A Terry Nation script, and it's got a jungle in it.
It's weird that this features none of the regulars- personally I wasn't too perturbed as this was just one short episode and I'm aware it's just a prologue to the forthcoming epic. But I wonder if the contemporary viewers would have been aware of this.The Loose Cannon recon is very nice indeed; as with Galaxy Four, there's been a lot of cleverness employed in enabling us to see as much moving footage as possible.
I love the Varga plants, very Terry Nation! As is the phrase "space security". I was also much amused by Marc Cory's statement that he hasn't told anyone he's coming to Kembel; we know he's doomed from this point on.
The sense of doom is nicely fuelled further by Lowery's infection. The later sight of him as a Varga plant from the waist upwards is very effective, although I'm not sure whether I should be crediting Douglas Camfield or Loose Cannon!The Daleks are great here- clever, scheming and implacable. We know that, for one episode only, nothing can stand in their way. The delegates are also a squee moment in themselves. I'm a bit hesitant on giving this a mark at all as it feels very much like part of a greater whole, but I'm going to give it 5/5.
I hope the Doctor's in it next week, mind!
Rankings
The Aztecs 5/5
Marco Polo 5/5
The Crusade 5/5
The Time Meddler 5/5
The Rescue 5/5
The Reign of Terror 5/5
An Unearthly Child 5/5
Mission to the Unknown 5/5
The Dalek Invasion of Earth 4/5
The Romans 4/5
Planet of Giants 4/5
The Daleks 3/5
Galaxy Four 3/5
The Space Museum 3/5
The Chase 3/5
The Sensorites 3/5
The Edge of Destruction 2/5
The Web Planet 1/5
The Keys of Marinus 1/5
The Terry Nation Cliché Count
Mysterious figure follows female companion but later turns out to be a goodie: 1
Anti-radiation drugs: 1
Countdown: 2
Daleks at the cliffhanger to part one: 3
Our heroes unable to return to the TARDIS: 3
Trek through hostile environment: 2
Cowardly character dies a heroic death: 1
Part 1 spent exploring: 4
Jungle: 4
Character displays a grave moral failing making their death inevitable: 2
Episode opens with the strange death of a mysterious figure: 1
Very big bomb: 2
Planets named from their predominant quality plus “us” on the end: 2
Alien city: 2
Deadly Plants: 1
Unnecessary use of “space” as a prefix: 1
The Aztecs 5/5
Marco Polo 5/5
The Crusade 5/5
The Time Meddler 5/5
The Rescue 5/5
The Reign of Terror 5/5
An Unearthly Child 5/5
Mission to the Unknown 5/5
The Dalek Invasion of Earth 4/5
The Romans 4/5
Planet of Giants 4/5
The Daleks 3/5
Galaxy Four 3/5
The Space Museum 3/5
The Chase 3/5
The Sensorites 3/5
The Edge of Destruction 2/5
The Web Planet 1/5
The Keys of Marinus 1/5
The Terry Nation Cliché Count
Mysterious figure follows female companion but later turns out to be a goodie: 1
Anti-radiation drugs: 1
Countdown: 2
Daleks at the cliffhanger to part one: 3
Our heroes unable to return to the TARDIS: 3
Trek through hostile environment: 2
Cowardly character dies a heroic death: 1
Part 1 spent exploring: 4
Jungle: 4
Character displays a grave moral failing making their death inevitable: 2
Episode opens with the strange death of a mysterious figure: 1
Very big bomb: 2
Planets named from their predominant quality plus “us” on the end: 2
Alien city: 2
Deadly Plants: 1
Unnecessary use of “space” as a prefix: 1
Listened to this on audio recently as part of a planned review of the whole 13-parter. Very dark, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteIt might seem an odd thing to say, given the total lack of footage, but I suspect it's Douglas Camfield who should get most of the credit for that. The first episode of the story proper is also very dark (not surprisingly, as it's basically a rehash!) and the short bit of footage we get is just extraordinarily, terrifyingly bleak.
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