March 25: The Evil of the Daleks Episodes 3 & 4

So.  The Evil of the Daleks is a seven episode serial for some reason³⁵, and the upshot of this is that episodes 3 and 4 seem to be largely padding.  Of course, this being a David Whitaker story, it's at least largely entertaining padding, but padding nevertheless.

The best bits of episode 3 involve the Doctor manipulating Jamie into rescuing Victoria Waterfield from the Daleks so that he can be studied and the Human Factor derived from his actions.  We've never seen the Doctor be this devious before, and especially not with his friends, so it's an interesting development.  The Doctor is apparently only cooperating with the Daleks because they have his TARDIS in their custody, and he's willing to place his TARDIS above all else, even though his actions will lead to the creation of a race of super Daleks.  There's also a moment where the Doctor tries to have himself used for the tests instead of Jamie, only to be told by the Daleks, "You have traveled too much through time.  You are more than human", which is a fascinating spin on the Doctor.

The rest of the episode primarily involves Maxtible bringing in a mute Turk named Kemel to be opposed to Jamie during his rescue effort, and an odd subplot with a man named Arthur Terrall, who apparently paid Toby to kidnap Jamie but then remembers nothing about it.  The implication seems to be that he's under the control of the Daleks but is fighting it, but it's handled so oddly that we're never certain what Terrall's motivations are.

The Doctor programs the Human Factor while a Dalek looks on.
(The Evil of the Daleks Episode 4 - from Doctor Who Photonovels:
The Evil of the Daleks - Episode Four) ©BBC

If episode 3 was fairly padded, episode 4 is basically pure padding.  Jamie spends most of the episode playing Victorian Gladiators with Kemel, who initially starts out as an opponent but joins Jamie's side after Jamie saves his life.  The two of them then slowly make their way through the house, dodging lethal traps on their way to Victoria.  (And it's been mentioned before, but the Daleks want to isolate the Human Factor by subjecting Jamie to deadly surprise traps -- as if leaping out of the way is somehow an innate human quality.)  This means there's a lot of fighting and action going on, but as this episode only exists on audio this is a bit of a drawback -- although the telesnaps do make it seem like it was at least interestingly directed.

There's also a bit of stuff with Waterfield and Maxtible as they remove Toby's body from the house (exterminated last episode while looking for things to steal), where Waterfield announces his intention to "confess my part in all that has happened" once Victoria is safe.  It helps humanize Waterfield and also show that Maxtible is a bit of a snake, as he's ready to kill Waterfield until Terrall prevents him.  And we learn why Maxtible is going along with the Daleks: not because they have some hold over him as they do Waterfield, but because of simple greed; the Daleks are apparently going to tell him how to transmute metal into gold.

But yes, episode 4 is mainly about Jamie and Kemel's slow journey through Maxtible's house of horrors (and just how big is this house anyway?), with occasional prefilmed inserts of the Doctor deciding what parts of Jamie's reactions should make up the Human Factor (prefilmed because Troughton's on vacation this week).  These two episodes could have been condensed down into one without any problems, but as it is, we get a  journey that was probably a lot more tense and dramatic when seen rather than when heard.







³⁵ Actually, is there a satisfying answer as to why season 4 has an odd number of episodes?  Season 2 had an odd number because of the Planet of Giants incident, and season 3 has an odd number as a result of needing to make up that "lost" episode.  But season 4 seems to have an odd number just because the last two seasons did, rather than for any specific production-related reason.

March 24: The Evil of the Daleks Episodes 1 & 2

We end up with a direct cliffhanger from The Faceless Ones -- the TARDIS was stolen at the end of last episode, and now we're investigating with the Doctor and Jamie as to its whereabouts.  They're given a set of clues to follow, but it turns out the clues are being deliberately planted; whoever stole the TARDIS is banking on the Doctor's cleverness.

The identity of that person is ultimately one Edward Waterfield, who seems to be going out of his way to demonstrate that he's not from around here: he has no knowledge of contemporary slang and generally has the manner of an awkward Victorian gentleman.  He's also supplying what appear to be excellent replicas of Victoriana, which seem to come from a strange machine in his back room -- which is where he speaks to his unseen and unheard bosses.  Gee, I wonder who they'll turn out to be?

The Doctor successfully follows the trail of breadcrumbs left for him and meets up with Waterfield's assistant Perry, who lets him know that Mr. Waterfield would like to meet with him at 10 pm.  Meanwhile, Waterfield's hired goon Kennedy goes snooping, and comes face to eyestalk with a Dalek...

Episode 2 is yet another one that exists as the result of a return from a private collection (and thus gives hope that there are other episodes out there from stories with only a few prints struck -- The Evil of the Daleks appears to have only had three copies made for international sales, yet one of the episodes managed to survive), and so we can see what's going on.  This means we see Kennedy's extermination at the top of the episode, and we see the Doctor and Jamie fall into the trap that Waterfield has laid.  The rest of the episode takes a bit of a turn, as we move from Chelsea 1966 to outside Canterbury 1866 and the home of Theodore Maxtible.  It seems he and Waterfield were conducting experiments with mirrors and electricity; when they tried static electricity, they attracted the attention of the Daleks, who have forced the two to work for them in trapping the Doctor.  The Daleks are being quite devious here; they've kidnapped Waterfield's daughter Victoria in order to get his cooperation, and they seem to have some sort of hold over Maxtible as well.  Maxtible surmises that the Daleks want to isolate the Human Factor, to work out what it is that humans have that allows them to defeat the Daleks and then use that knowledge against them.  And it seems that they want Jamie to be the test subject to help isolate that factor.  Only it seems that someone has kidnapped Jamie...

These two episodes are a bit pacy, but they're also effective in setting up the mood of the piece.  There's a sense of danger even before the Daleks make their appearance, with a few bits of mystery added in to help keep things interesting.  It's a good start -- we'll have to see what happens next...

March 23: The Faceless Ones Episodes 5 & 6

Episode 5 sees things starting to fall into place; the Doctor gets a lead as he proves that Meadows has been replaced by a Chameleon, and Meadows shows his willingness to cooperate -- self-preservation is clearly a higher priority for him than loyalty.  Although this is the part where we learn that the Chameleons lost their identities in a "gigantic explosion."  I'm not sure how that works, but I guess we can give them the benefit of the doubt.  Meanwhile, Jamie sneaks aboard the Chameleon space station but is soon caught, and Sam is at the mercy of the Chameleon nurse.  It's quite entertaining, and things progress as the Doctor enters and the nurse is killed when the white armband is ripped off her double (although oddly, the Doctor asks Meadows where the nurse keeps her original despite having discovered it last episode -- maybe he's just making sure Meadows isn't lying).

And then Jamie's identity is taken over by a Chameleon too!  That's very effective, not just because it means the Doctor has now lost all three of his companions to the Chameleons, but also because possessed Jamie talks in a standard Received Pronunciation accent instead of his usual Scottish one; a nice subtle way to make it clear that Jamie's also not Jamie.  But we're moving into the final phase, as the Doctor heads on board the final Chameleon flight, posing as a Chameleon himself.  Except the Chameleons haven't been fooled, and he's captured basically right after he arrives on their space station...

Captain Blade informs the Doctor that they know he's not a
Chameleon. (The Faceless Ones Episode 6 - from Doctor Who
Photonovels: The Faceless Ones - Episode Six) ©BBC

Episode 6 is pretty thrilling too, as Gatwick Airport is engaged in a race against time to find the originals of the people the Chameleons are impersonating before the Chameleons leave for their home planet, taking 50,000 young people with them.  There're some shenanigans with Troughton as he destroys a processing unit, and a fight in the parking lot among Meadows, Sam, and Jean Rock that was probably entertaining.  There's also a great moment where they finally find the originals and pull the white armband off one of the people getting ready to process the Doctor; the Chameleons quickly change their tune once it's clear that Gatwick Airport isn't bluffing.  And, interestingly, the Doctor doesn't readily condemn the Chameleons for their actions; he makes them return everyone they've kidnapped, but he allows them go on their way (so long as they don't go back to their old ways) and even suggests he might be able to help them.  It's a surprisingly gentle resolution, particularly for this era of the show.

And finally, on film, we get to see Ben and Polly again (having been gone since episode 2), only for them to say goodbye.  It turns out that it's the same day Ben and Polly left (which suggests that War Machines were terrorizing London while Chameleons were kidnapping people across Europe), and so they want to resume their own lives.  Farewell then to Ben and Polly, who were also seemingly written out of a story halfway through like Dodo -- but at least this time we got a final goodbye scene with them.

The Faceless Ones is a good, enjoyable tale.  You get a sense of the show finding a viable direction, as the idea of people putting their lives into the hands of the people operating the planes mixes with the fear of loss of identity.  There are also some good authority clashes with the Doctor that turn into a grudging trust, and really the first Jamie/Doctor interplay we see.  It's also paced well, which helps no end.  The final result is the best story since Troughton made his debut in The Power of the Daleks.

March 22: The Faceless Ones Episodes 3 & 4

Episode 3 was returned in 1987, so we can also watch this.

There's not much that actually happens in this episode, but it's filled with enough incident along the way to stay entertaining.  We do learn a little more about Chameleon Tours, and the Doctor gets a chance to do more investigating.  Ben and Polly are still missing, which means the Doctor and Jamie get more opportunities to really bounce off each other, and they make a splendid double act.  The Doctor also comes in contact with a new authority figure, Detective Inspector Crossland, who, it turns out, was the partner of the man murdered in episode 1 -- and unlike the Commandant, he's willing to believe the Doctor's story.  This means the Doctor gets to go back into air traffic control with the Commandant.

The Doctor demonstrates an alien freezing pen for the
Commandant, DI Crossland, and Jean Rock. (The Faceless Ones
Episode 3) ©BBC

Watching these scenes, it strikes you how at home Troughton is causing havoc.  The scenes in The Moonbase felt forced, but this feels much more natural, as the Doctor disrupts things just by being there, and he does it in a way that it's difficult to imagine Hartnell doing.  It's quite wonderful to behold.  And while Ben and Polly are missed, it does give Jamie a chance to shine, and his interactions with Sam Briggs are lovely, as he's awkward yet fiercely loyal to the Doctor.

And then DI Crossland heads onto one of the Chameleon Tours airplanes and learns that the people onboard are being kidnapped and disappearing on the plane...

Episode 4 is another enjoyable episode, even if it does have a silly "set up a slow moving laser beam to kill our heroes and then leave the room" action from the villain (and here we note that Goldfinger came out only three years earlier).  Sam then goes off to get onto a Chameleon Tours flight, and Jamie doesn't want to let her, so he steals her ticket while giving her a kiss -- the telesnaps don't tell us how chaste the kiss was, but it sounds like it was more than just a peck on the cheek...

And the other events are nice; the Doctor investigates the medical facility and discovers the real nurse in a cupboard, and Jean Rock learns that Chameleon Tours picks up people at airports around Europe, but it never drops off passengers -- while the Doctor seems to have already worked out what's happening.  "How high can fighters go these days, Commandant?" he asks.  When told the answer is "ten miles plus," he's dismissive: "How futile."  And indeed, we learn that the airplanes are actually spaceships, heading up to a station in orbit.  But what the Doctor doesn't know is that Jamie is on board (albeit not miniaturized like the other passengers since he was sick in the bathroom at the time).  It's a good story, paced and written well -- let's hope they can finish strong.

March 21: The Faceless Ones Episodes 1 & 2

Episode 1 exists!  Hooray!

Time has clearly passed since The Macra Terror, since Polly got a short haircut in that story and now it's long and flowing.  There's an energy here that's quite wonderful.  We start off with the TARDIS crew running across Gatwick Airport, which means that we can get them split up more quickly and get them into trouble more easily.  So Polly sees a murder happen within the first couple minutes, and the stage is set -- since this murder seems to have happened with a ray gun...

This story sees Troughton's first real direct conflict with authority figures.  He's had some conflict before, particularly in the last story, but there the Pilot was rather ineffectual as a leader.  Here he's up against the Commandant, who can more than hold his own.  We also see the first real interplay between Jamie and the Doctor, as the Doctor repeatedly elbows Jamie as he blurts out things about the TARDIS.  And set against this, the murder mystery with the airline pilots from Chameleon Tours who are definitely not of this Earth is proceeding nicely, as they first kidnap Polly and then bring a strange being to the medical facility: an eponymous "faceless one"...

Episode 2 continues the fun, as Polly reappears but apparently knows nothing of the Doctor or Jamie.  So we get another possession of a companion, but this one doesn't even have something for Polly to struggle against, since it seems to be Polly but not Polly.  Then there's some fun in a photo booth, as the Doctor and Ben flash cheesy grins at the camera while they work out their next move; Jamie looks completely confused, wonderfully.  Meanwhile the "faceless one" gains a face, as it appears to take on the appearance and identity of one of the air traffic controllers -- a creepy idea, especially when you realize this must be what happened to Polly as well...

Then the Doctor goes to clash with the Commandant some more about Chameleon Tours, while Jamie meets up with plucky Liverpudlian Samantha Briggs, who's investigating the disappearance of her brother on Chameleon Tours.  And then Ben is kidnapped by the Chameleon Tours people too!  It's a fun, exciting episode, with an intriguing mystery and enough incident along the way to keep the audience tuning in.  So far so good.

March 20: The Macra Terror Episodes 3 & 4

So how do you get out of a cliffhanger where everyone's seen that the Controller of the colony is himself being controlled by an alien creature?  Why, just order the people to forget what they've seen!

This episode doesn't have much happen, but there's quite a bit of Troughton flexing his mental muscles; he works out a complicated formula regarding the gas and he also tries to work out the purpose of the gas.  He, Jamie, and Polly have been sent to work in the mines, which pump a huge amount of gas for an unknown purpose.  Ben is still working for the colony under hypnosis, but he's starting to break free of their influence a bit.  And Jamie manages to find a way out of the mine into a disused shaft, where he encounters some Macra.  And that's basically it; it doesn't sound like much, but it is an entertaining episode -- hearing Troughton at work is a delight, and you wish you could see it.  Here, more than anything that's come before, is the first real instance of Troughton's Doctor as we know him, where he finds the right balance between quiet humor and quiet investigation.  No slamming heads on tables or dressing up as old beggars here.

The Doctor and Polly find the Macra in the control room of the
colony. (The Macra Terror Episode 4 - from Doctor Who
Photonovels: The Macra Terror - Episode Four) ©BBC

Episode 4 ties it all together.  The Doctor and Polly rescue Jamie from the Macra by pumping fresh air into the disused shaft, and then they head into an unused door where they find the Macra controlling operations.  When they show the Pilot, the Macra panic and start issuing orders to have the Doctor, Polly, Jamie, and the Pilot killed.  But Ben has overcome his influence and saves the day, presumably killing all the Macra in the process.  Er, yes...  That's certainly the impression given, and even the earlier descriptions of the Macra as a bacteria or type of germ don't really soften this point.  The script hopes you don't notice, as it moves on to a parade in the "strangers" ' honor, but it's a bit of a sticking point.  No wonder Russell T. Davies retconned this 40 years later in "Gridlock".

Still, this is a story that seems very visual -- there are lots of sequences of throbbing heartbeats and quiet music with no dialogue to illuminate what's going on, which suggests that this is another one of those stories that we really need to see to evaluate.  But unlike, say, The Celestial Toymaker, what we have on the soundtrack inspires confidence.  In a story about paranoia and possession that's also about giant crabs, there's an element of subtlety that's rather lacking, but what we get instead sounds like a solid, entertaining tale.

March 19: The Macra Terror Episodes 1 & 2

No episodes of The Macra Terror exist, so back to the soundtracks...

Look!  A new title sequence!  Still howlround graphics, but now Patrick Troughton's face is included -- along with a new serif-font version of the show's name.  Exciting stuff!

So writer Ian Stuart Black has given us a similar sort of set-up here as in The Power of the Daleks: we have an isolated Earth colony with something horrible lurking at its heart.  But while The Power of the Daleks had its enemy in plain view, here there's just a suggestion of something horrible.  On the surface in fact the colony seems quite pleasant, with people acting contentedly.  There are some awful cheery songs playing to motivate people (drawn, it seems, from British holiday camps, where holidaygoers would go on a strict regimented vacation run by relentlessly cheery hosts).  But there's one person, Medok, who's not buying into things, because he's seen something horrible ("Have fun while you can, before they crawl all over you!" he memorably yells at one point).  What's interesting is that the Doctor is immediately drawn to Medok and seems to find him more trustworthy than those running the colony -- perhaps not surprising, given how thuggish chief of police Ola is, but on the other hand the Pilot is perfectly friendly and reasonable; yet it's Medok that the Doctor believes.  It turns out he's right to, as there is something horrible lurking at the heart of things: something terrible with glowing eyes.  And here we have to wonder if the actual video was as dark and murky as the telesnaps, or whether you could actually kind of make out what you were looking at.

A Macra attacks Polly. (The Macra Terror Episode 2) ©BBC

Episode 2 shows the colony attempting to assert control over the Doctor and his friends.  He's arrested with Medok and forced to explain his actions.  Medok covers for him (although the Doctor doesn't seem thrilled by this -- it looks like he wanted to have a direct confrontation with the Pilot about what he'd seen), so the Doctor is set free.  But the Controller of the colony (issuing orders from a video screen with a still image) doesn't want dissent, so he orders that the Doctor and company be hypnotized into supporting the colony and not asking questions -- after all, "There is no such thing as Macra!  Macra do not exist!"  The treatment doesn't work on Jamie, and the Doctor is able to stop it before Polly succumbs, but it's too late for Ben.  So one of the regulars has been hypnotized and is working against the Doctor -- something that hasn't happened since The War Machines (also by Ian Stuart Black).  But he doesn't get much of a chance to betray his friends; he gets Ola to come and lock the Doctor up for tampering with the colony's equipment, but then Polly runs off to find him with Ben chasing after, and they encounter the Macra -- and we get a full view of these strange crab-like monsters (assuming the end of episode 1 really was as unilluminating as it seemed).  But when Polly tries to explain what she's seen, Ben can't quite bring himself to back her up.  This leads to the Doctor accusing the Pilot of having a fake Controller, and they insist upon seeing him -- after which we see an old, uncertain man menaced by a giant claw...  You'd think the Macra would know better than to show themselves so blatantly (or even let the real Controller be seen at all), but I guess when you need a cliffhanger, logic is thrown to the winds.