Classic Who day by day

[OmahaStar]

The Aztecs, episode 4 - "The Day of Darkness"
Written by John Lucarotti
Directed by John Crockett

Ian, still trapped in the passageway with the water rising, discovers hieroglyphs on the ceiling. He follows the trail and makes it back to the tomb. He finds a bit of fabric, stretches it out and MacGuyvers a way of keeping the door open.

He finds Barbara and the Doctor in the throne room.

Ian rescues Susan and the fantastic four are finally together again. They try to enter the tomb, but the fabric breaks. Ian will have to go through the passageway again. Except, there's been a trap set. Ian and Susan are taken prisoner.

The sweet old lady helps Susan and Ian escape. At the temple, Ian and the warrior fight again as the others struggle to open the door to the tomb. Ian kills the warrior then goes inside ... In they go, leaving the Aztecs behind.

* * *

The episode ends as with previous stories, with the lead in to the next story. The Tardis says it's both stopped and still moving, as if they have stopped on something that is moving.

There are potentially giant gaps here. The four go into the Tardis, fade to black. Then there is the Doctor at the control, and we fade to black again. Then it's the Doctor, Susan, and Ian discussing the Tardis moving / not moving.

This reminds me of the gap towards the end of "Rose" much much later. It's entirely possible there could be hundreds of adventures during those gaps.

Again, I say it's too bad the old woman didn't join the crew. The Doctor thought about her briefly while inside the tomb - he holds something she'd given him as a gift, and lays it down on the corpse, but never says "good-bye" or invites her along. I wonder what the show would have been like if she had come along for a ride?

 

[DWF]

Along with Count Grendel and Harrison Chase I think Tlotoxl turned out to be one of the best one off villains in the series' history, it really was iinteresting that he was able to give the Doctor a good run for his money.

 

[OmahaStar]

Dalek Invasion of Earth, episode 1 - "World's End"
Written by Terry Nation
Directed by Richard Martin

The Tardis materializes ... somewhere. They eventually realize they are on Earth, but when? The group explores the area immediately outside the ship. They don't see any people, but Susan climbs a tree and finds a way to fall down and twist her ankle.

At the exact same time, a bridge collapses and buries the ship.

Leaving the girls behind, the men go off to explore a warehouse. They hope to find something they can use to cut the collapsed bridge and get to the Tardis.

Inside the warehouse, Ian looks out a window and sees significant changes to the London he knows. While he looks, the Doctor finds a calendar. It is the year 2164!

Barbara goes to the river to get some water. She plans to wet her kerchief and use it to sooth Susan's ankle. When she returns, Susan is gone, and a man tells her Susan has been taken, and that she needs to follow him quickly.

Back in the warehouse, the men find a man with metal implants on his head. But the man is dead. Murdered! They hear a noise form above and go investigate.

Outside, they see a flying saucer.

Barbara finds Susan, who is being carried by a man.

The men find their way back to the Tardis, and the women are gone. The women are taken to a hiding area full of paranoid men.

Ian and the Doctor find they are being watched by robo-men -- Humans just like the earlier dead man, with metal implants.

They try to escape, only to find themselves staring down something emerging from the water - A Dalek!

* * *

Ok, it's official. I hate this episode.

As I watch these episodes, I take notes, writing things I want to remember for this project. Not this one, though. Oh, no. It took three times to do it. I start out watching, pen in hand, and just get sucked into the story. I want to write things down, but what is onscreen is drawing me in, saying "Watch me! Watch me!"

Finally, during the third viewing, I was able to draw myself away and start taking notes. A few observations --

1 - The Thames? Nice. It's a river that is used frequently in Doctor Who, notably in The Runaway Bride, when the Doctor and Donna drain every drop of water from the river.

2 - I get it, early Cybermen. But the *real* Cybermen are so much cooler. Bring on Tomb of the Cybermen!

3 - The chemistry of the cast is perfect. These are the ones you want by your side in any adventure. It's what makes what happens in episode 6 all the more heart-breaking.

4 - Once again, Terry Nation shows he knows how to write a cracking good episode. No, I don't really hate it. I love it.

One a personal note, if all the Dalek stories could be so strongly-written, I think they would be a lot better. As time went on, especially in the seventh and tenth doctor-eras, the Daleks became little more than jokes, or fodder. Here, its the classic Daleks (and classic Cybermen, coming up soon), and they do make the best bad guys.
​

 

[Captain Pike]

It has a brilliant paranoid, almost Orwellian atmosphere most of the time - particularly in the first episode. Thats something Nation could do very well - atmosphere. The opening sequence is fantastic - forboding and evocative, it draws you in instantly. It's a bit dark for a show supposedly aimed at children or families.

The direction, particularly the camera direction on location is noteworthy too. It's well done, especially considering the era and the budget.

As a youngster, I'd never seen it (the ABC had a habit of only showing repeats of colour Dr Who's in the 70s and 80s) and my only knowledge of the story was through the superb Target novelization by Terrence Dicks. Definitely worth reading.

It's probably my 2nd favourite Dalek story after Genesis..

 

[OmahaStar]

Dalek Invasion of Earth, episode 2 - "The Daleks" Originally broadcast 28 November 1964
Written by Terry Nation
Directed by Richard Martin

The Dalek comes out of the water and begins questioning the Robo-men, asking why Ian and the Doctor have been allowed so near the river.

Wheelchair-man has constructed a bomb. He claims it will destroy the Daleks.

The Doctor and Ian are at the heliport, discussing their previous adventure with the Daleks. Ian is confused, thinking them destroyed on Skaro. The Doctor reminds him that was about a million years in the future. It hasn't happened yet.

The prisoners are loaded into the saucer.

Back to the rebels ... Susan and Barbara are talking with one of the rebels, a man named David, and with the only female rebel, Smurfette - Oh, sorry, Jenny - and they get a crash course in Earth history since the Daleks arrived.

Barbara points out how easily the rebels could disguise themselves as Robo-men with their captured equipment, and slip into the heliport and use the bomb.

The Doctor escapes from his cell, only to be taken to be robotized.

The rebels attack, while the Doctor lies unconscious on the operating table.

* * *

Lots of budget-stretchers are at work here, from the cut-out prints of the Daleks (making it appear there are considerably more of them than there actually are), to a set that is just one single wall (the cell) to the apples that, well, aren't. (cheaper to use wax apples which don't need to be replaced, since the actors aren't eating them). Combine them all, and this episode looks like it has a much bigger budget than it really does.

There is also a lovely bit of SCIENCE! towards the end, when the Doctor tries to escape his cell. Listen up, kids, you'll learn things from this show.

 

[OmahaStar]

The Dalek Invasion of Earth, episode 3 - "Day of Reckoning" originally aired 12/05/1964
Written by Terry Nation
Directed by Richard Martin

David and Tyler, dressed as Robo-men, attack the "real" Robo-men who are menacing the Doctor and free him. The other rebels free the remaining prisoners.

Because Ian was jealous of Susan and the Doctor's previous adventure with the Daleks, he lets himself get trapped again on the saucer.

Whilst hiding from the Daleks, Susan and David begin to fall for each other. He takes on a protective role, and she begins swooning over him.

There is a long sequence showing Barbara and Jenny taking wheelchair-guy to the new rebel hideout, and I'll talk more about it in comments.

While Jenny and Barbara watch, wheelchair-guy goes out and gets himself killed by the Daleks.

The Doctor reunites with Susan and David. She tries to comfort him, but he's still under the paralysis he'd been suffering since getting knocked out on the saucer. Their reunion is broken up when Robo-men bring in a ticking bomb and set it only yards away from the group.

* * *

Wheelchair guy's name is Dortman, but it took me awhile to remember that. He doesn't really add anything to the story, but gives a reason for the tour of London.

There is an awful lot of padding with those three - Barbara, Jenny, and wheelchair-guy. It's amazing, being able to see a deserted London, including Westminster, an icon we see a lot of in Doctor Who. With only our little cast of characters and a handful of Daleks, it's just amazing. I mean, today we'd be able to do something like that with CGI and greenscreen, but in the 1960s? That they were able to do this at all was unbelievable. And what at first seems like script padding quickly evolves to show just how powerful the Daleks are, and how in control they are.

The script is still brilliant. There are only three episodes left in the serial, and none of the wandering around aimlessly nonsense that infiltrated the previous Daleks serial.

It's sweet, seeing Susan and David beginning their relationship. But it's frustrating at the same time. The sweet old lady in Aztecs, Susan here, we keep missing opportunities. And at some point, that means we get the abysmal companion known as Mel. And that's just sad.

 

[OmahaStar]

The Dalek Invasion of Earth, episode 4 - "The End of Tomorrow" originally aired 12/12/1964
Written by Terry Nation
Directed by Richard Martin

The Doctor passes out; David and Susan disable the bomb.

Ian and a rebel named Larry have escaped the saucer. They see a group of slaves being forced to work by the Daleks. In a quarry! As they watch, they are approached by Mr. Rumbold.

Barbara and Jenny get a truck working and use it to travel quickly, driving over an empty Dalek.

* * *

Um, basically, it's the characters being separated and wondering around aimlessly. Three trivial things happen - we get to see the first ever use of a rock quarry in Doctor Who, we get to see Nick Smith (Mr. Rumbold from Are You Being Served?), and for the first time, somebody other than the lead plays the Doctor. In this case, Edmund Warwick plays him - at least, his back, for about a minute.

It's rather like episodes 5 and 6 of the previous Dalek serial, with the Doctor not present (Hartnell was injured in the filming of the previous episode, the character is shown here for just a few seconds, from the back).

Beyond those tiny bits of trivia, the episode is completely forgettable. I had to stretch just to find anything to say about it other than "Next!"

 

[Phillip Culley]

and for the first time, somebody other than the lead plays the Doctor. In this case, Edmund Warwick plays him - at least, his back, for about a minute.

Not the first time - Brian Proudfoot played the Doctor in long-shot for the series' first location shoot in The Reign of Terror

 

[OmahaStar]

and for the first time, somebody other than the lead plays the Doctor. In this case, Edmund Warwick plays him - at least, his back, for about a minute.

Not the first time - Brian Proudfoot played the Doctor in long-shot for the series' first location shoot in The Reign of Terror

Interesting. I know parts of that story are lost. I wonder if Proudfoot's portion still exists?

 

[Captain Pike]

Pretty sure it does. I seem to rember seeing it last time I watched it.

 

[Phillip Culley]

and for the first time, somebody other than the lead plays the Doctor. In this case, Edmund Warwick plays him - at least, his back, for about a minute.

Not the first time - Brian Proudfoot played the Doctor in long-shot for the series' first location shoot in The Reign of Terror

Interesting. I know parts of that story are lost. I wonder if Proudfoot's portion still exists?

Yes - his sections are in 'Guests of Madame Guillotine' (Episode 2).

Although they're more long-shot shots of him walking around rather than anything specific

 

[OmahaStar]

The Dalek Invasion of Earth, episode 5 - "The Waking Ally" originally aired 12/19/64
Written by Terry Nation
Directed by Richard Martin

Barbara and Jenny find a cabin in the woods inhabited by crazy old women.

The Doctor, Susan, and David explore underground.

Ian and Larry explore the mining caves. Larry dies.

Ian spots Barbara and Jenny talking to one of the Dalek guards and follows them to the control room. He hides, but finds himself in a ... canister? or something that's going to go boom.

* * *

Pad. Stretch. Pad. Stretch. Repeat.

Nothing happens here. Episodes four and five could oh so easily have been eliminated, and with about 15 seconds of exposition added to the end of episode 3, no one would notice the episodes were gone. It's like a brilliant four-part story told in six parts.

Man, Terry Nation is both one of the best Who writers, and one of the worst. When he's "on" no one can touch him. When he's off, no one would want to.

 

[OmahaStar]

The Dalek Invasion of Earth, episode 6 - "Flashpoint"
Written by Terry Nation
Directed by Richard Martin

Ian escapes.

Barbara, in the control room and surrounded by Daleks, presents a history lesson that would make any Star Trek fan proud. Remember Captain Kirk's explanation of Fizzbin? Yeah. Like that, only with Earth history. The Boston Tea Party, Indian Mutiny, American Civil War, Hannibal in Italy, etc., but it doesn't work. She and Jenny are placed in a hold, like the Doctor and Susan were in the earlier story.

The Doctor and Tyler find their way to the control room and free the women. Together, they use the Robo-control to order the Robo-men to turn on the Daleks, which they do with gusto.

The bomb goes kablooey and the Daleks' ships are destroyed. Earth is free from the invaders.

The (former) rebels help clear the Tardis.

Seeing how much Susan loves David, the Doctor and the teachers quietly enter the ship, locking Susan out. He gets on a speaker and tells her good-bye, then they leave Susan behind.

* * *

First, the trivia. The Doctor's good-bye speech to Susan, cut in places to remove actual references to her, was used again to begin the twentieth anniversary movie The Five Doctors. In that way, each of the five actors who played the role appeared somewhere in the special.

This is the first time we lose a companion, and while it's happened dozens of times since, this is where it all started. I don't blame Carole Ann for wanting to leave. She was promised a very special role, and ended up nothing but a helpless screaming girl, about as far away from the character's original premise as one can get.

The story follows what is becoming a pattern with Terry Nation scripts. Three brilliant episodes, padding where the characters walk around lost, in differing combinations, then coming together for a brilliant final episode.

We know Susan is the Doctor's grandchild. Did she survive the Time War? Where did she go after David's eventual death? He is just a Human, while she's got 13 lives. So much about her is unknown.

 

[DWF]

Well Carol Ann Ford saig she left because she didn't want to continue playing a teenager since she was 21 by the time of the second season. And we don't really know if she can regenerate.

 

[OmahaStar]

The Rescue, part 1 - "The Powerful Enemy"
Written by David Whitaker
Directed by Christopher Barry

Vicki and Bennett are two survivors of a crashed spaceship who are trapped on a planet named Dido. Vicki is young, perhaps in her late teens or early 20s, physically fit and quite a nice, pleasant young lady.

Her companion, Bennett, can barely move, appears to be in his mid-30s, but acts much older, and is apparently suffering sickness as a result of the crash.

While awaiting rescue, she picks up the Tardis on her scanner, and gets excited, thinking it's a rescue ship.

Inside the Tardis, the Doctor isn't quite himself. He forgets Susan isn't there. He allows Barbara and Ian to explore while he goes back inside to sleep.

Barbara and Ian find the wrecked vessel, but then encounter a "monster" who pushes Barbara off the edge of a cliff, where a shadow forms around her. Fortunately, that shadow is Vicki.

Ian rushes back to get the Doctor, and they set off in search of their missing companion. They hear another monster, then see it. There is an accident, and Ian is trapped on the cliff's edge.

* * *

As with his previous story, Edge of Destruction, this story is a "filler." This time, it is a filler that is used to introduce the new companion, Vicki. She is Susan's replacement. And as before, Whitaker takes a simple throwaway premise and makes it fully engaging and entertaining.

The Rescue was just recently released on dvd. Prior to my watching it for this project, I had never seen it before. I'm not sure why they didn't release it sooner, unless The Romans is a real dog. The two stories were released together in a set, and are not available separately.

Some fine acting range is shown from Hartnell especially. He goes from kind and tender to complete wackjob crazy in the same breath. And, having just lost his granddaughter, it makes sense.

Roy Barrett plays Bennett here. It seems strange timing for me. I had never heard of him before today, but only hours before watching this, I saw a post online. Mr. Barrett has passed away. I didn't connect the name with the actor until reading the end credits, then confirmed it on a few Doctor Who sites. He does a very nice job with the character here, and my condolences go out to his family and friends.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I absolutely love The Rescue and it's certainly one of the better two-parters out there. It's a great introduction for Vicki and a solid adventure all around.

As for The Romans, I absolutely hated it. Complete rubbish. Sadly, I think I'm in the minority on that count.

 

[Stevil2001]

The Romans is sheer poetry! William Hartnell at his hilariousest, Ian and Babs at their postcoitalest.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Oh, my, this is embarassing. For some reason, I confused The Romans with The Myth Makers. Don't as me why, simply that's what happened.

I agree The Romans is a high piont for all three characters.

The Myth Makers is the story that's complete rubbish (in my mind).

 

[Stevil2001]

Well, they're both comedy historicals set during the Classical period. I've never seen (well obviously) or heard The Myth Makers, but the novelization is pretty hilarious.

 

[OmahaStar]

The Rescue, episode 2 - "Desperate Measures"
Written by David Whitaker
Directed by Christopher Barry

On the cliff's edge, Ian is trapped. Monster #2 is down below, and there are razor-sharp blades now protruding from the walls. The Doctor helps Ian escape.

Vicki goes to collect some water. Barbara looks out and sees Monster #2, shoots and kills it despite Vicki's begging her not to. It was doing her no harm, basically was her pet, and she is super pissed at Barbara. The Doctor and Ian follow the sounds of the shooting and meet up with them in the crashed ship.

Barbara and Ian talk with Vicki - while all are from Earth, there are nearly 550 years separating them. They explain how the Doctor travels in time. She thinks they're joking.

The Doctor goes to have a chat with Bennett, but he's left the room. The Doctor finds a trap door and follows a hung, leading into a ginormous set, the Hall of Judgement. The first monster enters. The Doctor calls him Bennett. He knows.

Bennett had killed a crew member. The then killed the rest of the crew, leaving only Vicki and himself. When they crashed, the peaceful people of Dido offered them compassion. He repaid them by killing them all, as well. He plans on blaming it all on the monster when the rescue ship comes, and leaving all the murders behind.

The fight, but just as he is about to kill the Doctor, two Dido men intervene and chase him to the cliff's edge, where he falls to his (presumed) death.

The Tardis crew returns to their ship. The Doctor tells them everything, then goes out to invite Vicki to join them. She accepts.

Later, the Tardis materializes ... someplace. And then promptly falls over the edge, dumping the crew all over the place.

* * *

I. Love. This. Story! Hartnell is surprisingly tender whenever he's alone with Vicki (Maureen O'Brien). He is usually grumpy and crotchety, and it's refreshing to see him like this. The writing is strong and the set design is very impressive. I loved the interiors of the doomed ship, and it seems like they must have spent the budget for several stories on the ship and Hall sets.

Vicki seems a welcome addition to the crew. She is a spit-fire, strong-willed, but open to new experiences and ideas.

The video is brilliantly clear. In one early scene, in a dark cave set, with Ian and the Doctor making their way along, I could see a fly buzzing right behind the Doctor. Considering that's black on black, on video almost fifty years old, the restoration job is amazing.