"Well, I told you. I'm from Galactic."
"Galactic went out of business twenty years ago."
"I wondered why I hadn't been paid."
I notice that we are now absent one Dave Martin, but in terms of the type of story being told, this story feels like a natural descendant of the Bristol Boys' other Doctor Who output. I have often pointed at these stories as having solid sci-fi ideas which fall apart in the execution, but Nightmare of Eden is more successful in this respect than most.
Despite airing during a season which has been characterized as a fairly light and silly one, the subject matter of this serial is surprisingly dark. The issues of narcotics and the hard opiate epidemic are still a pressing matter today, particularly where I live. Several members of the same graduating class I was a part of ended up overdosing over the last few years. I did not know any of them personally, but this topic still seems to land closer to home than most.
The social causes of addiction aren't really the focus here, more their societal effects. I was particularly attentive to this story's criticism of the sort of policing that usually arises in response to drug epidemics, and was amused by the Doctor's acerbic remark that bureaucrats are "worse than idiots".
Hamming it up when he's being "torn limb from limb" aside, I like the Doctor in this story. It's always nice when he takes up a bit of a sleuth's role, as I think it's a part Tom Baker plays quite well. His two-word response to Tryst's plea for understanding at the end of the serial is quite effective.
I have to admit that I took a pretty long time to twig onto the fact that Tryst was the baddie, and longer still to realize Dymond was in on it. I am nothing if not oblivious, but at least it means I get the full effect of the reveal. Considering that quirky professorial figures are usually posed in complementary or friendly roles with respect to the Doctor, it is actually sort of clever to have the main antagonist turn out to be one for once. Tryst's motives are almost understandable - but his actions monstrous enough that the Doctor's gruff goodbye to him seems more than justified.
The mandrels are nothing special as a monster, but are memorable on a visual level, particularly those glowing green eyes of theirs. The rest of the serial is less visually memorable as it takes place largely on one of a couple different ship sets, but the CET's views of alien worlds and the visual of Dymond's spaceship wedged just outside of the forcefield will both stick in my mind.
In terms of miscellany that stuck out to me, I enjoyed a dark chuckle at the doped-up captain's dismissive remark that the passengers are "only economy class" when the mandrels are ripping them apart. I also laughed out loud the first time a mandrel disintegrated and turned into crack. That probably wasn't the intended effect, but the absurdity of the realization just overcame me.
All in all, a solid enough serial, and a decent occasion for Bob Baker to bow out of the series on. His and Dave Martin's contributions have been a worthy inclusion in the Doctor Who canon, and thanks are owed.
Speedily on to the next. The Horns of Nimon wait for no man.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 6 October 2021.)
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