Doctor Who continued …

For the most part, I enjoyed this one.  Clever use of editing (which must have been tough at the time on the BBC’s budget) to give us Barbara’s viewpoint as well as that of everyone else was very effective.

The ending lets it down a little.  The order is given to “destroy” Barbara, only for her to end up in the stronghold of the brains who went to the same school as the Daleks when it comes to technology.  A quick smash-up, and that’s their lot.

With a little bit of rewriting, the ending could have worked.  They could have had it such that it’s the Doctor and/or Susan that isn’t “brainwashed” (because they’re not human), or even have Ian and/or Barbara not brainwashed (because they are), and for the brains in jars to have them brought to them so they can determine why it didn’t work on them.  Then a quick smash, and all is over.

Instead we get “oh, so glad you disobeyed us and brought her to us so that we can burble out the plot before our destruction”, which doesn’t really work.

The rock on the forehead really doesn’t work either.  It relies on all four of them falling into a deep sleep at the same time.  Then, presumably, someone had to remove the rocks before they woke up – at which point they would have noticed that Barbara’s fell off.  How come no one noticed?  Given that they all got group-brainwashed from a flash of light before, it’s odd that the same thing can’t be used again.

Next time … The Screaming Jungle