#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
Next Story: Terror of the Autons


Search Amazon.com for Doctor Who


Review Index

To receive new review updates, follow me:

On BlueSky:

Follow @RandomMusings09 on BlueSky

On Threads:

Follow@randommusings09 on Threads

#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


Search Amazon.com for Doctor Who


Review Index

To receive new review updates, follow me:

On BlueSky:

Follow @RandomMusings09 on BlueSky

On Threads:

Follow@randommusings09 on Threads

#1 (7.1 - 7.4): Spearhead from Space

Attack of the window shop dummies!

4 episodes.  Written by: Robert Holmes.  Directed by: Derek Martinus.  Produced by: Derrick Sherwin.


THE PLOT

Liz Shaw (Caroline John), a scientist with an extensive background across varied fields, has been conscripted by UNIT to act as a scientific adviser to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's London office. She is not happy about the new job, but she gets little time to complain. A series of meteorites have come to Earth - landing in the same spot, twice. This is odd, but Liz has no doubt that there is a rational explanation. Until UNIT recover part of one of the meteorites. Instead of rock, it is plastic - but not like any plastic Liz has seen before.

At the same time these mysteries are unfolding, a mysterious stranger (Jon Pertwee) stumbles out of a police box in the middle of a forest and collapses. When the Brigadier hears that a man was found outside a police box that was located where no police box should be, and that this man has a physiology that defies the local hospital's expertise, he is sure that this man is the Doctor, the time/space traveler who previously helped him fend off the Yeti and the Cybermen. But the face that greets him is that of a stranger, albeit one who seems to recognize him.

As the Brigadier wonders if this man can really be the Doctor, the mysteries surrounding the meteorites mount. If the Brigadier, Liz, and this new Doctor cannot find a way to work together soon, then the entire world may fall under the sinister influence of the Auton invasion...


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: I enjoy the way this serial plays with the introduction to the new Doctor. We see very little of him in Episode One, and don't even get a clear look at him until the Brigadier does. If Spearhead Episode One was the first Who episode a viewer had ever seen, then he or she could be forgiven for thinking that the Brigadier was the lead character. It isn't until around the story's midpoint that the Doctor steps properly to center-stage.

Once there, however, Pertwee doesn't relinquish the spotlight for a second. This is a very different take on the Doctor than the earlier incarnations.  Hartnell's era was very much an ensemble show; though Troughton was somewhat more central, the companions still carried large tracts of most stories. With a reduced episode count eliminating the need for the Doctor to "take a holiday" every so often, the production team was freed up to make him the absolute focus, the one true "star" of the show. Pertwee is not the Doctor with the greatest acting range, but he may just have the most sheer screen presence of any actor to play the role.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: There's a strong Holmes/Watson vibe to the Doctor/Brigadier relationship. The first two episodes gives us a chance to see the Brigadier in charge, investigating. He is refreshingly competent. He asks intelligent questions, takes logical steps to secure the meteorites and to secure the Doctor, and maintains an open - if appropriately suspicious - mind over the Doctor's identity. Once the Doctor is fully awake and in action, he slides into a supporting position, but he remains highly capable and authoritative.  It's a shame this strong characterization would slide so far during the latter Pertwee years, but it's a very enjoyable character and performance here.

Liz Shaw: Caroline John makes her debut as Liz, a young Cambridge scientist conscripted into UNIT. John has a frosty demeanor, but her eyes are constantly lively, even mischievous.  Liz doesn't believe in aliens and doesn't want to be involved with UNIT, and so she spends the first two episodes responding to Lethbridge-Stewart's assertions with heavy sarcasm.  Despite her outfits (which are actually skimpier than those usually worn by her more superficially "bimbo-like" successor), John brings a sense of intelligence to the role that keeps her believable as a scientific professional.  She plays well opposite both Pertwee and Courtney, and the three of them make for a promising set of regulars.


THOUGHTS

Troughton may be untouchably well-loved by fandom now, but it is a fact that his era never reached the heights of popular success that Hartnell's first two seasons had.  The series was struggling in the ratings the end of Season Six, leaving Pertwee's first season very much a "make-or-break" one. Fortunately, it delivered. 

Spearhead from Space is the start of the series' resurrection. One of the reasons it works so well is the now oft-criticized approach taken by producer Derrick Sherwin: the decision to base the series on Earth, and to ally the Doctor with a military organization. Original series producer Verity Lambert may not have approved, but it provides a much-needed break from the past. Spearhead is effectively the pilot of a new series, one which just happens to carry on the continuity of Doctor Who: 1963 - 1969. New concept, new location, new relationships between the Doctor and the other regulars... What had started to become stale by Troughton's final season has been transformed into something that feels fresh and new and - by early 1970s standards - modern.

Look at the first scene between the Brigadier and Liz. It starts with a wonderful introduction to Liz. We don't see her walk into the Brig's office. Instead, we watch as she is driven to the building.  She gets out of the car, then walks through the garage... a fairly long series of shots that signify that she's our viewpoint character even before she reaches Lethbridge-Stewart.

The scene that follows is very much a "pilot scene," as the Brigadier lays out the concept of the series: UNIT's purpose, its background, reasons justifying the idea that Earth might be targeted by alien beings ("We've drawn attention to ourselves"). Liz responds skeptically, and when the Brigadier gets around to the plot - the meteorites - she asserts that there must be a rational explanation, while he clearly favors a "space alien" theory. One could draw a fairly close comparison between this initial Liz/Brig scene and the first meeting of Dana Scully and Fox Mulder in The X-Files pilot. In terms of basic set-up, in terms of what is being established, the two scenes are extremely similar.

After two less-than-entirely-successful scripts during Troughton's last season, Robert Holmes finally delivers a strong Who script here. Holmes uses the episodic structure effectively. Episode One introduces the new Doctor (while keeping him largely offstage), sets up the relationship between the Brigadier and Liz, and establishes the plot of the story: the mystery surrounding the meteorites. Episode Two introduces the plastics factory, the Autons themselves, and the major guest characters, while gradually bringing the new Doctor together with the Brigadier and Liz. Episode Three establishes the Doctor's relationship with UNIT while raising the stakes by showing just how much the Autons are capable of. Finally, Episode Four brings the narrative threads together and resolves the story.

Derek Martinus' direction is confident and precise, with a handful of striking visual moments. The Autons themselves are more effective here than in any of their later appearances, with their completely inexpressive faces and jerky movements eerily effective. They would reappear in two later stories (Terror of the Autons, Rose), but they would never again be as scary and genuinely alien as they are here.

The resolution stumbles a bit, with the green plastic Nestene failing to convey the same threat as the Autons and their leader, Channing (Hugh Burden). The climax is downright poor: Liz plugs wires in and out of a plastic tray while the Doctor wraps green tentacles around himself and thrashes around.  This scene frankly wouldn't be out of place in an Ed Wood movie.

Still, if three-and-a-half episodes are generally very good, a weak finale isn't that hard to forgive.  The story, which was essentially Doctor Who's "second pilot," sells the revamped series with confidence and energy, and it manages to tell a pretty good story in the process.


Rating: 7/10. 

Previous Story: The War Games
Next Story: Dr. Who & the Silurians


Review Index

To receive new review updates, follow me:

On BlueSky:

Follow @RandomMusings09 on BlueSky

On Threads:

Follow@randommusings09 on Threads