Underworld Part Three

The one where the Minyans and the trogs join forces...

As if seeing the end of part 2 wasn't punishment enough the first time around, the reprise lasts a full 1 minute 40 seconds, recycling the same bland footage, including that vital vent action! And just to reaffirm the fact we're watching Underworld, director Norman Stewart gets to recycle some footage, reversing it when the vent sucks the gas out.

One thing I will say though, is that this scene with the gas must have been quite tricky to get right, as it involves three different layers. You've got the real-world props of the vent and the air control, as well as an actor, then you've got the CSO background they inhabit, on top of which is a third complication of overlaying the rising gas level. It might still look rubbish, but I bet it wasn't easy to set up. I'm damning with false praise there, aren't I? Well, it's the best I can do.

We do get more practical sets in this episode though, which is a good thing, and although the P7E citadel is just a redressed R1C, it looks pretty impressive, with some moody low lighting occasionally bathed in pinkish pools. I think sometimes lighting designer Mike Jefferies has the lights down too low, but it's not a major quibble in light of the abominations going on elsewhere. The scenes in the citadel feel atmospheric and dangerous, with Idas's father Idmon being wheeled in on a gurney ready to face the Question of the Sword.

The Question of the Sword is just a fancy way of saying sacrifice. A not-very-sharp sword dangles above the head of the victim, Damocles-style, and a flame is raised to burn through the rope which holds the sword aloft. Once the flame burns through, the sword will drop and the victim will be sacrificed. I'm not sure what the actual question is, but the answer is pretty conclusive. The sacrifice is organised in order to show the trogs that the Seers are in charge, and in turn the Seers answer to the Oracle, voiced by Christine Pollon with lashings of dread. She sounds really spooky, to be fair.

The Doctor, Leela and Idas make their way to the P7E via a zero gravity lift ("Push!"), which makes further use of the CSO but feels like a great idea on paper ruined in practice. Even composer Dudley Simpson can't help taking the mickey by writing some twee "lift music" to accompany their descent!

As little old Idmon faces the sword, Rask taunts him: "Make the most of these few moments, slave. Enjoy them to the full. They are your last!" Well, if the poor bloke wasn't bound and gagged, unable to move or speak, or even ask for a final cigarette, then maybe he could enjoy it, but as things are, poor little Idmon is having a pretty rubbish time. That is until the Doctor and co arrive. I think it's great that it's his son Idas, not the Doctor, who incites the mini riot and rescues his father, because although it seems a little out of character for what has been a pretty feeble character so far, it suggests the Doctor and Leela have empowered him somehow. Earlier, Leela told Idas that the Doctor "has saved many fathers", so it's nice to think that Idas has been emboldened by his encounter with our heroes.

Lots of people die in the scramble. Seers shoot trogs, the arriving Minyans shoot the Seers, there's lots of lasers and extras falling carefully to the ground, but it's not badly staged as Season 15 laser fights go. What is great is the arrival of gung-ho Herrick, played so energetically by Alan Lake, who is about the only actor in this story putting any effort in. Trigger-happy Herrick seems to thrive on the thrill of the fight, seizing the chance to shine after so many years of doing nothing aboard the R1C. You can see that Lake is loving being in Doctor Who, loving being in this silly space adventure, and I appreciate his enthusiasm. If only it was contagious.

The Doctor, Leela, K-9, the trogs and the Minyans all assemble in the CSO caves to take stock, and Leela gets to actually speak to another female character in a scene which almost passes the Bechdel-Wallace Test. Leela talks with Naia and not about a man, but there is a man (Idmon) involved in the conversation, so it doesn't quite pass, but it's a nice try! What's most puzzling is that Jackson isn't asking what's going on or who's who, he just very quickly accepts the situation without really learning what it is (he chats happily to Idas without knowing who or what he is). As for the other R1C crewmembers, neither Orfe or Tala get any lines at all in this episode, which is a shame (especially for Jonathan Newth, who deserves better than this).

By the end of the episode we've learnt that the trogs are the descendants of the P7E's original crew, which must have got trapped in the gravitational pull of the spiral nebula and became its own planet, with a fresh civilisation sprouting up at the core. But the Seers that torture Herrick - Lakh and Ankh - don't seem to be aware of what the P7E or a "ship" is, and have no knowledge of the Minyan race banks. Then they pull off their masks to reveal that they are not fleshy human beings at all, but three-eyed metal-heads that look like a cross between a ballpoint pen and Beaker from the Muppets. Hardly terrifying. It's not clear whether these two are robots, or men with helmets on. If the latter, then why were they wearing masks over their helmets?

At least I'm actually interested again...

First broadcast: January 21st, 1978

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: I like the way Mike Jefferies lights the P7E citadel.
The Bad: There's so little for the R1C crew to do now, especially Orfe and Tala. Too many characters, far too little plot.
Overall score for episode: ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

"Would you like a jelly baby?" tally: 13

NEXT TIME: Part Four...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Part One; Part Two; Part Four

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: https://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.com/2014/07/underworld.html

Underworld is available on BBC DVD as part of the Myths and Legends box set. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Legends-Monster-Underworld/dp/B002SZQC98