Once upon a time, Doctor Who was just Doctor Who.
Before the fanzine culture of the 1980's, the reference book glut of the 1990's, and the shambolic DIY melee that is the Internet of today, there wasn't all that much emphasis on what was individually perceived to be "good" or "bad".
For better or worse, Doctor Who was just Doctor Who. Some of it maybe wasn't quite as good as some other bits, but it was all still Doctor Who, and thus worthy of our unashamedly rapt attention.
I still feel strong echoes of those more innocent times, especially when contemplating a story that gets an inexplicably rough ride.
So, here we are with "The Android Invasion", at the midway point of a well-regarded and popular Season. (Which can admittedly be a bit of a sticky wicket, as the following Season has two similarly placed stories that some - but not me - still find problematic).
Terry Nation reappears for his final annual outing since returning to the fold for the Tenth Anniversary, and to Robert Holmes' relief, it's his first script since "The Keys of Marinus" that doesn't feature the Daleks. (Although it doesn't exactly stretch the imagination to breaking point to imagine the Daleks taking the place of the Kraals. However, judging from their efforts at android duplication in "The Chase", the Daleks aren't in much danger of winning a Convincing Android Duplicate Competition).
I think I first saw that one in the first Peter Haining offering, "Doctor Who: A Celebration". (The spirit of research suggests that I should get off the sofa and go and look, but I rather think it's still in a drawer at my mother's house).
Anyway, we'll return to the Haining volumes at a later date. Let the nay-sayers tremble...
Commentators generally interpret "The Seeds of Doom" as the point where the series "does The Avengers", but there's actually more of a whiff of it in this story as well (and not just because of Patrick Newell).
As in The Avengers, the atmosphere of a summertime in a quiet English village is incredibly evocative and effective, especially to creaking old Monoids like myself, whose rose-tinted spectacles mist with nostalgia at the thought of it.
Of course, rural idylls are also the home of surly locals, and Serial 4J does a great job of making them even more surly and suspicious than usual, because they're bloody robots.
And then it goes all crazy and we're suddenly in concrete modular building territory, which is always a welcome place to be.
The main criticisms of "The Android Invasion" tend to involve the plotting, and there are a few things that do seem a bit muddled and wooly-headed. But at the end of the day it's a Terry Nation story, so you really do expect that kind of thing now and again.
Lots to enjoy here, though. Milton Bloody Johns is fantastic as ever, Roy Skelton gives Chedaki an occasional hint of Zippy, and Tom Baker gets to wear his grey coat for the first time.
Whatever next? Buccaneer boots?
Anyway, we'll return to the Haining volumes at a later date. Let the nay-sayers tremble...
(That one used to appear more closely-cropped, but it's rather nice to see that Styggron is almost stood in somebody's front garden).
Commentators generally interpret "The Seeds of Doom" as the point where the series "does The Avengers", but there's actually more of a whiff of it in this story as well (and not just because of Patrick Newell).
As in The Avengers, the atmosphere of a summertime in a quiet English village is incredibly evocative and effective, especially to creaking old Monoids like myself, whose rose-tinted spectacles mist with nostalgia at the thought of it.
Of course, rural idylls are also the home of surly locals, and Serial 4J does a great job of making them even more surly and suspicious than usual, because they're bloody robots.
And then it goes all crazy and we're suddenly in concrete modular building territory, which is always a welcome place to be.
The main criticisms of "The Android Invasion" tend to involve the plotting, and there are a few things that do seem a bit muddled and wooly-headed. But at the end of the day it's a Terry Nation story, so you really do expect that kind of thing now and again.
Lots to enjoy here, though. Milton Bloody Johns is fantastic as ever, Roy Skelton gives Chedaki an occasional hint of Zippy, and Tom Baker gets to wear his grey coat for the first time.
Whatever next? Buccaneer boots?
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