We did it, Sarah! We finally reached the first full Troughton story. No missing episodes! No telesnaps nor subtitles! Let us revel in the moving pictures!
Sarah -
I cannot tell you how much I've been looking forward to this day!
Harry -
And yet, for all the enjoyment of the camera angles and wordless moments, this is such a simple story. Heck, the first two episodes could have been compressed into about ten minutes:
- Victoria receives her TARDIS orientation session
- TARDIS lands on a planet and our friends meet an expedition of archaeologists
- They break into a mysterious city and have a look round
- Cybermen!
Sarah -
Swap out the Cybermen and it could be so many other stories, don't you think?
Harry -
Hopefully not too many.
Sarah -
The opening scene in the TARDIS is refreshing. It feels so long since we were inside that Victoria’s introduction to the TARDIS is almost our reintroduction. We even get to find out the Doctor’s age – 450 years old!
Harry -
That was an unexpected revelation - I'm so used to the 900-something-years being tossed about by subsequent Doctors.
Sarah -
Time flies when you’re having fun, and all that…
I was amused at Jamie playing TARDIS tour guide for Victoria. He was just a bit too eager to help her find the wardrobe department, don't you think?
Harry -
Oh my word!
Sarah -
A quick slip into one of Polly's left-behind frocks and she's ready for adventure. I found myself wondering if a Victorian gal might not feel a wee bit exposed in 1960s clothes, when she commented on the shortness of the skirt. What do you think she's carrying in the purse? She can't have brought much with her from Skaro.
Harry -
Perhaps a paper fan and a bottle of opium?
Sarah -
One does want to be prepared. Also, it’s a handy place to store a cybermat!
In any case, we soon find ourselves in a quarry – and, as any Doctor Who fan knows, there’s nothing like a quarry to set the mood. All we need to complete the scene is a multinational team on a mysterious scientific mission and we’ll be set for adventure. Unfortunately, the one thing you can count on when a large team is introduced is that there are going to be casualties. A lot of casualties.
Harry -
A bit morbid, but in my notes I started tracking when and how people were getting killed off. It was "ten little Indians" at first, and I was really looking forward to Cyril Shaps' inevitable demise. Oh I love Cyril and his recurring performances as The Frazzled Neurotic Who Soon Meets His Inevitable Demise. I haven't seen what Toby had to say about him, but I hope he likes Cyril as much as I do!
Sarah -
He nailed the part, didn’t he? Cyril was clearly doomed as doomed could be.
Harry -
I checked. Turns out neither Toby nor Rob had anything to say about Cyril. Alas...
Sarah -
We’ll find out more about the rest of this band of adventurers as the story progresses, but I’d like to give a special shout out to Captain Hopper for giving what just may be the broadest performance in the series thus far – and that’s saying something!
Harry -
CERtainly the BROADest aMERican ACcent we've heard so FARRRR.
I love BBC Americans.
Sarah -
It may be the novelty of a complete episode, but Troughton is especially delightful in this story, isn’t he? Despite the danger, he just can’t resist adventure. Neither can he resist demonstrating how smart he is, helping Klieg open the doors to the tomb even when it’s clearly not a good idea.
Harry -
It could be argued that this story demonstrates the prototypical Troughton Doctor. He's often quiet and thoughtful, sometimes skittish and anxious, yet always in control. Rather than leaping into the fray, he lets others do what needs to be done, and throws the odd switch when necessary. A manipulative little clown, that fellow!
Sarah -
Manipulative and funny! His pun about the cybermats having a complete metal breakdown and Jamie’s pained reaction will be one of the moments I’ll remember from this story. What a team!
Harry -
As I said earlier, there isn't much to this story, but there isn't that much character development either. A lot of time gets taken up in just giving so many characters something to say.
The Cybermen's resurrection scene is iconic, of course, as the familiar timpani-woo-woo Cyber theme fades in.
Sarah -
Now that was cool. The cybermen stirring in their tombs was wonderfully creepy!
Harry -
Something new to this story, unless I've missed it before, was the addition of the sounds that Cybermen make when they attack someone. They all make a kind of gremlin noise, which is both fun and decidedly odd. After all, they are so proud of having eliminated fear and yet there they are trying to spook people with their boogedy-boo noises.
Sarah -
Even super-villains need to move with the times, My Friend. Can’t sit around waiting to be out-done by the Daleks!
Harry -
The Cyber Controller is particularly menacing here. He is both physically imposing and frighteningly single-minded. He constantly utters the "We will survive" refrain, and it was chilling when he stated: "Now you belong to us - you will become like us."
Sarah -
Well, at least his agenda’s on the table, I guess.
Harry -
We haven't said much about Klieg and Kaftan, but as secondary villains go, they were terribly predictable.
Sarah -
Oh, they were awful – futuristic versions of Maxtible from the Evil of the Daleks. Klieg’s attempts to rationalize the Cybermen’s behavior and reframe his plan to control them whenever he’s thwarted was pathetic. Kaftan is just odd. She looks mad as a hatter with those crazy eyes, and what’s with her “servant” Toberman? The relationship between the two of them was uncomfortable to say the least – and just a bit too reminiscent of Kemel and Maxtible’s in the Evil of the Daleks.
Harry -
Toberman's character is very dated. I was appalled when, after he sacrificed himself to stop the Cyber Controller, everyone went their separate ways and left his body lying in the dust. Appalling!
Sarah -
“Thanks, Buddy. Catch you later. No really, we’ll see you soon enough, marching around St. Paul’s. Until then, it’s been a laugh riot. Byeeeeeee.”
Victoria was actually the nicest surprise of this story. I was prepared for panicked screaming from her, but she was funny, smart, and kind of endearing. Her scenes with ship’s crew were particularly good.
Harry -
Victoria is delightful! The Doctor has clearly found a new surrogate grandchild to watch over. Their private conversation was wonderful to watch.
Sarah -
It was so touching. I felt all warm and fuzzy on the inside.
Harry -
And so we come to the end of a story that wasn't really about anything. Some folks found a tomb, some Cybermen got loose, then they got put back again. The end. This might have worked better as a more energetic two-parter.
The story rates highly among fandom, but a lot of that is probably because it's the earliest surviving Troughton story and the act of watching it is a joy in itself. There have been better Troughton stories before this one, and better ones to follow.
This one does have its moments, so I can't be all down about it.
Sarah -
It definitely benefits from having survived, but has some wonderful moments for Troughton and the companions. Also, Cybermen are cool.
Best Line(s):
Klieg : "How did you know in the first place?"
Doctor : "Oh, I used my own, special technique."
Klieg : "Oh, really, Doctor... and may we know what that is?"
Doctor : "Keeping my eyes open and my mouth shut!"
Favorite Moment: The Doctor consoling Victoria on the loss of her family and explaining how he deals with the loss of his.
Lasting Image: The Cybermen emerging from their tombs.
7/10
Harry -
Best Line: "I think perhaps your logic is wearing a little thin."
Favourite Moment: Toberman hurls "the Cyber Controller" into the main control panel. Classic BBC props work.
Lasting Image: The Cybermen emerging from their tombs.
7/10
Our marathon continues with Story #38 - The Abominable Snowmen...
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