Day 262: Doctor Who and the Silurians Episode 5

Here's something new: we have men in rubber suits arguing with each other about the state of affairs. This is done incredibly convincingly and I remarkably enjoyed the work that was done here. But who do we thank for the work here? For a start, there's the fantastic script by Malcolm Hulke. His ability to write characters with differing motivations may seem like small praise, but it's his complete strength. Every character by Hulke is able to have their own motivations and thus their driving force is able to be subtly spelt out to us. And it's not a case of aliens trying to take over the world, it's a case of some aliens trying to take over the world whilst others disagree with this notion. Hulke is able to clearly, but subtly, introduce us to the warring political factions when it comes to this matter, in much the same way in which he was able to treat matters with respect to the UNIT forces being in occasional opposition to the Doctor.

Seriously, they managed to make this
give emotion!

But it's not just Hulke who is behind the brilliance of being able to make this seem convincing. Tim Combe, the director, as well as the voice behind the Silurians, Peter Halliday, and the various actors playing the Silurians: Dave Carter, Nigel Johns and Pat Gorman. It takes a sheer amount of talent to be able to make a rubber suit seem convincing, and to be able to express emotion through these circumstances is truly remarkable. Each one is imbued with a certain character, meaning that the audience is able to easily and readily distinguish between the major Silurians. Contrast with, say, The Dominators where, even when we can see their faces, it's still difficult to distinguish between the characters. So, in response ot my fears exhibited in my first entry for this story, it would appear that even if some elements of the visuals do not live up to my expectations, there are others that somehow manage to surpass them.