Story #54 - Inferno (1970)

Harry -
Well! I didn't think our hero Sir Keith Gold could ever be faced with as challenging a situation as in the previous story, "The Admin Assistants of Death" - but here we are!

As director of the project to drill for Stahlman's Gas, Sir Keith was tested to the limits of his professional skill set.

Professor Stahlman, while no doubt a brilliant scientist, really shouldn't have been part of the drill site staff. At times, Stahlman's communications with staff were... brusque. Also curt. I suspect his behaviour has resulted in one or more grievances being filed. I was hoping that Sir Keith would ask him to attend sensitivity training, but, as always, our hero kept his cool. There were larger issues on his to-do list that he had to prioritize.

The first order of business should have been calling a meeting to review the design approvals for that site. I mean seriously, that deep core drill was literally on top of the employees. It wasn't necessary for UNIT to be there, it should have been Health and Safety! It was inevitable that one of the technicians would come into contact with the green goo that seeps out of the Earth from time to time, and he contracted an infection. Oh dear!


Sarah -
Harry. Harry! HARRY!!!!!!!! Snap out of it, Old Boy, this isn't a parallel universe and Sir Keith is not our protagonist. Get a grip, Chap!


Harry -
What? Why Sarah, what happened to your brunette wig? Didn't you just see that spinning sparkly thing? Gosh...


Sarah -
Brunette wig? Perhaps you’d better lie down, dear.


Harry -
That was unsettling. D'you know, what do you think we'd be like in a parallel universe? Would we be blogging about Buffy the Vampire Slayer?


Sarah -
Hmm, I certainly could rise to that challenge, but perhaps we should stick with Doctor Who for now. The Hellmouth is no place for two bloggers with such sensitive dispositions.


Harry -
As for this Doctor Who story, "Inferno," wow! Season seven goes out on top form. That was seven episodes of high tension. The atmosphere at the drilling site was brutal. Everyone was on edge, Stahlman was a prick, Sir Keith was a bit of a ninny, and the Doctor seemed to be pissed off the entire time. And it didn't let up. There were no humourous moments or characters. The story didn't pause once for a moment of comic relief; it kept ratcheting up the pressure on the characters and us the viewers.


Sarah -
You know what I could use after this season? A frolic on the beach with the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe…or, at the very least, a hug. While brilliant, the intensity of this season has left me feeling a bit drained.


Harry -
The shift from season six to seven has been nothing short of mindblowing. The fun frolics of the Troughton era seem so far away. I miss those days!


Sarah -
Don’t get me wrong, I love this story. It’s non-stop from beginning to end. While I’m not a big fan of the seven-parters, Inferno never flags. There isn’t much filler – it’s just go, go go!


Harry -
Full credit goes to the cast for delivering master performances. Jon Pertwee played the entire story in a state of set-gnawing pissed-offedness; Olaf Pooley kept burning my piss as the bullying, self-centred Stahlman; Christopher Benjamin was tragically ineffectual as the by-the-book public servant; Derek Newark and Sheila Dunn were charming as the pair who bonded under extreme duress; John Levene went to hell and back as Sergeant Benton; and massive praise to Caroline John and Nicholas Courtney for their fantastic parallel performances. In the DVD featurette, John gushed about how much she loved the chance at playing a baddie - even though her baddie came good in the end.

As for the Brigade Leader... that was almost Shakespearean. Okay, I'm gushing now too, but watching Courtney's alternate self descend from a vicious thug to a gibbering coward was sheer brilliance!


Sarah -
Nick Courtney was utterly brilliant! Caroline John’s slow realization that there could be another way was quite moving.

I started out being irritated by Sutton and his attempts to pick up Petra. Ah, the good old days of workplace sexual harassment as normative behavior. Eventually, the parallel universe Sutton and Petra and the excellent performances by Newark and Dunn (Director Douglas Camfield’s wife, previously seen in "The Daleks' Master Plan" and heard in "The Invasion" – as the computer voice of The Electromatic Company) made me like the characters.

Stalhman. Wow. What an asshole. I understand the lure of cheap energy, but who would ever let this guy head up a project? OK, I take that back. Lots of companies would put this jerk in charge.

And then there’s Sir Keith Gold, such a heroic figure. He’s such an unassuming man, yet he’s not afraid to take a stand when a stand must be taken. Did he hesitate for a moment when Stahlman’s excessive behavior warranted a visit to the Ministry? No, he did not! He ordered his car and set off for London, post haste.

Sir Keith’s exposure of Stahlman’s fiendish plot to delay his arrival at the ministry was an intellectual triumph worthy of Sherlock Holmes himself. Most impressive was the sympathetic manner in which Sir Keith dealt with the errant chauffeur, Patterson. Our hero is certainly a man for the ages and I look forward to following his further adventures in this blog.


Harry -
Er, what do you mean, further adventures? Oh dear... Sarah? Sarah are you there? SARAH! Stay with me, Old Girl!


Sarah -
What? Harry, is that you, Old Boy? Did you just see that spinning sparkly thing? Did you hear that whirling music? It felt so real...and don’t call me Old Girl!


Harry -
And she's back.  Whew!

Well, that spinning sparkly thing is impressive, isn't it? Despite the intensity of the story, there's a kind of throwback charm to the production. The hairstyles and clothes, the analog countdown thing, and of course, the garage door opener!

I wonder at what point, if ever, the production crew sensed they might have overplayed the garage door opener. Or was it just that fantastic an innovation in 1970?


Sarah -
The level of ceremony necessary to open the garage door with the sonic screwdriver seemed particularly unwarranted.


Harry -
There were no music-related points in my notes for this story, but looking over them, it seems I made fewer and fewer notes each episode. I decided that episode five was The Shouting Episode because that's all everyone did for 20 minutes - except Sir Keith, who addressed everyone in a respectful tone as always.


Sarah -
As if we would expect anything else! If there’s one thing you can say about Sir Keith, it’s that he always treats others in the manner appropriate to a man of his station. Why I remember in a previous adventure when he…

Oh no! It’s happening again. Stop this sparkly spinning thing, Old Boy!


Harry -
There - I've just wedged a gin bottle into it. Should stop it spinning now.

Episode six was This Infernal Extension Cord! or, The Rewire the Power to the TARDIS Console Episode (a touch drawn out). I didn't make any notes for Episode seven, being both exhausted and maybe starting to get a bit bored with all the delays by that point.

Does this story have a happy ending? In the parallel universe, we watched everyone die horribly. In our universe, the drilling was halted in time, but not before many lives were lost. And little do we know it, but we've just seen the end of Dr. Elizabeth Shaw's involvement with UNIT.


Sarah -
Poor Liz. Dumped so unceremoniously for the crime of being too bloody smart. Ah, Lizzie, we hardly knew ye.


Harry -
Season seven, always serious, ending on a sombre note.


Sarah -
I was thinking about your observation that the Doctor gets more pissed-off as the story progresses. This Earthly exile is clearly wearing away at the good Doctor. He even snaps at the Brig. What is this universe coming to?


Harry -
He's not liking the exile. He sure was a bit "in-your-faces" about restoring the TARDIS and splitting ASAP.


Sarah -
We’ve kind of avoided the elephant in the room here. The console can be moved out the TARDIS and used for travel on its own? Stupid, cheap BBC wouldn’t let them use the TARDIS set? What’s going on here?


Harry -
I did wonder how the TARDIS console could be moved around like that, and I don't think it was ever explained.

As season seven draws to a close, would you agree that Doctor Who has gone from "base under seige" to "Earth under seige?" Grander scale, greater stakes, more things to get pissed off about!


Sarah -
If you need me, I’ll be on the beach making sandcastles.

Best Lines:
Doctor: "But I don’t exist in your world."
Brigade Leader: "Well, then you won’t feel the bullets when we shoot you."

Favorite Moment: The Brig making the Doctor squirm for calling him a pompous, self-opinionated idiot.

Lasting Image: The Brigade Leader pulling a gun on the Doctor

9/10


Harry -
Best lines: we are agreed on this one.

Favourite moment: the Doctor slowly takes in the fact that he is in a parallel universe.

Lasting image: the Brigade Leader's nasty scar.

9/10

Our marathon continues with Story #55 - Terror of the Auditors - whoops! - Terror of the Autons...

Story #53 - The Ambassadors of Death (1970)

Sarah -
Well, this is quite the cracking yarn, isn’t it, Harry? If there was any doubt that the Third Doctor era was going in an entirely different direction, "The Ambassadors of Death" would disabuse viewers of that notion!


Harry -
The Silly 60s have given way to the Serious 70s.


Sarah -
Doctor Who is definitely not just for kiddies anymore. I didn’t keep track, but the body count in "The Ambassadors of Death" is massive. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise with “…of Death” in the title, but still.


Harry -
I repeatedly caught myself thinking, "gosh there's a lot of people getting killed here."


Sarah -
The opening scene is quite dramatic – an astronaut on a mission to rescue two colleagues who have gone missing encounters something terrifying, yet unseen, when the two capsules link up. This is all being followed by the media back on Earth, of course.


Harry -
Great tension was established immediately. The space shots were believable (for their time) as was the floating camera work.

The space control set was interestingly minimalist: Ralph Cornish seated alone at a desk in the middle of the room.


Sarah -
I liked the simplicity of the command room. Also, Ralph Cornish is a bit of a dish, isn't he? So dashing!


Harry -
His voice sounded very familiar, I wonder if he's appeared in other stories. To the Google!

[A few minutes later.]

Oh my word! Ronald Allen, who played the dishy and dashing Ralph Cornish, also starred as the tormented Dominator Rago in "The Dominators." That's brilliant!


Sarah -
Of course! I knew he looked familiar. Dominators are not at all dishy, which is likely what threw me off.


Harry -
Oh, and speaking of media, TV reporter John Wakefield was utterly captivating as a kind of Greek chorus during the effort to link up with Mars Probe 7.


Sarah -
As soon as he appeared, I couldn’t help imagining Eric Idle in the role, but the truth is even better. I did not realized, until you pointed it out Dear Harry, that John Wakefield was none other than Michael Wisher, who would go on to play Davros in "Genesis of the Daleks" (among many other Doctor Who credits)! Still, Eric Idle would have been cool.


Harry -
Even better, imagine if a different Python reporter popped up in each episode!

Anyway, as soon as things go hairy with the Mars probe and recovery ship, the Doctor and Liz spring into action with UNIT in tow.


Sarah -
But not before the Doctor reminds us of his feelings about the Brig’s behavior towards the Silurians.


Harry -
After an unflattering portrayal in the previous story, UNIT gets off to a shaky start here too. This time, they become involved in a gunfight at a warehouse to which they had tracked the signal that had replied to the burst of sound from the Mars probe.

The gunfight is... comedic. The stuntmen must have enjoyed filming it, but it comes off looking silly. There was a moment when a UNIT private had his rifle shot right out of his hands, leaving him gawping in disbelief. Too silly!


Sarah -
It’s surprisingly silly, considering all the damage that’s done.


Harry -
Thankfully, UNIT fares better as the story progresses. Not right away, though - they will manage to lose a space capsule first.


Sarah -
Things are definitely a bit homespun for an international intelligence agency, aren’t they?

I was quite impressed by the scenes of the capsule’s reentry. The script did an excellent job of building the tension in the control room without expensive special effects. I was completely holding my breath waiting for the capsule to land.


Harry -
The power of close ups.


Sarah -
The stealing of the capsule, followed by the Doctor’s hoodwinking of the thieves was an odd, if amusing, scene. The long drive with the Brig and the jaunty UNIT music felt like a bit of filler, so I was almost relieved when the truck was hijacked.

My favorite cliffhanger of the story had to be when Liz was being chased across the bridge. I actually shouted her name when she went over the railing. Effective stuff!


Harry -
Being brutally honest, they could have gone straight from episode one to episode four, but the padding didn't hinder the story too much. I wouldn't even call it padding, all that capsule hijacking, anti-thefting, and car chasing. All thrilling stuff, especially that "bridgehanger" with Liz!


Sarah -
The fact that she was wearing the shortest skirt in the history of Doctor Who certainly added to the tension.

Speaking of cliffhangers, what did you think of the opening theme, followed by the reprise of the cliffhanger, and then the story title? I kind of liked it.


Harry -
I wish they had kept that format: main theme, 30 second reprise, titles stinger and then the episode proper. So orderly.


Sarah -
And quite dramatic.


Harry -
By the time Liz found herself clinging to a railing above rushing waters, this story was feeling more like The X-Files than Doctor Who, what with the paranormal spacemen and government/military conspiracies. The villains of the story are all icy cool, no hysterics until Carrington's breakdown at the end. And there's Cyril Shaps of course. Poor, troubled Lennox getting caught up with the wrong people and meeting his untimely demise - a classic Cyril Shaps performance.


Sarah -
Lennox is one of those guys who can just never get it right, isn’t he? I thought it was sweet that he helped Liz escape and that she covered up for him when she was recaptured. Of course, Liz being Liz, she immediately began planning for a second escape!


Harry -
She's got no time for nonsense. Lennox should have gone with her.


Sarah -
The fool!


Harry -
We haven't talked about Reegan yet. With the chief conspirator always offscreen, it's Reegan who steals the show. He might be the best henchman in all of Doctor Who. He's not a muscle-headed buffoon or a mindless ox. He's cunning, he's not afraid to take action, and he's a ruthless killer. Definitely the one character I would least like to encounter in a dark alley.

Carrington, Taltalian, Reegan... all great creeps one and all. Tragically, the spacemen do most of the killing in this story, only later we learn they are alien ambassadors who are being manipulated into doing so.


Sarah -
Speaking of Taltalian, what accent was he meant to have? It seemed all over the place.

Sorry, I digress...


Harry -
Taltalian had some sort of Franco-Germanic accent, I think? Let's just say he was from Strasbourg.


Sarah -
By way of Crawley.


Harry -
Digging deeper into the story, the Doctor once again grabs the role of diplomat/peacemaker. Let's throw astronaut in the mix too. He can do it all, can't he?


Sarah -
This is the second story in a row where the humans are the untrustworthy ones. The Silurians were trying to protect their world, the ambassadors have no intention of being, well, “of death” – until the human baddies force it on them.

Aliens aren’t the problem in season seven – it’s the humans you’ve got to watch out for.


Harry -
If the Doctor was aghast by their antics, he kept it to himself. So glad he didn't give up on us! There's definitely a misanthropic streak to these early Pertwee stories. It reminded me of newer ones like "Planet of the Ood," where the humans are the monsters.


Sarah -
A sign of the times, for sure.


Harry -
Luckily the aliens in this story were not trigger happy and the Doctor was able to avert a disaster. I always think of these aliens as "The Venetian Blind Creatures", because of that scene when the Doctor speaks with the gesticulating representative aboard their ship. Lo tech effects, but effective.


Sarah -
It would be hard to fault the aliens had they become trigger-happy. The humans definitely had it coming.


Harry -
Another thing that always sticks in my mind is the ethereal "ambassadors" theme we hear whenever they are onscreen. It sounded like a two-second Brian Eno soundscape on repeat. The adventures in music continue!


Sarah -
It's really quite impressive how the Doctor Who music continues to be original and effective.


Harry -
I'm really liking season seven. Every story has been high quality. There's one more to go. Shall we?


Sarah -
Oh yes, let's! But first, can I say how happy I was to see our old mate Benton? I was. Quite.


Harry -
Best Line: "I've no time to talk to the press." "Quite right, neither have I." Oh snap again, Doctor!

Favourite Moment: UNIT launches an assault in Bessie.

Lasting Image: the Venetian Blind Creature.

8/10


Sarah -
Best Line: “My dear fellow, I don’t seem to have a pass. Because I don’t believe in them, that’s why.” Preach it, Doctor!

Favorite Moment: Liz’s exciting chase scene.

Lasting Image: Liz dangling off the bridge.

8/10

Our marathon continues with Story #54 - Inferno...

Story #52 - Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970)

Harry -
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...

Story #51 - Spearhead From Space (1970)

Sarah -
Oh my, Harry, look at that – color! Loads of color, from the very start. What do you think of the newly designed titles? Can you imagine how exciting they would have been in 1970?


Harry -
As exciting as our new-look blog!  New groovadelic titles, new Doctor, new companion, new hangout, new monsters... everything is new.


Sarah -
Even the format is new. "Spearhead from Space" feels more like a police procedural than an alien invasion story.


Harry -
The fact that the entire story was shot on film and on location lends it a cinematic quality. It's like watching a Doctor Who movie.


Sarah -
We have a strike at the BBC to thank for that!


Harry -
Might as well begin with the beginning. Unlike the Troughton stories we have become so fond of - with their fun, frolicky opening sequences - "Spearhead from Space" begins with a notable lack of fun. We see a concerned UNIT technician at a radar screen as he picks up a strange cluster of objects falling to the Earth. His supervisor questions his findings and there is an instant sense of tension - especially when we get that close up of the techie's sweaty face.


Sarah -
UNIT is immediately reestablished as a centerpiece of the series. There’s one more for the “new” column.


Harry -
Meanwhile, here's something familiar: the TARDIS! It lands in a field, the door opens... and a tall, grey-haired man topples to the ground, unconscious. Ouch. Oh dear, this isn't fun at all.


Sarah -
Good thing those cushioning plants were standing by!


Harry -
At least we have the soothing sounds of a jazz flute to put us at ease as Elizabeth Shaw checks in at UNIT. I love that Liz got her own theme music. And thank goodness the Brigadier is there. Things should get straightened out soon, no?


Sarah -
My faith in the Brig knows no bounds!

The music is perfect for Liz’s introduction, because if there’s one thing she is, it’s cool – cool as a cucumber. Her amused and somewhat incredulous reaction to the Brigadier’s admission that alien life forms have attempted to invade Earth made me love her. No screaming girl, Doctor Elizabeth Shaw is a natural progression from Anne Travers and Zoe Herriot.


Harry -
It's great that she's a sceptic whose opinions won't be influenced by mere military bluster.

There's an impressive maturation to the show here. In addition to the serious tone and refreshing new character, we see a weakened, almost fragile Doctor, not one who immediately leaps into action - although it doesn't take long. When he does leave his hospital bed, he gets put through the ringer right away. He's nearly abducted, he goes on a hair-raising wheelchair ride, and gets shot. Wild!


Sarah -
It’s quite the finish to episode one, isn’t it? And here’s another change – a Doctor who wants to do as many of his own stunts as possible.


Harry -
Well, what do you think of this new Doctor fellow then?


Sarah -
Watching the story, I did my best to put aside all I know about the Third Doctor and try to appreciate Pertwee’s performance as if I were seeing it for the first time.

When he stumbles out of the TARDIS, in the Second Doctor’s clothing – which has somehow magically stretched to fit his taller frame – we can see that this is a new Doctor, but it takes a couple episodes until we get to know him. Other than his conversation with the Brig and Liz, we don’t learn much about this new Doctor in the first episode.


Harry -
The slow reveal does leave us wondering.


Sarah -
I may be projecting, but the scene where the Doctor retrieves the TARDIS key from his shoe felt like a very Troughton-y piece of business.


Harry -
"Shoooes!"


Sarah -
The Third Doctor’s characteristics emerge more from the second episode on and I quite like him. What about you, Harry?


Harry -
I like the very loose concept that each new Doctor is a contrast from the one who came before, both physically and in personality. Once Pertwee's Doctor has recovered, we see a man who is tall and imposing, confident and quick with a quip. He's not content to bide his time in the background. He is a man of action. He is... The Doctor!


 

I quite like the change.  And that number!


Sarah -
He’s all confidence, isn’t he?


Harry -
For me, what I like best about this story is the multi-faceted evil that the Doctor must face. It begins with Channing, who first appears as a silent observer at the hospital, creeping around and glaring at people. It turns out he's more than just a weirdo. He has mental powers that are beyond human, as evidenced by his telepathic hold over Hibbert at the baby doll / plastics factory. Then, there are the Autons. Great bouncing Buddhas, but the Autons scare the hell out of me. It's always that moment - when a mannequin jolts to life - that freaks me out so much. AAAAAAA!

I need a moment. Bear with me please.


Sarah -
I’m not sure that I’ve ever told you, but I’ve always found Autons to be amongst the scariest Doctor Who baddies ever. I nearly squealed with glee and cried with horror when they inaugurated the new series in 2005.


Harry -
OK, so we've seen Channing, we've seen the Autons, but on top of them there is still an even greater, unseen menace. The Doctor and Liz soon piece it together that the meteorites first spotted by the UNIT techie contain elements of a collective consciousness. I really like that kind of Lovecraftian "lurking terror" from the skies - Bob Holmes really did well in creating a slow-building horror here.


Sarah -
It’s quite brilliant how the story builds, adding layers of danger. The establishing shots of the factory where the dolls are made was almost frightening enough for me, but the story keeps piling it on! Speaking of the dolls, I think I had one quite like that back in the day.


Harry -
Evil baby dolls may have destroyed my psyche. Apparently Bob Holmes was no fan of plastics, which is why instead of a furry, lumbering monster, he made plastic into an element of horror for this story.


Sarah -
Turning an everyday object into a monster is always effective.


Harry -
I picked up that bit about Holmes from the entry in Outside In: 160 New Perspectives on 160 Classic Doctor Who Stories by 160 Writers.

This book is acting as a nanny for the time being, while we await the publication of the next volume of commentary and banter from Rob Shearman and Toby Hadoke, who guided us through the Hartnell and Troughton eras.


Sarah -
Not that we’re putting any pressure on Rob and Toby to get the damn book out already…or anything.


Harry -
I couldn't help but be amused by the scene in the wax museum. It opens on a cluster of statues of notable U.S. Presidents. Then the camera pans over to a completely anonymous group of statues. Who are those people? Without batting an eye, Liz reveals that these are top civil servants. Civil servants in a wax museum? Only in Britain! It is, after all, a country where one of the most beloved TV shows was all about civil servants. Hilarious!


Sarah -
That moment made me laugh out loud. “Hey kids, let’s pop down to Madame Tussaud’s and check out the new Ministry of Bridges and Wainscoting Exhibit!”

I found myself quite taken with the Seeleys – they’ve got an important part to play in the story and turn in excellent performances as bickering-but-loving couple. They should have gotten their own series!


Harry -
Ah, Sam and Meg Seeley - what a pair! Salt of the Earth. I'm glad they both survived. Can you imagine a Seeleys’ spinoff series? Sam the poacher eternally getting himself into fixes, with Meg having to save the day. It would be great, if I could only understand what Sam was saying. That has to be the thickest accent in all of Doctor Who.


Sarah -
It would have had a great theme song, wouldn’t it?


Harry -
Imagine them singing a song at the piano, like the opening of All in the Family.  Hah! 

As we leave the Seeleys to clean up their cottage for now, I've got a great sense of anticipation for Doctor Who moving forward. We've got an interesting new Doctor established, with a sharp new companion and the UNIT lads by his side. At this point, we don't know how long his exile is supposed to last, but he's certainly going to do what he can to get around it.


Sarah -
Thanks to the Brig, he’ll have everything he needs to make it through his exile and prepare for its end – facilities to repair the TARDIS, a proper wardrobe, and an automobile, having taken a shine to driving during his escape from the hospital. He’s a Time Lord who is ready for what lies ahead!


Harry -
"Spearhead from Space" is a fantastic "new Doctor" story and one of my all-time favourites. I can't wait to see what's next!

Best line: "Destroy. Total destruction."  Bit harsh!

Favourite moment: The Doctor meets Liz and they hit it off right away.

Lasting image: the Autons come to life.

9/10


Sarah -
Best Line: Liz, to the Brigadier as he is contemplating opening the TARDIS: “I think you should, there might be a policeman locked inside.”

Favorite Moment: The Doctor hiding in plain sight by taking a shower in the Doctor’s lounge, stealing clothes, and then making off with Dr. Beavis’ car.

Lasting Image: The Autons coming to life almost sent me scurrying behind the sofa!

8/10

Our marathon continues with Story #52 - Doctor Who and the Silurians...