The Enemy of the World Episode 5

The one where Swann finds out that Salamander's been lying to them all these years...

The first few minutes of this episode serve to neatly summarise the story so far as Kent and Astrid fill Bruce in (for it was his shoes which entered last week) on what's going on. Yet again, Bruce demands evidence of their claims, as the Doctor has for the last five weeks, so although they manage to recruit a key collaborator to their cause, they still have to go through the rigmarole of convincing him. If everybody just believed everybody else on face value, there wouldn't be much story left!

Colin Douglas continues to underwhelm me with his performance. He's about the only cast member who doesn't seem to be giving it their all (and that includes Margaret Hickey and Adam Verney). He's just kind of there, saying his lines, whereas everybody else seems to be revelling in the intricacies and opportunities of the script. Even a minor player like Elliott Cairnes (as the Group Captain) manages to squeeze something more out of what little he has to do (the character has shown clear but suppressed dislike for his boss Benik in both episodes 4 and 5, often just by expression alone).

Milton Johns continues to enjoy bringing the slimy Benik to oily life, particularly in the interrogation of Jamie and Victoria, which is unusually raw for Doctor Who ("It's so much more interesting when our prisoners are stubborn"). There's very little violence shown, but there's plenty inferred, menacingly, in Johns' performance. However, he does hold a gun to Victoria's face at one point, and also grabs her roughly by the hair ("Oh, such pretty hair, don't you think?"). Jamie can't stand to see his friend hurt in any way, so gives in, but not before putting up a good fight. "You must have been a nasty little boy," sneers Jamie at their vindictive captor, to which Benik replies: "Oh I was. But I had a very enjoyable childhood." Such a fabulously unlikeable villain!

Down in the bunker is where most of the juicy action happens this week. The boxes of provisions brought by Salamander are being scanned for radiation by several mute extras who aren't allowed to speak (else they'll have to be paid more!). I found it interesting that these people don't think twice about the fact they're getting fresh milk in glass bottles from a world they believe to be ravaged by radiation and war. They also seem to be getting boxes of extremely light "meat"... Special stuff?

The killer moment is when Swann finds a scrap of newspaper attached to a box, dated to the previous year (2017). He confronts Salamander with the fact the newspaper has run a story about a sunken holiday liner. How can there be holiday liners in a post-nuclear wasteland?

Swann's confrontation of Salamander is great stuff, as we get to see the would-be dictator's scheme begin to unravel, but he cleverly thinks on his feet and manages to weave a new lie that although the war up top is over, the survivors are horribly disfigured sub-humans. He continues to peddle fear as his weapon, warning Swann that life on the surface is terrifying, populated by people with deformed bodies. Still, they get to go on holiday liners though!

Swann pokes at the truth, and is partly placated by Salamander's claims, but insists on going to the surface to see it for himself. And when weedy Colin finds out about this, he goes ape-shit: "Why not me?" he wails, like a petulant child. "Take me with you!" Knowing Swann's probable fate, I kind of wish he would. Still, Colin, for all his overwrought protestations, does make a good point in this episode, which is totally ignored by his friends - what if Salamander never came back? What then? Their entire existence relies on him, and if the surface was as dangerous and hostile as he claims, surely a back-up plan should be in place?

Back in the "Australasion" Zone, the Doctor pretends to be Salamander in front of Jamie and Victoria in order to convince Bruce of the Mexican's scheming ways. Deborah Watling is fantastic in these scenes, really laying into Salamander/ the Doctor, even almost striking him in anger! She's been written well in this story, with scenes such as this, and a couple of earlier moments when Victoria stuck up for herself against the thuggery around her (in episode 1 she tells Bruce not to shout at her, and in episode 3 she snaps at the guards to take their hands off her). Beneath the woolly pully and Brigitte Bardot hair, she's still got bite. It's just a shame she's not always written this strongly.

Astrid and Kent affect a canny escape by faking Giles's assassination using a brick and some tomato ketchup (and the cut from Salamander picking up the lead piping to Astrid smashing the window is very clever, giving prior notice of what's about to happen). Outside in the field, Astrid comes upon a moaning, injured Swann, who claims he's been clobbered by Salamander. We don't see it on screen, but it all falls into place... what a bastard that Salamander is!

First broadcast: January 20th, 1968

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: Benik's interrogation of Jamie and Victoria is quite edgy for Doctor Who.
The Bad: Colin Douglas. Just taking the money and running (or probably sauntering).
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

NEXT TIME: Episode 6...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Episode 1; Episode 2; Episode 3; Episode 4; Episode 6

Find out birth/death dates, career information, and facts and trivia about this story's cast and crew at the Doctor Who Cast & Crew site: http://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/the-enemy-of-world.html

The Enemy of the World is available on BBC DVD. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Doctor-Who-Enemy-Special/dp/B079MQBNB7/.