Earthshock [TV/1982.3.8 ~ 3.16]
★★★★★
There's a valid argument to be made that Earthshock is Peter Grimwade's best directorial work in Dr. Who. There's also an equally valid point to be made that Earthshock has everyone involved giving their absolute best, from set designers to costume designers to sound designers and performers. This is Who as an airtight action adventure, and it's one serial which I honestly believe benefits from a feature-length edit (by edit, I mean cutting absolutely none of the frames whatsoever and simply presenting the four parts back-to-back as one finished product, almost like a film). There is absolutely no flab in this thing, and while Dr. Who is typically the kind of show I revisit and savour for the in-between dialogue and sweet little moments, Earthshock with its lightning-pace action, suspense and explosive (and more to the point, real) drama proves that Who was still capable of reaching the heights of its sci-fi counterparts at the time, often even excelling them. Eric Saward's guns-blazing space warfare story is a sight to behold, not just because of the aforementioned excellent work by Grimwade (the camera is much more fluid, much more dynamic, the action is wonderfully done, and the Cybermen are shot to perfection so that they convey absolute terror), but because the execution as a whole is top-tier. No wonder everybody liked the production for this serial.
Matthew Waterhouse's Adric, in his final serial, takes centre-stage and proves just how his naysayers were, and are still very wrong by displaying quite the strong performance. He's understandably upset and disturbed about being denied his return home, but this doesn't stop him from being next to the Doctor at all times, being resourceful and rather clever. You certainly wouldn't expect him to be this fun to watch judging from the overwhelmingly negative reception he's had from the fanbase. Speaking of, Peter Davison has an iron-firm grip on his incarnation of Who by now, and the Fifth Doctor is a compassionate, quick-witted and emotional main character who is just as captivating and thrilling as the ongoing adventure. It's a shame Sarah Sutton's cooped up in the TARDIS for much of the adventure, but I guess four-person crews were never really meant to thrive apart from the 1960s. At least Janet Fielding's having a blast playing this very dependable, very resourceful Tegan. What I cannot fault at all about the players, however, is that all four of the main cast are giving some of their best performances in the show. Come that surprise ending with Adric holding his brother's sash for comfort as the freighter crashes towards prehistoric Earth, the three remaining TARDIS crew members give shocked, tearful and explosive reactions that really touch you in heart. You just know that nothing's going to be the same again.
The Cybermen are back for Season 19, and with David Banks' excellent Cyber-Leader at the helm, they are a terrifying and commanding enemy force. The imagery in Earthshock is generally excellent, but almost all shots regarding Cybermen are incredibly done. Dormant Cybermen breaking out of metal tubes within the freighter, their menacingly slow ascension to the upper levels, the very first reveal with Malcolm Clarke's wonderfully brash industrial score -- I could go on and on about how these emotionless metal creatures have seldom been shot better on camera. I get so giddy revisiting Earthshock for this reason: for the sheer ambition and enthusiasm every aspect of the production has. I prefer my Dr. Who stories rich and atmospheric and wordy, true, but I also love it when Who can be a razor-sharp blockbuster with gripping drama and thrills galore. Earthshock's one of those lightning-in-a-bottle moments for the show when everything gets together to create something flawless, something truly special.
There's a valid argument to be made that Earthshock is Peter Grimwade's best directorial work in Dr. Who. There's also an equally valid point to be made that Earthshock has everyone involved giving their absolute best, from set designers to costume designers to sound designers and performers. This is Who as an airtight action adventure, and it's one serial which I honestly believe benefits from a feature-length edit (by edit, I mean cutting absolutely none of the frames whatsoever and simply presenting the four parts back-to-back as one finished product, almost like a film). There is absolutely no flab in this thing, and while Dr. Who is typically the kind of show I revisit and savour for the in-between dialogue and sweet little moments, Earthshock with its lightning-pace action, suspense and explosive (and more to the point, real) drama proves that Who was still capable of reaching the heights of its sci-fi counterparts at the time, often even excelling them. Eric Saward's guns-blazing space warfare story is a sight to behold, not just because of the aforementioned excellent work by Grimwade (the camera is much more fluid, much more dynamic, the action is wonderfully done, and the Cybermen are shot to perfection so that they convey absolute terror), but because the execution as a whole is top-tier. No wonder everybody liked the production for this serial.
Matthew Waterhouse's Adric, in his final serial, takes centre-stage and proves just how his naysayers were, and are still very wrong by displaying quite the strong performance. He's understandably upset and disturbed about being denied his return home, but this doesn't stop him from being next to the Doctor at all times, being resourceful and rather clever. You certainly wouldn't expect him to be this fun to watch judging from the overwhelmingly negative reception he's had from the fanbase. Speaking of, Peter Davison has an iron-firm grip on his incarnation of Who by now, and the Fifth Doctor is a compassionate, quick-witted and emotional main character who is just as captivating and thrilling as the ongoing adventure. It's a shame Sarah Sutton's cooped up in the TARDIS for much of the adventure, but I guess four-person crews were never really meant to thrive apart from the 1960s. At least Janet Fielding's having a blast playing this very dependable, very resourceful Tegan. What I cannot fault at all about the players, however, is that all four of the main cast are giving some of their best performances in the show. Come that surprise ending with Adric holding his brother's sash for comfort as the freighter crashes towards prehistoric Earth, the three remaining TARDIS crew members give shocked, tearful and explosive reactions that really touch you in heart. You just know that nothing's going to be the same again.
The Cybermen are back for Season 19, and with David Banks' excellent Cyber-Leader at the helm, they are a terrifying and commanding enemy force. The imagery in Earthshock is generally excellent, but almost all shots regarding Cybermen are incredibly done. Dormant Cybermen breaking out of metal tubes within the freighter, their menacingly slow ascension to the upper levels, the very first reveal with Malcolm Clarke's wonderfully brash industrial score -- I could go on and on about how these emotionless metal creatures have seldom been shot better on camera. I get so giddy revisiting Earthshock for this reason: for the sheer ambition and enthusiasm every aspect of the production has. I prefer my Dr. Who stories rich and atmospheric and wordy, true, but I also love it when Who can be a razor-sharp blockbuster with gripping drama and thrills galore. Earthshock's one of those lightning-in-a-bottle moments for the show when everything gets together to create something flawless, something truly special.
Comments
Post a Comment