Customer Reviews

Doctor Who - Earthshock [VHS]

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Earth, 2526. Following an argument with Adric, who's tired of being teased, made fun of, not taken seriously, and who wants to go back to his home planet, the Doctor goes out to a cave full of fossilized dinosaurs in the walls.

Meanwhile, soldiers under Lieutenant Scott enter the caves investigating the deaths of seven paleontologists and geologists, led by Professor Kyle, the survivor, who says the expedition was beset by faults and sabotage. However, some troops become casualties of two shadowy and sleek androids whose weapons turn their victims into organic puddles.

The Doctor is accused of being the murders of Kyle's colleagues, but then the androids attack. They're defeated, but the Doctor traces their controllers to a freighter, whose captain, the irascible Briggs, is anxious to reach Earth to deliver a cargo of 15,000 silos and get a bonus. But the Doctor and Adric are accused of murdering two crewmembers and sent to the bridge. There, they discover that there have been brief power losses aboard the ship, and later, the controller of the androids. Look at the video cover for the answer.

The Cyberleader and the Doctor get into an interesting discussion on the weakness and strengths of emotions, and in my current state, I find myself siding with the CyberLeader.

Cyberleader: I see Time Lords have have emotional feelings. Surely a great weakness in one so powerful.
Doctor: Emotions have their uses.
Cyberleader: They restrict and curtail the intellect and logic of the mind.
Doctor: They also enhance life! When did you last have the pleasure of smelling a flower, watching a sunset?
Cyberleader: These things are irrelevant.
Doctor: For some people, small beautiful events is what life is all about.

The Cyberleader ruthlessly demonstrates that the Doctor's concern for Tegan is a weakness and that he can bend the Doctor to his will by simply threatening to kill her.

Many things succeed in this story, as the scene of Cybermen bursting out of their metal silos, the shot of them marching in unison at the cliffhanger of Episode 3, accompanied by a musical synthesizer march. This redesign of the Cybermen has them in the silver fighter pilot-like outfits, which marks the debut of the contemporary Cybermen, and the portrayal of the CyberLeader and CyberLieutenant by David Banks and Mark Hardy. Another is the way the Doctor immobilizes a Cybermen in a door like a fly caught in amber.

Some flaws include the Cybermen's jaws, which are transparent and one can see the actors' mouths moving beneath. Another is a scene in Episode 3, where Scott examines the dead freighter crew. Down below, a woman can be seen reading the script! Also, when Scott is contemplating which of two Cybermen to kill in Episode 3, his targets can be seen talking to each other, using chatty hand gestures. So unlike rational Cybermen!

This was the third and last time a companion was killed off in the series history, the first two being Katarina and Sara Kingdom in the no-longer complete Dalek Master Plan (1965). Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) was so upset that he refused to speak to producer John Nathan-Turner for a few weeks. Adric has been considered the worst Doctor Who companion, but that's hardly Waterhouse's fault. It has to be said that Adric's character was poorly written and developed and Waterhouse did his best. Waterhouse does have cameo appearances in two other Peter Davison stories.

Despite the flaws and it being a simple action-adventure story, Earthshock works due to the return of the snazzily designed Cybermen and the unexpected death of Adric.

Episode 1 alone is overall terrific. Mysterious caves being guarded for some important reason, Adric bickering, the androids' way of killing people, this is a very taut and exciting episode. There is some rubbish technobabble about the device used to track the people in the caves, but otherwise this episode hangs together extremely well. As for the cliffhanger, it was a jaw-dropper in 1982 and still holds up exceptionally well.

Episode 2 isn't quite as tense, but still easily manages to retain excitement and interest despite a silly claim about the TARDIS' capabilities and how the main enemies in this story can see into the future where they go over the Doctor's bio/history record. But that is a small point. The moment leading to the cliffhanger is reasonably excellent as well.

Episode 3 is now a full shift away from the wonderful claustrophobia of the caves of the first 1.5 episodes. The freighter's interior is extremely well realized considering the show's budget (or even on a big movie budget, they got everything RIGHT) and provides some great tension for more than one gripping scene. The cliffhanger, despite using a prismatic lens to make one row of enemies look like 3 rows, packs a decent punch as well. I won't mention how kewl it was to see how the Doctor deals with the enemy force about to break into the freighter's bridge... So far, the story is worth all of the praise it gets.

Episode 4 is awesome, though the ending is flaky. The ending involves the freighter entering time travel, which seems to be cheaply written in as an afterthought. The reasons behind the ability of the freighter to do this don't cut it and they could have used some flimsy technobabble about the warp engines being the cause instead of the enemy machinery locking the ship's directional control panel. But that's one small point.

Episode 4 does end with another big surprise that you, depending on your point of view, will like...

The story was augmented with modern computer effects. I prefer the original effects, even if they are different than what was intended to be (for example, a spaceship exploding instead of crashing, though it can be said the spaceship exploded in the planet's atmosphere...).

I expect that the video and audio quality will be comparable to the other Dr Who releases (except "The Key to Time", which the UK Restoration Team did not work on). I gather the soundtrack is isolated, which is another BIG plus.

One of my big problems with 80s Dr Who is not as much JNT but Saward. Even from his earliest penned story "The Visitation", Saward loves using gore. Indeed, in "The Visitation" he wanted to have the remains of the smouldering murdered family to be shown, but the director had enough guts to show well orchestrated fade-in clips of the empty house's interior that was far more effective... Fortunately, we're still in the 5th Doctor's early run so it's not so pronounced (by Davison's final year, Saward - both as writer and script editor - went out his way to ensure pointless gore was used. But that's another story...) The only real gore in this episode is how the androids kill people (the people turn into a liquified state which is horrific yet doesn't go out of its way to be shock value. In other words, it's appropriate and maturely handled and properly tells us that the androids doing the killing shouldn't be reckoned with... (in later years (Davison's final year and to an extent Colin Baker's first year), the gore was haphazardly thrown in, with any true atmosphere chucked out the window in name of sleazy shock value. Colin's era did match gore with a coherent intent, but the purpose seemed to be excessive, resulting in the gore being just as pointless as in the prior season...)

But I digress. This is a WONDERFUL story, worthy of 5 stars and is ideal for showing to any potential fan. Also, the enemy I spoke of is the Cybermen. They were created in 1966 and had been disused since 1974. As the story was made 7 years later, it was deemed that they should be re-introduced with as little fanfare as possible. And it worked. and it worked so well that subsequent viewings don't wear the concept down. For a producer maligned with the stigma that he loved using continuity, the continuity works well in this story as it reminds of previous Cybermen history to whet our appetites (later stories merely use continuity to bury storylines, but Earthshock tells a story and uses references in a way that expands one's interest to become a fan, and doesn't pander to fans (who'd only nitpick any inaccuracies in continuity).

The Cybermen were organic creatures who replaced more of their limbs and organs with technology. They're like the Borg, only they'd been around long before the Borg were. And "Earthshock" is possibly the best story they're used in, apart from "The Tomb of the Cybermen". ("Tomb"'s plot is superlative but I don't think it was carried out well, apart from episodes 1 and 4. There are some great performances, but the technobabble is grating, episode 3 is pure pointless padding, and the inclusion of Toberman as an indentured servant of all things is boggling, why couldn't he be an equal? On the other hand, his contributions to the end of that story prove he is the most human of them all... and as "Tomb" had also been released on DVD, it's worthy of pick-up as well.)

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a review of the "Earthshock" episode. Rather, this is a review of the DVD.

This DVD of one of the most memorable episodes of Doctor Who is fantastic. It's worth the purchase price for the special features alone.

The special features include:

- Subtext with "did you know"-style facts about the show

- CGI graphics for the lasers and the crashing into Earth.

- A well-produced documentary about the making of "Earthshock", which included interviews from the cast members (except Janet Fielding) and celeb Doctor Who fans that discussed the process of making this episode and the process of keeping the two major incidents in the show a secret from the public.

- A segment from the BBC show "Did You See?" discussing the Cybermen.

- A funny (in a twisted sort of way) "Episode 5" claymation.

- Commentary from Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, and Matthew Waterhouse that is HILARIOUS (especially Janet Fielding's commentary). Although some of it is informative, the commentary makes it feel like one is watching an episode of "Mystery Science Theatre 3000". As many of the reviewers have already stated, some of the jokes are at Matthew Waterhouse's expense (Janet Fielding's hilarious observation about "hands in pockets" is an example), but he seems to take it in fun.

If that's not enough, there is an Easter Egg on the DVD featuring a segment from a Jamaican (or BBC produced?) comedy show with a parody of dubbing Doctor Who in Jamaican dialect.

Overall, a really good DVD to have for the Doctor Who fan.

The return of the Cybermen after their misuse in Revenge of theCybermen is a moody, exciting adventure that contains moment aftermoment of brilliance. The acting is sound on all levels, with special credit due Peter Davison, whose performance raises the tension level as his realization of the true purpose of certain events adds to the overall mood of the piece. The redesign of the Cybermen was criticized by some, but the see-through mouthpiece adds to the effect of the Cybermen's menace, rather than detracting, by allowing us to see the transformed humanity within the outfit. This is one of the best ones to show to new Doctor Who viewers, as it is accessible to those who've never seen a Cyberman adventure, and has high emotional moments -- especially the ending, which works on every level. One of Davison's best by far, and definitely one of the best Cyber-Adventures. A must-own. Now if only they'd get rid of that ridiculous vunerability to gold, everything would be fine. It works here as a plot point, but nowhere else. Enjoy!

Earthshock is a true Dr.Who classic PERIOD. The cybermen finally return after being gone for too many years anfd they have never been in finer form. This episode demonstrates why the cybermen have long been arguably Dr. Who's second greatest enemies. And the ending is truly an "earthshock" in more ways than one. Not only one of the best cybermen stories but one of the top five Who stories ever.

The return of an old enemy, the threat of annihilation of all life on Earth, and actual death of a compianion, Earthshock finds the 5th and youngest Doctor, PETER DAVISON at his best in this 4 parter. He displays the same short temper and irritable nature as his first incarnation along with the humanity and vulnerability of the 2nd Doctor. This excellent 19th season story arc contains one of the most emotionally powerful finale in the show's original 26-year run. A scientific expedition in a cave system on 25th-century Earth is wiped out. An military rescue unit led by Lieutenant Scott (James Warwick) and sole expedition survivor Professor Kyle (Claire Clifford) go in to recover the bodies following a mysterious massacre, developing into tense action on a space freighter bound for Earth carrying a deadly cargo of Cybermen, absent from the series for 7 years (since Tom Baker's first season ( "Revenge of the Cybermen"). At the time the return was kept fair secret, as death of a regular character, by the time it aired in the US, both cats were out of the bag (which made the "near misses" even more effective than your usual Dr. Who story).

With a moody dark mood remnisent of the movie ALIEN, and WITH action & Tight-pacing reminiscent of the movie ALIENS (which it predates), doesn't lead time to include some of the camp-moments sometimes blighting the series in the `80s, and with a notable, but over-the-top guest turn from Beryl Reid as the ship's captain, Earthshock is one of the 5th Doctor's finest adventures (along with "Caves of Androzani"). Another problem of the 5th Doctors run is neatly solved, on many levels, the overfull TARDIS crew. Nyssa (and some guest-stars) being sidelined in the TARDIS for half of this very story since there is nothing for her to do illustrates why one companion had to go, and I think that the killing off of a companion was a bold and brilliant move by producer JNT. It defies reason, even in a fantasy series to have the Doctor's companions all survive and for them to be victorious in every episode. Plus, as the character everybody (at the time) loved to hate does die, in so heroic a fashion, it redeems his irksome character ( an infinitely superior end compared to sparing Westley Crusher in ST:TNG).The story is first-class enough to overlook a few plot holes and by the end they simply won't matter; when the final credits roll in silence the effect is as powerful now as it was shocking to audiences back in 1981. The ending is brilliant. It's shocking, it's moving; it's just fantastic. The credits roll silently over Adric's destroyed badge, and you realise that the Doctor doesn't always win, and it makes you love him even more. From this point on in the fifth Doctor's era, there is the feeling that no one is safe...

Doctor Who: Earthshock is presented in the original broadcast with a near-flawless picture. The extras begin with a strong 32-minute documentary, more retrospective than making-of. Then comes the commentary, with the complete TARDIS crew!:Peter Davison, Janet Fielding (Tegan), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) and Matthew Waterhouse (Adric). It is much better than the Visitation commentary, although only Davison seems to know what his talking about, while the other cast members seem to remember very little, with Fielding enthralled by the fashion aspects of the crew. Both commentary and the episodes have optional subtitles. The documentary, "Putting the `Shock' Into Earthshock" is one of the most interesting produced thus far, featuring contributions from the cast & director Peter Grimwade, writer Eric Saward, Mark Gatiss, Steve Moffatt and others. Other special feature options include detailed on-screen information subtitles, an isolated musical score, and the ability to watch Earthshock with the original FX or with selected effects shots replaced with new computer graphics (don't worry it is very subtle but very effective, perfect for showing to someone who started watching in 2005). There's a scored, five-minute photo gallery that even includes a shot from the recording of the commentary, assemblage of footage shot on film and a 10-minute section "Did You See?" which looks back on the 40 year-old show's aliens.

There are DVD 'Easter Eggs,' if you navigate down to the special features option on the first menu and press select, then move down to the 40th Anniversary Celebration option and hit left to highlight a hidden Doctor Who logo then hit select, you'll get a comedy sketch featuring a short clip from "Earthshock" that's been dubbed.

Possible DW drinking games: (drink when you see the following cliches or counter-cliches)

-The TARDIS Crew are Accused / Arrested (for murder)

-The TARDIS Crew return / plan to return to the TARDIS

-Threats & near misses on TARDIS Crew

-Emotionless Cybermen showing emotion

-The Doctor kills

-ADRIC complains

And for that matter, when did we last have the pleasure of viewing a Cybermen storyline on "Doctor Who"? Okay, only a few months ago thanks to the technological magic of DVDs, but for audiences watching the show back when it first aired we're talking the better part of a whole decade. The first of the four episodes is cleverly structured too so that their return must have come as quite a shock (appropriately enough) at the time, an effect somewhat lost now--yep, there's no mistaking that big looming Cyberface on the DVD cover. But shock value aside and accounting for a few glitches, "Earthshock" still holds its own as a fine "Doctor Who" story.

First things first, it's hard to go wrong with the Cybermen, ruthlessly cold cyborgs and quintessential "Doctor Who" villains who've traded in their individuality and emotional sensitivity for heightened physical prowess and sharp intellectual power (not that the transaction's always willing, since the Cybermen often propagate by assimilating others). Their standardized blank faces and level mechanized voices make for an eerie contrast with the Doctor's individuality and eccentricity as well as disturbingly questioning the effect of technological progress on our humanity (I say writing an online review on my computer after having watched this show on a DVD, but okay). Of course all of this helps account for why the Cybermen are compelling in general, but how about in this story in particular? Their updated look is excellent, remaining true to the classic design but newly emphasizing the fact that these are indeed cyborgs rather than merely robots. They are definitely more emotional than in past storylines, especially the Cyber Leader, and this seems gratingly odd throughout the story--granted that it's hard to get drama interacting with an IBM, and realistically speaking some trace of old human emotions like ambition and lust for power must be rattling around in there somewhere inspiring them to conquer, assimilate, and thereby establish Cyber empires. So their portrayal here is imaginably plausible if a tad unusual.

The plot itself is interesting, combining a disarmingly contemporary premise of an enemy attempting to disrupt peace negotiations and alliance formations through what amounts to a terrorist attack with an intriguingly peculiar take on what wiped out the dinosaurs--the latter bit linking the very beginning and very end of the story in a cleverly foreshadowing manner. The directing is tight, dynamic, and fast-paced for "Doctor Who" of this time, giving the tale an unusually tense sense of suspense and, well, shock (which is also indicative of how dramatic conventions were gradually evolving, since this kind of directing and editing seems more akin to that of the current "Doctor Who" series than it does to that of the show prior). And there are lots of neat little touches, number one of which surely must be the Cybermen reviewing their files on the Doctor, giving us precious glimpses of classic episodes in the process--all as the Cyber Leader comments with audible irritation in his voice that for a supposedly non-interfering Time Lord this one calling himself the Doctor does nothing BUT interfere. There are quite a few glitches, too, I'm afraid, one of the worst of which is that Earth millions of years ago is made to look exactly like Earth today, as if there were no such thing as continental drift--this would be a fairly venial sin if the producer hadn't beforehand made a point of his intention to upgrade the show's scientific caliber. Finally, wrapping all of this up (the good and the bad along with the ugly) is a shockingly unpredictable conclusion that serves to remind us that the threats the Doctor and his companions deal with in their fantastic travels are real and potentially deadly.

The story and script are well done, some say that it would have been good as a first draft and it needs work, but it is actually quite good. Episodes 1 and 2 are good, but as soon as the Cyberman Leader gets in there with the Doctor, it's GREAT.

Although this is a very strong Doctor Who story, I don't think I'd recommend it as the first Dr. Who to show someone who's never seen the series before. I tried to show it to my wife without much success (she had more intrest in watching Spearhead from Space than this). I think the fact that there are four main characters kind of alienates a first time viewer because they start off by going, "Who are all these people and why does that girl wear brown velvet up to her chin and that guy wear pajamas?" The production design is also fairly 80's, (if you know what I mean) which to some people is a turn off (the Cybermen costumes are tops in my opinion). That seems to be my experience showing this episode to people who have never seen the show.

As for the DVD features, they're GREAT. The story is 4 stars, the features make this DVD a 5. First, the commentary is REALLY entertaining. They make fun of themselves and tell you cool things that happened in production (including bloopers). The CGI effects are great and really change the mood of the end just because it is not distracting at all (MUCH better than the CGI in the Five Doctors DVD). The "5th" Episode is fun even though it's short. The 40th anniversary feature is fun (just the Orbital version of the Dr. Who theme and a bunch of clips from the 26 years of Dr. Who and a few from the 1996 movie). The "Did You See?" feature is fun and shows a lot of clips of old Dr. Who monsters in a humerous manner. The BEST thing by far is the feature "Putting the Shock into Earthsock." It has interviews from a lot of the cast and writer as well as sci-fi magazine people and such. The best part is seeing Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat (writers of the new series) talk about Earthshock, it's hilarious. The easter egg is also really cool :)

Overall, it's a great package and you won't regret buying it. The features are some of the best Dr. Who DVDs have offered. Even for the first time viewer, if it doesn't seem like the best thing you've seen right away, just watch the whole thing, it's worth it. Episodes 3 and 4 are GREAT.

This serial comes very close to being excellent, and is by far one of the highlights of the Fifth Doctor's era. There's so much to like in this one: the tone is serious, and the direction is cinematic and very visual, uncommon for Eighties "Who"; the design is terrific, with both the caves and the spaceship looking absolutely top-notch; the guest cast turn in good performances, and the Cybermen make a triumphant return after having gone MIA for almost ten years.

There's a good deal of action, but it doesn't overwhelm the way the violence in later shows like WARRIORS OF THE DEEP or RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS would. The overcrowded TARDIS is quite obvious: Nyssa spends a lot of time inside doing little, and Adric is bumped off at the end. Tegan, however, gets to change into a new costume, wield a gun, and shoot a Cyberman. She was always a favorite of mine, nevermind all the complaints she gets. The direction, as I mentioned above, is better than average, and the tension and mood are palpable.

But then there are some not-so-good bits. First of all, Eric Saward decided he didn't like the emotionless Cybermen of old so he gave the Cyberleader more of a personality. That might make him a more engaging villain, but it also makes him generic. He could be anyone at all, and there's no reason whatsoever for the baddies to be Cybermen. That's disappointing when the story is as good as it is.

Even worse is the role the Doctor plays in this. I quite like Peter Davison's Doctor, and I think he gets underestimated. His performance makes the Doctor a little more human and humane, someone we can believe in. The trouble is, so few writers were willing to give him anything to do. He's like a bystander, an observer in his own show. Take the Doctor out of EARTHSHOCK, and you'd get basically the same thing. This was a major flaw of the series in the Eighties, and would only be corrected when Andrew Cartmel became story editor and started making the 7th Doctor into a good character again. Peter Davison is great, but the Doctor needs to take charge!

Other than those two caveats, this is a great one. Of all the Fifth Doctor's stories, it's among the best.

This serial of Dr. Who brought back my favorite menace - the Cybermen. Not seen for years since "Revenge of the Cybermen" (1975, during the Tom Baker years), the Cybermen have a new look and a new plan. Using a bomb set deep within Earth, they will destroy the planet as its government is prepared to host an interplanetary summit aimed at - among other things - an alliance against evils like the Cybermen. Unfortunately for them, their plan is discovered by The Doctor who luckily (for us) materializes on the scene in his space-time ship (the "TARDIS"). With their initial plan foiled, the Cybermen switch gears and hit on a new idea. They hijack a huge cargo spaceship carrying a veritable army of Cybermen (originally intended to hold what's left of Earth when the bomb explodes), and aim it at Earth like a bomb. Tracing the source of the signal, the Doctor lands on the freighter and battles the Cybermen alongside a pitiful band of human soldiers and the ship's crew. With his companions - the boy genius Adric, the young but wise Nyssa and the tough but lovely Tegan Jovanka - the Doctor fights a seeming losing battle against the horde of Cybermen holding the ship.

This was a great episode on so many levels. The redesigned Cybermen - see-through mouth-grille and all - are an improvement over the silver-wetsuits of "Revenge", and the script plays up on their strengths: their numbers and seemingly boundless cool and aggression. Cheesy camera work exaggerates their numbers by having the image of a single column of Cybermen "multiplied" within a single shot - but we get the point. ("Who" fans who can't appreciate the "see-through mouth" because we now know that there are people behind the masks, are missing the point - the Cybermen aren't machines, they are mechanized people, the prototypes for the Borg. We always knew that there was a person behind the mask, but the grille still hides what that person must look like after being "assimilated". Also, individual Cybermen are more vulnerable here than they were in "Revenge" (their huge numbers wouldn't be as important if they were as bulletproof as they were in that story). The scene introducing the Cybermen is perfect - with the cold invaders huddled like a coven of witches around a holographic viewer. (They don't recognize the Doctor at first, but his spaceship tips them off) Of course the biggest thing about this story is the end of Adric - there are hints of his leaving from the start of the serial, but the final moments are unforgettable anyway.

IF YOU'VE NEVER SEEN AN EPISODE OF DOCTOR WHO none of the above will make much sense (a man - a "timelord" actually - who changes his appearance every few years, traveling across space and time in a ship looking on the outside like a London police call box, accompanied by a constantly changing cast of companions and battling a wide array of menaces both alien and human). Still, some episodes embody a sort of humanity that rises above the kooky continuity of the show, and this is one of them, so it's worth a look. The tragic ending underscores the entire series - times runs out, even for timelords.