The Tenth Planet

Episode One

So, we've reached that point, the final story of William Hartnell's reign. At this point it all seems so brief, and Hartnell has barely featured lately in a few stories. It's a sad way to go out, and if his era seems brief, what am I going to make of the JNT Doctors? For the third time in four stories this production team has given us a very unusual plot, one of a type we haven't seen before, but will become familiar with very soon.

There is some lovely stock music in this story all the way through, not just the Cybermen theme. Why are they using a periscope at the base? It's useful, as that's how they find out the TARDIS is there, but there doesn't appear to be any actual practical need for it to be there. The crew are stereotypes, too. A loud, short-tempered America, a randy Italian. I'm surprised we didn't get a clichéd Frenchman, called Benoit or something. Maybe we'll have the chance if they decide to do this story again. The TARDIS has been called many things, box most commonly, but I'm not sure it's ever been called a hut before. We get a criticism of Cutler very quickly from the Doctor, sarcastically saying, "why don't you speak up, I'm deaf". This production team seem to be very fond of computers. "It must be computers what do all the work now," states Ben. That is good foresight, at least.

Even calling Mondas the tenth planet is correct, as in 1986 people still thought Pluto was one, so they would have called it that. But apparently they didn't have the funds to make a small model planet, as Mondas is represented by a globe of the Earth turned upside down. This causes a fairly ridiculous sequence as the characters all see "something familiar" about it, and eventually see Africa and Asia and so on. Apparently none of them are familiar with maps, though, or they'd know it was just the Earth upside down. For some bizarre reason Polly is utterly obsessed with Malaysia, pointing it out a number of times, "that looks just like Malaysia!" while everybody else is looking for continents, like sensible people. Somehow the Doctor knows what it all means. "Soon we'll have visitors," he mysteriously proclaims. It's quite nice how it's implied he knows of the Cybermen. It would seem logical for him to, as you'd have thought he'd have known about the Daleks before the Daleks. It's a fairly tense, exciting episode, and once again the fresh storytelling approach pays off for the first episode, which is also smartly directed by Derek Martinus. But can it keep it up? It's a great cliffhanger that promises more. 7.5/10

Episode Two

And this is the last Hartnell episode that exists. By which I mean to say, the last Hartnell episode that exists that features William Hartnell, as he isn't in episode three. Either way, it's a sad moment. Anyway, how does the Cybermen's ship land without anybody seeing? This is 1986, they should have the technology to see a spaceship approaching and landing! And apparently there are people disputing that the land masses on Mondas resemble those of Earth! You're kidding? Who would deny that? The Flat Earth Society?

I love these Cybermen. They look perfect, considering what they're meant to be (as impressive as the new series Cybusmen may apparently be, they're just bland robots, which defeats the point entirely). These Cybermen in the Tenth Planet look perfect, and their voices, as a parody of the human voice, which sound pretty much exactly what computers sound like when they try and read, are also perfect. The way the mouth just stays open while they speak is also exactly right. Why would they need to move their mouths? That's just a needless and inefficient waste of energy. These are the most impressive and emotionless Cybermen we have ever had. And yet they're so polite! "That was really most unfortunate, you should not have done that," says one, later instructing another Cyberman to, "take him out and look after him," about Ben. I love it. These Cybermen wish to help the human race. They genuinely think taking everybody back to Mondas and converting them into Cybermen is the right thing to do. They see it as removing pain and disease and so on. They had so much potential as a monster, but they very quickly become your average conquest-seeking robots. Before the end of this story, actually. It's a shame.

Ben blinds a Cyberman and shoots it when it doesn't back off, and in the process becomes, I believe, the only person in Doctor Who who has ever felt guilty about killing a Cyberman. We have come a long way from Ben's distressed, "you didn't give me no alternative," to the Cyberman he's just killed, to 45 years later the Doctor destroying a number of their ships just because he can. In spite of that, he does quickly give Cutler the gun he's taken, allowing the massacre of the next episode, but there we are. Cutler's son going up is a bit of a dull plot move, but apart from that this is another very exciting episode, and this story is going well. 8/10

Episode Three

Here's where the story suffers. William Hartnell is absent, which caused rewrites, none of which included featuring the absent Cybermen, for some reason. They barely feature, and this story is robbed of its two most interesting things. Just when it needed them most to keep the momentum going. The Cybermen feature in one short scene where they're all massacred. The Doctor faints, and Polly says, "he just seems worn out". That is the one plus to Hartnell's absence. That he faints, and that line from Polly set up what happens in episode four very nicely, and make it seem a little less sudden.

This episode then is about the Zee-Bomb (which, even though he knows nothing about it, causes Ben to tell Cutler he'll "kill us all"), and Cutler's son. Cutler wants to destroy Mondas, which is a little mad. I love how Polly quickly volunteers to make some coffee, and is so eager to get it right for everybody...and then gives Barclay the "idea" to pretend to agree with Cutler to make it easier to sabotage the Zee-Bomb. Just as this story seems to be falling to pieces, though, we get one of Hartnell's very best cliffhangers, which leaves you absolutely desperate for the final episode. It's truly terrific, sold beautifully by all concerned, and when you consider episode four's cliffhanger, it means Hartnell's last two are two of his best. 4/10.

Episode Four

I don't mind as much as some that this episode is missing. It would be nice to have the complete story, but we have the important parts of this episode. I'd much rather have the first episode of Power. Suddenly in this episode the Cybermen want to destroy Earth and everybody on it to save Mondas. I questioned in the Savages if this team knew anything about early Who. Now I'm wondering if they're watching their own stories. Still, at least the Cybermen are still ever so polite. They demand that the missile pointing at Mondas should be removed. Barclay says it can be moved to the lower levels, and the Cyberman says, "that will do". That will do? I'm surprised it didn't say that it, "isn't cricket to point a bally missile at Mondas, chaps". Having praised the Cyber voices earlier, I must admit that Gern in Geneva takes it a bit far and just sounds ridiculous. Hilarious, but ridiculous. The whole, "I am now controller of the Earth," bit is absolutely hilarious. He sounds like he's about to burst into song a number of times.

I'm not sure if it's a fluff or a deliberately wrong line, but Ben says, "we saved Mandos!" I'm surprised how quickly Cutler is killed off here, and even that he is at all. Still, we're saved a horrible, sickly scene of him and his son being reunited, at least. We're saved a conclusion, too, as when Mondas blows up, the Cybermen all disintegrate because. I mean, I know there's some dodgy explanation about them getting their energy from Mondas, but it's a bit weak.

Obviously, this episode is all about the Doctor. His statement that, "this old body of mine is wearing a bit thin," is intriguing, and Hartnell plays the weariness of the Doctor brilliantly. He really sells how his time is up. After the Cybermen have been defeated he's virtually spent, and Ben rather cruelly shouts in his ear for him to wake up. Then Polly tells him it's all over and he replies, "it's all over? It's far from being all over," and runs to the TARDIS, locking Ben and Polly out. Luckily he remembers to let them back in again, though. It's all really creepy, and nothing is done to reassure the viewer, and because of that it works brilliantly. The Doctor just falls to the floor, there's some moody lighting and creepy noises and suddenly William Hartnell has vanished! What an unbelievably good cliffhanger. It's not the strongest episode, but the ending, and the hilarity of Gern, make it well worth watching, and it is rather pivotal, after all. 7/10.

Conclusion

The Tenth Planet is one of the most important stories in Doctor Who. Not for the actual story itself, but for the ending. Everybody reading this knows that, though. What surprised me was the story itself is actually rather good. I've never cared for it too much, previously, but as with the Savages and the War Machines, it's actually quite a fresh and interesting story, and unlike them, stays interesting throughout (barring the unfortunate episode three, at least). I was surprised by just how much I did enjoy this story. It isn't a classic by any means, but it's strong and entertaining. The Cybermen are better here than in any other appearance, and the new setting and storytelling style is interesting. It's not the perfect story to go out on, but it's a pretty good one to, and Hartnell can be proud that his performance was top notch all the way to the very end.

Average rating: 6.625

Old Rating: 5

New Rating: 6.5