Previously … The Unwilling Warriors

While we’re still in the ship, the adventure continues as normal.  Some of the decisions by the characters seem a little ropey – such as Susan’s decision to go with the Sensorites.  I know she’s only supposed to be a child, but addressing some of these things in his argument would have come across better from the Doctor.

For instance, Susan says she must go with them otherwise the Sensorites will kill everyone.  It’s pretty much been established that the Sensorites have gone to a lot of trouble to *not* kill anyone, so why would Susan believe this threat?

Secondly, she says that she must go because of the telepathy – which enables her to establish trust with the Sensorites.  Would you trust anyone who threatens to kill all your friends?  I sure wouldn’t.

The Doctor would have been better teaching Susan why her decision was wrong, based on those two points, rather than just say “I’m older than you, so do as I say!”

Labouring the point of Barbara staying behind is something that would probably have worked back in the day, but not with the knowledge that Jacqueline Hill is about to have a fortnight off.  Her saying “I don’t mind staying behind” is quite unlike the forthright Barbara that we’ve come to know – the one who wouldn’t have said any such thing in the previous adventure.  Being effectively stranded on the spaceship, out of contact with her friends, without any input into what’s going on to negotiate her freedom?  Does that really sound like Barbara to you?

Once down on the Sense Sphere, the story becomes a little more pedestrian.  This great vaunted “trust” factor we hear about is shown up as a bit of a sham.  Already just about everybody distrusts the City Administrator (who apparently has the power to kill anyone on a whim).  Meanwhile, he distrusts the Elders and has visions of overthrowing them.  Why are the Sensorites worried about trusting the humans, when the level of distrust in their own government is insurmountable?

Then we start to get the notion that the only way to tell Sensorites apart is the sashes and markings they wear – the “worker” class are apparently quite happy in their similarity – yet it’s been apparent since the first time we saw the Sensorites, and infinitely more so now we’ve met more of them, that they are not so similar at all.

The Doctor, too, is somewhat reduced.  Gone is the Doctor that figured out how Ian was framed and where the weapon was hidden and how to trap the real killer from a couple of stories ago, replaced by one that sits through the whole “we use different water and don’t die, others don’t and do” rigamarole and then has to sit pondering while Ian coughs himself into a stupor.

Fortunately, the regular cast and a couple of the guest cast continue to make the episode worth watching despite these relatively minor issues.  Some of which would doubtless have been trimmed up if this had been a four-parter.

Next time … A Race Against Death