The Android Invasion [TV/1975.11.22 ~ 12.13]

★★★☆☆

  Honestly, I don't think The Android Invasion deserves its rather dire reputation among some within the fandom. I wouldn't call it a highlight of the Philip Hinchcliffe era by any means, sure, but I wouldn't call it the pits either. Then again, the cast themselves have been vocal on how much they disliked filming this serial, so... what do I know?

  All that I do know is that I consider episode one and bits of episode two pretty darn good. It's exactly the kind of science fiction I like, one where you aren't quite getting the full plot until slowly the revelation hits... and even when you realise what's going on, you're not completely sure until it is later revealed to be true. I like that uncertainty, and props to Terry Nation for writing a genuinely good first episode full of that uncertainty. The greatest downside to The Android Invasion, then, is what comes after: no one seems to be fully committed to unleashing its full potential, even Nation himself as the writer. The seemingly high stakes are told in the most minimal, lowkey of ways, and the lack of enthusiasm from both crew and cast suck away the energy of the serial pretty quickly. I would like to say that Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen liven it up a bit, but truth be told, they're the most bored-looking cast members of the lot. The only time they truly shine is when they're exchanging banter, something I am told was mostly ad-libbed. I guess Nation was never the best dialogue writer, eh?

  Well, what can I say? Either you enjoy it or you hate it, and I still veer on the enjoying side when it comes to The Android Invasion. Episode four ends up being quite entertaining overall due to the clever little ways the script utilises android lookalikes (the Doctor's infiltration of the space centre, for example), and combined with the general fun to be had from the first two episodes, I'd call this a good-ish serial. The third episode, though... that's dire.