1)Here we have the show's take on Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde by way of Forbidden Planet. Elisabeth Sladen has said that this is her favorite story, that by this point she was so relaxed in the character that she hardly felt in character. It does seem that at this point, the Doctor and Sarah are pretty much just bumming around spacetime, any responsibilities to UNIT or anyone else largely ignored.
2)Some good guest cast in this, particularly:
- Frederick Jaeger, whom we'll be seeing again, as Professor Sorenson, who spends the whole story looking like he's just come off a three-day bender.
- Ewen Solon as Vishinsky, the experienced second-in-command.
- Prentis Hancock (Paul Morrow of Space: 1999) as Controller Salamar. Hancock has said that he played Salamar as though the only reason he had his job was through nepotism and that Vishinsky was his "minder", which I think was an interesting choice. He certainly plays "going to pieces" quite well.
- There's Michael Wisher again as Morelli. Cripes, he was practically a semi-regular at that point.
3)I don't think anti-matter works quite they way they describe it, here.
4)Fun Quotes:
- "We could get in the TARDIS and disappear."
- "We may have to play the last rites, but we don't have to listen."
- "Another good soldier gone to the greatest army of them all."
- "You and I are scientists, Professor. We buy our privilege to experiment at the cost of total responsibility."
- "You'd decided to concentrate on deriving energy from the kinetic force of planetary movement." I'm not sure of the science of that, either.
- "We've an appointment in London, and we're already thirty thousand years late."
5)Cliffhangers:
- Part One: The Id Monster Anti-Matter Creature advances on the Doctor and Sarah!
- Part Two: The Doctor falls into the pit!
- Part Three: The Doctor and Sarah are about to be ejected into space!
- Part Four: The TARDIS whirls off to new adventures!
Overall:
Another good story in a string of good stories. The Hinchcliffe era realy is one of my favorite parts of the show's history.
[Part of list of Doctor Who episodes here.]
Replies
"Prentis Hancock (Paul Morrow of Space: 1999) as Controller Salamar. Hancock has said that he played Salamar as though the only reason he had his job was through nepotism and that Vishinsky was his "minder", which I think was an interesting choice. He certainly plays "going to pieces" quite well."
I've read comments from some who think he did one of the worst acting jobs in the history of the show, yet, HIS explanation makes perfect sense to me! Probably because for 3 years I worked with someone just like that. New chief engineer hired fresh out of college, totally incompetent, 6 months later went and hired a friend of his who was not only MORE incompetent, but arrogant as hell because the department head was his friend, and he figured he could get away with anything. Then he spent 3 years trying to have me fired, because (and this took me a long time to figure out) he was AFRAID for his job, and (wrongly) saw me as a threat. What an A**H***!!!
"Ewen Solon as Vishinsky, the experienced second-in-command"
He was like the only intelligent guy on that ship.
"There's Michael Wisher again as Morelli. Cripes, he was practically a semi-regular at that point."
And yet, such a shame they didn't manage to get him back for DESTINY, RESSURECTION, etc....
I tend to think of this as the season opener (rather than TERROR OF THE ZYGONS). Makes for a cleaner break from Harry, The Brigadier, UNIT, and from here on it's just The Doctor and Sarah having fun. Wasn't this also the 1st story to show the TARDIS spinning its way thru the vortex?
Wasn't this also the 1st story to show the TARDIS spinning its way thru the vortex?
I'm not sure - I think there may've been an earlier story, but I can't say which one.
It was show in flight earlier; I can't say if this was the first time it was shown spinning. I think it's shown in flight in "The Chase"; I know it is in "Claws of Axos"; it might be in "Frontier in Space" (when the ship almost collides with it at the start).