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| 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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