Companions: The Brigadier, Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan
Tom Baker’s first of his seven seasons is a strong self-contained narrative arc with one story leading right into another. Some are excellent, but some aren’t interesting.
The Review
Here’s the scores for the stories
Genesis of the Daleks: 10/10
The Ark in Space: 9.25/10
Robot: 8/10
The Sontaran Experiment: 7.5/10
Revenge of the Cybermen: 7/10
Robot was basically still a part of Season 11, and filmed then I believe. The other four stories were all about launching off the era of Tom Baker. I was disappointed that The Ark in Space did not immediately lean into more of the cosmic horror that I’m looking for. Hopefully that will pick up during the next season. Genesis of the Daleks however was just as impactful and perfect as it had been made out to be, headlined by the creation of Davros. It’s not hard to see why audiences have been fascinated with Davros ever since, because he is an electric creation. The return of the Cybermen is much less successful however. Let’s see some more iconic creatures next season!
8.35/10 Despite being more uneven than Season 11, it edges it due to some true classic
Story 79, Episodes 399-402, Season 12 Episodes 17-20
Doctor: The Fourth Doctor
Companions: Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan
The Cybermen make their color debut in their singular story in the 1970s, and unfortunately it isn’t all that much to write home about.
The Review
Vogans in the flesh. Don’t worry they have different haircuts
The idea of returning to Space Station Nerva prior to the devastating solar flares of the Earth is intriguing, but that honestly has little to do with the story. The Cybermen are at it again, invading an Earth space station and preparing to conquer the galaxy and all that. It so turns out that the Cybermen are allergic to gold, and the roving planet Voga (currently in Jupiter’s orbit) is almost pure gold. Naturally, they want it destroyed. The most interesting character is the shady Kellman, who despite helping the Cybermen murder almost all of the base is a double agent for a group of Vogans who are tired of hiding underground after the Cybermen last attacked. Any time an alien race is portrayed as looking not exactly like humans I am here for it, and the Vogans do have an interesting look about them. The intercene squabbles between are intriguing at best, and reminiscent of The Sensorites at worst.
This isn’t the scene, but the Doctor yelling “HARRY SULLIVAN IS AN IMBECILE” is funny and pretty unrecoverable for Harry’s character
The Doctor, Harry, and Sarah Jane are all serviceable in this story, but it’s the worst of the season for all of them. Apparently this was a story not written with Tom Baker’s Doctor in mind and had to be adapted, so that’s a good explanation. For these four episodes being the Cybermen’s only appearance in an entire decade, you’d hope the story would be a little more memorable. The Cybermen are just right back at their same old tactics and tricks, with the Vogans providing enough spice. With how aces Genesis of the Daleks was, it is disappointing that Revenge of the Cybermen similarly fails to reinvent the Cybermen. Not that we need an origin story (which we won’t get on tv until World Enough and Time), but this story just isn’t terribly exciting. Doctor Who so far avoids complete disasters because of the successful formula, but I wasn’t thrilled by this one.
Season 12 ends on a dull note with a story that seems a clear cut below. The Cybermen deserved better than this.
7/10 Surely the Cybermen’s weakness to gold won’t get over-exploited later in the series!
Story 78, Episodes 393-398, Season 12 Episodes 11-16
Doctor: The Fourth Doctor
Companions: Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan
One of the most famous Doctor Who stories ever lives up to the hype as Davros is introduced with the Doctor going back to the source of how the Dalek evil began.
The Review
Sarah with a Mutto, trying to escape
At last, I have seen Genesis of the Daleks, and it delivers on the promise of the title and the legacy it has cultivated. Skaro is depicted in a horrific thousand year war between the Kaleds and Thals. The Thals are portrayed as the lesser of the two evils, as when they believe they win the war all Kaled prisoners are freed. I doubt that the Nazi-like Kaleds would do that, especially considering the screed we hear from a young general saying the Thals will be destroyed in the name of peace. Early on, the war’s hopelessness is established, a mismatch of technologies (that will be shown so well in The Magician’s Apprentice), and the youth of the soldiers. Both cultures are holed up in bunker domes with a harsh wasteland between them. There are also the Muttos, the creations of chemical warfare who live in the middle and are harshly treated by both sides. Early on Sarah Jane gets separated again, but I think it’s because she’s a much more interesting character than Harry who I don’t think could carry a plot arc on his own.
The first Dalek in history
A Time Lord has instructed the Doctor to end the Dalek threat forever, and the way back to the TARDIS is a time ring MacGuffin. The Doctor meets Davros, who an incredible creation, exactly the man you would’ve imagined making the Daleks. His high-pitched speeches and fits of rage remind you that he is not far away from being a Dalek himself. Davros always seems in control no matter the threats facing his plans, he is determined to create an unstoppable warrior race to purge other species. His scientific streak is clear too, such as his fascination with a hypothetical from the Doctor about creating a virus instead of the Daleks. The scene where he forces the Doctor to recount the Dalek’s defeats is a great cliffhanger. Just as evil and responsible for the Daleks is the Himmler-esque Nyler, a contemptible, sour man who stands resolutely by Davros’ side. To the Kaleds’ credit, a democratic rebellion is staged, but all those involved are executed by Daleks.
People kind of forget, but the Doctor does say he has the right
Tom Baker continues to crush his debut season as the Doctor, with the ‘do I have the right?’ scene an incredible achievement. You may think: of course destroying the Daleks is right, it’ll save billions! The Doctor ends up agreeing with you, and eventually does detonate the Dalek incubator room. However, Davros’ actions keep some Daleks sealed up in the bunker, the Doctor estimating he only set back the Daleks a millennium. In a moment of true catharsis and irony, Davros is exterminated by his own creations after having been deemed inferior. Of course, this doesn’t stick, but it’s a poetic fate for him. I can think of nothing to change in this serial, so it earns a 10 from me. If I didn’t know a thing about it watching it for the first time, I think I would’ve been on the edge of my seat. The Daleks have always been scarier than they’ve had right to be, and Davros perfects their recipe.
Sure some stuff in The Daleks gets contradicted, but let’s just say history got muddled so long after the events of this story. Also the whole time wobbly-wibbly stuff.
10/10 Davros’ introduction to Doctor Who is picture perfect
Story 77, Episodes 391-392, Season 12 Episodes 9-10
Doctor: The Fourth Doctor
Companions: Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan
In one of the shortest classic stories ever, we get a look at the Earth post-solar flares, and encounter the Sontarans again.
The Review
Harry and Sarah
So, remember when I thought that The Ark in Space should’ve been six parts? Well it easily could have been because guess what this story was only two episodes. The idea of returning to a fresh Earth devoid of intelligent life after the solar flares (never mind how you really have to stretch continuity) is a good one, but it should have been worked into The Ark in Space somehow. Instead you get this story. Sarah Jane has had time to get normal clothes on again, wearing a bright yellow rain jacket and has rarely been more adorable (and shallowly, attractive) then in this story. Harry meanwhile has not developed in the slightest, saying ‘old girl’ so many times that the Doctor actually picks up on it. The entire episode is shot completely on location in the English wilderness somewhere, so that’s definitely unique. It is amazing how much better tv looks now.
Still works after 10,000 years!
The Sontarans are back, and I actually do like their brand of villainy because of how cold, calculating, and emotionless it is. The Sontaran warlord in this story is running these incredibly humane tests on a small group of humans to see how they measure up in preparation for an invasion. This includes crushing people, leaving them out without water to see how long it would take them to starve to death etc. The Doctor tricks him with a bit of luck having his stuff to survive a ray blast in his pockets, telling Harry first to never throw anything away and then as he rifles through his coat telling Harry never to clutter his pockets. The Sontaran literally de-inflates with some trickery, and we’re off. This story is fine but it’s just so inconsequential that there is not much to it. I’ve heard there’s a great story upcoming though.
Seriously why wasn’t this worked into The Ark in Space.
Story 76, Episodes 387-390, Season 12 Episodes 5-8
Doctor: The Fourth Doctor
Companions: Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan
The Fourth Doctor era starts in earnest with a chilling tale aboard the last hope for humanity: an ark floating through space.
The Review
The Doctor and Sarah Jane with the dead Wirrn queen
Robot was basically a Third Doctor story, but here in The Ark in Space we get a glimpse of what promises to be an exciting new era for the show. Instantly it is a chilling mystery, and after it ended I was in the rare position of wishing this was a 6-parter. In the 30th century, humanity slept aboard the Ark in order to awaken in 5000 years. The TARDIS arrives, but it’s been 10000. The reason is a race of intergalactic space bugs, the Wirn, have interfered with the systems. They are a truly horrible creature, having to hatch using other living people as egg sacks. Then, they absorb all their memories, which is what allowed them to disable the Ark’s alarm clock. Tom Baker is his manic self as the Doctor, but has moments of deadly seriousness reminding Sarah that if he says he’s afraid, it’s no joke. The space station crew is good too, Vyra evolves from being cold to having emotions as her ‘pair-bond’ Noah ultimately helps destroy the Wirn even after being absorbed into one.
Harry with the ‘old girl’
Due to Sarah Jane spending a lot of the story accidentally in cyrosleep, we get a lot with Harry. Harry might be the most affable companion I have ever seen, happily agreeing to go along with most of the plans. However, he is definitely an affable idiot and is repeatedly sexist to Sarah Jane overtly (as opposed to the whole structural sexism of the 60s and 70s). He’s a unique character, and offers a new perspective to look at the stories. The Doctor also rips into Sarah as she gets stuck crawling through a tiny air duct to run a cord which inspires her to complete the mission. Finally, yes, a lot of the Wirrn larvae are depicted with green bubble wrap, but it is a credit to the story that the threat is so seriously realized that the bubble wrap is forgivable. The episode ends with another direct transition as the Doctor and crew prepare to return to Earth to see how its fairing. I hope the monsters are just as good there as they were on the Ark.
With cosmic horror, I think this era of Doctor Who has the potential to live up to the billing as the zenith of the classic show.
9.25/10 The ending was a bit rushed, this seriously could’ve gone on for two more episodes.
Story 75, Episodes 383-386, Season 12 Episodes 1-4
Doctor: The Fourth Doctor
Companions: The Brigadier, Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan
Tom Baker bursts into our screens as the Fourth Doctor, but is still living out a Third Doctor UNIT story to get us acclimated.
The Review
A doctor examines THE Doctor
Spearhead from Space shot us forward into the Pertwee era guns blazing, while Robot keeps us grounded in it. I don’t mind though, because that means we get more Brigadier. Robot was written for ‘eccentric younger Doctor’, with Tom Baker not being cast yet. There’s something immediately drawing about the Fourth Doctor, and I think a lot of it is Baker’s incredible unique voice: deep, but still full of pitch and expression. When he steps out in his classic Doctor outfit, it is a triumphant moment. There isn’t much yet of the chemistry between him and Sarah Jane, because the Doctor is too busy acting like a maniac. Compared to Pertwee’s debonair steely-eyed calm, Tom Baker is just letting loose. Perhaps it’s because the Third Doctor faced his fear that always kept him so uptight that he is now completely developed into the Doctor that the Doctor knew he could be.
Kettlewell in all his glory. He turns out to be sort of a bad guy!
The plot is not half bad, and is actually one of the gravest threats that the Doctor has ever faced. A think tank has gone mad thinking that the scientific elite should rule the world, putting all those lower classes in their place led by the evil Director Winters and her associate Jellicoe. The titular robot was created by a professor Kettlewell (which the wildest hair you will ever see) and has a good heart, but gets corrupted by the evil orders and goes insane. Sarah Jane is quite upset when it gets devoured by the liquid metal eating virus, but them’s the breaks Sarah. The Brigadier actually yells at Winters to stop the launch of nuclear bombs, warranted emotion from him. Humanity seriously comes two seconds away from nuclear annihilation in this story. We also get new companion Harry Sullivan, who is a fine presence but nothing too special. We’re here for the Doctor.
It’s a comfortable familiar setting, but immediately shows us that this Doctor is not going to be content to sit around with UNIT. Tom Baker is a bad fit for the Brigadier, and it’s time to take his act to the stars.
Reviewing Doctor Who from Start to Finish 