Doctor Who, season 2 continued …

We now get to the “city” part of Mechanus and meet the Mechanoids.  I understand that the Mechanoids were an attempt at replicating the success of the Daleks.  I can’t honestly see how they expected that to happen.  Daleks may have had trouble getting up the stairs, but two Mechanoids together can’t get through a doorway.

Switching to model shots of the Mechanoids moving through the Mechanoid city is ambitious but, sadly, not at all effective.  The first scene with Steven Taylor is much better, though, and the episode immediately discards all pretence at comedy and we finally get down to the serious part of the story as the Daleks close in (except for the Daleks’ panic-stricken “I am exterminated!”).  Hartnell seems to have an immediate affinity with Steven, which is good to see.  Steven’s enthusiasm is a nice contrast to the more conservative outlook of Ian & Barbara and provides a nice counterpoint to Hartnell’s more contemplative Doctor.

When the Daleks invade, the Doctor sets his gadget up and then leads his friends to the roof for escape.  Vicki is, strangely, turned into the scared little girl which we know she isn’t so that they can lower her to the ground.  While they escape, we’re treated to an epic battle between the Daleks and the Mechanoids (several shots repeated and overlaid, but it’s still very well done).

Going back for his mascot, Steven is separated from the others.  At the Daleks’ ship, Barbara and Ian decide to ask the Doctor if they can use the Dalek ship to return home.  The Doctor refuses in an excellent heated argument, and it takes Vicki to convince him to help.  The Doctor doesn’t want to look back when the Daleks’ time machine dematerialises.  The contrast between jubilation of defeating the Daleks, and their escape, to the Doctor not wanting to lose the schoolteachers is extremely well done.  We often hear people talk about the leaving of Susan, or of Jo Grant, but this is a nicely done departure scene as well.

Ian & Barbara return home two years late, and they take a moment to destroy the Daleks’ time ship.  The fun slideshow of the two of them reconnecting with their London roots is a great scene, especially when they see a policebox.  Watching their first bus journey on the Time/Space visualiser is a relieved Vicki and a sad Doctor.

The TARDIS dematerialises to a string of the story’s silly music and the end of the “first era” of Doctor Who is complete.  I say “first era”, because it was Ian & Barbara’s conversation about their strange pupil that first got us (the audience) interested in the Doctor adventures and, now that they’ve gone, that connection has gone with them.  The show will never be quite the same again.

Next time … The Watcher