| EARTHSHOCK by Eric Saward |
| Story 121 Synopsis: A survey team from Earth are having trouble in some caves. And things don't improve when the TARDIS arrives in the caves. Plus, the caves are inhabited by 2 mysterious robots, who murder members of the survey team. As the Doctor and co meet the surveyors, the robots attack. The Doctor helps nobble them, and realises that they were guarding a hatchway. Behind that is a bomb, which the Doctor tries to defuse. Having done that, he takes the survey team with him to the source of the signal that triggered the bomb - a spaceship bound for Earth. The Doctor and Adric investigate, but are accused of murder. The survey team leave for the control deck, and the Doctor realises that the ship's cargo of 15,000 silos contains Cybermen. The Cybermen awaken, and take over the ship. They plan to stop a vital peace conference currently taking place on Earth which will oppose the Cyber-race. The Doctor keeps thwarting them, so they change tack, leaving the ship locked on course, so it will crash into Earth, obliterating much of the surface, killing billions. Adric is left on board, and tries frantically to overload the fixed course. A lone surviving Cyberman destroys the controls, and Adric is left to die. He does manage to send the ship back 65 million years, causing the event that wiped out the dinosaurs. The Cybermen are scattered, and the Doctor destroys the Leader who had got into the Console Room. He tries to save Adric, but can't. |
| Review:- Well, this is a major story, for several reasons. First, the return of the Cybermen, after an absence of 7 seasons. And, also the death of a companion, for the 1st time in 16 seasons. One problem with the story is its structure. It feels like two tales bolted together, and the first third (in the caves) is only loosely linked to the remaining two-thirds. Plus, there are elements where script necessity takes precedence over rational action. The plot drives the characters, instead of the other way around, and it leads to some quite foolish moments. When leaving the TARDIS on the spaceship, the Doctor takes Adric, instead of the survey team he rescued specifically to help his search. The Doctor gets quite a lot of good action. Deducing that the hatch is what is being guarded, he then breaks through, defuses the bomb, and traces its source to the spaceship. He blocks the Cybermen as much as he can, and winds up 1 crew member short. Tegan and Nyssa don't really get much to do, except be props for the Cybermen to annoy the Doctor. Also, they provide emotional contrast for the unlucky Adric. The Cybermen are fairly resourceful, and their awakening is exciting television. Their first plan, a bomb, is pretty shrewd, but killing those curious to visit the caves draws attention, and this leads to plan B. The moment where Briggs realises that her hold of 15,000 silos contains Cybermen is great acting. Presumably, after the bomb went off, the Cybermen would take over the ship, and go to take over the galaxy. Or maybe they would land, and cybernise the survivors of the bomb. Considering they outnumber all the civilians, and get an excuse to kill lots of people, they manage to come over as seriously dangerous. Adric is clever, and unlucky, for he is down to die at the hands of a plot convenience. The Cyberman who revives long enough to destroy the computer has to be one of the worst things in the whole production, and unforgivable for creating a mood of sadness. When Adric says farewells to Tegan, the sadness starts, but seeing him alive as the ship plummets to Earth is unemotional. The silent credits are a bit of a kick, but no recompense for the sloppiness of his exit. Overall, a mixed bag. |
| Disclaimer: I've seen the video, and read the book. |