Story #87 - The Hand of Fear (1976)

Harry -

I kind of didn't want to watch this one so soon, Sarah. We've raced through the first couple of Tom Baker seasons and it's been great fun. But it's brought us so suddenly to that moment: the call from Gallifrey.

Pass the gin.


Sarah -

When I look back on all the slogging we did in the Recon Era, it's hard to believe that we're at the end of Sarah Jane Era so quickly. As wonderful as "The Hand of Fear" is, it always leaves me feeling so very sad. I can't even cheer myself up with a few rounds of "Eldrad must live."

Here's the gin, Old Boy.


Harry -

As companion farewell stories go, Jo Grant and now Sarah Jane Smith both went out with classics. You and I both raced through "The Hand of Fear" in a single sitting. The story bounces along and never lets up, and the location filming gave it a real cinematic quality. The sets, the story, the acting are all brilliant.

How many blasted quarries has Sarah had to crawl through in her time with the Doctor? This time out, she got the biggest quarry scene of them all. The camera work on the detonation was amazing, as was Elisabeth Sladen's acting when Sarah found herself buried alive. Hell, she was amazing through the whole thing. So many great moments.


Sarah -

I imagine it's a challenge to act possessed without being cheesy. Lis is so perfect in these scenes. She almost underplays the scenes when she's being controlled by Eldrad; not every actor would have made that choice.

"The Hand of Fear" also features one of the most-recognized costumes in Doctor Who history -- who doesn't remember Sarah Jane in her Andy Pandys?


Harry -

Adorable.

After grasping at the petrified hand and falling under the sway of Eldrad's ring, the possessed Sarah Jane is totally devilish! She was as unsettling as Zygon Harry, maybe more so because Lis played it with just the faintest of twinkles in her eye. The selection of the Andy Pandy costume was brilliant, because it created the image of sweet Sarah in a cute costume, wreaking utter havoc at a hospital and a nuclear complex. Lots of bang in such a tiny package. In the DVD featurette, Lis confirmed that she couldn't get into an elevator without fans asking her to recite "Eldrad must live." It is one of her signature lines.


Sarah -

I love the variety with which she delivers it: "Eldrad must LIVE." "Eldrad MUST live." "ELDRAD MUST LIVE."


Harry -

It really is the line of the story, as we see others fall under the influence of the ring. That includes Dr. Carter, played by Rex Robinson with the same gentlemanly enthusiasm that he delivered in "The Three Doctors". I really like his work.


Sarah -

Poor Dr. Carter. There's barely a moment given to morning his death or that of Driscoll. Yet another story with a large body count.


Harry -

Let's drink to Driscoll and Carter. To Driscoll, for being there to set up Sarah's immortal zinger: "Careful, careful. That's not as 'armless as it looks." To Carter, for his sudden, shocking death. That moment was filmed with a series of wild camera angles. First, Carter barges past the Doctor on the stairwell, to turn and look back down at him. Then there's the Doctor with his face practically against the lens, going "What?" and the great shot of Carter's body flying past as the camera looks up from the ground.


Sarah -

It was a wonderfully executed scene. I felt quite dizzy by the end of it.


Harry -

We've barely touched on the reason behind all this mad behavior: Eldrad. At first he's identified as a traitor, sentenced to obliteration by his people on Kastria. Only his hand survives, having fallen to earth 150 million years ago. The hand needs radiation to regenerate and bring Eldrad back to life. That hand - I love the moment when it suddenly comes alive.


Sarah -

It's a great moment. My favorite moment is when the newly regenerated Eldrad emerges from the reactor. I know Eldrad is played by a woman at this point, but every time I see him/her emerge from the reactor, I can't help but think that Eldrad's gone a bit camp. Seriously, every time, this is my thought.


Harry -

I know for sure that I never saw this story as a kid, because Eldrad would have given me nightmares for years. Judith Paris crackles with intensity, always seemingly on the verge of exploding with rage and violence. It's all in the eyes and voice (which I'm convinced got some electronic treatment, but I can't find any evidence online). That crystalline skinsuit and crown probably inhibited a lot of movement anyway.


Sarah -

It's quite the costume, isn't it? I wonder how much it weighed.


Harry -

Eldrad cons the Doctor and Sarah into going to Kastria, so that the regeneration process can be completed and Eldrad can become ruler of the planet. The male Eldrad who emerges at the end is much more shouty and somehow less terrifying.


Sarah -

Much less terrifying. Once it becomes clear that Eldrad's civilization on Kastria is long-dead, he tries to force the Doctor to take him back in time, but the the Doctor has no trouble outwitting shouty Eldrad -- and sends him hurtling into a seemly bottomless pit.


Harry -

All that waiting, and then all that soaking in of radiation, just to spend a few minutes barging around before falling into an abyss. Too bad so sad.

Kastrian Eldrad's costume looked quite burdensome too. I didn't realise until the DVD featurette that he was played by another guest actor from "The Three Doctors": Stephen Thorne, who did lots of shouting as Omega.

I've seen several online reviews panning the end of this story, claiming that the plot unravelled and/or Eldrad was too easily dispatched. I quite liked how Bob Baker and Dave Martin created the world of Kastria - one reliant on Eldrad's engineering brilliance to prevent solar winds from destroying all life on the surface of the planet. When it turns out that Eldrad himself destroyed the barriers in a mad act of sabotage, his evil genius is revealed, and his con is exposed. The Doctor was perhaps too trusting this time around, and should have been more suspicious of Eldrad's motives. But it all ended well and the trusty scarf saved the day.


Sarah -

With Eldrad dispatched, it's on to the next adventure...or is it?

Safely back in the TARDIS, Sarah is giving the Doctor a piece of her mind about all she's endured with him, demanding that he take her home. Unsurprisingly, he's not listening -- and then the call comes from Gallifrey.


Harry -

Apparently several members of the production team had a crack at writing this scene, so in that sense it belongs to everyone. I've watched it so many times over the years, I want to shout "Careful what you wish for!" as Sarah begins her rant about going home.


Sarah -

It's such a bittersweet moment that nearly makes me cry every time.


Harry -

The special effects of the call from Gallifrey were awful. Just some flashing pixellated overlays and a close up of Tom's face. It would have been nice to have another smirking Time Lord pop into the secondary console room while Sarah packed. But as we all know, time/budget/etc.

By the time Sarah returns, both arms loaded with her belongings, the Doctor is clearly troubled. Tom underplays the goodbye splendidly, holding back with his head bowed. Sarah is surprised at first, then accepts her departure. She doesn't realise it's a permanent farewell. Knowing what we would find out later - that she waited for him - makes this scene all the more painful.


Sarah -

While this scene nearly makes me cry, the scene in "School Reunion" when they meet again ALWAYS makes me cry.


Harry -

Oh yes, there will be tears during that one.

Damme, we've drained the gin bottle!


Sarah -

Damme. Pass the hankies.

Best Line: "Until we meet again, Sarah."

Favorite Moment: Eldrad emerges from the reactor.

Lasting Image: Sarah's final smile.

8/10


Harry -

Best Line:

"Wait a minute, Sarah. Maybe we should try and communicate with Eldrad."

"How? Use hand signals?"

Favourite Moment: The "I worry about you" exchange between the Doctor and Sarah.

Lasting Image: female Eldrad.

9/10

 

Our marathon continues with Story #88 - The Deadly Assassin...