It’s the first day when I went off to work on my own and came back to an apartment where no one else is coming home to me later in the evening. They were my favourite times of day; going to work together, and when she came home. I've fallen behind in the marathon, since I fell asleep last night during "The Escape"; Sleep only lasted until around 3am though, when the sounds of the building woke me up, and kept me awake for the rest of the night. It feels very strange and not like home at all yet. I wonder if it ever will. Home is about the people there. And right now it’s just me. And the show. And this blog.
Episode 3 - The Escape
We finally get to meet another character for the first time in this story. Something I had never noticed before is that in the six episodes I have watched so far, three have depended almost entirely on the four leads, giving them nothing more to react to than the impassive Dalek props, which look so impressive, but don’t really give the performers anything to react to. Now Carole Ann Ford, at least, gets a Thal to act against. It must have been quite a relief.
This episode sees some wonderful Dalek scheming, as they plot their ambush of the Thals. I wonder if this is the type of behavior that the Cardiff team were trying to emulate with the Daleks in the sewers in Daleks in Manhattan.
Despite this being the debut of Sydney Newman’s dreaded BEMs (bug-eyed monsters) there’s still some good science here as Ian and the Doctor discuss how static powers the Daleks, and debate how they could disrupt that power. And this leads to a further example of bonding between the team, and they draw closer together on their adventures. They all work together on their escape and capture of a Dalek casing. Ian’s attempts at a Dalek voice make me smile, as does Barbara’s mud-making. This is a show that can always raise my spirits, even if it’s only for a moment or two.
This episode has a weird cliffhanger. The crew have escaped from their cell, and then the camera just pans over to the Dalek creature that they took out of the casing. It almost seems like an afterthought, as if the production team suddenly realized they needed to add a moment of peril.
Episode 4 - The Ambush
The escape is quite a taut affair, especially when Ian gets trapped. I love the ambition of all the lifts within the city. Russell T Davies in one of the commentaries on the New Series (on “New Earth” I think), notes that most television goes left to right, rather than up and down, which was something he tried to do in that story. It’s exciting to see that attempted here so effectively. This production team had all the ambition in the world, and were never afraid of failing. They rarely do fail, and it’s a treat to watch.
When we see the ambush that we suspected they were plotting in the previous episode, the Daleks’ true colours are finally revealed. They are ruthless killers, and despise everything and anything that differs from themselves in any way. The echoes of World War II ring loud and clear here, especially in Ian’s explanation to the Thals’ of the Dalek’s raison d’etre.
Just as in episode three of the first story we get another fake ending here. It looks like our heroes are ready to leave. But at the last moment they discover one more obstacle standing in their way. This time it’s far worse than a cadre of advancing cavemen, however. They have to go back to the city and face the Daleks again. And this time they know what that means, and what their foe is capable of. It must have been thrilling for viewers in early 1964. They never knew what was coming next, and how long a story would go on for. The patterns of the show that would become established in later years are still brand new
Episode 5 - The Expedition
This episode acts as a “Doctor Who Morality Play”, as Ian demonstrates to the Thals that there are things worth fighting for. His argument is close to the justification for the concept of a “just war”, which I remember having to debate in school, more years ago than I care to remember. The debate represented here is something I identify with, because I want to fight for that which I have lost. But that will do no good. This is a situation when time is all that can change things, and where there are no villains. That’s not the case in the fiction, where things are far more black and white.
While our heroes make their plans to attack the Daleks, Terry Nation is busy setting up a final countdown that will burn through the last few episodes of the story. While many of his concepts get over-used in later stories, it is undeniable how well he tells an adventure story, and sets up the beats that will be important in the climax to this epic tale. The seven episodes keep moving at a great pace, and the story never drags. The spectre of the neutron bomb would have been very close to home for a world only 18 months removed from the Cuban Missile Crisis, and adds to the tension for the audience, even if the Thals and the TARDIS crew are unaware of the threat it poses.
Episode 6 - The Ordeal
The tension builds all the way through episode 6, but there is still time for Barbara and Ganatus to have a real bonding experience. Of course she still only has eyes for Ian, but who can blame her for being distracted by the blond Thal Adonis, given the situation they are in. I do wonder how he is aware of the customs of Earth, though! There must have been some long storytelling evenings around the campfire!
In classic adventure series style, our heroes are split up and attempt their journey through different hazards. And in amid all the tension, there’s some more science as the Doctor and Susan short circuit the entrance to the city with the TARDIS key!
It is amazing how the production team put together some of the shots in the small studio. I know that I have mentioned this before, but I do find it amazing. The cliffhanger to the episode has a real scale to it, and engenders are real sense of peril, which makes the sacrifice at the beginning of the next episode all the more powerful.
Episode 7 - The Rescue
The tension is building, and the countdown that has been building throughout the last two episodes finally ignites and drives the story to its conclusion. The stakes get higher all the time, for all parties involved, and for the first time we get the last minute countdown that will become a part of so many stories in the future.
The final battle sequence is very well put together, and there’s a real sense that the Daleks will win, as the countdown to the release of the radiation gets ever closer, and Thals are exterminated on sight. Of course, our heroes win through, as we knew that they would, but it was a tough won victory over a determined foe. But even in victory the Thals, as the Doctor will later in his life after he experiences so much more heartache, wish that there could have been another way.
I love the poetic speech that the Doctor gives as the travelers get ready to depart. It’s inspiring and uplifting. And it gives me hope. It is probably false hope, but I need something.
The Edge of Destruction
Episode 1 - The Edge of Destruction
What a crazy episode this is! It really is completely bonkers. Once again it’s just our four leads who carry everything on their shoulders, even if there are moments when even they do not look certain of how to perform the script they’ve been given. The workload in these early days was astonishing.
The whole episode leaves the viewer so off kilter, and never sure what is going to happen next. Carole Ann Ford gets to wield the biggest pair of scissors I have ever seen, and looks extremely scary while brandishing them. It’s an episode full of nightmare-ish images.
I adore Barbara’s righteous anger in this episode. She is magnificent and not a woman that you mess with lightly. She will always give as good as she gets.
Episode 2 - The Brink of Disaster
The bonding that has been building over the first three stories culminates here, and the TARDIS crew become friends and comrades that will face all sorts of adventures over the coming weeks, strengthened by what they have faced here.
After the first countdown 2 weeks ago, we have another one here. It’s not as blatant, but the Doctor talking about having 10 minutes, and then 5 minutes until the ship is destroyed is intended to have a similar effect.
Who would have thought that a simple switch in the ship could cause so many problems. I hope the Doctor locked it down after these events. Or at least put a very big label on it saying “Do Not Touch”! In some ways this story reminds me of the Series 5 story “Amy’s Choice”, where a simple glitch in the TARDIS causes no end of trouble, and ends up bringing the crew closer together. That time of course there was a small sting in the tail, with the revelation of the Dream Lord’s identity, but we’ll discuss that 200+ stories from now!
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