Review of Frontier in Space (#67)

DVD Release Date: 02 Mar 10
Original Air Date: 24 Feb – 31 Mar 1973
Doctors/Companions: Three, Jo Grant
Stars: Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning
Preceding Story: Carnival of Monsters (Three, Jo)
Succeeding Story: Planet of the Daleks (Three, Jo)

As I took this penultimate entry in the Everything Else series off the shelf, I realized I remembered almost nothing about it. The cover image gave me some clues (“Oh, yeah—the Draconians” [though I honestly didn’t even remember their name accurately]; “The Master? Ohhhh… Isn’t this Delgado’s last serial?”), but my recollections were so vague that I questioned the things that were jogged loose. A few of those general impressions turned out to have been based in reality, but there was precious little of substance.

Writer Malcolm Hulke is generally considered among the better writers of this era, so when I saw his name on the screen, I had high hopes. Among the things I remembered was that the Draconians were a cool species that I wish we’d seen more of. However, in the end I felt somewhat disappointed. It’s not that the story was bad, by any means. It just wasn’t particularly innovative. (I began to understand how this adventure ended up in Everything Else.)

To begin, there’s a bit of “everything but the kitchen sink” energy in this six-parter. First we get our new supposed antagonists, the “creatively”-named Draconians. When the TARDIS nearly collides with an Earth-ship and the Doctor and Jo are mistaken for Dragons (an equally “creative” epithet), the conflict seems to be between humans and Draconians. By the end of the first episode, though, we realize the Ogrons (introduced in the previous year’s Day of the Daleks, and last seen in cameo in the preceding story) are really to blame. It’s not until we get into the third episode that we discover it is the Master who is behind the Ogrons.

Given the fact that Delgado’s Master showed up as the antagonist in practically every Pertwee-era adventure, this revelation should not, in retrospect, surprise anyone. But the fact that he slipped in so randomly, nearly halfway through the story, did take me slightly off guard. It was a decent bait’n’switch moment. (There is another bait’n’switch moment in the final episode that contributes to the “kitchen sink” vibe I mentioned before, but I won’t spoil it here, in case anyone reading wants to experience it for themself.)

Taken alone, Frontier in Space doesn’t necessarily feel like a complete story, despite its six episodes and the convoluted turns of plot throughout. One would think that with a story involving so many imprisonments and escapes—to the point of being ridiculous—that at least the viewer would feel relieved that the end had finally come into sight. And yet the direct lead into the following serial left me feeling slightly unmoored instead.

In general, I would recommend Frontier in Space to those who are already Classic Who fans, especially of the Third Doctor era; it might not work well for those who want clear plot through-lines or who dislike mashups of various antagonists. If you’re willing to go along for the ride, though, there are some worthwhile elements. Most notable for me is the creature design on the Draconians; I wish they would return to modern Who if for no other reason than to get more screen time and updated prosthetics.

So I say, give it a try—you might find it just the right mix of silly and convoluted. And if all else fails, you can entertain yourself by counting jail cells.