Serial Title: Spearhead from SpaceSeries: 7
Synopsis:
Elsewhere, Brigadier Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart, head of UNIT (the
United Nations Intelligence Taskforce), is briefing Cambridge Cambridge
The Brigadier is summoned to the hospital to see the mysterious man
found near the TARDIS, who is semi-lucid and obsessed with “Shoes!” In a brief
moment of clarity, he recognizes Lethbridge-Stewart before lapsing back into
the trauma-induced craziness, and the Brigadier is left to wonder… could this
somehow BE the Doctor?
Someone thinks he is, as the Doctor is kidnapped by a pair of ruffians,
his mouth duct-taped shut (with a TARDIS key extracted from his shoes inside),
straight-jacketed and in a wheelchair- and yet he escapes, fleeing by
wheelchair into the woods… where he is shot by an overzealous UNIT guard while
approaching the TARDIS. Thankfully, it’s only a graze, and seems to snap him
out of his mania… when he awakes several hours later, he is lucid- sneaking
into the hospital locker room for a shower, and stealing a fancy set of clothes
and a car to escape, as questions about his alien blood work and apparent 2
hearts mount with the hospital staff. However, Lethbridge-Stewart has the
TARDIS key found in his possession, as well as the TARDIS, and so the man steers his
commandeered jalopy towards UNIT HQ…
Meanwhile, the poacher conceals the glowing orb of a meteorite from his
wife, locking it into a box in his shed… while in the Auto Plastics factory, a
man named Ransome sneaks into his old workshop (having just been suddenly and
mysteriously laid off) and is shocked to see a plastic mannequin move of its
own accord… even more so when its hand pops open and it fires an explosive shot
at him! Ransome flees in terror, headed for UNIT…
Already there, tracking his TARDIS with a locator watch, the Doctor
encounters Lethbirdge-Stewart and claims that he is the Doctor, albeit with a
changed appearance. The Brigadier is skeptical (Liz Shaw even more so about the
claims that the TARDIS is a spaceship), but both cautiously invite the Doctor
to look at the broken casing of a meteorite found near the TARDIS. The remains
are intriguing to the Doctor, and he agrees to investigate in return for the
TARDIS key being returned to him afterwards. However, the Doctor soon dupes Liz
into stealing the key for him, ostensibly to access more advanced equipment in
the TARDIS, and tries to flee. However, the only result is a loud bang, a great
cloud of smoke, and a loss of the Brigadier and Liz’s trust. The Doctor has
suffered memory loss, and among it, the Time Lords have removed the knowledge
of how to correctly operate the TARDIS from his mind, changed the
dematerialization codes… and now, parts of the ship are damaged, too (either
from the abortive attempt, or the generally poor state of repair that the
Doctor keeps it in, in general). Facing the depressing reality of being stuck
on Earth, the Doctor agrees to help UNIT, as the Brigadier, not entirely trustful, begins to believe that he may be the Doctor after all.
Based on Ransome’s testimony, UNIT brings the poacher in for
questioning. While he's out at UNIT’s tent-outpost, a mannequin-creature
approaches his home, intently tracking the meteorite. When the poacher’s wife
attempts to stop it, it bats her aside without a thought. These are the Autons,
creatures made of sentient plastic, and they have been collecting the
meteorites. UNIT finds and engages the Auton, which flees- called away by its
controller at Auto Plastics. It instead runs to the empty UNIT tent and exercises “Total destruction” on Ransome, killing him and destroying his body.
The meteorite is found by UNIT and loaded onto a truck- but the Auton steps
into the truck's path and causes it to crash, and steals the meteorite from the
wreck. The assault continues as, elsewhere, a perfect plastic duplicate accosts
and replaces General Scobie, a man in oversight position of UNIT.
From the meteorite examination, the Doctor realizes that there is a
living consciousness within each meteorite, which is then fashioned a plastic
Auton body on Earth. These creatures, the Nestene, are invading by sending
their brains inconspicuously to Earth, and building conquering bodies for them
after landing. Visiting a waxwork museum in London on a hunch, the Doctor
discovers the real general Scobie, paralyzed and placed in amongst the dummies…
all of important contemporary persons, whom the Autons are replacing…
Waiting in the waxworks at night, the Doctor captures Hibbert, one of
the men from Auto Plastics, and tries to turn him against his Nestene masters.
The Doctor returns to UNIT and fashions a device to destroy the Autons… but at
dawn, they strike- shop dummies in store windows throughout the nation come to
life, rampaging through the streets and killing indiscriminately.
UNIT makes an assault on Auto Plastics as Hibbert attacks the Nestene’s
central consciousness (and is killed for his troubles). The Doctor and Liz make
their way up to the central chamber as UNIT and the Autons engage in a
firefight below. The Doctor begins disabling Autons (including the fake General
Scobies). In the central chamber, the Doctor confronts the Nestene
Consciousness and tries to get it to leave, but the creature attacks him in a
hideous, tentacled, octopus-like form. Liz fixes a short in the machine and
turns it on the Nestene, destroying it- and without its animating energy, all
of the Autons as well.
The day is saved, and with nowhere else to go, the Doctor decides to stay
on as UNIT’s scientific advisor… negotiating a workship to repair the TARDIS in
preparation for the day he can work around the Time Lords’ mental block, and a
car like the one he stole, which he’s become rather attached to. Then, properly
introducing himself as “Doctor John Smith” (*sniff* …Jamie gave him that
alias…), he sets to work on his days with UNIT.
Review:
Doctor Who kicks into color high-gear with a refreshing short,
fantastically funny, brilliantly written post-regeneration story that
introduces the Third Doctor, The UNIT Exile period, and the Autons all in one
go. The serial has an unrelentingly alien and unfamiliar feel; it is totally
foreign to all that precedes it. It's almost a surreal experience, seeming to
have no relationship to the familiar Black and White era serials that one is
used to... but what is there, this new tone, is good; engaging, funny, witty,
colorful, energetic, and intriguing.
The Third Doctor is not what I expected at all. He's so Troughton-ish
initially, it sells completely the regeneration- but he quickly becomes his own
man, genial and friendly, and far more down-to-earth than either preceding
Doctor. (Note from Sarah: I really liked him from the moment he was asking for his shoes...he did it so funny and to this day is a favorite line for all of us)
The new title sequence is very similar in style to the BWW openings, but
features not only a very frightening version of the Doctor’s face, but also
the first redshift/blueshift time vortex graphics, even reversing directions
for the colors.
Returning actor Nicholas Courtney (sadly, as of just last month per this
writing, the late Nicholas Courtney) makes the third appearance of Brigadier
Lethbridge-Stewart, beginning his era on the program as a true TARDIS-less
companion. He does a very nice job of
crafting a deep and realistic character- at the same time skeptical and
suspicious of this new character that seems to have stepped into the Doctor’s
shoes, and grudgingly open to the possibilities due to some of the bizarre
things he’s seen in his times with the Doctor. While he is not as likable as
he could be, due to his role of almost acting like the Doctor’s jailer (not
altogether unreasonable, as the Doctor has yet to prove he really IS the
Doctor, simply regenerated, but still…) and in the next serial will prove
neither likable nor open-minded (acting as a two-dimensional near-antagonist)
and then settling into a likable-but-not-so-open-minded reverse of his role
here in the 3rd Third Doctor serial, Ambassadors of Death- but
despite a rough opening, I have confidence that the character will find a
balance of likability and depth. (NFS: This is a note from your future...yes he does.)
I have a little less confidence in Liz Shaw, who is frankly a bit
obnoxious here, and doesn’t really have enough time or presence in the
following two sequels to confirm or dispel this impression. Unfortunately,
she’s rather snide and disrespectful, mocking, and haughty in this first
outing, acting smugly superior to the Brigadier at every turn, and playing the
constant naysayer- and while she gets in a few fair cracks (“So your men can
shoot him again?”) by far and large she just seems to be backseat driving and
wisecracking while not actually helping or contributing, making her an irritant
in the first few chapters. That said, some small redemption is earned in the
latter two, as the Doctor’s charmer routine works on her, and she demonstrates
a sympathy for this new stranger that the Brig doesn’t, and even aids him by
stealing a key- and then being rightly angry when she finds out that the Doctor
used her. She certainly improves- acting as an able ally and the only one the
Doctor trusts by the end of the story- but a rocky beginning and snarky,
mean-spirited personality in the beginning have not endeared her to my heart-
I’m still waiting for a second strong serial for her that can change my
impressions of her one way or another. (NFS: I didn't mind her but also didn't feel like she had a strong enough character for me to feel strongly one way or another about her.)
And of course… the new Doctor. Attached to his new (stolen) car. Trying
to run in a panic at being stuck on Earth- and his resigned depression at
finding that he can’t. Commanding. Funny. Shoe-obsessed. And finally being
credited, no longer as the in-universe inaccurate “Dr. Who,” the name of the
program but not the name of the character. No, that’s now been corrected to the
much more accurate… “Doctor Who.”
Oh, well.
Aside from the end credits (which also no longer scroll, instead fading
in static screens, as part of a much improved title sequence/cliffhangers
setup), we have very much to learn about this new Doctor, who is one of the
least-known to me, by reputation or video clip. The first thing that hit me was
how… Troughton… he was in his deliveries. He didn’t have the voice or manner
that I expected, and for those early hospital-bed scenes, you can practically
believe that he is still the Second Doctor, simply in a different body. I can’t
say that, three serials in, I quite have a feel for his personality, but he
does establish a strong character early on, not dwelling in Troughton’s shadow.
Actually, at first he seems a bit of a hustler here, stealing whatever he needs
or wants, charming Liz with his eyebrow-talk routine, and then conning her into
getting him what he wants- heck, he’s practically an aristocratic, grey-haired
version of Sawyer from LOST! But somehow I suspect ‘con-man’ is not the term
that will be associated with the Doctor is this run. Still, for all of his
reputation as a stuffy, aristocratic type, he’s surprisingly personable and
jovial, a very friendly sort of Doctor- perhaps even more so than Troughton in
some ways- he’s a bit more genuinely warm, while Troughton was friendly in an
“I’m harmless” calculated sort of way. The third seems more focused, more like
he really cares about befriending you rather than just putting you at ease
while he takes your measure.
Which isn’t to say that he isn’t funny! From his petulant “Do I have
to?” when the Brigadier (unjustly) demands the TARDIS key back, to his insane and
hilarious wheelchair escape (with a mouth duct-taped shut), this Doctor doesn’t
shy away from the humor. While he’s not as expressive or physical-comedy
oriented as Troughton (it’s only fair I make the unfavorable comparisons if I’m
going to make the favorable ones), having more of a dry-wit and ironic-humor
based shtick, he’s still fairly funny in his own right- especially the
newly-introduced post-regenerative madness scenes. Unlike Troughton, who just
sort of wandered around in a daze (well, maybe he was funnier, but it just
didn’t come through in stills), this Doctor (like the 11th after
him, to grab an example from my own Who-watching past… which is Pertwee’s
future… ah, wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, you know…) establishes himself quickly
with some strong humor, obsessing over his shoes, making an aforementioned
frantic wheelchair escape, and finally reacting in dismay to his new face (and
later becoming quite vain about it).
Despite his scallywag behavior, he does rather endear himself, giving the Nestene a chance to retreat (an element that continues to influence Doctors all the way up to the 10th and 11th, and a trait his predecessors rarely gave, say, the Macra or the Ice Warriors before blowing them up or chucking them into the sun)- a trait that appears to be an ongoing part of his character, a marked and significant-to the-character-and-mythology change. One can hope that the ongoing kleptomania will not be the same- despite ATM and hospital clothes examples to the contrary in the New Series (Indeed, based on a viewing of this serial, Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor now seems to me more of an amalgam of the 2nd and 3rd Doctors, with more of the mannerisms of the former than the latter). Still, despite the humor, the second-chances, a return of the gung-ho bloodthirsty doctor from Seeds of Death, etc., I think the greatest Doctor moment focus lies on his exile, his panicked attempt to escape in the TARDIS, his sorrowful resignation at the end… it’s a sad moment to see the Doctor’s wings clipped, and a heavily impacting one to throw the new actor straight into- Petrtwee handles it well. (The DVD also features a partially-completed fan film which has a ‘Series 6B’ variation story in which a half-regenerated Doctor escapes the Time Lords before the process is complete- noteworthy, as it contains Jon Pertwee’s final performance, ever.)
Despite his scallywag behavior, he does rather endear himself, giving the Nestene a chance to retreat (an element that continues to influence Doctors all the way up to the 10th and 11th, and a trait his predecessors rarely gave, say, the Macra or the Ice Warriors before blowing them up or chucking them into the sun)- a trait that appears to be an ongoing part of his character, a marked and significant-to the-character-and-mythology change. One can hope that the ongoing kleptomania will not be the same- despite ATM and hospital clothes examples to the contrary in the New Series (Indeed, based on a viewing of this serial, Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor now seems to me more of an amalgam of the 2nd and 3rd Doctors, with more of the mannerisms of the former than the latter). Still, despite the humor, the second-chances, a return of the gung-ho bloodthirsty doctor from Seeds of Death, etc., I think the greatest Doctor moment focus lies on his exile, his panicked attempt to escape in the TARDIS, his sorrowful resignation at the end… it’s a sad moment to see the Doctor’s wings clipped, and a heavily impacting one to throw the new actor straight into- Petrtwee handles it well. (The DVD also features a partially-completed fan film which has a ‘Series 6B’ variation story in which a half-regenerated Doctor escapes the Time Lords before the process is complete- noteworthy, as it contains Jon Pertwee’s final performance, ever.)
For better or worse, UNIT is now also a central focus of the show,
meaning a lot more gun battles and a lot more uniforms. Whether this change
will be beneficial or not remains to be seen, but it does work well as a plot
device to get the Earth-bound Doctor involved in extraterrestrial situations.
(A direction the series would have gone in even if Troughton hadn’t announced
his intention to make the sixth series his last; the fact that the
color/UNIT/Earth transition also happened to be a change of Doctors only aided
the clean break).
This serial also introduces the Autons, a living plastic race
traditionally used in Doctor introduction stories as a menace strong enough to
build a story around, but weak enough not to outshine the Doctor. They are
extremely creepy in this serial, and very effective… not only in their plastic
forms, but the pulsating-eye-and-tentacle-monster at the end, which is a pretty
cool bit of puppeteering. Here too is the famous moment in Who history where
shop dummies smash out of their displays and begin wreaking havoc in the
streets- which has a very massive feeling of scale to it that similar scenes,
like The Invasion, failed in. (It’s also much mocked for not actually showing a
single pane of glass breaking, just using sound effects, as they didn’t have
the budget to break the glass- an oversight corrected in the New Series opener,
Rose, with a re-staging of a similar scene.)
Lastly, we have the effects. Ambitious at times, simple at others- from
a fairly laughable shot of meteorites falling in perfect formation (it worked
in Space Pirates, but…) to a fairly interesting explosion/explosion played in
reverse/vanish effect for disintegration (‘Total destruction,’ as it is dubbed)
that looks pretty cool. It seems that Doctor Who is a bit less of an FX show
now, being Earth-based… but it’s still not without a few notables per serial.
There’s a nice model Earth to start things off, a trend that series openers for
the New Series have long continued.
Oh, and the Doctor now has a car, a jalopy, which I think is truly his
surrogate TARDIS- he lavishes it with all of the affection and tinkering and
protectiveness that he had for his space/time machine while it lies unused in a
UNIT store-room. We’ll be seeing much more of it in serials to come, much to
everyone but the Doctor’s dismay.
Great moments:
“Shoes!”, the wheelchair chase, and all of the post-regenerative
moments. Plus, the Doctor’s attempted escape.
Rating:
So, this is our introduction to Doctor number Three. A simple story,
thankfully short, focusing more on the Doctor than the menace- this works well.
It’s funny, establishes the characters and settings well, gives us some good
new villains- all in all, not a bad day’s work. 4 out of 5 “Shoes!” for
Spearhead From Space, the dawn of a new era… well, actually, about half a dozen
separate new eras, some of which persisted for only a few years, and others
still in practice today. Either way, not a bad cornerstone for them.
Dating: (Note from Sarah: Warning timey wimey type stuff ahead.)
Dating notation: Arrived at through a chain- Victoria mentions that
Abominable Snowmen took place in 1935. In Web of Fear, Travers notes that it
has been 40 years. This would place it in 1975. However, Silverstein, the
museum owner, says it was 30 years. Assuming that 10 years don’t pass between
the Yeti activating and the later siege when the Doctor arrives… this would
place it about 1965. This is consistent with the lack of the Victoria line on
the subway maps, which was completed in 1968. Regardless, Lethbridge-Stewart
references the Invasion as being 4 years later, placing it in 1979 as per
Travers statement, and 1969 as per Silverstein’s. We will assume Silverstein’s
as additional evidence leans more in favor of this date, and Travers may just
be senile. And the brigadier’s age in 2009’s appearance on the Sarah Jane
Adventures certainly suggests that these stories either took place in the
1970s, or else he aged 40 years in the course of 30 years.
Supporting this, the
not-quite-canon-but-seen-on-screen-in-the-Sarah-Jane-Adventures-so-maybe-partly-canon
"official" in-universe UNIT website created in
2005 for the New Series’ revival, notes that “UNIT was formed in 1968 in
response to the "London Underground" incident” (The Web of Fear),
which would place that story pre-1968, supporting the 1965 date (and The
Invasion post-1968, making its 4-year-later date no later than 1972, supporting
Silverstein’s statement instead of Travers’ once again). It also calls January
25th, 2005, the “35th anniversary of UNIT's involvement in
"Project Waxwork"” (the assault on Auto Plastics from the end of this
serial), suggesting that this serial occurred on the airdate of the final part,
January 24th, 1970- again, suggesting that Silverstein is right, and
these stories take place concurrently to the time they were aired.
Production statements, however, do imply that this story- and those
following- take place in the ‘futuristic’ 1980s. Pertwee said so in publicity
interviews. In fact, as noted in The Invasion, production statements and on-air
announcements indicate that the story, with the formation of UNIT, took place
in 1975 or 1976, definitely supporting the 1980s date here. However, all of
this was behind the scenes only, and never established onscreen (or was it?),
which is what canon derives from.
So, when do these stories take place? Unlike the constant “near-future”
stories of Troughton’s era, these stories all take place in the same time! But
which time period is it- the ‘modern’ 70s, or the ‘futuristic’ 80s? Fan debate
has raged to the point that the UNIT website tongue-in-cheek-ly notes "[UNIT] quickly expanded, making our presence felt in a golden period
that spanned the sixties, the seventies, and, some would say, the
eighties." And the Tenth Doctor himself notes in ‘The Sontarran Stratagem’
that he worked with UNIT “In the mid-Seventies. Or was it the Eighties?”
So what’s the verdict for the purposes of this blog, which attempts to
coherently link all of the Doctor Who events into a coherent timeline? (Itself
an exercise in futility, as the actions in any given adventure could
theoretically render every story set in a time period afterwards drastically
altered). Clearly, it will have to be on a case-by-case basis! Onscreen
evidence says to me that, as of this serial, I have to come down in favor of
the earlier, contiguous-with-the-air-date dating of 1970. We’ll see how this
develops…
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