078: SoraRabbit Watches: Doctor Who Season Five

Welcome back to my endless quest to watch and review every season of Doctor Who! It’s been awhile since my last installment, because I’ve been distracted by other shows and posts, but I positively raced through this season and am really looking forward to more. If you’ve missed the previous posts, here’s the list:

Doctor Who Season Five aired on the BBC from 1967 to 1968 and consisted of 40 episodes over 7 serials. A bit shorter this time, but the serials were in general longer ones, as all but the first had six episodes. Just as in previous seasons, this one was hit hard by the purging of the original media and so several episodes had to be reconstructed using telesnaps (stills recorded off of broadcast television) and audio recordings. In this season, 8 of the 40 episodes have been reconstructed in this way. (It was initially 18… I found ten as I worked on this post!) I should also mention that the missing episodes for this and previous seasons were recreated using animation, but I don’t have access to those versions, only the telesnap reconstructions.

As always, I will give (somewhat) brief plot summaries, omitting and abbreviating for brevity, but still spoilers follow.

The main team for Season Five. (Credit: BBC TV)

Although it’s highly unlikely that you’re reading the fifth installment of a multi-part series without going through the others first, I still start off with a brief summary. Doctor Who is an insanely long-running British television series that has been going more or less nonstop since the 60s. (Apart from an extended break in the 90s and the first half of the ‘00s.) The hook is that the main character regularly “regenerates” and is reborn to be portrayed as a different actor with a new personality while continuing to be the same character. His cast of travelling companions continually cycle as well, keeping the show fresh and always changing. The show presents in episodic format arranged into serials or stories. While there are also novels, comic books, and radio plays, I focus only on the TV show, specials, and movies.

At this point I have watched and talked about 36 serials and 169 episodes. I was super excited to get to this season, as I was looking forward to seeing more of the second incarnation of the Doctor. I have seen random other episodes through the “classic” era (that is, before the relaunch in 2005) but I am striving to not be exposed to spoilers as much as possible, aiming instead to experience the show from the beginning as a newbie. This is a lot of my reasoning for only focusing on the visual medium and leaving out anything added by the written and radio offerings. The canon of Doctor Who is very complicated and I’d rather just go with what’s in the mainline series.

I do really like this Doctor. (Credit: BBC TV)

The Second Doctor: This is the second incarnation of the mysterious Doctor that we have met. After succumbing to old age and general wear in the previous season, the Doctor regenerated into this younger form. This Doctor is less cranky but retains much of the First Doctor's main personality traits: his intelligence, dark sense of humor, and curiosity. This incarnation is much more quirky and spontaneous than his predecessor and also more gentle when speaking with others.

Victoria was a sweet girl. (Credit: BBC TV)

Jamie McCrimmon: Originally from the 1700s, Jamie is a courageous and bright young man. He's friendly and open and cares deeply for those he considers friends.

Victoria Waterfield: The companion picked up in the last serial of Season Four, Victoria comes from the 1800s. Victoria is sweet and gentle, but young and naïve. As with many of the previous companions she has a tendency to get herself into trouble. She's also a little mouthy and not afraid to stand up for herself.

Zoe Heriot: The newest companion who joined in the final serial of this season. She is a space librarian and an astrophysicist, well-read and intelligent. She holds a degree in mathematics. She relies too much on logic and can miss the common sense answer.

Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart: Not a companion, but he will become a recurring character in Season 7 - 13 and more later on. A practical and take-charge army Colonel. He takes everything in stride and listens to other's suggestions rather than barking orders.

The Cybermen: The Cybermen are advanced beings from the Planet Mondas who have tangled with the Doctor twice so far. They have replaced their organic parts with machinery and eliminated emotions from their minds. They have no concern for organic life except to make more Cybermen. So far, every time the Cybermen have appeared, they are more technologically advanced and look different. This is due to the technological evolution of the race and the fact that they’ve been faced in different time period each time.

Cyber-Controller: The leader of the Cybermen, the Cyber-Controller seems to be stronger and smarter than the others and has a visible brain on the see-through dome on his head.

Cybermats: Small drones made by the Cybermen. They can home in on human brainwaves and are very dangerous, able to leap and knock people unconscious without much effort. They can also corrode metal. They're also easy to dispatch, being so small and having low defenses.

Cyber-Planner: A more intelligent model of the Cybermen that plan out their invasions. No hierarchy has been established yet to show where the Planners fall in relation to the Controller.

Look at the vicious beasties! (Credit: BBC TV)

The Yeti: Although they look like abominable snowmen, the Yeti are actually robots controlled through a sphere that rests in their chest cavity. Two versions of them have been seen, with the upgraded versions sporting glowing eyes and claws. They were minions of the Great Intelligence..

The Great Intelligence: An entity with no physical form bearing a high intelligence and even higher arrogance. His origins are mysterious, but his motivations are to gain physical form for himself, and to take the Doctor’s unsurpassed intelligence and memories into his being.

The Ice Warriors: A race of violent and cold beings from Mars. They were frozen in a glacier since the Earth’s first Ice Age and thawed during the second. They have advanced technology and conquer other worlds.

It's like a vending machine for Cybermen! (Credit: BBC TV)

The first serial of Season Five ran from Episode 170 to 173 and was called The Tomb of the Cybermen. As mentioned last season, the showrunners wanted the Cybermen to replace the Daleks as Doctor Who's recurring antagonists as they attempted to get a Dalek spinoff program on television. (An attempt that ultimately failed.) This is the Cybermen's third appearance thus far. One very notable thing to mention here is that this entire serial is intact, which is a rarity at this point in the series.

Episode 1: The Doctor and Jamie introduce their new companion Victoria to the TARDIS. Victoria asks how old the Doctor is, and he remarks that he’s around 450 years old in Earth terms. This starts an amusing recurring gag for this serial where Victoria treats the Doctor as ancient and keeps suggesting that he rest.

Elsewhere, an expedition is looking for the entrance to a city on the planet Telos, home world of the Cybermen. (I thought it was Mondas? They probably needed a new home world after Mondas was destroyed.) They blast an entrance but the door is electrified and one of the members is killed. The TARDIS sets down on the planet and the expedition members explain they're trying to find out why the Cybermen died out centuries before. (Later it's said the Cybermen died out 500 years before, placing this serial around the year 2570.) Using a small device, the Doctor deactivates the electrical trap and gains access to the structure. He warns them that the Cybermen are nothing to mess with, but no one listens.

The expedition is led by Professor Parry and piloted by Captain Hopper but funded by the quietly sinister Miss Kaftan. (I’ll only name the important characters.) They split the party to explore the tomb. Jamie's team finds a mechanical caterpillar. Victoria's team finds a room with capsules which they speculate create Cybermen, and Kaftan traps Victoria in one. The Doctor's team, against all his protests, cracks a code and reactivates the control panel. After the Doctor saves Victoria (Kaftan claims it was an accident), Jamie and Peter mess with a projector that summons a Cyberman who shoots Peter.

Episode 2: The Doctor realizes that the Cyberman is just a model and Peter was really killed by a gun that came out of a panel. They're in a weapon testing room. Victoria finds one of the small caterpillars and the Doctor hunts up a reference to it in his notebook, which says it’s a Cybermat. He tells Victoria to leave it alone but she puts it in her purse. (For the rest of the episode whenever her purse is shown, the camera zooms in on it and lingers forebodingly. It made me laugh.)

They get ready to leave but someone has sabotaged the ship. The Doctor quickly suspects Kaftan and her servant, Toberman. Kaftan's henchman Klieg cracks the code, despite the Doctor's attempts to mislead him, and they gain access to the lower levels of the building. It's down there that they find the frozen tombs of the Cybermen. The women stay behind and Kaftan drugs Victoria so she can close the hatch. Klieg thaws the ice, setting the Cybermen free. He belongs to a group called the Brotherhood of Logicians, a sect that believes the Cybermen will give them the power they need to remake the world.

While Kaftan holds a gun on Victoria, the Cybermat emerges from her purse and pounces, knocking the villain out. Victoria shoots it. Back in the tombs, eight Cybermen have been revived and they in turn revive their leader, the Cyber-Controller. He immediately turns on Klieg, crushing his hand and declaring everyone will be like them.

Episode 3: The Controller explains that since the Doctor destroyed their first planet Mondas, they were low on supplies, which is why they then attacked the lunar base in their second appearance. They put themselves into hibernation guarded by traps which only intelligent minds could get through. That way their next generation of Cybermen would be smart enough to carry out the invasion of Earth.

They select Klieg to be their first convert, the leader of the next batch. He's thrilled about this but also worried about being turned into a Cyberman. The others will be frozen until they're ready for adaptation. Captain Hopper, who Victoria convinced to go into the hatch, appears and saves them with smoke bombs. The Cybermen get their hands on Toberman and wanting his great physical strength, they convert him. (He’s not a Cyberman, however, just a drone at this point.)

The others make it into the control room and Victoria saves the Doctor from the grips of a Cyberman. The Cyber-Controller releases Cybermats to subdue the humans. Klieg and Kaftan take the gun they saw earlier, which Klieg calls a "Cybergun". (I guess we're just adding Cyber to everything now? Well, I can’t complain. I add “space” to everything to make it sci fi.) Like many encountering a gun, Klieg instantly goes mad with power and decides to kill the Doctor and his companions. The Doctor saves them all from the Cybermats by scrambling them with electrical cables. Klieg appears in the doorway and fires at the Doctor with the Cybergun as the episode ends.

Episode 4: In the final episode of the serial it's revealed that Klieg shot one of the other expedition members. (I don’t remember his name and don’t care enough to look it up.) The other Cybermen go back into hibernation and the Cyber-Controller and Toberman emerge to talk with Klieg, who threatens the Controller with his Cybergun. He agrees to revitalize them using the capsules they showed earlier if they accept him as their ruler.The Controller agrees.

The Controller is winding down and the Doctor helps him recover, thinking he can trap him in the capsule. As nobody could have foreseen, the Contoller easily breaks out. (Maybe because the capsule was made of paper?) He activates Toberman who attacks Klieg. After the Controller kills Kaftan, Toberman turns on him, throwing him into the console and defeating him.

Jamie fights off the other Cybermen with the Cybergun. The Doctor and Toberman descend to make sure the Cybermen are taken care of, but Klieg gets the gun back and sneaks after them. Klieg thinks the Cybermen will need to listen to him now that their Controller is dead. Nope— one of the Cyberman unceremoniously kills him. Toberman then bashes the Cyberman's chest panel, tearing out wires. A bunch of white foam comes out as it dies. The Doctor freezes the remaining Cybermen, disables the control panel and re-electrifies the tomb. The Controller revives and almost escapes, but Toberman closes the doors just in time, completing the circuit. Both the Controller and Toberman are electrified and die. Also, a Cybermat escaped, unseen. Jamie declares that this is the end of the Cybermen, but the Doctor states he never likes the make predictions.

Thoughts: I really liked this serial and felt it was a good opener for the season. It was a tight four episodes and served to bring the Cybermen back into the series after their apparent destruction. The Cybermats were amusing. They look so silly and harmless, but every time Victoria saw one she would shriek like she'd seen a mouse. Although we didn't really get to know her last season, this was a pretty good showcase for Victoria. She seems so small and vulnerable, but she's head-strong and sassy, frustrated with the men treating her as less than them. I think she's a great addition to the rotating cast of companions.

The Doctor is so fancy in his big coat. (Credit: BBC TV)

The second serial ran from Episode 174 to 179 and was called The Abominable Snowmen. Only Episode 2 is intact, and the rest of the episodes had to be reconstructed. This episode introduces two new recurring villains in the Yetis and the Great Intelligence.

Episode 1: The TARDIS has set down in the mountains of Tibet and the Doctor is utterly delighted. He starts running about excitedly looking for a bell he’s stashed in the TARDIS, finds a fur coat, and leaves to scout the area. Jamie and Victoria continue looking for the bell and Victoria figures out how to work the scanner just from watching the Doctor. The Doctor finds a dead man and a discarded pack, which he takes. He doesn’t notice a creature stalking him. After going back for the bell, he tells his companions to stay in the TARDIS and wait for him.

The Doctor makes his way to the monastery and the monks there immediately suspect him of being the creature that attacked their men due to his fur coat and the pack he's holding. The Doctor is thrown in a cell and a man named Travers suspects him of being a reporter, here to laugh at him for his 20 year expedition to find the abominable snowmen. Travers doesn't believe they killed his friend since they're peaceful creatures. Four of the monks were killed as well. Meanwhile Jamie and Victoria are exploring a cave. They find a pile of metal spheres and are attacked by a very fuzzy and cuddly-looking creature.

Episode 2: A cave-in buries the creature but it's still alive. Jamie and Victoria escape. The Doctor befriends a guard named Thonmi, and references other times he visited the monastery. One time he made off with the holy bell. He reveals the location of the bell to the guard, asking him to take it to the Abbot. He does this and a big, booming voice speaks. The Abbot refers to it as "the Master", Padmasambhava. The voice is very happy to see the bell, but less happy to know that the Doctor has returned. He worries that the Doctor will interfere with "the Great Plan". He wipes Thonmi's memory-- seemingly with hypnotic suggestion-- and orders that the Doctor be released without harm. He also refers to the Doctor as being a great friend in the past.

Meanwhile, the Doctor is tied up outside. Jamie and Victoria come across Travers, who demands they take him to the cave of the Yeti. They agree, but only after he shows them to the monastery. Once they get there, the Doctor is set free. The Doctor inspects the metal orb Jamie brought back from the cave and listens to the story of the Yeti attack. Travers is confused as to why such a shy, elusive creature would attack anyone. The Yetis approach the monastery and Jamie comes up with a plan to ensnare one so the Doctor can examine it. The Doctor discovers that it's actually a robot and there is a dome-shaped depression where the metal sphere would fit. Outside, the sphere moves along the ground, unseen. The one Jamie brought inside also moves.

Episode 3: Travers defies the orders of the leading Warrior Monk Khrisong and leaves the monastery, thinking that the real Yetis are hiding in fear of the robot Yetis. There's a lot of stuff about trying to find the spheres and we learn that Padmasambhava is controlling the Yetis by moving Yeti pieces around a board. He also makes reference to a "Great Intelligence" that will come down from space and finally have a body. As Khrisong finds the sphere that was outside, two Yetis are directed to take it from him and leave. The Doctor realizes that they're following specific orders.

The Doctor and Jamie go to the TARDIS to get equipment to find the spheres and Victoria tries to get Thonmi to let her sneak into the Abbot's forbidden sanctum simply because she's curious. The inside sphere finally reaches the inert Yeti body and it comes back to life, scaring Victoria.

Episode 4: The monks fight the Yeti in the monastery. Songsten takes the glowing pyramid he was given by Padmasambhava and places it on the spheres, watched by Travers. Jamie and the Doctor find a Yeti guarding the TARDIS. It's inert, though, so the Doctor removes its sphere. It tries to return to the Yeti until the Doctor puts a rock in the cavity. Thonmi and Victoria are imprisoned by Khrisong for letting the Yeti out, although he did it to save the monks. They also blame Victoria for reviving the Yeti. Victoria explains to him the man who was given the bell 300 years ago was the Doctor. This doesn't surprise Thonmi, who says that Padmasambhava has figured out how to leave his body and travel through time.

Padmasambhava tells the Abbot that the Great Intelligence has taken corporeal form and it's time to deal with the strangers. Meanwhile the Doctor and Jamie are surrounded by Yeti and get away by bowling the sphere away, distracting them. Songsten orders the monks to leave the monastery, which they don't want to do. Khrisong especially is getting disobedient. They lock up the Doctor, Jamie, and Travers (who seems to have been driven insane by the glowing pyramid) and they go off to find Victoria, who has tricked her way out of her cell. She goes to the inner sanctum and is invited in by Padmasambhava, who is an ancient man.

He just looks like he's wearing a face over his face. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 5: Since the monks refuse to leave, Songsten opens the gates to let the Yeti in. After wreaking havoc and crushing a monk with the Buddha statue, the Yeti leave. Padmasambhava is upset that the Yeti killed someone instead of just scaring them but the spooky voice tells him that the Doctor must be dealt with. The Master hypnotizes Victoria and wipes her memory, making it so that she will do nothing but implore the Doctor to get her away from the monastery. She also carries the holy bell out and amazes the monks by speaking with the Master's voice. She tells them to leave and to not blame the Doctor and his friends. They let the Doctor and Jamie out of jail. Thomni realizes that Victoria must have been in the Inner Sanctum. The Doctor sneaks in there and meets with Padmasambhava who has been alive for over 300 years at this point. Padmasambhava explains that a formless entity borrowed his body for an experiment but things have gotten out of hand. Before he can reveal more, he slumps over, his heart stopped. Once the Doctor leaves, though, his body gets back up.

Realizing Victoria has been manipulated to react only to him, the Doctor counter-hypnotizes her to break the control. The Doctor and Travers leave to find the control device and after taking some readings he rushes back to the monastery, revealing that the device is there. Travers gets his memory back and remembers Songsten bringing the pyramid in the cave. Meanwhile, the gaseous form continues to billow out of the cave.

Episode 6: The sinister voice speaks to Khrisong. Padmasambhava tries to regain control, but cannot. Khrisong is bidden to enter the Inner Sanctum but once his back is turned, Songsten attacks him. Before he dies, he tells the Doctor that Songsten is being controlled. The monks restrain him and the Doctor counter-hypnotizes him too. He learns that the Great Intelligence used Padmasambhava over the course of 200 years to create the Yeti, promising they would not harm the monks or leave the cave. He's broken that promise now. The Doctor hatches a plan to destroy the control device, learning from Thomni where it is. (His memory came back too at some point.) Travers is concerned about all the mind control and Yeti robots and such. He heads off for the cave to destroy the pyramid, but the mountain is now covered with the glowing pulsating substance. The Yetis head off to attack the monastery, the monks leave, and the Doctor’s group enter the Inner Sanctum. Victoria insisted on coming with them, against the Doctor's warnings. He had Thomni give her a prayer jewel to focus on to prevent further hypnosis.

There they face Padmasambhava who is speaking with the Great Intelligence's voice. He seems to know the Doctor. When the Doctor asks who he is and why he's taken control of his friend, the Great Intelligence states that the Doctor would not be able to comprehend his reasons. He levitates things, which really doesn't impress the Doctor, but then he causes him mental pain with some sort of psychic attack. Padmasambhava gains control long enough to allow the others into the control room where they start smashing everything. The Great Intelligence tries to hypnotize Victoria, who uses the jewel and a repeated prayer to evade the attack for a time, eventually succumbing and becoming paralyzed. Travers arrives and shoots Padmasambhava, who catches the bullets. The Yetis are still attacking and Jamie finds a sphere. Once he destroys it, the Yeti's chests explode, destroying them. Padmasambhava is still too powerful. After Travers mentions the pyramid, Jamie finds one in the control room. When this is destroyed, the Great Intelligence is banished and Padmasambhava is set free and gratefully dies.

The monks are summoned back. The Doctor and his companions leave, with Travers as their guide. He's depressed about the Yeti, his life's work, being robotic tools of a madman, but then he sees a real Yeti and scampers off after it happily. The Doctor and friends enter the TARDIS for new adventures.

Thoughts: I liked this one. The Yeti were interesting creatures— if a bit dorky-looking— and the Great Intelligence has the potential to be an interesting recurring villain. There was some padding in this serial, especially in Episode 3 where very little happened. Like with many serials, this one would have benefitted from being shortened by one episode. Still, it was an enjoyable one and it’s sad that we can’t see the full unrestored episodes.

They have to climb out of the TARDIS this time. (Credit: BBC TV)

Serial 3 consisted of Episodes 180 to 185 and was called The Ice Warriors. In this one, only Episodes 2 and 3 are missing and had to be reconstructed. There are also fan-made animations for those episodes, but I stuck with the reconstructed episodes, since that's what I've bee relying on this whole time. (Also I didn’t much care for the art style of the animations.) This serial introduces a new recurring race in the Ice Warriors.

Episode 1: The setting is Earth around the year 3000 and a new ice age is raging. (By the way, I’m keeping a word doc with the timeline of Earth on it. I find it interesting how well the continuity is working so far.) Humans desperately try to keep back the glaciers with technology. The TARDIS materializes almost on its side. They wander into a plastic dome and find a control room where the Doctor barely prevents an explosion. Meanwhile, an expedition finds a frozen being, much taller than a man and wearing a sort of armor.

We learn a lot about the Earth in this time period. They're dependent on their high-powered computers, they have solved hunger with artificial foods, and have solved homelessness with free housing. The only problem is all the plants died out and the greenhouse effect has caused a second ice age. The humans brought this about themselves and didn't realize until it was too late. Now they have to use a device called an Ioniser to increase the sun's rays high enough to melt glaciers. The Doctor earns their trust and is enlisted to help. Arden, the head of the expedition, brings in the frozen being and the Doctor pegs it as being from prehistory. It starts to melt and the Doctor rushes off to check on something.

Episode 2: Jamie is knocked out by the revived Ice Warrior and it takes Victoria captive. While this is going on, the Doctor warns the scientists that the Warrior's helmet has electronic connections, which shouldn't be possible if it was that old and of Earth origins. Its helmet is a space helmet, and he theorizes that their ship is in the glacier. If they use the Ioniser on the glacier, the ship could explode. The Ice Warrior explains to Victoria that his name is Varga and that he comes from the planet Mars. He and his friends were buried in an avalanche. Once he gets his men back, they can decide if they're going back to their own world or conquering Earth.

In these two episodes there were also two men named Storr and Penley. Storr was injured and Penley sneaks into the facility to find medicine. The Doctor works with the leader of the scientists, Clent, and suggests they need a specialist. Clent says they had one but he quit because he didn't like how Clent did things. Having learned how he was revived, Varga has Victoria show him where the power packs are held. Clent interrupts them and is knocked out. Varga takes Victoria with him to the glacier. Penley tries to help and the Doctor figures out he was the expert who quit. He tries to convince Penley to come back and help with the Ioniser. Penley leaves with the medicine. After administering the medicine to his friend, Penley heads out to look for Victoria, feeling bad that he couldn't help her before. At the glacier, Varga uses a sonic gun to free his friends and prepares to revive them using electrical currents from the power packs.

The companions spend so much time captured. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 3: The other four Ice Warriors— Zondal, Turoc, Rintan and Isbur— are revived. Storr is recovered now. Garrett, the female member of the science team, begs Penley to return. Penley doesn't like how dependent they all are on computers, so refuses. He does suggest a place for her to look in his notes on the Ioniser. The Ice Warriors start digging out a cave in the glacier to set traps and look for their ship. The notes help the Doctor crack the equations for the Ioniser. He's angered by Clent's insistence that his equations must be run through the computer to check them, saying that humans should check the computer's calculations, not the other way around. They do turn out to be correct, but they can’t use the Ioniser before they locate the ship and find out if it would explode.

Soon after, Arden and Jamie investigate the cave in the glacier and are shot by Ice Warriors. Thinking Jamie is dead, Victoria is devastated. Penley arrives at the cave and finds Jamie is still alive. He takes him back to his hideout. Victoria finds Arden's communicator and lets the others know Arden was killed and Jamie's body is missing. The Ice Warriors see her with the communicator and prepare to shoot her.

Weird to have a needle guarding your door. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 4: The Ice Warriors decide against killing Victoria but in the process of trying to recapture her, Turoc is caught in an avalanche and dies. Jamie recovers, but can't walk. The Doctor believes this to be temporary. Storr attempts to strike a partnership with the Ice Warriors and is shot dead. The Doctor makes ammonium sulfide, which would be toxic to the Ice Warriors and sets off to meet with them alone, without any weapons. That's all that happened on this episode.

Episode 5: The Doctor is allowed into the Ice Warrior's ship by stating he's a scientist and is there to help them. He's visibly unsettled at the sight of them but keeps his composure. The Ice Warriors think the Ioniser is a weapon, but the Doctor explains it's not. They refuse to give any information about their ship so the Doctor won't know whether the Ioniser will blow it up or wash it away. During this exchange, the Doctor is reunited with Victoria and lets her know that Jamie is still alive. The Ice Warriors take the Doctor's communicator but he says if the base doesn't hear from him, they'll use the Ioniser. This is a hint to the scientists listening in to fire, but Clent can't make a decision on his own and decides to plug the info into the computer. The computer advises they wait.

While all this is going on, there's a subplot of Penley dragging Jamie through the snow and fighting a bear with a tranquilizer gun. He makes it to the base. Back at the ship, the Doctor learns they use ion reactor engines, which would be safe with the Ioniser. Varga asks the Doctor if the base is powered by mercury. The Doctor doesn't outright lie, but tells them they'll find what they need there. The Ice Warriors attack the base to get fuel for their ship and prepare to fire their Sonic Cannon at it. Penley and Jamie are upset because Clent has given up on saving the Doctor and Victoria. Penley tells his old boss he's just a slave to the machines. When Jamie grabs Clent's arm, he has them tranquilized. Victoria distracts Zondel (who was left behind to man the cannon) and the Doctor uses his chemical to make the Ice Warrior pass out. As he faints, the Doctor struggles with him, but he manages to fire the cannon.

The end of the Ice Warriors. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 6: The blast only damages the base a little. Varga demands their surrender, but Clent suggests they talk and promises no traps. One of the other scientists, Walter, loses his shit saying they need to stop listening to the computer and just blow up the glacier. He says the Doctor or Penley would be able to get them out of this, which hurts Clent's ego. When he tries to smash the computer, Garrett hits him with the tranq laser. Peace talks go horribly, Varga is not willing to compromise and Walter recovers enough to reach for a gun. He's shot and killed instantly, making Varga distrust the humans more. When Clent tells him that the Doctor lied and their reactor doesn't use mercury isotopes, Varga doesn't believe him. But he does learn that shutting down their reactor will cause them to freeze and render their "weapon" unusable.

While the humans are dealing with the Ice Warriors, the Doctor tinkers with the Sonic Cannon, making it so that it only effects fluids. He says that since the Ice Warriors have more fluid in them (?) and are wearing helmets, the gun should be more dangerous to them. Although there's still risk for the people in the base. Clent explains that shutting down the reactor suddenly would blow them up. Varga allows Garrett to slowly shut it down. Penley recovers and turns the heat of the base up while turning the oxygen down. The Ice Warriors, who are cold-blooded, are weakened and angered. Before they can kill the scientists, the Doctor fires the gun, which knocks out the scientists and injures the Warriors. The Doctor demands they surrender and they leave the base, heading off to kill the Doctor. He disables the gun and returns to the base with Victoria.

The Doctor and Penley suggest Clent use the Ioniser as a weapon but he refuses. It would be too risky. They argue for a bit, realizing that the computer cannot take risks, so its judgement is faulty in this case. Any action that could result in the destruction of the computer would be an impossible decision for it to make. Still, they're too reliant on it. Clent checks with the computer, but it short circuits. Penley fires up the Ioniser anyway, turning it to full strength. The glacier starts to break apart and the Ice Warriors try to escape. The Ioniser's heat is too strong and they explode. The base isn't harmed, the glacier is gone, and the threat of the Ice Warriors is neutralized. Clent has gained a new appreciation for Penley and possibly less reliance on the computers. The Doctor slips away and dematerializes in the TARDIS.

Thoughts: I really liked this one. The Ice Warriors are an interesting race. They look so silly when they talk, like Muppets. I loved it. The voice they chose for the computer was really grating. It was a highly modified clicking sort of voice. Irritating and hard to understand. The Ice Warrior voices were pretty annoying too, but not as bad. Lots of hissing, kind of sounded like whisper-shouting. Doctor Who seems to love annoying voices.

Story-wise, there was a lot going on and some solid ideas around the second Ice Age and the dependence on computers. Episode 4 barely had any plot advancement, so that’s two serials in a row with an episode that exists simply to pad out the number of episodes. The ending with the Sonic Cannon effecting the Ice Warriors since their bodies have more fluid was just strange. I'm not sure where the Doctor got to that leap of reasoning and why that worked exactly. 60% of the human body is water, so it should have trashed everyone. Whatever, it worked and the rest of the serial was fun.

Hey, he looks familiar. (Credit: BBC TV)

The fourth serial ran from Episode 186 to 191 and was called Enemy of the World. This one was a nice surprise. In my collection I only had Episode 3 but in my research just before I started watching this serial I learned that in 2013 the other five episodes had been found and returned to the BBC. So we finally have another fully-intact serial with the Second Doctor! This one is also notable as it takes a break from this season's theme of alien races attacking a base and gives Patrick Troughton a second character to play. It’s also a wild ride, but let’s get to the recap.

They actually ride in helicopters a lot this season. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 1: In the wildly futuristic time period of 2018, The Doctor and his crew land in Australia. The Doctor is extremely delighted to be on the beach and actually frolics in the sand and water, suggesting they build sand castles. Some guys nearby seem to recognize him. The men report to their boss, Astrid, but she says it can't be him. They disobey her orders and fly their hovercraft over to the Doctor, shooting at him. Cut off from the TARDIS, they flee and are rescued by Astrid, who has arrived in a helicopter. The fuel tank is hit, Astrid too, but they make it to her house where the Doctor patches her up. While he's doing this, Astrid keeps trying to guess what kind of Doctor he is, but he refuses to tell. (There’s a little bit of flirting going on between them, but this goes nowhere further in the story.) She explains that the Doctor resembles the would-be dictator of the world, a man who goes by the name Salamander. The hovercraft men attack again and in the process, one of the men is accidentally shot by the others and the other two blow up in the damaged helicopter.

Astrid takes them to her boss Giles Kent. Kent shows them a film of Salamander giving a speech. He talks about sun-catching satellites which are promoting crop growth in decimated countries and robot harvesters tending to the crops. The Doctor asks why he's hated if he's working to help people. With a flood of exposition, Giles explains that Salamander is gaining power and working to take over the world. He's doing this by arranging the suspicious deaths of other political leaders. The World Zone Authority controls everything, dividing the world into zones led by different leaders. When Giles, a political leader himself, got suspicious, he was discredited by Salamander and lost his position. Giles suggests the Doctor could pose as Salamander and invade his base. The Doctor attempts the same Mexican accent Salamander speaks with, failing. Donald Bruce, the world security chief, tipped off by Giles to force the Doctor's hand, arrives. The Doctor successfully tricks him into thinking he's Salamander.

Episode 2: Elsewhere, the real Salamander is meeting with Denes, the leader of the Central European Zone and a man named Fedorin. Salamander insists that volcanoes are going to erupt, which Denes doubts. The plan is hatched and Jamie "saves" Salamander from a bomb, which was actually contrived by Astrid. He scores himself and Victoria jobs. They're almost found out, but are covered for by Fariah, Salamander's food taster and servant. Fedorin is being blackmailed by Salamander, who says that Denes is about to meet an unexpected end. Suddenly the volcanoes erupt, destroying the nearby towns. Denes accuses Salamander of causing the disasters and is arrested for speaking against him.

Episode 3: Astrid plans to save Denes before he's taken to trial. Fariah warns Victoria to get away from Salamander before it's too late. Giles tells the Doctor he suspects Salamander has devices in his research station that can harness natural forces, and that's how he triggered the volcanoes with earthquakes. The Doctor can't act without facts. Fedorin had been ordered to poison Denes's food but can't make himself do it. Angered, Salamander poisons Fedorin's wine. Astrid tries to save Denes but fails. She escapes, Denes is shot dead, and Jamie and Victoria are taken into custody for treason. (It's not Doctor Who until a companion or two have been captured!) And then Bruce figures out Salamander was not who he saw in Australia. Uh oh...

Episode 4: Fariah has stolen Fedorin's file and joins with Astrid, Giles, and the Doctor. She wants to help bring Salamander down. The Doctor is still concerned they don't have enough evidence. Giles demands he helps, or they won't help rescue Jamie and Victoria. He also implies they may have to kill Salamander, which the Doctor is not happy about. Benik, Salamander's smarmy deputy, has ordered guards to raid Giles’s office. Astrid covers the escape of her allies and manages to get out herself. Sadly, Fariah is shot and killed, the file taken back by Benik. Bruce is angry at Benik for the raid, and upset that Salamander has locked himself in his records room with no way to be reached.

Inside the records room, Salamander rides a secret elevator down to an underground bunker filled with people. He's tricked them into thinking the world is at war and the surface is radioactive. (He even uses a device to decontaminate himself.) These people are the ones who have been making the natural disasters, which Salamander insists will end the war and make it possible for them to return to the surface. One of the younger men, Colin, is tired of waiting and wants to see the surface now.

It's strange to see the Doctor with a gun. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 5: Bruce confronts Giles, Astrid, and the Doctor. They explain why he impersonated Salamander and Bruce admits he's not altogether happy with Salamander's rule but he won't let them assassinate him. The Doctor insists he would never allow that and all they want is proof. Astrid swipes a guard's gun and holds Bruce hostage. The Doctor wants an end to the violence and takes the gun, handing it over to Bruce to prove he means him no harm. He also says he knows Bruce won’t shoot them because he’s not that sort of man. This earns Bruce's grudging trust and he accompanies the Doctor to Salamander's base. He leaves Astrid and Giles with a single guard. Meanwhile Benik is interrogating Jamie and Victoria, continuing to be oily and smug. (He was a very punchable character.) The Doctor and Bruce arrive, dismissing Benik. The Doctor tricks his companions into thinking he's the real Salamander, but drops the act when Victoria tries to slap him. He convinces them of his identity by miming his recorder, which Jamie had made him leave in the TARDIS. (Probably because he has a habit of playing it at inconvenient moments.) Benik learns from the guard that Salamander has not left the record room, which makes him suspicious.

While all this is going on, Salamander is still in his underground research station. The boss there, Swan, discovers a scrap of newspaper stuck on one of the food crates and angrily confronts Salamander, getting him to admit that there is still a society aboveground. Salamander insists that they're corrupt, evil, twisted by radiation. Swan no longer believes him and demands to join him topside. (Others have done this, but no one has returned.) Salamander agrees as long as he doesn’t reveal anything to the others. Colin is angry since he wanted to be the one to go above. In the tunnels, Salamander creeps up behind Swan with a pipe. Astrid, who led the guard away so that Giles could get to the research station, finds the nearly dead Swan, who had crawled out of the tunnel and into the surrounding woods. He manages to get out that Salamander did this to him.

Episode 6: Before Swan dies, he tells Astrid about the prisoners Salamander has been keeping. As the Doctor and friends are discussing finding proof against Salamander, Benik creeps up and seemingly overhears the Doctor speaking with his real accent. He tries to trick the Doctor into signing food invoices and asks for his key to the record room. The Doctor tells him he forgot the key and he’ll sign the papers later. After Benik leaves, the Doctor looks at the invoices and finds that although there are only supposed to be a dozen people in the research station, there's enough food for 30 people. This proves to Bruce that something shady is going on. The Doctor sends Victoria and Jamie back to the TARDIS. Astrid enters the station and is attacked by the people, who think she's radioactive and mad. Colin protects her and she explains Swan is dead, killed by Salamander, and there is no radiation. She proves his decontamination device was fake. Colin is furious. She takes Colin and his girlfriend Mary to the surface.

Giles has gained access to the base and confronts Salamander in the records room. He locks the door and holds him at gunpoint. Giles threatens to blow up the bombs stored in the tunnels. The Doctor reveals that he was again posing as Salamander and suspected all along that Giles was corrupt. Astrid and the young prisoners arrive and they state Giles was the one who first led them to the bunker. It turns out Giles built the research center with Salamander, imprisoning all those people. His plan was not to stop Salamander but to kill him and take over. The Doctor suspected this since Giles was always so willing to resort to murder. Giles flees into the tunnels, the Doctor warns everyone to evacuate, and Benik is arrested. The real Salamander kills Giles in the tunnels but Giles sets off the bombs, trapping them both in the explosion..

While those in the record room are hurt, they survive. Bruce gets through the door and they see the people in the bunker are still okay. Bruce and Astrid leave to evacuate them, insisting the Doctor stay behind so he's not attacked for looking like a known dictator. Back at the TARDIS the Doctor arrives, stunned from the explosion and too weak to speak. Jamie and Victoria usher him inside and ask to leave, but he can't seem to figure out the controls. He motions for Jamie to start the TARDIS, who balks, saying the Doctor said they should never touch the controls. The real Doctor arrives, agreeing that's correct. Salamander and the Doctor struggle, and in the process, Salamander fires up the TARDIS without closing the door. (We learned in a previous season that that's very dangerous.) Salamander falls out of the TARDIS into a time vortex and the serial ends abruptly, leaving everyone’s fate in doubt.

Thoughts: This one was really good. It is certainly one of my favorite serials of the entire series. There were just so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming. It kept me guessing. The pacing was fantastic, nothing felt like padding. And the ending was so unexpected and jarring. I liked seeing Troughton in a duel role... it reminded me of when the First Doctor did the same in Season 3. I wonder if all the Doctors will have a serial like this? I was pretty impressed by Troughton's performance. His accent and mannerisms as Salamander were pretty good. The continuity continues to be great. There are little nods to the previous serials throughout to remind us they're going on adventure after adventure. For instance, in this one, the Doctor makes a comment that they've been in cold climates, "on ice". The previous two serials were in arctic settings. There was also a funny gag where they referenced a disused jetty, but the Doctor misheard it as “yeti” and looked startled. The abrupt left turn the serial took when the underground bunker was revealed was stunning. And then the final twist that Giles was corrupt too took me by surprise, although they did sprinkle clues throughout.

And, as a final note, I feel I must mention the character of Fariah. Doctor Who has had a few black characters before— for instance, Toberman in Serial 1— and they're usually in subservient roles. It makes sense for the time, sadly. But Fariah was a great improvement. Sure, she was Salamander's food taster and servant, but as a character she was strong, willful, brave, and autonomous. She hated the position she was in and her boss. She rebelled against him and was instrumental to our hero's victory, even though she was sadly killed off in Episode 4. Still, this is a great step in the right direction for the inclusivity Doctor Who eventually shows in more recent seasons.

The centerpiece of his collection. (Credit: BBC TV)

The fifth serial was comprised of Episodes 192 to 197 and was called The Web of Fear. This is another serial where I only had one full episode but recently more episodes were found. Thanks to this, only Episode 3 remains missing and had to be reconstructed. We're on a roll this season! This story is a direct sequel to The Abominable Snowmen, continuing the plot threads set up there. This serial introduces a character who will become a long-running ally of the Doctor, the Brigadier (although he's a Colonel at this point). He's not a companion, but he is to be a recurring character, which is why he got his own blurb in the characters section.

Episode 1: We pick up directly where we left off in the last serial, with the TARDIS hurtling through time and space with the doors open. They're all hanging on for dear life and Jamie manages to get the doors closed. When they mock the Doctor for not being able to control the TARDIS, he starts hitting switches, determined to end up somewhere by choice for a change. We jump to an old man regarding an inert Yeti in a dimly-lit parlor. His daughter Anne visits and we soon learn that the old man is Professor Travers, the Yeti-obsessed guy from the Tibetan monastery. He says that he found and activated a control module for the Yeti but it's disappeared. Anne thinks he's gone senile. He brought the Yeti back with him years before and had sold it to a collector named Julius Silverstein but he wants it back. Julius refuses to sell it since it's one of a kind. As they leave the room, the control module hovers outside the window. It breaks in and re-enters the Yeti, whose eyes glow bright. It attacks Julius, who we never see again. RIP.

Back on the TARDIS, they land unexpectedly in a web-like substance in space. On Earth, Captain Knight is being interviewed by Harold Chorley, a television journalist who was sent to cover the army and a project they’re working on. They mention the Colonel in charge has been killed. Professor Travers arrives, summoned by his daughter and very grumpy. He mentions something about a threat that could wipe out all of England if they can't find a solution. Now that's foreshadowing!

We return to the TARDIS where the Doctor has rigged up a device. Once the web dissolves a bit, he throws a switch on the device and they land half a mile away from where they were expected, escaping their captor for the time being. As usual, the Doctor seems to know more than he's letting on. They've landed in the London underground and the Doctor makes a comment about how it's funny that they keep landing on the companion's Earth. Above ground, they soon learn that the mysterious web is also killing people in London. Things are eerily quiet and the trains aren't running… the third rail isn’t even electrified. They follow some soldiers through the tunnels and Jamie and Victoria are taken into custody. (Of course.) The Doctor finds that the soldiers have set explosives. He hides as two Yeti appear and fire a gun at the explosive crates, covering them in webs. The explosives are set off and the Doctor is thrown backwards.

Episode 2: There was no actual explosion due to the webs. The soldiers learn about the Doctor from their prisoners, but he's nowhere to be found. (He doesn’t show up in Episode 2 at all. You can always tell when the actors have the week off.) Jamie overhears talk about the Yeti from a soldier and suggests that the Great Intelligence must be around too. Professor Travers is working on a control module. Anne tells her father about the prisoners. Professor Travers is astonished to see Jamie and Victoria, saying it's been around 40 years. We learn the problems with the Yeti and the Great Intelligence in Tibet took place in 1935, setting this serial around 1975. (And since his expedition had already lasted 20 years, that would make Travers around 80 or 90 by now.) Some soldiers fight with the Yeti and one man is killed. The Yeti hold them prisoners until a beeping sound makes the robots leave. Jamie is taken into the tunnels since he's considered an expert on the Yeti. Victoria sneaks off to try and find him and the Doctor.

Jamie and the soldiers with him come across a quirky soldier from another battalion named Evans. (He’s the wacky comedy relief for this serial.) He said that there is a strange fungus moving in the tunnels and he saw a Yeti holding a pyramid-like device. (The fungus is the web, I’m not sure why they refer to it as a fungus throughout this. I think “The Fungus of Fear” is a much better title.) Jamie tells them if they destroy that pyramid, the Yeti will be stopped, so him and Evans rush to find it. Before they can, they hear a strange clicking noise and then see the fungus approaching, accompanied by a loud screech that makes them cover their ears.

I know what happens next. I've seen Phantasm. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 3: Evans shoots the pyramid, but it doesn't stop the Yeti. The Doctor is found, accompanied by Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, who's come to replace the previous Colonel. Evans was the driver in his squad, and they were the only survivors. Staff Sergeant Arnold is a bit suspicious of the Colonel, having appeared out of nowhere with no announcement, but his credentials check out. Travers reunites with the Doctor and they speculate that the Great Intelligence must have drawn them to this time period for some purpose. After years of tinkering, Travers got the sphere working, which activated the Yeti and started the Intelligence's plan. The Colonel sets up a briefing to get everyone up to speed. They can't call for help because there is also a mysterious mist that interferes with communication. Also anyone who enters it never comes back out. The Colonel asks for suggestions and the Doctor suggests the best way to proceed would be to blow the explosives, collapsing the tunnel and keeping the Yeti away for a while. The Colonel agrees to this. Victoria is upset, though, worrying that Jamie will be caught in the explosion. (He’s still wandering around out there with Evans.)

Someone in the base unlocks the main door and sets a Yeti figure, summoning a Yeti to break into the explosives room and covering the charges in webs. They realize someone must be working with the Great Intelligence. The Doctor hints it could be the Colonel, who replies that it also easily could be the Doctor. The Doctor grudgingly agrees. Chorley gets information about the TARDIS from Victoria, who is so worried about Jamie that she doesn't think about what she's saying. He asks if it could be used to rescue them and she says it could, if they could get to it. Chorley runs off to try and escape in the TARDIS, running past Jamie and Evans. They all run off to catch Chorley. After they leave, one of the soldiers is found dead, a Yeti model next to his body. A Yeti approaches Travers.

Episode 4: Travers and Anne are knocked out by the Yeti, who drags Travers away. The soldiers and the Doctor's group are both stopped by fungus, and it seems the Intelligence knows their every move, reinforcing the idea that someone is— willingly or not— working with him. The Doctor borrows a tobacco tin from Evans and takes a sample of the fungus. (It screeches when he cuts it.) After returning to the fortress, they discover Anne unconscious and Travers gone. The Doctor suspects they have some use for him. The Doctor opens up to the Colonel, letting him know about the Great Intelligence and the TARDIS. The Colonel takes all this fantastic information in stride, very interested that the TARDIS could be used to evacuate the base. The Doctor and Anne work on the control sphere that Travers had been working on earlier, and he thinks there may be a way to override the Intelligence's commands. Evans finds the Yeti model and hands it to the Doctor, which horrifies him since it calls Yeti. He also hands the Doctor the tobacco tin. After he leaves, the Doctor opens the tin to examine the fungus, but finds it empty. These things make him suspect Evans may be the one possessed by the Great Intelligence.

The Colonel heads up an above ground team and sends Staff Sergeant Arnold, Evans, and one other soldier to go underground and find the TARDIS. The underground group is wiped out quickly after entering the fungus, but Evans stayed behind and heads back to the base. Above ground a full-scale battle rages against the Yeti, the end result being that the Colonel is the only survivor. Captain Knight goes to an electrical store with the Doctor to get components for the control sphere, but they're attacked by Yeti. Knight is killed, but before they can attack the Doctor, they're called away by the Intelligence’s signals. The Doctor finds one of the missing Yeti models in Knight's pocket.

Back at the base, Evans insists he didn't put the model in Knight's pocket. The Doctor wonders where the other one could be. (Travers brought two back with him from Tibet.) The Doctor disables the model so they don't have to worry about it anymore. While Anne and the Doctor work on the sphere, the Colonel returns and they find the missing model had been planted in his pocket, which is how the Yeti knew to attack his group. The door opens to reveal two Yeti and a crazed-looking Professor Travers.

Nobody expects the Yeti Inquisition! (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 5: The Great Intelligence has possessed Travers. Speaking through Travers, he explains that this was all a trap so that he could drain the Doctor's unsurpassed intelligence, memories, and experiences, adding the contents to his own. Once he's done that, he promises he will leave everyone else alone and the Doctor will be reduced to a child-like state, his mind completely empty. He gives them 20 minutes to decide and takes Victoria as collateral. Evans suggests they just hand him over, and the Doctor agrees that he will do so if he can't come up with a solution in the 20 minutes allotted to them. He and Anne work on their control box and the sphere, leaving the others to search the base. They aren't able to get far before they find the fungus is surrounding them. Evans suspects they're working for the Intelligence, but Jamie still thinks it's Chorley.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Anne have the control box working, but it only overrides the Intelligence's commands at a very short range. You have to be right up next to the Yeti, which is very dangerous, but at least it’s something. The Doctor has worked up a device to give his own commands to the sphere through a small microphone. They go and find a Yeti and swap out the spheres. Elsewhere, the Intelligence releases the Professor and leaves a pair of Yeti to guard them. They encounter Staff Sergeant Arnold, who was thought to have been killed in the fungus in the previous episode. He makes his way back to base and soon after the wall of the base breaks open, the deadly mist spilling in.

I need a chair like this. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 6: Arnold and Evans escape the mist. The Doctor and Anne decide to keep their pet Yeti a secret since they still don't know who the collaborator is. He tells the Yeti to resume following the Great Intelligence's commands until told otherwise. They meet up with Jamie and the Colonel and are quickly captured by Yeti and led to a tunnel to wait. Travers and Victoria are taken to a room with a giant pyramid-shaped device and Chorley (remember him?) reappears and finds Arnold. (Evans had deserted, but rejoins them later, claiming he was just scouting for a way out.) The Doctor confides his plan to Jamie, giving him the command device. He tells him to hide and come out after they've been taken away, then he can go look for their Yeti. The Doctor surrenders himself and is led away alone. After he's given a strange helmet to put on, he uses his control box to freeze the Yeti while he tinkers with it. He releases the Yeti, puts on the helmet, and is taken to the pyramid device. Everyone else, including Jamie, is brought in separately. (Jamie failed to find the right Yeti.) Arnold comes in, wearing a similar helmet. That's right, it was Arnold all along!

The Great Intelligence reveals that he was lying and never planned on letting everyone go. He orders a Yeti to choke Jamie, but the Doctor convinces him to leave the boy alone or he won’t submit willingly, which would make the process much more difficult. The Doctor enters the pyramid and Jamie takes that moment to order the pet Yeti to attack the others. Since they’re all in the room, he correctly figures the right one is there too. There's a riot, everyone fighting Arnold and the Yeti.

The Doctor shouts that they're ruining everything and they need to let him handle it. Jamie ignores him, pulling him from the pyramid and pulling wires from it. It explodes, killing Arnold. The Yeti go inactive. The Doctor explains that he reversed the helmet, so that instead of draining his mind, it would have drained the mind of the Great Intelligence, destroying him and ending his threat. But now he's been repelled into space and is still out there somewhere. Everyone comforts him, saying that he's a hero and saved the world. Chorley wants to interview him, saying he'll be a household name by tomorrow. This startles the Doctor and he and his companions rush off, barely saying goodbye.

It'll be cool to see this guy return. (Credit: BBC TV)

Thoughts: This one was an entertaining watch. I like the upgrade to the Yeti and the reappearance of the Great Intelligence. The added mystery of who was being possessed added intrigue to the serial and the reveal was unexpected. The Yetis now have glowing eyes and huge claws and also roar, when they were silent before. They’re also less puffy, which just looked silly in their last appearance. The only real annoyance I had is that the Great Intelligence gave them 20 minutes and in that 20 minutes they created the control devices, went out to find a Yeti to reprogram, set a trap for the conspirator, and then sat around in a tunnel for a long time. Even factoring in that some scenes happened concurrently, it was way over 20 minutes. I'm sure there must be a trope related to this where the time limit given stretches far beyond the limits of real time, but I couldn't find a name for it in my research. (I call it “Dragon Ball Time” where a few minutes stretches into dozens of episodes.)

Serial 6 ran from Episode 198 to 203 and was called Fury From the Deep. All six episodes of this serial had to be reconstructed, so our lucky streak is over already. (Don't worry, we're almost to the end of the reconstructions.) This serial is notable for introducing the Sonic Screwdriver, a tool that continues to appear in the series to this day. It's a screwdriver powered by soundwaves that has multiple functions.

The trusty Sonic Screwdriver. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 1: The TARDIS sets down in the middle of the sea, and they have to use a rubber lifeboat to get to shore. They realize they're back in England once more. Jamie points out that the Doctor always seems to land in England, an observation the Doctor ignores. He's looking at the unusual foam gathered all around them. They cavort in the foam for a bit and then go to inspect a strange pipeline labelled Euro Sea Gas. The Doctor uses his Sonic Screwdriver to open a control box. They hear what sounds like a heartbeat in the pipeline, but before they can investigate further, all three are shot with tranquilizer darts and taken captive by men in uniforms.

They awaken, paralyzed on a floor. A bossy scientist named Robson demands to know why they were sabotaging the pipeline. They’re given an antidote and they explain that they were just lost and curious about the pipeline. A nicer scientist named Harris tries to talk Robson down, but he orders Harris to lock them up. Harris explains to the others that Robson's under a lot of stress and they lost contact with one of their rigs. He locks them up as ordered and the Doctor explains about the sound they heard. Harris insists there's no way anything living can get into their pipes. The Doctor suggest they turn off the gas to check, but Harris says Robson would never allow that.

Robson gets contact with the rig but there's interference in the signal. The man he speaks with just keeps mumbling, "everything is under control" in a creepy monotone. Harris tries to talk Robson into turning off the gas, but he refuses. The pressure keeps dropping, and Harris goes to show him some files as proof, but a mysterious figure had removed them from his briefcase as they talked. He sends his wife Maggie to their quarters to look for the files and she finds them. There is also a strange clump of seaweed in the file, which stings her. She throws it outside and unseen, it starts foaming up.

To escape the cell, the Doctor boosts Jamie up and he crawls through the vent. But by the time he gets through, Victoria has picked the lock with her hairpin. They overhear Robson butting heads with a government representative named Van Lutyens. Someone tells Robson about the heartbeat in the pipes. The Doctor sends Victoria back to the cell to wait for them, and she reluctantly goes. As soon as they're gone, she runs off to explore on her own. Meanwhile, Maggie is getting sick and Harris begs Robson to allow him to go see her. Victoria sees a man in a white suit and gas mask letting oxygen out of tanks in a room. He hears her and leaves. She enters the room and starts coughing since there's too much oxygen in the air. She shuts off the valves. The man locks her in and opens the vents. The bubbling foam they saw in the beginning starts pumping in through the vents and Victoria screams for help. The Doctor and Jamie, who were inspecting the pumping mechanisms, hear her and run to try and find her. Victoria sees tendrils of seaweed creeping through the foam.

Episode 2: They manage to get Victoria out in time. Robson blames her for releasing the oxygen and she insists there was a man who locked her in. He's also released poisonous gas and Victoria said that she saw something coming towards her. Maggie is getting more and more sick and Harris begs the Doctor to help her. Robson is unhappy with Harris bringing his personal life into work, but allows him to tend to his wife. The pump is slowing down and the Doctor explains that when they listened at the pumping mechanism, they heard the same heartbeat. Van Lutyens says he heard the same thing when inspecting one of the rigs. Robson still refuses to turn off the gas flow and is getting more and more angry at everyone telling him his job. A technician explains to Jamie that this pump station and the seven rigs produce the gas that provides energy for the south of England and Wales.

Back at the sleeping quarters, Maggie is growing sensitive to light and getting jumpy. At her door are two incredibly creepy men, Mr. Quill and Mr. Oak. They claim to be maintenance men who need access to her stove. While inspecting it they keep staring wide eyed at things and grinning. Oak's sleeve comes up and we can see tendrils of seaweed on the back of his hand. He pulls on heavy gloves like Quill is wearing. They open the patio door where the discarded seaweed has been bubbling up. Foam spills into the quarters. They open their mouths revealing the insides are black and a hissing noise emits from them. Maggie screams in terror before struggling to breathe and collapsing. The hissing noise was gas somehow being produced by the men. Harris and the Doctor discover her lying on the ground and gas has filled the room. The creepy men are nowhere to be seen. Jamie breaks a window to let air in.

Robson tries to keep the pump working, but it ends up shutting down and the heartbeat sound is audible to everyone. Maggie is in a coma and the Doctor thinks someone must have released the gas and planted the seaweed meaning to sting Harris, not her. Jamie mentions there was seaweed all around the pipeline when they first landed. Victoria points out the difference is this seaweed is moving. Van Lutyens figures out where the blockage in the pipeline may be but the Chief Engineer refuses to go against Robson. Van Lutyens is ordered to leave by Robson, but he ominously says that he can sense a creature waiting in the darkness.

Episode 3: The Doctor bags up some seaweed and Harris contacts medical to come get his wife. They don't notice the seaweed growth on her arm. Back at the TARDIS, the Doctor analyzes the seaweed and detects movement. He determines the seaweed is sentient and gives off a toxic gas. Robson yells at Harris for leaving the prisoners unattended and focusing too much on his wife. Van Lutyens and the Chief Engineer confront Robson about investigating the creature and Robson has a complete breakdown, screaming about them trying to ruin his reputation. He leaves in anger. The Doctor finds the tendril creature in a book of legends and superstitions. Victoria identifies it as the creature she saw. They all smell gas and see that the seaweed has expanded and is reaching over the edge of the tank. Victoria screams and the creature returns to the tank. The Doctor finds this curious but realizes that this must be what's in the pipelines, corrupting the gas.

Robson continues to be unreasonable and goes to his quarters. Oak locks him in and pumps gas into the vent. Harris arrives and Robson throws open the door and runs off. Harris sees a creature climbing into the vent. He tries to show Van Lutyens, but it's already gone. He worries that it could come out of any of the vents. He convinces Harris to take command and Harris reluctantly agrees. Back in Harris's quarters, Victoria picks the lock with her trusty hairpin. The room is full of foam and the Doctor assumes Maggie was already taken to medical. Victoria laments that life is so dangerous with the Doctor.

The Doctor explains to the others that the creature is parasitic and can take over anyone. Harris learns that no one has come for his wife yet. The Doctor is shocked and tells him his home is full of foam and she could still be in there. Oak and Quill listened to this whole conversation and sneak off. On the beach outside, Maggie meets with Robson. Both are possessed. Maggie, speaking in the same monotone as the others, tells him he knows what to do and he must obey before she walks into the ocean.

Episode 4: Harris finds Robson on the beach and asks about his wife. Robson mysteriously says he'll see her very soon and walks away. Victoria's dissatisfaction is growing and she complains to both Jamie and the Doctor throughout the episode. She's happy with the Doctor but she's tired of the endless threats and danger their lives have become, what with all the Daleks, Cybermen, Yetis, and evil seaweed. She just wants peace. Van Lutyens decides to investigate the shaft and no one can talk him out of it. He finds a bunch of foam and seaweed down there. The weed creature drags him down and he screams. The Doctor and Jamie go down to look for him, which scares Victoria even more. Harris demands they be brought back up, but Oak and Quill say it's too late.

Harris still hasn't found his wife. Megan Jones, executive of the board, comes to visit. She doesn't believe in the seaweed monster, but is worried the rigs aren't communicating. Harris tries to explain that Robson's had a breakdown. The Doctor and Jamie barely escape from the seaweed creature and when they get back up, they find Victoria is missing. A helicopter pilot reports in that the three rigs show no signs of life but are covered with seaweed and foam. Harris suggests for safety that they bomb the three rigs. Jones considers it, but Robson bursts in ranting and raving about how the rigs are his and they have no right. He says "we won't allow this to happen" and runs off. Jones thinks it's just stress. The Doctor reveals they couldn't find Van Lutyens and he believes Robson is being controlled by the entity. He also believes that the seaweed organisms are telepathically taking over the humans in the rigs to make them part of their colony.

Jamie finds Victoria unconscious and is scared she's dead. He says he’d never forgive himself if anything happened to her. She comes to, saying she didn’t realize Jamie cared. She says she doesn't remember how she got there and suspects Oak and Quill. Jamie says he'll make them pay and again Victoria laments that life with the Doctor is nothing but danger and she never feels safe anymore. They hear the heartbeat sound and can see the creature through the transparent side of the pipe. The Doctor explains to Jones that the creature's plan must be to cut off the gas supply to England. Their only hope is to find the nerve center and destroy it. Jamie runs in to show them what they saw through the pipe. The Doctor says it's the advance guard, the first part of an invasion.

Jamie being choked with seaweed hands. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 5: All the rigs are now out of contact. Harris suggests they just blow up the rigs but the Doctor says that would spread the seaweed. He also says that the drilling must have unearthed it and its been trying to grow its numbers for the invasion. Jones realizes that Robson knows everything about the rigs and the base and it's dangerous for him to be in the creature's control. She orders him to be found. The Doctor realizes the creature's weakness is pure oxygen, which is why the man who locked Victoria in the room was wearing a gas mask. Oak and Quill overhear this exchange and sneak off to the oxygen store, where they put on gas masks. Robson is found and locked in his quarters. Jones is unsuccessful in bringing him back to his senses. After they leave he gets telepathic instructions from the vent and escapes by emitting gas from his mouth at the guard. The seaweed is growing over his hands now.

When they finally decide to guard the oxygen, they realize it's all been stolen. As they're trying to figure out who's working with the seaweed, Victoria and Jamie see Oak and Quill creeping away and follow them. Jamie grapples with Quill, who chokes him and starts to spray gas. Jamie punches at him and Victoria screams. Quill falls to the floor. Jamie is proud that his punch knocked him out, but the Doctor says he doesn’t think that’s what did it. He’s distracted from this by reports that the seaweed is expanding in the pipes, trying to break through.

As everyone watches this, Robson grabs Victoria and flees. The pipe breaks and everyone panics. Jamie realizes Victoria is gone and searches for her with the Doctor. Robson drives her to a helicopter and takes off with her. The helicopter pilot chases him with the Doctor and Jamie. They see foam all over the control rig and the Doctor realizes this is the nerve center. They land and climb down into it, The foam doesn't hurt them. As they explore they hear Victoria scream. The Doctor stops Jamie from running to her, saying it's probably a trap. They slowly make their way to a room full of foam. Robson emerges from it and says "Hello Doctor, we've been waiting for you."

He doesn't look like he minds the foam. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 6: Robson tells the Doctor that he will help the seaweed take over. Jamie finds Victoria and she screams, causing Robson to recoil in pain. The Doctor, having suspected the seaweed's weakness, has her scream again and Robson sinks into the foam. They escape, the Doctor flying the helicopter poorly. (Even though he refers to it as “a primitive machine”.) Back at the base, the Doctor finds out that Quill has recovered, the seaweed growths withering and falling off of him. He explains to everyone that Victoria's screams are the perfect pitch and intensity to destroy the creature. He sets up speakers and a recording of Victoria's scream. When the creature breaks through, they play this and destroy it. (I wish this episode had been found, the sequence with the tall, lanky seaweed creature and the foam pouring in was probably pretty cool to see. I couldn’t get a good screenshot of the one still they had.)

Afterwards, everyone has recovered, including Maggie, Robson, and Van Lutyens. Robson has had a change of heart and apologizes for his previous behavior, being much less hard on his workers. When the Doctor suggests they must be going, the crew ask where they’re going. The Doctor admits he’s not sure, and Jamie jokes that even if they knew, they wouldn’t get there anyway. Victoria has a panic attack, terrified of the thought of more danger awaiting them. The Doctor gently asks if she would rather stay. She doesn't know, not wanting to leave the Doctor and Jamie. He gives her the night to decide and tells Jamie not to try and influence her, since it's her life, her decision. That night, Jamie and Victoria have a tender moment and say they'll miss each other. She ultimately decides that she isn't suited for life with the Doctor and can't go back to Victorian times. The Doctor arranges for her to stay with Harris and Maggie. They all say goodbye on the beach and Jamie and the Doctor reenter the TARDIS to further adventure.

Thoughts: Yeah, they were saved by Victoria's screams. Five seasons of making the female companions scream their heads off and it finally advances the plot. Amazing. This serial was pretty decent. I liked that there was a new, creative threat. It did drag in parts and could have been slimmed to fewer episodes. I was honestly sorry to see Victoria go so soon. I liked her character and she really wasn't with them for long. While Victoria's dissatisfaction and fear were understandable, they seemed to come out of nowhere midway through the serial. Prior to this she didn't complain or show any signs that these feelings were bubbling up. In fact, she went off on her own to explore in the first episode, immediately putting herself into danger. Aside from the clumsiness of writing her out, her exit was done nicely and I'm glad she got a happy ending. (But this won't be the last time we see her... )

The seventh and final serial of Season Five ran from Episode 204 to 209 and was called The Wheel In Space. This serial was another Cybermen story, where they attempt to take over an Earth space station. Four episodes of this serial are missing and had to be reconstructed.

Episode 1: Jamie is down about leaving Victoria behind and the Doctor reminds him that he was fond of her too. The TARDIS lands, but nothing shows on the scanner at first. The readings show that the oxygen and temperature are fine, but they're surrounded by metal. Beautiful scenery starts cycling through on the scanner, changing from night to day. The Doctor explains the TARDIS is showing them pleasant places to warn them not to leave, that there's danger. Before they can take off again, there's a power overload and mercury vapor starts leaking, making them cough. They run for the door and the Doctor removes a metal rod, which he explains is the Time Vector Generator, which he's disengaged. This is what makes the TARDIS larger on the inside. Now they're out of mercury and they'll need more before they can go anywhere. They find themselves in a rocket drifting in space. No one appears to be on board. They follow a trail of oil and start searching the rocket. Elsewhere, a servo robot activates and starts to move.

Jamie complains about being hungry and wanting roast beef, potatoes, and cabbage. The Doctor uses a machine that produces a square of food that tastes just like what Jamie wanted. Jamie wonders what Victoria is doing right now. The Doctor explains that time is relative and he couldn't say until he knows what time they're in. He adds that she chose a safe time period to settle down in, so she's probably happy. Jamie goes to sleep and the Doctor continues investigating, not finding any dangers.

The robot finds the TARDIS and seals the doors to the room closed. The Doctor peeks outside and finds a new oil track. The robot goes to the control panel and makes the rocket move, which throws the Doctor against the wall where he hits his head. Jamie helps him to bed and sees a large silver thing in space. The robot releases what look like eggs. The Doctor leaves the room, trying to get to the TARDIS, but the doors are sealed. He sees the robot and Jamie, having followed him, throws a blanket over it. He takes the Doctor back to the crew quarters and locks the door. While it's burning its way in, the Doctor gives Jamie the Time Vector Generator, saying it can be used as a gun. Jamie blows up the robot.

In a space station called the Wheel, which is manned by humans, the rocket has been detected. It's way off course. The leader of the station, Jarvis, decides to use an X-Ray laser to blow it up. The eggs leaves the rocket and are absorbed into the hull of the station.

Episode 2: There's a bit of an argument about blowing up the rocket and Jarvis insists that it's dangerous to leave it alone. It could crash into them. Before they can blow it up, Jamie aims the Time Vector Generator at the station and it causes a loud feedback sound in the crewmember's headsets. They realize this is a signal and send people over to investigate. They find Jamie and the Doctor. Leo, the communications officer, and Tanya, an astronomer, talk about the situation. There are magnetic disturbances on the hull of the Wheel. There are also air pressure disturbances. They suspect these are connected to the rocket. No one notices that more eggs are being absorbed by the Wheel.

The second in command, Gemma, checks over Jamie. He's fine and the Doctor has a concussion and a suspected skull fracture. When asked for the Doctor's name, he just says "the Doctor". She can't put that down on her paperwork, so she presses him. He sees John Smith on the computer console and gives that as his name. Gemma notices this. She asks what happened and Jamie concocts a story about how he had a fever and when he woke up the crew was gone and the Doctor was injured. She sends Jamie to see Zoe Heriot, the space librarian. After he leaves, Gemma contacts Zoe and tells her to keep an eye on Jamie and report back. Jamie meets Zoe and she immediately laughs at the dress he's wearing. When he explains it's a kilt and very common, she puts it in historical context and explains that she's not so good at history. She also says she'll learn a lot from Jamie. She shows him around the Wheel and he meets Bill, an engineer who shows him the power source for the X-Ray laser. While this is going on, Gemma reports to Jarvis about Jamie. She has seen through all his fabrications, and is especially concerned that he left his water behind. If he'd had space training, he'd know water is precious. She didn't buy the John Smith name and said there were no signs he'd recently had a fever. Jarvis, seeming to be a paranoid sort, immediately suspects the newcomers to be saboteurs who murdered the original crew.

Jamie asks about the Wheel and Zoe explains it's a relay station for Earth with many functions. Spaceships dock there, they research various things, and serve as an early warning system for Earth. Jamie learns they're about to destroy the rocket on Jarvis's orders. He panics and sneaks away to go back to the power room. Jarvis finds out he's gone and is upset. The crew is confused about what's going on. Back on the rocket more orbs are forming and inside one the hand of a Cyberman breaks through.

Cybermen hatch from eggs now? (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 3: Before the rocket can be destroyed, Jamie sprays quick-set plastic into the mechanism. Before he can spray more, he's caught and taken into custody. Jarvis accuses him of being a saboteur, but he says that the Doctor told him to protect the rocket. In the rocket, Cybermen contact a previously-unseen higher model of Cyberman called a Cyber-Planner to let him know that Phase Two is complete. Back on the Wheel, Zoe has predicted that a star is going to implode and can cause meteor showers. This is the second such case in a week. Without the X-Ray laser, the Wheel is defenseless and it could take up to a week to fix it. As Bill works to fix the laser, he finds a Cybermat, who he treats as a pet and names Billy Bug. He hides it in the closet and when he checks it later, it has corroded all the bernalium rods, which is what they need to power the laser. The Cybermat is nowhere to be found.

Leo is upset at Zoe for looking at things too logically and not thinking of the long term. The Doctor is upset at Jamie for getting him in trouble and says that he can't remember much from the rocket, including the robot that attacked them. Gemma tells him that he's recovering, but could have short-term memory issues for a bit. He meets Zoe and she says the only explanation for how the rocket could be millions of miles off course is that someone had to have refueled it and piloted it. The Doctor can't think of a better solution, but suspects there must be more to it. He's impressed by Zoe's intelligence, but gently tells her that logic is not the only thing to go on. The Cybermen report that Phase Four is beginning and on the Wheel the Cybermats start glowing. There are several of them.

Bill reports to Gemma about the Cybermats and the bernalium. She wants to see it, but while they're talking, elsewhere another crew member is surrounded by Cybermats and panics. He hits one with a metal bar but is given a shock. Then he sprays one with the quick-set plastic encasing it before he's killed. Zoe has the plastic blob taken to the Doctor. She believes it's just a piece of machinery that was sprayed by accident during the attack, but the Doctor again comments that logic doesn't hold all the answers, sometimes there's common sense. He uses the X-Ray machine to look inside and sees it's a Cybermat, which means the Cybermen are about. Jarvis throws a fit about everything that's going on and has Leo replace Bill. Bill pleads with everyone to believe him. Gemma lays out the facts of what's going on: the strange fluctuations in the Wheel, the rocket, the star implosions, the visitors, the bernalium sabotage. Jarvis shouts at her that those things can't all be connected and everyone is indulging in fantasies.

Two crewmen, Vallance and Laleham are sent to investigate the rocket and are attacked by Cybermen. One shoots a wave at the men, taking control of them. They tell the men to take them aboard the rocket.

Episode 4: The Doctor fills everyone in on what the Cybermen are. Jarvis scoffs at him. He says there's no way they can get aboard the ship undetected. Gemma agrees with the Doctor that they're all in danger and Jarvis blows up again, storming off. The Cybermen are smuggled aboard the Wheel in a crate covered with bernalium rods. The Doctor thinks the Cybermats have been sent to weaken the ship's defenses, but even though the bernalium is needed to power the laser, he feels there was another reason for them to destroy it. They're all getting worried about Jarvis and his stubbornness in clinging to logic. The Doctor worries what his reaction will be when he encounters something he can't explain away. Jarvis has started going through the ship with a mask of cheerfulness, telling everyone that everything is fine. The Cybermen kill and incinerate the body of a crewman sent to get the bernalium. The controlled crewmen bring it to Bill and help fix the laser. It's taking too long, so the Cybermen reveal themselves to Bill and control him as well. They state they will fix the laser. Having the Wheel destroyed by the meteors would ruin their plans.

Zoe reports to Gemma that Jarvis is ignoring her findings, telling her everything is normal when it isn't. They have a talk about how many people have been commenting on Zoe's behavior lately, calling her robotic and unemotional. Gemma says that's her parapsychology training, Earth's education system neglects feelings. Zoe says her head has been pumped full of facts and figures and she wants to be able to feel things. The Doctor is very concerned that they found bernalium on the rocket. He reports to Gemma that the crewmembers who went to the rocket may have been compromised. She explained that spacemen undergo training to prevent mind control and there are also drugs that help with this. The Doctor says there may still be methods of mind control that get around that. Gemma says everyone has implants that send off a signal if they've been compromised. They check and find it's Bill. He destroys a computer panel and electrocutes himself to death before they can get to him.

Seeing that things are spiraling, the Doctor takes command. He tells Gemma to put the Wheel on red alert. He suggests they rig up a rudimentary defense with metal plates and transceivers to wear on the base of their necks to block the Cybermen's control. The Doctor and Jamie got to hunt out the Cybermen. When they reach an airlock, a Cyberman approaches.

I do like the costumes this version. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 5: Jamie and the Doctor hide from the Cyberman. The Doctor realizes that their plan can't be to destroy the Wheel because they would have done it by now, so there must be something else. He tells Gemma to seal the airlock doors. After seeing the Cybermats, he tells the crew to transmit a specific audio frequency. It destroys the Cybermats. The Cybermen contact the Cyber-Planner and inform him of the destruction of the Cybermats. He states that someone on board must know about their methods and orders them to take over the Wheel completely. Gemma shows a destroyed Cybermat to Jarvis, who refuses to admit it exists. She tells the Doctor that he's too far gone to help them and the Doctor reassures her that he may recover his mind with time but until then, she needs to take control of the Wheel. She sets up a force field around the Power Generator, which keeps the Cybermen from taking control. Zoe tells Jamie that she's realized her logic is no help in this sort of situation. Jamie comforts her, telling her that she's just not used to this sort of thing. She laments that she was created and trained to believe a false version of reality.

The Cybermen have set up a base in the Power House and a fight happens where one of the remaining uncontrolled crewman, Flannigan, kills Laleham. He is then controlled to take his place. Zoe tries to help Jarvis but he refuses to listen to reason. Not everyone is protected with metal plates yet and the metor shower is upon them, bigger than projected. The Cybermen have repaired the laser and the crew start shooting the meteor fragments. The Doctor realizes that the Cybermen caused this disaster and disabled the laser as a convoluted way of getting aboard. Why? He's unsure, but he's sure the Wheel is important for their plans to conquer Earth. The Doctor realizes the Time Vector Generator is missing and sends Jamie back to the rocket to get it. He doesn't want to go, but understands he's the only one since the Doctor can't be spared. Gemma sends Zoe along to help him with his first space walk.

Leo is pissed the Doctor allowed Zoe to go out into space and says he's endangering the crew. He worries Gemma could be hurt on the way to the airlock. The Doctor has no answer for this. Gemma sees the two off and hides as a Cyberman enters with a controlled crewmember. The Cyberman gives him capsules and tells him to put one in each oxygen supply line for the station. It will turn the air to pure ozone which will kill all the humans aboard. Gemma contacts the Doctor to warn him of this plot but the Cyberman hears and attacks her. The Doctor, watching her on the monitor, cries out for her to run. She shoots him with her laser pistol but it does no damage. The Cyberman kills her as the Doctor watches helplessly. Out in space, the meteors are heading for Jamie and Zoe.

Weird amount of choking this season. (Credit: BBC TV)

Episode 6: Leo starts blasting the meteors, knocking Jamie and Zoe back and forth. The Doctor tries to stop him, but he says the station is more important. They manage to get to the rocket safely and look for the Time Vector Generator. The Doctor breaks the news to Leo that Gemma is dead and the air supply is about to be poisoned. As they're talking, Jarvis sneaks away. They contact him to make him come back, but he says he's gone to find the Cybermen. Jarvis encounters one of the Cybermen and is killed. Vallance is told to poison the air supply, but it's already been switched to backup. To figure out who knows about them, the Cyber-Planner starts showing images on the monitor so Vallance can name off the crewmembers. They get to the Doctor and Vallance doesn't know who he is. The Planner identifies him from their records and orders he be killed. Jamie and Zoe see this happening from the console on the rocket and rush off to get back and warn the Doctor.

Flannigan contacts them and says he has the Cybermen trapped in the Power House. He asks someone to come and get the spare parts for the communication system Bill destroyed a couple episodes back. The Doctor, sensing a trap, volunteers to go get them, and tells Vallance to meet him in the corridor. After the com is shut off, he has Leo show him an alternate path to the Power House through the air tunnels. He tells them that Flannigan is likely heading to Ops and they should get a metal plate on his neck. Zoe and Jamie run into Flannigan and he walks with them to the Operations Room. His mission is not only to kill the Doctor, but to shut down the force field. The Doctor sneaks into the Power House. He finds some mercury for the TARDIS and slips it in his pocket before starting to work on a machine. Flannigan is ambushed and back to normal once he has the plate put on. Jamie is contacted on the monitor by the Doctor who asks him to bring the Time Vector Generator. He says he has company and signs off. He turns to see two Cybermen just outside the force field.

The Doctor has figured out that the plan is to use the Wheel as a homing beacon to lead the Cybermen fleet to Earth. They say that Bill was only supposed to stop incoming transmissions, not everything. The Cybermen say that since he knows their ways, he must be destroyed. He suggests they come in to get him. One does and the Doctor switches on the machine, which kills the Cyberman. The other one was smart enough to stay behind. It leaves to get reinforcements. Jamie and Flannigan come through the air tunnel and give the Time Vector Generator to the Doctor. He hooks it up to the X-Ray laser to boost its power.

The large Cyberman ship approaches, along with individual Cybermen floating in space. Pretending to still be under control, Flannigan walks up to the Cyberman. Jamie puts a metal plate on Vallance while Flannigan sprays quick-set plastic on the Cyberman. Before it's frozen in place it opens the airlock doors. They try to close the doors, but one of the space walking Cybermen holds it open. The Doctor has Leo fire the laser and the large ship is destroyed. Flannigan turns on the force field which throws the Cybermen into space to float harmlessly.

The threat is past, Leo is now controlling the ship and has hooked up with Tanya (which was a whole subplot that I didn't bother mentioning) and the Doctor and Jamie return to the rocket accompanied by Zoe. She's upset that her new friends are leaving, but Jamie refuses to tell her anything. In the TARDIS, the Doctor refills the mercury and Jamie joins him. He sees his chest of keepsakes close and opens it to see Zoe stowing aboard. Jamie says she shouldn't go with them. The Doctor looks sternly at her and says that if she's certain, she must know the sort of danger they'll face. He puts on a telepathic projector which puts his thoughts on a screen and Zoe finds herself facing the threat of the Daleks for the first time. She looks shocked and the episode ends.

Thoughts: This was an interesting serial. It continues the well-worn structure of a base being invaded by an alien threat while an over-bearing boss fouls things up, but it was pretty well-executed. I like Zoe so far, she's just distinctive enough from the previous companions to be interesting. I laughed at the part with Jamie's "Keyzer Soze" moment. As I was putting this together I learned that the John Smith alias will be a recurring thing from here on out, which I love. They never really explained the robot in the beginning. I assume he was working for the Cybermen. (Probably called Cyber-Bot of something silly like that.)

This serial has my quote of the season from the Doctor: "Logic, my dear Zoe, only enables one to be wrong with authority." I did enjoy that Zoe had her own character arc. All through the serial she was concerned about only thinking logically. The one time she thought with her emotions was when she stowed away aboard the TARDIS and demanded they take her with them. I also appreciated that the Doctor, stinging from having to leave Victoria behind, makes sure Zoe knows the danger before agreeing to take her along.

And so that’s Season Five! I’ll get into my thoughts in a moment. First, here’s what we learned this season:

TARDIS Facts: We actually got some interesting facts about the TARDIS this this season. (Until the last serial I was afraid this section would be almost empty.) We learned there's a little light on the control console that comes on when they've landed. The Doctor mentioned something called a "time lock" and wondered if it had slipped, but doesn't get the chance to elaborate on what that is. (Although I try not to look much up, I did check and this mechanism is not mentioned again, but a phenomenon also known as a Time Lock becomes important later down the line.) It is equipped with a Fault Indicator, which is a device that shows problems in the TARDIS. This has actually been mentioned a few times previously but somehow I forgot to include it in any previous post. A panel opens in the side of the control room that has a Telepathic Projector headset in it. This allows the wearer to project his thoughts onto the monitor. One very interesting tidbit was dropped in the final serial. When the TARDIS senses danger, the scanner can show pictures of more pleasant places they can visit instead as a sort of warning to not leave safety. I feel like this is a reference to the little-dwelled-upon fact that the TARDIS has some level of sentience. The TARDIS has a device called the Time Vector Generator. This is what makes it larger on the inside. Once disengaged, the inside shrinks to the size of a normal telephone box. No explanation is given for what happens to the control console or any of the other items inside. I assume it’s in a pocket dimension or something.

Earth Facts: This is a new section which I figured I might as well include. I'm putting together a timeline of Earth's future history based on what we learn each season. Sadly, not every serial included a time period, so I’m just going with what I can pin down for sure. This season we learned that in 2018 the Earth is divided into zones and overseen by the World Zone Authority. In the year 3000 Earth succumbs to a second Ice Age. Humanity has become entirely reliant on computers for every decision. Hunger and homelessness are a thing of the past. There is no vegetation left on Earth.

Doctor Facts: The Doctor claims to be about 450 years old. (In Earth terms.) He rarely uses computers unless he has to, preferring analog methods of calculating. The Doctor is skilled at hypnotism (which was hinted at in Season Four) and can break the effects of other hypnosis. The Doctor is interested in phonetics and has shown he can imitate accents.

The Doctor's Past: The Doctor told Victoria that he has to really concentrate to remember his past and his family. It's implied that it's because he has centuries worth of memories cluttering up his mind, but the way he puts it is that he has "so much to think about".

Defining moments to show the Doctor's personality: This Doctor is showing himself to be more tender and empathetic than the First. He took the time to check in with Victoria and comfort her about the loss of her father, assuring her that her memories of him wouldn't always be sad ones. When he believed Jamie to be killed in the Ice Warrior's ambush, he blew up at Clent, stating that he wouldn't forgive himself if anything were to happen to his companions and that they're friends. The First Doctor obviously cared a great deal for his travelling companions, but rarely let himself show it. This Doctor is much more open with his feelings. When facing down Bruce in the Salamander story, the Doctor showed the lengths he'd go to avoid violence by handing the gun over to Bruce, gambling that he'd guaged his personality correctly as a reasonable and level-headed man. This incarnation is certainly less selfish and more selfless than the previous, as shown by his willingness to give himself up to the Great Intelligence to save the others. I don't feel like the First Doctor would have even suggested that.

Thoughts: This season not only brought back and increased the threat of the Cybermen, but also introduced several recurring antagonists in the Cyber-Controller, the Cyber-Planner, the Cybermats, the Yetis, the Great Intelligence, and the Ice Warriors. We even a met a new supporting ally in Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart. Restricting themselves to six-episode serials did help with the inconsistent pacing of the previous seasons, but the problem I found with it was that one episode per serial seemed to exist only to reach that number of six. One episode always contained very little plot advancement and dragged on. So the pacing was still screwy, but at least they were consistent. I guess?

There were several stories about food shortages and over-population, which were grave concerns at the time these were filmed. Twice a weather-controlling device was used to manipulate the environment. The stories were a bit more varied, relying less on the trope of downtrodden rebels fighting against oppressive governments, as in previous seasons. Although now they’re relying more heavily on bases being run by arrogant and closed-minded tyrants. As mentioned earlier, I felt Enemy of the World was the high point of the season, but overall there was a consistency of quality that had been missing before. Doctor Who, in my opinion, is hitting its stride.

I was happy whenever I had intact episodes… I am so tired of the reconstructions. Thankfully, I believe next season is the end of them. I was fortunate to find ten more intact episodes just in time for this post.

As of the fourth serial (Enemy of the World) there is a marked improvement in picture quality, as technology was being ramped up to allow the BBC to broadcast in color. Imagine that... Doctor Who in color!

Side note 1: The space suits worn by Jamie and Zoe were later reused in Star Wars Episode 4 and 5. One was modified into Bossk the Bounty Hunter's suit.

Side note 2: I learned while researching this post that when Doctor Who came back in 2005, one of the actors they approached to be the new Doctor was Rowan Atkinson. So we very nearly had Mr. Bean as Doctor Who. When I revealed this to Cocoashade she was very disappointed to learn what could have been. I must say, I am too. He would have been an interesting incarnation.

The Cybermats were pretty cool. (Credit: BBC TV)

Lingering Questions: Since the Doctor is 450 years old, does this mean he's had other incarnations, or is his race particularly long-lived? And this brings back what I wondered last time-- why did he regenerate as a fully-grown man in his mid-forties? I mean, plot-wise it wouldn't work well for the Doctor to come back as a newborn, but I still don't understand how the logistics work. If the Doctor first encountered the Cybermen in Season Three, how did he have reference to the Cybermats in his notebook? Had he actually heard of the Cybermen before? What happened to Salamander in the time vortex? What is the origin of the Great Intelligence? Twice comments were made this season pointing out that the TARDIS keeps bringing them back to Earth, and specifically England. Is there a reason the TARDIS is doing this? Some sort of destiny they need to fulfill?

The Doctor faces down an Ice Warrior. (Credit: BBC TV)

And with that, we can put Doctor Who Season Five on the shelf. We’re 209 episodes into the series! Almost a quarter of the way. I hope you’re all enjoying this series, because we’ve still got a long ways to go. This show just keeps getting better and I won’t wait as long to get to Season Six. Thank you for reading, I appreciate you all. I’ll be back very soon!