aWill Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start...
Day 268: Doctor Who and the Silurians, Episode Four
Dear diary,
As this episode began, and we got to watch back yesterday's cliffhanger, in which the Silurian advances on the Doctor, and Pertwee attempts to stretch his eyes wider and wider, I wondered if I should make a note about the way he reacts to seeing the alien for the first time. After all, he didn't really get a chance to react to the Nestene before it started to strangle him, so this could be his moment for encountering a new alien menace for the very first time…
And then the most brilliant thing happened. The Doctor held out his hand to shake adding, 'hello! Are you a Silurian?'
I actively had to pause the DVD, because I was too busy hooting with laughter. How utterly brilliant! I mentioned yesterday that I'd managed to avoid knowing all that much about this story, but how has that moment passed me by for all these years? It's a great way to come out from the cliffhanger, and a great way to set up this Doctor and his way of dealing with other creatures.
I'm so very glad to see that the ongoing tension between the Brigadier and the Doctor is all turning out to be part of the major plot in this story. It's not simply that the pair don't see eye-to-eye, but rather that they're very different men. The Brigadier is all about simply moving into the caves to flush out the problem, whereas the Doctor knows that there's something more of interest to do. The theme of this entire tale can best be summed up by Miss Dawson: 'we must destroy them before they destroy us!'
It struck me today that perhaps the reason the Doctor isn't too keen on his former friend at the moment is because he's effectively serving as his jailer. It's the Time Lords who have sentenced the Doctor to life stuck on Earth at this time, but the Brigadier calling him in for missions simply reminds him of that fact. Every time he's called in it just hammers home the point that he has to get involved - because he's not going anywhere!
He loves Human Beings, but I can see why they might not be his favourite species at just this moment. I always associate the Tenth Doctor as being the most anti military incarnation, but the Third Doctor here is just as clear about his dislike for the ways of mankind. He's furious at the thought that there's a whole new race to study and they're already preparing to head down there and wipe it out. No wonder that he's interested in listening to the Silurian's side of the story and trying to branch out - he'd probably rather share his exile on Earth with them!
There came a point in today's episode where Dr. Lawrence and the Permanent Under-Secretary discussed the pressure of running such an expensive operation as this facility, and spoke of how the power failures were a potential risk to Lawrence's career, and how much money had been poured into the project, that I suddenly realised something. I was watching a proper drama. Forget all the lizard people and their pet dinosaur in the caves, this was a real, proper, drama.
And I loved it! We're halfway into a seven-part story and watching several minutes of government workers discuss the practicalities of running a power plant. It should be rubbish! I should be sitting here, telling you how boring it is, and how much I wish they'd just get on with it, and how if they cut things like this out, the whole story could be much shorter and much better… but I don't need to. Because it's all vital. The entire programme feels as though it's growing up, and as much as I loved all the rushing about and comical stuff n the Troughton era, this feels like the perfect reaction to it all. The programme is taking itself seriously, without going over the top, and it really works…
