The Macra Terror

Episode One

This story sees the debut of the new title sequence. It's quite bizarre from a modern perspective to see a new title sequence towards the end of a season. I'll miss the old one, but it's nice that Troughton gets to have his own. I do wonder why if Medok is on the run and desperate not to be caught, he takes a detour to attack Ben and Jamie. It doesn't seem too smart. Ola is nicely summed up quite quickly as he tells his guards to tie Medok up very tightly. The Doctor already gets some good lines, telling the guards to loosen Medok's bonds, because it's bad for circulation, and telling Jamie they're in the future on a planet like earth before admitting that he's just guessing when Jamie asks him how he knows. Of course, he trumps both of those by declaring, "well, this is gay," as he arrives at the colony. He's right. It's a lovely colony. If I ever wanted to be brainwashed and made to work for giant crabs, I'd choose this colony in which to do it. They regulate their days by music, and such fabulously jaunty music it is. I love the TARDIS crew's differing reactions, too, to getting pampered. It's interesting that the two who enjoy it are the two leaving in the very next story, whilst the Doctor and Jamie are both very wary. Barney spoils it all by calling Polly beautiful, then admitting he said it because he has to. I love the way Polly tells the Doctor he looks gorgeous before he goes off to ruffle himself up.

It's very creepy that the Controller is a static picture that talks to the people, who nobody ever sees. It is quite at odds with the happy clappy state of the colony generally. The Doctor goes off to talk to Medok, and finds out about "creatures infesting this camp at night". Ola tells him that they don't talk to prisoners, but the Doctor unlocks Medok's cell and chats anyway. Medok runs off. Ola seems to think they'll catch him easily enough, leading to the Doctor's cheeky remark, "he can run you know, he has got legs. He doesn't have to crawl all over the ground". Ola's furious, but the Pilot, in charge, doesn't particularly care. He's all charm, the Pilot. He's a fascinating character.

The Doctor gets out his recorder yet again! He goes off to search for Medok again in some fairly tense scenes. There's a curfew, and anybody out after it may be killed, which is quite mad. I love the way the Doctor says, "and the same to you," when the Controller wishes everybody a happy sleep time. As the Doctor and Medok wander about in the dark and everything gets tense, Dudley Simpson crashes in with some insane incidentals which I love. In fact, on soundtrack alone this is my favourite story so far in my marathon. The story itself is wonderful so far. 10/10

Episode Two

There’s a surprisingly long reprisal at the start of this episode, followed by Medok suddenly being very trusting, and thinking just because he’s seen the Macra, people will believe him. So Ola arrests him. Again. This episode does start a little slowly, not just due to the reprisal, but it absolutely sizzles throughout the second half.

The Doctor’s interest as he looks around the Pilot’s office is great to see. Troughton is playing the role with such enthusiasm. The bit where Medok protects the Doctor by claiming that the Doctor was actually trying to get him to hand himself in is very well played, and very touching. The Doctor asks the Pilot why he wants everybody to be the same. The Pilot is ever so charming as he says that sometimes you have to use force to ensure happiness, which is rather chilling. It’s an interesting conversation they share, at the end of which, the Controller tells the Pilot to have the strangers brainwashed, as no criticism is allowed. Then, bizarrely, the Controller has a nice little rant, seemingly to himself, “no-one in the colony believes in Macra. There is no such thing as Macra. Macra do not exist. There are no Macra!" As much fun as that is, it is a little bit of an odd thing to say.

The voice that tries to brainwash Ben and Jamie is very soothing, yet very evil. Jamie actually says so himself. It tells them they’ll be happy to obey and will question nothing. Again, it’s quite nice that they’re at least being allowed to be happy. Jamie wakes up early, but almost believes what it says. Ben is completely brainwashed. Poor guy. Obviously it doesn’t work on the Doctor, who disables the one brainwashing Polly, but completely forgets about Ben and Jamie! She knew what she was doing cosying up to the Doctor in the Moonbase. He tells her never to be obedient. In the next scene, Ben angrily tells the Doctor he’s breaking the law trying to stop the brainwashing. “He thinks he knows best all the time. This time he’s wrong,” he declares in a fury. Jamie says that he takes orders from only the Doctor, which does jar a little with the Doctor telling Polly she must never be obedient. It’s quite amusing, really, to see Ben turning the Doctor and Jamie in. Polly is furious and runs off, telling him he may as well report her, but instead he runs off, leading to a great sequence, which has a few existing clips. It says a lot about the effectiveness of the brainwashing that even when he sees the Macra, Ben says, “there is nothing evil or harmful in this colony”. It’s sweet though, that he tries to save Polly, and tells her to run while he tries to hold them off. I should say again how much I love Dudley’s incidental music for this story, and it really helps give these scenes atmosphere.

It’s telling that the Pilot is subjected to the mind control. He doesn’t seem to realise what he’s doing. Ola seems to be the only one actually aware that the colony is not all happy and lovely, and he likes exploiting it too much to care. Again, the effectiveness of the brainwashing is nicely highlighted by Ben forgetting all about the encounters with the Macra as soon as they get to the Pilot’s office. “There are no such things as Macra,” he declares, and the Controller tells them all poor Polly has been hallucinating. The way the Doctor and Jamie now go on the attack is quite exciting, even if it does seem pretty reckless. The Doctor asks who is really in control, and the Pilot highlights the Controller. Jamie points out that it’s just a picture, they want to see the Controller in person. It’s a very tense moment. I’m not entirely sure why the Macra’s claw attacks the Controller after he’s said he’ll do what they tell him to, but there you are. Polly’s scream of “they’re in control,” is loud and effective. The episode did start a little slowly, but it’s recovered brilliantly, and is thrillingly exciting throughout the last fifteen minutes or so. Terrific stuff. Let’s hope this can continue. 10/10

Episode Three

I do like the Controller's apparent fear of people finding out about the Macra. "We will not tolerate the evil of such strangers," it yells. I love the way the Doctor doesn't care at all, he's too busy making fun of the rhymes of the colony songs. "The man who wrote that ought to be sent to the danger gang, not us," he chuckles. I love the way the Doctor, Jamie and Polly are all trying to protect each other. Two of them will have to go down into the mines, while one stays on the surface. "You don't send a lassie and an old man down to dig," Jamie says. The Doctor's reaction to that is rather amusing. I love the way Troughton's companions make fun of him all the time. You couldn't imagine it with Hartnell. The Doctor wants Polly to have the safer job, but she refuses and insists he takes it, as he can be of more use sabotaging their equipment. It's a great moment that shows Polly's strength perfectly.

The bit where the Doctor writes his calculations all over a wall and then marks himself 10/10 is funny, particularly when he changes it to 11/10 when the Pilot tells him it's so exact he thinks the Doctor has cheated. I like the way Ben gradually breaks through his brainwashing. He watches the Doctor, confused. Michael Craze plays the doubts very well. He sees Jamie and Medok cause Officia to be overcome by the fumes and steal his keys. When Officia realises his keys have been taken, Ben says, "you must have dropped them". It's very effective, especially as he later then decides to report Jamie, but still doesn't know why he didn't report him in the first place, and will only report him to the Pilot, not to anybody else.

It's not exactly a mystery to the audience, but it's still nicely done that as Jamie escapes into the old shaft, the Controller says the guards must not follow him in. Again, we know really before the Doctor why gas is being poured in, that it isn't to kill Jamie but to wake the Macra he finds. It's really quite creepy as Jamie finds one and isn't sure whether it's awake or even alive as it just sits there, still. It's a classic moment as its eyes suddenly light up and the gas wakes it, and Dudley Simpson's terrific music starts kicking in. The way Jamie runs and finds himself trapped by another Macra is superb, and creates a classic cliffhanger, not even ruined by the Controller thinking he's in an episode of Stingray by chanting out, "stand by for action".

This episode isn't quite as good as the first two, though the quality is still very high, and the scenes at the end with Jamie in the old shaft with the dormant Macra are terrific and tense. This is a high quality story, and though everybody has been good, Michael Craze is the stand out here. We're unlikely to get a stronger portrayal of brainwashing than this. 9/10

Episode Four

The Doctor's line, "confusion is best left to the experts," is a classic one, and it's great the way he pushes the fresh air through to save Jamie. Jamie manages to escape the Macra and finds a bunch of cheerleaders, which is very strange. They're learning how to sing and dance happily to encourage the workers, and assume Jamie has come to join in. He's told, "we want something gay and cheerful". It's a shame we don't get to see the Highland fling, as it sounds very entertaining, particularly the ending. It's a great scene, though a bit strange that the guards looking for Jamie have no idea what he looks like, and have to rely on Ben giving him up.

The scene where Ola shouts at the Pilot and they argue, only for the Doctor to walk up to them and make them apologise to each other, "we can't have anger and differences of opinion in this happy colony," is hilarious. Control goes even crazier as the Doctor and Polly try and convince the Pilot that the Macra exist, wanting to show him proof. The way it screams at the Pilot to go back to work, and then puts Ola in command to arrest him is quite funny, really. "This is a happy colony, all must obey!" it shrieks out. Interestingly, Ben goes off after them, still desperate for proof, one way or another. The Doctor's, "bad laws were made to be broken," to the Pilot who is worrying about what they're doing is a very classic Troughton moment. They finally show the Pilot (and Ben) proof that the Macra exist, and have been the Controller all along. They're apparently parasites, living off the gas. It's really quite nasty that the Macra get Ola to arrest them and shove them in a room to be gassed to death. It's fitting that it's Ben who saves the day. After the brainwashing and trying to overcome all of his doubts, he finally manages to get free of it and do what the Doctor tells him to. It's a very good and satisfying ending once more.

The ending is quite funny, as it almost echoes the opening scene, with the happy, jolly colony. How they're going to stay happy and jolly without all the drugs and brainwashing is quite another matter. For once the Doctor and friends are hailed as heroes, to the point where they want the Doctor to be the next Pilot! That they run away using the Highland fling is terrific, a wonderful way to conclude a wonderful episode that concludes a high class story. 9/10

Conclusion

I adore the Macra Terror. It's Ian Stuart Black's best script, Dudley Simpson's best score so far, and all the cast are superb. Not only that, all four regulars get plenty to do, which is very nice. It's the only time this team have really all been used well. It's both happy and jolly and creepy and tense. It's near faultless. I love the little jingles. I love everything about this story. It's fast, exciting, thoughtful and very silly. After the perfect opening, Troughton's early era had been flagging a little bit, but this is one terrific shot in the arm. We all know control is right and we must obey! Ra ra ra!

Average rating: 9.5

Old rating: 9

New rating: 9.5

The Moonbase

Episode One

It starts well, I’ll give it that. I was trying hard to like this story (or at least, judge it fairly), due to its apparent popularity. The music is very eerie and atmospheric, and starts things off nicely. The amusement of Ben and Polly to find that the Doctor has missed Mars by such a distance is funny, and their eagerness for the Doctor to let them explore when he decides there’s no need to stay is very sweet. Their excitement as they play about is good fun, too, until Jamie “knocks himself out or something”. It does feel very similar to the Tenth Planet already, though, an isolated base with many differing clichéd nationalities. The one major difference so far is “Hobby”. Cutler was a maniac, but at least he kept some sort of order. Hobson’s barely bothered, and welcomes our regulars incredibly quickly. “Is this someone’s idea of a particularly bad joke?” is a terrible line, too.

Polly would make a lovely nurse. Her statement that the machine being used on Jamie that will do nearly everything, “can’t be nice to him” is very sweet, as is her later, “with a ward full of sick men and no doctors, somebody has to do something”. A moment later in this story is often for some insane reason used as an example of sexism with Polly offering to make coffee while the Doctor thinks, even if a moment’s thought destroys that argument, or even just watching the first episode, as while Polly’s being brilliant in the sickbay, Jamie is unconscious and Ben is being made to clear away coffee cups. One thing I love this story for is the interaction between the Doctor and Polly, which is played in such a lovely way by Troughton and Wills. The way she teases him when he’s trying to explain about the artificial day and night on the moon is very sweet and for me one of the highlights of the story.

One of my major problems with this plot is the sheer stupidity of humans in relying on the Gravitron. Controlling the weather might be nice enough, but to have got to the point where you can’t cope without it? And it’s mentioned that the Gravitron can destroy London or raise the Atlantic. So at least it’s safe. I can’t think of any flaws in that plan! It’s ridiculous, although I shouldn’t really complain, since my second favourite story, the Seeds of Death, has an even more silly and extreme example of it.

This isn’t a perfect episode, by any means, and it’s a little slow in places, but it’s an intriguing enough opening episode, even if it does feel similar to the Tenth Planet. The death of Ralph so early is good, it helps emphasise the threat of the Cybermen, particularly as the cliffhanger involves one advancing on Jamie. 7/10

Episode Two

I find it interesting that Polly recognises the Cyberman, but doesn't make any comment about the new design, as these don't look a thing like the Tenth Planet version. Polly's great in this episode. She's the Doctor's sidekick while Ben and Jamie are sidelined. They're so good together. The Doctor's panicked, "look busy," as Hobson appears is very amusing, as is the way the Doctor pretends he has the answer just to get Hobson off their backs. It is quite funny the way the Doctor pokes around the Moonbase team getting samples for his research and getting in the way, but that whole scene with the Gravitron is one I find rather dull, really. It feels like it goes on for such a long time, and essentially it's just watching people at work doing their pretty dull job. Maybe I'm being unfair. Back then it possibly would have been exciting to see people working on the Moon as if it were the most normal thing you could think of, but now it just feels like we're watching a bunch of people in an office, and like the Office, it isn't particularly interesting.

Ben wants to leave. Poor old Ben, never wanting to stay anywhere. This season seems to have a number of recurring themes, such as the Doctor and hats, and running away quickly at the end of an adventure, and one of them is Ben wanting to leave in the TARDIS whenever things get difficult. What he really needed was to be in an early Hartnell story where he wouldn't have the choice! Of course, here at least, he's only doing it to set up the Doctor's speech about how the evil must be fought. Which is a nice opening line for the Doctor manifesto. I'm not convinced by the Cyber sugar attack. It seems an extremely haphazard plan on their part. And why does that man suddenly want sugar in his coffee? Presumably he never has wanted it before, otherwise he'd have been poisoned? Or he just hasn't had any coffee since the whole thing started. Same goes for Hobson, actually, who asks for sugar.

The cliffhanger is a bit silly, too, finding the Cyberman in the sickbay since it's the only place that hasn't been searched. It could have been a bit of a disaster really, but the scene is saved by Troughton, who is absolutely brilliant at selling (or creating, even) the tension. He's terrific here, but the episode itself was far less engaging than the first, for me. 5/10

Episode Three

This is the first time in the story we actually hear the Cybermen, which is interesting since it’s only their second story. And oh dear! What have they done to them? In the Tenth Planet, their voices were interesting and unique, and fitted them perfectly. I don’t like this version at all. It’s grating and unpleasant to listen to. Luckily they don’t have a great deal to say, although I would also say these aren’t the best looking Cybermen, either. It’s quite funny that the Cybermen talk about stupid Earth brains in this episode, considering how even at this point, their second appearance, we know they can’t stand radiation or gravity. Or even Polly cocktails. When you start adding gold allergies and winks from Sophie Aldred being fatal to them, they’re really very easily defeatable.

The Cybermen claim they aren’t interested in getting revenge, just in destroying threats. As if. But it’s a nice touch that Ben remembers they don’t like radiation. The disease is a way of readying people for conversation, which is a bit odd. The Polly cocktail is great. It’s a bit silly, but it does inject some fun into proceedings, and provides yet another example that Polly is pro-active and great, though people trying to find sexism conveniently “miss” such things. Okay, Ben does tell her that, “this is men’s work,” when they go off to use the cocktail, but he’s just being protective, which is fair enough all things considered (wouldn’t you be protective of those you care about in such a situation?), and she ignores him and comes along anyway. And it works and drives the Cybermen away. So in essence, Polly has single handedly saved the day. For now. Which is rather nice.

The scene of the Doctor chatting to himself is interesting too, except for the conclusion that the Cybermen don’t like gravity, which is a bit useless. Also, the scene of Benoit going out onto the Moon’s surface just so we can have a chase scene is a bit silly. Also, I’m not convinced by the cliffhanger, or at least, I’m not convinced by it if it’s the same as the reprisal at the start of the next episode. The Cybermen don’t look particularly menacing. More just...bored. 5/10

Episode Four

There's another scene in here that I find a bit dull, as the Moonbase crew watch a scanner showing the course of the ship from Earth for a while. It's interesting to see that so soon after coming on board the TARDIS, Jamie is already reading scanners and talking about how spaceships have gone off course. It's funny really, that by the Faceless Ones, Jamie has been exposed to all sorts of things, including spaceships, but he's still baffled by a plane. I'm not even going to bother talking about how they patch up holes in the glass with a jacket and with a tray, since it's too ridiculous to give any thought to. The build up to the conclusion is a bit slow, though. It feels like we're just waiting, now, for the Doctor to think up a way out before the Cybermen can overwhelm the Moonbase.

The use of the Gravitron to defeat the Cybermen is a fairly elegant solution. It's an obvious one, but one that makes sense within the context of the story. It's quite a satisfying one, too, and it looks quite good. I like the way the Doctor and companions run off quickly at the end. That's twice in four Troughton stories they've done that, and will soon be three out of five. The bookending of the story with the regulars on the moon surface is nicely done, too, though the cliffhanger is a little forced. A time scanner? That sounds like a very convenient device considering it's never seen or heard of again. And it doesn't make any sense, either, as everybody suddenly forgets it at the start of the next story. Quite a poor conclusion to a fairly bland story. 4/10

Conclusion

The Moonbase is okay. It's pretty average Doctor Who, really. It's not the most engaging story in the world, but there's more than enough in there to keep it entertaining for most of its duration. Jamie is sidelined a bit, but the Doctor and Polly are used brilliantly, and Ben has some good moments. Troughton continues to be remarkably impressive as the new Doctor. It's difficult to believe this is only his fourth story. He just is the Doctor. It's incredible how quickly he's settled in to the role and made it his own. I'm not impressed with the re-jigged Cybermen, and especially not with their voices, but they didn't really say or do all that much in this story anyway. The more I watch Ben and Polly, the more I'm convinced they're criminally overlooked these days. It's such a shame they only have one complete story remaining, they deserved better.

Average rating: 5.25

Old rating: 4

New rating: 5

The Underwater Menace

Episode One

This story has a place as my least favourite Troughton story. Which isn't a criticism, I should point out, as Troughton doesn't have a bad story. We'll see if it keeps its reputation up. It does start badly, and Polly seems to think we're in a repeat of the Smugglers, as she thinks it's Cornwall. It takes an age for anything to happen, though. Our regulars are captured and sent down a lift. Eventually a man appears and Ben rather amusingly says, "Polly, you speak foreign, go talk to him". Why they all suddenly assume that the people there can't speak English is bizarre, as if that happens in every adventure, rather than never. There's a rather amusing reference to the Doctor's hat obsession as he greedily tucks in to the food they're given, as Polly remarks, "I've never seen him go for food like this before, it's usually hats". The God Amdo foresaw the TARDIS crew arriving, apparently. You know you're in trouble in Doctor Who when you come across a cult. I find it interesting the Doctor knows who Zaroff is. He gets the very cute girl Ara to send him a message, which contains yet another Doctor Who? joke, as it goes, "vital secret will die with me, Dr W." It's rather amusing that the Doctor doesn't even try and make up a secret, he comes clean immediately that he just wrote that to get them out of the sacrifice! Also amusing is the reference to Zaroff being the greatest scientific genius since Da Vinci! Yeah, of course he is...

It is a fairly dull opening though, to be fair. It has little of the mystery and intrigue that I like from first episodes, and it seems a bit early for a mass attempted sacrifice of the regulars, only for them to escape, only for Polly to be put in danger again. I’m not sure which is worse, Polly calling the plastic gills “breathtaking,” or the line “you’re not turning me into a fish!” Still, you have the loveliness of Ara to just about keep going. 4/10.

Episode Two

It’s quite a good Doctor moment at the start here, as he “accidentally” cuts the power to save Polly from being turned into a fish. Damon is rather angry about the lights being turned off. He actually likes turning people into fish. Maybe because it’s such a ridiculous concept, it amuses him. If the story had ever actually started, this episode would be where it would have fallen down. At least starting rubbish means there isn’t any real drop in quality as we find out Zaroff wants to destroy the world for the achievement of doing so. That’s awful. Even the bloody Cybermen had an actual reason for wanting to do it. The music at this point is quite good, though, although it soon won’t be.

The Doctor’s conversation with Ramo is an interesting one. They haven’t met properly, but Ramo decides to trust the Doctor anyway. It’s a slightly odd conversation, and even odder considering what happens later. The Doctor brings Ramo to the Goddess Amdo and demonstrates using reasoned argument what Zaroff is doing. Later, when the Doctor is trying to convince others, he just says, “look, Zaroff’s all boggly-eyed, he must be mad!” Why not use the same sensible argument rather than just pointing and accusing like an idiot? This story could have been half the length if he hadn’t done that.

This episode does have two of Troughton’s early traits in it, which can only be a good thing. When Ramo suggests that the Doctor disguise himself in priest’s clothes, the Doctor gets all excited about getting to wear such a magnificent hat. He also gets out his recorder, which he uses frequently throughout his first season.

Again, though, this episode is rather uneventful. It’s just not quite silly enough to make the lack of plot work. It’s ridiculous, but not that silly. After Troughton’s strong start, this is a shame, but it’s trying something new, which is never a bad thing. And there are still moments of good here, such as Ben’s giggle as he hears they wanted to turn Polly into a fish. It’s a world above the Celestial Toymaker, but, overall, there isn’t a great deal for me to praise, here. 3/10

Episode Three

There’s a sequence with the fish people in this episode that feels endless. It isn’t helped by the awful music by Dudley Simpson, either. It’s just dreadful. It looks okay, but it serves no purpose and is dull. Serving no purpose is fine if it’s interesting, but this just wastes time. Wasting time of one of the very few Troughton episodes from this season still to exist! That is a serious crime. Particularly as it's the first Troughton episode that exists, and the first since the Tenth Planet episode three. I'd have thought I'd love anything, which shows how bad this is.

All of Zaroff's food goes off in a matter of hours. That's terrible! Think of the waste. Don't they have fridges or freezers in Atlantis? They clearly have electricity, so it isn't as if that's a problem. The Doctor and friends capture Zaroff ridiculously easily, and then Polly and Ramo fall for the "falling to the floor and pretending to be hurt" trick and let him go. And of course, Zaroff has the ridiculous cliffhanger, but just before it he murders Thous in cold blood, which is pretty horrible. Maybe I'm being slightly harsh with this score, as it isn't this episode's fault it's the first one of the Troughton era to survive, but I really wish it had been any episode at all but this one. 2/10

Episode Four

Dudley Simpson’s clearly been at the happy pills again after his bizarre interlude in the previous episode. He needs them, I guess, and so do we after three episodes of this. The Doctor doesn’t have Dudley keeping him happy happy, and as a result he’s flooding Atlantis. Troughton and Anneke Wills are great together, and get some lovely Doctor/Polly moments in the next story, but here it’s the Doctor and Ben having the great moments. They work well together. Ben pretends to be a guard having captured the Doctor ("I've been out chasing this berk all day"). Another guard asks Ben, “how do I know he’s a wanted man?” and Ben replies, a bit too eagerly, “blimey, look at him. He ain’t normal, is he?” Then, a few moments later, Ben asks the Doctor if he knows what he’s doing and the Doctor says, “oh what a question, of course I don’t!” which seems like yet another early Troughton theme developing.

Polly starts crying and moaning as they try and get out of the caves, moaning over and over how she can’t do it, and needing Jamie to essentially drag her along. Which would be fair enough usually, but she was having a right go at Kirsty in the previous story for doing exactly the same thing! I find it rather amusing how Jamie says he feels safe in the TARDIS, considering the things he’d say about it in later stories! It’s a very sweet scene at the end, though, with Polly wearing the Doctor’s hat and the regulars all seeming so happy together. And we get the Doctor being teased again about how he can’t control the TARDIS. He claims he can, he just doesn’t want to, but agrees to take them to Mars. It’s a silly, contrived cliffhanger, but compared to the story we’ve just had, it works well, and it is a fairly nice ending to a terrible story which went nowhere. The final episode was as poor as the rest, mostly involving people climbing, after a not very exciting face-off between the Doctor and Zaroff, the only good bit of which was the Doctor wanting to go back and help Zaroff (and Ben refusing to let him). It did have Ben making the most of his chance to insult the Doctor, though, which was very amusing. 3/10

Conclusion

Not the finest moment of Troughton’s era. As I mentioned at the start, this is my least favourite Troughton story. I tried to enjoy it, and look for the positives, but I struggled. It’s just dull. I like silliness, but this doesn’t have anywhere near enough to save it. The plot is absurd, and the acting is interesting, but not a lot actually happens. The fish ballet in episode three goes on forever. I think I was generous to call this a world above Toymaker. It’s not actually that much better, saved only by the regulars all being fantastic, and Troughton’s Doctor being brilliant to watch at all times. Still, as this is my least favourite Troughton story, things can only get better. Let's go off to the moon!

Average rating: 3

Old Rating: 4

New Rating: 3

The Highlanders

Episode One

And so we settle down for the last historical for 15 years. It's a very sad moment. It's quite funny that the Doctor is happy just to leave again, saying he doesn't care if Polly and Ben think he's afraid. And he's right to be, as they get captured very quickly by somebody called Jamie, and Alexander. The Doctor quickly gets in his, "I would like a hat like this," catchphrase before Ben grabs a pistol and threatens their captors. The Doctor makes the Scots give their word they won't molest them and will allow him to help their injured Laird, and tells Ben to put the gun down, which he does, accidentally firing it. The idiot. It's that that draws the Redcoats to their position, and gets Alexander killed. Still, Ben thinks the Redcoats will help. That's very silly of him. He has been in historicals before, he should know how they work.

We get a Doctor Who? joke! Yippee. The Doctor puts on a ridiculous accent and calls himself Doctor von Wer, to which the Redcoat says, "Doctor who?" leading to the obvious reply, "quite". After skilfully talking his way out of things, the Doctor then says he's better at speaking English than the King, which gets him right back in trouble again, the fool. But he does try to save Jamie and the Laird by saying, "you cannot hang a citizen of a foreign power without first informing the ambassador". That doesn't work, but dodgy solicitor Grey arrives and sets them free. Luckily for them, Polly and her new friend Kirsty are still free. Polly is incredibly patronising to the Davis/Lloyd idiot from history and calls her a stupid peasant before running off and falling into a pit.

It's an intriguing and entertaining opening episode, with the Doctor still acting strangely. It promises a decent amount. 7/10

Episode Two

Polly drags the stupid peasant into the pit, and ridiculously says, "didn't the women of your age do anything but cry?" This is the same Polly who will spend all of the next story crying. It's bizarre, particularly as Davis actually wrote this story. He's the one who brought back crying and complaining female companions which had died out originally with Susan. Yet suddenly Polly is all tough. Wouldn't it have been easier to have the rebel woman saying that to Polly? Oh no, this production team don't like historicals, do they? They can't have people from the past acting realistically. Viewers might enjoy it. Anyway, it is quite amusing the way Polly and Kirsty blackmail "ferfinch".

I love the way the Doctor shouts, "down with King George," just because he wants to hear the echo. Then suddenly he pretends to turn traitor and tells a sentry of a plot to kill the King, started by Jamie. It's nice that a wink from the Doctor convinces Ben that it's a ruse, though by the end of the episode they're prisoners on a pirate ship and starting to doubt him. The Doctor gets taken to meet Grey, and the scene where he locks him up and convinces Perkins that he has a headache and must rest is quite funny, as is the Doctor dressing up as an old woman. 6/10

Episode Three

The Sergeant takes Polly and Kirsty to see ffinch in a bar where the Doctor happens to be hiding. Perkins captures them, leading to a great moment of the Doctor, still dressed as a woman, pointing a pistol at him and threatening him. He gets Polly and Kirsty free, and then decides he would rather have a nap than help Ben. Eventually he does decide to help after all and they steal a bunch of weapons for a raid on the pirate ship. Grey is a slave trader, and wants to make Ben and Jamie slaves in the Caribbean. 6/10

Episode Four

It's quite impressive the way Ben escapes using a Houdini trick (flex your muscles as they're tying you up, then relax. Does that really work?) and gets to the shore, and quite funny that the "Redcoat" who sees him is actually the Doctor in yet another disguise. With a moustache. Apparently the Doctor would like a hat like Ben's sailor hat! There's a big fight sequence on the ship, which hopefully was rubbish, otherwise it would be quite dull, because it goes on for a while. Jamie saves Ben from pirate Trask, and decides to help the Doctor, Ben and Polly find their way back. The bit where the Doctor admits to having ripped up Grey's contracts is brilliant, Troughton at his best. Polly asks the Doctor if they can take Jamie with them, as if he's a stray dog! 5/10

Conclusion

This is a story where we have the Doctor put on a silly accent, dress up as an old woman and a redcoat. It is a story that is relatively new to me, though, and I have little to say about it (partly due to having already watched the Faceless Ones by the time I've bothered to write this!) other than it's a very enjoyable little story and valuable, as one of only two post-Hartnell historicals. Troughton is already in top, if strange, form as the Doctor, and Ben and Polly continue to impress in this marathon. They've been superb and I've loved them. I wonder what I'll make of Jamie.

Average rating: 6

Old Rating: 6

New Rating: 6

The Power of the Daleks

Episode One

This is the first Dalek story to be Terry Nation-free, and guess what? It's the first top class Dalek story, perfectly written and plotted. I apologise in advance, but this is just going to be one big love-in. This story perfectly highlights the difference between Terry Nation and David Whitaker. Nation's had four goes at Dalek stories, and Whitaker beats all of them easily with his first try. What is so great also is that the guest characters are so believable. They're all so beautifully you know all about them by the end of the first episode, in spite of less than fifteen minutes running time of them. Also, this story has so many little clips surviving, and seeing them is a joy. The reconstruction bursts into life so often, and each time is very exciting.

The first scene in the TARDIS is quite amazing. It's lucky the audience in 1966 were more patient (and open minded) than those in 1984, as the Doctor here is really portrayed as being very unlikeable, far more so than the sixth Doctor, who had his problems explained very clearly on screen. With the second Doctor there is no explanation at all. Of course, he is likeable for us, because Troughton's performance is superb. I like that he almost has to learn to walk again, and sees Hartnell in the mirror. Why can't regeneration always be this hard? But he's really quite cruel to Ben and Polly, ignoring them when they call him Doctor, just answering with a ,"don't you know?" when they ask him to say who they are. "Been renewed, have I? That's it, I've been renewed!" he states, and keeps talking about the Doctor and ignoring Ben and Polly.

Then, finally, he waltzes off into the swamps and the story begins. When the Doctor tries to read the Examiner's badge, he finds out he doesn't need glasses any more, which is a nice touch. He also appears to have a hat obsession, the first of which looks ludicrous, but fits. The colonists themselves are great. The obvious hatred between Bragen and Quinn and the thinly veiled threat from Janley to Lesterson very quickly giving us a nice summary of the characters. On presenting himself as the Examiner, and being asked why he is there, the Doctor says, "to examine," which presents us with the first instance of flippancy from our new Doctor, which is always good to see, and it's quickly followed by Hensell ordering proper clothes for the Doctor, Ben and Polly, to which the Doctor, mock baffled, says, "we are wearing proper clothes". Polly's new clothes are very appropriate. Anneke Wills looks great in them. Though he plays the fool the entire way, the Doctor immediately works out Bragen is up to no good (though it's not so hard to guess that, really).

The Doctor is infuriating with Ben and Polly, answering their questions by playing his recorder, then playing louder any time Ben tries to argue. This episode all leads to the Doctor breaking into Lesterson's "capsule" at night, followed by Ben and Polly. In it they find...Daleks! The bit where the Doctor realises there were three and one has gone is very chilling.

We have a new Doctor, but the quality, if anything, has only risen. I love Polly's line, "it is the Doctor, I know it is. I think". The opening scene in the TARDIS is hectic and exciting, and the colony scenes advance rapidly to the superb cliffhanger. This one episode beats any individual episode in the Hartnell era. An easy 10/10.

Episode Two

Polly's shorts really are distracting. Why didn't she always wear them? Ben mentions how "the real Doctor" was always going on about the Daleks. I've always assumed that plenty does happen between adventures, and the Doctor does tell his companions about his adventures, but it's nice to have this confirmation. The Doctor's claim that one Dalek is enough to destroy the colony echoes the Dalek in the Daleks' Master Plan, and is effective in selling their menace, and is nicely followed by the Doctor and Polly having a lovely moment of them both having fun saying, "Lesterson listen" over and over. This is where having clips help, you can see in those few short seconds just what a sweet moment of fun it is between the two of them which you wouldn't get (as much) with just the soundtrack and photos.

There's a nice continuation of the Doctor using his recorder to shut Ben up, but unlike in the previous episode, this time it's a warning to Ben that he's saying too much, rather than the Doctor being annoying. They easily work out that it was Lesterson who took the third Dalek. The Doctor's, "I want them broken up or melted down, up or down, don't care which," is a great line. He's all over the place. Ranting, comparing the Daleks to there being a bomb in the colony waiting to go off... and then being distracted by a bowl of fruit. But then, just as we (and Ben) think he's totally mad, he reveals that the fruit has been bugged. "So that's why you were messing about and talking nonsense?" Ben remarks...leading to more mock bafflement from the Doctor, stating that he never talks nonsense. I'm already in love with Troughton's portayal. His statement that, "I know the misery they cause, the destruction," as his reason for not running off to the TARDIS is becoming a common theme. There's all of that, and then he accidentally yanks a doorknob off and pockets it.

Then we get the scene of Lesterson, Janley and Resno giving the Dalek some power. It's really teasing the audience for Lesterson to bend over it and say, "I can't think what this short stubby arm is for". Resno finds the Dalek disturbing, and thinks it's watching him. Lesterson laughs at the idea of it having an intelligence. As they give the Dalek more power, and Resno becomes more worried, he quickly gets exterminated. That's a really chilling moment. The Dalek is happy to let the unsuspecting fools live, but those who do worry must be got rid of. Those such as the Doctor, Ben and Polly. Lesterson removes its gun and takes it to Hensell, demonstrating it can follow basic commands. Essentially humiliating the Dalek. But this scene is brilliant, as the Dalek sees the Doctor and recognises him instantly. Apart from being spine-tingling, it's what makes Ben finally believe it is really the Doctor, which is a nice touch. It essentially is a beautiful cliffhanger to go with another glorious episode. 10/10

Episode Three

Lesterson really is a patronising git towards the Daleks. They’re going to get enormous satisfaction from exterminating him later. “They have a certain intelligence,” indeed. And asking them such silly science questions. It’s interesting that the Doctor tells it to demonstrate that it’s really a servant by doing as he says and shutting down. It pretends to until he leaves the room, and then powers up, explaining that it doesn’t follow wrong orders, but will do what the colonists want. Somehow Hensell babbles, “it reasons!” and they all take that it disobeys “wrong orders” as a good sign, the bloody morons. This lot are really begging to be exterminated.

The Doctor pretends to change his mind and co-operate with Lesterson after all. Even though it seems an obvious ruse, you can almost believe him as a viewer. We don’t really know this Doctor yet. Of course, it is just a ruse to get to the generator and give the Daleks too much power, which naturally doesn’t work. But it does lead to that superb moment where as the Doctor walks away, the Dalek clicks its empty gun slot in frustration at him. It’s a really exciting moment.

The Doctor seems to enjoy infuriating Ben. He’s quite normal with Polly. When she gets kidnapped, Ben is naturally worried, but the Doctor just ignores him and says, “Ben, if you were a Dalek what would be your next move?” Ben angrily responds, “we’re talking about Polly”. The Doctor just gets even more irritating and pretends he thinks Ben’s asking what Polly thinks the Daleks would do. Poor old Ben, he’s having no fun at all. The Doctor doesn’t appear to care about Polly, and drags Ben off to the laboratory to confront the Dalek. It’s quite chilling, too, that it’s when no other people are around that the Dalek stops pretending and just acts like a normal Dalek to the Doctor and Ben. It also leads to the interesting, “when I say run, run like a rabbit,” quote, that sadly isn’t used again. Then later they get a warning not to stop the Daleks, or Polly will get hurt. This story is serious about people getting hurt, even though only two people have died...so far.

Here the colony story steps up, too, as we watch the power games of the idiots, not understanding that their lives are in danger. Bragen and Janley just want power. Bragen’s smart, though. He knows the Doctor isn’t an idiot. But it's Lesterson who is by far the focus, here, as he slowly becomes aware of the mistake he’s making. He talks about how the Daleks are curious, and just like people. The Dalek really has to bite its tongue, so to speak, as it responds, “a Dalek is bet...not the same as a human”. Now that is how you do a villain almost giving himself away. It’s chilling, and though he doesn’t admit it yet, it worries Lesterson. He finds out the Dalek has activated the other two. Naturally that worries him even more, but he’s already powerless enough to give them no more than a tiny slap on the metaphorical wrist. And then, of course, though they’re disarmed, they provide the cliffhanger as they chant, “we will get our power,” and the penny finally drops for Lesterson that the Doctor’s been right all along. Robert James plays the dawning realisation beautifully. This story just keeps on giving. 10/10.

Episode Four

Lesterson quickly jumps and turns the power down to show that he still controls the Daleks. And it works. For now. But not very conclusively. The Daleks sort of agree to obey him, and he says, “I’m glad we understand each other,” to which the Dalek says, “we understand the human mind”. This is becoming very stressful for poor old Lesterson. It is bizarre that though he is technically the villain as he started it all, he is the most sympathetic colonist. Now he finds out the Daleks are doing things behind his back, in an area he can’t get to. Then he finds out that Resno died, after all, and Janley lied that he’d only been hurt. This is where he really starts to panic. Janley tells him his tests were too important for him to be distracted by knowing of Resno’s death, and he refuses to accept that his tests were more important than human life. The pressure becomes too much and he collapses.

While all this is going on, the Doctor is confronting Bragen, and treating him like Ben. He cheekily admires the new uniform Bragen has acquired, leading to him saying, “I would like a hat like that”. It’s such a shame he stopped saying that after a few stories. I love the intimidating way the Dalek glides in to offer “liquid” to Bragen while the Doctor and Ben are trying to convince him that the Daleks will not help him. Then we get another very chilling moment, as the Doctor and Ben leave that Dalek in Bragen’s office, and then see three Daleks going down the corridor. There’s another one! After this, the Doctor infiltrates the rebel meeting, and sees that they think the Daleks will actually help them. Of course, they get discovered, and interestingly Bragen stops the Dalek from killing the Doctor, instead just chucking him in a cell. Ben getting captured means Michael Craze can follow Anneke Wills in having a holiday!

The big trouble with this episode, aside from Polly’s absence, is the long scene of Lesterson watching the Daleks reproducing. It’s good in itself, it just goes on far too long, and is the first time in the whole story where I feel it’s dragged a little, which is a shame, though the atmosphere and strength of the story means I’ll only knock off half a point for the length of that sequence. 9.5/10.

Episode Five

And suddenly there are loads of Daleks! And they’re still waiting! The head Dalek says that no more than three Daleks must be seen at one time... “we are not ready yet to teach these human beings the law of the Daleks,” he/it says. Rather than being a bad thing, though, it just ratchets the tension up even higher. And, in a very clever repeat of the reprisal from episode three’s cliffhanger, Lesterson turns off the power to show he controls the Daleks, wanting to melt them down...but this time nothing happens. The way the Dalek just stares blankly at him is really spooky.

Polly gets a shockingly bad line, here. "You think you're very tough pushing a girl around. I'd like to see you cope against a real man". I'm not even going to start, I'll just say it's an awful line, the worst of this story. Still, one duff moment in two and a half hours isn't bad.

Hensell suddenly returns from his "tour" and finds he's been usurped by Bragen. Interestingly, Bragen offers to let Hensell still officially be Governor. Bragen seems almost reasonable for a baddie. Oh wait, no, he's just armed the Dalek and told it to kill Hensell! Maybe not. It does lead to (yet) another famous line as the Dalek asks Bragen, "why do human beings kill human beings?" which sums all sorts of things up perfectly. Bizarrely enough, to a Dalek, killing one of its own is unthinkable (okay, I know that's contradicted quite often, but let's ignore that for now). In that one line, the Dalek hops on its moral high horse and puts itself as better than Bragen. And it's difficult to argue with it, really. And of course, Bragen and the Daleks in this story are both after power, though in different forms. Again, I find it all quite chilling, really, that this story is quite effectively saying humans are no better than Daleks. And of course, their plan revolves around waiting for these humans to start fighting amongst themselves...and then they'll strike! Bragen's loss of calm and control is also fascinating, as he realises too late that he's pulled off his coup at exactly the wrong time and begins to crack. He declares martial law and says, "from now on I'll have complete obedience from everyone!" Bernard Archard pulls off the sudden worry of Bragen very well.

I like how the Daleks are still biting their tongues and deceiving the colonists, even now at this point when we're just waiting for them to strike. One of them explains to Janley, "until now we've needed the colony's power. With static power the Daleks will be twice as... useful". The pause as it stops itself saying something incriminating and searches for the right word is terrific, a world away from the stuttering Dalek in the Chase.

This episode again does involve a lot of waiting, but by now the tension is enormous as the colonists start cracking. The Doctor is surprisingly absent through this episode (admittedly he is in prison), but he's just waiting for the oncoming storm. We know all the way through exactly what this cliffhanger will be, but it's still very exciting when it comes. 9.5/10

Episode Six

The massacre really is pulled off very well. After five episodes of ratcheting up the tension, this could have been a disappointment, but it's sold brilliantly as they storm the place killing everybody. And as the Daleks finally go on the rampage, the colonists are still playing out their petty power games, as Janley finds out Bragen wants all her rebel allies killed now that they've got him power. "Every one must be killed," he states. She's a bit shocked, but accepts (well, she'd have had to be killed to if she'd said no), and is overheard by one of the rebels.

Lesterson completely loses it, and I think probably his death sums up the ruthlessness of these Daleks best. He says, "you wouldn't kill me, I gave you life," and the Dalek, almost sounding bored, replies, "yes, you gave us life". And shoots him. It's yet another great moment in this story full of them. Yet Bragen isn't killed by a Dalek, he's killed by a fellow human. Which is quite a nice touch. Also, Polly this time begs the Doctor to run off back to the TARDIS. Usually that's Ben's role.

The Doctor defeats the Daleks, and then refuses to take credit for it. "Did I do all that?" he asks, bemused. The ungrateful sods tell him about how much damage he's caused the colony, as if leaving them all to die would have been better! But it does start the Troughton-era trend of the Doctor and companions nipping off quickly after their adventure. And of course, that old recorder is whipped out again as they make their way back to the TARDIS. I do quite like the moment where Ben asks the Doctor if he really knew what he was doing, and just gets a cheeky look. The Doctor has spent much of this story ignoring Ben.

This episode is a bit of a mess, but in a good way. It's the chaos that ensues after five episodes of tension-building, and it pays off brilliantly, ensuring Troughton has received the best first story any Doctor could hope for (and will ever get). 10/10

Conclusion

I love the Hartnell era, but this beats it all. It's an incredible story and shows just how menacing and, well, just how good the Daleks can be in the right hands. With a top class writer and a competent director you get magic. Here we get our first truly classic Dalek story, and this is the perfect time to do it. There are so many little touches and great moments in this story, from the tongue twister, to the Dalek clicking its empty gun, to the Dalek recognising the Doctor, to the Doctor pulling a doorknob off. It's very tightly plotted, and there isn't a weak performance amongst the cast. Troughton is brilliant. He is utterly commanding in the role. Power is going to be a very hard story to beat. I've always loved it, but I loved it more than ever this time. It's exciting, tense, and very nearly flawless.

Average Rating: 9.8

Old Rating: 10

New Rating: 10

The William Hartnell Era

I love the William Hartnell era, and watching it through in order has only made me appreciate it that much more. It is such a diverse and interesting period of Doctor Who. It has never been as flexible or experimental than in this era. But, importantly, there has been William Hartnell, who is terrific. His performance in the Celestial Toymaker is slightly off, and he fluffs like mad (in the wrong places, unlike usual) in the Daleks' Master Plan, but those two small blips aside, he is absolutely masterful as the Doctor. His character evolves and grows throughout his time, although I'd argue that he was never quite as villainous in his early stories as is believed.

Then we have the companions. Ian, Barbara and Vicki stand as three of my favourites (Vicki in particular is in my top five), but you also have superb companions in Steven, Dodo, and a bit of Ben and Polly. Katarina was good in her brief time, too. It's a shame about Susan, as she is one of the very few companions I have little time for, but nothing's perfect. That we still have William Russell, Peter Purves, Anneke Wills, Carole Ann Ford and sometimes Maureen O'Brien still playing these roles at Big Finish, nearly fifty years on, is wonderful.

The historicals represent everything that is good about Doctor Who. Strong and intelligent storytelling. They can be funny (the Romans, the Gunfighters), they can be serious (the Massacre, the Aztecs), they can be fun adventures (Marco Polo, the Crusade), but whatever they’re attempting, they always do it marvellously. Not only that, they are all a part of the rich variety of formats on offer that Doctor Who can use easily. Variety is the spice of life, after all. There is absolutely no reason why a Hartnell historical couldn’t work today. It’s not as if historical dramas all fail miserably. I do think that it is a shame that one of the best and most involving type of story is confined to one era of the show, even if that does help the Hartnell era stand out even more than it already does. Even without the added bonus of the historicals, the Hartnell era still would stand out as full of experimentation and lively and interesting storytelling. It was a superb time for Doctor Who, and in many ways the best time. There would never be another era quite like it, and as much as I adore the Troughton era, it was never as diverse as this.

Everybody involved in the era, from Verity Lambert, to Tristram Cary, to Douglas Camfield, to Dennis Spooner, to Raymond Cusick, to Daphne Dare, even to Richard Martin, should be thanked for the work they put in to make it happen. It was a fairly punishing schedule they had to keep to, on both sides of the screen people would refuse to work under such pressure these days. They all deserve thanks for such a strong era of television

The nature of the storytelling meant there would always be Celestial Toymaker sized gaps in the quality. If you’re trying new things, experimenting, then not everything will come off, so in that respect it is good they tried Toymaker, even if it isn’t watchable. It’s harder to explain Galaxy 4, but even if you can’t, two mistakes in three long seasons is hardly criminal. It’s rather positive, actually, that they’re the only two stories I’ve rated so low. The quality control was excellent in those days, as shown by the very healthy average score of 6.7/10 I've given the stories.

So, in conclusion, thank you William Hartnell. You've been fantastic, and it's been a wonderful ride. Seeing his era in order really does make a difference to picking and choosing, it really helps you appreciate the variety and strength of the era, and of Hartnell's performance. I've enjoyed it thoroughly, and I am eager to continue on to my favourite Doctor.

Average 6.7