18th March, 2022.
Right at the moment … ? It’s a Friday: early evening on a Friday.
I’ve got Mr Oizo’s Flat Beat on, in the background.
Which is as hypnotic as it ever was.
At any rate … ?
It’s a Friday night.
And?
I’m going to watch the last episode of classic Doctor Who story, Galaxy Four: The Exploding Planet.
Once Swamp Thing finished playing!
19th March, 2022
As he collapses? The (junior) Drahvins are discussing Steven’s potential death: with Maaga (Stephanie Bidmead) making the point she’d rather not see him dead.
He’s a valuable hostage.
It’s at this point that another Drahvin realises they have problems.
The Doctor and Vicki (William Hartnell and Maureen O’Brien) are on their way to rescue Steven: complete with a Chumbley!
A Chumbley that forces the Drahvins to release Steven: by launching an Ammonia Bomb, a powerful stink bomb*, into the Drahvin ship.
When the smoke clears? The Drahvins move to try and kill the fleeing the group: only to be stopped by the same Chumbley.
Leaving Maaga and her group to plot revenge: and the theft of the Rill ship.
~≈🐙≈~
Back at the Rill ship … ?
Back at the Rill ship, the Rill leader hands the Doctor a lot of cable: so he connect the Rill ship to the TARDIS, and charge the former from the latter.
Something that he tells the Rill leader should take about six hours.
Something Steven reminds him is cutting close to the bone: the planet is due to explode in six and a half hours … !
~≈🐙≈~
Now …
What did I make of The Exploding Planet?
What did I make of Galaxy Four?
The episode itself is great.
Granted: some of the dialogue is just a little po-faced.
“Though we are beings of separate planets,” says the Rill commander at one point, “you from the solar system and we from another space, our ways of thought, at times, do not seem all that different.”
And granted: Hartnell definitely flubs his lines.
But?
The episode, itself, brings Galaxy Four to a suitably dramatic close.
Complete with Maaga falling into a lava filled crack! After her relatively blameless Drahvins precede her.
Galaxy Four as a series?
I have to confess, I’ve come aware from Galaxy Four feeling very impressed with the thing.
I’ll give you it’s not on a par with classics like Genesis of The Daleks, Talons of Weng Chiang or even Hartnell’s own The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Hartnell’s speech at Susan’s departure is still something to watch.
Galaxy Four may not be quite match the giants.
But … ?
It’s a rock solid, entertaining, little series.
The Exploding Planet.★★★★
Galaxy Four.★★★★
~≈🐙≈~
Post-Script.
Just as a post script??
In the final minute or so of The Exploding Planet, we see a character called Jeff Garvey, on an unnamed planet.
The scene is a trailer for the next episode, Mission to the Unknown, an episode that’s missing: although it has been re-enacted by students from the University of Central Lancashire, and posted to the BBC’s YouTube channel.
It’s something I mean to watch, myself, at some point.
As is the upcoming release of The Abominable Snowmen.
That release is going to be the last for a while: as BBC America has pulled its funding for the recreations.
Personally? I feel that’s a great shame.
These reconstructions are deeply entertaining.
And are important historical documents that tell us about the time they were made.
BBC America refuse to fund more isn deeply shameful.
* I used to work in a pub called the Essex Arms, many years ago: and can still remember when someone let a stink bomb off in the place. Who? Why? I never found out …
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