Doctor Who - The Rescue (1965)
This is the first review of the first Doctor, here. This is very important in Doctor Who history. The Doctor's Grand-Daughter, Susan had left to start a new life with rebel David in The Dalek Invasion Of Earth (1964) to start a new life in a devastated Earth (I know, I guess love knows no boundaries when you want to spend the rest of your life, with some guy you've barely met, on a semi-destroyed planet. I wouldn't know..) Obviously Barbara & Ian worry that The Doctor is taking one siesta too many. Oh, Barbara, I guess it's a kind of bereavement..
They land on the planet Dido, & a crashed Earth rocket-ship from the year 2494, where a lone Vicki is sending an S.O.S. With her is the other surviving crewmate, Bennett. Ian & Barbara are happily surprised to see an Earth-ship, complete with British Union-Jack (sorry, Rose) flag. Yes, gosh, cool Britannia! Such jingoism, having typed that, look at American Science Fiction & let's weed out the same patriotic pride in those decades long examples!
Any-who, back here, someone is terrorising Vicki & Bennett. One of the 'nice' natives Koquillion comes & goes to occasionally sell his threats to them, y'know, that sort of thing. This doesn't make sense to The Doctor, the small populace of Dido are a peace-loving race! Barbara, unfortunately, gets to demonstrate her alien-killing prowess, yet again, by murdering Vicki's pet monster. Whilst Vicki is upset, The Doctor gets to demonstrate his Grandfatherly traits to Vicki instantly winning her over.
Let's all sit down for tea!
WHY is this so fab I hear you ask? Never mind that genocide has been committed (not counting Barbara's indiscretions) but, our monster is not all that he seems. This episode is a two-parter & still hales back to a story-arc from the beginning of time (sue me!) when individual episodes still had titles. This may as well be The Adventures Of Ian & Barbara story arc which this actually, technically is, since they were originally kidnapped & brought to adventures that endured their comprehension!
Bennet!
I LOVE Vicki's take on Barbara's & Ian's clothes. Yes, Vicki, they're from 550 years in the past, 1963! Still, I'm no futurist, but I love wearing 70's style wear. Maybe it's different in the late 25th Century, maybe someone should ask Buck Rogers (?) The Doc likes trap-doors, that's how he solves a disturbing riddle.
Barbara is thrown off a cliff by Koquillion seconds behind Ian's back, go figure! Ian prefers Daleks to this? SERIOUSLY?! Get help! The monster costume of Koquillion is pretty cool which makes the revelation all the more cooler. Scooby-Doo gangs would've already figured this one out. But, still, the unmasking of Bennett as Koquillion is pretty awesome! The Doctor was already onto him from the start, but while they're in the aptly named Hall Of Justice Bennett brags about being a ( it was a prison-ship. I guess Daddy-kin's didn't tell, Vicki?) serial killer, killing not just the crew of the ship but the majority of Dido too.
Our "monster" is a Norman Bates wannabe! As for the survivors of Dido? Well, they're a disappointment. Still, credits due, they've predicted Spandau Ballets fashion sense by less than twenty years! Still, the concept of a 'Hannibal Lecture' type dressed as a monster blows my mind! This concept, a two-parter, about 45 minutes long, the length of your average Nu Who episode, could easily be done today! Jodie Whittaker, anybody?
Yes, Vicki, he killed your Father (no Darth, here!) now you've got no-one & nowhere back on Earth to go to. Gee-whizz, Vicki, where do you end up? We're still in the beginning with Verity Lambert (bless her! Must worship!) in charge of Doctor Who & loyal to this legend, here. But this is a new transition in the Doctor Who Universe. Susan has left, leaving a black-hole needing to be filled, Vicki was the first....
But the greatest mystery of all, will we ever begin to know the true spelling of "Koquillion?"
Borgduck aka Stewart,
Comments