Earthshock: Part One

OH MAN, I loved this episode and I enjoyed listening to the dinosaur discussion. Good cliffhanger tho. Can't wait to see what will happen next!

As a fan of New Who I wanted to watch some of the classics (I started with the 5th Doctor). Now I've finished Peter Davisons Era and I think that this is the best episode out of the three seasons he had, followed by Caves of Androzani. I absolutely love this episode :)

I'm not a Whovian by any stretch of the imagination, but used to watch every episode as a child in the 70s and 80s. How things have changed! I'm currently sitting here in 2010 watching this with my 7 and 10 year olds on SciFi HD on a 37" LCD screen with my kids absolutely falling about laughing at the effects, acting (how many times has that Cyberman said "Eeeexcellent" like Mr Burns from The Simpsons?) and the story-lines. This is just a few days after they were truly wowed by Matt Smith's debut as The Doctor.

Having said that, they are still sitting here nearly an hour and a half later... There must be something in it.

I have to admit that unlike so many, Earthshock never really seems to register much with me, but having just watched Part 1, I must admit I am so wrong in my judgement, this is a quality story.

The opening episode is a mixture of intrigue, mystery, excitement and tension. It is hugely atmospheric, with lots going on.

I liked the disagreement between Adric and The Doctor, I don't think we'd previously had a companion bored with life on board the TARDIS and wanting to leave, it made for an interesting conflict.

Very strong production values, it looks really smart. The music is terrific, very bold. Best scene in this one has to be the fight scene with the menacing looking Androids.

Fabulous start! 9/10

Review of the Complete Story:

EARTHSHOCK is an effective, well-paced DOCTOR WHO serial and possibly the best of the Peter Davison era. The narrative sees the Doctor and his three (count 'em!) companions doing battle with the nefarious Cybermen, who this time around have a convoluted plan to bomb Earth into destruction. Despite the distinctly episodic structure to the story, EARTHSHOCK is a zinger: action packed, filled with incident, and not bad effects.

The Cybermen have always been my favourite of Dr Who villains - they just seem to have the edge over the Daleks, somehow - and they're on top form as the android menace in this production. They get plenty of screen time, and almost half the running time seems to be made up of intense shoot-outs between the humans and their robotic foes.

The storyline is all over the place at times, and there's early stuff - like a futuristic potholing expedition - which seems to a little extraneous considering what comes later. But that matters not. The cast are on top form, and joined by seasoned professional Beryl Reid who brings plenty of irascibility to her role of Briggs. Really, though, this serial belongs to Matthew Waterhouse's much-hated Adric, who turns out to be something of a hero after all. Who knew?