First 3 eps are quite engaging and the pace nips along.
Ben and Polly noticeably disappear in ep2.
Jamie and Sam Briggs make a replacement team almost effortlessly. Pauline Collins plays a very modern, cheeky Liver bird style of character that was no doubt immediately attractive to the production team. She did get asked and her answer was 'no, thanks'.
This is a 'base under siege' story with a domestic, metropolitan difference. Set in an airport no less.
The airport commandant (Colin Gordon) is vaguely special guest star-ish and absurdly grumpy from start to finish.
The last three eps seem whacky on paper but in a recon they seem surprising. There are certain weird bits in the plot. The Chameleons plan is insane. The last ep seems rushed and less than well thought out. Bodies in cars in the carpark for days even weeks without water, food or wee breaks would either leak, die or cook wouldn't they?
The taken over Jamie talks English not Scottish. Creepy.
This is just the second story wholly set in the (close) to present day and is more like a proto Pertwee story than anything. The plot is a sort of proto Auton story which in turn is based on the 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' body replacement trope.
Unlike The War Machines it centres on an alien presence rather than a man made threat (WOTAN and the machines.) That seems to work better for DW. The next one like this is Web of Fear. This concept is the chink of light at the end of the "base under siege" tunnel.
ABM Rating 3.30/4.00
LJM Rating 3.50/5.00
SPJ Rating 6.50/10.00
No. 13 (out of 35)
Link to Cumulative Rankings
Rankings Scoreboard
No comments:
Post a Comment