What a weird adventure. On the surface, it's very familiar: a Base-Under-Siege story, a dysfunctional multi-ethnic crew, Jamie eating/napping, Cybermen, and the Doctor biding his time before taking action.
But the details are so out of whack. Like, almost the entire first episode consists of the Doctor and Jamie exploring a derelict rocket. There's little dialogue, very little audio accompaniment, and because we only have a few telesnaps to go by, it's all a bit baffling.
One question: when the TARDIS was warning the Doctor before the fluid link broke, what image was it projecting on the scanner? I have no idea what that was.
Sarah -
I have no idea, either. That whole first episode was a bit of a blur with poor images and almost no dialogue. I know Jamie and the Doctor had a nice meal, but I don’t think that would be my first objective when landing on an unfamiliar spaceship.
Harry -
I checked. The first 19 minutes are entirely Jamie and the Doctor, accompanied by more electronic bleeps and bloops than a Radiohead album, leaving this recon watcher scratching his head.
Sarah -
Jamie wondering, “What do you think Victoria is doing now?” was sweet but awkward. The Doctor’s “time is relative” response was softer than telling Jamie that she’s been dead for centuries, I guess.
Then the Doctor is suddenly weakened. Do we know why?
Harry -
I'm not sure, but apparently there was a Servo Robot there too. According to an online summary:
"The robot detects the intruders and in response redirects the rocket from aimless wandering, sending it on a course, and the shock of change causes the Doctor to hit his head, briefly concussing him. When the robot becomes aggressive, Jamie destroys it, but the Doctor’s condition worsens and he collapses."
As our friend Toby put it, Tristan DeVere Cole may have directed the hell out of this episode in grand Kubrickian style... but probably not.
Sarah -
Ah, so that’s what happened. Just when I found myself confused beyond belief, we find ourselves in a familiar control room and I feel as safe as one can in the Doctor Who universe.
Harry -
Yes, this is more like it. A space crew showing early hints of stress and strain - sparked of course by a paranoid controller. You have to wonder about the future, when the most jumpy, suspicious and impulsive character is always in charge.
Sarah -
The future? Sounds familiar now.
Harry -
Hah!
I liked the bit where Jarvis started getting edgy and he said: "People are just... EDGY" in a very edgy voice. What a reassuring figure!
Sarah -
I think that might explain the crew’s shifting accents.
Harry -
The rest of the crew seem collegial enough, calling each other by their first names, even showing flashes of romance.
Sarah -
Oh, Leo and Tanya! Things are getting a little steamy for teatime!
Leo: “If you get scared, I’ll let you hold my hand.”
Tanya: “I’m serious.”
Leo: “So am I.”
Sarah: “Good Grief.”
Harry -
And here's our Zoe! So literal and logical, but still able to laugh at Jamie's kilt.
Sarah -
Zoe! How adorably annoying she is. She’s obviously brilliant, but you can see how most of the crew keep her at a bit of an arm’s length. No one likes a smarty-pants.
I love the way she toys with Jamie and how uncomfortable it makes him.
Harry -
Until he threatens her with a spanking. Oh my, Sixties telly!
Back to seriousness. It was neat how Zoe was introduced as a human who has been trained (maybe even brainwashed) to be as dispassionate as possible, almost a machine. When she says "I want to feel things as well," she becomes the counterpoint to everything the Cybermen strive for. Nicely done.
Sarah -
Zoe’s character development is handled so adroitly. We know she’s TARDIS-bound when she says, “I’ve been created for some false kind of existence. What have I got left? A blind reliance on facts and logic.”
What did you think of Dr. Gemma Corwin? She’s very much in the Megan Jones model – smart, confident, scientific. I really liked her and found her selfless death to be particularly tragic. I would have liked more Gemma, but her appeal wasn’t lost on the production team – we’ll see more of her type in the not-too-distant future!
Harry -
Gemma was fantastic, boldly stepping up just as Jarvis broke down. It was horrible seeing her lifeless body on the video screen.
Sarah -
Did you realize, Dear Harry, that there’s another first in this story? When Dr. Corwin asks Jamie what the Doctor’s name is, he looks around and sees the name John Smith on a piece of equipment – and so the Doctor’s alias is born!
Harry -
So many Doctor Who staples being set down in Season Five!
Sarah -
Speaking of being born, Cybermen hatch from balloons? I have to be honest, I had no idea what was actually happening at the end of episode two. It was only in episode three that I realized we were facing a Cybermen story.
Harry -
Again, the whole Cybermen hatching thing might have been the director's attempt at stylish brilliance. It was different, anyway.
Sarah -
It had a certain sense of style, I’ll admit.
Harry -
I liked how the first two episodes revolved around the anxiety - for us as the viewers - that the TARDIS might be blown up by the X-ray laser. Once the Cybermen appear (er, both of them), the story settles into a kind of default plot. Cybermen creeping around picking off victims while the Doctor pieces everything together and tries to convince the crew of the true menace. This story was very "samey". Kind of a "greatest hits" of the Troughton era so far. In that, there wasn't much that was new or exciting about it. The Cybermen were there, but didn't do much and their plot made no sense to me at all.
Sarah -
They really need to work harder on that plan to take over, Earth. Nothing ever seems to go the way they want it to.
Harry -
It's unfortunate because visually, these are my favourite Cybermen. Their facemasks are almost cute looking, and this will be the last design before those big circular things get clamped onto the sides of their heads. Their tinny voices force you to listen. Too bad they were kind of wasted here.
Sarah -
One of the biggest problems I had with the story was not being able to understand the Cybermen or the light bulb to which they reported. Maybe it was a cunning plan. Who would know?
Another thing that really bothered me was the Doctor’s callous behavior towards Jamie when he sent him back for the time vector generator. He wrongly blames Jamie for having lost it and then claims “I’m too busy and you’re the only one who knows what it looks like.”
Harry -
I do not like when the Doctor manipulates Jamie like that.
Ultimately, this story brings together the trio that will feature in Season Six: the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe. Troughton and Hines are well-established as a comedic pair, with fun exchanges like this:
Doctor: "What's the thing that we need to survive, which the Cybermen don't?"
Jamie: "Food."
Doctor: "Always thinking of your stomach, aren't you? No, air Jamie, air."
Throw in smarty-pants Zoe and it's gold!
Sarah -
I’m eagerly looking forward to Season Six! And look, no waiting!
Harry -
You know how I keep hinting that I hoped the director did really well with this story? Well, by the time we get to the surviving Episode Six, we really get to see his work. And, well, he worked with what he had, right?
Sarah -
It’s really all we can ask.
Harry -
Nice use of lava lamps on the Wheel - we haven't seen those since the Peter Cushing movies!
Sarah -
I was just going to mention them – excellent addition to the set.
Harry -
Jamie and Zoe "swimming" through space was an interesting visual, and they managed to make the Cybermen look like silver giants. Their confrontation with the Doctor was great. Their curling-iron shaped spaceship was not.
Sarah -
I liked how the Cybermen flapped their hands like truncated fins when they walked in space. It was a nice alien touch.
Harry -
To cap off this weird story, we get a weird ending. Zoe, all logic and reason, decides to stow away aboard the TARDIS and hide in a conveniently placed chest.
Sarah -
At least she didn’t knock some kid on the head and claim she needed a policeman before stowing away.
Harry -
Very true.
Sarah -
And the Doctor was pleased to have her along, I think.
Harry -
The Doctor then presents her with a recap of someone dying in "The Evil of the Daleks."
Close up on Wendy Padbury, looking blank and stoic... and scene - cue credits. Weird!
Sarah -
What was with that? Such a weak final scene for the series. I guess we’re supposed to be distracted by the image of Leo and Tanya being seconds from shagging on the control room consol and not worry about the Daleks…who won’t even be showing up in the next story.
Harry -
Best line: Jamie mothering the Doctor early on: "Now listen you, no more gallivanting about until I say so, alright?"
Favourite moment: The Cybermats attack Kemel. A hilariously over-acted death scene.
Lasting image: those sleek and cute Cybermen.
6/10
Sarah -
Best Line: Doctor to Zoe: “Logic merely allows one to be wrong with authority”
Favorite Moment: I don’t think I was supposed to laugh at the Cybermat attack…but I did.
Lasting image: Zoe and Jamie in their space suits once they were inside. They both looked kind of bad ass.
6/10
Our marathon continues with Story #44 - The Dominators...
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