I have to admit right off the start, Sarah, I have a lot of love for this story. It contains many of my favourite elements for a Doctor Who adventure. One could argue it sets the template for many more stories to come in this era.
Sarah -
One of my favorite things about the story is that it's an entirely new premise. We've seen alien invasions/base under siege stories. We've seen the Doctor and his companions visit other times and places. In "Doctor Who and the Silurians", we encounter aliens who aren't really aliens -- they were here first! The humans are the invaders!
Harry -
"This planet is ours. It always has been."
Nice role-reversal. Malcolm Hulke takes that premise and lets us view it from many different angles: UNIT sees the Silurians as a threat to be eliminated; the Doctor and Liz see an intelligent civilization to be treated respectfully; the scientists and civil servants see an unforeseen development that must be managed to their advantage. Even within the handful of Silurians, there are peacemakers and warmongers. So many shades of grey, so many bad decisions being made.
Sarah -
So very many shades of grey! This is such a nuanced and grown-up story. I can't imagine watching it as a child and appreciating much more than the cool Silurian costumes and third eyes.
Speaking of Silurian third eyes, they seem to be more useful than a sonic screwdriver. Is there anything they can't do?
Harry -
Oh dear, you have to feel bad for the Second Doctor. He always wanted to meet prehistoric monsters - and who does the Third Doctor encounter in only his second adventure? The Silurians and their giant dino-watchdog. Prehistoric monsters! Somewhere deep within the Doctor's psyche, you can picture his previous incarnation pouting, arms crossed, stamping a foot and spitting out a Troughtony profanity like "Crumbs!"
Sarah -
What a great image!
Harry -
I touched on some of the general characterizations in this story, but the characters themselves are wonderful. I love - LOVE - Peter Miles as the neo-fascist director of the facility. Dr. Lawrence and his comb-over of death - what a truly awful person.
Sarah -
Such a hideous, petty, dictatorial, self-serving bureaucrat. Miles’ performance is brilliant. The scene where he lunges for the Brig is so startling. In the end, of course, karma has its way with Dr. Lawrence. He really should have gotten the anti-viral inoculation.
Harry -
That was an epic death scene. Then there's Quinn and his frustrated accomplice Miss Dawson. One of them sees the Silurians as something to exploit for his personal gain, the other sees them as something to annihilate.
Sarah -
I positively adored Fulton Mackay’s performance as Dr. Quinn. His smooth exterior never cracked and made me think of a line from a Billy Bragg song: “He’s got the bonhomie of a game show host.” Yet another in a long line of scientists who think they can control alien forces, his downfall is inevitable.
It was also fun to see the brilliant Geoffrey Palmer as Masters, the Permanent Under Secretary. His introduction the Doctor was one of my favorite exchanges:
Dr. Lawrence: "This is the Permanent Under Secretary."
The Doctor: "Yes, well, I've got no time to talk to under secretaries – permanent or otherwise."
Masters: "May I ask who you are?"
The Doctor: "You may ask!"
Harry -
Burn!
Another thing I like about these early UNIT stories is the array of officers we only meet once - like Captain Hawkins - before presumably they are reassigned somewhere else.
Sarah -
This story took it’s toll on the UNIT forces, didn’t it? I wasn’t keeping track, but it seemed they lost so many soldiers along the way.
Harry -
It was funny early on because virtually everybody except UNIT managed to slip down to the caves. Then UNIT went charging in and promptly got themselves trapped, complete with comedy music.
A brief aside on the subject of music. I'm loving the hints of experimental scores that are to come in the Pertwee era. Granted, I'm not a big fan of the kazoo music that we hear each time the Silurians appear, but I like the thinking outside the box. I know there's a name for that instrument, and it harkens back to ancient times, but it's slipped my mind at the moment.
Sarah -
The Silurians' kazoo theme may just have been my least-favorite part of the entire story. It was so grating.
Harry -
Back to the story. I credit the Doctor for having the naivety to believe that these two endlessly squabbling civilizations could ever agree to share the planet. It was a characteristic moment when he extended his hand in friendship when confronted by the wounded Silurian (and could they not have had proper names?! "Old Silurian" and "Young Silurian" is something only those arrogant apes above ground would have come up with).
Sarah -
It was naïve, wasn’t it? Still, the ethical debate between the Doctor and the Brigadier was a pivotal scene. How did you feel about the Brig misleading the Doctor on what would happen to the Silurians?
Harry -
We have such warm, nostalgic feelings for the Brig these days that it's shocking to see him in this story. Barging around, upbraiding people left and right, shooting a Silurian, and ordering what is essentially a holocaust. I'll admit right now that my lasting image selection will be the mushroom cloud rising up from the destroyed caves. A freaking mushroom cloud! Alistair how could you?
Sarah -
He is a military man, through and through. There are many moments of tension between the Doctor and the Brig as they jockey for power. The Doctor isn't inclined to have someone else in charge -- and neither is the Brig.
Harry -
It was a shocking end to a very grown up story. The issues, the characters, and the portrayal of the Doctor as a determined peacemaker - something we haven't seen since he negotiated a peaceful settlement between humans and the chameleons in "The Faceless Ones."
Sarah -
One more slight complaint. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in Liz's character development. In the early episodes, the brilliant Dr. Elizabeth Shaw has become "Miss Shaw" in a miniskirt. She finally gets to do science stuff later in the story and stands up the Brig with, "I'm a scientist, not an office boy." But the change is disappointing after her first story.
Harry -
For a seven-parter, it moved pretty quickly apart from Episode Six, which was a series of recurring set pieces: the Doctor in the laboratory working on an antidote; the Brigadier in his makeshift office working the phones; and Liz shuttling between the two. It's boring, but forgivable in that these scenes were meant to show the passing of time. Am I becoming a Malcolm Hulke apologist? Hah!
Sarah -
It's hard to make doing science terribly exciting, isn't it? The contemporary Doctors would just know the answer and be all smug about it. The Third Doctor needs to get there -- no matter how long it takes!
Harry -
I suppose, dear Sarah, you should ask how I feel after we've watched our tenth Pertwee six-parter.
Sarah -
I must admit that I did find myself thinking that it could have been an episode or two shorter.
Harry -
Another pair of seven-parters are straight ahead. Shall we wrap this one up and move on, whilst shaking our heads at the Brigadier?
Best Line: "I take it you're another member of the UNIT team?" "Yes, depressing isn't it?" Oh snap, Doctor!
Favourite Moment: the Doctor extends his hand in friendship to the wounded Silurian.
Lasting Image: the mushroom cloud.
8/10
Sarah -
Best Line: “That’s typical of the military mind, isn’t it? Present them with a new problem and they start shooting at it.”
Favorite Moment: Liz standing up to the Brig.
Lasting Image: The Doctor and the Brig driving in Bessie. It made me giggle.
7/10
Our marathon continues with Story #53: The Ambassadors of Death...
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