Doctor Who - The Sontaran Experiment (1975)
The Ark story arc continues in the third story to introduce our new, 4th Doctor. After the events of Ark In Space, our heroes trans-mat from Nerva Beacon. To the recycled Earth, Millennia after the solar fire. Except, not is all it first appears. The Doctor is captured by some ticked-off space-nauts, whilst Harry falls down a big, gaping hole during which Sarah is saved from a robot by "Cosmonaut" Roth. We're treated to the usual 'Doctor can't be trusted' by his captures, but Vural is a traitor. A Sontaran is capturing Humans & torturing them as a prelude to invasion of a deserted Earth. The Doctor defeats Field Major Styre in battle & bluffs the Sontarans from invading a deserted Earth.
NOW, I can brag why this is fab. Originally, we were going to be treated to a Planet Of The Apes style scene, with the Nelson statue column, semi-submerged, in the Earth ala the Statue Of Liberty on the aforementioned movie. Unfortunately the 1970's BBC budget couldn't handle it. Still, imagine the possibilities (?) No DVD documentary's.
I love the fact that the Galsec Human Astronauts that were suckered into landing by Styre have South African accents & not your usual Queens English accents! And does Roth sound more like a Russian Cosmonaut, or it's just me? We're given a chance to recognise the giant golf ball that is Styre's craft before the cliff-hanger. & he's brutally torturing the captured Galsec spacemen to find out our Human weakness. One such torturous experiment is best left heard than seen to the 70's viewer, our ability to drown which lasts all but three minutes..
And are the Sontaran's great at making robots or what(?) I love the robot that The Doctor malfunctions with his sonic-screwdriver. He talks to it like a pet before so. As for the robot itself, unlike the Time Warrior one, is it sentient & aware? Nerva Beacon (from the previous story) is considered as legendary as Atlantis by Earth colonists now that the former colony's are cives, of course the newly, recycled Earth is deserted, not even a tweet from a bird. This has been understandably complained to infinity by my Whovian brethren. Still, the argument can be said that Humans would one day return to Mother Earth, & that the Sontarans, being the militarist tacticians would forsee this fact (?) Besides, they need a base from which to fight their eternal war against the Rutans! ilisations in their own right. They have their own, groovy lingo, slang, Aussie style!
Unfortuna
This is an easy watching two-parter for the uninitiated. Unfortunately, Tom was injured during filming. He even worried that this would end his career. Remember, this was early days in his role. But, he soldiered on as the true Timelord that he is. A stuntman, probably Terry Walsh, did the fight scene with Stryre! This adventure is the length of your average Nu Who & well worth the effort! We're still in the early days of arguable, the most recognisable Doctor of them all. Why be grown-up if you can't be childish, sometimes?
BOO!
No copyright, etc, & so-forth..
Stewart, aka Borgduck,
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