#9 (8.21 - 8.25): The Daemons.

The Master takes control of a Satanic cult.

5 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 122 minutes. Written by: Guy Leopold (pseudonym for Barry Letts and Robert Sloman). Directed by: Christopher Barry. Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT:

Professor Horner (Robin Wentworth) is conducting an archaeological dig of the "Devil's Hump," an ancient burial mound located by the village of Devil's End. The Doctor watches the coverage on the BBC. After the superstitious Miss Hawthorne (Damaris Hayman) is shown berating the professor that his dig will bring disaster on them all, the Doctor declares that she's right and insists that he and Jo drive up to Devil's End immediately!

He's too late to stop the dig, arriving just as the professor breaks through. The icy gust that emerges from kills the professor, but the Doctor is saved by his ever-useful Time Lord metabolism. Capt. Yates and Sgt. Benton join the two of them in the village; but before the Brigadier can arrive, an invisible dome of heat cuts Devil's End off from the rest of the world!

Though Miss Hawthorne insists that this is the work of the devil, the Doctor is certain there is a more scientific explanation. He becomes even more convinced when he learns of the new vicar in town: the Reverend Magister... the Master!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: He's particularly irritable in this story. This is likely because he already knows what the threat is and how serious it is, and so every delay or setback aggravates him that much more. It is worth noting that when Jo mimics his condescending attitude toward the Brigadier, he immediately upbraids her for it. He does have basic respect for Lethbridge-Stewart; he may butt heads with and even insult him, but he won't stand by while anyone else does the same.

Jo Grant: This is a particularly strong story for Jo. When she and the Doctor arrive in Devil's End, he pointlessly alienates some villagers at a local pub while trying to get directions to the dig. Jo steps in to mediate, which by this point she does pretty much on instinct. Predictably, she gets better results with a warm tone and a smile than the Doctor manages. When he's injured at the dig, she watches over him like a mother hen. She also plays a key role in the story's resolution.

The Master: In a story that borrows heavily from horror movie tropes, the Master assumes the guise of a devil worshipping priest. He gets a particularly plum scene in Episode Three. At a gathering of villagers, he calls out the townsfolk by name and recites their sins, from the petty (a grocer padding the bills of wealthy customers) to the severe (murder), all without judgment and even with a hint of approval. A silver tongue only goes so far, however; when one man protests too much, he calls on his Right-Hand-Gargoyle to do away with the troublemaker. Roger Delgado has been terrific all season, but I think this performance is his series best.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: Spends the bulk of the story locked out of the town, stuck on the opposite side of the heat barrier. When he finally arrives, he calmly takes in the devil worshippers and the unkillable living gargoyles and delivers his iconic order: "Chap with the wings there: Five rounds rapid." Me, I prefer his closing line. When all the other characters are joining a village dance, he expresses his preference for going to the pub for a pint.

Capt. Yates: He and Jo may not be dating, precisely, but it's clear there's a strong mutual attraction. At the start, the two of them have plans to watch the dig on television together - a date the Doctor crashes when the name "Devil's End" catches his attention. It's after Jo calls him from the village that he commandeers the Brigadier's helicopter; and when he states the need to check on the Doctor and Jo as the top priority, his specific phrasing is "Jo and the Doc" - with Jo at the top of his mind.

Sgt. Benton: He has his own priority when they arrive at the village: breakfast. Yes, Benton truly is the most relatable member of UNIT. He rescues Miss Hawthorne from the Master, and is pronounced her "knight" as a result. His keen marksmanship also allows the Doctor to put on an impromptu - and life saving - magic show near the story's end.


THOUGHTS:

The Daemons is a fan favorite, and it's easy to see why. While there are still a few of the classic series' trademark "very special" effects (such as almost anything to do with the "Daemon" of the title), the overall production values are pretty high. Much of the story was shot on location at the village of Aldbourne, which helps it to break free of the studio look of many serials.

I have complained in the past about finding director Christopher Barry's work for the series to be a bit stagy. Given this, I think it only fair to give him props for a largely terrific job here. He follows the cues in the script and captures the spirit of many British horror films of the period. The combination of the supernatural atmosphere with the script's themes of science vs. superstition proves effective - as would be true when producer Philip Hinchcliffe would regularly mine that vein a few years later.

There's a lot to praise in this story. It's well-paced. Its script is witty and often quotable. Its five episodes are consistently engaging. But the thing I most noticed was how well this serial uses Season Eight's full ensemble.

Every regular character gets something to do. The Master, who felt tacked onto The Colony in Space, is at his best here. With that beard and aristocratic bearing, it seems only natural for him to be conducting Satanic rituals, while spending many of his scenes dressed up as a priest. Nicholas Courtney gets some great lines as the Brigadier fumes impatiently on the wrong side of the barrier; and his sidelining for most of the story allows Benton and Yates to enjoy a greater share of the spotlight. Not to mention Jo, who arguably is even more the hero of this story than the Doctor!

Simply put: Everyone gets a page, and this is accomplished without bogging things down.


OVERALL:

The Daemons is a rare case of Classic Who delivering a "modern" season finale. Season Eight was "The Master Season," with the stories centered around him making mischief, mostly on Earth. This season brings that to an appropriate close, and it does so while giving Roger Delgado's Master his best role of the season.

Most importantly, though, this is a good, fun romp that easily justifies its reputation as a fan favorite.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

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#8 (8.15 - 8.20): The Colony in Space.

The Doctor and Jo study the history of a
once-great, now primitive civilization.

6 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 145 minutes. Written by: Malcolm Hulke. Directed by: Michael E. Briant. Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT:

The Doctor has completed repairs on his dematerialization circuit. He installs it while showing off the TARDIS control room to Jo. Then, suddenly, the timeship takes off on its own!

They materialize on Uxarieus, a desolate world whose only indigenous life is a civilization that has devolved into a tribal, primitive state. A group of humans, fleeing overpopulation on Earth, is attempting to build a colony here. Ashe (John Ringham), their leader, reveals that they have begun running into problems: crops that fail without cause and sightings of giant lizard creatures. Many of the colonists are on the verge of giving up and going back to Earth.

That's when representatives of the Interplanetary Mining Corporation show up. Led by Captain Dent (Morris Perry), the IMC men insist they were surprised to find a colony here. Soon enough, the Doctor discovers that the colony's problems stem from sabotage by IMC, with Dent determined to drive them out so that he can strip-mine the planet.

The colonists send for an Adjudicator to resolve the dispute. But the man who arrives, for all his credentials, is an imposter. The Doctor and Jo recognize him immediately: It's the Master - and he has come to this barren world for reasons all his own!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: When he shows off the TARDIS to Jo, he preens at her amazement that "it's bigger on the inside." As soon as they take off, he realizes that the Time Lords must be controlling his ship. Even so, he's happy to step out onto a planet that isn't Earth again. He badly wants Jo to share in his delight at even this temporary escape, seeming to almost need her to feel the sense of wonder.

Jo Grant: She reacts to the TARDIS's sudden takeoff the way most people would: with fear and a desire to go back home. She trusts the Doctor, and she allows him to coax her out onto her first alien world. She seems to pass an unspoken test when she forgets her anxiety long enough to be dazzled by an alien flower - but that doesn't stop her from being appalled when the TARDIS is stolen. This nervous reaction is well written, and it helps her to remain relatable. Crucially, her fear doesn't come at the expense of her helping the colonists. She bonds with them quickly and is actively assisting with daily chores by the second episode.

The Master: This is the one Season Eight story where his appearance feels tacked on. Still, Roger Delgado's performance remains excellent, and the script feeds him a few good character beats. He's learned caution from the Doctor's previous burglary of his TARDIS, putting in an alarm and additional defensive measures. He's also entirely genuine in wanting the Doctor to join him in his scheme, and he's hurt by his rival's rejection.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: Nicholas Courtney appears just long enough to justify his spot in the credits. Even that couple of minutes establishes that he's actively following up on leads regarding the Master's whereabouts. The Doctor insists that this is a waste of time, but I'm going to side with the Brig on this. It's already clear that the Master has a desire to defeat the Doctor, not just escape him, so it's reasonable to think that he'll turn up on Earth again at some point.

Capt. Dent: The story's actual main villain. Morris Perry leans hard into the character's archness, just in case you miss that he's evil... Not that you're going to, because this is a man with zero positive traits. He's utterly corrupt and obsessed with profits. His plan is to scare the colonists away, but he is unbothered when an encounter results in two deaths. He wants to cover his worst abuses legally, even holding a show trial for the colony leaders at one point. The only thing that ultimately matters, however, is that he clears them out so that he and his men can mine the planet's resources.


THOUGHTS:

The Colony in Space is the first story of the Pertwee era to break the Earthbound/UNIT format. Though I've enjoyed that format, it was time for a change of pace. The simple fact that the Doctor goes back to traveling for a story, albeit on a leash, makes for a refreshing change of pace.

This story is not generally regarded as one of the era's better ones, but I've always rather enjoyed it. The first four episodes work particularly well. The conflict between the colonists and the miners may be routine stuff, but it's deftly scripted and builds steadily, an accumulation of incidents that leads to rising violence.

There are a range of personalities on both sides. Ashe, the colony's leader, is patient to a fault and wants to find peaceful solutions using the law. His second-in-command, Winton (Nicholas Pennell), is quick to want to fight, with both Ashe and the Doctor trying to hold him back. But given how aggressive the IMC men are, Winton may just have a point regarding the need for self-defense! Meanwhile, though the miners are definitely the "baddies," mining expert Caldwell (Bernard Kay) despises the methods that Dent is willing to use - and even Dent occasionally has to check the open sadism of security man Morgan (Tony Caunter).

I find the final two episodes to be a lot weaker, and I can describe why in two words: The Master. Roger Delgado is as good as ever, but he doesn't feel like an intrinsic part of the plot. It takes more than half the serial for him to appear, and he spends all of Episode Four pretending to be an Earth official and acting in that capacity. It would not surprise me if this had been originally scripted as a Master-free serial, with his subplot tacked on.

The final episode particularly feels as if it's cutting between two unrelated narratives, one involving the colony and one involving the Master. This harms both threads: The Master story feels rushed and underdeveloped, and the ending of what had been the serial's central plot gets squeezed around the Master's latest shenanigans.


OVERALL:

The Master subplot harms the ending, but not enough to stop me from recommending the story overall. For the bulk of its running time, The Colony in Space is enjoyable bread-and-butter Who, and even the final episodes offer several good moments. Most of all, when viewing the series in order, it's a breath of fresh air to see the Doctor get away from Earth, if only for one story.

I just wish that this one time, the Master had been left out of the proceedings.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

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#7 (8.11 - 8.14): The Claws of Axos.

The Axons come to Earth, bearing gifts...

4 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 97 minutes. Written by: Bob Baker, Dave Martin. Directed by: Michael Ferguson. Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT:

When an alien spaceship lands near a nuclear power plant, UNIT scrambles to contain the area. They receive a distress call from the ship, identifying it as Axos and begging for immediate assistance. The Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, and ministry official Horatio Chinn (Peter Bathurst) enter the ship and encounter the Axons.

The Axons offer a simple exchange. If the humans allow them to stay long enough to replenish their fuel supplies, then they will share Axonite, a "thinking molecule" that will greatly expand whatever it is applied to. It can alleviate the world's hunger problems, providing unlimited food - and, as both the Doctor and Chinn recognize with sharply different reactions, also unlimited power.

Suspicious of this gift, the Doctor attempts to study the molecule. Meanwhile, the Axons strike a deal with a prisoner they seized in deep space. This man offered them the planet Earth, and he is more than willing to help them to destroy all life in exchange for his freedom. The Master has come for his revenge...


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: He disdains Chinn's initial "shoot first, think later" approach to the Axons' arrival, and he feels vindicated when the aliens' distress call is received. Even so, he does not blindly accept their word. Even as Chinn salivates over the power Axonite promises, the Doctor starts poking holes in the aliens' story, asking how they could possibly have had a fuel problem with such a miracle molecule on board. The final episode sees him forced into an alliance with the Master, whereupon he feigns a selfishness to match the Master's own. Pertwee plays these scenes of a petty, self-interested Doctor particularly well, and there's a sense that the Doctor is giving voice to legitimate frustrations with both the humans and the Time Lords who exiled him.

The Master: With the final episode seeing the Third Doctor playing at being a baddie, it's only fair that Roger Delgado's Master gets a moment to play hero. The back half of Episode Three puts him in the Doctor's usual role, forging an alliance with the Brigadier to stop the Axons. It's like a glimpse of an alternate reality where Delgado was cast as the Doctor, and he fills the role well, with authority, intelligence, and no small amount of snark. The story as a whole shows a different side to the character. Instead of being in control, he is a prisoner, trying to scheme his way back to freedom. As a result, even though it's the third Master story in a row, his presence has yet to start feeling repetitive.

Jo Grant: When the Doctor and the Brigadier first enter the Axon ship, they both tell Jo to stay behind. She agrees... only to almost immediately follow them. When she hears cries for help inside the ship, the Axons claim that it's an auditory hallucination. She is upset when the Doctor seems to accept this, and genuinely relieved when the Doctor later tells her that he believed her but didn't want the Axons to know that he did. Her absolute faith in the Doctor is evident in the final episode, when she dismisses even the thought that he might have turned on UNIT.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: He instantly takes the measure of ministry official Chinn, and he treats him with almost as little patience as the Doctor does. He reacts to Chinn as a minor annoyance, even making him leave the UNIT operations room to use a telephone. Even so, when crisis hits, he puts the politics aside to focus on the more important matter. Though he's reluctant to make any deal with the Master, he bows to the inevitable when the situation becomes hopeless - though he remains wary even after making the agreement.

Pompous Bureaucrat of the Week: Horatio Chinn (Peter Bathurst) is so idiotically, counterproductively self-important that there must be a life sized brass-and-turpentine plated statue of him in the Idiot Bureaucrats' Hall of Fame. His communications with his superiors make it clear that he is poorly regarded within the ministry, with his job hanging by a thread. Chinn is given all the authority he requests - but it's a case of him being given the rope to hang himself, with it made explicit that he will take the fall if (and when) things go wrong.


THOUGHTS:

The Claws of Axos is about as close to a live action comic book as Doctor Who ever got. It's a particularly colorful story, from the Axons' ship to the aliens' outfits to even the monsters. Scenes are short, the action cutting back and forth with the regularity of comic panels. One can almost see the "Whoosh!" that would be added as the Master jumps onto the back of a UNIT truck, while Mr. Chinn is so over-the-top that it's impossible to take him seriously. It all adds up to a story with a decidedly campy, old style comic book tone.

This was the first story from Bob Baker and Dave Martin, who would be regular writers for Doctor Who throughout the rest of the 1970s. It is fair to say that I find them to be hit-and-miss. For every story of theirs that I like, there's another that's... well, haphazard at best. But their debut effort is consistently enjoyable, while at the same time spotlighting their strengths as writers and some of their weaknesses.

A consistent Baker/Martin strength is imagination, and that is evident. While the Axons' plot against Earth isn't anything unusual for the series, their nature is: the ship is organic, grown not built, with the Axons actually a part of their own vessel.

Also evident, however, is the duo's lack of discipline. After scheming against Earth for more than half the story, the Axons suddenly switch goals midway through Episode Three to demanding the secrets of time travel from the Doctor... something they could already have gotten from the Master, who has been their prisoner for an undisclosed period of time. The subplot with Chinn gets a lot of screen time in the story's first half... only for the character to be demoted to "glorified extra" in the second half, his subplot vanishing all but entirely after a last telephone call with the ministry. Also, one of the most enjoyable story beats is the Master's partnership with UNIT at the end of Episode Three. This is a fun change-up that should have been reached sooner and held longer.

All of that acknowledged, The Claws of Axos is never dull, something that can't be said of many stories that I'd otherwise rank as much better. The pace is fast, with short scenes that cut in, get to the point, and move on. The regular cast is well used. Finally, though the tone may be silly and over-the-top, this does not come at the expense of the main characters. Both the Brigadier and his team remain competent throughout, and the Doctor is treating the situation with absolute seriousness.

Finally, while the limited budget shows (two words: shower curtains), I'm a big fan of the set design for the Axos. I won't say it looks convincing, but the production does its job of giving the ship an organic look that matches the cues of the script, along with a brightly colorful aesthetic that matches the comic book sensibilities.


OVERALL:

The Claws of Axos is not a great story. It lacks the layered themes of Dr. Who & the Silurians, the meticulous structure of Inferno, or the urgency of either of those titles. But sometimes you don't want a "great" story; sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and enjoy the ride.

On that level, The Claws of Axos is a success. It may be silly, but it's also fast and colorful. It will never crack my Who Top Ten, or even my Top Twenty... but that it will ever fail to entertain me.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

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#6 (8.5 - 8.10): The Mind of Evil.

The Master pressures the Doctor into helping
him control the dangerous Keller Machine.

6 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 147 minutes. Written by: Don Houghton. Directed by: Timothy Combe. Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT:

UNIT is handling security for a World Peace Conference being held (of course) in London. Everything is running smoothly - until the Chinese delegate is murdered. Brigadier Lethbride-Stewart suspects Chinese Captain Chin Lee (Pik-Sen Lim), whose account of the incident has glaring holes in it. As incidents mount, he demands the Doctor report to him at once.

The Doctor is pursuing his own concern: The Keller Machine at Stangmoor Prison. The machine has been presented as a new method of treating criminals by removing all negative impulses from the mind. The Doctor already sees this as dangerous, even before he witnesses the unusually violent processing of Branham (Neil McCarthy), who is left in a childlike state.

The Doctor believes that the problems at the World Peace Conference are connected to the Keller Machine. When he comes into contact with Chin Lee, who matches the description of Professor Keller's assistant, he is certain of it. And that's before he comes face-to-face with Professor Keller himself - a man better known to the Doctor and UNIT as The Master...


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: Interrupts repeatedly during the demonstration of the Keller Machine, to a point that I think he could be accurately labeled a heckler. He is authoritative enough that when things start going wrong, the prison's governor listens to him despite his bad behavior. The Doctor not only speaks fluent Chinese, but even is able to address the peace conference's replacement Chinese delegate in the man's specific dialect, quickly earning the delegate's respect and trust. When he is first exposed to the Keller Machine, the fear he experiences is that of burning - a fear drawn from his memories of watching a parallel Earth destroyed in flames, a nice continuity nod to the same writer's Inferno.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: After spending most of Terror of the Autons deferring to the Doctor, it's a relief to see him back to his crisp and competent Season 7 self. He doesn't need the Doctor's help to figure out that Chin Lee was involved in crimes around the conference; he's more than capable of picking out the inconsistencies in her story all by himself. Also, despite his initial skepticism of a connection between problems at the peace conference and the issues at Stangmoor Prison, he's not so stubborn that he fails to notice when an incident occurs in the proximity of the prison.

Jo Grant: Though she lacks Liz Shaw's qualifications and has a ditzier surface persona, she's neither stupid nor useless. During the first escape attempt by convict leader Mailer (William Marlowe), she is not only able to get away from him - she manages to stop his efforts entirely. She can't do the same when Mailer teams up with the Master, but she still keeps alert for opportunities and puts the ones she's given to good use. She connects well with the Doctor on an emotional level, pushing him to eat and refusing to let him wallow in his grim mood after the Master coerces him into helping control the Keller Machine.

The Master: As good as Roger Delgado was in Terror of the Autons, he's better here, thanks in part to a script that gives him more complex material to play. A mid-story encounter with the Keller Machine leaves the Doctor appearing dead. When the Master discovers him, he reacts with genuine concern. Though he's happy to threaten the Doctor repeatedly, there's real fondness in the interactions between the two. This is an aspect of the Doctor/Master relationship that was particularly strong in the Third Doctor era. Other eras would repeat that they had once been friends; but with Pertwee and Delgado, you felt the friendship, something that wouldn't really be true again until Peter Capaldi's tenure. Oh, and this - only the Master's second story - establishes his fear of the Doctor being superior to him, as seen when the Keller Machine gives him a vision of the Doctor, looming over him, sneering down on him, and laughing.

Capt. Yates: Is put in charge of escorting an illegal missile to be destroyed, lest it be discovered and complicate the conference. It goes without saying that the missile is targeted by the Master. When this happens, Yates stubbornly gives chase. His recklessness gets him caught, but his basic competence allows him to get free and report in, paving the way for the action climax.


THOUGHTS:

The Mind of Evil was writer Don Houghton's second story for the series, after Season 7's splendid Inferno. While it doesn't reach the same level as his first effort, few stories do - and The Mind of Evil is still a fine serial, and one that makes particularly use of the series' ensemble. I find it a genuine shame that this would be Houghton's last contribution to Doctor Who.

One of the elements I best appreciate is that every character gets something to do. With the action spread out, most of the episodes see the Doctor dealing with one situation while the Brigadier deals with another, allowing both men to be entirely competent. Supporting characters are also well-used. Jo gets multiple opportunities to show her ingenuity; Capt. Yates acquits himself well in his own face-off with the Master; and Benton is fallible, sometimes to comedy effect, but is still able to play a major role in the story's big set piece at the end of Episode Five. In short, everybody gets a page.

The story effectively contrasts the strengths and weaknesses of the Doctor and the Brigadier. For all the Doctor's brilliance, his protectiveness toward Jo becomes counter-productive. The first episode cliffhanger almost ends in his death because he insists on dealing with the machine alone; he's only saved because Jo prioritizes new information over the Doctor's instructions to stay away from the room. Lethbridge-Stewart is sometimes rigid in his thinking, but he relies on his people. It's the records kept and retained by his staff that let him catch Chin Lee in her lie early on; and during an operation late in the story, he trusts Benton to lead a key part of the assault despite a failure earlier in the serial.

I thoroughly enjoy Jon Pertwee's performance here. At the start of the story, the Third Doctor is his usual, imperious and rather arrogant self. However, in the scenes with the Chinese delegate, he shows a Doctor who knows when to dial that back, behaving entirely respectfully even as the Brigadier seethes with impatience. Still later in the story, after helping the Master to temporarily rein in the machine, he is left exhausted by the effort - to the point that it falls to Jo to draw him back to life when he appears to want nothing more at that moment than to just give into his weariness. The script provides all these varied notes, and Pertwee hits each note perfectly.

The color recordings of these episodes were destroyed in the 1970s, and for decades this story was only available in black & white. This is how I first viewed the story, and it actually lends itself rather well to monochrome. That said, the recoloring done for the DVD release is extremely welcome. There are a few moments in Episode Two when the color fades in and out a bit, but it's otherwise so steady that I wouldn't have been able to tell that it was a recoloring job. From what I've read, re-releases have further improved the color realization, as well.


OVERALL:

The Mind of Evil is a good story. Action is generally well-staged, and Don Houghton's scripts use the ensemble to excellent effect while at the same time telling an enjoyable suspense story. I remembered liking this one - and I'm happy to say that the story lived up to my memories of it.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

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#5 (8.1 - 8.4): Terror of the Autons.

Introducing The Master (Roger Delgado).

4 episodes. Approx. 95 minutes. Written by: Robert Holmes. Directed by: Barry Letts (uncredited). Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT

Though the Autons were defeated a while ago, a dormant Nestene energy device was kept by UNIT when the Doctor couldn't bring himself to destroy it. Now the device has been stolen, its theft linked to two missing scientists. When the Doctor investigates, he receives a message from the Time Lords: a warning.  The theft is the work of the Master (Roger Delgado), a renegade Time Lord who seeks to gain power through an alliance with the Nestene.

The Master takes control of a plastics company run by Rex Farrel (Michael Wisher), using his hypnotic powers to sway Farrel to his side. Under the Master's influence, the company begins turning out plastic products using a new process - a process which turns every product, from plastic chairs to plastic flowers, into an Auton!


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: In the warmer, more colorful environment of Season Eight, it stands out far more than it did the previous year just how irritable and pompous the Third Doctor is. He is generally irritable and impatient with everyone around him, often with little to no cause. This could be insufferable... but the script is aware of the Doctor's bad behavior. As with his trip to the rubbish bin at the end of Inferno, he gets shown up just often enough to undercut his arrogance. Also, Pertwee softens the Doctor's bark so as to let some warmth shine through, and he shows enough charm to make up for his character's worst traits.

Jo Grant: In a story that sees a number of changes, one of the most visible is the Doctor's new assistant. Gone is the cool, collected Liz Shaw. In her place is ditzy, bubbly Jo Grant - a character who could not be remotely considered an intellectual match for the Doctor. Liz was one of my absolute favorite companions and, on first viewing, I was very resistant to liking Jo. Certainly, the idea of changing out a professional adult woman for a klutzy "dumb blonde" did not appeal. Katy Manning is perfect casting, though, taking a character who might have been unbearable and making her human and likable from practically her first second on-screen. Jo shouldn't work, but she does - and I put that almost entirely down to the actress.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: Another obvious change is in the characterization of the Brigadier. He hasn't quite slid into buffoonery yet, but he's hardly the crisp, utterly efficient leader of the previous year. Whereas the Season Seven Brigadier found the Doctor a useful ally, this newest variant actively defers to the Doctor several times over the course of the serial. Writer Robert Holmes does allow him a few moments of dignity, particularly when he gets the Doctor to accept Jo as his new assistant by telling him that if he wants her gone, then he will have to be the one to fire her. For the most part, though, this is a diminished Brig - a process that unfortunately would continue throughout the rest of producer Barry Letts' run. 

The Master: This story marks the introduction of the Doctor's archenemy. As played by Roger Delgado, he's the Doctor's mirror image. Where the Doctor bristles against authority, the Master embraces it, using his powers to influence those in authority to be his puppets. Where the Doctor gains allies by building loyalty, the Master hypnotizes hapless victims into being his slaves. Delgado is wonderful in the role, and his Master is so much plain fun to watch, there are bits of the story in which I find myself almost cheering him on - particularly when dealing with the overbearing foreman of the plastics factory.


THOUGHTS

As Barry Letts proclaims in the dvd commentary, Terror of the Autons represents the story in which he put his own stamp on the series. He produced most of Season Seven, but he was largely executing predecessor Derrick Sherwin's vision. Season Eight sees him taking that template and making it serve his own vision. We have the same setup as Season Seven: Doctor stranded on Earth, working with UNIT to thwart alien invasions. Terror of the Autons could be taught in a film school classroom as a sterling example of completely revamping an existing series without actually changing any part of the basic template. On paper, it's the same series. But the way that template is delivered to the audience, and the experience of viewing it, has been made entirely different. 

As a mission statement for the new season (and, ultimately, for the rest of Pertwee's era), Terror of the Autons does its job well. Three major recurring characters are introduced: The Master, Jo Grant, and Capt. Mike Yates (Richard Franklin). The story is most focused on showing off the Master and his bizarrely friendly rivalry with the Doctor, but writer Robert Holmes makes sure to give Jo and Mike enough to do to establish them as characters and to make them engaging presences. At the same time, Holmes' script showcases the revamped tone, with its more overt humor and over-the-top set pieces.

As a story in itself... Well, there really isn't much story to speak of. There's a vague sketch of a narrative involving the Master paving the way for an Auton invasion of Earth. But that's only used a thin excuse to showcase the Master in action. The Autons are an afterthought. The real show here is watching the Master set up a series of increasingly elaborate traps for the Doctor to escape. Rinse, lather, repeat until around the middle of Episode Four, with just enough exposition slipped between set pieces to keep the Auton narrative somewhat alive for the ending.

If there is any doubt that the Auton story was little more than an afterthought, the ending clears that away. After three and a half episodes of watching the Master play Wile E. Coyote to the Doctor's Road Runner, the Auton invasion is thwarted in less than two minutes with literally two lines of dialogue and the flipping of some switches... thus leaving enough time for an epilogue centered entirely around reminding us that the Master's still out there and will pop up again!

It is fun to watch, and the serial holds up better than I remembered. On my last viewing, I was very disappointed by it. Had I reviewed it then, I would have given it about a "4." This time, I basically liked it - but there's no overlooking the thin plot and the laughably weak resolution, so I can still only rate this as a high "average."


Overall Rating: 6/10.

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#4 (7.19 - 7.25): Inferno

The Brigade Leader: The Brigadier in a fascist alternate timeline!

7 episodes. Written by: Don Houghton. Directed by: Douglas Camfield, Barry Letts (uncredited).  Directed by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT

The "Inferno" is the name given to an ambitious drilling project overseen by Professor Stahlman (Olaf Pooley). He believes that piercing the Earth's core will release a gas that will provide a tremendous new energy source, and he is very close now to proving his theory.  All is not well, however. Stahlman is over-anxious to complete the drilling quickly, disregarding safety and ignoring dissenting voices. This has put him at odds with Sir Keith Gold (Christopher Benjamin), the executive director whose calls for caution have led the professor to regard him as an enemy.

As drilling nears completion, a green liquid begins to emerge from the #2 drill - a substance which, when touched, transforms men into Primords, murderous savages.  The Doctor should be on hand to find answers to these transformations. But an attempt to repair his TARDIS console has carried him sideways in time - to an alternate dimension where the UK is a fascist government, with fascist versions of all of the Doctor's associates. In this parallel dimension, the drilling is more advanced, with the problems leading the Doctor to a horrifying yet inescapable conclusion: If Stahlman's project is not stopped, it will mean the end of the world!


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: None of the Doctors exactly suffers fools gladly, but this is particularly true of the Third Doctor. He needles and belittles Stahlman from literally their first seconds on screen together. It is not a particularly constructive approach, as it makes it all the easier for the pig-headed Stahlman to dismiss him as a crank. It's actually rather refreshing, in that the Doctor's own faults act against him.

Pertwee continues to bring a refreshing intensity to his performance, commanding the viewer's attention at every turn. When he shouts that the Earth is "screaming out its rage," his delivery really sells it, making a line that could have been laughably melodramatic into something chilling. More than any other actor to play the role, he dominates the screen. Future seasons would only rarely see the same level of intensity from him; still, in his first run of stories, he has been consistently outstanding.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: In many ways, the Brigadier and the alternate-universe Brigade Leader are not far apart. Note the scene in Episode One in which the Doctor mocks the Brigadier's appearance in an old troop photo. The Brigadier (barely) tolerates the Doctor's good-natured mockery - but when Benton smiles along with him, the Brigadier wipes that smile instantly away by fixing him with a vicious glare. The harsher tendencies of the Brigade Leader are there... but kept in check by a basically good man, in a system where military authority has its limits.

They are not the same man, however. We have already seen how the Brigadier reacts when faced with his own death.  When he was caught unarmed, at the mercy of an enemy he had every reason to believe would shoot him, he responded with discipline and courage. The Brigade Leader reacts to the prospect of his own death with savagery and cowardice. Courtney is quite strong in both personas, but he clearly relishes the villainous turn he's allowed to give in the middle episodes.

Liz Shaw: Has become a real friend to the Doctor, and she feels concern when he disappears. When the Brigadier dismisses her worries by stating that he can take care of himself, she replies with a curt, "He's not indestructible, you know." The Doctor has shown enough of himself to her that she realizes that he is a great deal more vulnerable than he lets on. We also see how much faith he places in her judgment, notably in his interactions with her parallel counterpart. He dismisses the Brigade Leader as an oaf almost instantly. However, he never stops trying to reason with Section Leader Shaw, and eventually succeeds in convincing her of the truth of his story. Their relationship has been well-played all season, and it remains so here.  When the Doctor says, "I'll miss you, Liz," to her at the end, I could not help echoing the sentiment.


THE LAST 7-PART STORY

Inferno is the series' final 7-parter. It's easy enough to see why the 7-part format was abandoned. Outside of Seasons One and Seven, it was never a common format, and both script editor Terrance Dicks and producer Barry Letts were vocal in their dislike of it. I also suspect that Inferno's low ratings were partially due to audience fatigue after back-to-back 7-parters.  The stories were good - but that many long stories in a row, particularly screened at a pace of one episode per week, just became tiring for the viewers.

Still, the format has its advantages. One of these is obvious simply from reciting the titles of the series' 7-parters: The Daleks, Marco Polo, The Evil of the Daleks, Dr. Who & the Silurians, The Ambassadors of Death, Inferno. What do all of these wildly different stories have in common? They are all quite good!

I think one of Dicks' chief complaints about the format points to a potential virtue. Dicks has commented that with a 7-parter, there is a constant need to keep the story alive to maintain interest over such a long period.  This makes the job of the writer and script editor more difficult, but the resulting stories are much sharper for it.  The series' 7-parters rarely feel as padded as some of the 6-parters have, and I suspect much of that is because the writers knew that they couldn't get away with just stretching the story to fill the extra time.

Don't get me wrong: The 7-parter should never have been a dominant length, and three in one season was genuinely too many. But I think there should have been a place for the occasional 7-parter in later Who seasons, and their curtailment may have been more of a loss than a gain for the series.


THOUGHTS

It's an even question as to whether this or Dr. Who & the Silurians is the season's best story. I can see either argument. Silurians had a noticeable lull in its middle episodes, getting bogged down during the transition between set up and its climax. Inferno is much snappier in its pacing, retaining intensity throughout. Still, Silurians just pips it for me by being more substantial. Inferno is more immediately gripping while watching, but Silurians sticks more in my mind. Both are outstanding - among the very best serials in Doctor Who's enormously long history.

This is another superbly structured serial, a strength of the entire season. Everything within the story is established in the first episode. The parallel universe subplot? The Doctor makes his test run in Episode 1, running into that intriguing barrier that makes him determined to try again. Sir Keith preparing a complaint to the Ministry about Stahlman's instability? Well, we see Stahlman's obsessive stubbornness right at the start, along with his antagonistic attitude toward Sir Keith. The Primords provide the first cliffhanger. Even the harsh characterization of the Brigade Leader is given some groundwork in the "real" Brigadier, when he gives Benton that glare for laughing along with the Doctor at his expense.

I could pick a few nits if I wanted to. There's a continuity gaffe between Episodes Five and Seven: In Part Five, Sir Keith has persuaded the Minister to suspend drilling pending an inquiry. In Part Seven, he suddenly doesn't have the authority to stop the drilling. Um, oops? Also, the Primords do look a bit silly. Not bad by regular Who standards, but tacky by Season Seven standards.

Still, these issues aren't enough to make me lower my score. As with the rest of the season, Inferno is not only excellent Doctor Who - It's flat-out excellent television.


Rating: 10/10.

Previous Story: The Ambassadors of Death
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#3 (7.12 - 7.18): The Ambassadors of Death

Who are the mysterious astronauts from Mars Probe 7?

7 episodes.  Written by: David Whitaker, Malcolm Hulke (uncredited).  Directed by: Michael Ferguson.  Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT

It has been 7 months since contact was lost with the UK's Mars Probe 7. The ship successfully lifted off from Mars and commenced its journey back to Earth, but with no radio communication of any kind during the journey. Now a recovery capsule has been sent up to verify that the astronauts are still alive and to get them home. But the capsule itself loses contact after a bizarre electronic transmission. When the capsule returns to Earth, an attempt is made to hijack it. Finally, when it is cut open at the Doctor's urging, they make the most shocking discovery of all: The capsule is empty!

General Carrington (John Abineri) eventually reveals that the astronauts, suffering from massive radiation poisoning, were taken by his men as a matter of security and to avoid panic. The Doctor doesn't believe him; and when the astronauts disappear from Carrington's facility, the Doctor insists that the three beings in their spacesuits were not human at all. They were alien ambassadors, with the human astronauts still in orbit!

With Carrington doing all he can to stop the Doctor from inquiring further, and with his assistant, Liz Shaw, kidnapped, the Doctor becomes more determined than ever to get to the truth. But when the three alien "astronauts" begin breaking into secure facilities, killing people with massive doses of radiation simply by touching them, he realizes that he has a major crisis on his hands. Is this an alien invasion? Or does someone simply want them to suspect invasion?


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: Still annoyed with the Brigadier over the Silurian incident, but willing to work with him once his interest in the recovery mission is piqued. For the first time, the Time Lords' meddling with the Doctor's memories actually affects his ability to aid UNIT. As he explains to Liz in Episode One, he knows he has heard the Ambassadors' transmission before... but because his memories have been scrambled, he is unable to put the pieces together in time to prevent the Ambassadors' kidnapping. The 3rd Doctor remains unflappable. Even when taken hostage alongside Liz, he is able to accept the situation and do what he can with it - giving in to Reegan's demands to construct a machine to communicate with the Ambassadors, and at the same time turning the situation to his own advantage.

Pertwee also gets one of his best scenes to date at the end of the serial, when dealing with the defeated Carrington. He doesn't make a speech at the man, he doesn't dismiss him as an idiot, and he doesn't gloat. As Carrington insists that what he did was his "moral duty," the Doctor allows him to keep his dignity, telling the general that he understands. He doesn't forgive or exonerate - but he allows that he understands the man's motives. It's a fine scene, and one that really seems like it could only belong to this Doctor.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: A bit less prominent here than in the previous two serials, but he still gets plenty of strong material. He becomes the voice of reason when Carrington begins insisting that the alien spaceship must be made the target of an all-out attack. This effectively places him in the Doctor's position in the previous story, knowing that an attack is unnecessary at the current time, and recognizing that Carrington is going ridiculously over the line.

Liz Shaw: Considering that she spends just over half of the serial being a prisoner, she has a surprisingly strong role. Liz proves calm and capable, often seeming more in control than her captors. The iconic Liz moment comes in this serial. Reegan pushes her back into a large guard, who threatens her. Her reply? A cool, "It's all right. I won't hurt you." No wonder Reegan is impressed enough to offer her a job with his crew. I know I will dearly miss Liz once Season Seven has reached its end.

The Villains: Season Seven continues to show its excellence in characterization. There are two fine villains in this serial, both of whom work as three-dimensional characters. Carrington (John Abineri), the ex-astronaut unhinged by his experiences on Mars Probe Six, insists that all he is doing is for the best. "It is my moral duty," he insists, almost desperately as his body count rises. Seeing the Ambassadors kill his friend, albeit accidentally, has made him convinced that they are a malevolent race planning to attack, and that he must adopt the role of savior and warn Earth of the threat.

Reegan, the self-serving criminal, is the subsidiary villain, but so well-played by William Dysart that he seems more than capable of carrying a serial all on his own. He sees the Ambassadors' strengths - their impervience to bullets, their ability to kill with a touch - and realizes that they are the ultimate thieves. He frequently acts to his own agenda, disregarding or adapting "inconvenient" instructions. When he realizes he is captured, he is also the one who suggests that the Doctor and the Brigadier use the Ambassadors to stop Carrington, ending his role with a plea that they remember his usefulness.


THOUGHTS

The Ambassadors of Death is a story that has only really gained in reputation over the last decade.  For most of its life, it's been regarded as Season Seven's "clunker." I can only assume that this is down to some fan theory of every season requiring a clunker, because there is no part of this smart, well-paced sci-fi thriller that could possibly merit the word.

This is probably the most outright action-oriented of Season Seven's stories. Episode One provides a shootout in a warehouse. Episode Two showcases a large-scale hijacking sequence, now semi-notorious as a sequence milked by director Michael Ferguson for more resources than producer Barry Letts should have actually allowed. I'm glad Letts had to learn that lesson the hard way, though. Not only did the experience make him a better producer, but it also provided more scale to this particular story. A helicopter, smoke bombs, a sort-of car chase... It's surprisingly cinematic, and it helps to set up both UNIT and Carrington's forces as being capable and professional.

As was the case in Dr. Who & the Silurians, the story gets off to an excellent start and has an excellent finish, but it runs into some trouble in the middle. The entire two-episode subplot with the Doctor going into space and then back again (all in the course of a couple of hours, apparently!) shakes my suspension of disbelief. When Troughton's Doctor takes a rocket to the moon in The Seeds of Death, fair enough - the entire story's a fantasy, so the ridiculous doesn't feel out of place. But all of Season Seven strives for, and largely succeeds in delivering, a recognizably real world "feel." The first four episodes of this serial succeed in this. Then the Doctor pops off to outer space and back like he's just taken a day trip to Kent!


This recent re-watch was my first time watching the story fully in color.  Episode One was the only episode retained in its original, color form; Episode Five was restored to color for the VHS release.  The DVD recolors the entire story, and at the same time provides much sharper image quality.  I won't say it changes my opinion of the story, which was just as engaging in black-and-white, but it is nice to see this serial looking so good.


Rating: 8/10. 

Previous Story: Dr. Who & the Silurians
Next Story: Inferno


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