The Ark

The Steel Sky

We see the first Monoid very early as the audience, just so we know this isn't Earth (or at least, not modern day Earth). This is presumably just in case anybody thinks Dodo is right when she does the thing all companions have to do...not believe they've actually travelled anywhere. Barbara is the only companion in the entire Hartnell era to trust the Doctor and believe they've moved. Ben and Polly are even worse than Dodo, but we'll get to that. But, anyway, I bring it up because of Steven's bemusement at Dodo not believing they've gone anywhere. Clearly he's forgotten he spent a large part of the Time Meddler refusing to believe they were in 1066.

As I said during the Massacre, I quite like Dodo. Okay, she's not the cleverest woman alive, but at least she has fun on her adventures. The trick with the elephant is well done. It's quite a surprise when they actually walk up to it and touch it. Matt Smith needed a glass of water to know the ground was trembling, whereas Hartnell uses the magical powers of just feeling it. The Doctor's weary, "I couldn't send you home even if I wanted to," to Dodo is interesting, but at least shows he does like her.

The Guardians are a pretty pathetic lot, aren't they? I know Commander (there we go with the people not having names thing, again!) is meant to be a goodie, but the way he says our heroes should be, "not arrested, invited" to join them is really creepy. I also love the way he says to them, "the origin of the Monoids is obscure," before explaining it in reasonably full detail! There's also another odd thing. Earlier on, whilst fluffing, he says that the person who gets miniaturised will be "reconstituted in apsproximately 700 years time," which is when they're due to reach Refusis. That's fine, but then later they start talking about segments of time to Steven, and the Commander has to work out that they'll arrive in 700 years in "your way of telling time"! Huh? Also, I'm sorry to say it, but Eric Elliott as Commander is a pretty poor actor. He doesn't convince me at all.

The Guardians show our team their proud statue, which will be completed by the time they arrive at Refusis. So what does Dodo do? She goes and tries to scratch it! That is a rather rude way to treat people who so far have been quite hospitable! Her cold kills off a Monoid by the end of episode one, but nobody cares much. It's only when a Guardian is infected that...our heroes are evil and did it on purpose! Or something. In spite of the flaws, though, it's a very enjoyable and entertaining first episode. 8/10

The Plague

Zentos is that classic example of a character I don't like, that I've mentioned many times. The "person who is technically a goodie, but must hate the regulars not for any actual reason in plot terms other than we need one of the goodies to not trust them" role. He is just as annoying as anyone in one of those roles is. He ignores actual proof, makes statements that make no sense, like accusing the Doctor of being a Refusian! They're 700 years away from Refusis, for starters. Sadly, the quality drops considerably here, as the episode really revolves around a witch hunt and the Doctor treating people who have colds. Dartar (as it is pronounced) of "this fever" was lost long ago. Not a great excuse.

It really is an absurd witch hunt. It's one of the worst examples of a kangaroo court ever seen on Doctor Who (and we've had a few). Steven's put in a cage, for heaven's sake! But his quote is still good anyway, "the nature of man even in this day and age hasn't altered at all. You still fear the unknown". Zentos is an absolute moron. I know he has to be a bit of an arse, but does he really have to be so stupid? What makes it even worse is that he acts like this, and then when the Doctor cures everybody we cut to Zentos laughing and saying to the Doctor, "thank you Doctor, so you were right after all!" What? You have got to be kidding me! You've just orchestrated an effing witch hunt and condemned three innocent people to death on the basis of no evidence whatsoever. And he has the gall to say that to the Doctor and act like everything is okay? What an utter twot... 

No needles in this day and age, apparently, says the Doctor, who also realises the Monoids are smarter than they seem. Not much smarter, it transpires. The Doctor is a bit harsh with Dodo here. He says one day he'll have to teach her to speak English just because she said "okay"! Crikey, imagine how he'd get on with Ace... This episode is utterly stupid. Actually, that's not fair, it's not that bad, it's just full of stupid moments. The cliffhanger is terrific and just lifts it to almost average. 4/10.

The Return

And I think it's a first for Doctor Who, as the consequences of the Doctor's involvement is explored. Whether they're explored well or not is another matter, but at least they are actually doing it! I am sad enough to often wonder if the Doctor has actually left places in a better state than when he arrived in the long term. That the Doctor only stopped the virus temporarily is quite an intriguing idea, as a mutation sapped the Guardians (as if they needed that) and allowed the Monoids to revolt. Heaven knows how they managed that. I do find it quite funny that the Doctor and co. watch a recording of themselves leaving on their original visit. I should say that Tristram Cary's stock music, whilst it works brilliantly in other stories, is really out of place here. It doesn't work at all for me in this story, and is just jarring.

Okay, I guess I'd better mention the Monoids. First off, they have a Security Kitchen. How fantastic is that? If I were to be held prisoner in a Doctor Who story, I'd want to be kept in a Security Kitchen. But that aside, they aren't great. They're funny, but I'm not sure that's the intention. And I can't quite work out the scene with the Monoid and Dodo, where she talks about getting everyone down from the ship and he says, "it might not take as long as you think!" He might as well do a good old clichéd evil laugh if he's going to say things like that! His "er...no!" when Dodo asks him if he's up to something is more than a bit silly. But that's the point, is it meant to be silly, or is it meant to be a villain actually giving himself away like that? If it's the latter, then it's the worst example of it we've ever seen. Unless the Monoids are actually meant to be stupid, that is. I just can't work out if this is actually rubbish or deliberately silly. I mean, a Monoid smashes a vase! That's his idea of taking charge, apparently. Oh well.

These peaceful Refusians are rather violent, aren't they? They kill two Monoids in cold blood just because they feel like it! Well, I say they, we only ever hear one Refusian, but I assume others are around. Not promising for a peaceful Star Trek-like race of super beings. The cliffhanger is a bit odd, too. Dodo asks what will happen if nobody comes down from the ship, since all the ones on Refusis have been destroyed. The Doctor says that means they'll have to stay on Refusis. It should be good, but doesn't really work very well. It's a better episode though. It's fun even if it isn't exactly great stuff. 6/10

The Bomb

I won't miss episode titles if they're like the ones in this story! The Steel Sky is quite nice, but the other three haven't had any thought at all. We need Donald Cotton! Is he writing one soon? Everything slows in this episode as the Monoids essentially defeat themselves, first telling the Doctor where the bomb is hidden, and then by killing each other. Four leads a rebellion against One. Three finds out and informs One, who very strangely says, "we can dispose of him as easily as we can destroy the spaceship, remember the bomb?" and then he looks up at the statue, where the bomb is. Huh? Why would Three have forgotten about the bomb? Do Erickson and Scott really think the audience are so stupid they've forgotten about the bomb? In an episode called the Bomb? Actually, judging by the rest of the story, we probably shouldn't answer that.

I do like the Doctor's cheekiness, as a Monoid tells him they've seen nobody since they arrived, and he replies, " to tell you the truth, neither have we". This is really poor, to be frank, but I enjoy it anyway. I like the Monoid voices, and their waddling and stupidity is very endearing. The Doctor forces the humans to make peace with the Monoids, in the end. Well, it worked so well the first time.

It's a bit of an anticlimactic final episode, as the situation pretty much resolves itself, as the Monoids massacre each other, and help the humans get rid of the bomb. But Hartnell and Lane are good fun, and it's handled relatively well. 6/10.

Conclusion

You almost feel the Ark is a missed opportunity. The idea of the Doctor and his companions actually causing harm to a civilisation just by arriving is a good one, and hadn't been used before, and neither had an exploration of the consequences of their actions. But it just descends into a silly run around with the silliest monsters we've had, rather than going into any depth, although considering the ridiculousness of Zentos and co. in the first segment, I guess it was inevitable. It's still a story I'm quite fond of, but it could have been so much more. With a stronger writer it could have been a highlight of the series. The quality drop straight after the Massacre is frightening, but we're in for an even bigger drop in quality now! Oh dear, that cliffhanger at the end is promising, but I'm going to have to endure the Celestial Toymaker! Heaven help me.

Average rating: 6

Old Rating: 6

New Rating: 6