It kind of goes without saying, but this era has proved to be one of the most thoroughly competent runs the show has ever had. It's clear that the team behind the show are firing on all cylinders, and by this point, having been on the project for three years, they're making it work wonders. Although I've had my complaints about the content of the episodes at times, it's clear that this is considered a golden age for Doctor Who for a good reason.
The Robots of Death is one of the stories that I feel is most emblematic of this quality, with perhaps the best execution of putting a particular artistic idea onto the screen and then running with it. From a basic proposed concept of "art deco robots", a tense and claustrophobic murder mystery is the final output. It's so fun seeing a sci-fi take on Agatha Christie (and watch this space for another sixteen seasons) and the - as usual - strong set design on this serial keeps it from seeming small and cheap even though it's all in-studio.
If I had to pick a couple of effects which sold this particularly well, it would be the shots of the sand miner from the outside, comprising a very impressive-looking moving model, and the interior shots where the corridors the Doctor and company are walking in are viewed from a distance, with high ceilings and a lot of industrial equipment in the foreground. Of course, we can't forget the robots themselves, who look amazing, and are voiced with creepy, monotone perfection.
The mystery itself was pretty gripping, and I didn't succeed in guessing the actual killer's identity until his face popped up on a great big screen at one point. Capel's motives strain belief a bit, but it serves the story well, and his death scene was just a bit hilarious.
As a first outing for Leela as a proper TARDIS companion, I thought this story was a great success. The opening scene where she and the Doctor are talking about the dimensions of the TARDIS is really funny, especially her complaint to the Doctor once he finishes creating an analogy using two cubes: "That's silly." Why yes! It is! That's what makes this whole show so great. She gets tons of stuff to do once they're off the TARDIS as well, and proves more than a match for the tetchy mining crew and all the killer robots.
Credit is also due to this story for creating such a diverse and interesting guest cast. There are even actors who aren't male (!) or white (!!) which has started to feel a bit rare. They all feel distinct from one another, with their own private grudges and motivations, and the lot of them getting picked off one by one makes for some compelling viewing. I'm sure the parallel has been drawn before, but I feel like Midnight from Series Four must have drawn a bit of influence from this story in the way it uses its setting and guest cast.
That's all for now. We'll round off Season Fourteen with The Talons of Weng-Chiang next.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 18 May 2021.)
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