Space Fall: A review

Before you ask, I made that. 

Since I really enjoyed The Way Back, I went into Space Fall thinking that I'd enjoy it too, though not as much. This isn't knocking the writing of the show, I should clarify, it's just a fad that always happens with me - I never really end up having the same enthusiasm for episode two as episode one. I'm fairly sure that's just me, though; nobody else I talk to seems to have this problem! Usually, it's because I never feel like episode two makes up for all the hype set up in episode one, so I'm glad to say that Space Fall completely eschewed that for me and was far better than anticipated. A very, very good sign.

Initial Thoughts

This episode feels very like a Tom-era Who story, though that may be down to the design of the prison ship, the model work and the progression of the story. It just has that sort of vibe about it - I doubt it would be very difficult to edit The Doctor into the proceedings as he wouldn't feel out of place.

This episode's a studio-based story, which probably explains the similarity to Who. Unlike Who though it isn't exactly noticeable - some stories are entirely studio-based to the point where you can't help but notice the lack of exterior filming, thus shattering your suspension of disbelief (Warriors Of The Deep being a notorious example, ironically also directed by Pennant Roberts). This episode doesn't do that. Thank God. It's also not a budget episode (like Warriors). Thank God for that too.

Avon

Yes, I'm devoting a section of this to Paul Darrow. What are you going to do, report me to The Federation for thinking his character is the best in the story?

On second thoughts, don't answer that question.

Paul Darrow's character Kerr Avon is introduced into the proceedings. Rushy had warned made it clear to me beforehand in an indirect way that Avon was one of those guys you end up liking without really understanding why, and having watched this episode more than twice to make notes (as is customary for me) I can say that's completely true. Avon, at least here, is that guy you knew at school who was humorously snide and though he genuinely cared about what's going on, he pretended that he didn't to appear cool and stand out from the crowd. Whilst that guy you knew may have been a dick, Avon doesn't because he's got something else going for him: charisma. He's funny and relatable and his intelligent comebacks to things other characters say makes him the highlight of the story.

There are instances in this where I'd argue that Avon is a better character than Blake himself, as he's given far more interesting things to do, and Darrow's clearly having a blast playing this character, which makes him all the more appealing to watch. He makes Avon the perfect foil to Blake through his sarcasm and hesitation to do what Blake says, leading you to believe that he doesn't fully trust Blake and this makes the viewer doubt Blake as well to a certain extent. Given The Way Back doesn't fully tell you everything about him, Avon's cynicism implies there's another side to Blake that we don't know about, so it'll be interesting to see if this gets developed in later episodes.

Story notes

The admin-ship, London, is taking Blake and the prisoners to Cygnus Alpha, the prison planet mentioned in the previous episode. The effects are gorgeous; I really love this model work, the VFX department is really having a blast working on something with a budget that isn't 3p stuck to a string being held by the director from a multistorey car park. Sorry, Tom, you'll never compete. We're immediately thrust into the most 70s control room imaginable, with Raiker, played by that guy from Star Wars and a bloke who could fill in for a young Neil Morrisey from a far enough distance. They check all the necessary details of their flight, as you'd expect, and report to their commander, locking in autopilot. You're probably wondering why I'm spending a lot of time talking about a scene that would otherwise be described as filler, but I honestly just love the back and forth of a bunch of staff who clearly don't want to be there. It makes a change from people who revel in their position, as is so often the case in Tom-era Who that I'm surprised it isn't clumped together with the rag-tag nitpicks fans of RTD's CGI-infested poo make about the classic show.

"I thought maintenance was supposed to have fixed that ID shift vibration!"
"Well, that's what they said." 

"There's a female prisoner..."
"I noticed, sir."
"...be discreet."

You have to love Terry's dialogue. You must.

Anyway, Raiker leaves to address the prisoners and the commander is told that meteorites will be appearing in the nearby vicinity, but hopefully it'll clear (it won't). Raiker goes in and pep-talks (screams at) the prisoners, then has a chat with Blake, really rubbing it in that this guy is the story's villain. After letting the prisoners into the mess area, he tries to... well... chat her up, shall we say. After she pretty much shoots him down, he slaps her and tells her that he can be "very persuasive" before leaving. Just because you're a secondary commander aboard a Federation ship and hold a lot of power doesn't immediately mean you can openly abuse women. Nobody has that right. Sure, she's a prisoner, yes, and you state that prisoners have no rights, I get that, but even so, that's not on. Come on man, stop being a sleazeball and do your job.

Then we meet Avon, who, again, is the best part of the story. His lines are amazing too - who doesn't love "Why all the questions, or is it merely a thirst for knowledge?" Anyway, he's got a plan to save his skin: he has planned to fake the ship's running log so he can bargain with the crew to fix it, thus the crew spare him for his help and let him go free while the rest go to Cygnus Alpha. Reminds me a lot of Han Solo's motivation in Star Wars - he only agrees to transport Obi-Wan and Luke to Alderaan so he can get out of Tatooine quickly before he's captured and sent back to Jabba, thus saving his own skin... and taking Obi-Wan's money. Much like Han, Avon will also get roped into another mission and become a vital member of the main cast, though I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's backtrack to the present.

Blake posits the idea to Jenna that if the prisoners take control of the ship, he would like her to pilot it, and thus a plan is set afoot. I love it when a plan comes together. Wait, wrong franchise, sorry. The crew detect that something is present within their current course, though quite what is unclear. They stumble into full-spectrum shockwaves (better known to us as turbulence) just as Raiker comes in with the most deceptively simple jug and cup set I have ever seen. If it isn't the lad in the Federation's computer records office with his VR space walkman that is so damn funny, it's Raiker's brand-spanking-new plastic drinking units. I swear, it's the cheaper looking props that make me ask the most amount of questions - are there lots of these in whenever B7 is set? Did the Federation pay for these or did the staff buy them themselves? How much did they cost? Anyway, it's determined that the disturbance in their pathway is some sort of space battle. A star war, if you will. Nudge nudge wink wink. The crew decide at the last minute that they want to go around the battle if that's possible, but know it'll cause damage to the ship whether or not they succeed in trying to flee the fight.

Blake has discovered a way to the computer room through the air ventilation shafts and tries to convince Avon to squeeze through and sabotage the ship's computer so the other prisoners can escape. Avon, being the guy that he is, needs persuading. Well at least that makes a change from other franchises where instead of just doing it straight away because oH mY gOd ThE hErO nEeDs Me To Do SoMeThInG :OOOOO. The ship goes through more turbulence and shaving foam Sealing Gel forms through a crack in the wall caused by the damage to the ship. Remember this, because it'll be important later. This spurs Avon to be ready almost instantly and so they sneak him through the vent while Vila distracts the guard with magic tricks. Avon sneaks through the vent and gets the other side, but there's a problem: someone's in the computer room operating the controls of what isn't the TARDIS. Like it or lump it, he has to play the waiting game. 

The guard is changed, and the others wonder where Avon went. I love how they immediately assume he's been caught and/or died - it's a bit like that thing that happens in university when a teacher doesn't show up for 15 minutes and everyone just immediately gives up. Blake has to decide who to send after Avon, Vila or Nova, who states that he hasn't done anything yet. It should therefore come as no surprise that when Nova gets sent after Avon, the ship goes through more turbulence and the gel fills the corridor he's in, killing him almost instantly. Alas, dear Nova, you died having not done anything yet. F in the chat, boys. Avon, it turns out, is a fighting lad, knocking the lamps out of the operator, giving him full control of the ship's computer. Avon would have been amazing in Rocky 53. He manages to shut down the camera to the main mess area and the guard is overpowered by the prisoners. Before he can open the door, though, the operator gets up for Round 2 but Avon defeats him again. The prisoners force the guard to open the door and escape. It's all starting to ramp up now, but hold the bus, we're only halfway there. 

25 more minutes to go lads, let's watch how the situation develops.

Blake and Jenna fight Raiker and the Neil Morrisey lookalike and join Avon in the computer room, shutting the door. Raiker sets off an alarm and the commander heads down to assist him in his attempt to break in. Vila, ever the wimp, has been sent with Gan and most of the prisoners by Blake to go to the armoury (VILA: "Find the armoury", he says. I don't even like guns!) and this leads to the funniest scene in the story. Rounding the corner are two guards, who spot the prisoners and aim to shoot. Gan grabs them by the arms and forces them to the ground using brute strength. When two more guards come around and see what's going on, Gan tells them to "Drop their weapons". Vila drops his gun, and the other armed prisoner is shot at by the new guards, effectively rendering the prisoners' attempt useless. Well done, Vila, you never cease to amuse me. 

The commander, whose name is Leylan (one off "Leyland"... so he fixes cars in his spare time, good to know), communicates to Blake on the other side of the computer room door with his demands: if they surrender, they'll be treated leniently, and if not they'll get the the door blasted in by the crew and they'll suffer the consequences. Blake effectively replies with "Lol no" and makes his own demands, telling the crew to surrender their weapons and fly the ship to where they want and let them all go free. Leyland informs Blake that what he's doing (taking control of the computer) is putting everyone in grave danger as London is headed towards that large thing they've not identified yet and they may collide with it if Blake doesn't give up. Blake tells him to hurry up and make a decision before ending communication, with about the same sympathy as being told "tough". He really couldn't give a damn right now, and I daresay I don't blame him. Gareth Thomas is on fine form this episode and is giving a great performance, only really upstaged by Darrow. 

Avon tries to put doubt in Blake's mind that what he's doing is mad, and that wealth is all that's worth caring about. Avenging your dead family? Nah, that's irrelevant. Get the money, that's all that matters! Raiker, having sought permission from Leyland to do what he deems "necessary", decides to force Blake, Avon and Jenna to give up by killing a random prisoner every 30 seconds. It works. Raiker tries to hit on Jenna but gets shut down by Leyland who tells him he went too far. Raiker tries to claim that Leyland told him he could do what's necessary but Leyland informs him that everything that's going on will be put in his record and decided by the Federation authority, scuppering Raiker's plans to throw Leyland under the bus with him. Nice try, but not good enough, curly bap. Next time suck up to Darth Vader.

Oh wait. You did. Never mind.

Avon reproaches Blake for failing, and Blake takes it. At least he doesn't try to reproach him back. The crew of the ship discover what the big thing is: a seemingly unmanned ship, floating in space. As of now, it isn't named, but given I already know what the name is - the Liberator - I'll refer to it as such. They decide to send a boarding party over and take the Liberator back to the Federation for prize money (they also use credits, much like other sci-fi programs). Being understandably cautious, they send three lackeys over first to test the waters, so to speak, but two of them are killed through unknown circumstances and the third is driven insane. Raiker decides it best to send prisoners over to see what's happening on the ship, given "they've got nothing to lose" - to anyone who felt annoyed by that line, remember that this is the same man who told the other prisoners that they had no rights - and Blake, Jenna and Avon are sent over. They instantly fall in love with the craft and are drawn towards some sort of defence mechanism that projects repressed memories back at any invaders, driving them mad, luring them towards it and killing them on contact. Jenna is shown her mother being tortured and Avon is shown his brother, talking to him. Blake is shown something too, but irritably, we aren't allowed to see what. God damn it Terry, I want to know who he saw! WHAT DEAD PERSON DID BLAKE SEE?!

Sorry for that outburst, it'll never happen again. 

Anyway, Blake figures out that the apparition is fake and blasts the defense mechanism, destroying it, snapping Jenna and Avon, as well as himself out of it. Leyland checks in to see if they're all right and Raiker formulates his own plan: to kill the trio, send a boarding party over and take the ship himself. He gets very close to doing that too, injuring Blake's shoulder with his gun while Blake tries to close the airlock door, but Jenna and Avon start up the ship, closing the door, and jettisoning Raiker into space. Blake informs Jenna to follow London to Cygnus Alpha so they can rescue the other prisoners. 

That was very bloody good. Onto the production aspects to finish up.

Production

As per usual, the visual effects are great, and a step up from The Way Back, which is odd, given this was filmed before that episode was made. 

Pennant Roberts' directing is great, and really creates a mood of entrapment watching these people stuck on a prison ship trying to escape. He also plays with your emotions a lot as well, deliberately making the portrayal of the London's crew as detestable and irritable as possible in order to make you want Blake's team to win.

The design of London is great too - every nook and cranny of the ship feels unified and consistent, which is great to see and doesn't shatter the audience's immersion at all, especially in the moments where the footage jumps from video to film and back again. Speaking of, is it just me or did the B7 crew have the film developed better than the DW crew? I swear, the footage looks less crispy and washed-out and blends really well with the video in a way that isn't wholly noticeable. 

Dudley Simpson's music is on point yet again, hitting the right notes (pun not intended) to make the score feel complimentary to the mood of the scene it's been dubbed over. He really was a genius at doing this.

Well, that's all for now. Sorry for the delay, folks. It shouldn't happen again! Next up, Cygnus Alpha!

The Way Back: A review

 

Pre-watch thoughts

So, Blake's 7. I've been meaning to watch this show for ages, with numerous people having suggested it in the past, most notably Rushy, check him out here. Finally having time to myself to be able to sit down and watch it, here we are. Quite why the different series of this show is assigned a letter rather than a number is confusing to me, but I find it rather interesting.

Given this is a Terry Nation franchise, I fully expect there to be a lot of very "out-there" ideas and some of his weird sense of humour, though I also anticipate that the comedy angle may not be played up as much in this, if at all, given it's the first episode and it needs to focus on setup and character as opposed to just saying the big funny and expecting wheezes of laughter from the audience - something Steven Ruddy Moffat can work on in future endeavours.

Enough preamble, let's get into this.

Post-watch

Initial thoughts

My God, that was awesome.

 

Nation's in his element here, all the characters are amazing and the story is a great mix of complicated and simple, something Nation is incredibly good at. For a first episode, it's written really well, and I love the interactions of the characters and the backwards characterisation of Blake as having to pick up the pieces and find out who he is after having an extreme mind-wipe, as it allows him to figure out what the hell is going on here as we do. Nation is careful in how he executes this, as he doesn't bombard the viewer with too much exposition so as to leave them cold, but gives enough to leave you perplexed and demanding answers. 

Roj Blake, played by Gareth Thomas, is utterly amazing to watch. The performance of Thomas isn't one-note or the "generic hero" type as you might expect from a character who's name is in the title, but instead it's a multi-faceted performance - for example, compare his cynicism and confused demeanour seen at the start when he's dragged along to the rebellion meeting with his anger visible when trying to remember his past in his very metallic cell and when he hears of the charges against him. You can really tell he's taken the time to think about how he will play Blake and gives a stellar performance, making him a relatable protagonist who the audience can empathise with and understand the plight of, whilst also having enough mystique to allow us to wonder what he was like in his glory days before the government officials corrupted him. 

The dialogue is brilliant too. The characters' lines are both very colloquial for sci-fi programs of this period (note the long-winded, eloquent sentences in a number of Tom's Doctor Who stories) yet also very what I like to call "Sci-Fi Wisdom". A good example is the following line from Vila Restal - "We're all victims of a miscarriage of justice." It's almost poetic in a way, and I love it.

Also that scene in the bedroom starts in such a funny way. You can't tell me that "What time is it?" "Late." "Come to bed." They snog wasn't written for laughs. It's just far too damn funny. Speaking of comedy, I was right to suspect that Nation wouldn't pull out the funny card just yet, as the majority of the story is extremely serious in tone, which I'll return to later, however, the little comedy there is in this episode is well-executed, and isn't in your face, which is excellent. 

Story notes

Roj Blake was a criminal in the eyes of the government and led a resistance force against it with Bran Foster and numerous others before being captured by the government and brainwashed by their machine to confess to his crimes, publicly denounce the resistance and had his mind wiped while the group was rounded up and captured. At least, this is what he's told by Foster when he's brought there by Ravella. It's all very Nineteen Eighty-Four in space, and I assumed this is how the story would continue until the group meeting is abruptly ended by government lackeys turning up and killing nearly everyone at the meeting, leaving Blake alone to take the blame. This is so well-written and was a twist I really didn't expect. 

Blake tries to remember his past but can't. The government are afraid he'll start spewing about the massacre, so decide to have him tried on different charges after his arrest, all of which involve children (Yes, in that way). He's tried and found guilty by the computer and sentenced to life imprisonment on another planet for his "crimes". Turns out that a lad from the resistance meeting earlier called Dev Tarrant (phone a friend?) has set him up to be captured from the start and smirks with glee when Blake gets conked in the arm with a knockout needle and crashes to the floor harder than the stock market in 1929. I like the idea that we realise who the villain is without him saying much - great use of show don't tell when Blake is injected with the serum then just stares open-mouthed when Dev slinks in the room and looks at him with those cold eyes. Really well executed in both writing and acting. 10/10.

Blake is put in a cell to hold him for now until he gets put on a ship which will take him to the prison planet. (God that sounds like a 70s Who story title) On it he meets Restal, Jenna, and the other inmates - some of whom undoubtedly make up the other 6. While he gets to know them, his defence lawyer from the trial thinks something's afoot and so decides to check public records with his wife to see if the case has been forged, after a not-sex-we-promise scene. This is important, as it leads to the bit that cracked me up immensely when I saw it. The dude who's operating the records is listening to whatever the latest chart hit is on his big fuck-off Walkman and jams to it as if he wants to join the kids from the "My name's Katrina" video. I'm going to put this one next to "Ingrid Pitt fights the Myrka" in my list of funniest TV moments. The defence lawyer asks to see the school attendance records and discovers the kids Blake supposedly did Jimmy Saville antics with were absent from school. Upon trying to see records of the central clinic's admissions, the government have classified it, because of course they have, they want to hide their footprints (the sodding bastards). Bribing the operator, the lawyer and his wife are shown that three admissions were made and thus deduce that the children had memory implants to make them think Blake got his little Blake out and did the dirty deed, like Ronald McDonald does with his succulent McNugget behind the restaurant on Fridays. Once they leave, the operator calls security, because of course he does.

The lawyer and his wife meet Blake, who tells them about big lad Dev, working out that he betrayed them. After they effectively play the "Dunno, see ya later" card, Blake chats for a bit with Vila and Jenna, the latter of which clearly wants to shag him. Vila explains she's a smuggler and that it's "an honour to be locked with her". Now you can take this line one of two ways - either he's genuinely admiring of her, or he wants to shag her. The amount of sexual tension in this is so damn funny to me. 

The defence lawyer talks to Ven Glynd, the man who authorised the implantation of the false memories into the childrens' minds, and Glyn obviously is SeRiOuSlY dUmBfOuNdEd BeCaUsE hE cLeArLy HaD nOtHiNg To Do WiTh ThAt Nonononononononono. The lawyer tells him the truth about what Blake went through and asks for permission to leave the city. I like the fact that the lawyer isn't being used simply as a stereotypical lawyer - evidence, courtrooms and all that, and is given an active role in the plot. The lawyer is denied his request and told to go home and get some sleep. He ponders a detail about tunnels brought up by Glynd which had nothing to do with their conversation, then overhears Glynd having a private conversation about "a small problem." It doesn't take long for him to put two and two together. The lawyer and his wife set up a call pretending to be Glynd and call the doctor whom Glynd phoned not too long beforehand; asking him whether there are details for the case, the lawyer's suspicions are confirmed when the Doctor says the records of the faked data are indeed still there and in his office and has them brought down to reception by his assistant. The lawyer sends his wife to collect the records and head home to get the camera while he goes and talks to a thief about a lock-pick. This bit really got me excited for the conclusion because now Glynd's jig is up and Blake can be freed. Everything's falling into place in Blake's favour and I anticipated the big finale, hoping it wouldn't disappoint.

It didn't, thankfully.

Jenna, still wanting to sleep with Blake clearly, talks with him about how his time is running out if he can get a holding process (i.e. withheld from the prison). The lawyer and his wife make their way to the door leading out and, now having the evidence, know they can make a case for Blake's innocence from what they have. A security guard watches them leave, then calls in the rest of the troops to follow them. Blake and the other prisoners are taken by security and forced out. The lawyer and his wife come across the cadavers of the original resistance and the lawyer searches the corpses for picture tapes. The back-and-forth between the scenes with the lawyer and his wife and Blake's predicament is breathtaking and left me on edge, wondering how Nation would resolve this. The writing in this is so damn good, I love it. The prisoners are taken to the ship. The lawyer finishes scanning - he's got all he needs; more than enough to keep Blake on Earth. But Blake is already on the ship, and the clock is ticking. Will he make it off the ship? I was genuinely watching this on the edge of my seat, no joke. Well, my friends, it turns out he won't. He's restrained in his seat and the ship takes off, with Blake inside. He's done for. Dev watches as the ship leaves, then turns and starts heading in the direction of the tunnel, telling the guard with him to claim a "transporter accident" is what bumped off two people. Which two people? Have a guess. The lawyer and his wife. Blake is positively scundered now. Blake is told by a warden on the ship that this is the last he'll ever see of Earth, but rather calmly claims, "No, I'm coming back" in his best Arnold impression.

And just like that, the episode ends.

Now for my few words on the production side to round this thing off.

Production

The modelwork in this, limited though it is, is beautiful. The dome and the ship, as well as the shots of space and indeed the amazing title sequence are just brilliant to look at and really show off some of the best work the BBC's special effects department could do for the era.

Dudley Simpson's score is top-notch, as always. I was already aware of his work, given the numerous Who stories he worked on, but this score is fantastic. The proud and pompous theme music is reminiscent of John Williams' work on A New Hope and really captures the tone of the show. The incidental music in here is also incredibly well-placed, capturing the mood of the scenes very well and I hope he and his orchestra were paid good money for their services.

The camerawork and set design is glorious. The designer has taken the typical "White and featureless" descriptions Nation puts in his scripts and is able to morph this into a number of well-designed sets that are really aesthetically pleasing and capture the feel of a futuristic city really well without making the show look dated. The camera operators are on fine form too, not accidentally getting the boom mic in frame or getting a bad shot at any stage. It's so professionally crafted, and I really appreciate the level of work that went into this.

Overall, a positive reception from me. Thank you Rushy for suggesting this, and I can't wait to get stuck into Episode 2 of Series A, Space Fall. 

Warriors Of The Deep: A Review

Yes. We're doing this. 

This was the First Davison story I ever saw, and I thought I'd watch it back all these years later to give my thoughts on it. 

I regret that immensely.

I'm going to be very critical of this to begin with, though I'll do my best to also balance that out afterwards by noting the stuff I like about this story and its production afterwards, so stick around for that, it won't be all negative, I promise!

Also, spoilers. Duh.

Points of note

Milk-snatcher Thatcher called a snap general election before this story went before the cameras, screwing over the budget and filming. This probably would not have saved the story though, as the script the actors have been given is downright awful. A comparison could be made to Nightmare Of Eden, but at least that had a good script. This story has no excuse whatsoever.

Right, time to stop stalling, let's get this over with. 

TL;DR

An Earth Seabase comes under attack by Sea Devils and Silurians. The Doctor must stop them.

Part One

Seabase 4: a base so white it stings the eyes. Props to the modelwork though, it really shines. Despite being the far future of 2084, apparently clothing and technology regress, and the Cold War is still running. Already I can feel my soul draining out of my body and we're literally a minute in. The Silurians have evolved, losing the ability to speak using their mouths. You would think that 14 years after the Pertwee era had used the creatures that they would have stayed consistent, but life's not fair. Instead, they speak by flashing the third eye that previously functioned as a weapon, rendering the creatures as reptilian humanoid Daleks. Also, "Excellent, Scibus!" will never not make me laugh. In the TARDIS, The Fifth Doctor and Turlough are particularly passive-aggressive towards each other, which is mildly irritating and seriously hard to watch. Doesn't help that their dialogue sounds like a couple going through a divorce. One member of the Seabase crew, Maddox, is pointed out to us in a really bad bit of dialogue. He acts like he's always high and lumbers around the place like a drunkard at three in the morning. It's very obvious the actor doesn't want to be there, and given how bad the script is, I can't say I blame him.

The Silurians namedrop the Myrka, who'll be important later. They want to thaw out the Sea Devils, who have been rendered in suspended animation for "hundreds of years, waiting for this day." Hilariously, one of them complains that they didn't wake up. From experience with an older sibling, waking up is not something to be concerned about, buddy. What makes this funnier is that it's sandwiched between a monologue with exposition in it. So going from 'THEY HAVE SLEPT, AND NOW WILL RISE' to 'Bro, wake up, it's epic gamer hours' is the funniest case of tonal whiplash I've ever seen. Apparently them oversleeping has led them to become weaker, though this isn't a problem later on in the story, so why Johnny Byrne mentioned this at all only to ignore it is bizarre. Maddox has a heart-to-heart with a colleague. Apparently, he's a student on work experience who's been forced to do someone else's job which really angers him. This is yet another plot point that gets brought up and immediately dropped for seemingly no reason. Also, if his character is supposed to be riled up about his situation, maybe it would be a good idea to have the actor actually play it like that and not portray them as bored and calm. Just a thought. Oh, and if you're using idiot boards for your actors, have it so that it doesn't look like the actor is obviously reading them. The TARDIS is spotted by a military probe called Sentinel Six, who yells at the occupants of the Police Box for the sci-fi equivalent of parking on a double yellow. How incredibly mundane. All this is going on while Dr Solow (fully-clothed-Ingrid-Pitt-thank-you-very-much, below) is chatting about altering the mind of Maddox with the dodgy Nilson, a man so slick his hair is as greasy as chicken in a deep fat fryer. They're supposedly evil, but really they just come across as annoying. These two apparently killed the man Maddox replaced, but they talk about it as though it's just a throwaway thing they did for the lols. Great character development there.

The TARDIS is still stuck with Sentinel Six and gets blasted with early CGI, forcing the Doctor to dematerialise. Convenient that the TARDIS is about to crash, but The Doctor can just stop that by clicking a few buttons as if it's nothing. I bet Byrne had "Nah fam, your big fuck-off laser can't do shit, lol see ya," written in the script at one point, only deciding to remove it because JN-T didn't like it. The Seabase has a simulated missile run, and against his better judgement, Maddox is synced to the computer. He takes a panic attack and faints. Probably the most he's actually done so far. I can only assume the missile run is supposed to be dramatic, but that's not how it comes across at all due to the (lack of) acting. This is intercut with this is the TARDIS' landing on Seabase 4 and the Doctor and Co finding out where they are and wandering around the corridors. Skipping a couple of smaller scenes that really don't need addressing, the TARDIS crew find themselves in a Chemical Store, and The Doctor confirms that "Absolutely nothing" has changed since 1984, which is an incredibly lazy way of avoiding worldbuilding. I can't help but feel the script editor Eric Saward added this line in, though Byrne may have written it to avoid the ire of continuity advisor Ian Levine. The Doctor wishes Exochromite was banned, and I wish this story was never made. Nilson slimeballs the Commander into letting them control Maddox's mind and they're given the go-ahead. Solow and Nilson, it turns out, are from the opposing power bloc. What a surprise, totally didn't see that coming. 

Turlough accidentally sets off a security alert and a team go to investigate. Don't you just love it when your buddy cocks up and pretty much alerts your presence to a group of staff who you don't want to find you? It's really great, isn't it? Anyway, Maddox is now a dupe who will obey the commands set by Solow and Nilson. So now the enemy not only has two agents posing as workers, but they've successfully turned a valuable asset of the base into a living ventriloquist's dummy, and seeing that the base thinks the Doctor and Co are from the enemy side, it's all looking good for the villains, right? Well no, not really, they've not done jack shit and they're already gloating like they've achieved their goal. I hate these two characters with a passion, they suck. After 10 minutes of farting around the Seabase, the Silurians are finally back on screen, having begun to revive the Sea Devils. (By the way, you can't tell me the line "It has been a long time. Much has gone wrong." wasn't a jab at the story, it's just too perfect of a description for this crap). And just like that, they're gone, not to be seen again until Part Two. The Doctor and Co arrive at a bridge near the reactor, which the Doctor sets to overload just as the team sent to find them arrives. Took them long enough. The Doctor channels his inner Troughton and tells Tegan and Turlough to run, which they do, but not before he is chucked over the edge by the staff and falls into a vat of water. Turlough tells Tegan not to help the Doctor because it's too late: he's drowned...

Part Two

Except he hasn't, he finds a hatch under the water and swims away, free. That was stupidly fast and a very bloody cheap way of resolving probably one of the best cliffhangers I've seen in a while, but it only will get worse from here on out. Grab the vodka.

Turlogh sabotages a bulkhead so he and Tegan can escape to the TARDIS, while a guard bangs on the door instead of trying to get the damn thing open and The Doctor climbs through a maze of bulkheads. The Silurians finally revive the Sea Devils, though we don't stay there very long before a guard tries to open the bulkhead door from about 5 minutes ago and is electrocuted, with the most hilarious expression I've ever seen. I can't tell whether it's glee or immense pain. Turlough is caught by the guards after narrowly missing a door he could have easily outrun but didn't because the plot needs him to be caught, and the Doctor, ever the opportunist, steals the dead guard's costume for... reasons.

The Sea Devil leader addresses the Silurians with the same quivery whisper as the ones from 1972. At least the Sea Devils retained their voices, unlike the ear-gratingly electronic Silurians, but they too have lost the ability to use their mouths and have giant growths in their necks to accommodate for the actor inside, something that wasn't an issue in 1972. Oh well. Their lack of facial movement leads them looking permanently bored/sad, and I can honestly relate to that. Tegan reunites with The Doctor and Davison is for no reason really pissed at her and wants to take her back to the TARDIS, only relenting when she says she wants to help find Turlough. Why's he like this? Dunno, but don't expect Byrne to elaborate on that, because it'll never get picked up ever again.

The Sea Devils are given the space memo with the plan of attack on it and are told to take "the ape-primitive base" intact. The leader takes the memo then lumbers off-screen, presumably to take a shit. Turlough is brought to the bridge to be questioned by Vorshak, the commander. Mark Strickson is obviously fed up with the script and thus his acting as Turlough comes across as particularly passive-aggressive. I dare say I don't blame him either. The Doctor does a 180 from earlier and tells Tegan to wait outside and she grumpily accepts. Why everyone in this is so mean-spirited is anyone's guess, but it makes it hard to watch and/or care for the characters. The Doctor slides into the bridge and attempts to rescue Turlough, and no-one tries to stop him at all because... reasons. The Silurians begin their slow invasion of the base and Tegan is found by the crew and brought to the bridge also. The pacing of this episode is particularly meandering and I keep finding myself fast-forwarding through bits of it, wondering when this will all end. 

The Silurian cruiser approaches the base, and finally the crew see it. Took them long enough. The base tries to fire on them, but fails epically. The Silurians prepare to enter and release the Myrka, whom we still haven't seen yet. Despite the Doctor's warnings to not fight the reptilians, Vorshak decides he'll try anyway because 'screw logically thinking about things, we're the military, dammit'. A crew is sent to check on something that's trying to break through the doors, and the Doctor and Co join them; another crew is dispatched to check on another attempted break-in, BUT WE'VE GOT NO TIME FOR INTERESTING THINGS LIKE THAT, INSTEAD LET'S CHECK IN ON NILSON AND SOLOW COMPLAINING ABOUT MADDOX AGAIN AND RAMBLING ABOUT THEIR POSITIONS ON THE BASE YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. I realise what they're saying is meant to be an aside, but they're talking so loudly, you would assume at least one person would hear them and cotton on to what they're doing, but nobody does, let alone Maddox. Maddox is activated by the gruesome twosome, to the suspicion of his colleague from earlier.

Turns out the thing that's breaking in the doors where the Doctor happens to be is none other than the Myrka we've been told about. However, Pennant Roberts (the story's director) has the genius idea of prolonging the dramatic reveal of the creature, which, as we'll see, is not a good idea. Maddox, under the control of Nilson, kills his colleague. Oh no. 

Anyway, we now get a good look at the Myrka. What should have been a horrifying sea dinosaur had Thatcher not scuppered the budget is, in reality, the demon child of Kermit the frog and Rex the dino from Toy Story and can only be described as a bumbling pantomime horse who's the colour of dark dog vomit and moves like an elephant on bath salts. They try shooting at it, but that only makes it sway back and forth like a fish trying to breathe on land. They think they've killed it, but the Myrka doesn't die that easily, much and all as Michael Grade wanted that to happen. Instead, it kicks down the doors and almost crushes Tegan's legs. Honestly that's much more effective than anything else the Silurians and Sea Devils do in the rest of the story, so that's 5 points to the Myrka. It may look like shit, but it actually does stuff. Good call. Vorshak tells them to close the bulkhead door, sealing The Doctor and Tegan in with the Myrka, and despite Turlough's best efforts to stop the crew, he's pinned against the wall and the bulkhead is closed. Turlough really gets a hard deal in this, doesn't he?

Tegan gets freed, but the door's closed. They're stuck.

Part Three

After a cliffhanger like that, and given the precedent Part One set, how long do you think it'll take for the cliffhanger to be resolved? Well, significantly longer than last time, I'll say that much.

Turlough grabs the gun of the guard pinning him to the wall and runs off. The Doctor throws a weapon pack from the guard's gun at the Myrka, blinding it for a short time as the Doctor plans his and Tegan's escape. Turlough makes it to the bridge and continues to act passive-aggressively, this time to Nilson, ordering him at gunpoint to open the bulkhead. When I first watched this, I thought he was being a dick for no reason, but now having watched it again, I can't help but think the frustration most people are showing here is genuine and they're doing their damndest to hide it as best they can. 

Also damn, boy. The Myrka be thicc. 

...I do apologise. It'll never happen again.

Anyway, The Myrka is established to slap people and they instantly die in a burst of white light. I've seen people complain about this plot point but honestly I think it's hilarious and that it really works. It reminds me of that scene in Pyramids Of Mars where Marcus Scarman kills the fez man by gripping his shoulders. Very effective. Despite the best attempts of those in the bridge to shut the door, the Myrka escapes by forcing it back open and is now free to wander the corridors. Solow delivers the hilariously dodgy line of "I've hidden the woman's body" to Nilson, and they plan their escape back to their bloc once Maddox has fulfilled his purpose. It's at this moment that I feel bad for Maddox, purely because he's got so much plot potential whilst under their control but not much is done with him, leaving him to be pretty much a blank slate. Oh well.

The Myrka, in a hugging gesture, lumbers towards some guards. Still being blind as a bat, it careers into a switch box and electrocutes the guards before even getting to say hello. Seems like the Myrka will never find friends. Very sad indeed. The way the guards die is rather confusing, as they all seem to have a delayed reaction then slowly fall onto the floor... is this how people die in 2084?  The Silurians instruct the Sea Devils to hurry up and invade already, priming a device called The Manipulator and get ready to enter the base themselves. After having left Vorshak some time ago in Part Two, we finally rejoin him and his fellow staff as the bulkhead is about to blow. The Doctor and Tegan is sent out with Preston to deal with the Myrka. The bulkhead finally opens to reveal the Sea Devils as they kill only one person using their giant Lego guns which sound like the war cry of constipated seagulls. After that one person dies, the staff... retreat??? YOU'RE THE BLOODY MILITARY. YOU TAKE THINGS LIKE THIS ON HEAD FIRST, NOT JUST RUN OFF AFTER ONE PERSON DIES!

We cut back to Turlough, who is running down the corridors and joins Vorshak as the Sea Devils cut their way out of a closed bulkhead (Why are there so many scenes with closed bulkheads, this is getting irritating). The Doctor orders an Ultraviolet light converter to be brought to him and set up on the way to the bridge in order to stop the Myrka coming through, as sadly his plan is to kill our favourite scaly boy before he has any proper role in the story. I'll miss him when he's dead. The decision is made by Vorshak to contact Seabase command, leaking their location sHoUlD hAvE uSeD nOrD vPn and thus exposing their position to the enemy in order to save their own skins. I mean, it's a bit too late now, given Nilson and Solow already know the location and are pretending to work for you, so worrying about the other bloc finding you out is a bit too late, but whatever.

The Doctor sets up the Ultraviolet light converter in the hopes that blasting the Myrka with it will kill it and patronises Tegan when she shows genuine concern about the safety of their situation. Quite why he decides to be an ass about it is unclear, but then again, so is the majority of this story, so it checks out. Maddox is programmed to continue his sabotage so that Solow and Nilson escape. They share their last dialogue together then Solow leaves to get into the escape pod ready for them. 

What follows is the greatest scene in television history.

Solow rounds the corner and comes face-to-face with the Myrka. Now, when confronting a giant alien dinosaur, what do you do? Do you run away? Do you try to call for help? Not according to Solow. No, no, no. She makes the stupid mistake of trying to fight it without any weapons or means of defence, putting up her dukes and trying to judo-kick the Myrka. What does the Myrka do? Flails its arms about and just misses her. Her judo-kick makes contact with the Myrka and with the scream of a deranged chinchilla she crashes to the floor stone dead. It is truly a remarkable piece of TV and has me howling with laughter every single god damn time. It's just beautifully executed as a comedic send-off to her character and is the highlight of the story for me. 5 more points to the Myrka for the excellent killing, and may Solow rest in numerous pieces at the bottom of the sea bed never to return. It ends beautifully as well, with the extra playing the guard, genuinely confused, reading the label on the mind control disc. Beautiful.

It's taken the Sea Devils so long to cut their way out that the Silurians arrive before they've even finished. Can't get the lackeys these days. The Doctor prepares for the Myrka's arrival just as the Sea Devils make their attack on the crew and Maddox continues his sabotage. He's caught sabotaging the computers and is put out of action by Nilson before Vorshak can do anything to stop him. Will he ever get an even break? The Doctor kills the Myrka and suddenly my interest in this story dried up. Sadly there's another episode to go. God give me strength. 

Vorshak discovers the truth, but Nilson pulls a gun out on him. The Doctor arrives on the bridge as Nilson spews bullshit about "knowing what [he's] doing". Maddox tries to kill Nilson because... reasons, and Nilson gives a metaphorical "fuck you" to him and kills him by overriding the circuits to his brain. RIP Maddox, the weirdest Who subplot ever written. Nilson takes Tegan hostage and the Doctor goes after him after some five minutes in the bridge. Turlough (yes, he's still here) and Bulic, the last set of people from the squad that were fighting the Sea Devils, are captured and stuck in a room with bubblewrap beds. The Doctor catches up with Nilson at the Myrka's corpse (RIP Myrka :( it will be missed) and blinds him using the Ultralight gun. 

Yes, that's right, Nwho fans, the Doctor does use weapons.

Russell, Steven and Chris lied to you. Suck it up.

The Sea Devils destroy the gun and kill Nilson. Finally. The Sea Devil leader then aims the gun at The Doctor and Tegan and mutters "Yyyyyooouuurrrrrr turrrrrn."

Part Four

Finally, the end is in sight.

So, Tegan and the Doctor are dead, right? There's no way of escaping that. They're stuck in a corner and the Sea Devils are ready to fire. No way out of that, surely! WRONG. 😑 Apparently, all the Doctor has to do is tell them who he is and they'll stop. What the hell was all that tension for if it can be defused that quickly? Did Byrne even care when writing this?! The Doctor and Tegan are taken to the bridge and are reunited with Vorshak, Preston and meet the Silurians. After the Doctor reveals himself to the leader, Ichtar, the women are removed from the room... because reasons. The Silurians have apparently changed their tune from their previous appearance, recounting what happened last time (nice referencing) as a failure and that they feel more violent methods are necessary... but still want to remain peaceful. How that works I don't know, but I'm sure there's a logic somewhere. The Silurians also say they want a final solution, and that means exactly what you think it means, but it will be engineered so the humans will destroy themselves and the Silurians won't have any blood on their hands. This makes some sense, but it feels really tonedeaf and not what they were like before (note the virus in Doctor Who and The Silurians and the body count caused by The Sea Devils in The Sea Devils - stay consistent, show!). 

Turlough and Bulic plan to escape by a handy ventilation shaft - for a species that supposed to be highly advanced, you would assume the Sea Devils would ensure that such an easy means of escape would be avoidable, but then again, the monsters in this are all incredibly dense - when Tegan and Preston are chucked into the makeshift cell with them. They're still going to escape that way, as Byrne needs some way for them to get to the bridge, as that's the only part of the Seabase he actually cares about writing for. The Silurians plan to start the war the Seabase was built to fight, and take control of the missiles using Vorshak's hand scan. Not content with making a crappy first three episodes, Byrne is determined to make the conclusion just as bad, if not worse. After arguing with Turlough, Tegan makes her escape through the ventilation shaft, later followed by the others. The Silurians tell the Doctor that everyone will be killed, except him and his companions because they bear him no malice - how very sobering. 

Bulic and Tegan help the Doctor escape and make their way through the vents to the Chemical store. Turlough and Preston initially start heading in a different direction but double back once they hear Sea Devil firing. The two groups cross paths and all head to the Chemical Store. This set of scenes are a bit pointless, but I guess they made sense to tick the boxes required. The Silurians order for them to be killed should they be found and override the computer using The Manipulator. A Sea Devil tries to kill the Doctor and Co in the Chemical store but accidentally zaps the Exochromite and kills himself. RIP. I find it weird that they mourn the Sea Devil's death and are also disgusted by the snot that pours out of its face as it dies, given that plenty have died beforehand and they didn't care then. Oh well. Also, it's probably a good idea to not have your characters be disgusted about the death then wish it upon more of the reptiles.

A missile run is triggered, which is a practice one run by the computer, like last time. Reminds me of the times we had to do the fire drill at school and everybody hated them. Anyway, the Silurians don't want to play this "game" (what the hell do they mean by game?) anymore and decide to launch the missiles anyway. The Doctor decides that the only good idea is to kill the Silurians by pumping the gas through the ventilation to stop them firing the missiles, despite his own reservations. Tegan and the squad screaming at him to decide was hard to watch and certainly doesn't make me like her any more than in previous series. Preston defends the Doctor from being killed by a Sea Devil, and is killed. Rather a shame really, she was one of the better people on board the Seabase. The Sea Devil has the gas squirted at him and dies also. Turlough, Tegan and The Doctor escape, making their way to the bridge for the final showdown, bringing oxygen with them and Bulic pumps the Exochromite through the vents. 

The Silurians are weakened by the gas in the bridge, but don't instantly die like their weakling Sea Devil brothers. It takes about 30 seconds, but then they succumb to the effects, still trying to fire the missiles. The Doctor makes himself the sync operator, taking Maddox's role, in an attempt to stop the missiles being fired. Vorshak's face upon hearing this (above) is absolutely priceless, as is Davison's (below) when he is racked with immense mental pain.

He manages, somehow, to sync his mind with the computer and just manages to stop the computer firing the missiles. And just like that, Vorshak dies from some sort of pain to his side (???????????) and all the crew and Silurians are dead. What a way to end the story. 

Well, that's a breakdown and a load of negatives. Now for the positives.

On the contrary...

• Despite its awful design, the Myrka is fine.
• The actors are desperately trying to make the best of a bad script, and mostly succeed.
• Davison is phenomenal as the Doctor in this story, which contrasts greatly with the material he's been given. I genuinely root for him most of the time, and he's clearly in his stride.
• As noted before, the model effects are incredible and really well shot. They're not too in your face, but not too subtle. They're very atmospheric and it's honestly a shame there weren't more scenes that show these off, they're just beautiful. Exquisite. Absolutely exquisite.
• The set design isn't too shabby for the era and the budget, and is consistent enough to make it clear that this is all one unified base, so good job to the designer. 
• The soundtrack is very 80s, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Hell no. It's actually great and really works with the story beats. I love how moody and atmospheric it is when the Silurians are on-screen and how tense and uptempo the music gets when a dramatic moment happens. 
• As per usual, the sound effects by Dick Mills are superb, because of course they are.
• The editing is good. (Yeah I'm running out of positives now XD)

Final Verdict

Michael Grade, controller of BBC 1 at the time, cites this as the worst story in Classic Who. I wouldn't necessarily agree with him on that front, but I'm also not going to showcase this as the best story either. The story has some merits, but continuity, dialogue, weird narrative choices, production and budget let it down immensely and that's honestly disappointing, given that I really like the Silurians and Sea Devils as characters. This pretty much killed any chance they had of coming back, and I can see why. 

Long story short: it's not amazing. 

There should have been another way.