The Edge of Destruction

A bit early for a bottle episode, but it's short so why am I complaining. The first part has a good amount of creepiness to it and Barbara deserved a chance to shine. It's a real filler story, but it's nice to see them finally have it out. There's been a lot of tension between this group since the beginning and I'm hoping this helped them come to terms with most of it.

Although at times it's quite eerily claustrophobic, this isn't the best story for the Time Lord. It actually starts as if bits of it are missing. We find the four already trapped in the TARDIS with everyone behaving erratically. It's almost like they've never met - there's certainly not much trust to be seen. Their time machine won't work and the "Doctor" (William Hartnell) has been hit on the head. "Barbara" (Jacqueline Hill), "Susan" (Carole Ann Ford) and "Ian" (William Chesteron) must try to stop squabbling, violently at times, long enough to piece together the mystery. Could it actually be that it's the TARDIS itself that is causing the problem? If so - is that a good thing or a bad one? The entire series is filmed within the confines of a small set and that shows the limitations of the camerawork. At times it provides for intense close ups that can be quite effective, but for most of the rest of the time it tries to squeeze too many people into the shot and there are repositioning camera/cast shadows all over the place. It's got a little tension, but not enough jeopardy.

Commissioned to fill a gap and written by David Whitaker in merely two days, "The Edge of Destruction" is really rather excellent, despite its less-than-great reputation in Who fandom. If you're going to do filler do it well.

David Whitaker, one of the most underrated Who writers in any format as far as I'm concerned, has created a completely unique Doctor Who story here. I've seen basically nothing like it done in the programme since and I somehow hope it stays that way. The whole thing is an oddity, the suggestion that the TARDIS is somehow 'alive' even at this early stage in the show, the fact that it is a two-parter in a season filled with long stories, and just the whole atmosphere and feel of the story is entirely different to anything we've seen before, not to mention that the TARDIS is the setting for the entire story and not just for a few scenes.

Basically given the directive 'write an ultra-cheap episode in two days' Whitaker comes up with the idea to turn the Doctor and his companions on each other through an unknown external or internal influence. It's far from a novel or original idea but it is adapted well and differently than you might expect. For a script written in two days Whitaker's work here is solid with most of the dialogue coming off as quite natural.

The acting here is a bit suspect, mainly from Carole Anne Ford as Susan, but mostly solid. The story was only shot on one set so it doesn't look embarrassingly cheap anywhere despite being if I recall correctly the cheapest Doctor Who story of all time.

"The Edge of Destruction" or "Inside the Spaceship" (the latter is probably the more correct title but let's not get into that again) is a nice little 50-minute long diversion and an excellent story overall. I don't really know why so many people hate this one.

Episode One: 8/10, Episode 2: 8/10.

Average: 8/10

Back in the TARDIS after the first encounter with the Daleks on Skaro, the Doctor, Susan, Barbara and Ian (William Hartnell, Carole Ann Ford, Jacqueline Hill and William Russell respectively) suffer strange blackouts, paranoia, and experience inexplicable events. This stagy, low-budget two-parter was made to fulfil a commitment to the BBC before there was any guarantee that the series would be picked up for further production. Not a lot happens as everyone tries to figure out what is occurring or whether anyone else on board can be trusted. The cast has little to do other than to play off each other: the Doctor is especially tetchy and pedantic (he frequently grasps his lapels as a show of certainty and authority), Susan is terrified (and uncharacteristically violent) at times, and Barbara and Ian are both scared and resentful, especially after being accused of sabotaging the TARDIS' controls. Even for only two episodes, the premise is stretched pretty thin and although the resolution to their problem is amusing, the ultimate explanation for their odd experiences is highly contrived. The Doctor remains more fallible than in later incarnations, which allows the companions to be more than simply sidekicks and sounding boards. Sadly, the next series ('Marco Polo') was erased by the BBC - I would like to see how the badly strained relationship between the Doctor and Barbara progressed.

After an explosion knocks them all unconscious, the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan begin to suspect there may be an unseen force in the TARDIS.

Featuring only the main cast, "The Edge of Destruction" is a good time-waster. Richard Martin, following his incompetent handling of the final episodes of The Daleks, directs well here, infusing a nice sense of dread throughout the episode. The scene with Susan and the scissors has become infamous, but it represents Carole Ann Ford's best acting moment on the show. Hartnell is, as always, fantastic.