003 The Edge Of Destruction

And I'm back. I was waiting for Keys of Marinus to come out on DVD, and having finally watched it, I'm ready to write up everything to that point.

First, one of the odder stories in the series, the two-parter "The Edge Of Destruction".

I'll be honest, I've seen this several times now, and I still have trouble reconciling part one with part two. Part one is so strange, it's almost like watching the cast in their own production of "Waiting for Godot". Lots of awkward behavior, strange dialogue. If, as this episode seems to imply, the TARDIS has been infiltrated by some unseen invader possessing the travelers, it might make more sense.

But, no, it's all the TARDIS' doing, attempting to warn the crew of their imminent destruction. I suppose that's more interesting than another alien menace, but I've never felt it was handled well. This story still seems like what it was - a quick two-parter inserted at the last minute to make up for cost overruns due to the stories preceding and following it.

It amazes me just how unreliable the TARDIS is in these earlier episodes. You get the impression that it could break down at any time and leave them all stranded, or worse. It needed mercury last story (while a ruse by the Doctor initially, it did end up becoming an actual need), we have all the craziness of this story, and next story we'll have yet another malfunction. We're not at the point where the Doctor willingly stays to help anyone, so for now we're stuck with these gimmicks to keep them in one place for several episodes.

The plot itself aside, this story does accomplish the important task of setting up the relationships for the rest of the season. By the story's end, the Doctor has warmed to his new companions, especially Barbara, and the show even makes the effort of giving us some character moments to display this. It's interesting how once Ian and Barbara leave, the companions often become cyphers rather than fleshed-out characters. For now, though, the show attempts to develop a rapport among the characters, with most of them on equal footing with the Doctor.

GRADE: B

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

Seriously, has the TARDIS ever been shown to do something this screwy, at least in the classic era?

I'm kind of surprised we don't get more TARDIS-centered episodes, since it's certainly a cost-saving measure. Off the top of my head, I'm only recalling "Invasion of Time" and "Castrovalva" as having episodes that spend this much time in the TARDIS.

NEXT: the first "lost" story, Marco Polo