Doctor Who: Reconstruction Retrospective

Reconstructions...

The sad tale has already been told in this blog- how the BBC, in their folly, burned the masters, thinking that they had backups. How dozens of episodes of classic Black & White Who kissed the flames and never returned to tell. How the massacre of the archives was total and fierce. How the only salvation lay in prints sent to collectors, overseas, or somehow saved from their slated destruction. How, at time of writing, none such had been found since 2004’s recovery of an episode of The Daleks’ Master Plan… and perhaps none would ever be found again... and how last December's joyous tiding- the return of TWO episodes at once, a Hartnell and a Troughton- has brought hope back for the faithful! (A life-size Dalek- the originals, not the horrid plastic abominations they have today in the New Series- awaits anyone who can find another missing episode.)

And yet, I’ve seen every one of these wretched souls, watched every single one from start to finish. How is this possible?

In the days before VCRs, shows were run once and then gone- maybe shown as a repeat again someday, but they had their run and that was that. (Never was that so true than for many of the classic Hartnell and Troughton episodes…!) In those days, the BBC hired people to take ‘telesnaps’- essentially, a snapshot or photo of the TV screen. Their job was to capture important moments, each of the actors, significant scenes, etc.- to be used as promotional images, for magazine or newspaper articles, for actors’ resumes, etc. So, visual reference for what each place, character, and setting looks like still exist- no one torched those archives. Meanwhile, a number of fans made audio-recordings of the show, as that was one personal home recorder that DID exist in those days- a tape recorder. Those, combined with audio prints kept in a separate archive, conspired to preserve the complete AUDIO of every episode (in varying quality). These, along with publicity photos, and the occasional clips loaned out to a documentary or other show, or video-taped off a TV screen with primitive camcorders, could all be combined together to create a sort of slide-show with audio, wherein you could listen to the episode and watch still pictures (and the occasional video clip if you were lucky) or what was supposed to be happening on-screen at the time.

A few groups arose to start putting together these ‘reconstructions’- using still pictures and surviving audio to create a still-picture facsimile of what the episodes once were. Doctor Who fans, a tenacious bunch, strung together these slide-show reconstructions (with little closed-captioning bars at the bottom to describe actions being taken, based on the original shooting scripts, that weren’t obvious from the pictures or the audio). Fan group Loose Canon Productions quickly came to the forefront, using CGI Daleks and Spaceships, photoshop composite images (placing pictures of characters from another episode into the background for this one, or taking images of a guest-star actor from other media they appeared in and pasting their face onto a costume-appropriate body to create an image of an actor for which no surviving pictures exist), hand-created animations (blinking lights are made to blink, doors slide open, etc.), video clips out-of-context that can be re-edited or zoomed to match the action, and even freshly-shot insert footage ('second unit' stuff- close-ups of hands, etc. that can be re-created using replica props and costumes, in which original actors can’t be seen) to create the most complete reconstructions available. Meanwhile, the BBC took things in another direction, releasing the audio portions of the episodes on CD with narration (by various individuals, often the actors who portrayed the companions back in the day) filling the silence and describing actions much in the way that closed-captioning did for the visuals, converting the missing episodes into an almost storybook-narrated audio drama version of themselves. And enterprising Yotube reconstructionists of late have taken the superior Loose Canon videos, added in the occasional higher-quality photos or stills that have turned up since the Loose Canons were created, and merged them with the BBC narrated audio (omitting the closed captioning for redundancy), creating what I consider to be the ultimate reconstruction experience that mixes the best of all possible worlds.

Even so… you’re still mostly watching a slideshow of dull, still pictures (no matter how impressively created) to a glorified audiobook. So… it can be a challenge. Historical stories were the hardest hit, since recovered videos were often from overseas prints, and overseas markets were less interested in ordering prints of stories about the history of Western civilization. Some sci-fis were lost, but historical were hardest-hit… very few of them are intact.

Now that we have vanquished the reconstructions at last with the completion of the final missing serial (depending on how you view Tom Baker's Shada, which was never finished in the first place), The Space Pirates- having already survived the Series-5-end ‘Hump,’ I thought it would be appropriate to look back at the reconstructions past. If you’re not interested in a look at each of the comparative reconstructions, then skip to the bottom for a slightly different, audience-participation discussion.

(Now, keep in mind, when I look at whether the enjoyability or watchability was affected… it always is, by watching stills. These will always be less enjoyable than seeing the real thing- what this section evaluates is whether the story was more affected than the norm, if reconstructedness detracts beyond the simple less-enjoyable nature and does something to actively steal away an element of the story.)

Marco Polo
How much was lost? All of it. The whole thing. All 7 episodes. Not even any clips.
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Loose Canon
How did the reconstruction stack up? It was very nice, though basic- unique in that it was comprised entirely of color photos, giving us our first taste of color Who very early on. I’d call it a very good average baseline.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? I don’t think so. Pacing and length episodes still plagued the show at this juncture, which dragged down the overall enjoyability, but I don’t think having it in video would affect that much.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Yes, this was the first historical… and the first historical casualty.

Reign of Terror
How much was lost? Episodes 4 and 5 (of 6 total)
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Loose Canon
How did the reconstruction stack up? It was decent, but suffered from a strange overuse of the same closing-door half-second clip every time someone entered or exited a room. Got kind of annoying after a while.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? No, it was largely unaffected, thankfully.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? No- this season-ender and first on-location shooting serial preserved all of the important bits in video.
Note: An animated reconstruction of this one (like the Invasion) will be coming out in fall!

The Crusade

How much was lost? Episodes 2 and 4 of 4 (1 and 3 are intact)
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Loose Canon
How did the reconstruction stack up? Absolutely average.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Not especially- actually, the performances really shone through this one despite the reconstruction, putting this one a bit above-average.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Nope, just another run-of-the-mill lost historical…
Note: Follows a mercifully intact second series, and a long absence of missing episodes.

Galaxy 4
How much was lost? Everything, all 4 episodes (Minus a 5-min stretch in Episode 1). (Actually, Episode 3 has just been found- but not generally released yet.)
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Loose Canon
How did the reconstruction stack up? Masterfully done and technically flawless, with filmed inserts and the like- this was above average, in the top tier.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Not in the slightest. The story would have been absolute unwatchable garbage regardless.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? No video of the alien creatures, exploding planet, or generally, this series-premiere.
Note: It’s RUBBISH!!!

Mission to the Unknown
How much was lost? Every frame of the single episode.
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Loose Canon
How did the reconstruction stack up? Very well, above average.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story?  A bit, yes. This story is carried by visuals- actions and performances. Both are sadly lost.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? This whole episode is a milestone, the only stand-alone episode of the serial era, and a prequel to the Daleks’ Master Plan.


The Myth Makers
How much was lost? All 4 episodes in their entirety.
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Loose Canon
How did the reconstruction stack up? Pacing and entertainment wise? Far below average, one of Loose Canon’s worst. Technically, and considering extenuating circumstances (see below)? One of their finest, and in the top tier, considering.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Only slightly- there were SO FEW stills (see below). However, most of the humor managed to transcend stills.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Vicki’s departure, Katarina’s arrival, the Trojan horse model.
Note: No telesnaps exist for this serial, making every image seen a photoshop composite. Viewed in that light, it’s an impressive technical achievement! It’s still just not a very good reconstruction to watch.

The Daleks’ Master Plan
How much was lost? Everything except for episodes 2, 5, and 10 (out of 12 total, 9 are lost, and 3 are saved).
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Loose Canon for the win!
How did the reconstruction stack up? Phenomenal and incredible- probably the best of the best.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? No, save for Episode 7 (the Christmas episode) which was predominantly visual. It’s still a GREAT watch.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Plenty. The first companion deaths, Dalek mutants, the volcanic planet, the first Christmas special, etc.

The Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Eve
How much was lost? All 4 episodes, every last bit.
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Loose Canon
How did the reconstruction stack up? Slightly below average; a little sparse.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? A bit, yes. Only a bit, though- it was pretty dull regardless of video or still.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? The introduction of *shudder* Dodo… and Hartnell’s dual role.

The Celestial Toymaker
How much was lost? Episodes 1-3 of 4… the final episode survives.
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Loose Canon
How did the reconstruction stack up? Not so hot, unfortunately. Well below average, though that may be due to lack of material.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Yes. This was a very visual story. It was still good, but it could have been amazing in motion.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Not really.

The Savages
How much was lost? All 4 episodes, barring teeny-tiny scraps of video.
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Butterfly Productions…?
How did the reconstruction stack up? Ugh! It was HORRIBLE!
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Yes. Get the Loose Canon version if you want to check it out- don’t watch the others!!!
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Jano’s Hartnell impressions, Steven’s departure.

The Smugglers
How much was lost? All 4 episodes, minus, amusingly, every death scene. Due to surviving censor clips cut out of the print, everyone but the main villain dies in video.
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Loose Canon
How did the reconstruction stack up? Very average.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Not especially, though I’d’ve loved to see the Tarot scene…
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? The last regular First Doctor serial.

The Tenth Planet
How much was lost? Episode 4 of 4. The first 3 are intact, but the big regeneration episode…
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Official BBC reconstruction
How did the reconstruction stack up? Above average- the images were slide-show standard, but with a nice slick-looking animated frame.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Not at all, surprisingly!
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? THE FIRST REGENERATION!!!

The Power of the Daleks
How much was lost? All 6 episodes, minus small clips.
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Youtube
How did the reconstruction stack up? Slightly above average, with some nice innovations- but also one SERIOUSLY Uncanny Valley Lesterson
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? A bit, yes. Much of Troughton’s post-regeneration performance is silent… and lost.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? The First Troughton story!

The Highlanders
How much was lost? All 4 episodes
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Unknown fan production
How did the reconstruction stack up? Below average.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Yes. So many of the Doctor’s excellent impressions and roles are strongly visual, this is one of the wrost-suffering serials for it.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Jamie’s first serial. The final historical.

The Underwater Menace

How much was lost? Episode 1 and 4 of 4- Episodes 2 and 3 survived.
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Unknown fan production
How did the reconstruction stack up? Average.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Not especially, though some model work and set design that would have been interesting was lost.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? No.

The Moonbase
How much was lost? Episodes 1 and 3 of 4.
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Youtube
How did the reconstruction stack up? Average.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Not especially.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Nope.

The Macra Terror
How much was lost? The whole dang 4-episode ball of wax.
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Youtube
How did the reconstruction stack up? Slightly below average; very dark and grainy.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Yes, it was hard to tell what was being seen.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? The Macra!


The Faceless Ones
How much was lost? Everything except for episodes 1 and 3 (out of 6).
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Loose Canon
How did the reconstruction stack up? Average.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Not in the slightest- still 100% enjoyable despite the reconstruction.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? The departure of Ben and Polly.

The Evil of the Daleks
How much was lost? All but episode 2 (of 7).
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Youtube
How did the reconstruction stack up? Average
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? A little bit, with Jamie’s trials and the playing Daleks, which would've been great to see.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Victoria’s introduction.

The Abominable Snowmen
How much was lost? All but episode 2 and a smattering of clips (Out of 6).
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Youtube
How did the reconstruction stack up? Above average
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Somewhat, but the reconstruction compensated for it very well.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Introduction of the Yeti and Professor Travers. Padmasambavar.


The Ice Warriors
How much was lost? Episodes 2 and 3 (out of 6).
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Official BBC
How did the reconstruction stack up? It was PHENOMENAL.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? It compressed both episodes to 15 mins. total, but in exchange, kept the pace so that it wasn’t dull.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? No.

The Enemy of the World
How much was lost? All but Episode 3 (of 6).
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Youtube
How did the reconstruction stack up? Average.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Yes, a bit- the episodes would be so much better if you could SEE the dual performances!
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? The Troughton dual role, HELICOPTERS, and the into-the-void finale.


The Web of Fear
How much was lost? All but episode 1 (of 6)
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Youtube
How did the reconstruction stack up? Poor.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Yes, it was practically unwatchable. Way too visual for audio and dark screenshots.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? First appearance of the Brigadier, return of the Yeti.

Fury from the Deep
How much was lost? All 6 (minus a few clips), more’s the pity…
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Youtube
How did the reconstruction stack up? Above average.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? No, the reconstruction managed to make up for it quite admirably.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Victoria’s departure, HELICOPTER.


The Wheel In Space
How much was lost? All but episodes 3 and 6 (of 6)
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Youtube
How did the reconstruction stack up? Above average.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? Not especially.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Zoe’s introduction, the TARDIS compression.

The Invasion
How much was lost? Episodes 1 and 4 (out of 8)
Whose reconstruction did we watch? DVD Animation
How did the reconstruction stack up? PERFECT!
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? No, the animated segments only enhanced it!
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? HELICOPTER!!!!



The Space Pirates
How much was lost? All but Episode 2 (out of 6)
Whose reconstruction did we watch? Youtube
How did the reconstruction stack up? Well above average.
Did the reconstruction-nature of the serial affect the watchability or enjoyability of the story? No, not really- it was a great recon.
Any notable moments or milestone lost to the ages in this one? Nope! Just the last reconstruction.

And last, but not least, in looking back at the Doctor Who reconstructions, the question of ranking came up. So... though even contemplating this is probably just in the realm of futile self-torture, I got to thinking: if you had the abillity to restore 3 of the lost serials in their entirety, (and yes, three is a completely arbitrary number) at the cost of ensuring that three other reconstructeds would never, ever be found in the history of the world... which would you choose? The answers of our review team are below, but I’d be very interested in seeing yours, so leave a comment!

For my picks...
Restore:
The Faceless Ones (Still the best 2nd Doctor story of it's season, in my opinion)
Dalek Master Plan (A deserving epic!)
The Myth Makers (Doctor Who's best comedy needs to be seen, darn it!)

I know, Marco Polo should, by rights be on the list, but... I enjoy the other stories so much more, so I'm selfish. :-)  Likewise, Tenth Planet's regeneration scene, Enemy of the World's dual performances, and the Celestial Toymakers' visual setpieces are tempting runner-ups, but if I had to pick three- there they be.

Lose:
I suppose converting the Dominators and the Sensorites into missing serials to take the hit would go against my own rules? *SIGH*

Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve  (As I can never watch it without wanting to wring Gaston's neck anyhow...)
Web of Fear (it's probably a good story with visuals, and the first Brig before he was the brig, but...)
Galaxy 4 (Go to heck, Galaxy 4! You SUCK!!!)

So, those are my picks... what would yours be?

My wife's:
Restore:
Celestial Toymaker
Enemy of the World
Marco Polo

Lose:
The Highlanders
The Savages
Galaxy 4

My brother-in-law’s:
Keep:
The Daleks’ Master Plan
The Highlanders
The Celestial Toymaker

Lose:
Galaxy 4
Marco Polo
The Macra Terror


Emily Carter (Pre-eminent Doctor Who expert from nitcentral.com):
Keep:
The Daleks’ Master Plan
Power of the Daleks
Evil of the Daleks

Lose:
Galaxy 4
Reign of Terror
Space Pirates

So, besides the fact that my brother-in-law is clearly a Who heretic, what can we infer from this? The Celestial Toymaker was a near-universal choice for keeping, and Daleks’ Master Plan a strong contender- they seem to be the most sought after in our three-person survey, with strong Troughton serials (often containing episodes where he portrays more than one role) comprising the majority of the remainder. For the losses? We each have one serial at least that the other 2/the fan community at large would probably consider it shocking and heretical to condemn (Highlanders, Marco Polo, Web of Fear), and, most importantly of all: Nobody likes Galaxy 4.

Doctor Who: The Space Pirates

Serial Title: The Space Pirates
Series: 6
Episodes: 6
Doctor: Patrick Troughton 
Companions: Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines), Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury)

Synopsis:
All’s not quiet on the final frontier. A group of no good Argonite rustlers has moved into the quadrant, and General Hermack aims to catch ‘em. This sector ain’t big enough for the two of them.
The Good: The Earth Space Corps, aboard the cruiser V-41, are out to put a stop to these pirates.
The Bad: Space pirates, led by Caven, are destroying Space Beacons and absconding with the parts to melt them down for their valuable Argonite hulls.
The Ugly: Grizzled space prospector Milo Clancey just wants to be left alone. He’s been hassled by these pirate varmints long enough, and Earth’s only taking an interest now that their own claims are in jeopardy. But bein’ in the wrong place at the wrong time, seems those space cowboys from Earth think HE done it…

And speakin of the wrong place and the wrong time, pardner, let me tell ya ‘bout that there Doctor and his friends. They get themselves into a right mess, all right, yessiree- materializin’ onboard a gol-danged beacon just before it blows. Now, they can thank their lucky stars, as these bandits t’weren’t usin’ no conventional explosives, but a magnetic device that just plum separates the modular sections that the beacons were assembled from, with attached thruster packs flying the floating formation o’ separated modules through space like a fancied-up ballet, headed for their planet o' operations. But, dagnabbit, the Doctor and his pals end up in the wrong section, separated from their TARDIS. If that don’t beat all.

Thankfully, ol’ Milo comes to their rescue. Now, trust doesn’t come easily at first, but when the Space Corps move in to take him up the river, an’ he puts his ship in giddyap and leaves those Corpsmen in the dust, well, you better believe they realize they’re gonna have to become fast friends, because they’re stuck with each other. Yessir. Yessir, they are.

They make tracks for the planet Ta, run by Madeleine Issigiri and her mining operations, a pretty little thing whose father used to be Milo’s partner. She’s always up an’ blamed him for her pa’s death. And now, the conivin’ little floozie is in cahoots with the bandits! Setting down to refuel, the TARDIS posse soon stumbles onto the whole operation, and get themselves into a lick o’ trouble when they get aptured for their trouble (all save for ol’ Milo).

That Varmint Caven re-routes some of the modules that were bein’ tracked over to Lobos, Milo’s claim, to throw suspicion onto him. After a while, the Corps find their way back to Ta, thinkin’ that Clancey is the guilty party. Milo frees the group and they up and head to Madeleine’s HQ, but they’re a mite bit too slow, and the pirates shanghai ‘em once again. They’re locked in a library, the old sanctum of Dom Issigiri, Madeleine’s pa, but the old cuss ain’t dead, just imprisoned all these long years by Caven and his pirates. Madeleine didn’t know this, and the pirates use this as mighty powerful leverage to get her to cooperate. They stick all'a the good guys aboard Milo’s ship, which they plan to remote-pilot to attack the Corps vessel in a suicide run to cover their own cowardly escape... and which they've also sabotaged so that everyone aboard Milo's ship will be dead by the time they’re captured, leaving the Corps to think that they’ve caught and killed the pirates... taking the heat off so that Caven and his band can resume operations after the Corps’ve left.

The TARDIS posse escapes, leavin’ just Milo and Dom aboard the doomed ship. The pirates, now desperate, plant bombs in the Issisgiri reactor room, reckoning that the resultin’ blast’ll blow both the escapees and the investigatin’ Corps ship sky-high. But the Doctor’s able to patch things up right nice, defusin’ the bomb and talkin’ Milo through emergency repairs. He an’ Dom land back to safety as the Corps catches up to the fleein’ pirate ship and meets out frontier justice. With the pirates blown to kingdom come, Madeleine off to the lockup (but happy knowin’ her pa is still alive), and Milo exonerated, the Doctor and his posse ride off into the sunset…


Review:

The Space Pirates, the final Reconstruction/Lost Episode, is an old western tale of a group of bandits robbing the stage coaches, the grizzled old prospector accused of the deed, the cavalry riding into town while aimin’ for a hanging, and the pretty girl who runs her dear departed Pa’s saloon turning out to not be so innocent… in space. (Sometime not too long before 2471, as per the later serial Colony In Space).

The storyline is unusual; an odd duck that almost feels like a Mission To The Unknown-style backdoor pilot - in that its only in the last few minutes of the first episode that the Doctor and co. arrive, and we seem to spend almost as much time on Milo and the Space Corps as we do on the TARDIS crew. And there’s a good reason; like the Krotons before it and the War Games after, this was written as a hasty replacement for a cancelled story. With that in mind, I think it turned out rather well (though its structure is understandably simplistic). Still, the characters are interesting- Milo in particular- and I feel it works. And the concepts expressed in the opening episodes are very clever- the 'explosion' and parallel pieces being explained with a very good grasp of space physics, the EM Field and poles concept working quite well... it's all very clever. More or less the Doctor and co are marooned, picked up, trail the pirates back to their lair, get captured, and must escape to warn the Space Corps of the pirates’ treachery before it can be enacted. Pretty simple, nice and fun. Made so mostly by its characters:

Ah, Milo, you funny, strange little man. You are played by a Brit trying to do a Texan, resulting in a very strange 'stuffy twang' all its own. You're a crusty old west gold prospector... in space. You have a control console on your main bridge devoted entirely to breakfast... including a built-in egg dispenser. You've got canny tricks with your copper needles, and a slightly stingy heart of gold. You're a walking cliche... from a totally different genre, transplanted into a completely foreign context, which makes you so much fun to watch! You're the Star Trek 'Wagon Train To The Stars' space-western concept taken astoundingly literally, right alongside more traditional sci-fi 'space patrol' authorities and typical Flash Gordon-era space pirates (albeit with a little less swashbuckling than Flash Gordon era villains would have had. But those hats...)

And not just funny bucket/Cossack hats, and the traditional complaining-underling-has-minutes-left-to-live-mentality; but even the dialogue and method of acting- these are old-school raiders, black-hatted and moustache-twirling, evil profit-driven blackguards with no respect for life (and very little intelligence in their tactics- if you’re only keeping your partner in line and from blowing your cover by threatening her father’s life, then what are you planning to do after you kill him?) and increasingly outrageous demands. The perfect foil for the science-based, mod space squad of the Space Corps.

These jumpsuited, hard-science spewing, authoritarian, jumpsuited… errr… semi-protagonists? Macguffins? Folks? …are straight of out of ‘Modern’ Who at this point, the sort of stiff, partially-science-based, rigidly structured, authoritarian, militaristic space police/command staff that the Doctor’s encountered in a dozen scenarios from 'The Dalek Master Plan' to 'The Moonbase.' The  transposing of three different eras and flavors of sci-fi ('classic' 'modern (in 1969)', and an across-the-pond re-imagining of 'Star Trek') makes for an interesting and colorful mix-up that does well to hold its own even without our main characters.

The Egyptian-head-dressed villainess is not quite the stock villain’s-partner-with-a-conscience, nor quite the clichéd ‘partner in over their head that didn’t sign on for this level of villainy,’ but close enough to both to avoid being all that interesting, though her performance and unique position as a personal friend of the Space Corps commander do make for a unique character not totally worthy of the dismissal that her stock role might imply. Her father, on the other hand, is 100% stock crazy-wildman-living-in-isolation, through-and-through. Ben Gun already covered the same ground better.

As for our heroes… Zoe has a great moment when she reveals that she calculated the trajectory and course of the hijacked satellites in her head, factoring in every variable that the Doctor can object with... much to his annoyance. It's a clever use of her genius status that doesn't fall into Wesley Crusher 'annoying' territory. For once she’s not the ankle-twister (that honor going to Jamie this time), but still spends most of the story following rather than acting.

Jamie is once again the brash protector- which gets him shot- but also the voice of reason, advising the Doctor (wisely) to just get in and leave immediately for once, as this place seems to be trouble. Jamie is gaining a worldly-wise understanding of the universe to compliment his canny survival skills- technological ignorance is still a difficulty in his travels with the Doctor, perhaps, but he's more than compensated for it with a streetwise understanding of the way the universe operates no matter where you land (and a dry wit), recognizing the patterns after his long period of travel in the TARDIS, and issuing the sage we-ought-to-know-better-this-time advice that the Doctor would do well to listen to. If only he ever did. But, with the benefits of the Doctor's continuing parental role comes that slight tendency to sometimes fail and recognize when a child has grown up, and to discount their opinions by habit, having spent years shaping them in immaturity; not recognizing that perhaps they have begun to reach some of that maturity for which you strove to teach them, and bear heeding.

Ach. My character reviews are becoming more like eulogies the closer we get to the departure point for this entire era.

The Doctor himself is his usual flustered self, crafting a clever but not-quite-right solution to the satellite situation, taking charge in the pirate lair, fashioning a very clever escape for the trapped group, having some fun banter with Zoe (in the trajectory calculations) and Jamie (with the tuning fork lock), and suiting up in a hazmat suit to go and perform the critical finale bomb-defusal. A mixture of humorous mistakes and strong competency combine to make this a good- if somewhat average in terms of characterization- serial for the Doctor.

On the technical side of things, the model shots are fairly numerous and impressive. If the budget difficulties of Series 6 still existed, I see little evidence of them- effects are plentiful, so are sets- I suppose the costumes were traded off a bit, but still, this feels like a big-budget epic rather than a penny-pincher. Designs are unique- from the flat, swooping patrol ship to the needle-nosed dart craft (Perhaps Strargate's Wraith were Space Pirates fans...?) to the Saturn V-esque prospector rocket to the space buoys, whose top half seems to be a kit bash of the upper stage of the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), the half of the moon lander that blasts off again to rejoin the capsule and service module in lunar orbit. So major kudos on those.

The pacing is perhaps a little on the slow side, but I suspect without the reconstruction-ness slowing things down, it would be a decently-paced serial; not the cream-of-the-crop in this aspect, but certainly at or above the average.

The reconstruction is stellar, combining 2D image manipulation of model shots, 3D modeling and compositing, re-purposing of model shots from the single remaining chapter, footage (originally shot? borrowed?) flipped on different axes (the astronauts putting on the thrusters) to keep them fresh, animated console screens, radar trackers, and blinking lights in the background of the still images, animated doors opening (with shadows) over the actors standing in the door frame, animated gauges and readouts for closeups, images on comm. screens that fade out and change... this one has it all; I think it has to be based on a Loose Cannon production, with the book-on-tape-esque narrated version added in. Though I could be giving some private reconstructor too little credit. Regardless, it pulls out every stop and gives us one of the most impressive reconstructions we've ever seen, at the very least, the best since Dalek Master Plan. It's a stellar recon, and the perfect high note to finish off the last of the reconstructions in!


Great moments:
The Doctor’s failed attempt to attract the segments, his bomb defusal at the end, and most especially, his improvised prison-break.


Rating:
So, overall, a 5 out of 5 reconstruction caps off this ‘last of the lost,’ a story that ranks a little lower in the 3.5 out of 5 Bickering Dominators, simply for not being all that exemplary in any particular area- but higher than average due to a unique mix of eras and character blends that give this unique serial a flavor all of its own.

Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death

Serial Title: The Seeds of Death
Series: 6
Episodes: 6
Doctor: Patrick Troughton 
Companions: Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines), Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury)


Synopsis:
The Moon, in the LATE 21st CENTURY- STOP THAT!!!- the Moonbase (not the Moonbase from “The Moonbase,” though perhaps its forerunner?) This lonely outpost is the coordinating and relay system for T-Mat, the global teleporter system that we saw being pioneered in The Dalek Master Plan. (Possibly). A ship docks, and from it emerge a combat squad of Ice Warriors, who take over the base! Heroic leader Osgood sabotages the controls, preventing them from taking T-Mat, and they kill him for it. Cowardly Fewsham values his life above all else, however, and gets to work on invalidating his superior’s (in every sense of the word) sacrifice by repairing the controls in exchange for an extended lifespan.

When Earth control loses contact, Commander Radnor, head of T-Mat, and his assistant, Controller Gia Kelly, become concerned. After some attempts to rectify things for the globally crucial Moonbase, they hit upon a crazy idea- seek out Professor Eldred, an eccentric old scientist who has always opposed the T-Mat project and instead heralds an outmoded and abandoned form of transportation: rockets. Perhaps he can design one to shoot them to the moon to go and repair the base? However, when they arrive, Eldred is already entertaining visitors: The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe, who have just materialized in his museum. In the ensuing conversation, we learn that Eldred has already been building a rocket for himself, and the Doctor convinces them to put he and his companions as the crew- along with Eldred, who is needed on Earth, he is one of the few people in this futuristic world to understand the operation of rockets.

The Rocket launches as Earth’s cities begin to experience critical shortages. The T-Mat is briefly repaired by Fewsham, and Controller Kelly takes a team up to the Moonbase just before the system goes down again. Meanwhile, Phipps, one of Fewsham’s coworkers who refused to aid the Ice Warriors, has escaped, and takes down one of the Ice Warriors with a solar energy trap, a power cell rigged to vaporize the alien. Kelly escapes her new Ice Warrior captors and meets up with Phipps, as do Zoe and Jamie, upon arrival- however, the Doctor is captured and exposed to the poisonous gas of a ‘seed’, one of which is T-Matted down to London control; these are the Ice Warrior’s invasion tools, which will spread a fungus which depletes oxygen- killing humans and terraforming Earth to be more like their native Mars. The seed is followed by an Ice Warrior, who assaults the Weather Control Bureau and takes control of it.

Fewsham is order to T-Mat the Doctor into space, but secretly transports him elsewhere within the base, instead. Then, the T-mat breaks again, for some reason. With the unconscious Doctor safe, the TARDIS group, Kelly, and Phipps decide to attack the Ice Warriors by turning up the heating. On a mission to the control room, Phipps is killed (poor guy), and Fewsham musters enough backbone to delay an Ice Warrior and allow Zoe’s escape. He then repairs the T-Mat again, and, while the Ice Warriors are incapacitated by the heat, sends all of the survivors back to London- but stays behind, knowing the consequences of his traitorous actions await him back on Earth. Instead, once the Ice Warriors get the heat down, he activates a video link and allows everyone on the planet to hear the Ice Warrior’s plans: They plan to use the Moonbase to transmit a signal to guide in their invasion fleet. Once this trick is discovered, Fewsham is killed.


The recovered Doctor discovers that fungus can be destroyed by water- the teraforming can be halted if they make it rain. Zoe and Jamie set out on their own for the Weather Control Bureau, and when the Doctor learns that they’ve gone, and that it is where the Ice Warrior is, he runs off to their rescue. Though locked outside with growing poisonous fumes (while a murderous Ice Warrior chases Zoe and Jamie inside), he manages to get inside soon enough to lead the Ice Warrior on a chase and eventually replicate Phipps’ solar energy weapon, destroying the warrior.

A plan to launch a satellite to serve as a new temporary T-Mat hub is co-opted into converting the satellite into a beacon, replicating the Ice Warriors’, to lead their fleet astray. The beacon is launched, though drowned out by its real Moonbase counterpart. The Doctor, a portable rigged version of the solar weapon in hand (and draped over his back and shoulders in a messy tangle of cables and wires), T-Mats up to the Moonbase to disable the real beacon. After dispatching several ice Warriors, he attempts to do just that, the steady, rhythmic beeping signaling impending doom- but the Ice Warriors thwart his attempts before he can succeed. The arriving fleet hails Slaar, the Ice Warrior leader (Yeah, now I give you his name, at the END of the synopsis)... cursing his name, as his beacon has led them all to fly into the sun! A triumphant Doctor reveals that while he couldn’t shut off the beacon, he did disconnect it from the Moonbase transmitting antenna- the slow, rhythmic beeping of the functioning beacon that they can hear can only be heard in that room, leaving the airwaves outside free for the decoy beacon to lead the fleet astray. As his explanation finishes, Jamie T-Mats up to follow the Doctor and dispatches the remaining Ice Warriors, and the invasion is ended.


Review:
The Seeds of Death is a variation on the Invasion-of-an-isolated-base theme, even returning to the moon as a location, but it is a very fresh and original take on the notion- as the story starts, the invasion has already occurred, and our heroes have to reach the base and besiege it themselves in order to take it back. There’s a man in hiding that you're rooting for, interesting characters on the ground, a weaselly little traitor who you're just begging to receive his comeuppance, and a rocket trip to boot! This one has it all!

It starts with a very cool opening graphic- the flare of the sun being eclipsed by the surface of the moon, with the camera then emerging on the other side of the moon to see the Earth hanging into space. To keep things moving, each of the 6 episodes alternates mirroring the same shot, adding variety to an already impressive graphic- each also ends up either moving behind the moon to focus on the Earth, or moving behind the Earth to focus on the moon- depending on where the story is taking place.

The Ice Warriors make their grand return- just as obnoxiously cruel as before, but at least a bit more interesting this time- goofy and lumpy save for their leader, who sports a more streamlined design with some great face makeup. (And their supreme leader, who sports a Michael Jackson styling). Their annoying, scratchy, hissy voices are at least a break from the standard flanging voices of the Cybermen and Daleks (Old Who had a talent for vocal variety) and, though somewhat grating, are a memorable trait for the warrior race. Their compression-ray weapon effect, while sometimes slightly off-center and missing the mark, is visually striking and very unique- I'd love to see a New Series update in which (like the Dalek rays) the effect happens only to the individual and not the whole shot- that would be the height of absolutely awesome. Combined with a unique weapon sound, it conspires to make the Ice Warriors an incredibly memorable race- unlike their first appearance, this one was probably the one that cemented them as a fan favorite in the Doctor's rogues gallery- though hopefully future appearances will be a little less noxious. Even so, some great moments- like the Ice Warrior silhouetted against the sun, advancing menacingly- or the fantastic cliffhanger in which one advances menacingly on Zoe, herself a silhouette (holy cow, what a cliffhanger that was!)- definitely leave a striking impression on the memory. Likewise for the solar energy beam trap that dispatches several Ice Warriors- the classic Who photo-negative combined with some excellent and effective editing (I can't imagine how much of a pain that must've been to edit in the non-digital film-splicing era!) making for an excellent payoff death-scene to culminate a series of tense hunts; the sheer spectacle of it brings a triumphant emotional cap to the respective scenes it climaxes- very, very well done.

Sharing co-villain status in this film is... foam. Errr... didn't we do this already? It feels a little repetitive to Fury from the Deep, but the usage in this one- especially rising in lethal, suffocating waves as the Doctor pounds on the door to the weather control station- as well as the fact that we saw very little of Fury from the Deep in video form- work together to keep the foam menace from feeling stale.

That said, characters are the strength of this serial- from the crotchety old professor who still believes in rocketry (though is absurdly contrary and negative- "Stop handing me the means to realize my dreams on a silver platter, blast it- it'll never work!!!"), the self-sacrificial and heroic moon base leader, who sabotages the controls and then smugly turns to inform the Ice Warriors that they've blown a circuit- knowing full well he is likely about to be killed for his actions in protecting the Earth, the crew chief and his efficient and no-nonsense second in command, the man left behind (who, for whatever reason in his writing, is kept interesting and a compelling character- as opposed to the standard stock generic crew character- so that you really, truly do care about what happens to him and whether he survives- kudos to the writers!) and even the weaselly little traitor, that pathetic subhuman scum who negates the commander's sacrifice and practically dooms Earth with the plaintive plea of "They would have killed me otherwise!" (Then die, you repulsive scum-! Show some backbone and take it like a man, rather than putting your life above every other person on Earth's.) Still, even the loathsome toad gets some measure of redemption- though his sudden decision to self-sacrifice and clever information transmitting don't begin to make up for his detestable actions, they do offer him some measure of humanity and a chance to rectify his attitude in the end. So, while I can hardly call him a hero in the end- more a traitor whose guilt finally gets the better of him for his heinous crimes- he at least does something heroic in the end.

This story was chosen to represent Troughton’s Doctor on the 40th Anniversary collection… and I can see why! The Doctor is a relatively subdued presence in this one until the last few episodes… but then he becomes a gung-ho action hero- the Doctor running to Zoe and Jamie's rescue was AWESOME, and his action-hero bit on the satellite... well, the Doctor literally blows an Ice Warrior away with his weapons, and directs a battlefleet into the sun- a somewhat more bloodthirsty Doctor than we're used to from the New Series! Still, it's an awesome aspect to his character- a gung-ho, take-charge Doctor on the warpath! Plus we have slapstick (an in the chase), problem-solving, and genius… a lot of all-around character aspects! Some very impressive stuff... oh, how I shall miss this Doctor...

Zoe has a great scene with the map-in-her-head, bringing her smarts to work, and Jamie has some nice comic relief, especially when the Doctor is trying to locate the door controls as an Ice Warrior advances menacingly (a tense and exciting scene, trapped in the weather control station), and Jamie reaches over to try the most prominent- turning off the lights, instead. His sheepish just-trying-to-help response and the Doctor's irritated "No, Jamie!" really made for a great comic relief moment- one gets the impression that the Doctor is tiring slightly of Jamie's technological ignorance. But, as always, his heart's in the right place and he's trying, so all is forgiven.

There are plenty of centerpieces to enjoy- from the aforementioned Doctor action moments to the comic chase scene in the moon base (with some great slapstick moments for the Doctor) to the rocket liftoff… it’s just conceptually really cool. And while the shots of the rocket with the Earth receding behind are perhaps more ambitious than they could actually achieve (the focus is off, and the stars end at a certain point, leaving just empty black surrounding them), they are nice ‘conceptual eye candy.’ The episode-ending Rocket flyby was a pretty good model shot, too. The satellites look good, and the locator signal plan (with the Doctor cutting the previously established moonbase-power to the transmitter, leaving the signal apparently going to those in the control room, but not transmitting beyond) was a clever and exciting story element. They make a game attempt at simulating weightlessness on a budget of $0, too. (Actually, the fact that the apparently low budget of this series- circumvented by re-using the Ice Warrior costumes, and evidenced by the relatively few sets in this serial- allowed for a serial of this scale is impressive. Krotons had to trade costumes for sets, and Dominators apparently had to trade new Quark costumes for being interesting, but this one thrives remarkably well during the restrictions!)

Okay, there were a few flaws- there’s only a single manual control panel without backups for the entire weather-control system of planet Earth? What the heck happened with that beaming-the-Doctor-into-space bit? The T-mat effect is lackluster to say the least (a simple jump cut that usually suffers from lighting fluctuations). The idiot who runs away from cover and out into the open instead of ducking behind said cover when an Ice Warrior points a gun at him. And clearly another actor-vacation as the Doctor is out for a good long while after exposure to the seed pod. But still, these flaws are few and far-between in an otherwise engaging invasion story… which is a surprising rarity amongst the many invasion stories of the Second Doctor’s run.

(Also, while I can’t take credit for noticing this- the wiki pointed it out- the T-mat technology in this episode may well be the same technology system being tested in the Daleks Master Plan, making the Doctor the first T-mat passenger, there at its birth and its re-imagining here…)

While Seeds of Death isn’t the character masterpiece that Krotons was, it’s filled with engaging characters (main and supporting), a strong story, a fine showcase for the Ice Warriors incorporating many unique and memorable elements, and some really nice story twists, effects, and cliffhangers. Plus, the Doctor gets to play action hero. Really, this is one not to miss.


Great moments:
The heroic commander. Rocket launch. Springing the trap on the Ice Warriors. The Zoe cliffhanger. And many more- most especially, the Doctor running to the rescue.


Rating:
4.5 out of 5 Bickering Dominators for the invasion-done-right story of the Seeds of Death, which, despite a few small shortcomings, manages to entertain, engage, and even surprise- one can only imagine what the teleporter/rocket/model-heavy episode (with supposed globe-spanning invasion) could have been with a modern FX budget to truly capture the scope that its script implies! Even so, what’s there, on a character and personal level, is very, very good- another highly recommended adventure from the Second Doctor’s era, and one of the few high recommendations that can actually be watched in full motion!

Plus, the original title of this serial was “The Lords of the Red Planet,” which is a title so cool that it bestows points on the serial even though it was never used.

Doctor Who: The Krotons

Serial Title: The Krotons
Series: 6
Episodes: 4
Doctor: Patrick Troughton 
Companions: Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines), Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury)


Synopsis:
The best and the brightest of the Gonds’ newest graduating class are congratulated by being sent to be with the Krotons, alien visitors from space who benevolently watch over them. Only, unbeknownst to the public at large, the Krotons really just sending them out into the desert and then killing them with acid. The TARDIS lands on this unnamed planet in this unspecified time (it’s getting worse), just in time to save one of this years’ crop, Vana, and reunite her with her boyfriend Thara, who already suspected something was up and tried to prevent her departure.

The Gonds are shocked to find out that their alien visitors are actually their slavemasters, who have been keeping them in servitude by executing their most intelligent pupils every year and keeping the populace dumb. They also control Gond education with machines- which a band of angry Gond youth then begin to smash apart. As they barely escape Kroton retribution, naïve Zoe dons one of the teaching helmets to test her intelligence. She scores well- marking her for death. The Doctor quickly dons another headset and scores highly in order to follow her, and the two are forced into the Kroton spacecraft, beyond which lies the acid jets. Before being sent out to their deaths, they are brought into a control chamber, where a mind-draining device awaits them; the Doctor manages to circumvent it, ensuring that they aren’t reduced to vegetables as the soon-to-die Gond students are each year. The bypassed device, which converts mental power into energy, is still able to take sufficient power from their intelligence (far higher than the meager pickings of the Gonds) to carry out a portion of its function- two crystalline Krotons are constituted out of a base-chemical slush, their version of suspended animation.

The reanimated Krotons note that the escaped Zoe and the Doctor were not Gonds (something their auto-computer wasn’t smart enough to recognize) and decide to recapture them, starting by capturing Jamie. Meanwhile, the Gonds engage in some Strife & Politics (I can’t use my acronym because they aren’t villains). They eventually decide on acid, a forbidden branch of learning, as the optimum course of action, with the Doctor’s help. Eelek, the security chief, and Beta, a scientist, spearhead this effort- while Selris, current leader, hesitates and waits. No problem, though, as Eelek gets himself elected new leader. (See? Strife & Politics). Eelek then plans a frontal assault that Selris deems suicide- Selris goes to Beta and formulates a plan to attack support pillars beneath the Kroton ship instead.

The Krotons believe that they destroy the TARDIS, but the HADS (Hostile Action Displacement System) preserves it, and Jamie escapes to join his friends. The assault of the Gonds draws a Kroton out, and Eelek sells out the Doctor and Zoe, who the Kroton demands, in exchange for getting the aliens to leave. Selris dives under the closing door to deliver the first completed bottle of acid, and is killed for his troubles. (Eeeek! Leaving that skunk Eelek the leader? Dang, Selris got robbed!)

As the Doctor stalls the Krotons with doublespeak, Zoe pours the acid into the crystal slush tank, poisoning the Krotons, who also use it as a sort of lifeline/air tank. Simultaneously, Jamie and Beta pour great vats onto the Kroton ship from a towering cliff, and it begins to dissolve. The Krotons are defeated (though not destroyed; they apparently can’t be), and Thara (Selris’ son, and Vana’s lover) ascends to the leadership position as Eelek is booted out in disgrace.


Review:

The Krotons is possessed of an odd, misshapen narrative structure. The plot is a bit simplistic (Bad guys demand sacrifice- which I totally saw coming- then Doctor and Zoe go inside, then they escape but Jamie is inside- he escapes as the others make a weapon to stop the bad guys, Doctor and Zoe go in again to sabotage, the end)- due to this story being a hastily written replacement for another cancelled story (the real shock, all things considered, being that the wreck known as “The Dominators” WASN’T a hasty replacement, and that it actually SURVIVED cancellation!) For whatever reasons, its sets and costumes remind me of the Underwater Menace and its Atlantean civilization - but the villains have unique, creative, and very cool designs reminiscent of the mysterious and equally cool Tholians premiering around the same time in the US on the original Star Trek. Their outfits and design, with the spinning crystals, are very well-designed and realized- though the bottom, which is clearly just a draped choir robe of some sort, lets the rest down a little bit. (Apparently, this series had budget problems, meaning that, per the Wiki, the producers found “that the budget would simply no longer stretch to the creation of large numbers of convincing alien costumes and environments (or even of much incidental music - hence the dearth of this, particularly in the first few stories).” This is one of the few exceptions, with a wild new alien creature design- which accomplishes this by having very few sets, and very simplistic ones for the sets it does have). So, pluses and minuses. More minuses than pluses. But, we haven’t hit the character bits yet…

The TARDIS crew have a few nice moments- saving the girl from the disintegrator spray, the holding-the-chain mental attack, and the Doctor and Zoe's comedic bumbling to buy time for the 'poison' to take effect. Other than that... well, it was only 4 episodes instead of 6, but it felt like it could have been 2 or 3. It was pretty forgettable.

However, it did provide a bit of character insight. As Zoe once again naively dons the teaching helmet in order to further prove her academic smarts/increase her knowledge, and the Doctor takes her to task for it, I realized that this was Zoe's character, which I'd been missing- brilliant, but not smart. Highly developed in power but poorly developed in wisdom and maturity. A naive genius. That's not what I got from her introduction, so it's been tainting my understanding of who she was supposed to be. This doesn't make her absurd naivete in The Invasion any less absurd, but it does explain it- and as a character concept, it works well. Retrospectively, it explains a lot, really.

The Doctor, meanwhile, has an excellent and very heartwarming moment shortly thereafter where he dons the headset himself to place himself into harms way and potential disintegration so Zoe won't have to face it alone. It's a very loving, almost parental moment of self-sacrifice, and something that I don't think the First Doctor would have done, even at his most tender. It's a telling and humanizing moment that really reveals the depths of this Doctor's care for his companions, who in the youthful and not-entirely-wise Jamie and Zoe, are almost like his adopted children. It's a wonderful moment for his character, and most definitely made me 'fall in love' with this Doctor anew- Three through Eight will have to do something quite spectacular indeed to topple Troughton from being my favorite Doctor. (Note from Sarah: Troughton is definitely my favorite and will continue to be.)

This is followed up by a wonderful scene in which the Doctor, so stressed out about wanting to help Zoe, can't solve the simplest equation because he's distracted, and then, after he succeeds, begins gloating that he scored higher marks than Zoe as the two begin bickering about it... it's a wonderful bantering byplay in which both the writing and the actors shine- that scene overall in the halls of learning is really a true gem amidst an otherwise fairly-forgettable serial, and an outstanding moment for both the Doctor and Zoe that makes me incredibly sad at how close their impending loss is.

(Speaking of the hall of learning, when the young rabble-rousers are smashing it up... I'm guessing we weren't supposed to see the bank of lights on the front fall off, revealing that they were just a facade on a flat board stuck onto the blank front of the machine...?)

Jamie is gallant and noble in this one, and also pretty darn clever- if I don't consider this one an episode where he fairs well, it's probably simply because he has far less screen time than the Doctor/Zoe tag team, who kind of get the spotlight. Still, Jamie is caring and brave in this one and puts up an excellent showing of moral character that does him great credit to compensate for his lesser screen time... it's ironic, then, that an episode so relatively simplistic, mediocre, and skippable should be such a strong character showcase for all three of the leads.

There are a few good strong characters among the supporting cast- the tradition-bound leader, devastated to realize the tradition of murder he's played a part in enforcing, and determined to do the right thing sacrificing himself in a last-minute dive through the door that's as impressive in its athletic prowess as it is in its noble self-sacrifice, to deliver the Doctor and Zoe the crucial component needed to defeat the Krotons.

The leader's son, a headstrong and brash young man willing to fight his entire graduating class to protect the woman he loves- like the New Series' "Big Bang" in which the Doctor offhandedly proclaims to Rory, cradling his fiance's nearly dead body, that "Your girlfriend isn't more important than the universe," to which Rory hauls back and slugs him, and declares with a fervor the character had never even shown before, "Yes SHE IS!", this moment gave me a warm glow in my heart- for all the filth and nonsense about relationships, romance, and physical consummation that we're fed by media these days, it always warms my heart to see love- true, sacrificial love- being showcased as the noblest and best of all priorities... which I truly believe it is.

And, of course, the unflappable and determined chemist, who comes off more annoyed than anything at being expected to save the world without proper time to prepare, and completely uninterested in the fact that he may blow himself up in the creation of acid, simply getting down to business and making it happen as Jamie frets and worries in the background- he's a fun character, a serious role with a comic edge of irony- his reaction to the fantastic, in such a deadpan and accepting manner, makes for an instantly likable fellow.

Last, but not least, we get an introduction to the HADS (Hostile Actions Defense System), a TARDIS feature I strongly suspect we'll never see again. However, it's brilliantly introduced with the phrase "That only happens when I remember to set the HADS"- smoothly explaining away why we've never seen it before and may never see it again, hinging it on a character quirk of the Doctor's- his absentmindedness and forgetfulness making the perfect excuse. Subtly clever and hilarious simply because it works so well.

Despite earlier statements, I would not recommend skipping this one- the last complete Second Doctor serial, of the time of this writing (February 2011) not to have a DVD release planned yet. Its story is simple and threadbare, but it's short (so it won't grate too much even if you find the story dull), and the fantastic villain designs and very strong character moments make this one WELL worth watching despite its weak plots, as it's one of the best character pieces in the Second Doctor's run.


Great moments:

For probably the 50th time… the Doctor’s instant and selfless sacrifice to help Zoe. The Doctor and Zoe’s delays. The Doctor’s annoyance at the HADS and its inconvenient placement. The unflappable chemist. The umbrella rescue.


Rating:
3.5 out of 5 Bickering Dominators for the Krotons and the first true TARDIS 'family'- here, in the shadow of the countdown to regeneration, to color, to UNIT, and an Earth exile- here, at the end of an era... the Black and White classic Doctor Who shows us what it's made of, in the weakest and least-likely story possible, and makes us truly realize what we'll be sacrificing for the move to a more 'modern' Who.

To borrow a quote from Matthew Stover's PHENOMENAL (really, go check it out!) novelization for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, "This was the Age of Heroes... and it had saved its best for last."