The Ice Warriors

Well, it's been a long time since I continued my marathon, but I'm back now, and kick off my continuation with The Ice Warriors. This is quite a good serial, in my opinion, although it is a bit too similar to other Troughton serials, as it takes places mostly in a single area with no venturing outside.

The Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria arrive at the Brittanicus Base, the base of a large weather-controlling system which is holding back a large Glacier which is almost on top of the base. However, the scientist Arden uncovers a strange warrior in the ice and brings it back to the base, where it wakes up and kidnaps Victoria. Back outside in the ice, the Ice Warrior starts to dig out the rest of it's spaceship crew, and the rest of the story is a struggle between the Ice Warriors and the base staff.

There's another plot going on at the same time, which makes things far more interesting. Leader Clent has dismissed chief scientist Penley who is needed on-site to deal with all the problems, and the Doctor facilitates their reunion and it's a great moment when they put aside each others' differences and agree to work as a team.

This is a rare moment of character over plot in early Doctor Who, and it is most welcome. Otherwise, the Ice Warriors themselves are quite impressive, and it's slightly unfortunate that they spend most of the serial out in the ice, isolated from much contact with the other characters.

However, overall, it's a good story, lots of running around, an awful computer voice, some interesting characters, and the Doctor on top form as usual.

The Abominable Snowmen

Another great story introducing a new foe: the Yeti. Despite being quite slow paced and a bit too long in my opinion, The Abominable Snowmen ranks highly in relation to many stories of a similar era in Doctor Who.

The Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria arrive in Tibet to return an item the Doctor took from a monastery 300 years previously. However, since they've been away, an alien force known as the Great intelligence has taken control of the mind of the monks' leader and has created robotic Yeti to carry out the grand plan whilst scaring the monks into submission.

There are some creepy moments, from the monks' deadpan attitudes, although the Yeti themselves are a bit of a joke. It's a testament to the direction though, that you can forgive the bad monster costumes. They are, in my opinion, quite lovable.

Praise has to be given to the plot. It's cleverly written, makes good use of all of the characters, and where it needs to be is exciting and imaginative.

Overall, it's a huge thumbs up from me, and I can't wait to continue.

The Evil of the Daleks

Patrick Troughton's final adventure in his first season is, in my opinion, the wildest and most extravagant yet. Not only is it set in three completely different areas, it's also filled with some massive sets, location shooting, and lots of explosions.

Basically, when the Doctor and Jamie return to the TARDIS in the airport, they find that someone's stolen it, and a trail has been left for the Doctor to an antique shop, where the owner:  Mr. Waterfield, has been traveling in time back to the victorian era. Taking the Doctor and Jamie back with him, he and his friend Maxtible explain that they were forced to by the Daleks. The Daleks want the Doctor to figure out what makes the humans defeat the daleks all the time, and to do so, he must use Jamie in an experiment. The Doctor willingly proceeds but is deceived as the Daleks take his calculations and formula and reverse them. They then follow the Daleks back to Skaro in order to stop them from using 'the Dalek factor' on all of humankind.

It's complicated, yes, and it is quite a large expansive plot, but it is executed perfectly. Fast paced and filled with suspense, danger, and character, there is pretty much nothing to fault at all. From the start, you can see the story looks great and is acted brilliantly. The modern day guest stars are brilliant, and the victorian actors are as well. Waterfield expertly conveys a man under pressure, and Maxtible's got the mad scientist look and voice perfectly. Victoria Waterfield is great too, and there's a lovely subplot involving Kemel, a jamaican slave, having feelings for her. It's believable, as is the bond between Jamie and Kemel.

The Doctor however, shows a different kind of acting towards his companion. Here, he plays the audience into questioning his allegiances and friends, all while having great fun doing so. It's a testimonial to Troughton's skill that he can go from being delighted and enthralled by a tune on his recorder to being dark, serious, and scarily morbid about a situation or subject.

I could go on for hours, days even, on "The Evil of the Daleks"; there's simply so much to write about and discuss, and there are so many interesting themes, from slavery and the class system, to friendship, obedience, and despair. It doesn't get much better than this.

As an afterthought, I'd like to add that the human Daleks are hilarious and a delight to watch.

The Faceless Ones

And now on to one of my favourite Troughton adventures: "The Faceless Ones". The TARDIS materializes in the middle of Gatwick airport where Polly witnesses a murder. It transpires that Chameleon Tours, a seemingly normal company, is kidnapping their passengers and transferring their body shapes to their own bodies.

The Doctor and Jamie are the real stars here, and they bond over this story, solving the mystery and convincing the airport staff that they are telling the truth. The serial turns out to be fast paced, quite dark, with some great plot twists, and the story moving on at the perfect speed. Never a boring moment, and with some great location work. The shots of Gatwick really give this story scope and a sense of importance.

The sets and costumes are good too. Captain Blade and the other Chameleon crew are all dressed immaculately, and the commandant's costume helps show his character. Samantha also is interesting, with her 'regional' accent and modern dress sense. The sets themselves look the part, from the airport hangars to the immigration desks. Even the Chameleon Tours aeroplane interior looks authentic for the small amount of screen-time it receives. 

After a gripping adventure and an exciting end, the commandant gives the Doctor back his TARDIS, before Ben and Polly decide to leave the Doctor and get on with their lives. Sadly, Jamie accompanies the Doctor over to the TARDIS, where upon close inspection, it isn't the TARDIS at all, but just a plain old Police Box. The TARDIS has been stolen!

The Moonbase

The Moonbase is one of my favourite early Doctor Who serials. In my opinion, it's the best 1960's Cybermen story, and it's a great pity two of the four episodes are missing.

The TARDIS crew land on the moon, where a team of scientists operate the Gravitron, a giant machine that can control the Earth's weather. But, soon, people start falling ill and it's revealed that the cybermen are to blame. They want to use the Gravitron to wipe out humanity and things are looking bleak.

This is certainly an action-oriented serial: perhaps the first of it's kind, and it's brilliant. The sets are limited but the cast is great, and it's got the right amount of plot, action, and scary moments to make a great story.

The characters of Hobson and Polly shine in this story, and it's just a pity that Jamie spends the first three episodes lying in bed moaning about an old Scottish legend. Once he gets involved in the story though, he does it with gusto and The Moonbase is better for it.

Finally, the cybermen are the scary monsters they're supposed to be, with a much improved look and better voices. Luckily, this style of cyberman continues to be used for quite a while to come.

The Underwater Menace

The TARDIS lands in sunken Atlantis in this serial, and almost straight away, the regulars are separated: Polly being taken for a horrendous operation, Ben and Jamie being taken to work in the mines, and the Doctor gone to visit Professor Zaroff. Zaroff is revealed to be the mad scientist in charge of 'raising Atlantis' and is looked up to by the entire nation. However, it is soon revealed that Zaroff actually wants to destroy Atlantis and so the reunited regulars along with a good supporting cast set out to stop him.

The plot in The Underwater Menace might be a bit odd, but I find that it's paced well and is structured cleverly, so you never get bored. The excitement build as the story progresses, with lots of running around Atlantis and some fight scenes to boot. The story is quite complex though, and requires four locals to help the Doctor beat Zaroff. Sean and Jacko are an entertaining double act, and Rano also brings joy to the screen.

You really can tell the actors are enjoying themselves making this. Zaroff's german accent is strong all the way through, sometimes providing slight comedic moments in an otherwise completely serious serial. The plot and acting is serious, but unfortunately, the costumes aren't. 

While it would have been great joy to work on costumes for a serial like this, the results are unique, but sadly, way over the top. Corral headdresses, clothes made from sea plants, and religious masks in the shape of paralyzed goldfish don't convey seriousness. Also to fault are the fish slaves.  The eye pieces look silly and the costumes are just odd. The silent acting is a joke.

However, it's a pretty enjoyable tale. Good action, a great villain and cast, and an excellent script are plagued by hideous costumes and the set pieces leave a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, it works well and it's a pity three episodes are currently not in the BBC archive.

The Highlanders

The Highlanders is important in the history of Doctor Who as it was the last historical adventure the Doctor would go on until Black Orchid in the 1980s. And the last historical holds up well, in comparison to others.

Unlike some of the other historicals, The Highlanders doesn't move at an extremely slow pace nor does it get boring and tedious. The plot keeps moving, as the Doctor, Ben, and local Jamie are held captive by english soldiers, before being sent off to Inverness where they'll be sold to the slave trade. Polly, on the other hand, escapes and sets out to rescue them.

The entire supporting cast are brilliant, from the scottish Laird to the english lieuftenants. Jamie stands out however as he plays his part well and gels with the Doctor and Ben. A good thing too, as he's about to join the TARDIS crew.

After freeing all the captured scots from the slave ship, the ship sails for France so the scots can escape the war, and Jamie leads the Doctor, Ben, and Polly back to the TARDIS and onwards to another adventure.

Whatever Happened to Susan Foreman?

This radio one-off comedy was a pseudo-documentary about Susan's life after she departed the TARDIS. It's pretty accurate in terms of continuity but does reveal some amusing snippets about life on Gallifrey and her Grandfather's past. It's pretty funny for Doctor Who fans, especially all the parts about the Doctor retiring from a career selling 'imaginative ideas and concepts' in a small shop to travel in time and space.

Also explained in the programme is how Susan returned to present day Earth by phoning up her godfather to pick her up next time he was passing by in the space time continuum. It's all quite amusing, and contributions from Ian Chesterton (who has suffered time-lag and amnesia) help add even more humour to the story.

It's all quite lighthearted fun and I enjoyed it more and more as the half-an-hour programme progressed.

The Tenth Planet

So, it's time for William Hartnell's last story, and it really is very good. The TARDIS crew land in Antartica in a space rocket facility. Soon after their arrival, a planet appears in the sky and natives of the planet, called the cybermen, descend upon Earth, planning to 'refuel' their planet Mondas with all life and energy on Earth.

The cybermen here make fantastic villains, despite their atrocious costumes. The voices are chilling and it's unfortunate you don't see more of them in this serial. Also, the characters of Barclay and Cutler are good, with Cutler making for a good anti-hero. He means well, but you feel quite happy when he's shot dead.

Obviously, the most important part of this story is what happens at the end, and the regeneration is foreshadowed in episode three when the Doctor falls ill. Knowing about regeneration before watching this takes all of the surprise out of the moment, but I imagine that not knowing what's wrong with the Doctor would be quite worrying and the actual regeneration would leave people confused as to what's happening.

In order to explain this miraculous event, we have to move on to the next story, but not before clearing up one or two pieces of spin off media that take place during Hartnell's tenure as the Doctor.

The Smugglers

Well, it's been a long time since I last watched a serial in this marathon of mine. However, today I finally read through "The Smugglers" and I must say, I'm somewhat disappointed.

The most important thing that happens in this story is the introduction of Ben and Polly as companions. While I thought Ben and Polly would be good companions to the Doctor at the end of the last serial, here I found Ben irritating and Polly a little underused. From the start, Ben was shown to be cocky, arrogant, and a rather unlikeable fellow.

Plotwise, I found this serial difficult to follow, with too many smuggling rings, smugglers, plot threads, and double-crossing to be effective. It's alright at the beginning, but by the time I got to the final battle in the graveyard, I just couldn't be bothered with this serial any longer and just wished it would end quickly.

The War Machines

"The War Machines" was a serial I particularly enjoyed. It's good after such a long time away, to finally spend an entire story on contemporary Earth, and it's brilliant. The characters of Polly and Ben make great additions to the cast, and really add a modern, forward-thinking feel to the programme.

The concept is a little dated now though, the computer is a little silly now, and the war machine itself is massive and clunky. Impressive, yes. Well-built, yes. But easy to make look threatening? Definitely not; especially as it bumps into something every time it attempts to move.

That said, I think this story is pretty good, with the characters of Sir Charles, the tramp, and the sergeant proving most interesting to watch and enjoy. But, on the other hand, Professor Brett and Wotan make terrible villains and I'm glad we don't see more of them than we do. Also, I'm glad that Dodo has finally 'gone' and I don't mind that she didn't get a great goodbye scene as Polly and Ben make up for that.

One more thing: even if William Hartnell was becoming unwell round about now, I didn't notice it on-screen. His character still commanded authority and I thought that in this serial in particular, I thought he was great.

The Gunfighters

It's time for another historical and this time, the Doctor, Dodo, and Steven visit the wild west. Soon after they arrive, they are caught up between a gang of cowboys and the local law-enforcers. As the plot unfolds, you begin to care for the good characters and mourn for the deaths of large amounts of them.

For the first episode or two, I thought that this was just another normal serial, with nothing special to it's name, but as the story drew close (no pun intended) to it's climax, I realised how much I enjoyed the characterizations of Wyatt, Kate, and Johnny Ringo in particular. Charlie the barman was the highlight of the serial for me, his humour and sad death shows the viewers how dangerous life really was back then.

Another interesting thing about this story to note is how Guns are forced upon the Doctor many times in the four episodes, and it's quite funny to notice the Doctor's reaction. Overall, this has been one of my favourite serials so far in my marathon, once you get into it. The opening episodes are a bit dull and clichéd but after they're over, it's a brilliant tale.

The Massacre

So I finally got round to watching (or reading in this case) the next adventure for the Doctor and Steven. Once again, the TARDIS lands in historical France, and Steven gets involved in an intricate murder plot and religious war between the Catholics and the Protestants. Unfortunately, while I assume this serial is quite accurate historically, religion nor any of it's aspects interest me in the slightest, and so I did not find this story very engaging.

The Doctor himself is missed throughout most of the story, and the only thing I found interesting is the introduction of Dodo, a new TARDIS crew member. The girl the Doctor told to stay indoors survived the massacre and now her great granddaughter has joined the TARDIS crew. We are left feeling quite happy after an intense moment of Steven wanting to leave the TARDIS for good.

With two companions in the TARDIS once again, we move onwards to the next great adventure...

The Daleks' Master Plan (Episodes 7-12)

The second half of this serial is a lot better than the first, in my opinion. However, the Feast of Steven is a bit of a wasted episode, as nothing important happens in that episode, it just serves the purpose of wishing all the viewers a merry christmas.

I can't really think of much else to say about this story except that it really is epic, and features some great moments, such as the confrontations between the monk and the doctor in Egypt and the thrilling conclusion.

Roll on the Massacre!

The Daleks' Master Plan (Episodes 1-6)

It's been a while since I last watched a story in my Doctor Who marathon. However, I've decided to get going again and continue from where I left off. I'd stopped after episode five of this story in October, so some aspects of it are a little foggy in my mind.

I enjoyed this immensely, which the characters of Mavic Chen and Bret Vyon being some of the best single-story characters yet. The death of Katarina is a powerful moment as it shows the Doctors do not always win confrontations.

I felt that the story was just about to kick off at this point, so I'll save the rest for the second part of this story review.

The Myth Makers

"The Myth Makers" is, like "The Romans", a comedy set in a famous period of Earth history. This time, the Doctor and companions land in the middle of the Plains of Troy during the Greeks' siege on a great city. The Doctor and Steven gain the trust of the Greeks while Vicki is mistaken to be a Trojan prophetess. The Doctor comes up with the idea to build a great horse to end the war, and history takes it's course.

One of the big surprises for me in this story was the departure of Vicki. I'm glad that this time, they built up her romance with the Trojan prince, unlike in the Dalek Invasion of Earth when Susan falls in love all-too-suddenly. In order to keep the numbers up, the Doctor takes on Katarina, a slave to Trojan royalty.

The Myth Makes features massive amounts of comedy, making it extremely enjoyable. Much of thte humour comes from the exaggerated personalities of all the ancient heros, such as Odysseus and Achilles. They are great characters, and with the majority of this serial being historically accurate, they teach us all about the great war and it's causes. However, even if the serial tries to be serious at some points, it's still extraordinarily funny. One of the great Who stories from the early years, in my opinion. It's a pity it's currently missing from the archives.

The Time Meddler

The last serial in Season Two of "Doctor Who" is "The Time Meddler", and for the first time, the historical stories mix with the science-fiction stories as the TARDIS crew uncover a Monk's twisted plot to alter the course of history.

The TARDIS lands in 1066 in England where interesting and out-of-time objects are found: a wristwatch, a cannon, and a gramophone. Soon, the Doctor finds out about the Monk, who is an alien who has great pleasure in altering history. Great classic Doctor Who mayhem ensures, as all the characters go off in different directions, and the supporting characters offer great support to the regulars.

The plot is one of this serial's many strong points. It's coherent, brilliant, and perfectly paced, ensuring that you are always on the edge of your seat, wondering what's going to happen next. The visuals are strong too, with the gloomy monastery, the Saxon village, and the striking images of the Viking fleet arriving on the coast. All of the characters have depth, and they all seem real. You hate the Vikings, are enthralled by the Saxons, and the meddling Monk you find intriguing.

The 'wow' moment in "The Time Meddler" is when you discover that the Monk is also in possession of a TARDIS and it's in the last episode that you find out that he's from the same planet as our beloved Doctor. This makes for some great character clashes and witty dialogue between the Monk and the Doctor, and this forms the basis of an exciting conclusion, as the Doctor imprisons the Monk in 1066 after a lighthearted letter of apology.

The final moments of the story give a sense of wonder as the TARDIS dematerialized and we are left at the end of Season Two with a shot of outer space. I think it makes you wonder what other adventures face our new TARDIS crew in the months until Season Three airs.

The Chase

"The Chase" is the third Dalek story, excluding "The Space Museum", which did not feature the Daleks as enemies. In this serial, the Daleks pursue the TARDIS crew through space and time, stopping off for an amusing scene at the Empire State Building and explaining the mystery of the Mary Celeste.

This story has a lighter feel in comparison with some of the earlier stories in this season, and it greatly benefits this story; you don't feel like anything is repetitive. The Daleks make their comeback, and as always, they're better than ever.

The first couple of episodes see the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki held captive on an alien planet while their captives reason with the Daleks. These episodes start off "The Chase" by giving it a dark tone, but that's lost as the travelers escape. Following up are great scenes about the Mary Celeste and on the Empire State Building. The latter is the high-point of this particular serial, as it's great to watch, and feature the great Peter Purves (who later appears in the same serial as Steven).

It's an upsetting moment at the end of the last episode as Ian and Barbara return to Earth, leaving the TARDIS at it's lowest passenger count yet. Now it's only the Doctor and Vicki left to tour the universe, but the mysterious disappearance of Steven suggests that the TARDIS might be picking up a new recruit sometime in the new future.

The Crusade

"The Crusade" is yet another historical story with episode missing. Because I listened to the soundtracks for episodes 2&4 (which are on the Lost in Time DVD box-set), my understanding of these episodes is limited to sound and dialogue only.

This serial is, in my opinion, one of the finest stories so far. It teaches the viewer something about history, but does it in a way that doesn't bore. The characters of King Richard and Saladin are both great presences on-screen and are a joy to watch, and as usual, our regulars are incredible. Barbara is the character who shines the most in the earlier episodes and she really conveys a sense of loss and dread. However, her character begins to fade into the background in later episodes, as Ian comes to the foreground to be knighted. Some humour is injected here as the Doctor remarks that he would have been liked to be knighted as well.

The conclusion of this tale feels a bit dry to me (but that might have been because I couldn't see what was going on) and the end credits roll over an unusual problem with the TARDIS.

"The Crusade" is an interesting story which shows the TARDIS crew being wrapped up in major events, and from what I could see, some of the set pieces were fantastic. If only the remaining two episodes were found...

The Romans

"The Romans" was Doctor Who's first 'comedy' serial. Instead of striving for realism, 'The Romans' features a comedic portrayal of the Emperor Nero, a strange subplot involving Nero's murder, and the first incident of the Doctor causing important historical events to take place, in this case the burning of Rome.

As usual, the TARDIS crew all blend in perfectly with the surroundings and newcomer Vicki is instantly likable. Before long, everybody is split up and no one knows where anyone else is. Before long, the Doctor gets involved in something 'over his head', and after just missing Barbara by the skin-of-his teeth on numerous occasions, we are introduced to something that has remained an important part of Doctor Who ever since this serial, dramatically altering history.

Ian and Barbara experience the opposite end of the Roman way of life as they become slaves. The people they meet are all interesting and the script has given them a lot of depth and background, adding to realism. 

As all the character's paths entwine, the story draws to a close, and the Doctor and Vicki return to the TARDIS completely unaware that Ian and Barbara have been in the same locations as them all along, except without them ever meeting.

"The Romans" shows that the programme can take on any format or genre it likes, and for that reason, this serial is a true classic.