| UNDERWORLD by Bob Baker & Dave Martin |
| Story 96 Synopsis: The TARDIS has drifted to the fringes of the universe. To avoid being caught in a nebula, the Doctor moves the ship towards a signal, which seems to be from a spaceship. He finds evidence that it is a Minyan ship, the R1C, which reminds him of a pivotal moment in Time Lord history. The Minyan crew turn out to be on a Quest, to find their lost Race Banks. They travel into the nebula, and find that a whole world has built up around the P7E, the ship they're looking for. They help free the Trogs, who are worked as serfs by the Seers, who guard the Race Banks. With the Doctor's help and guidance, the Race Banks are retrieved from the Oracle, the megalomaniac computer from the P7E, which has taken over the colony. The Minyans take the Trogs with them on their ship, and when the P7E is destroyed, they are able to head safely for Minyos II. |
| Review:- What to do with a story that rather over-references a famous legend? Well, here, the tale of Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece is thinly transposed to become the bold quest of Jackson and the Minyans to find their Race Banks. In many ways, this is not a problem, and the basic idea of a society which has evolved over time into different castes, despite coming from one source, worked well enough in The Face Of Evil. But, and it's a big but, here the conflict is more direct, and less effective. The other main criticism of the story is the over-reliance on CSO to stand in for set designs of caves. There is potential for this approach, as it allows quite dramatic backdrops (as was the case in the early years). Sadly, the basic cave patterns rather mar this opportunity. The Doctor and Leela manage to remain reasonable to their characters, in the face of a bit of a runaround plot. The Minyans are rather boldly written and acted. Jackson the cool captain contrasts with the headstrong Herrick. Their shield-guns are nicely designed, and they make for convincing rescuers of the Trogs. It is also subtle that whereas the Minyans fear the Time Lords as gods, the Trogs see the Minyans as gods. The Trogs are rather weakly created and presented, even considering their lowly enslaved status. The struggles of Idas and Idmon fail to engage at all. It is also amusing that the heretic views of Idmon, that there is a space of stars and planets will later get more coverage in The Ribos Operation, under Binro. The Seers are credible bullies, as much slaves to the Oracle as the Trogs are slaves to them. Their hooded masks are reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan, which is another stylistic nod to the brutality of slavery. The Oracle is a machine that has gone mad, much like many others in the series. It's bluff being double-bluffed by the Doctor is a nice conclusion, reflecting the power of imagination over machines. The special effects of spaceships (and in particular, the planet formation cliffhanger to episode 1) are worthy of praise, especially as this was made a decade before Red Dwarf, for example. Overall, it's not as bad as people seem to suggest, and although the episodes seem quite short, there is a lot to enjoy. |
| Disclaimer: I've seen the video, and read the book. |