#19 (10.21 - 10.26): The Green Death.

The Doctor is helpless to stop Jo from falling for
young Professor Clifford Jones (Stewart Bevan). 

6 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 154 minutes. Written by: Robert Sloman. Directed by: Michael E. Briant. Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT:

After performing some maintenance, the Doctor decides to try again to reach Metebelis III - but Jo won't be going with him. She declines his invitation, telling him that she's going to Llanfairfach, a Welsh mining town that's now home to Global Chemicals.

The company and its director, Stevens (Jerome Willis), tout their new refinement process, which will produce 25% more fuel from crude oil while creating minimal waste. It sounds too good to be true - which is why Professor Clifford Jones (Stewart Bevan) and his commune of hippie scientists at the nearby "Nut Hutch" are protesting, certain that any refinement process must be producing thousands of gallons of waste. Jo wants to help Professor Jones, while Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and UNIT are called in to investigate the death of a miner who was found with his skin glowing green.

By the time the Doctor arrives, after barely escaping alive from his "pleasure jaunt" to Metebelis III, Jo has already gone into the mine... where an act of sabotage by Global Chemicals disables the lift and leaves her stranded. The Doctor finds his own way down to rescue her, reuniting with Jo just in time to discover the source of the green infection: giant maggots, mutated by the waste that Global has been secretly pumping into the mine!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: This story is my pick as Jon Pertwee's single best performance as the Doctor. He essentially moves through the stages of grief at the prospect of Jo leaving. When she refuses to go with him to Metebelis III, he first ignores her refusal (denial) and then tries to persuade her to come (bargaining). While he never shows anger, there is a certain petty malice in his deliberate interruption of a romantic moment between Jo and the professor. Finally, the end sees him bid a gracious but subdued farewell to Jo (acceptance). These emotional beats are played with reserve and even subtlety, but the Global Chemicals plot allows Pertwee to display his showmanship, with him even using a couple of comedy disguises along the way.

Jo Grant: Whether intentionally or not, you can draw a direct line between the end of the previous story and the beginning of this one. At the end of Planet of the Daleks, Jo declined the Doctor's offer to take her to any planet, telling him that she was only concerned with one world - Earth. This story opens with her again refusing to travel, preferring to help Professor Jones to work for Earth's ecology. Jo describes Jones as a younger version of the Doctor, and her first meeting with Jones is a direct parallel to her introduction to the Doctor as she disrupts an experiment. Jo is as headstrong as ever, putting herself in harm's way multiple times. My favorite scene of hers is near the middle, though, when she mourns the death of a miner she had befriended.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: The buffoon of The Three Doctors is gone, thankfully, with him back to his usual competence. He is initially sympathetic to Global Chemicals, seeing the benefits of "cheap petrol and lots of it." However, he can sense that Stevens is hiding something, particularly when the executive interferes with his efforts to help Jo and the trapped miners. His superiors forbid him from taking action, so he sends Mike Yates to infiltrate the company in the guise of a Ministry official. He shuts down Professor Jones when he insists he's going down into the mine after Jo, flatly telling him to leave it to the Doctor: "My concern for Miss Grant is as deep as yours, probably more so," he says, and the combination of authority and compassion is enough to talk the younger man down.

Mike Yates: Richard Franklin does a fine job with Mike's scenes as he impersonates a smarmy government bureaucrat. He's limited in what information he's able to gather, communicating to the Brigadier that he's being watched at all times. He does gain a decent overview of the layout of the Global Chemicals building, which he puts to use to help the Doctor to locate Stevens' mysterious "boss." Then he has to get the Doctor out of trouble, exposing himself to danger in the process.

Professor Jones: Jo's love interest is a brilliant, occasionally prickly, proudly anti-authoritarian scientist who isn't afraid to put himself in danger to do good... which, as Jo observes, makes him basically an age-appropriate version of the Doctor. The script pulls off a tricky balancing act: Their scenes together are focused on the budding relationship, but every one of them also moves the story forward. As a result, the romance works without interfering with the overall pace.


THOUGHTS:

"Jo, you've got all the time in the world, and all the space. I'm offering them to you."
-The Doctor strives to keep Jo from moving on.

The Green Death ranks among the best stories of the Pertwee era. It effectively mixes two separate but related plots. The thread the story is most remembered for involves the giant maggots and the deadly infection they create. But maggots, even mutated ones, don't make for very interesting villains, so the story provides a callous human baddie: Stevens and Global Chemicals, who inadverdantly created the maggots by dumping waste into the mine tunnels.

The threads are closely linked in the first half. Global's determination to cover its misdeeds creates increasingly serious complications. The Doctor and Jo are trapped in the mine because Stevens orders a henchman to sabotage the mine lift. When their escape takes them into the Global complex, they have to flee from corporate security.

They plots separate in the second half. Global's agenda isn't related to the maggots, which were simply an unintended consequence, leaving the Doctor and UNIT with two problems to solve. Even so, the plots continue feeding each other, particulary when the final episode creates deadlines for both: the prospect of the maggots evolving into flying insects becomes pressing at the same time that Global Chemicals nears the culmination of its ambitions, and the growing sense of urgency in each individual thread adds to the tension of the other.

The plot works, and the story would be enjoyable enough on that level. What makes it stand out, however, is the authenticity of the emotion - not always Classic Who's strong suit. The Doctor/Jo relationship has grown steadily better as the seasons have gone on. In many of my Season 9 and 10 reviews, I described their interplay as "sparkling," with Pertwee and Manning elevating scenes and serials through amusing bits of screen business and ever building screen chemistry. This is the story that ends their partnership, and it was important for the series to get that right.

The script sets up Professor Jones as a life partner for Jo and as a replacement for the Doctor. Both men are shown to be protective of her, with the Doctor rescuing her from the mine in the first half and Jones putting himself in harm's way to save her in the second half. Most of Jo's screen time in the first half is with the Doctor, reinforcing the old relationship; most of her screen time in the second half is with Jones, building the new relationship.

I like that the Doctor is so resistant to Jo moving on. There's a desperation in his initial appeal to Jo when he's trying to convince her to go off in the TARDIS with him, and a forced cheerfulness when he interrupts her moment with Professor Jones. He may ultimately let her go, but it's clearly difficult, and that internal struggle is convincingly portrayed. I also love the final image: the Doctor driving away in Bessie, alone both physically and emotionally for the first time in years.


OVERALL:

I could raise a few quibbles. Though the early episodes benefit from Welsh locations that make this feel more grounded than most serials, later episodes look much cheaper. A few greenscreen shots are downright awful, notably when the Doctor deals with the maggots in the final episode. There are also cheesy moments, from overly earnest dialogue about replacing meat with fungus to scenes involving hypnotism and a blue crystal... though I'll also admit to finding The Green Death's brand of '70s cheese to be rather endearing.

None of this undermines the story's many strengths. The "A" and "B" plots work well together, each increasing the urgency of the other even when they cease to be directly related. The character material is strong, with the Doctor/Jo and Jo/Professor interactions working particularly well. It's also extremely well paced, with the character material advancing the plot rather than stopping it in its tracks.

Add in an excellent final scene, complete with perfectly judged final shot, and it all adds up to a serial that I'd rank as one of this era's finest.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Story: The Planet of the Daleks
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#18 (10.15 - 10.20): Planet of the Daleks.

The Doctor and Thal leader Taron (Bernard Horsfall) ambush a Dalek.

6 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 144 minutes. Written by: Terry Nation. Directed by: David Maloney. Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT:

The Doctor has thwarted the Master's plan to spark a war as a precursor to a Dalek invasion... but he's been wounded in the process. He manages to send a telepathic message to the Time Lords to pursue the Daleks before collapsing into a comatose state. He's still unconscious when the TARDIS reaches its destination. Desperate and unsure of what to do, Jo decides to leave the ship to search for help.

She encounters a group of Thals, who tell her that they have come to the planet Spiridon on an urgent mission to stop the Daleks. Jo directs them to the Doctor, but she is told to wait in their ship for their return.

The Thals find the Doctor, who is now awake. They reveal to him that the planet is inhabited, but that the native Spiridons are invisible. A token force of Daleks are experimenting on them to try to master the secret of invisibility. Taron (Bernard Horsfall), the leader of the expedition after the death of the original commander, intends to gather as much information as he can before acting. This is a source of tension with young Vaber (Prentis Hancock), who favors a direct assault, certain that their explosives are more than a match for a dozen or so Daleks.

The actual force turns out to be much larger. Spiridon is no research outpost, but a staging ground for a full-fledged invasion. Ten thousand Daleks are in suspended animation, just waiting for their activation orders!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: He gains the Thals' trust after saving Vaber from a malicious tentacle. It isn't long before he's adopted a co-leadership role, though he's careful to keep his presence from overpowering Taron's command. He fully agrees with the approach of cautious observation and planning, noting that recklessness helps nobody. Pertwee is in fine form throughout, and the script allows him to display the compassionate side of his Doctor, particularly in his scenes with Thal scientist Codol, who doubts his own courage. He has few moments of anger in this story - though one of these, a nonverbal glare after the Daleks appear to have killed Jo, is extremely effective.

Jo Grant: She spends the first half separated from the Doctor. She befriends a rebel Spiridon, Wester (Roy Skelton), who gives her (and us) backstory about the planet and its people. When Wester tells her that the Doctor was taken by the Daleks, she insists on attempting a rescue. This puts her in position to overhear the Dalek plans to destroy the Thals' explosives, and she acts quickly to save the bombs. Her role in the later episodes is weaker, with her mostly reduced to "generic companion" in the final parts. The less said about her would-be romance with one of the Thals, a plot development that comes out of nowhere and comes to nothing, the better.

Thals: Taron, the leader, is a naturally cautious man who likes to meticulously plan before acting. The hot-headed Vaber sees this is as a weakness, wanting to act immediately. Codal (Tim Preece), the scientific specialist, worries that he's not as courageous as the others because he is constantly frightened. Rebec (Jane How) is Taron's lover, who volunteered for a relief mission to be reunited with him. Latep (Alan Tucker), who appears to be the youngest of the group, falls for Jo after... she's, um, nice to him. None of these characters have great depth, but they are distinct enough to create the sense of a varied group.

Daleks: Though the Master's plan failed, the Daleks still plan to invade. As the Doctor observes, they have the numbers, and the Spiridons' invisibility will grant them a significant advantage in any conflict. They initially prefer to take prisoners rather than killing on sight, seeing them as resources for their experiments. Once the Doctor and the Thals escape, however, proving themselves a potential threat, they are quick to change to the Dalek default: Exterminate.


THOUGHTS:

"Be careful how you tell that story, will you? Don't glamorize it, don't make war sound like an exciting and thrilling game... Tell them about the members of your mission that will not be returning... tell them about the fear."
-the Doctor urges the Thals to remember the realities of war.

Planet of the Daleks was writer Terry Nation's first Doctor Who script since Season Three's The Daleks' Master Plan, and he borrows heavily from his earlier stories. The Dalek base might as well be the city from the original Dalek story, and the Thal expedition is pretty similar to the one in that serial. There are also slave workers and experiments, much like those glimpsed in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. It is narratively unambitious, a familiar story following a familiar structure. Oh, and it completely squanders the idea of invisible Daleks.

That said, "narratively unambitious" is not the same thing as "bad." This may just be a basic adventure story, but at least it's a thoroughly enjoyable one. David Maloney was one of Doctor Who's most reliable directors, so it's no surprise that this is well made. The planet features one of the series' better studio-bound jungles, and Maloney finds enough variety in the ways he shoots that it remains visually interesting throughout.

The story moves along nicely, fueled by multiple set pieces. One highlight sees the Doctor improvising a hot air balloon to escape up an elevator shaft. Other strong moments include a brush with an ice eruption while crawling through a cave and a sequence in which the characters hold off hungry animals while waiting for dawn, with only the predators' eyes seen in the darkness. Some bits seem to exist just to pad the serial out to length, such as a subplot involving a Dalek bio-weapon... but even that helps to add urgency, even if the whole thread ends up just being abruptly cut off.

The scripts benefit from a strong central theme about courage. Codal considers himself a coward because of his fear, though the Doctor points out that he's more courageous for feeling that fear and still doing what needs to be done. Vaber mistakes recklessness for courage, accusing Taron of lacking bravery because of his caution. Even poor, dull Latep has a good moment related to the theme, when he and Jo find a Dalek spaceship and realize that it will be possible for the expedition to return home. Jo is pleased, but Latep is happy the others aren't here to see it:

"We all thought that whatever happened, there was no way out. It was a suicide mission. That's affected everything we've done. We've faced dangers and taken risks because there was nothing to lose... Just knowing (about the ship) might mean the difference between success and failure."

None of this is exactly subtle; as a writer, Terry Nation rarely went in for subtlety. The sentiments are well expressed, though, and the theme fits with the overall story, adding an extra layer to an already entertaining work.


OVERALL:

Planet of the Daleks lacks the narrative ambition of Frontier in Space, but I actually think it's the more entertaining of the two. It's well made, and clever set pieces maintain interest despite the well-worn story elements.

It's clear that this was written as a completely separate story, with the links to Frontier mostly confined to the first episode save for a conversation between the Doctor and Jo in Episode Four. Still, those links are enough for both stories to feel complete.

Most importantly, I wasn't bored at any point. That hasn't always been true of longer stories, even a few that I consider to be better than this one.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

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#17 (10.9 - 10.14): Frontier in Space.

The latest standoff between the Doctor and the Master.

6 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 144 minutes. Written by: Malcolm Hulke. Directed by: Paul Bernard. Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT:

The empires of Earth and Draconia stand at the brink of war. Each side's ships have been raided, with survivors swearing that the other side is responsible. So far, Earth's President (Vera Fusek) and Draconia's emperor (John Woodnutt) have been able to maintain the peace, but calls for action among both races are growing.

This hostile environment is what awaits the Doctor and Jo when the TARDIS materializes inside an Earth cargo ship. When the ship is attacked, the members of the crew see their attackers as Draconians, even though the raiders are actually Ogrons. The Ogrons knock the crew unconscious and steal the TARDIS. When the Doctor attempts to tell the authorities what happened, he and Jo are arrested, charged with being spies working for the Draconians!

The Doctor soon realizes what is happening: A third party is using technology to trigger a fear response among the crews. Someone is trying to start a war. But no one in authority, either among the humans or the Draconians, is willing to believe him. Seemingly every conversation just leads the Doctor and Jo to a new interrogation, accusation, or prison.

Eventually, they are remanded to the custody of a colony offical - The Master! He is in command of the Ogrons, who are following his plan to destabilize the galaxy's two great powers. There's one more complication: The Master isn't working alone...


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: He retains a cool head throughout. In Part Two, when he and Jo are being held in the freighter's cell, she keeps trying to plan an escape so that they can get back to Earth. He points out that the ship is already on the way to Earth and that the people who will interrogate them are the very people they need to speak to. He initially hopes to get either the President or the Draconians to believe him. By the second half of the story, he unhappily resigns himself to the reality that no one will believe him unless he can provide proof, but he remains determined to find a way to prevent war.

Jo Grant: Most of her best moments in this story involve the Master. There's a scene in which the Doctor escapes from a cell under surveillance. Jo plants herself between the eye of the camera and the Doctor and essentially filibusters, rambling from topic to topic to keep their adversary from realizing that the Doctor has gone. Later, she resists an attempt by the Master to hypnotize her (again), and she holds firm against his fear device. He may be able to make her see monsters such as Sea Devils and Drashigs, but she rejects each illusion in turn, shouting back that "it's not real!"

The Master: This was Roger Delgado's final story as the Master; and though it wasn't planned as such, it turns out to be a fine showcase for the character. The Master's plan is genuinely clever, aggravating existing tensions and then mostly leaving the humans and Draconians to do his work for him. After a slightly "off" showing in The Time Monster, Delgado is back in top form here, the picture of urbane charm as he plays all sides against each other.

Ogrons: They were introduced the previous season as the Daleks' mindless henchmen. This serial clarifies that they are mercenaries who will work for anyone who pays. They're still not terribly interesting creations, being "dumb muscle" and not much else. It's not hard to see why they didn't catch on past the Pertwee era, and I'm legitimately confused as to their popularity in Doctor Who books and audios. They're better here than in Day of the Daleks, though, mainly thanks to the Master's clear impatience with their stupidity.

Draconians: Unlike the Ogrons, they are interesting, their society structured around strict codes. They are formal in speech and manner, and they abhor direct lies - though as the Draconian ambassador's actions show, they are not above deception as long as they can make it work within that framework. The design is particularly good, the makeup elaborate enough to be convincingly alien while still leaving the actors' faces free for a full range of expressions. Given how well they work in terms of both writing and makeup, I'm surprised that this was their only television appearance.


THOUGHTS:

Frontier in Space benefits from some good world building. This starts from the very first scene. The two crew members on the freighter discuss the potential of war with the Draconians. It's your basic exposition exchange, but it's given a lift by the attitude of the older crew member, who shrugs the whole thing off: "They steal a few of our cargoes, we steal a few of theirs. It'll all blow over."

A lot of information is sketched in quickly. Both sides still bitterly resent a previous war, one that we eventually learn was based on a misunderstanding (one that so closely mirrors the origins of Babylon 5's Earth/Minbari war that I can't help but wonder if J. Michael Straczynski had seen this story). The human government is at least somewhat authoritarian, with political dissidents sent to a prison from which no one returns. The Earth President has a lot of authority when it comes to questioning the Doctor and Jo or maintaining/severing diplomatic relations with the Draconians, but she cannot dictate purely military matters. These sorts of details help to make this future seem more real than many of Doctor Who's future societies.

Hulke was always good at weaving substance into his stories, and this is no exception. The Master is deliberately playing on the tensions between the two empires, but he didn't create them. His plan relies on fear. The humans fear the Draconians, and the Draconians fear them. With a slight push from his hypnotic device, he is able to use their existing fear to push both sides to make bad decisions and to take increasingly rash actions. It is, to put it mildly, not difficult to find real world instances of calamitous decisions that were driven by fear.

Structurally, there are good and bad elements. The narrative keeps itself fresh with frequent shifts of focus. The first two episodes revolve around the Doctor's and Jo's (unsuccessful) attempts to convince the Earth and Draconian authorities of the truth. The next two introduce the Master and his role in creating the current crisis, while also making time for an entertaining prison break caper. The final two episodes shift again, with the Doctor finally finding allies as the story reaches its conclusion. The regular changes in setting and focus keep the six episodes from becoming too stale.

Some staleness happens, however, because this serial suffers from severe repetition. In Episode One, the Doctor and Jo are captured and put in a cell. They escape, only to be recaptured and put back in that cell. In Episode Two, they are put in a cell on Earth. The Draconians break the Doctor out and briefly hold him captive, until he escapes and is recaptured by the humans. This continues for the entire story, with the Doctor and Jo being basically passed from one group to the next and from one cell to the next. There is simply too much of this, and the capture/escape pattern becomes tiresome long before the end.

Performances are strong. Pertwee is at his most authoritative when dealing with the various officials. He remains generally calm throughout, but we can see the Doctor growing more frustrated as the story goes along. He and Katy Manning continue to play wonderfully off each other, granting added energy to their scenes together, and Roger Delgado is excellent opposite both of them.

Oh, and if you haven't seen this serial yet... AVOID SPOILERS! There's a terrific twist late in the story, one that few viewers would be likely to see coming even though the story lays all the necessary groundwork. If you somehow don't already have prior knowledge of it, then don't look up anything about this serial before watching it.


OVERALL:

There's a lot to enjoy in Frontier in Space, from the interactions among the characters to the efficient world building. It does suffer from too many repetitions of the capture/escape formula, though, and this is definitely one of those stories best viewed an episode at a time rather than all in one sitting.

It's enjoyable thanks to strong performances and a fast pace, and it gets an extra boost from a late plot turn. Still, I think the repetitive structure keeps it from being as good as it might have been.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

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#16 (10.5 - 10.8): Carnival of Monsters.

Entertainers Shirna (Cheryl Hall) and Vorg (Leslie Dwyer)
use forbidden technology to host a monster show.

4 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 98 minutes. Written by: Robert Holmes. Directed by: Barry Letts. Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT:

Aliens are strictly prohibited from coming to the planet Inter Minor - or at least, they have been. Under the more liberal rule of President Zarb, the planet has agreed to receive visitors. Too bad for them that their first aliens are Vorg (Leslie Dwyer) and Shirna (Cheryl Hall), a pair of entertainers/hucksters who hope to make their fortune with a miniscope, a device that holds various creatures in miniaturized environments.

The Doctor and Jo have materialized inside one such environment: the SS Bernice, a British ship from 1926. The passengers and crew are blissfully unaware of their captivity, believing that they are crossing the Indian Ocean and are soon to arrive in Bombay - an illusion that's maintained by them forgetting everything outside of a ten-minute cycle.

The Doctor is outraged that this forbidden piece of technology is in use and that intelligent beings are among its captives. The only way he can save the people on the Bernice is to escape the miniscope. Getting away from the Bernice is simple enough. But the next environment is the home of the Drashigs, omnivorous monsters who will devour anything - and who have a particular taste for living flesh!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: He knows immediately that he and Jo aren't really on Earth, even though everything on the ship says otherwise. True, part of that is ego - He refuses to admit that they did not land on Metebelis III, smugly telling Jo that him being wrong (or at least admitting that he's wrong) is "impossible." But he also observes several inconsistencies, from a non-terrestrial component in the ship's flooring to the sun being out when it should be pitch black.

Jo Grant: She spends the first episode determined to prove that they are on Earth, in no small part because of the Doctor's particularly insufferable insistence that they can't be. When the Doctor explains what the miniscope is, she is appalled and assumes that only horrible people could use it for entertainment... right up until the Doctor asks if she's ever been to the zoo. When they discover a likely escape route that involves too deep a drop, she remembers all the rope on the Bernice.

Vorg/Shirna Leslie Dwyer and Cheryl Hall are extremely entertaining as the two showmen, and I think they might represent the first true example of writer Robert Holmes's "double acts" in Doctor Who. In a way, they reflect the Doctor and Jo. Like the Doctor, Vorg keeps insisting he has control over the situation, even when they come under investigation by a Minorian tribunal. Like Jo, Shirna seems to enjoy knocking him down a peg when the opportunity presents itself, though she's supportive of him when they actually get into trouble. This, combined with the comedy value of their scenes, makes them likable... even though Vorg, in particular, is little more than a con artist who never shows the slightest hint of concern for the people his machine has abducted!


THOUGHTS:

"Our purpose is to amuse, simply to amuse. Nothing serious, nothing political."
-Entertainer Vorg (Leslie Dwyer) shows off his "carnival" to a particularly humorless alien race.

Carnival of Monsters marks the first story after the Third Doctor's exile is lifted. In effect, the series has returned to the old rules: The Doctor can once again go anywhere in time or space... though the overall series setup wouldn't truly change until the next Doctor's arrival.

I think this is the story in which Robert Holmes really found his voice as a Doctor Who writer. As good as Spearhead from Space was, it was all but completely straight-faced, carrying little of the writer's signature style. Here, Holmes's voice fills every scene: the comedy double act of Vorg and Shirna, florid and somewhat over-the-top dialogue, a generous amount of humor laced through even the more serious moments. The charmingly unscrupulous Vorg is himself basically the template for such future Holmes creations as Henry Gordon Jago or Sabalom Glitz.

Above all, Carnival of Monsters is just a lot of fun. An "A" Plot/"B" Plot structure keeps things moving briskly, with the Doctor and Jo navigating their way through the miniscope as Vorg and Shirna try to deal with the Minorians.

Complications build in both threads. The Doctor and Jo are blocked from returning to the TARDIS; the crew of the Bernice see them as stowaways any time they find them (though they quickly forget their presence); the Drashigs pose a more mortal danger. Meanwhile, the Minorian tribunal is complicated by the conniving Kalik (Michael Wisher), who sees an opportunity to use the entertainers' technology to seize power. For three episodes, these threads are mostly separate, until they come together in the final part.

Both plotlines start immediately, with exposition laced into the Doctor's and Jo's initial exploration of the Bernice in the "A" plot and the interactions of Vorg, Shirna, and the Minorians in the "A" plot. The guest cast is both colorful and engaging, and the Doctor and Jo both get plenty to do. Oh, and Ian Marter - Harry Sullivan in the 4th Doctor era - has his first Who appearance as a member of the Bernice's crew.


OVERALL:

I might wish that the budget had stretched to the Doctor visiting a few more miniaturized environments in the course of his fantastic journey. Why tease us with a Cyberman only to never actually use him in the plot? Save for that quibble, however, this is one of the most purely entertaining stories in Pertwee's entire run.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

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#13 (9.15 - 9.20): The Mutants.

The Doctor and Salosian rebel Ky (Garrick Hagon)
make a discovery in one of Solos's many disused mines.

6 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 146 minutes. Written by: Bob Baker, Dave Martin. Directed by: Christopher Barry. Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT:

In the distant future, the world of Solos is under the control of the Earth Empire. Though a barren and primitive planet with an atmosphere poisonous to humans, Solos is also rich in the fuel source thaesium. Based at the orbital Skybase One, the Marshal (Paul Whitsun-Jones) has made it his life's work to change the atmosphere so that it is breathable, but the experiments he has authorized with Professor Jaeger (George Pravda) have given rise to strange mutations among the natives.

The Doctor and Jo arrive with a box from the Time Lords. But they've come at a particularly chaotic moment. An Earth Administrator (Geoffrey Palmer) intends to grant Solos its independence, destroying the Marshal's career in the process. But when he begins to make his official announcement, the Marshal takes advantage of the chaos created by Solosian rebel Ky (Garrick Hagon) to assassinate the man, blaming it on the Solosians.

Soon the Doctor and Jo find themselves on the run from the Marshal's men. But in the heart of the disused mines infested by the transformed mutants, the Doctor makes a startling discovery...


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: Pertwee finds a few good moments, such as his indignation at Professor Jaeger's experiments resulting in "genocide as a side effect." For the most part, however, he's just going through the motions. His first scene features what I believe is his first botched delivery, as he repeats a line twice in order to get on script. Given that another actor does the same a few episodes later, I'm inclined to lay blame at director Christopher Barry rather than at the actors themselves.

Jo Grant: As I've noted in the last two reviews, Season 9 has been very good to the character of Jo Grant, who has been compassionate, resourceful, and quick-thinking. Until The Mutants, that is. This story reduces her to "generic companion" status. She exists for two reasons: to receive exposition from either the Doctor or Ky, and to be put in jeopardy so that the Doctor or Ky can rescue her. Even Katy Manning's chemistry with Pertwee doesn't provide the same lift as the season's previous stories, as the script unwisely separates them for most of the running time.

The Marshal: Paul Whitsun-Jones's Marshal initially seems to just be a "Pompous Bureaucrat," motivated by worries about his career and his future back on Earth should his mission to Solos end in failure. On first viewing, I remember spending the first few episodes wondering when the real villain would show up. Nope, the Marshal is it... which honestly might have worked, had the script played up how his position made him a serious threat despite him being just a dull little man at heart. But the story plays out as if the Marshal is inherently intimidating, which just isn't the case. Credit to Paul Whitsun-Jones, though, who gives his all to make this weakly written character register.


THOUGHTS:

The Mutants is the first Pertwee story that I'd actually describe as "bad." The script is both clichéd and very silly - which wouldn't be a problem, if it didn't take itself so extraordinarily seriously. It's also heavily padded, stretched like taffy to fill six episodes with a tale that would have felt minor and unexciting at four.

Pertwee and Manning find a few moments, particularly when they're on screen together - but they're separated early on and spend most of the rest of the serial in separate strands, with neither performer finding much chemistry with the guest stars they're paired with. This contributes to them giving their weakest performances of the season, and I'd wager also their weakest of their series tenure.

Guest characters are poorly written and thinly motivated. Guards Stubbs and Cotton help the Doctor escape in Episode Two, but I'm honestly not sure why. Native leader Varan (James Mellor) is introduced as the Marshal's ally and Ky as his enemy. But by the middle of the story, Varan is enraged at the Marshal (which at least does make sense in context), while Ky has been defanged thanks to becoming Jo's protector... and, other than getting some extra padding in, I'm honestly not sure why these two couldn't have been combined into a single character, which might also have helped to give that character an actual arc.

There are some moments that are downright bizarre. In Episode Four, Ky leads Jo and the guards to the "safety" of Varan's camp. When it's pointed out that Varan would probably as soon kill them all, Ky insists that he can deal with the man. If he ever had a plan, we don't see it. Varan doesn't even let Ky get a word in before taking all of them prisoner, while the motivation for them separating from the Doctor appears to be to get into danger again to keep the story from ending early.

The unfortunate part is that there are good ideas in the script. The early episodes, in particular, draw parallels between Earth's occupation of Solos and British colonialism. The administrator makes a pompous speech about how the Solosians are "partners" with Earth, but everyone knows who "the overlords" are. Jaeger smirks to the Doctor that the planet no longer belongs to the Salosians, but is now the property of the humans. In case anyone missed the parallels, the Administrator's phrasing of Earth's decision to grant independence to Solos is pretty blunt: "We can no longer afford an empire." This at a time when the existence of the British Empire was still very much in living memory. This in a story from 1972, when the British Empire was still very much in living memory.

I will give the visual effects credit for ambition. There's a scene featuring a hull breach on the space station, with objects and even one character sucked out into space. Several scenes occur in a cave suffused with radiation, with the actors overplaying their way through various greenscreen effects. The effects aren't remotely convincing; coupled with overlighting and plastic-looking monster suits, it adds to the story being one that looks genuinely cheap. But the attempt itself is worth noting.


OVERALL:

The Mutants is a bad story, but there is something vaguely charming about it. It's mostly pretty boring - but when it's not boring, it's unintentionally quite funny. 

It's as if someone threw into a pot all the silliest recurring elements of "Classic Who," and this was the stew that resulted: The caves with the obvious CSO effects, complete with border lines surrounding Pertwee and his co-star... The over-dramatic deliveries of the supporting actors... The space station with the big airport-like directional signs that has less security than a neighborhood convenience store... Pertwee and Manning, both seeming mostly bored... and the overly grave dialogue, most of it delivered with utmost seriousness. If you were to throw together a Bingo card for bad Doctor Who tropes, this story would just about fill every box. 

Bizarrely, it's that very quality that makes it watchable in spite of itself. I won't defend The Mutants, but I don't hate it, either. It may be bad - but it's a comfortable sort of bad.


Overall Rating: 3/10.

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#12 (9.09 - 9.14): The Sea Devils.

The Master forges an alliance.

6 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 148 minutes. Written by: Malcolm Hulke. Directed by: Michael E. Briant. Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT:

Ships are vanishing at sea, all in a very specific area near a sea fortress being renovated by the Royal Navy. This is not on the Doctor's radar at all... until he and Jo visit the Master at his heavily fortified island prison, where the warden, Col. Trenchard (Clive Morton), makes an offhand mention.

The Doctor investigates, leading him to discover aquatic lifeforms that he recognizes as relatives of the Silurians. Like the Silurians, these "Sea Devils" have awakened to find the planet that was once theirs now belongs to man - and they want it back.

As before, the Doctor hopes to find a peaceful solution. But first he'll have to deal with the Master, who is planning to use this situation for his own benefit. But the Doctor's efforts are complicated when he realizes that his old enemy has taken full control of his prison, with Trenchard and all the guards now working for him!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: His trust in Jo has grown over time. When she says she's seen the Master at the Naval Base, he doesn't waste a second doubting her. He snaps at Capt. Hart (Edwin Richfield), the ranking officer, to lock the place down immediately. Jon Pertwee is on particularly good form throughout this story. While visiting the Master, the Doctor tries to coax him into revealing the location of his TARDIS. The Master refuses; and Pertwee shows the Doctor's reaction in his frosty delivery of, "Ask a silly question," before returning to his normal affability. Another good moment sees him bribing the boatman into running an errand that will allow him to borrow the man's vessel. He says he would run the errand himself, except that his bad leg is acting up. He runs through a couple historical battle sites ("Crimea... Gallipolli? El Alamein?"). Then he gives up and just smiles, holding up the cash and saying, "Does it really matter?" 

Jo Grant: I liked the Doctor/Jo relationship in Season Eight; in Season Nine, to repeat an observation I made about the previous story, the two of them positively sparkle. When Jo helps him to escape a trap set by the Master, they take turns beckoning the other to leave through the open door, exchanging "After you; no, after you" in a bit that feels unscripted (whether it was or not) in the best way possible. One minus, however: There are two scenes in which Jo is written to physically attack guards. In both cases, it looks hilariously unconvincing. I love Jo when she's interacting with the Doctor, or when she has flashes of ingenuity... but let's not try to make her into Emma Peel, because that really doesn't work.

The Master: Imprisonment has done nothing to make him less dangerous. He takes the measure of his captors, manipulating them to turn strengths into weaknesses that can be preyed upon. He does this with Trenchard in the first half of the story, then repeats the same feat with the Sea Devils. Roger Delgado is at his most charming, and his interactions with Pertwee are some of their best. He may want to take revenge on the Doctor for his captivity, but he doesn't underestimate him. When he discovers that Trenchard let slip about the missing ships, he is enraged, and he isn't at all mollified when Trenchard says that the Doctor didn't seem interested. He knows his adversary too well to think that he won't investigate such a mystery.

Pompous Bureaucrat of the Week: Trenchard, the warden of the Master's prison, is a man whose career is mostly behind him. He was once governor of a British colony - but only for long enough to grant the colony its independence. No resentment is ever stated, but it's not hard to imagine his frustration at having his career apex snatched away, only for him to be treated as a silly old man and/or a nuisance thereafter. This makes him easy prey for the Master, who manipulates him with visions of being a hero.

Pompous Bureaucrat #2: Trenchard is basically a good man who has been led astray. The same cannot be said of this story's other bureaucrat, Parliamentary Secretary Walker (Martin Boddey). Walker arrives late in the story, introducing himself by being dismissive and sexist toward both Jo and a female naval officer, whom he treats as a glorified secretary. It only gets worse from there. He preens behind his desk, stuffing his face while gleefully ordering an attack. Later, in a position of weakness, he turns into such a coward that I think even The Claws of Axos's loathsome Mr. Chinn would look down on him in contempt.

Sea Devils: The oceanic cousins of the Silurians. Their design is impressive by Classic Who standards, with their amphibian qualities making them look correct as ocean dwellers and their cold eyes and stature making them threatening. Unfortunately, this story is more concerned with the Master than with them, so they are mainly relegated to the role of "monsters," though their leader at least briefly considers the Doctor's appeals for peace.


THOUGHTS:

The Sea Devils was Season 9's big production, with location filming, reasonably large-scale action scenes, a decent-sized guest cast, and cooperation by the Royal Navy lending significant production value. Aside from a submarine set that's unconvincing even by 1970s TV standards, this is a rare "Classic Who" story that looks good.

Malcolm Hulke's script juggles the different elements well. Though the Master is the main villain, the Sea Devils are established as a presence early, with their activities having drawn the attention of the Navy, the Doctor, and the Master all. The different threads all feed each other narratively. The Doctor sees the Sea Devils; though Capt. Hart (Edwin Richfield) is skeptical, he sends a submarine to investigate, and that submarine plays into the story in its late episodes. The Master spends much of Episode Three building a device, and the construction of a larger version becomes a key part of Episode Six. All the pieces end up fitting together.

The serial is mainly an action piece, and as such it feels less weighty to me than Season Seven's Dr. Who & the Silurians did. The design of the Sea Devils is superior to that of the Silurians; but as they are secondary villains in their own story, they just aren't as interesting on the page. The different Silurians in the earlier story had individual personalities and motivations. The Sea Devils are basically just monsters, with the Doctor's peace overtures feeling more like a token effort than like the increasingly desperate driving force of the earlier story. Unusually for a Malcolm Hulke story, the script makes theme subordinate to incident.

But it's hard to complain when so much of the incident is so entertaining. The Doctor and the Master get into a sword fight, with the Doctor getting the upper hand... and pausing mid-fight to munch on a sandwich. A Sea Devil rises from the water onto the beach where the Doctor and Jo are escaping, forcing them into a minefield. The Doctor descends in a diving bell; when the bell is brought up, he has vanished, with Jo climbing in and staring wide-eyed at the empty chamber. The overall excellent realization and sure-handed direction by Michael E. Briant helps each moment and visual to land that little bit harder.

My only real complaint is with Malcolm Clarke's music. His experimental score is deliberately intrusive. This is effective when the Doctor and Jo investigate an empty facility that has been attacked by Sea Devils, or in scenes that see the Sea Devils attacking or about to attack. In other moments, however, it's just distracting, with the shrill noises particularly detracting from the well-choreographed Doctor/Master swordfight. To the sound editors: We do not need to hear the score "bleep" at us every time their swords touch, thank you.


OVERALL:

I could wish for a bit more of a sense of personality from the Sea Devils themselves, and I don't think this story makes the impact that Dr. Who & the Silurians did. On its own terms, however, The Sea Devils is a well-made and engrossing action/adventure story. Pertwee, Manning, and Delgado are at their best, the script is efficiently structured, and it's among the best-looking stories of all of "Classic Who."

It's very much a set piece story, and I think it benefits from being watched one episode at a time over multiple sittings instead of all at once. But it's a really good set piece story, and it's probably among the serials that would be most accessible to modern viewers.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

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#10 (9.01 - 9.04): Day of the Daleks.

The Doctor is interrogated by the Daleks.

4 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 95 minutes. Written by: Louis Marks. Directed by: Paul Bernard. Produced by: Barry Letts.


THE PLOT:

International relations are tense, with troops preparing for battle along the Soviet/Chinese border and a third World War seeming increasingly inevitable. A conference meant to de-escalate the situation has fallen apart, with the Chinese refusing to take part. It falls to Sir Reginald Styles (Wilfred Carter) to persuade the Chinese government to reverse its stance and work toward peace.

The Doctor has little interest in any of this. "Humans are always squabbling over something," he declares. But his curiosity is piqued when UNIT receives a report from Sir Styles' country house, designated to be the site of the talks. A "ghost" appeared and attempted to kill him!

Though Styles insists that he simply had a bad dream, the Doctor believes otherwise. He finds muddy footprints near the window of Styles' study. Then he discovers a futuristic weapon and a crude portable time machine, confirming that an outside force is at work.

He soon comes face-to-face with them: a guerilla force from the future, determined to assassinate Styles to prevent their world from coming into being. Theirs is a future in which humanity has become a slave race, ruled over by the Doctor's oldest enemy - the Daleks!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: As was true in The Enemy of the World, the Doctor refuses to rush to judgment without full information. When the guerillas capture him and Jo, he tries to get more information about their motivations. Throughout the story, people try to rush him toward action: the guerillas, Jo, even the human Controller (Aubrey Woods) working with the Daleks. He just keeps probing each of them for more information, so that when he does take action it will be the correct one.

Jo Grant: In contrast to the Doctor, she acts impulsively, barely stopping to breathe let alone to think. With her and the Doctor captured by the guerillas, she frees herself and threatens to destroy their time travel device, not letting it go even when the Doctor urges her to. She sees the situation in simple terms: An armed group kidnapped her and the Doctor and plans to kill Sir Reginald, so this group surely must be evil - which also makes her a little too willing to believe that their opponents must automatically be good.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: An early scene sees him smugly needling the Doctor over his inability to get the TARDIS working... and I say fair enough getting his digs in, given all the barbs the Doctor's thrown his way. Despite the banter, he has absolute faith in the Doctor's judgment when crisis hits. The final episode sees the Doctor telling him to do two things. One of these is politically tricky and the other seems tactically foolish - but there's no time for an explanation, so the Brigadier puts full trust in him and gives both orders.

Capt. Yates: A fun early moment sees him pulling rank on Benton for the express purpose of confiscating some food and wine. When Jo confronts him about it, Mike smirks while telling her, "R. H. I. P., Jo... Rank has its privileges." When the Doctor and Jo disappear, he goes straight to the Brigadier, recognizing that something has gone badly wrong.

Daleks: This was their first (new) appearance since Season Four's The Evil of the Daleks, and they were a late addition to the script. This has led some to complain that they feel tacked on, but I actually think they add quite a bit. Sure, the base story would work fine without them. But they add another layer, acting as Evil Overlords commanding the more visible villains of the story. On broadcast, the story suffered from Dalek voices that sounded alternately sluggish and tinny. The special edition replaces the original voices with Nicholas Briggs, who has voiced the Daleks on television since 2005 as well as in the Big Finish audio range, and that alone gives a considerable lift to their presence.


THOUGHTS:

"There are many different kinds of ghosts, Jo. Ghosts from the past and ghosts from the future."
-the Doctor muses about the "ghosts" that are attempting to kill Sir Reginald Styles.

The first scene featuring the Doctor and Jo signals that this story is going to play with the idea of time travel, rather than just using it as a way to get them into the story. The Doctor is first seen attempting to repair his TARDIS. Something goes wrong, and future versions of himself and Jo appear. The Doctor has an irritable exchange with himself before the console overloads, putting an end to the interaction.

This winks at the type of story writer Louis Marks has created, with forces from the future fighting in the present - one side trying to undo that future, the other trying to preserve it. There are a few twists along the way, which I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't yet watched it. The script is genuinely clever, and comics writer John Byrne would acknowledge drawing inspiration from it for elements of his classic X-Men story, Days of Future Past.

This serial is well-paced, its story comfortably filling the four episodes. There's a lot of action which is well staged, even in the original broadcast version. The story also pulls off the balance of taking itself just seriously enough to convince of the stakes, but not so seriously that it become unenjoyable at any point.


THE SPECIAL EDITION:

The 2011 Special Edition makes some noticeable improvements. Action scenes feature laser effects, whereas the original mostly just conveyed weapons fire through prop guns and sound effects. Establishing shots are used during shifts to the Dalek-controlled future, giving us a glimpse of the dystopia. The climactic battle features a heavier Dalek presence than the broadcast version, which was hampered by having access to only three Dalek props.

The one effect I preferred in the original was for time travel. The broadcast version's optical effect worked nicely, whereas I find the Special Edition's CGI to be a bit cartoonish and even distracting. But outside of that one element, the Special Edition's changes are noticeably for the better. The Dalek voices alone make it the superior version.


OVERALL:

Day of the Daleks is fun, clever, and nicely paced, and it makes good use of the full regular/recurring cast. Though I know some disagree, I also think the story makes good use of the Daleks. They may have been added late in the day, but their presence as Evil Overlords works better for me than many stories that reduce them to mindless minions that shout, "Exterminate!"

I find this to be a very good story, and a promising start to Pertwee's third season.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

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#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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