"It all started out as a mild curiosity in a junk yard."
There is a possibility that some time has passed after the TARDIS left Mexico. Barbara says that she is over the events of what happened with the Aztecs, but when the travelers start to reminisce about their travels they end their summation with the Aztecs. I'm pretty sure that some of the Missing Adventure writers have wedged a story or two in the gap between the last story and this one.
This episode marks another deviation from our normal viewing. This is the first episode that we are watching online. This story is slated for release until next year on DVD and I don't want to pick up the VHS only to replace it in a year. The Beeb gets enough of my money as it is.
This is the series' third science fiction story and the first not written by Terry Nation.
The first episode is a mixed bag. Mostly good, but with some things that niggled at the back of my head.
The TARDIS arrives onboard a space ship in flight. The first time that we've seen a space ship in the series so far. The interior set is impressive by 60's Doctor Who standards. Lots of things to catch the eye and controls that look passably solid.
The travelers are on the control deck of a 28th century starship with what seems like a dead crew. Well it's Doctor Who in the 60's so the only crew we see are Maitland and Carol. The Doctor goes Sherlock on the scene and determines that the pair died withing the last 24 hours. Barbara has an odd feeling that whatever caused the couple's death could still be in the vicinity.
They then decide to do the practical thing and leave. They can't bring them back to life and they are only risking themselves by sticking around. They are nearly at the TARDIS door when the dead Maitland starts to show signs that he isn't so dead after all.
A little high tech first aid brings Maitland and Carol back to the land of the living and they soon launch into their tale. Their ship is from Earth in the 28th century. Ian's talk of London and Big Ben reveal to them that he is from another century (did they think that Ian was from a cyogenic sleeper ship, a time traveler or just making a joke?).
The ship and it's crew have been held against their will in orbit over the Sense Sphere home of the Sensorites. The Sensorites have power over the Terran ship and some form of psychic manipulation. They put the human crew into a death-like state and care for them. Oddly the aliens have made no effort to communicate with the crew, but have taken no steps to destroy them even though it is clearly within their power.
Maitland warns the Doctor that he and his companions must leave at once or risk the Sensorites preventing them from leaving. After some discussion the travelers turn to leave. At that point they realize that the burning that they smelled earlier was the TARDIS lock being burned around and stolen. The Doctor claims that trying to break down the door will seriously mess up the dimensional whatsis that keeps the hoobajoob whatever.
Ang's mouth was open at that one. The TARDIS would eventually become virtually indestructible, but that day won't come for a long while.
I do have a problem with this scene. The TARDIS is about 25 feet away from where Maitland and the others are talking in a straight line. I could have bought it if there was a corner that the TARDIS was behind or racks of equipment in the way, but there is an unobstructed view between the travelers and the TARDIS. The starship set IS fairly large and the studio space at Limegrove was ridiculously small, but the set required that everyone's peripheral vision turned itself off for a few convenient minutes.
Having bitched about the set placement I'll move on to costuming. I'm going to give the costumers credit for Maitland's and Carol's uniforms; aside from size and cut, they are identical. They didn't decide that, since she's a woman, Carol had to wear a mini-skirt instead of pants like Star Trek did when it debuted two years after this episode. Doctor Who, at this point, is an odd mix of progressive and regressive in terms of gender equality at this point. I've called them on the carpet for some of the worst examples before and I've given them credit when they don't take the easy path.
Barbara and Susan misunderstand directions given by Carol and end up going into the bowels of the ship. Up until now there have been passing references to a third crew member, John. It turns out that John has gone insane after the Sensorites fiddled with his brain. He sabotages the electronic eye that opens the door connecting the control deck from his part of the ship, trapping Susan and Barbara on his side.
We find out that John was engaged to Carol and that they were to marry when their expedition returned to Earth. Now Carol fears John, believing that he is now capable of mindless violence.
Whether John is capable of said violence is unknown. When he meets the two women trapped on his side of the ship he says that Barbara reminds him of his sister and breaks down. Barbara, true to her character from day one, offers him comfort.
Maitland's attempt to burn around the interior lock is cut short by the imminent arrival of the Sensorites. The end credits roll shortly after we catch our first glimpse of Doctor Who's third featured alien.
It's better than the Voord at least, but not by much.
A good episode that makes good effect of the darkened space ship corridors and builds up to the arrival of the baddies in a suspenseful fashion.
Next up: The Unwilling Warrior
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