They Came from Beyond Space (1967)

 "I will not have sentiment interfering with our vital work!”

I knew, before watching, only that Amicus made this film at the same time as Daleks: Invasion Earth: 2150 AD, and reused some sets, costumes or whatnot.

Having seen it last night, though, I strongly suspect another Doctor Who connection. Yes, this is basically a cheeky rip-off of Quatermass II, both in terms of the plot and in terms of having an American star amongst an otherwise all-British cast. If you’ll forgive a brief Doctor Who fanboy diversion, though, I strongly suspect Robert Holmes saw this film, at the pictures, a couple of years before writing Spearhead from Space. I suspect said story’s debt to Nigel Kneale comes at least partly via this film, which not only has the plot based on alien meteorites leading to mysterious alien doings, but has as its hero an endearingly rude scientist with a vintage car. Yes, quite.

Rip-off it is, but the film is rather good. The cast may be fairly low-wattage, but they do a good job. The visuals are nicely trippy in a 1967 way, making this rather old-fashioned sort of film look relatively contemporary. It does, admittedly, run out of both ideas and budget once the story leaves Earth, but the rather sudden conclusion is brilliantly hilarious in a way which must surely have been intended. Let us just say that the cameo by Michael Gough is… unique.

This film is utterly bonkers. I can’t call it a classic, but I can say it’s thoroughly enjoyable.

Century Falls: Episode 6

 "Before disaster came, when things were perfect still."

This script is beautiful; consider the quote above with its perfect iambs. And this is a beautiful finale, satisgying thematically as much as in terms of plot, with every character getting perfect focus and development.

I've been ambivalent about Century Falls. It's been fun getting the Doctor Who Easter Eggs- characters called Ashe and Josiah, a mysterious Watcher, the whole vibe. And I'm aware there's a lot more subtext here- about hope, about indivoiduality vs comformity on several layers- that I've been slow to realise. But it has, at times, been hard going.

That is not at all the case for this perfect final episode. Even Julia gets redemption and closure, and only Josiah unambiguously dies. It took a while to get here but this finale makes me glad that, like Tess, I kept the faith.

Century Falls: Episode 5

 "I've never tied anyone up before..."

I have, thus far, defended RTD's script for Century Falls while allowing criticism to fall upon the production. After all, the dialogue is rich and the characters convincing. And yet... this fifth episode is just running around to no good purpose.

Worse, the revelation of who Julia is falls flat. I expected more than some nebulous sense of her being some kind of gestalt entity for the whole village. There's some nice character stuff wiyth Carey and Ben, and the two Harkness sistors, and the cliffhanger is exciting, but tnis penultimate episiode has very little substance.

This is, perhaps, a fifth episode thing. RTD is, as we know, a bloody good writer, though rather young here. And Dark Season was a pair of linked three parters.

Hopefully the finale will impress.

Century Falls: Episode 4

 "Being alone is the easiest escape there is."

This episode is the turning point, full of revelations. Tess and her mother are reconciled, both with each other and with the truth: Elizabeth was adopted, but was born in Century Falls. We also hear a fuller account of what happened in 1953, and who Century is... although we get only hints of who Century is.

We learn who it is that Richard Naismith has been keping prisoner, though; his own father, Dr Josiah Naismith. We Doctor Who fans find all this very Ghost Light, no doubt very deliberate from RTD. There are lots of nice little character touches, too- Julia's manipulation of Ben, and her interesting longing for oblivion. Who is she?

And yet... somehow the brilliance of the poetic, beautiful script is not conveyed well by the visuals and, perhaps, the acting. Nevertheless, this is getting interesting.

Century Falls: Episode 3

 "I'm aware only that three spinster women have nothing better to do than gossip."

This is, it has to be said, a slow episode, but I don't think the failt is that of RTD's script, which feels very classic kids' TV stuff and, I noticed today, has twin sisters named "Harkness", a link between Agatha and Captain Jack.

Of course, the big character thing is that Tess's mother wants to keep her away from the Harkness sisters, bitter at what Esme said and understandably so. But the way she speaks to her poor daughter for believing the story is horrifying.

We see a little more, though not much, of what happened at the temple in 1953, and a gold masked woman called "Century". It's a nice drip, drip, drip for the third episode of six.

And then the big revelation... Julia, the "maid", is really in charge. I didn't see that coming, but it makes sense in hindsight. Is she Century? I'm dsure there's much to come.

And yet, despite the script, I think the direction and the cast aren't quite selling this as well as they could.

Century Falls: Episode 2

 "All the past of Century Falls- and it's coming back."

The plot thickens. So Richard has powers too, as do many in the village; Ben is merely particularly powerful.Then there's the "Gathering", where those villagers with a "birthright"do this psychic seance type thing. Oh, and no pregnancy in the village has been carried successfully to term for forty years, which is not good news for Tess' mum.

However, good though the script is, and good though much of the adult cast are, this suffers a bit from an abundance of child actors, all three of which are adequate but little more. There's an intriguing and effective atmosphere, though, in spite of this clearly not being an expensive programme to make. 

The village's attitude towards outsiders is clearer now, with Tess and her mum in a rather worrying position. Richard is all the more sinister. And what is this creepy, gold-masked figure? This is a very different series to Dark Season, and the characters, while well written, are less charismatic; there's no one to compare with Marcie.

Still, I'm enjoying this.

Century Falls: Episode 1

 "If you were born outside Century Falls, you're always an outsider!"

Yes indeed, this is a local village for local people.

I've been wishing to watch this early kids' drama by Russell T. Davies for years. It's very different from Dark Season, but feels very much in the lineage of a certain type of childrens' telefantasy. We have the Falls themselves, a mysterios temple that burned down forty years ago despite being made of stone- are these suspicious villagers pagan? Have Tess and her pregnant mother stumbled into The Wicker Man?

The characterisation, and the dialogue, are brilliantly RTD. Tess and her mum seem very real in comparison to the otherworldly villagers and those strange kids, Carey and the disturbingly odd Ben, a complex figure, with bullying tendencies and hidden depths, seemingly feared even my hos despairing father.

So many secrets and subplots are developing already, yet it's all very easy to follow. This is all rather intriguing.

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)

“What happened to them?"

"They became too civilised and destroyed each other."

I suppose I should start by noting the recycling of plot elements from previous Sinbad films produced by Charles H. Schneer and with effects by the legendary Ray Harryhausen- the malevolent spell cast on a Caliph (let us not pry as the historical accuracy of the use of that title) whose kinswomen is a love interest for Sinbad; the two stop motion monsters at the end; pretty much the entire plot. But I don't care. This film is wonderful.

Nor do I insist on po-faced criticism of Muslims drinking wine (the history of that religion is not so uniformly Puritan as commonly supposed; I'm happy to raise a glass with any Muslim, as did the Ottomnn Sultans to Hajj pilgrims), or on the historical absurditu of Melanthius, a Greek pagan who was supposedly friendly with Archimedes interacting with Muslims from several centuries afterwards.

No; what matters is the sheer fun of the film. It may run to a time-honoured formula, but it works. One would have thought that, in that Star Wars watershed year of 1977, this kind of stop motion film would be thought old fashioned. Yet this is still the age of Doug McClure, and not yet the age of computer effects... much.

Most effusively, beyond the wonderful Harryhausen himself, the cast is superb.John Wayne's lad is perfectly fine but he is, I'm afraid, utterly blown away and usurped by the wily alchemist played by the great Patrick Troughton, patron saint of character actors. Troughton, in Doctor Who, is compelling whole being deliberately restrained, playing an intelligent but modest hero who allows others to shine. Here, Troughton utterly owns his every scene, showing that this was an acting choice.

This is, quite blatantly, the best of these three Sinbad films.

Witchfinder General (1968)

"They swim! The mark of Satan is upon them! They must hang!"

It's clear why this film by Michael Reeves, who sadly died so very young, has achieved cult status: it's so incredibly violent, even sadistic, with one very memorable scene showing a poor young lady being lowered into the fire and slowly burned. It's an unashamedly sensational take on Matthew Hopkins which deals with the legend, not historical accuracy (the real Hopkins was only about 27 when he died of natural causes) and is anchored by a splendidly evil and charismatic performance by the one and only Vincent Price.

The film, shot largely on location, looks gorgeous and convinces as the Suffolk of the late Civil War. The ubiquitous Ian Ogilvy is splendid as our hero, Richard. The plot is functional but exciting as we gaze somewhat titillatingly on to the cruelties perpetuated by Hopkins and his dimmer yet more evil sidekick, Stearns. There is, I think, something more than a little creepy in the film's voyeuristic glee at the torture and execution of comely young women, that can't be denied. But Price's sheer charisma draws you in as you watch agog at one of the most evil characters in cinema.

A violent and, at times, extremely disturbing and misogynistic film that it is impossible not to be riveted by. Dark, edgy, uncomfortable in its sadistic use of the male gaze, but no one can accuse this of failing to be compelling viewing.

Doctor Who: Colony in Space

Part One


"That's an alien world out there, Jo. Think about it."

Time Lords! I feel as though I should be privileged for this rare glimpse, but it has to be said they're a bit, er, dull. This is important, though: it's the first time the Time Lords are using the Doctor for their own ends, and in allowing the Doctor to travel in the TARDIS, albeit by remote control, it's a blatant admission that the Earthbound format of the programme is too restricting and can't go on much longer.

The scene between the Doctor, Jo and the Brigadier is probably there only to satisfy the requirements of Nick Courtney's contract, but it's a nice character piece all the same. But the following scene is simply magical- I love it when people are introduced to the TARDIS for the first time, and Jo's reaction of wonder mixed with foreboding is great to see. This is the point from which this Doctor / companion pairing really clicks, and it's extremely satisfying to see this Doctor on his travels at last. It's a shame the TARDIS dematerialisation (it disappears suddenly rather than fade away) is crude and disappointing, and admittedly their destination is a not particularly exciting looking quarry. Interesting that a mere glance at the scanner tells the Doctor that he's heading for the planet Uxaerius. If he knows the planet's name, how come, as the rest of the story will show, he seems to have no prior knowledge of the place?

Oh, and the TARDIS doors have now become the latest thing to sound exactly like the doors to the Dalek city in Skaro! That's a sound effect with staying power and no mistake.

Jo's reaction to her new surroundings is nicely plausible- a mix of excitement and nerves. And the Doctor is notably in a much better mood when on his travels- he may be sure of himself, even arrogant at times, but he's never unnecessarily rude to anyone throughout this story.

It's admirable how in the last few minutes of this episode an entire society is sketched out very well; pioneer types, reminiscent of the American West, versus the threat of corporate exploitation.


Part Two


"What's good for IMC is good for Earth."


It's Bernard Kay! Between him and John Ringham it's quite the Hartnell era guest actors reunion. Caldwell is an interesting character- clearly working for corporate bad 'uns IMC but conscience-stricken to hear that two people have been killed. We get introduced to the IMC crew, establishing the rest of the story's main cast; the ruthlessly acquisitive Captain Dent and the sadistic Morgan. Alongside this is some more excellently done world building. At no time does the exposition feel unnatural. It's made very clear that IMC is a big, powerful and politically influential corporation that invariably gets its way and the little man has no chance. I like the scene where Dent shows Caldwell the size of his potential bonus- it's a nice character scene emphasising the conflict for the debt-stricken Caldwell between greed and conscience, but also establishes the enormous resources of IMC. Of course, all this tells us a lot about Malcolm Hulke's politics.

I like the little fight between the Doctor and the "Primitives". I do believe this is our first "Hai"?

Interesting line from Mary Ashe: "Don't worry, Jim'll fix it."


Part Three


"Ah, Caldwell. Working out your future bonuses?"


More good stuff this episode, let down only by the visual dullness of the setting. Although it must be said the amusing moustaches of several characters (especially Winton) do tend to distract from this. But whatever this story's faults, they're generally not the fault of the script.

This episode largely focuses on the character of Caldwell and his moral dilemma. He shows again, in helping Winton, that he's troubled by his conscience, but at this stage he's actualy no better than any of his IMC colleagues. He can make as many cheap and easy gestures to his conscience as he likes- they're nothing but small gestures, not affecting much in the larger scheme of things. He's still motivated chiefly by greed. It's only when he commits "professional suicide" by insisting Jo is removed from the bomb that he starts to redeem himself.

So, Dent has a 70s style tape recorder? In 2472? There's an explanation for this- retro design! Just as today's DAB digital radios are designed to look like old-fashioned wooden radios, all sort of apparent dodginess in old Doctor Who stories set in the future can be explained away.

Suddenly the story moves off at right angles as Jo is kidnapped by the "primitives". This new focus helps the story to justify its length- which it arguably does throughout.


Part Four


"Although the creature with you is of no value, I will let you both go."


Some obvious modelwork is in evidence as the Adjudicator lands. But, more importantly, the Adjudicator is the Master! At last- something actually relates to the first few minutes of the first episode! And it's an interesting new slant to the Master for him to be in a position of authority.

For this episode the focus shifts towards the "primitives" and their ancient civilisation. Not a lot happens plotwise (the Doctor and Jo get captured and escape) but we learn a lot about Uxaerian history and culture which will become important later, and it's never dull.

I love the Doctor's silly magic trick distraction- a rare chance to see another side of Jon Pertwee. Also good is the meeting between the Doctor and the Master. There's a state of stalemate between them; the Doctor can't expose the Master as an impostor without being exposed as someone who has no ID and so no official existence- yet another topical political issue turns up in this story.


Part Five


"Whoever that man is down on that planet, he isn't the Adjudicator."

In a nice bit of continuity, the Doctor still has the key to the Master's TARDIS that he nicked in Terror of the Autons. And so we finally see inside the Master's TARDIS for the first time. And it's exactly the same as the Doctor's except it's got some filing cabinets in it. Oh well. There's another possible first as well: I think this is the first time the Sonic Screwdriver is used for a purpose other than, er, screwdriving.


Part Six


"I am offering you a half share of the universe!"


Another possible first: the Master mentions the High Council of the Time Lords. He also states the Crab Nebula to have been caused by the testing of the Doomsday Weapon- a very effective way of illustrating its deadliness! And also a nice little lesson on the life cycle of a star for all the kids. Well, our Sun won't exactly "explode", but still...

For the first time the Master asks the Doctor to join him in his megalomaniacal playpen. This says all sorts of interesting things about the Master's motivations, and how central the Doctor is to them.

The Doomsday Weapon plot strand ends in what may be our first ever Deus Ex Machina ending, but I don't really mind as this has never been more than a sideshow. The colonists vs IMC main plot gets a much more satisfying ending- we're made to genuinely think the colonists are all dead until its revealed at the end that only Ashe sacrificed himself. And it's nice that Winton survives to become leader- the impetuous young man made good. Admittedly there's more than a whiff of dodgy science to the fact that suddenly the soil is no longer being poisoned by the radiation from the Doomsday Weapon, but I'll let that pass as it works dramatically. It's also nice that Caldwell, denied his promised wishes, is allowed to redeem himself by joining the colonists. And there's another nice touch in that the TARDIS returns mere seconds after leaving.




Overall... well. I haven't read any of the other posts yet, but I voted just before writing this, and by the look of the poll results I'm one of an elite few to rate this 5/5. I thought it was great, with rich themes and complex characters, and more than enough substance to justify six episodes. There's a potential criticism, mind; this story essentially centres around the conflict between the colonists and IMC over possession of the planet. But what of the indigenous Uxaerians, or "primitives", as they're called? Why should anyone other than them be allowed to colonise the planet without their position? still, I think the script treats them with enough respect to get away with it. But it's a valid criticism all the same. And it's a little ominous that the first story to get a 5/5 from me since Spearhead is the one which ignores the new format. Perhaps the new format is outstaying its welcome?



Rankings

The Massacre 5/5
The War Games 5/5
Spearhead From Space 5/5
Fury from the Deep 5/5
The Evil of the Daleks 5/5
The Myth Makers 5/5
The Aztecs 5/5
The Tomb of the Cybermen 5/5
Marco Polo 5/5
The Crusade 5/5
Inferno 5/5
The Highlanders 5/5
The Daleks’ Master Plan 5/5
The Time Meddler 5/5
The Invasion 5/5
The Power of the Daleks 5/5
The Mind Robber 5/5
The Web of Fear 5/5
The Rescue 5/5
The Reign of Terror 5/5
An Unearthly Child 5/5
Colony in Space 5/5
The Macra Terror 5/5
The Savages 5/5
Mission to the Unknown 5/5
The Ambassadors of Death 4/5
Doctor Who and the Silurians 4/5
The Gunfighters 4/5
The Claws of Axos 4/5
The Tenth Planet 4/5
The Moonbase 4/5
The Dalek Invasion of Earth 4/5
The Romans 4/5
Terror of the Autons 4/5
The Krotons 4/5
The Ice Warriors 4/5
The War Machines 4/5
The Smugglers 4/5
The Abominable Snowmen 4/5
Planet of Giants 4/5
The Daleks 3/5
The Seeds of Death 3/5
The Enemy of the World 3/5
Galaxy Four 3/5
The Space Museum 3/5
The Chase 3/5
The Space Pirates 3/5
The Sensorites 3/5
The Edge of Destruction 2/5
The Mind of Evil 2/5
The Faceless Ones 2/5
The Ark 2/5
The Wheel in Space 2/5
The Dominators 2/5
The Web Planet 1/5
The Keys of Marinus 1/5
The Celestial Toymaker 1/5
The Underwater Menace 1/5

Season Five: 4/5
Season Seven: 4/5
Season Three: 3.9/5
Season Four: 3.889/5
Season Six: 3.857/5
Season Two: 3.778/5
Season One: 3.625/5

Doctor Who: The Faceless Ones

Part One


"It's a flying beastie!"


Once again, I'm really appreciating the luxury of actual footage, and DVD quality no less. And one of the first things we see is a 60s copper with one of those old comedy chinstraps! It's little things like this that make me miss footage so much. A good start from this Malcolm Hulke chap- I wonder if we'll ever hear from him again?

Our heroes get separated within seconds- is this a record? I notice that it's Jamie the Doctor finds first, and he's only mildly concerned about finding the others- favouritism? As many said in the Macra Terror thread, Jamie has now become his fully-fledged permanent self, and the on-screen rapport between Troughton and Hines is now at full strength fabness.

This is very well-directed, which along with the script makes it all seem very reminiscent of The Avengers, not a type of story I remember seeing before- this is most pleasing as recent stories, though good, have not been as innovative as they used to be.

The Doctor and Jamie don't seem all that enthusiastic to help Polly find Ben, and they seem to lose Polly rather easily! And Ben doesn't seem to be in this episode much at all, especially towards the end. A very unusual episode- the only real sci-fi element until the cliffhanger arrives is the ray gun.


Part Two


"We have ways of dealing with such people!"


Back to the recon, then, which is good for one thing at least- the captions along the bottom ain't half good at getting you to learn the names of all the guest characters! Things slow down an awful lot with this episode- the eye chart stuff is blatant filler, and you begin to notice how little is happening. It's not too much of a problem, at least not yet, as you're still curious about what's going on. But things need to start happening soon. And this may be competently written but after The Macra Terror it all looks a bit formulaic.

It's Pauline Collins! Er, that's an interesting Liverpool accent. Very Z-Cars... Of course, I barely recognised her as the photo's very fuzzy. These old Loose Cannon recons are noticeably much less good than the recent ones, although the fact that mine is a 50,000th generation copy probably isn't helping!

Ah, Ben finds Polly and looks around for a phone. Not the kind of scene you see much of in drama today...



Part Three


"All right, stay here. After all, they can only murder me. Ta ra!"


The Doctor's being menaced by a sinister surveillance camera. Makes you think, that- back in 1967 surveillance cameras were the stuff of Orwellian nightmares!

I'm loving the relationship between Jamie and the clearly-intended-as-a-possible-companion Samantha. And Jamie gets pulled up on why he always does what the Doctor says, which seems to be a developing theme.

Er, where have Ben and Polly gone?

Part Four


"It'll cost you 28 quid. Pounds, to you."

"Ach, but that's a fortune! I've never seen that much money in my life!"


I've only just noticed, eight episodes into the new title sequence, that the music has changed as well! Duh. It's also becoming very noticeable that this is a very old recon- perhaps there's a more recent one? The photos are not clear at all and there's no footage from the surviving episodes used for recaps, the first time I've seen this.

The deathtrap set here for the Doctor, Jamie and Samantha is in no way evocative of a certain 60s film, and I have no doubt that no one above me in this thread can possibly have quoted the line "No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die!"

Ooh, a mention for Ben and Polly!

Once again we get some obvious padding out of the episode to fill up the time as Meadows is found not to be on duty. The episode ends intriguingly though- it's a crying shame we can't see Jamie's 18th century reaction to being on a plane!

Part Five


"Polly, then Ben, now Jamie..."

A swanky space station in Earth orbit may not be particularly futuristic now but, of course, in 1967, six years before Skylab, this stuff was all in the zeitgeist. Plus we get miniaturised people! In filing cabinets!

At last, the all important exposition scene... what? An explosion, er, destroys the identities of the Chameleons? oh dear. Still, nicely surprising when the Inspector turns out to be a duplicate- and the Director, no less!

Good old Doctor- cheerfully going on to the chameleon plane without any sort of plan! Nurse Pinto's really quite incredibly brave too. They completely fluff their bluffing, mind- Pinto still refers to the "chameleon" who's ostensibly switched bodies from Meadows to the Doctor as "Meadows" and we're to expect Blade won't smell a rat!

Oh, and it's just dawned on me- the Inspector / Director is none other than good old Bernard Kay!


Part Six


"We are the most intelligent race in the universe!"


Interesting line spoken by Blade about both Pinto and the Doctor: "I checked at the medical centre. You're both human!" So, it's not as though the Doctor has, say, an alien physiology or anything! Still, he does have tendencies towards vandalism, which he demonstrates rather splendidly with the Chameleons' machine. I love the Trout!

Samantha leaves rather abruptly after all the proto-companioneering, but at least she and Jamie get to snog each other, according to my recon at least. And we actually get to see Ben and Polly again. Yay! I was genuinely fearing they were about to be Dodo'd. It's a bit of a coincidence that this is the exact date they left, of course, but we get a wonderfully evocative pair of lines between Polly and the Doctor that should be much better known: "The thing is, Doctor... it's my world." "Yes, yes, you're very lucky... I never got back to mine."


Well... I didn't think much of that really. It was competently structured, perhaps, and what we could see of it looked good, but things just happened so bloody slowly. This is the first time in the marathon I have to trot out the old cliché about a six parter being two episodes too long. But it's not just that- it all just felt so formulaic, and felt oddly humourless. Where was the sparkle in the dialogue? Still, I liked Samantha, and the Doctor / Jamie double act (and, I'm sure, shipping!) properly starts here. 2/5

Doctor Who: The Dalek Invasion of Earth

World's End

""What you need is a jolly good smacked bottom!"


Wahey, back to DVD! A very "traditional" opening here from a later viewpoint, with a mysterious figure dying in a brief first shot which piques our curiosity. Still no dematerialisation sound from the outside as the TARDIS lands, I notice.

Oh look- our friends are cut off from the TARDIS. What were the odds of that then? Susan twists her ankle here, but I can't recall it happening often before this, if at all. That's one fan myth debunked.

Good Lord! Location footage! With the cast! They've thrown everything at this production. The flying saucer also looks great.

Great cliffhanger! It may make no sense, but I don't care.

The Daleks

"I think we'd better pit our wits against them and defeat them!"



The Doctor's show of defiance to the Dalek is utterly splendid. As is the very first "resistance is useless!" to be heard in Doctor Who. An interesting statement from the Doctor though: "What happened on Skaro was a million years in the future". Sounds pretty unequivocal. We'll see how the continuity works itself out! Apparently this is the "middle history" of the Daleks. The Daleks are very different here; they've changed from the paranoid, survival-obsessed creatures of their first appearance to obvious Nazi analogues. The whole mood of this story evokes Nazi occupied Europe.

Nice multi-coloured skirt being sported by the Dalek Supreme!

The necessary exposition (or "blab about Bedfordshire") to explain the Dalek invasion is nicely handled, with the camera cutting between Craddock and David Campbell. There's something very Day of the Triffids here, firmly within the mid-twentieth century British tradition of catastrophe sci-fi.

It's a very nice touch that the Dalek flying saucer interiors have not only the pulsating sounds from the previous story but also the same circular monitors playing a loop of the title sequence!

The Daleks seem totally in control here, with little apparent hope. This is undercut by humour though; the Doctor's rudeness towards the defeatist Craddock is most amusing. Hartnell is great with the puzzle. I'm not sure why the Daleks need intelligent people to be Robomen. Or is this simply a means of getting rid of potential troublemakers?



Day of Reckoning

"Why? What's so special about the Doctor? He doesn't wear some sort of invisible shield, does he?"


The Dalek Supreme now has a totally black casing. The world of Dalek fashion is clearly fast-moving. And the world of Dalek geography is more than a little wanting: Bedfordshire is not in central England!

Susan's scene with David is excellently written and played, and more than a little prophetic; it's good to see how the budding relationship gets proper development.

The location filming in London with all the landmarks didn't make much impression on me with previous viewings, but watching the story as part of a marathon really makes you appreciate the contrast with the studio-bound claustrophobia of previous stories. No wonder they milk these scenes for all they're worth.

The scene where the Doctor and Susan argue about David's plan is quite wonderfully done. The Doctor can see what's going on and is not without resentment: "You seem to place more reliance on that young man's word than mine". But in eventually suggesting what he knows to be David's plan he implicitly gives his blessing to the relationship. There's a lot going on in this scene.

We get to see six actual Daleks on screen together, suggesting this story had a relatively huge budget. And there's been no obvious use of cardboard cutouts either.

The End of Tomorrow

"Are you one of these 'brotherhood of man' kind of people?"


The scenes of slave labour inside the Dalek camp evoke certain very powerful associations, but in the overall context and mood of the story the Holocaust references never seem to be gratuitous or frivolous as they so easily could have.

Barbara ramming those Daleks with the old lorry is brilliant! I love Barbara's thrilled reaction afterwards.

The long scene of Daleks talking in the middle of the episode is extremely dull, and the Daleks speak so slowly in this story. Fortunately the guest cast are much better handled. David explains to Susan of Tyler that "He's afraid to make friends. He's known too much killing". This kind of line helps to give the characters the illusion of depth, and we get to know the likes of Jenny and Dortmund via similar methods.

The Black Dalek is the "commandant of the camp". Once again, the phrase has certain associations.

I love Susan's reply to David after he asks if she's ok, having just saved her from falling off a ladder into some stock footage: "Yes, swinging!"

I've just had a massive post about the last two episodes and the story overall just disappear into the ether. I suppose the moral here is to save everything before you post!

Grrr. I'll repost it all tomorrow.

The Waking Ally

"They dare to tamper with the forces of creation?"

"Yes, they dare! And we have got to dare to stop them."



So the "waking ally" of the title is in fact the Doctor, who woke up last episode? Okaaay...

Yay, the Dalek doors in Bedfordshire are the same as the ones on Skaro with those cool noises and Dalek-friendly opening mechanisms! The new, chunkier Daleks look great, especially the Black Dalek.

Interesting comment from the Doctor in relation to certain past events: "I never take life, only when my own is immediately threatened!"

The scene with the collaborator women is important here as its an essential element of any tale of Nazi occupation. I like the older woman's self-justifying comment as the Daleks take Jenny and Barbara away: "Oh well, she'd have been captured anyway".

It's an incredible coincidence that the Roboman turns out to be Larry's brother, but it's an effective scene so I'll let that pass. The Robomen don't seem to be all that physically strong, mind; all through this story they're being overpowered without much trouble.

It's nice to see more development of the relationship between Susan and David as we rush towards the end. Nice comment from the Doctor as he discovers the couple frolicking merrily: "Quite, quite! I can see something's cooking!" Sadly, after the Doctor's arrival the bad science bombardment starts the scene takes a turn for the worse. Most of the more egregious absurdities of the plot are laid bare here. So the Daleks' main base on Earth is in, er, Bedfordshire? Is the Earth's crust particularly thin there or summat? And Earth is the only planet with a magnetic core? Er, yeees...

Another implausible coincidence as Ian happens to run into Barbara at the mine. Once again though, I don't particularly mind as I'm enjoying myself. I like the way we see how utterly magnificent and indomitable Barbara is by partnering her, not with a comparative wimp as would seem obvious, but with Jenny, who's no shrinking violet herself yet by this point is in awe of Barbara.

We end with more bad science from the Daleks' conversation being rendered entirely forgivable by a magnificent cliffhanger.


Flashpoint

"One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, let there be no tears, no regrets, no anxieties. Simply go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine."



So Ian avoids plunging to his doom by the fact that he happens to be crouching. I love this programme.

It's suddenly noticeable that the Daleks seem to be speaking in truncated sentences, missing out a lot of indefinite articles. Has it now been decided that Daleks are dull speakers and their dialogue should be cut down? We get some chilling dialogue here though: "Then arrange for the extermination of all human beings." "The final solution." "Kill, kill." The human slaves are then effectively herded into the gas chambers. These are very powerful themes for Saturday teatime.

I notice the same neck braces from the earlier story being used to restrain Barbara and Jenny in the Dalek control room, which is designed in such a fashion to induce nostalgia for, er, a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately there are a couple of dodgy bits here, as the Daleks' bomb is clearly a model and a Dalek obviously sees the Doctor in his hiding place. Also, more bad science: "if they succeed, it means they will upset the entire constellation". All this is immediately forgiven by virtue of the Dalek POV shot though- this is The Coolest Thing Ever.

The Daleks seem to be defeated very suddenly. Have they really been defeated worldwide? We're treated to a lot of stock footage of random natural disasters here.

The final scene is brilliantly written, directed and acted, with the physical acting and positioning of Susan and David particularly well done. I didn't think I would at the start of this marathon, but I'll miss Susan. I've come to side with the character and with Carole Ann Ford in their struggle at the pipe smoking male writers who haven't a clue how to write teenage girls.



Overall I've enjoyed this story very much, which has surprised me as I remember being distinctly underwhelmed when I last saw it a few years ago. Perhaps seeing it in context has made me appreciate its epic feel. A strong 4/5.



Rankings

The Aztecs 5/5
Marco Polo 5/5
The Reign of Terror 5/5
An Unearthly Child 5/5
The Dalek Invasion of Earth 4/5
Planet of Giants 4/5
The Daleks 3/5
The Sensorites 3/5
The Edge of Destruction 2/5
The Keys of Marinus 1/5



And it's also time for...

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: 2
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: 3
Jungle: 2
Character displays a grave moral failing making their death inevitable: 2
Episode opens with the strange death of a mysterious figure: 1
Big bomb: 2