Saturday 1st February 1964 - The Rescue

 

"This senseless, evil killing!"

So ends the 7-part adventure which began just before Christmas. After the slow preceding episodes, this is fast-paced and ends with an exhausting - if poorly edited - climax. Obviously, the small production budget makes the battle between Thals and Daleks something quite limited and undermines the attempts by the creative team to infuse some moralising about the futility of war. Noting anti-nuclear sentiments is hardly surprising considering the Daleks intend to spread radiation across Skaro.

Action is split between Ian's group seemingly trapped in the caves below the Dalek city and the Dalek control room where the Doctor and Susan are held captive. We're supposed to consider this in terms of the waste of life in conflict (Antodus sacrifices himself at the start and dead Thals and Daleks are scattered across the Control Room at the end).

After two months and the grip that Doctor Who made on the British imagination, there's still the question of who The Doctor actually is. It's left to the Thal, Alydon, to ask this on behalf of us viewers:

ALYDON: Doctor? You know, there never seems to have been time to ask, but we don't really know where you come from, or why.

Which the Doctor obviously avoids answering and we only get the enigmatic comment:

DOCTOR: I'm afraid I'm much too old to be a pioneer. Although I was once amongst my own people.

And adds:

DOCTOR: You wanted advice you said. I never give it. Never. But I might just say this to you. Always search for truth. My truth is in the stars and yours is here.

I get the impression that this adventure has changed the Doctor. He's encountered a senseless evil - in the form of the Daleks - and, I suspect, been galvanised by the heroics of Ian, Barbara and the Thals. He's not the same Doctor we met in Totter's Lane. While he still isn't prepared to roll up his sleeves and get involved with rebuilding Skaro, he is now able to give advice.

Before the travellers depart, there's a brief scene between Barbara and Ganatus. He kisses her hand and she kisses him on the lips. It's a shame that this romance wasn't flagged clearly enough in earlier episodes. Their parting seems awkward and stiff (though, perhaps, that is what Barbara is like). No wonder Ian seemed to be pretty grumpy in the last few episodes.

Alas, the Daleks are all destroyed. The fight sequence in the Control Room suggested that the short-circuit that causes the power drain is caused by an unknown Thal who, despite being shot, manages to struggle with a Dalek and pushes it into a vulnerable console. There's something unfulfilling in the way that it's not anyone we know who does this. Just a random Thal. Shame we won't ever see the Daleks again. Right?

The final scene shows the TARDIS console room with the Doctor skipping around adjusting controls. The others stand about. There seems to be some sort of explosion and everyone falls to the floor.

Next week: The Edge of Destruction.