The Tenth Planet
Previous: The Smugglers
The Tenth Planet
Dear Internet: I am about to embark on the final journey of the First Doctor, William Hartnell. Ladies and gentlemen, The Tenth Planet.
And we open with what appears to be a legit rocket launch that, I have to admit, really looks like a giant tube of lipstick.
Another alternative title scheme. This time: RANDOM LETTERS.
Huh. I didn't know there were allowed to show guys' walls covered with pin-up girls back then. Then again...
"Hey Doctor, you've got the most fantastic wardrobe!" Or, fab gear, as it were.
And from this angle they do appear to have landed in a polar region of Earth.
So naturally the guy at the periscope gets an eyeful of Polly, which of course attracts the guy with the wall of pin-up girls.
"You're at the South Pole base of International Space Command." But is it Earth?
I love how Ben instantly goes into Official Sailor Mode when the General shows up. "Able Seaman Ben Jackson, sir. Royal Navy."
"I don't like your tone, sir."
"Well I don't like your face. OR your hair."
Oh come on, why do you have to hate on One's hair?
They're in 1986? Considering the show lasted past that, it's actually kinda cool/amusing to see it like this here.
"There's another planet out there!" I'll bet that's Mondas...
Apparently they're still naming space missions after Greek gods. Here we have Zeus IV.
Ah yes, another case of Dramatic Music Drowning Out The Dialogue.
I'm beginning to understand what everyone meant by Mondas being Earth's "twin planet," although it appears to be...upside down.
Jesus, guys, if you want One's help you could at least let him FINISH A SENTENCE.
In comes a spaceship, and out come three tall shiny things...
They have accordions on their chests, drums over their crotches, and lamps on their heads...ladies and gentlemen: the Cybermen.
The fact that the Cybermen are stealing their victims' cloaks (and putting them on) seems to make them all the creepier.
Although, that seems to be a double-edged sword, camouflage-wise. Yes they look like more the troops, but they stand out against the snow.
"It won't come near enough to collide. So I repeat: there is NO danger." Except that there is.
Holy crap there are Cybermen just WALKING INTO THE BASE WITHOUT OPPOSITION HOLY CRAP
Oh, how convenient. The crotch-drums are actually death-rays.
Holy. Actual. Frigging. Jesus. The way these Cybermen talk is actually terrifying as balls for serious.
Oh. Actually I got used to it really REALLY fast. Now it sounds kinda ridiculous.
"But don't you CARE?"
"Care? No, why should. I care?"
"Because they're PEOPLE and they're going to DIE!"
"I do nooooot. Understand you. Therrrre. Are people dyingallllll. Over your worldyet you do noooot. Care. About them."
Oh man, I'm going to have a fun time transcribing the dialogue from these buggers.
*goes to check* And they do in fact use the same vocal style for the Cybermen in Spare Parts. Fun little continuity quirk.
"But...but who, or what, are you?"
"We are caaaaaalled Cybermen."
And with that, 8,000th TWEET!
Aha. And now I know where Spare Parts got its title.
So I wonder what it is that keeps prompting the changes in Cyberman voices over the eras. I mean, the Dalek voices never really change.
Now I've heard Cybermen from the Hartnell, Troughton, Davison, and New Who eras and they ALL sound different from each other.
Bold move Ben, but somehow I don't think trying to rush to gun down a Cyberman like that was really such a good idea.
Funny that they should just throw Ben in a holding room rather than kill him. Well, at least he's alive and has a film projector for fun.
This is reminding me more and more of Apollo 13. #theBBCcanpredictthefuture
And the music cuts out right when the visuals do. Creepy, guys. Nice and creepy.
"I'm afraid the spaceship...exploded, my dear." Out of all the times I've accidentally typed "dear" as "dead," this is the most fitting.
BAMF Ben takes on Cybermen with the power of CINEMA!
I just realized I should be appreciating Hartnell's awesome face while I can. Just watch him as the Cyberman is telling him their plans.
While I appreciate Polly's spunk, I still don't think she gets it that the Cybermen just aren't human enough to understand her pleas.
So they've taken down the Cybermen in the base, which begs the question, what Other Bad Thing is going to go wrong now?
Now THAT I was not expecting: the General's son volunteered for the rescue mission. This is going to be interesting.
"You've...sent my son to his death, you realize that, I hope?" ....;__;
Ah. Yes. An entire Cyberfleet in attack formation. That...that would indeed count as One Other Bad Thing, wouldn't it?
One randomly collapses! I bet I know what line's coming up soon...
"Hey, that voice sounds familiar..." Wow. From this angle, the General's son really does look like a kid, even though he really isn't.
I'm glad I decided not to watch this right after Fail-Safe. The atmosphere is eerily similar and the General's American accent is spot-on.
So they keep talking about Earth being drained of "energy" but they haven't really specified what that IS yet, have they?
Oh no! Not the Revelation Of Ominous Device That Promotes Gasps Of Horror And "You Can't Do That!"
Polly, somehow I'm not sure lowering yourself to a secretary again is going to do much good, unless you have a plan or something.
Ben spots a ventilation shaft! Natch.
Thank you for proving me wrong, Polly. That was actually quite simple but impressive.
"Before it's too late" meaning "before Ben makes it into the ventilation shaft." Nice.
Oh. And it turns out the ventilation shaft might be the solution to this whole thing after all.
But first, OMG CYBERMANS.
Woah. Holy crap, what's this? They're just...falling dead to the ground. What ARE those lights?
Huh. A piece of wobbly set that can actually get away with being wobbly. I think.
Oh wait a sec, those lights were the Cybermans' crotch-lasers from earlier, weren't they?
Ohhhhhhh shitcock Cutler's gonna catch Ben in the act...
Maybe the fall wasn't that high, but how is Ben not COMPLETELY BROKEN by that flip? I mean, secondary characters tend to die from that.
Okay, so he's not completely broken, but he IS unconscious.
AND THE ROCKET'S TAKING OFF. I have to say, that might be one of the most epic Hartnell cliffhangers I've seen. And it's the last.
So that was the last complete Hartnell episode and he wasn't even in it for more than 5 seconds. Balls.
Okay kids. Here we go. The final chapter of the final adventure of William Hartnell: The First Doctor.
The rocket fails to take off and suddenly WE'RE IN RECON-MODE! And this does appear to be the official BBC version! (presumably)
One returns! And he has WORDS to say.
"Perhaps this old body of mine is wearing a bit thin."
"What do you mean, 'wearing a bit thin'?"
Uh oh. One's gone and made a father angry. Very very angry.
But then there were CYBERMANS and the angry father was made to be dead.
"We owe you our lives. That man was going to have us shot." Indebted to the Cybermen. That's...wow. That's a new one.
Or it could be the other way around, since Team TARDIS DID stop the missile from blowing up Mondas, as One puts it.
"What kind of chair is that, anyway?" DO NOT EVEN TRY TO CYBER-CONVERT POLLY.
Oh god why a close-up of the cyberman's face why a close-up of the cyberman's face
"I am now controller of the Earth. Resist UUUUUUUS. And you die."
Sounds like this cyberman at Geneva is talking with AutoTune partially activated.
Ooo, the Let's Lie On The Ground To Coax The Cybermen In To Get Radiated Game! I loved this one as a kid...
Holy crap. I just realized that the flickering text in the background is spelling out the locations of the scenes. Nice touch!
Guys, Ben Jackson. Just...just Ben Jackson.
Radiation and gas. Somehow this doesn't seem like a very safe combination. On the other hand, I am utter fail at science.
And of COURSE One was right about the radiation destroying Mondas. Wow, it really did...well...melt, didn't it?
JESUS CYBERSKELETONS CREEPY CREEPY CREEPY.
And Cutler's son is alive after all! So his dad died grieving for nothing...
Oh come on, Polly, you can stop freaking out now. Everything's stopped going to crap. "It's all over..."
"It's FAR from being all over."
"What are you talking about?"
"I must get back to the TARDIS. IMMEDIATELY."
Oh wow. Hartnell sounds sick as a dog. And Ben's giving him his coat......GUYS...
"Ah yes, thank you, thank you............keep warm..."
Guys. This. Show.
The old Doctor is dead. LONG LIVE THE DOCTOR!
Ladies and gentlemen, I have just completed the entire televised run of William Hartnell's First Doctor. The first Classic chapter is done.
Next: The Power of the Daleks