The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: Planet Of Evil
Planet Of Evil: Part One (27/09/15)
Another good episode, very nice sets - especially the alien forest. Very dark and atmospheric. The Doctor and Sarah have answered a distress call sent by a geological expedition on the Planet Zeta Minor. Unfortunately, all but one of the eight expedition members are dead, killed by an invisible force that seems to turn them into desiccated corpses mere hours after attacking them and making them disappear.
Equally unfortunately, a ship from their home planet, Morestra, has come to retrieve them and have landed, found the TARDIS, transported it (and Sarah inside) to their ship, and assumed the Doctor and Sarah are the killers. They aren't, obviously, as having escaped the room they'd been locked up in they encountered what I assume is really responsible - a big, translucent, red-liney thing!
A very atmospheric episode, slightly slow moving but in a good way, and setting up the tension and numerous questions. Good effects, great design and a story which seems to be an homage to Forbidden Planet (so far).
Despite having traveled with the Doctor for two series, Sarah started the story being completely inept, complaining the Doctor had promised to get her to London five minutes before leaving Scotland. You're in a Time Machine, love. It doesn't matter. Idiot. And the Doctor continues to be decidedly alien with lots of standing around and staring into space. I think I'll always prefer Pertwee, but Tom Baker has such a completely different take on the character that comparison becomes somewhat futile. An intriguing, rather than exciting, set up for next week.
Planet Of Evil: Part Two (04/10/15)
The creature, apparently made of energy from a universe of Antimatter (Zeta Minor is apparently a gateway between that universe and ours according to the Doctor), was distracted and killed one of the Morestran guards allowing the Doctor and Sarah to leg it. Unfortunately, this made them look guilty and the Morestrans sent a rather cool flying camera to track them. They were recaptured at a big, black abyss (which everyone keeps calling a pool) which is the meeting point between the universes, but not before Token Black Guy had fallen to his death (after rather nastily man-handling Sarah!).
Meanwhile, surviving Scientist Sorenson has had minerals from the planet loaded onto the ship. This has led to a rather amusing scene where he was explaining how he'd made the most important discovery EVER!!! to a guard who neither understood nor cared.
The Doctor told Captain Salamar and Sorenson that the minerals had to be left on the planet (otherwise it will lead to a cataclysm) despite the minerals being the answer to all the Morestrans' problems (apparently their sun is dying and the minerals from Zeta Minor will provide them with an infinite source of power) and volunteered to go and negotiate with the energy creature (after he'd helped fight off an attack on the ship).
So off he toddled, watched by the old Eye Frisbee, back to the abyss/pool where the energy creature emerged and the Doctor tumbled into a rather naff freeze-frame. A bit like the one that staid Sarah's fall in 'Genesis Of The Daleks'. Anyhow, still pretty good, and the sets are fantastic, particularly the jungle and even more so when it's on film!
Planet Of Evil: Part Three (11/10/15)
It seems the writers have got bored with 'Forbidden Planet' and opted for 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' now. After a weird, surreal sequence where the Doctor bounced around in the black void of the Antimatter universe, Sarah snook off the ship and ran to help him.
Meanwhile, comedy character De Haan and #3 Morelli took Sorenson's samples off the ship. However, Sorenson is a typical blinkered scientist and nicked one of the containers and took it to his quarters where it seemed to affect him by giving him a headache, turning his eyes red, then killing Morelli as Sorenson became 'Anti-Man'. The latter happened after #2 Vishinsky saw Sarah pulling the Doctor from the abyss/pool and went out to help them return to the ship.
The Doctor brokered a deal with the Antimatter - they could leave if all the minerals were returned. But since Sorenson has held onto a load, the ship is being held back. And as Sorenson is infected, he's also persuaded Salamar that the Doctor and Sarah have been lying so they can have the minerals for themselves, and are responsible for all the deaths; an argument backed up by them finding Sarah and the Doctor beside De Haan's corpse moments after Anti-Man Sorenson had killed him.So Salamar is having them both ejected from the ship.
Not a bad third episode, decidedly devoid of padding thanks to the slight change in direction. Sorenson's eye effects are pretty good, too, though his ragged (longer) hair and dodgy teeth are less successful. Not bad at all.
Planet Of Evil: Part Four (18/10/15)
Well, it held together okay as a story and had plenty of atmosphere, but I wouldn't say it was overly exciting. For a final episode with a rush to save the day, the pacing was somewhat sedate.
The Doctor and Sarah were saved from ejection into space by the pilot getting murdered by Anti-Man Sorenson. Salamar went a bit nuts and Vishinsky took over. While the Doctor went off to persuade Sorenson to commit suicide (!), Salamar went off to kill Sorenson with a neutron accelerator. Ultimately, he ended up killing himself having turned Sorenson into a multitude of energy creatures which started making their way to the flight deck.
While Vishinsky and Sarah collected a forcefield, the Doctor took Sorenson and the remaining Antimatter to the abyss/pool in the TARDIS and chucked them both in. Okay, technically Sorenson fell backwards, but who cares. Antimatter returned Sorenson to the Doctor antimatter-free, the energy creatures dispersed, and the Morestran ship was released. The Doctor gave Sorenson an idea of tapping the kinetic energy of planets, and he and Sarah went off again in the TARDIS.
Pleasantly straightforward but slightly lacking in tension. Maybe it was due to the last couple of episodes being largely set on the rather drab Morestran ship instead of the gorgeous alien jungle, but it was still good and better than a lot of the last series (Robots, Daleks and Cybermen, I'm looking at you!). Tom Baker's second series; so far, so good.
Another good episode, very nice sets - especially the alien forest. Very dark and atmospheric. The Doctor and Sarah have answered a distress call sent by a geological expedition on the Planet Zeta Minor. Unfortunately, all but one of the eight expedition members are dead, killed by an invisible force that seems to turn them into desiccated corpses mere hours after attacking them and making them disappear.
Equally unfortunately, a ship from their home planet, Morestra, has come to retrieve them and have landed, found the TARDIS, transported it (and Sarah inside) to their ship, and assumed the Doctor and Sarah are the killers. They aren't, obviously, as having escaped the room they'd been locked up in they encountered what I assume is really responsible - a big, translucent, red-liney thing!
A very atmospheric episode, slightly slow moving but in a good way, and setting up the tension and numerous questions. Good effects, great design and a story which seems to be an homage to Forbidden Planet (so far).
Despite having traveled with the Doctor for two series, Sarah started the story being completely inept, complaining the Doctor had promised to get her to London five minutes before leaving Scotland. You're in a Time Machine, love. It doesn't matter. Idiot. And the Doctor continues to be decidedly alien with lots of standing around and staring into space. I think I'll always prefer Pertwee, but Tom Baker has such a completely different take on the character that comparison becomes somewhat futile. An intriguing, rather than exciting, set up for next week.
Planet Of Evil: Part Two (04/10/15)
The creature, apparently made of energy from a universe of Antimatter (Zeta Minor is apparently a gateway between that universe and ours according to the Doctor), was distracted and killed one of the Morestran guards allowing the Doctor and Sarah to leg it. Unfortunately, this made them look guilty and the Morestrans sent a rather cool flying camera to track them. They were recaptured at a big, black abyss (which everyone keeps calling a pool) which is the meeting point between the universes, but not before Token Black Guy had fallen to his death (after rather nastily man-handling Sarah!).
Meanwhile, surviving Scientist Sorenson has had minerals from the planet loaded onto the ship. This has led to a rather amusing scene where he was explaining how he'd made the most important discovery EVER!!! to a guard who neither understood nor cared.
The Doctor told Captain Salamar and Sorenson that the minerals had to be left on the planet (otherwise it will lead to a cataclysm) despite the minerals being the answer to all the Morestrans' problems (apparently their sun is dying and the minerals from Zeta Minor will provide them with an infinite source of power) and volunteered to go and negotiate with the energy creature (after he'd helped fight off an attack on the ship).
So off he toddled, watched by the old Eye Frisbee, back to the abyss/pool where the energy creature emerged and the Doctor tumbled into a rather naff freeze-frame. A bit like the one that staid Sarah's fall in 'Genesis Of The Daleks'. Anyhow, still pretty good, and the sets are fantastic, particularly the jungle and even more so when it's on film!
Planet Of Evil: Part Three (11/10/15)
It seems the writers have got bored with 'Forbidden Planet' and opted for 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' now. After a weird, surreal sequence where the Doctor bounced around in the black void of the Antimatter universe, Sarah snook off the ship and ran to help him.
Meanwhile, comedy character De Haan and #3 Morelli took Sorenson's samples off the ship. However, Sorenson is a typical blinkered scientist and nicked one of the containers and took it to his quarters where it seemed to affect him by giving him a headache, turning his eyes red, then killing Morelli as Sorenson became 'Anti-Man'. The latter happened after #2 Vishinsky saw Sarah pulling the Doctor from the abyss/pool and went out to help them return to the ship.
The Doctor brokered a deal with the Antimatter - they could leave if all the minerals were returned. But since Sorenson has held onto a load, the ship is being held back. And as Sorenson is infected, he's also persuaded Salamar that the Doctor and Sarah have been lying so they can have the minerals for themselves, and are responsible for all the deaths; an argument backed up by them finding Sarah and the Doctor beside De Haan's corpse moments after Anti-Man Sorenson had killed him.So Salamar is having them both ejected from the ship.
Not a bad third episode, decidedly devoid of padding thanks to the slight change in direction. Sorenson's eye effects are pretty good, too, though his ragged (longer) hair and dodgy teeth are less successful. Not bad at all.
Planet Of Evil: Part Four (18/10/15)
Well, it held together okay as a story and had plenty of atmosphere, but I wouldn't say it was overly exciting. For a final episode with a rush to save the day, the pacing was somewhat sedate.
The Doctor and Sarah were saved from ejection into space by the pilot getting murdered by Anti-Man Sorenson. Salamar went a bit nuts and Vishinsky took over. While the Doctor went off to persuade Sorenson to commit suicide (!), Salamar went off to kill Sorenson with a neutron accelerator. Ultimately, he ended up killing himself having turned Sorenson into a multitude of energy creatures which started making their way to the flight deck.
While Vishinsky and Sarah collected a forcefield, the Doctor took Sorenson and the remaining Antimatter to the abyss/pool in the TARDIS and chucked them both in. Okay, technically Sorenson fell backwards, but who cares. Antimatter returned Sorenson to the Doctor antimatter-free, the energy creatures dispersed, and the Morestran ship was released. The Doctor gave Sorenson an idea of tapping the kinetic energy of planets, and he and Sarah went off again in the TARDIS.
Pleasantly straightforward but slightly lacking in tension. Maybe it was due to the last couple of episodes being largely set on the rather drab Morestran ship instead of the gorgeous alien jungle, but it was still good and better than a lot of the last series (Robots, Daleks and Cybermen, I'm looking at you!). Tom Baker's second series; so far, so good.
Not the weakest of the stories in Season 13 (yes, Android Invasion, I'm looking at you), nor the most exciting. The two 'homages' work well together but neither is particularly interesting, or at least different enough from the originals to make the story stand out overall. Prentis Hancock is annoying, as he is always is, but otherwise the cast and performances are good. It's nice to see the 'new' Doctor at the controls of the TARDIS for the first time - we haven't seen the interior since, what, Death to the Daleks? - but as you observed, the design triumph here is the alien jungle, which still looks good all these years later.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't even noticed that it was the first time since the Pertwee era that we see the interior of the TARDIS! I think, like several stories in the Hinchcliffe era, the first two episodes are great before things take a down turn and the serial doesn't really live up to its reputation. The jungle sets are spectacular, aided by the choice to record them on film, and I also think the flying camera is a brilliantly done effect which is well executed and has a weird enough design to be memorable. Overall, the design is very good - it's just a shame so much of the latter half is located on the functional Morestran ship. It's a story which I feel I should appreciate more but isn't one I return to very often (I think viewing it for the marathon is the last time I watched it, so that's exactly four years and counting!).
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