The Invisible Enemy (Story #93, 1977)
Viewed 23 Feb 2011
Doctor/Companion: Four, Leela
Stars: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson
Preceding Story: Horror of Fang Rock (Four, Leela)
Succeeding Story: Image of the Fendahl (Four, Leela)
Notable Aspects:
- First appearance of K9
For some of the Ladies, this was their first experience with Four. While jE watched him during his original run, and jA at least knew his look, jO got to be our complete n00b. Initially, it was Leela (or “Barbarella,” as jO liked to call her) who got most of the attention – with that “leather bikini” of hers, it’s easy to see why she was jE’s dad’s favorite Companion. But most of the Ladies agreed that she was a good, fearless Companion, taking it upon herself to take care of the poor, defenseless (as she saw him) Doctor. I didn’t have the heart to tell them right then about her somewhat ignominious departure
Obviously, K9 was worth a few comments, too. From the first little cheer when he first came on screen to the “no – not K9!” when the Nucleus made contact, The Tin Dog was another hit. I know some fans hate him, but I’ve always found him cheerful and amusing, especially after having seen some DVD extras in which other actors talk about how John Leeson would crawl around on all fours on set during rehearsals. How can you not love someone who gets so thoroughly into the role?
As for the Doctor himself, the reception was generally warm. jA reminded me of my own initial reactions when she noted that he’s “got quite a voice.” I remember being quite familiar with only his image, and having taken quite a while to get accustomed to the voice that went with it. With the limited exposure to earlier Doctors, though, jO found Four the best of them so far (perhaps because he’s younger). She found that though he comes across a bit more pompous, he’s overall quite likable. I think he had such a huge effect on everyone who grew up watching him that it’s unsurprising to see elements of him in later Doctors – especially Ten, as jA pointed out. For those thoroughly steeped in the RTD era, Four seems “more Doctor-ish.”
Most of our fun for the night, as usual, was in finding the silliness and inconsistencies. For example, why does the eccentric scientist always have to have a German accent? We also loved the deli gloves they put on to do surgery, the fact that they missed the date of the first successful cloning experiment (quoted as being in 3922) by a couple thousand years, the Red Cross asteroid (didn’t a space ship hit that a couple episodes ago? how is the shuttle still there?), the thought of isolating a “predator’s instinct,” and the cottonballs of death.
For sheer amusement, though, you just can’t beat the Egsit and Sexshun signs. Clearly these were meant as clever mutations on current words, but the thought of a place specifically set aside for incubating one’s young (egg-sit) was too funny for us to dismiss. It became all the more so when we realized the Egsit is clearly where you need to go after having been to the Sexshun (although on further reflection, perhaps the latter is where you go to avoid the former…).
It was a good introduction to Four, but given the length of his tenure, we needed to sample more before moving on to Five. For the next course, we decided to watch a classic.
City of Death (Story #105, 1979)
Viewed 23 Mar 2011
Doctor/Companion: Four, Romana II
Stars: Tom Baker, Lalla Ward
Preceding Story: Destiny of the Daleks (Four, Romana)
Succeeding Story: The Creature from the Pit (Four, Romana)
Notable Aspects:
- Written under pseudonym by team including Douglas Adams
To me, Four is never better than he is in City of Death. His cheeky attitude and the wonderful rapport he has with Romana as she goes about being quietly competent in the background is just top notch. Besides, I can’t resist any story in which the Doctor claims, “I just reversed the polarity” to explain some of his jiggery-pokery. Sure, there are parts that are rather campy – most everything involving Duggan or the megalomaniacal, melodramatic Jagaroth, for example – but it’s all in good fun.
The usual snarky comments were a bit sparse this time, probably because we were just enjoying the flow of the narrative. We did, however, notice Romana’s outfit (how can you not?); it’s very Madeline. jO also pointed out that the Jagaroth ship looked exactly like the alien ship from War of the Worlds. In between comments about whether they were headed to see some van Gogh (a la Series Fnarg) or how ridiculously long the scarf is here, we mostly just rolled with it and had great fun with a great story.
General reactions:
- jA – “Tennant-ish,” love the scarf
- jE – thumbs up on an old favorite
- jO – has a “certain air” about him; best “Classic” Doctor yet
- mrfranklin – I can’t help but love him in City of Death
Four was a fan favorite for good reason. He definitely has panache. There are plenty more of his stories to see, and I’m sure the Ladies will revisit him gladly in the future.
Verdict: Thumbs up
Looking ahead: The Visitation