So lets get the first bit out of the way quickly - yes, the effects were darned dodgy even by my standards; yes, there was about as much running and rescuing as the Visitation; yes, it desperately needed to use the word "Russian" instead of "our human enemies" (though with the translation circuit functioning, arguably the "enemies" could turn out to be the Americans. That'd add another layer of ambiguity...but my point is, it was blatantly more about 1984 than 2084) - and there's only so much you can do with a base under siege: the plot basics are nothing you won't recognise.
But the sets were brilliant, the Myrka could have been worse (best monster in the episode - the Silurians and Sea Devils were the true disappointments here), the supporting cast were a lot of fun and as with all my faves, morally pitch black at times - "there should have been a better way" could be setting the tone for the entire season.
I just want to love this show - let me. It's so easy to criticise, but what's the point? It just means I've spent an hour and a half watching something terrible instead of something great? Always look on the overlit side of life - ignore what was irredeemably bad, let memory work on the things that were almost OK, and cling to the good stuff like a liferaft. How the hell do you approach the classic series without blind faith and optimism? I've still only seen one episode which was painfully bad in every way - that's Fear Her. Not even the Doctor was good in that.
It's all about character. Where else do you get the opportunity to see the Doc beat someone up, and apologise to them at the same time? Lecturing the, how shall we put this, Russian agent about putting the Silurian threat above petty human concerns, then chasing instantly off after Tegan. And most priceless of all, grimly suggesting Tegan politely ask the Myrka to go away while rigging up the light gun; or, a little mocking at the approach which has worked so spectacularly for the previous two seasons - I don't know what Frontios and Awakening are like, but there's a definite theme running in the other three. Caves isn't meant to be much of a picnic either.
Now I can't deny there is some dodgy characterisation in here too - the questionable action of setting the reactor on overload, for example; or the aforementioned fight sequence, which was fun, but not quite Five - but you can give me the last episode, surely? It's another one where everything goes to pot, where he can't talk anyone around to his point of view, and he can't start firing either.
Even the last ten minutes are priceless enough for me - the Doc letting the countdown tick while he looks for a non-lethal solution, getting the gas switched off as quickly as possible, attempting to revive the dead Silurians with oxygen while he defuses the missiles, and companions shooting them while he's out of the way.
Everybody dies! Funtimes! Dead sea devils, dead crew, and a little more dead idealism. It's a tragedy in slow motion - they run across the gas in the first few minutes, and from that moment its inevitable. We all know that it's the most sensible option - even the Doctor - which is what makes this for such an interesting episode. Everyone knows how it has to end, its just how long the Doc can keep thinking of alternatives.
And this is why our show is unfailingly better than Torchwood, who'd have sprung the gas as soon as they'd found it (while sleeping with half the extras), and produced a show half as complex and half as long. Probably would have saved more people in the long run too, but that's not the point. Not shooting always makes for better television.
Turlough and Tegan have a lot of good stuff too - this TARDIS team is just irresistible. It makes for a pretty good examination of Turlough's bravery, for example - the times he fights, or runs, attempts to be doctorly, or goes back to being his old squirmy self are great fun. They all spend a lot of the time rescuing each other, but while in the Visitation it just seems like a way to stretch the plot out to four episodes, here the situations are just too cute, and it ramps up the mad claustrophobia of the situation.
I just want to get ahold of the DVD, and take a digital scrape to it. Dim the lights, CG in a better monster, cut all the scenes when men in monster suits are talking to other men in monster suits. Because I've got a damn good imagination, these things rarely matter to me. I don't notice - if the actors have the decency to mime scared, then I'm scared. So to damn an episode (seemingly) on this alone has always seemed a bit meaningless to me. And I didn't even think the lighting was too bad. The bright white gave the station a definite sense of atmosphere. Not a creepy, dark and foggy atmosphere, for sure, which maybe did make it less scary, but it did feel like a real place. Crucially, it marks it out as different from Resurrection of the Daleks' dankfest prisonship. With all the chasing around that happens in that later episode, they might feel too similar if not visually so different. We'd already done industrial-base with Terminus and Earthshock too - you'd think that any civilisation desigining a military base wouldn't deliberately make it morale-destroyingly ugly. In addition, the misery of the crew is integral to both Terminus and Resurrection - and Earthshock's captain isn't that happy either. Liked the uniforms too.
Having taken a good look at internet criticisms, I hardly have the heart to go through and refute them one at a time - I still can't quite see what everyone's problem is. Everyone's so busy picking on the Myrka that they don't quite get around to the plot. It's a poor man's Resurrection of the Daleks, from the marked-for-death crew to the use of lethal gas. But I still enjoyed it. I'm also talking from the perspective of a new fan - I haven't seen the older Silurian eps, so the continuity messes passed me by, and the reappearance of a great monster didn't come as a disappointment.
And roll on season 21! It all starts here - I'm not sure whether as much thought went into series arcs as it does now, but there's definitely something to be found if you want to look. The first person we're introduced to here is Maddox, who is alright to be a part of firing the missiles, but doesn't want to actually do it. Even if someone else is responsible, it's still him who causes it. It's a wonderful little performance, and maybe deliberately meant to remind you of someone in particular? It certainly sets the tone. Look at the little links - here, the massacre on the base and (almost) destruction of Earth all comes because he spends an hour and a half trying not to gas the reptiles. But he's the first to break out the Movellan Virus in Resurrection, almost as soon as he works out what it is. The death toll is already horrific by then, but he wastes no time. Its the action of someone who's had a think back on the last time he was in this situation. The same goes for his failure to correct a previous mistake with Davros' death - it's almost certainly the catalyst for letting the Master fry in Planet of Fire. Just don't get me started on the Turlough-Adric connection.
It all depends on your priorities. Canon-bunnies will hide behind their Pertwees, SFX-gurus will point and laugh at the effects and a certain cabal of Tom Baker fans endlessly remind us that the difference between a good story and a bad story is merely how bright the lights are. I like the characters, episodes which have the gall to criticise its hero, and I like the heartbreakers. Tick tick tick. Bring on The Awakening!
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