Recently, I had a discussion with the cousin who started me watching Doctor Who, oh so many years ago. A new-to-Who friend of his asked for a classic story to start with and, after much discussion, it was decided that "The Ark in Space" was a perfect place to begin.
Really, it’s got everything a good story needs. For a start - base under siege! It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper base-under-siege story, hasn’t it?
Harry -
Jon Pertwee's Doctor was not one to be besieged lightly, so yes.
Sarah -
Add a newly regenerated Doctor, two plucky companions, frozen humans waiting to return to Earth, creepy space insects looking for a place to sustain their larvae, and an oppressive sense of claustrophobia and you’ve got a brilliant Doctor Who story.
Harry -
"The Ark in Space" certainly has much to recommend it. Part One is one of the single best episodes in all of Doctor Who. It's so radically different. First, the Doctor has no idea where they've landed (clumsy Harry!). He seems baffled and lost as impediments keep rising up. The power is out and so is the oxygen. Sarah and Harry start gasping for air, and the Doctor struggles to help. Then Sarah gets herself trapped in a cryogenic chamber (echoes of "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" and "Tomb of the Cybermen").
Sarah -
I completely agree on the first episode. It's absolutely perfect. The tension, the pacing, the brilliant chemistry between the actors. I think I'm going to go watch it again!
Harry -
I love the clean, sterile sets and future-analogue computers aboard space station Nerva. They really stand out early on, as our friends move about exploring from room to room.
Sarah -
The set and costume design for the entire story is absolutely perfect. It has a wonderful futuristic feeling, with just the right level of 70s fabulousness!
Harry -
There's something about the design of the future-70s that's so perfect. I loved that clear orange medical kit that Harry carried around. Creative design mixed with nostalgia, I reckon. And who knows, the future may still look that way!
The strength of Part One is that the entire episode unfolds with only Sarah, Harry and the Doctor on camera. The absence of any supporting cast for so long added to the claustrophobic feel.
Sarah -
There's nothing I love more than a good bottle episode! I might have been disappointed by the introduction of new characters, if they weren't all so interesting.
Med Tech Vira is the first to be revived, so she can supervise the revivification of the rest of the crew. Hopefully, she can also revive Dear Sarah.
We learn that the ship is filled with the last vestiges of humanity, who were evacuated from Earth centuries earlier, when solar flares threatened all life on the planet.
Harry -
Another strength of "The Ark in Space" is the strength of the supporting cast. Each of the future humans is quickly fleshed out and given a personality of their own (Bob Holmes, no surprise there). I like the stilted future-English that they speak, making them somewhat haughty if not alien to us the viewers.
Sarah -
I love how they refer to the Doctor, Sarah, and Harry as "regressives" because of their use of colloquialisms.
Vira is startled by the new arrivals, but rolls with the situation much better than the suspicious Noah, who immediately worries that they'll contaminate the gene pool with their presence. He's not the friendliest of blokes -- and that's before his encounter with the Wirrn grub!
Harry -
Vira and Sarah quickly form a team, while Harry and Rogin pair up as well. The best acting job, I think, goes to Kenton Moore as Noah. The scene in the control room where human Noah battles with the Wirrn invading his body was mesmerizing. Who cares about the rapidly expanding layers of bubble wrap on his body, his metamorphosis was well acted and genuinely horrific.
Sarah -
So much of the story relies on Moore's performance. Noah is the lynchpin for the entire narrative and he definitely convinces us that Moore is fighting to maintain his humanity. I even find the bubble wrap charming.
Harry -
Getting a bit timey-wimey on the Hinchcliffe Horror tracker, but "The Ark in Space" reminded me of Ridley Scott's Alien - which didn't come along until 1979. I'm sure there's some tradition of base-under-siege science fiction that Hinchcliffe must have been paying homage to...
Sarah -
I have to also mention Richardson Morgan's performance as Rogin. When revived, he spends most of his time griping about how he just knew it would all go wrong and he was perfectly happy on Earth. But, when the chips are down he more than rises to the occasion -- sacrificing himself to save the Doctor and everyone else on Nerva. It was quite the touching moment.
Harry -
I'm usually not a fan of characters sacrificing themselves to solve a plot dilemma, but at least Bob Holmes built up Rogin's character just enough to make his final act believeable.
And speaking of well acted, Tom Baker took no time at all to establish his Doctor, didn't he? I think it was on the DVD featurette for "Robot", but he said that basically he played the Doctor as himself - something of an exhuberant personality prone to flights of mild madness. That's Tom Baker, and that's his Doctor, so readily evident in this story.
Sarah -
My favorite moment is when Noah is holding a gun on the Doctor and tells him to head back to the control room. The Doctor turns and urges Noah to hurry, as if it was all his idea. It's one of those madcap Baker moments that we all love.
Harry -
So many little moments in this story that one forgets over time, but are wonderful to see again. Sarah pulling faces at the Doctor and Harry, the start of the "don't call me Old Girl!" routine, Harry spending the entire adventure shoeless - it's these little things, plus the overarching story that make "The Ark in Space" special.
Yes, yes and yes: I'd certainly show this one to a new viewer. That's two in a row. Shall we try for a third?
Sarah -
Oh, yes, let's!
Best Line: "It may be irrational of me, but humans are quite my favourite species."
Favorite Moment: The Doctor pretending it was his idea to head back to the control room.
Lasting Imagine: The Doctor and Co. tromping through the Ark's corridors.
9/10
Harry -
Best line: "Gremlins can get into anything, Old Girl. First law of the sea."
Favourite moment: After being shot with a stun ray by Noah, the Doctor revives a few minutes later and continues in mid-sentence.
Lasting image: Noah looking at his bubble-wrapped hand.
9/10
Our marathon continues with Story #77 - The Sontaran Experiment...
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