At last, the TARDIS arrives in a spaceship! This feels like home territory, and it's strange to think that this is the first time it happens. Once again Raymond Cusick does a fine job on the sets, with the ship feeling cramped and utilitarian. Of course it's filmed in black and white, but I get the impression that the ship would have mostly been gunship grey in-story anyway. There's an old-school feel to the design, even for the 1960s, like something out of an E.E. 'Doc' Smith Lensmen novel; it's probably packed to bursting with valves and busbars (whatever they are). The large, blinking lights on Maitland's control console just accentuate this.
I like the costumes, too; Daphne Dare has created a uniform that matches the feel well, a kind of 'spaced-up' commercial pilot's outfit. The rocket logo on the pocket is the cherry on the top, and the whole thing feels very Forbidden Planet - or perhaps Captain 'Space' Kingley, a more British take, from a juvenile book series I enjoyed as a youngster and still have on my shelves.
Except the similarity isn't complete, because of one thing: Carol. Writer Peter R. Newman has included a female character who is in a traditionally male role, and it's just accepted as no big deal. This is unheard of in the stories I'm thinking about. The closest is Peabody from the Dan Dare comics, but she's not written as one of the gang. Okay, so Carol is still referred to as a 'girl', but she's still a big step up (in terms of social position) from the girls of Marinus and Skaro.
Dare (Daphne, that is, not Dan) also does a good job with the Sensorite seen at the end looking through the viewport - now that's a spooky cliffhanger!
Not all is rosy in this grey world, however. Running over the events in my mind after viewing I could see that it was (mostly) written to have a taut, claustrophobic atmosphere; but it's not played or directed like that. Mervyn Pinfield, the Associate Producer, was chosen to direct because the scope of the story combined with a limited budget required someone with experience; but I think he misjudged this. There's nothing particularly wrong with the technical aspects (camera angles, cutting, and so forth), but the tone is too light and bland.
Take the scene where the regulars discover than Maitland and Carol are dead, cause unknown. They seem mildly upset, a bit sad. They should be tense, nervous, in case whatever killed the crew gets them too. Then, when things are seen to be better than they thought, the joking about the Doctor's interfering curiosity should have been a release of tension rather than light banter.
This carries on. Barbara and Susan are terrified of an obviously sick man, and don't say anything, in a bizarre sequence that echoes zombie movies without any of the horror or tension. When John asks for help and they still don't respond, Jacqueline Hill looks mildly embarrassed. The lack of dialogue is certainly the script's fault, but it could have been directed far better. There's a lot of standing around, blandly chatting. If this were modern Who Murray Gold's music could have covered up some of the faults by reintroducing some tension; but it isn't, and the result is a disappointing realisation of what could have been a good story. Seeing how it could have been so much better frustrates me, and I hope that things improve next time.
I have never seen serial G before, and know it doesn't have a great reputation; I don't think I let that colour my judgement for this episode. I sometimes diverge radically from popular opinion - I rate The Keys of Marinus and The Edge of Destruction much higher than most people, for instance - so there's still a chance I'll love this serial overall; but it has a lot of work to do.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 20th June 1964
Viewers: 7.9 million
Chart Position: 17
Appreciation Index: 59
Rating:
3.5/10.
Next Time:
The Unwilling Warriors.
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