DOCTOR WHO-NIGHTMARE OF EDEN part 1

 

DOCTOR WHO-NIGHTMARE OF EDEN part one

 

DOCTOR: And about the notion of your capturing alien species for your own private zoo.

TRYST: Zoo?

DOCTOR: Yes.

TRYST: No, Doctor, this is important scientific research. I am helping to conserve endangered species.

DOCTOR: By putting them in this machine?

TRYST: Oh, yes.

DOCTOR: Ah, yes, of course. Just in the same way a jam maker conserves raspberries.

(The Doctor and Rigg leave.)

ROMANA: Oh, don't mind him. He just likes to irritate people.

 

If I loved CREATURE FROM THE PIT, I doubly love NIGHTMARE OF EDEN. It is the first story I remember recording on VHS. It’s also the first I recall being somewhat real world serious in that…it’s about drugs and their ill effects. It also has a wild sci fi theory: two ships, one in transmat, appear stuck inside the other! If that’s not enough Tom and Lalla are in great form here, bantering off each other AND EVERYONE ELSE and it’s all funny and serious, sometimes at the same time.

 

“I wondered why I hadn’t been paid.”

 

“Interfere? Of course we should interefere. Always do what you’re best at, that’s what I always say!”

 

“I preferred it when it was impossible.”

 

“Oh, now you’ve gone and ruined it.”

 

And much, much more. I love DOCTOR WHO like this: a bit innovative sci fi wise, a bit humorous, a bit dangerous, a bit real world and Tom Baker at heart and center being all of those and more, a flippant companion by his side and his robot dog. DW NEVER gets better than this though at times the 2005-2008 seasons did reach for something like this and almost got it but also had something this didn’t have: a real world sensibility of family and relationships that just made those years so great. Then…we got Moffat but that’s another whole story. And not a great, positive one.

 

I also like Della as a guest character, almost a companion in a way but not yet. She and others are actually part of the suspects in a mini murder mystery, yet another plot in this wonderful, fun mix.

 

The cliffhanger not withstanding (the monsters just look too cuddly and it’s a matter of fact appearance in the hole that the Doctor and the captain leave when taking the metal down that K9 just blasted to make a hole to see into), all of this is great, to be honest. There’s nothing here to really mock much but it’s fun, already has a number of interesting plots, and I love it much more than a horror patch together of old movies and literature and TV shows. This works so much better as sci fi than horror, though it is not without its creep factor as the monsters, unseen, exist in the strange barriers of unstable matter between ships. What else is in there?

 

That this isn’t just comedy is seen as Secker (geeze, he’s cute) is not only high on drugs and incompetent due to that, clearly “not well” but also that he’s scarred by some beast inside the interface…and as medics pick away at him…it’s an uncomfortable scene as horrid as any during the Hinchcliffe (overrated) years. And one of the medics indicates that he dies as they work on him. It’s grim and sad and most fans miss this about this story: it balances all avenues of DW well.

 

Past review:

 I'm sorry but another much maligned story and

                                for no real reason really. I'm sure some fans

                                haven't even seen it and some haven't seen it in

                                years and just go by hearsay on how "bad" it is.

                                It isn't. IMO.

 

                                There's so much going on that it all makes sense

                                and all fits together. Visually the sets are

                                perfect, as good as DW got up to this point. The

                                effects, well, they're cartoony aren't they but

                                the effects in DW are never really the thing.

 

                                Two ships collide but not physically or rather

                                they appear out of hyperspace, one in the other,

                                thus they can be separated but until they

                                are...there are unstable areas on the ship. At

                                the same time, the Doctor and Romana are

                                introduced to a scientist and his team (we only

                                really see the friendly but haunted Della) who

                                have a CET machine where, like the CARNIVAL OF

                                MONSTERS machine, life forms and bits of their

                                planets are stored on crystals. The machine is

                                also unstable. Also: someone is smuggling drugs

                                on board the cruiser ship...if you're careful to

                                notice uniforms, you'll spot one of the bad guys

                                (yes, one, but there are more than one) as his

                                uniform appears when he stuns the Doctor...at

                                least I think it's him.

 

                                There's the usual and unusual Tom jokes.

                                "Interfere, of course, we should interfere,

                                always do what you're best at, that's what I

                                say." And more: when told his cover is blown and

                                that Galactic has gone out of business, the

                                Doctor goes wide eyed, "I wondered why I hadn't

                                been paid." The Doctor is also described by

                                Romana as "...don't mind him, he just likes to

                                irritate people." There's also some rare

                                insights into the Doc's reasons for doing all

                                this: he likes the impossible or rather likes

                                making things seem impossible and doing them or

                                something.

 

                                This story gets off to a cracking start. A lot

                                is going on. If only the monsters that appear at

                                the cliffhanger looked better...still, not as

                                bad as everyone says, in fact, I really rather

                                like it.