In case you’re wondering how I can say anything
about stories I’ve never actually watched, I’d better come clean and talk about
the sources for these meanderings. Through the 70s and up to the mid 80s I was
a big fan – not a huge fan by the standards of some others I’ve met since, but
nonetheless I didn’t just watch the show and read the Target novels, I also
read Doctor Who Weekly/Monthly and books about the show – The Making of Doctor
Who, and the Official Programme Guide by Jean Marc L’Officier being two good
examples. So I’d come across synopses and a few details about the old shows,
and just going on this I made a mental list of the Hartnell and Troughton shows
that I’d never seen which I’d most like to see if ever the chance arose.
Now, being very keen on Science Fiction, no
Historicals made my list, and it tended to be dominated by those stories with
the most obviously sci fi elements. As a matter of record, in my Hartnell most
wanted list were : -
The Keys of Marinus
The Sensorites
The Space Museum
The Chase
The Time Meddler
The Dalek Master Plan (because it had the
return of the Meddling Monk)
The Ark
The War Machines
The Tenth Planet
Now, I know enough about current fan reactions
to these stories to know that few of these are held in high regard by the
cognoscenti. Well, we’ll deal fairly with each one when we get there.
You’ll notice that Edge of Destruction does not
feature on my list. What I know about it, or the idea I’ve formed is that
something in the back of my mind, some half remembered factoid tells me that
this was something of a filler, as two episodes were needed, and no money was
available for new sets, nor for any other actors than the four regulars. So all
of this is set on board the TARDIS – the only story set entirely on board if
I’m right. I’m looking forward to seeing how much of the TARDIS interiors we’ll
get to see – I’ve already noticed how much bigger the control room is than the
one I remember.
After
Watching
I think I can safely say that I’ve never
watched a Doctor Who story quite like that before. I don’t think that there is
any other Doctor Who story quite like it.
It helped to remember that this story took
place immediately after the conclusion to the Daleks. Last time out the Doctor
was essentially duplicitous, seemingly sabotaging his own TARDIS to ensure that
he can go and explore the Dalek city, thus putting the lives of his companions
in danger. This story takes us completely over to the dark side and is a real
journey into paranoia.
In brief, the TARDIS suddenly comes to a
jarring halt in the Space Time continuum. All the four crew are knocked out
unconscious for a while. Eventually they come round, and start voicing all
kinds of crazy theories about what has happened. It is noticed that the doors
are opened, and the crew fear that they may have an intruder. Susan touches the
console and is electrocuted. Put to bed she wakes up, and tries to attack her
crewmates with a pair of scissors. Well, it has to be better than self-harming
anyway. Then the Doctor goes a bit tonto, and accuses Ian and Barbara of
sabotaging his ship. The best part of the whole scene, in fact the whole story
is when Barbara rounds on him furiously, reminding him of his own actions on
Skaro, and the way that she and Ian have saved all of their lives both on Skaro
and also back in prehistory. This is brilliant acting from Jacqueline Hill.
Barbara has had good moments in each of the two preceding stories, but she’s
brilliantly foregrounded here, and I can see why so many commentators on the
series rave about Jacqueline Hill’s acting. She is absolutely terrific.
Not so terrific was an effect which
happened after that. I’m assured that the thing which appeared was a melting
clock. Looked at it twice, but honestly couldn’t make out exactly what it was
myself. Eventually something that Barbara says about this being the only way
that the TARDIS might have to communicate with them percolates through the
Doctor’s anger, and he comes to realize that the Fast Return switch is stuck.
Don’t ask. There is an explanation why this wasn’t picked up on the fault
locator, but it sounded a little bit specious to me. Basically, the TARDIS is
being instructed by the Fast Return switch, which is stuck, to go back to the
Big Bang. All the silliness is basically the TARDIS refusing to do so and
trying to alert the travelers to the danger. Crisis averted they touch down in
the Himalayas. The episode ends with the four of them examining a gigantic
footprint, which I think would have wrong footed a lot of the original viewers
into expecting a story about the yeti (which were still several years in the
future) next week.
I have nothing new to say about the way
that the words Fast Return Switch are handwritten above it in felt pen.
Worse actors than the four principles might
have murdered this. It comes off because it’s well acted. I’ve already
mentioned Barbara’s outburst to the Doctor, but then there’s the Doctor’s
monologue about how the universe came together, which has a little poetry and
wonder about it. Also, and I make no apology for this, I got excited about
getting to see so much of the interior of the TARDIS as well. Very few stories
let you see any more than a bit of the control room and the console. This one
gives you a lot more than that. There’s the automatic food dispenser. Then the
strange space bed/lounger/chair things. In later series it becomes clear that
companions have their own bedrooms, but in this one it suggests that they
probably all sleep in the same area.
The fact that it was written by the series’ first script editor,
David Whitaker, suggests that this might have just been written as filler, to
use the sets that were already available, while things were being prepared for
the next story, Marco Polo. On the other hand I am willing to accept that this
was planned all along, to allow time for the characters and relationships in
the TARDIS to crystallize without any distraction from outside. Whatever the
case it just about pulls it off for me.
What Have We Learned?
The TARDIS has a fault locator, and it’s crap. Made by Binatone
probably.
Barbara has balls (metaphorically)
The TARDIS has a heart, and some strange sort of
awareness/consciousness
It is absolutely useless at communicating with the crew
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