Description :
The Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa and Adric arrive in a subterranean cave system where mysterious
black androids have massacred an archaeological team. The TARDIS crew come under suspicion, but
when the investigators examine a hatch they are all attacked. However, the androids will soon be
the least of their worries as old enemies of the Doctor are behind the events and plan to
destroy the Earth.
Information :
Running time: 4 episodes, totalling approx. 99 minutes.
Rating: Parental Guidance
Writer: Eric Saward
Director: Peter Grimwade
Producer: John Nathan-Turner
The Doctor: Peter Davison
Adric: Matthew Waterhouse
Tegan: Janet Fielding
Nyssa: Sarah Sutton
Cyber Leader: Michael Wisher
Lieutenant Scott: James Warwick
Review (spoilers) :
Firstly, I'm not going to clumsily try and conceal the "old enemies". If you do the tiniest bit
of research on this story you will find out, since they are the villains of the piece. I also
discuss the killing off of one of the main characters at the end of the story, so you have
been warned.
The first episode is very suspenseful and tense, although much of it has little bearing on the
plot, and is designed to mislead as to who is behind the events. At the end of the episode,
after no warning at all, the Cybermen appear! However, this isn't as effective if you aren't
as familiar with the Cybermen, or at least know of them. I enjoyed the series of clips showing
the Doctor's previous encounters with the Cybermen.
The Cybermen seem cunning and calculating as they should be, although there was a glimpse of
"emotional behaviour" on the part of the Cyberleader when he said the Doctor must be made to
suffer for defeating the Cybermen. Not exactly logical?
The plot is fairly good, although there are some flaws. Are we to believe that merely crashing
a frieghter into earth would be enough to cause the said destruction? If it had explosives or
something similar it would be more believable, but it's unlikely that spaceships would be made
that dangerous. Why did the ship go back in time? If the Cybermen had time travel technology,
surely they could go into the past to invade Earth. If not, why did their technonology cause
this?
The climax is the killing off of Adric as he attempts to prevent the freighter from crashing
into earth is very good. What a way to leave the series. However, this is one of very many
deaths which aren't dwelt on, so it seems somewhat out of character, as does killing off a
companion. It's nice to see a break from both these norms though. The story was highly
enjoyable.
Rating :
Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
Notes :
The wiping out of the dinosaurs by the impact of the freighter seems to forget that in Doctor
Who and the Silurians the reason was given as the arrival of the stray planet that became
our moon.
The sequence of clips includes those from The Tenth Planet, Tomb of the Cybermen
and Revenge of the Cybermen.
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