Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start...
Day 622: Terminus, Episode Three
Dear diary,
I can’t decide wether or not this is a good story for Nyssa’s departure. On the one hand, things start well, with her being separated from the rest of the TARDIS crew, and then being the one paired with the Doctor while Tegan and Turlough have to crawl around in the ventilation ducts. Since then, though, she’s contracted a disease, and has spent much of today’s episode either whining about being ill, or getting chained up to be taken away by a big dog. The jury is still out, I think…
On the subject of the big dog… I think I’m right in saying that the Garm is one of Doctor Who’s less fondu remembered monster costumes. I don’t think it’s as bad as I was expecting it to be, but it is being shot in a strange way - quite at odds with the skill and precision that Mary Ridge is bringing to other parts of the story. There’s a lot of areas in the set - particularly within the Garm’s own forbidden section of the ship - which have been lit beautifully, really highlighting the shadows and the atmosphere. I’d assumed that this was partly to hide the costume a little, keep it a mysterious, seven-foot dog shape leering out of the dark… but no. The creature moves very quickly from the shadows and into the fully-lit sections of the studio very quickly, even in its first appearance. As I say, it’s not a bad costume, but it would benefit a bit from being kept more mysterious, especially with those glowing eyes.
Something I’d forgotten I knew about Terminus is that it’s all to do with the Big Bang at the start of the universe. There was almost a twinge of recognition when they first discovered that it sat at the exact centre of the universe, but this episode brought it all flooding back. I really love the idea that the start of everything was caused by the venting of spaceship fuel from a time vessel, and watching the Doctor and Kari figure it all out has been fantastic. I think I’m also quite keen on the idea that the second explosion would have the exact opposite effect and bring everything to an end. I can’t remember if they do shunt the ship forward in time to do just that (though I don’t think they do…), but it’s posing some nice ideas for now.
Despite all this… I’m not really sure what to make of Terminus. On the one hand, it’s filled with some great ideas, enough of your standard Doctor Who fare - in the slaves here on Terminus rising up against perceived oppression - to keep things moving, and the direction really is lovely on the whole. But then on the other hand… I’m just not sure about anything. I’m being kept entertained enough by things, but it’s hardly leaving me screaming out for more, and desperate to carry on in the way that Mawdryn Undead did. Here’s hoping that tomorrow’s final episode will prove to be both the thing that makes the story stand out in my mind, and also work as a fitting departure for Nyssa…
