of the Ice Warriors. I rather liked the Ice Warriors in their last appearance due to them being on the side of good and adding another dimension to their role in the series. The same, however, cannot be said of their appearance in this serial. Here, they are clearly the villains of the piece, taking advantage of the Pels of Peladon, attacking them often with their advanced weaponry and planning to take over the universe. This is disappointing, to be brutally honest. I enjoyed the fact that by having the Ice Warriors as goodies in the last story, the story was able to play on the audience's prejudices as well as giving the characters something more to do. But here, they are reduced to lumbering around the place which makes them weaker as a result because we lose all the hard work in character development that we had seen before. That's not to say that this doesn't go unacknowledged though, people comment that they are a breakaway group, and that this is entirely unexpected. But it is still disappointing and adds to the list of disappointments that go with The Monster of Peladon.

Day 373: The Monster of Peladon Part 4

Jon Pertwee is not getting any younger. This is quite apparent in this episode as the action scene towards the end features Terry Walsh, the stunt co-ordinator, wearing an unconvincing grey wig as he tries to fill in for the Doctor during various jumps and such. This serves as a sign to the end of the era. Pertwee has been defined by his stunts, and feats of derring-do. But this is no longer as achievable as it once was, and indicates that perhaps the best course of action would be a radical change of direction for the series...

Day 372: The Monster of Peladon Part 3

The Monster of Peladon is remembered generally for only seven words. "There's nothing only about being a girl". These words are said by Sarah Jane Smith to Queen Thalira, when the Queen is feeling depressed over the fact that any order that she would give would be dismissed due to her only being a girl. This is a striking message, as it allows for Doctor Who to connect with an issue which sadly still affects us today, being the vast inequality in the way in which we treat different genders, in particular the way in which women are treated. And through those seven words young girls can see Sarah Jane, the main audience identification figure, telling them that they need to fight inequality and make their voice heard. Because there is nothing only about being a girl.

Day 371: The Monster of Peladon Part 2

This serial has made a point of having the lower classes of Peladon revolt. It's due to a mistrust of the Galactic Federation, causing them to rise up and attack their superiors. This is a massive contrast to how things were in The Curse of Peladon. There, the focus was on the upper classes, as we saw the discussions made about the benefits and disadvantages of joining the Galactic Federation. Here, all elements of Peladon society get to take part in the discussions, and it becomes obvious that there are severe problems with the way in which the lower classes have been treated. By allowing us to see the hidden side of the planet, we can grow to have a better understanding of the conflict that is place within the story, and thus grow to appreciate the world building that has taken place on the planet Peladon.

Day 370: The Monster of Peladon Part 1

I love The Curse of Peladon. Obviously, others do as well as we have a sequel to the story here. Returning to Peladon is an interesting choice, although somewhat obvious. Having a return appearance to a planet is interesting as it allows for us to see the impact of the Doctor's actions, as well can see the evolution that has taken place for the planet and the way in which it operates. It's similar to the William Hartnell story The Ark, which took place on a spaceship in two time periods and got to witness the true consequences of the TARDIS crew's actions (in that case it was a full sclar rebellion that took place and caused humanity to be subjugated).

But once a return visit is decided, it is clear that the only candidate is Peladon. Other stories were either too self contained or lacked the memorable characters that were present in The Curse of Peladon to warrant being remembered by the viewing audience. So we get to revisit this lovely little planet once more, hoping that we'll get a story of the calibre of The Curse of Peladon.