Barbara returns in this episode and things improve. We're not talking Genesis of the Daleks here, but this does beat Escape to Danger.
My synopsis of the last episode was especially crappy. I didn't even go into the cliffhanger.
At the end of the last episode Ian and Vrestin were on the run from the Zarbi. Ian finds a cavern or a recess in the rocks, frankly it's hard to say exactly what it is since we don't see much of it. He pushes Vrestin in through first. We find out through dialog that the ground is giving way beneath her. Ian takes her hand. She warns him that he'll be pulled through also. We see next to nothing.
In between the end credits of the last ep and the opening credits of this one, Ian and Vrestin fell some distance through the ground. They land in a pile of sand. Soon they are surrounded by crystal weapon wielding grubmen called Optera.
If we hadn't already seen the Zarbi, I'd say that the Optera were the crappiest looking monster seen in Doctor Who so far. I grew up watching Sid and Marty Croft kid's shows. Things like H R Puffinstuff, The Buggaloos and Sigmund the Seamonster. The Optera look like something out of one of those shows. That's not a good thing.
They come off as ignorant savages and the actors enunciate their lines in a gruff fashion that sounds to Ang and I as if they were trying for a Japanese accent. That's also not a good thing.
The Optera debate about killing them, finally deciding that anything from the surface is evil and deserves a quick and painful death.
Ian makes the connection that the Optera are an off shoot of the Menoptera. It turns out that they worship the Menoptera. Vrestin spreads her wings and the Optera bow down and worship her.
The Doctor and Vicki have discovered that even a normal sized dead spider freaks the Zarbi out. The Doctor plans on using that to his advantage when Ian and Barbara join them. Not long after that the Zarbi place one of the gold wishbones on Vicki.
O'Brien wears this hilarious expression on her face as she's under the Zarbi influence.
The Animus tells the Doctor that she will kill the child since he has failed to provide the information that she requests. The Doctor gives her the minimum information about the Menoptera assault fleet needed to keep Vicki alive.
The Doctor takes the discarded wishbone and plays around with it and the astral map. He seems to have some success, but creates a small explosion. He's able to touch the gold without being taken over though.
The Animus, attracted by the explosion, asks the Doctor for his progress. The Doctor lies, but the Animus has the truth. Both he and Vicki are put into slave collars to be disposed with later.
Barbara finds herself forced to throw vegetable matter into the acid pools. Hrostar explains that it is to feed the Animus.
Things start to go crazy and the slave workers are herded off to an enclosed area. Hrostar realizes that the Zarbi are aware of the Menoptera assault. The spearhead doesn't know that their weapons are ineffective against the Zarbi or that the element of surprise has vanished in a puff of powder.
Barbara, being Barbara, tells them that they need to warn the spearhead and if they can't do it through technology then they'll have to break out and do it the old fashioned way.
There is one moment that in the escape that I really enjoyed. A Menoptera picks up a larvae gun and smooshes it against a wall. I don't know why I like it as much as I do, but I do.
They went all out with the Menoptera arrival. There are lots of wire shots of the flying aliens cavorting about. It's frentic and energetic. It's frequently unfocused, but there is a sense that we are watching something that has never been seen in Doctor Who and never will again.
The spearhead sounds the retreat.
Next up: Invasion
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