5 - 12 January 1985
That certainly is an odd authorship
situation this story has got going on. I'm almost certain that Eric
Saward was indeed the primary creative force here, because this story
feels very much like his in its tone and content. Which of course
doesn't eliminate the possibility that others had a significant hand in
it, as claims have been made over the years. Though why anybody would
want to claim this particular story is beyond me...
It's really a pity that this story shows some promise in its first
episode. The chameleon circuit being fixed for a bit, the return to
Totter's Lane, and catching up with Lytton again all caught my interest a
bit, and the location shooting (except for on Telos, which is even
grayer than it ought to be because of the filter they've put on it)
generally looks good.
Whatever favorable elements this story has quickly retreat into the
background as the plot comes to the fore, and it becomes obvious that Attack is
a huge mess. The Cybermen's plan makes only approximate sense, and
despite being the gun that Earth is under, Halley's Comet (contemporary
touch right there) is missing as a presence in the story for most of its
duration. The Cryons are rather uninteresting, but are only a part of
the complete lack of interest offered by the second part of the story, a
dull runaround punctuated only by bizarre levels of violence (Lytton's
hands) or curious performances (the pair of escaping prisoners who seem
to believe that shouting = acting).
Perhaps the most puzzling decision of this story was to use Lytton as
the object of a "don't judge a book by its cover" moral. Nothing in Resurrection ever
gave much of an impression that there was more to this character than a
thug and a bully, and frankly, nothing in this story really did either.
We are told by the Cryons that Lytton is helping them, but it doesn't
come across on screen very well, and the Doctor's regret over misjudging
him at the end feels very misplaced.
All in all, not a strong start to the season. I wish I had more of
interest to say about it, but alas, it failed to command my interest in
the first place.
Vengeance on Varos is next.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 9 May 2024.)
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