by Eric Saward
Originally Broadcasted: February 8th-15th, 1984
The Doctor, Tegan, and Turlough are dragged down a time corridor to London in 1984. Little do they know that the Daleks are behind this time corridor. They are seeking to find a cure to a deadly Movellan virus, so they enlist the help of their creator, Davros...
There is so much going on in this episode. First let me preface my review by saying I do actually like this episode. It was the second classic Doctor Who story I ever saw. But it's easy at times to become slightly confused as to what the plot actually is. The set-up of the first episode is brilliant, with the errant policemen gunning down people from a spaceship. Then it's revealed that the Daleks are behind these killings. They need a cure for the Movellan virus, so they enlist the help of Davros. But the Davros plot almost becomes a sub-plot, away from the Daleks attacking the space station and copying The Doctor's mind and body to assassinate the High Council of Time Lords. Davros has a secret plan, to destroy all the Daleks currently alive, and replace them with a new breed of Daleks. His plans are unsuccessful in this story, but are expanded upon in the following season's Revelation of the Daleks (one of my personal favorite stories). This story is known for being one of the deadliest Doctor Who stories ever. Aside from The Doctor, Tegan, and Turlough, only the Supreme Dalek, Lytton and his two policemen survive. I guess Eric Saward really likes to kill people. This was a subject for much controversy at the time, but I think all the deaths really add to the poignance of this episode, and to Tegan's sudden departure at the end of Part Four (or Two, depending on which version of this story you watch). Even The Doctor expresses his desire to kill Davros and the Daleks after being unable to in Genesis of the Daleks. Of course, he, being The Doctor, isn't able to kill Davros, but it's very interesting that he tried. Speaking of Lytton, the character shows much promise in this story, so I'm really glad they brought him back in Colin Baker's first season for Attack of the Cybermen. All in all a good episode, if you can keep up with what's actually happening!
Luke's Rating: 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment