Story #117 - Four to Doomsday (1982)

Harry -
I love the title of this story. It creates an immediate sense of urgency, a sense that we are counting down to disaster. Before we've even got past the opening theme, an air of anxiety has been created.

There's a different feel to the Davison era, right from the start. As the story begins, we don't get that initial relaxed, collegial scene that is common in early classic Who. In the Troughton era, the Doctor and his friends would land somewhere and set off on a fun adventure before the story proper got under way. In the Pertwee era, the Doctor and Jo would be found tinkering around the lab at UNIT. In the Tom Baker era, especially the latter seasons, the Doctor and his companion would be hanging out in the console room, often working on repairs to K-9.


Sarah -
To be fair, none of the previous Doctors had to deal with a pissed-off Australian air stewardess who just wanted to go home.


Harry -
I forgot how urgently Tegan wanted to get back to Heathrow. You'd think the Doctor would have better reassured her about time travel.


Sarah -
Can I kvetch a bit here, Old Boy? Discussing the opening TARDIS scene reminded me of what has always irritated me most about this era of the show. Having populated the TARDIS with three companions, each of whom have very distinctive personalities, the writers feel free to just make them say and do random things that are completely out of character. Example #1: Having Adric spout off about the uselessness of women, only to reassure Nyssa that his rant doesn't apply to her because she's a girl. Having begun his time in the TARDIS at Romana's side, it's stupidly inconsistent to have Adric spouting these opinions. It's a lazy device to create tension among the companions.


Harry -
Adric's chauvinistic outburst was lame and one of many examples that will pop up in 80s Who. It's cringeworthy to see now, and I've always wondered why that crap reared its head during the JN-T era.


Sarah -
Some might say it's because little things like character and story weren't high on the list of JN-T's priorities. I may or may not be one of those people. I promise I'll do my best to keep my outbursts over this era's writing to a minimum, but I'm afraid there are going to be so many opportunities in the coming seasons. I'll just be over here shaking my fist and shouting, "Uncles Barry and Terry would never let this sort of thing happen!" Feel free to ignore me and carry on.


Harry -
After everyone cools it, the TARDIS lands in a deserted room filled with scientific equipment. A room that is being monitored. There's a mystery to investigate and the Doctor leads the way. Helmets on, everybody stay together -- we are jumping right into the thick of things.


Sarah -
It must be Doctor Who, after all. And, if we had any doubts, Adric and Nyssa stay behind in the lab while the Doctor and Tegan head off to find the being in charge. And find him they do! What do you make of our latest aliens, Harry?


Harry -
The Urbankans! How urbane!

Well, from first impressions they are a bunch of cold lizards. But they possess powerful knowledge of space flight, computer technology, bio-mechanics, and fashion design (with some help from Tegan).

The Monarch is their leader, and it soon becomes apparent that he is a deluded despot. Flanked by his ministers of Enlightenment and Persuasion, he presents an artifice of courtesy that everyone quickly sees through. There was an oppressive atmosphere throughout this story. Everyone -- from the kidnapped humans, to the Doctor & Co., to the ministers by his side -- they all endured his oppressive nature. He did, after all, seem to believe he was a god, which is never a good sign.


Sarah -
My favorite part of the Doctor and Tegan meeting with the Urbankans is when they ask Tegan about current Earth fashions. She explains that it's hard to describe and sits down to work on a detailed sketch of a couple of Sloan Rangers. Duly impressed Enlightenment and Persuasion transform themselves to look exactly like the sketch -- you can almost hear The Human League playing in the background as they descent the stairs!


Harry -
How amazing is Tegan in this story? She not only impresses with her drawing skills, she also demonstrates her grasp of the Australian Aborigine's language, and I'm sure she didn't half mind swatting Adric to the floor later in the story.


Sarah -
Tegan is brilliant. She's remained firmly in my list of Top 10 Companions since the day I first laid eyes on her in 1983. Meeting Janet Fielding at Chicago TARDIS was positively mind-blowing. My inner teenage fan girl was beside herself. And, of course, Janet was absolutely lovely, especially to my daughter who was just 10 at the time and VERY impressed to be meeting her in person.


Harry -
But I'm jumping all over the place now.


Sarah -
And I'm hopping right behind you!


Harry -
Back to the Urbankans. We don't know the reality of their existence yet, but Persuasion and Enlightenment behave in a weirdly stilted manner, humourlessly formal. The Monarch alternates between menacing bully and cordial tyrant.


Sarah -
The very model of the benevolent dictator. He's really quite convinced of his benevolence, isn't he?


Harry -
The Monarch is his own biggest fan!

I've said it already but the entire time spent on the Urbankans ship had an air of anxiety to it. Then we start meeting the kidnapped humans who move around between the recreational theatre and various computer labs and photosynthesis rooms. At first, we wonder how they could have been kept alive for centuries while the ship ferries back and forth between Earth and Urbanka. In one of Doctor Who's creepier cliffhanger moments, we learn from Bigon the Athenian that he is in fact an uploaded human consciousness inside an android shell. "This is me." AAAAAAA!!!


Sarah -
That was a bit of a shock, wasn't it? The moment when he peeled his face back is super-creepy.


Harry -
I remember being horrified the first time I saw that.


Sarah -
It made me think of the terrifying Sarah Jane android in "The Android Invasion" -- an image that still creeps me out.


Harry -
I had the same thought.


Sarah -
What did you think of the, "Hey androids, space travel is tedious, let's put on a show" scenes?


Harry -
The recreational was probably something that the Monarch commanded in a moment of boredom, and the androids never got a stop order.


Sarah -
Plus, it killed lots of time that might otherwise require, you know, actual writing.


Harry -
What stood out most for me in this story was the interaction between the characters, for both good and bad. Adric had himself a terrible outing here, starting with his uncharacteristic behavior in the TARDIS console room. Both Nyssa and the Doctor find reason to tell him to SHUT UP during the story, and Tegan wallops him unconscious. It almost feels like the beginning of the end for his time on the show.


Sarah -
Having made the decision to load the TARDIS up with younger companions, the no one ever seem to know what to do with all of them. Knocking Adric out kept him out of the way for a while, avoiding the need for, you know, actual writing.


Harry -
But there were intriguing moments too, like the interplay between the androids, who still held a semblance of humanity preserved in their silicon chips. Watching the silky smooth Persuasion and Enlightenment reduced to groveling lackeys before the Monarch was amusing too.

I almost forgot, everyone had fresh new haircuts in this story. When Peter Davison's first season began filming, the showrunners elected to start with this one, to allow the actors a chance to get to work together before filming his regeneration story. That's why the ladies have fresh, stylish dos, while the gents have short, trimmed hair.


Sarah -
One of my favorite things about this era of the show and this TARDIS crew is that their commentary tracks are wonderful! They're all having a great time and really enjoy rewatching the stories together. In this story, Janet Fielding keeps referring to the dead animal nailed to her head every time she appears on screen. It's hysterical. If you have the chance, I definitely suggest listening to any of their commentaries.


Harry -
I'll have to give this one a listen.


Sarah -
I promise you'll enjoy it!

Getting back to the story, it will come as a surprise to exactly no one that the Urbankans are on their way to colonize and take over the Earth. Despite Adric believing the Monarch's story, the Doctor knows he's up to no good and it's time to foil this plot!


Harry -
Was Adric bluffing again? Watching all the Adric stories in a row, he seems to be siding with the enemies/bluffing in every story. Wouldn't it be hilarious if in fact he was never bluffing, always fell under the sway of the villains, and hastily announced he had been "bluffing all along" when the Doctor eventually prevailed each time?


Sarah -
His character development pretty much turned into a crap shoot after the Fifth Doctor's regeneration.


Harry -
Well, all the toing and froing between the Monarch's throne room, the labs, and the recreational theatre finally leads us to probably the most memorable moment of the story. Tegan managed to flip the TARDIS outside of the Urbankan ship, and the Doctor had to go fetch it. While Adric battled the Monarch's ministers, the Doctor bowled his cricket ball for a perfect E=mc2 bounceback that propelled him to the TARDIS doors. Hurrah!


Sarah -
Hooray! Something interesting happening! I love knowing that Peter Davison was rolling around on a desk chair to film this sequence.


Harry -
By then, Persuasion and Enlightenment had been shut down, the androids had gone berzerk, and the Monarch was left to wander around grumbling about revenge until getting a taste of his own poisonous froggy secretions. Yuck.


Sarah -
Yeah, that was pretty gross.


Harry -
After bidding the androids good luck and safe travels, our friends return to the TARDIS having gotten no closer to Heathrow than when the story picked up.

And now Nyssa's collapsed just before the closing credits. What the frig?


Sarah -
Well, that'll get her out of the way for the next story and save some time on, you know, actual writing.


Harry -
Brave heart, Sarah!


Sarah -
Best Line: "Conformity is the only freedom."

Favorite Moment: When Persuasion confiscates the Sonic Screwdriver from Nyssa but tells her she can keep the pencil. That was a wonderfully random moment.

Lasting Image: The Doctor in Space!

5/10


Harry -
Best Line: Adric being told to shut up by various characters.

Favourite moment: the Doctor bowls the cricket ball in space.

Lasting Image: Bigon reveals his real nature.

6/10

 


Our marathon continues with Story #118 - Kinda...

Story #116 - Castrovalva (1982)

Sarah -
A regeneration episode! It's been a while since our last regeneration and this one isn't going so smoothly. We begin with the first-ever Doctor Who pre-credits sequence, in which the Fourth Doctor's regeneration is reprised. It had been nearly nine months since the final episode of "Logopolis" was broadcast and I can imagine that the audience needed to be reminded that it ended with the Doctor's regeneration. This final glimpse of the Fourth Doctor is also a nice way to reassure the audience that the Fifth Doctor really is the Doctor and everything is going to be OK...once we make it through this regeneration process.


Harry -
For us, it's only been a matter of days. When Tom's regeneration scene started again, it was like reliving last week all over again, hah.


Sarah -
I found myself really focusing on the companions in this most recent viewing. They may not be sure what's going on, but their instinct to get the Doctor back into the TARDIS is a good one. Unfortunately, he collapses as they're trying to get him there and the security guards catch up with them. The Doctor is bundled into an ambulance, while Tegan, Nyssa, and Adric are lined up for a pat-down by the security guards (one of whom gets perhaps a bit too feely with Tegan). Tegan demonstrates, not for the first time, her pluck by jumping into the ambulance with Nyssa and driving it to the TARDIS. With the Doctor safely inside the TARDIS, they turn their attention to Adric, who is still being detained by the guards.


Harry -
That was a slow motion, stop-start getaway like we've never seen. After Tegan took matters into her own hands, the Master's TARDIS reappeared and everyone on the ground got zapped. Except for Adric, it seemed...

No time to puzzle over that for the moment. Adric is bundled into the TARDIS and takeoff is initiated. For the remainder of part one, we watch what one might describe as a cross between "An Unearthly Child" and "The Edge of Destruction." At least that was what came to mind. We are down to the essential cast now, Doctor and companions. A disoriented Doctor roams the corridors of the TARDIS, doing a symbolic striptease as he tears apart the remains of the previous Doctor's clothing.


Sarah -
Unraveling the scarf is just about the most definitive way to usher in the Fifth Doctor's era, don't you think?


Harry -
I recall reading that Tom Baker was unhappy with the scarf unraveling, and it left him with some sore feelings for a while.


Sarah -
I can imagine.


Harry -
Adric follows the new Doctor around the TARDIS, observing as he skips from one persona to the next like a badly scratched LP. Back in the console room, Tegan and Nyssa discover that the TARDIS has been programmed to fly directly into the Big Bang. Cue cloister bell. It's all happening at once!


Sarah -
I love the scenes where he channels the First, Second, and Third Doctors. It's a nice bit of continuity that works in the chaos of the regeneration. The first episode is non-stop action.


Harry -
Lots of classic companion name drops too. Did you have your bingo card at hand?

Finally, the Doctor locates the limited stimulus Zero Room and is able to spend a few quiet moments of repose. When he re-emerges to deal with the situation, the TARDIS quietly directs a motorized wheelchair towards him, leading to one of the goofiest images in the show's history: a young Peter Davison wheeling around the console room like a disoriented pensioner.


Sarah -
It's an odd moment when the wheelchair appears out of nowhere.


Harry -
If there was any doubt that Anthony Ainley's Master is still irretrievably evil, we see that he has after all sent the Doctor's TARDIS to its doom, as he observes its trajectory and chuckles to himself. He says: "These facile victories only make me hungry for more conquest," then turns to Adric, whom he has kidnapped and imprisoned in "the web," some kind of hanging apparatus made from wires and spiky metal. Yeah...


Sarah -
Poor Adric. The problem with the being the smartest person in the room is that you're liable to find yourself taken captive by a megalomaniac Time Lord trying to settle old scores.


Harry -
Back in the console room, Tegan discovers a databank with a wonderfully 80s display screen. It suggests that they go to a place called Castrovalva, where the Doctor might find the tranquility required to complete his regeneration. But first, they need to craft an escape from the imminent big bang. By jettisoning part of the TARDIS (again! she must not have been happy with that), they power their way to freedom and set course for Castrovalva.


Sarah -
At least they didn't jettison the console room!


Harry -
One thing that differentiates this group of companions is that none of them are shrinking violets. Tegan is a take charge type who pilots not only an ambulance but apparently the TARDIS itself. Nyssa and Adric provide the sciency support and do a bit of lifting themselves. It makes companions of previous eras look almost shy and timid in comparison.


Sarah -
It's both impressive and improbable that they should rise to well to the challenge. Nyssa has recently learned that her father was murdered by the Master, who is now inhabiting his body. Tegan has been whisked away in the TARDIS against her will and learned that the Master has killed her aunt. All she wants to do is get back to Heathrow, but she's stuck piloting the TARDIS. Adric is imprisoned in the web by the Master and manages to keep it together -- although he's not very good at bluffing his way through pretending to join the Master's side.


Harry -
Did I mention lifting? I love the image of Nyssa and Tegan hoisting the remains of the Zero Room - now a Zero Cabinet with the Doctor safely inside - and trooping through the woods to get to Castrovalva.


Sarah -
Even better is when they plop the cabinet on the wheelchair, which has finally been given a narrative purpose.


Harry -
Not bad for a Christopher H. Bidmead story. He got to bring a lot of sci fi to the story, but still let it be Doctor Who. As you said, the first half of the story was nonstop action.

I did experience a bit of a 60s flashback when the local forest dwellers appeared. Their costumes, especially those feathered helmets, looked hilariously cheap.


Sarah -
I love that the "warriors" are just placid city-dwellers who are made to play warrior to give them something to do! We meet Shardovan, the dour city librarian -- really, must librarians always be dour? -- and he promises the Doctor access to the Castrovalvan library.


Harry -
I really enjoyed Shardovan. Derek Waring played the role in a courteously menacing way that reminded me of Vincent Price. Looked a bit like him too.

Both the architecture of Castrovalva and the clothing worn by its citizens harkened back to some long ago time in the Mediterranean. There was some towering headgear being sported by the locals. The most curious looking hat was that white, multi-leveled number worn by the Portreeve.


Sarah -
Look at us, back to the headgear again. We really can't resist the lure of an excellent hat, can we?


Harry -
A good hat makes all the difference.

When the Portreeve first appears, he's wearing his very distracting multi-leveled hat and speaking with a faint, high voice. Because the camera keeps a good distance from him, it's impossible to recognize Anthony Ainley beneath that getup and the long white beard. The Doctor fails to recognize his nemesis, and happily settles down for a nap. It's been a while since naptime has figured in a Doctor Who story, hasn't it?


Sarah -
If there's one thing I enjoy even more than a good hat, it's a proper nap!


Harry -
Naps are awesome.


Sarah -
It's easy to to miss that it's Ainley in that first shot, but by his second appearance, we know something's going on -- and it's not something good. Although, to be fair, when is it ever good in Doctor Who?


Harry -
Not usually. The next morning, the Portreeve demonstrates his impressive invention to the Doctor: a tapestry that works as a live image generator. Fancy! But we will soon learn that the image generator does more than just flash images on a wall.

Meanwhile, Tegan and Nyssa visit the library and bring the Doctor some thick volumes of local history.


Sarah -
How resourceful are Tegan and Nyssa? It was a most excellent day when they found themselves in the TARDIS.


Harry -
Resourceful, and they appreciate the power of a good library. But wait, the Doctor quickly discovers that the history books are false, that Castrovalva seems entirely made up. Worst of all, when he attempts to leave, he finds the corridors and stairwells of the city beginning to loop in on themselves. "It's recursive occlusion!" bellows Christopher H. Bidmead through Peter Davison -- a space-time trap that has been set for the Doctor and his friends.


Sarah -
This is one of my most memorable scenes in Doctor Who. So memorable, it seems, that the special effects are much better in my memory than they are in reality. This viewing was a combination of being charmed and slightly disappointed.


Harry -
Hah! I had the same false memory, envisioning amazingly precise renderings of Castrovalvans marching in step, up and down their staircases at reflecting angles that defied gravity.


Sarah -
The memory cheats, my friend!


Harry -
Seeing the actual mashup of spliced, confusing images was a disappointment, but let's credit director Fiona Cumming for the effort. She makes her Doctor Who debut with this story and she'll be a mainstay of the Peter Davison era.


Sarah -
I liked the way each shot became darker and more menacing as they progress.


Harry -
Since the Castrolvalva plot was a creation of the Master, it's inevitable that the whole thing spins out of control.


Sarah -
Of course it does! For a super-evil-genius Time Lord, he's really not that effective when it comes to actually carrying out his diabolical plans, but he does a resiliency that keeps him coming back for more.


Harry -
Castrovalva and its citizens were a creation, forged through a combination of block transfer computation and Adric's skills at maths.


Sarah -
You were just waiting to work in another block transfer computation reference, weren't you?


Harry -
Casually threw that in there.

Adric, in a recurring tactic, bluffs his way through the dilemma once again and ends up rejoining his friends. As the Doctor finally regains full strength and the Master is unmasked, things come to a head. Dour Shardovan becomes the person who destroys the Master's machinery. The Master makes another run for it in his TARDIS and our friends scramble out of the collapsing city back to the old Type 40. Which reminds me I loved that scene earlier where Tegan "parked" it at a crazy angle.


Sarah -
I love the canted TARDIS angle and the image of everyone having to clamber into it.


Harry -
And there we have it. Doctor Who has transitioned from Tom Baker to Peter Davison. The "regeneration crisis" will become a recurring theme in future eras, but I thought it was handled well here.


Sarah -
As my first-ever post-regeneration story, "Castrovalva" has always loomed large in my memory. I would have seen this story on public television sometime in 1983, and had only seen photos of Peter Davison before that. It was so exciting to finally get a glimpse of another Doctor after spending the beginning of my fandom with Tom Baker. It feels so quaint now to discuss a time when we were waiting around to see episodes that were already two years old.


Harry -
After the Tom Baker era my viewings of Doctor Who here in Ontario would be very much out of order.  I think TVOntario stopped broadcasting Who sometime during the Davison era, and I was left to catch up as the show popped up on a variety of different channels here throughout the 80s and 90s.

Anyway, we have them all available to us now, in the correct order.  It's been a while since I watched any of the other Fifth Doctor stories, so I'm excited for what's ahead. What do you think, Old Chum?


Sarah -
I believe it's been a while for me, too. Let's go!

Best Line:
Tegan: "If... My dad used to say that "if" was the most powerful word in the English language."

Favorite Moment: Tegan and Nyssa hauling the Doctor around in the zero cabinet.

Lasting Image: Adric in the Master's web.

7/10


Harry -
Best Line: "Not up to CAA standard, but a landing's a landing!" Right on, Tegan.

Favourite Moment: While fetching the wheelchair, Nyssa takes a tumble into the creek and makes an "icky" face for the ages.

Lasting Image: the Castrovalvans and their amazing headgear.

7/10

Our marathon continues with Story #117: Four to Doomsday...