"You're not turning me into a fish!"
TECHNICAL SPECS: One of two episodes from this story still missing from the archives (a brief clip survives). Though I've heard the CD version narrated by Anneke Wils, but will use a reconstruction for the purposes of this review. First aired Jan.14 1967.
IN THIS ONE... The TARDIS crew are captured in 1970s Atlantis and are almost sacrificed to an ancient goddess.
REVIEW: Oh, Underwater Menace, do you deserve your bad reputation? You probably do. In some circles referred to as the Plan 9 from Outer Space of Doctor Who, it might be enjoyed as a piece of kitsch à la Ed Wood. Hey, it's even got a mad scientist with a thick accent who claims to have a pet octopus. That's right out of Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster. And what a mish-mash! It's science vs. religion, using extreme sensibilities. One one side, Professor Zaroff the mad scientist. On the other, High Priest Lolem who wants to sacrifice the outsiders as soon as he sees them. Both amoral. And the whole thing set in a contemporary sunken Atlantis that likes to surgically implant plastic gills on people and turn them into fish-people to farm the sea bed. Where else but in Doctor Who, eh?
We're at least spared the serial's notorious cheapness (at least, until the surviving episodes) and from the grainy pictures and audio, it's hard to tell whether the design stands up or not. The Atlanteans' attire could be silly or inspired (did I spot a giant fish-head helmet?), and the statue of the goddess, itself fish-like looks pretty cool. We've got beach scenes and caves on location, and a death trap worthy of Indiana Jones or James Bond, with progressively sloping tables threatening to dump our heroes into a shark tank. The video might show this to be terribly staged, who knows, so the missing video may be a mercy. In the single clip we have, as Polly is forced into an operating room to meet her fishy fate, we may note mirrored metal walls, and in that moment, yes, the production design does look interesting.
But of course, beyond its design and premise, The Underwater Menace suffers from a pretty lame script. Jamie's first scene aboard the TARDIS is boring and stilted, the Doctor seems obsessed with prehistory for no good reason (Polly actually figures out the date), and pulls a great big shortcut by knowing who Zaroff is already. The only sympathetic guest character is Ara who does whatever the Doctor tells her to as if she owed him her life, but of course, they've never met. Not that the villains have much of a motivation either, except executing the script's demands in terms of jeopardy and deus ex machina. The episode also forgets about the TARDIS' translation powers and has Polly speak various languages to see if the natives speak them. Happy to see Polly's skills, but they're moot in the context of the program.
THEORIES: The Doctor signs a note "Dr. W" as if to imply, once again, that his true name is Who. From Romana's long true name, we may assume the "Who" sound is at least the first syllable of his Gallifreyan name.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium-Low - The premise is completely cracked and I admire that. However, it's no excuse for a bad script.
TECHNICAL SPECS: One of two episodes from this story still missing from the archives (a brief clip survives). Though I've heard the CD version narrated by Anneke Wils, but will use a reconstruction for the purposes of this review. First aired Jan.14 1967.IN THIS ONE... The TARDIS crew are captured in 1970s Atlantis and are almost sacrificed to an ancient goddess.
REVIEW: Oh, Underwater Menace, do you deserve your bad reputation? You probably do. In some circles referred to as the Plan 9 from Outer Space of Doctor Who, it might be enjoyed as a piece of kitsch à la Ed Wood. Hey, it's even got a mad scientist with a thick accent who claims to have a pet octopus. That's right out of Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster. And what a mish-mash! It's science vs. religion, using extreme sensibilities. One one side, Professor Zaroff the mad scientist. On the other, High Priest Lolem who wants to sacrifice the outsiders as soon as he sees them. Both amoral. And the whole thing set in a contemporary sunken Atlantis that likes to surgically implant plastic gills on people and turn them into fish-people to farm the sea bed. Where else but in Doctor Who, eh?
We're at least spared the serial's notorious cheapness (at least, until the surviving episodes) and from the grainy pictures and audio, it's hard to tell whether the design stands up or not. The Atlanteans' attire could be silly or inspired (did I spot a giant fish-head helmet?), and the statue of the goddess, itself fish-like looks pretty cool. We've got beach scenes and caves on location, and a death trap worthy of Indiana Jones or James Bond, with progressively sloping tables threatening to dump our heroes into a shark tank. The video might show this to be terribly staged, who knows, so the missing video may be a mercy. In the single clip we have, as Polly is forced into an operating room to meet her fishy fate, we may note mirrored metal walls, and in that moment, yes, the production design does look interesting.
But of course, beyond its design and premise, The Underwater Menace suffers from a pretty lame script. Jamie's first scene aboard the TARDIS is boring and stilted, the Doctor seems obsessed with prehistory for no good reason (Polly actually figures out the date), and pulls a great big shortcut by knowing who Zaroff is already. The only sympathetic guest character is Ara who does whatever the Doctor tells her to as if she owed him her life, but of course, they've never met. Not that the villains have much of a motivation either, except executing the script's demands in terms of jeopardy and deus ex machina. The episode also forgets about the TARDIS' translation powers and has Polly speak various languages to see if the natives speak them. Happy to see Polly's skills, but they're moot in the context of the program.
THEORIES: The Doctor signs a note "Dr. W" as if to imply, once again, that his true name is Who. From Romana's long true name, we may assume the "Who" sound is at least the first syllable of his Gallifreyan name.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium-Low - The premise is completely cracked and I admire that. However, it's no excuse for a bad script.
Comments
I've just answered the question; start preparing for the end of the universe....