Earthshock represents a pivotal turning point in the history of Doctor Who.
Featuring the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison), Nyssa, Tegan, and Adric, the TARDIS crew run afoul of a contingent of Cybermen who are plotting to destroy Earth in the future. After a tense and bitter struggle, which includes a rare physical confrontation inside the TARDIS, the Cybermen are foiled- though at a terrible cost.
Earthshock concludes with the death of Adric, the first time a Companion has died since the First Doctor story The Daleks' Master Plan.
One of the most powerful story elements throughout the history of Doctor Who has been the idea that nobody is safe- not even the Doctor. Adric's death at the end of Earthshock reminded a whole new generation of Whovians just how high the stakes can get.
The Ark In Space, featuring the iconic Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker), Sarah Jane Smith, and Harry Sullivan, is arguably one of the definitive stories of that era. Part of a string of continuous adventures spanning from Robot to Terror of the Zygons, Ark is almost a self-contained highlight reel for the Fourth Doctor era.
The plot, set on a ship carrying the cryogenically-frozen last survivors of the Human Race in a far-flung future, is in line with the claustrophobic, gothic horror typical of stories from this period in the show's history. The tension, the creeping terror, the relative quiet, and the idea of the implacable alien menace among us was so effective that it later served as inspiration for the Alien series. It also featured, in my opinion, one of the best TARDIS team lineups in the history of the show- the chemistry between Four, Sarah Jane, and Harry made for some supurb and unforgettable moments.
The show is probably best known for this scene, where the discovery of the ship's purpose leads the Doctor to remark on the strength and tenacity of the human spirit:
I would go so far as to say, if you're interested at all in exploring Classic-era Who (which is to say, 1963-1989), I would suggest starting with The Ark In Space.
Next up is The Sea Devils, featuring the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Jo Grant.
I've gotta be honest. I love the Third Doctor. He's pompous and well-dressed and utterly ridiculous. This story shows exactly why I love him.
Not because of the story itself- Sea Devils, as a whole, is good but not great. (Typical of a lot of his stories, actually.) It's an interesting meditation on colonialism and exploitation of native cultures, but it doesn't quite go anywhere beyond the same retreads common in sci-fi at the time. (At six episodes, it also drags a bit.) There's also an argument to be made that having to juggle two antagonists- the Sea Devils themselves, and the Master, who was the de facto antagonist for the season- made the plot a little clumsy.
But then, you have scenes like this.
Not only do we have a straight-up sword fight with the Master, the Doctor, clearly with the upper hand here, pauses the duel in the middle to eat a sandwich! His OPPONENT'S sandwich!
Next up in my Who Review series is The Mind Robber, featuring the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Jamie McCrimmon (who has a special place in my heart because of the kilt), and Zoe Heriot.
The Doctor isn't a tough guy. He generally eschews weapons and violence, and some of his incarnations have been straight-up pacifists. He doesn't use force or aggression to save the day (which puts him in stark contrast with many American sci-fi protagonists), but instead he expresses his heroism by being clever.
A criticism that some people make about the Doctor is that he's too powerful (and thus un-relatable from a story perspective). Further, his power comes from his tools- the sonic screwdriver, the psychic paper (in recent years), and, most notably, the TARDIS. The argument is that, even with advanced intelligence and de facto biological immortality, the Doctor is essentially useless without his toys.
Some of my favorite stories, then, are the stories where the Doctor saves the day without access to his stuff.
This is especially true with stories where the TARDIS is inaccessible, malfunctioning, or presumed to be destroyed. Mind Robber is a good early example of this trope. The cliffhanger at the end of Episode One shows the TARDIS being rent asunder, and the inhabitants thrown into the Void.
So here we have the Doctor in a sort of fantasy realm outside normal Time and Space. No TARDIS. No sonic screwdriver. His Companions are missing. Even his cleverness will only carry him so far, since the rules of the world he's operating in are in flux, and change specifically to thwart him! And he finds a way to prevail anyway!
There are a few stories where the Doctor loses everything and still manages to save the day (The Eleventh Hour being an excellent recent example). The Mind Robber is a classic example of that, and quite possibly my favorite Second Doctor story.
I'm going to get this blog started proper by reviewing one story from each of the eleven Doctors.
First up is The Dalek Invasion Of Earth, the last serial to feature the original TARDIS ensemble of First Doctor (William Hartnell), Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton, and Barbara Wright.
I'm not going into a full-fledged recap of the plot, since you can easily find that yourself online. Instead I want to talk about why this was story was significant, both for the character of the Doctor and for the show going forward.
First, we have a sort of coming of age of the Doctor's iconic enemies, the Daleks. Invasion was the first story to feature them since their debut a year earlier in the story titled, appropriately, The Daleks. Feeling pressure to make the Daleks a regular feature of the show due the sudden wild popularity of the creatures, the producers wanted to establish them as a significant threat to the Doctor and the universe he inhabits. Which they did, in a big way- The Doctor and company travel to Earth in the year 2150 to find humanity utterly subjugated by the Daleks, with the few survivors forced into hard labor building a massive doomsday machine. One of the best ways to establish an antagonist as a compelling threat is to show what the world would be like if they won, and Invasion exploits that trope to show the Daleks as menacing and unstoppable.
Second, we have a significant turning point in the development of the Doctor's character. Up until this story, he was portrayed mainly as cantankerous, self-absorbed, and morally dubious, with little regard for the well-being of bystanders he encountered in his travels (or even his Companions when they got in the way). Whereas in previous stories (such as An Unearthly Child/100,000 B.C.) he was prepared to let innocent people suffer or die so long as it didn't stop him from escaping, in Invasion we start seeing the Doctor take greater care for the well-being of bystanders he encounters. This concern for the innocent will, over the coming decades, come to define the character of the Doctor.
Finally, we see the departure of Susan Foreman, ostensibly the First Companion and the Doctor's granddaughter. With the exception of a brief appearance in the 20th Anniversary special The Five Doctors, Susan never returns to the TARDIS, and a major chapter of the Doctor's life closes. (This separation becomes even more poignant in the wake of the Time War.) Continuing the theme of the Doctor's growing compassion, we see the him going all soft on Susan during their parting and giving a speech (starting at 4:35) that is, quite possibly, the defining moment of the First Doctor era.
One of the best qualities of Doctor Who has been the poignant, heart-wrenching emotion behind the stories, and the unshakable bonds of affection between the Doctor and the Companions. The Dalek Invasion of Earth is one of the first examples of how the show can break your heart.
