| THE EDGE OF DESTRUCTION by David Whittaker |
| Story 3 AKA: Beyond The Sun, Terror In The TARDIS, Inside The Spaceship Synopsis: There are strange things going on in the TARDIS. The Doctor wants to fix his ship, but feels that Ian and Barbara are deliberately distracting him. Susan is unwell too. The scanner is playing up, and the console becomes electrified. The Doctor cannot get his head around the problem. Clocks are melting, and Ian appears to attack the Doctor. Eventually, Barbara twigs that, far from playing up, the scanner is providing a clear warning message. The Fast Return Switch has become jammed. The TARDIS is perilously far back in time, and has been trying to get through for ages. Unjamming the Switch, the TARDIS is able to return to normal motion, although whether the Doctor can get Ian and Barbara back to 1963 Earth is another matter. |
| Review:- After the gung-ho thrills of the previous few weeks, it's introspection time. Can a cast of 4 people get through 2 episodes without losing the viewers' patience? This story proves what is possible when you put your mind to it. David Whittaker provides a chance to flesh out the characters a bit, whilst still providing a mystery to keep the drama flowing. That it is Barbara who hits on the solution merely confirms her status as the thoughtful, considerate character, whilst Susan is tightly wound, again, and the Doctor takes blissful ignorance to new heights. When the chips are down, and there are no clues, it is reassuring that the Doctor is still vulnerable enough to not have a clue what is going on. This story is a unique product of its time, that no-one would have made later, because the Doctor's character later becomes too all-knowing. Even the revamped post-The Burning Doctor wouldn't have made such a bad job in this situation. Of course, he would have had Fitz (boom-boom!), whereas here, Ian is about as useful as the proverbial chocolate teapot. I like it for its uniqueness. For its character studies. For it being short yet perfectly formed. Considering I wrote the above before even seeing the story, I don't think I'm too inaccurate. I must mention the Doctor's blind determination that Ian & Barbara are the baddies, mainly since Susan the loopy forgets what she knows, and backs him. Most of the things that happen are inexplicable to the audience. And does anyone think the phrase "time was taken away from us, but now it's being given back because it's running out" (approx) makes any sense? |
| Disclaimer: I have read the novelisation, and I have seen the video. |