1x7. The Sensorites
Writer: Peter R. Newman
Directors: Mervyn Pinfield & Frank Cox
Script Editor: David Whitaker
Producers: Verity Lambert & Mervyn Pinfield
Synopsis: The TARDIS materializes on board a spaceship in orbit
around
the Sense-Sphere, a planet whose mysterious inhabitants, the
Sensorites,
have prevented the ship's human crew from leaving but have not tried to
harm
them. With the help of the Doctor and his companions, they eventually
make
contact with the Sensorites, who explain that their
planet
has suffered an outbreak of disease since the last visit by humans and
that
they feared the humans would exploit the Sense-Sphere's copious
deposits
of molybdenum. The Doctor and his companions are in danger from certain
elements
of the Sensorite regime who distrust all humans, but fortunately they
manage
to devise an antidote to the Sensorites' illness and prove that three
insane
crewmen from the last human expedition are responsible for poisoning
the
water supply.
Review: I sat down to watch "The Sensorites" with fairly low
expectations.
Nobody seems to talk about it much, I couldn't remember a single thing
about
it from my initial viewing way back when, and in general I had the
impression
that it's not one of the most well-liked Hartnell stories. I was
surprised,
then, to find myself enjoying it quite a bit: it's a nice character
piece
as well as an intelligent look at the difficulties that arise when one
culture
feels threatened by another.
For starters, "The Sensorites" emphasizes the scientist-hero aspect
of the Doctor's character in a way that the previous serials really
haven't.
Not only does he take the lead in resolving the conflict by
investigating
the disease plaguing the Sensorites and devising an antidote, but he
genuinely seems to be enjoying the process every step of the way. It
helps that Hartnell
is particularly adept at playing up this element, as when he's about to
enter
the aqueducts and chuckles to himself as he announces that there must
be
more to this situation than the Sensorites realize. Rather than viewing
the
complications as a setback, he seems to relish the intellectual
challenge
of unraveling the mystery. This tendency is also amusingly displayed in
the
last episode, when he goes on for so long expounding the joys of
logical
deduction that he fails to notice that he and Ian have been surrounded
by
the humans from the initial expedition.
This serial also boasts the best writing of Susan so far. In many of
the
previous installments, she spent far too much time screaming, whining,
making
inane comments, and generally not behaving like someone from an
advanced
civilization. But Peter R. Newman's script portrays her as resourceful
and
even brave, remaining calm when the Sensorites begin communicating with
her
telepathically and even preparing to defy the Doctor and leave the ship
with
them when she becomes convinced that it's the best way to keep her
friends
safe. While I would have preferred it if she had helped explore the
aqueducts
instead of Ian, who plays the Tough Action Hero and insists on going
despite
being desperately ill, this is still a step in the right direction for
Susan.
The Sensorites themselves are an interesting bunch as well: from the
very
beginning, they're at least a very unconventional threat, as they've
prevented
the human space explorers from leaving but haven't tried to kill them
and
have even provided them with food and water. The scenes on the
spaceship
nicely maintain the mystery and suspense for the first two episodes,
and
when Newman finally does reveal what the Sensorites are up to, we see
that
they have a very good reason for their behavior. The fatal disease that
now
afflicts them coincided with the last visit by humans, and their mental
scan
of one of the crew of the new expedition showed plans for a vast
molybdenum
mining project that would destroy the Sensorites' way of life. As far
as
they're concerned, they're only resisting invasion and exploitation,
and
even then they do not resort to lethal violence.
The First Elder of the Sensorites, in fact, is quite open to the
possibility
of a peaceful arrangement with the humans, and while his naivete
regarding
the other Sensorites is kind of annoying (why can't we have a relative
"dove"
who still recognizes danger when he sees it?), his approach holds out
the
promise of understanding between the two cultures. Newman deserves
credit
for treating the Sensorites sympathetically while still rendering them
decisively
alien: they communicate telepathically, they do not seem to have
differences
of gender, and they operate on a social caste system. (Granted, the
latter
has existed in some human societies, but it does at least reflect
something
other than the 20th-century Western European values of the human
protagonists.)
Even the City Administrator, who fears that the First Elder's pact with
the
humans will lead the Sensorites into a trap, is not really evil and
malicious
so much as simply paranoid due to past unpleasant experiences with
humans.
The true villains of the piece are the human space explorers from the
first
expedition, who have poisoned the Sensorites' water in the hopes of
claiming
the planet and its resources for themselves.
"The Sensorites" does have its problems. I don't think it really
deserves
the reputation it has in some quarters for being "boring" (I got far
more
impatient during "The Keys of Marinus" and even parts of "The Daleks"),
but the
machinations of the more paranoid Sensorites do grow a bit repetitive
after
a while. More disappointing is that the script actually undercuts some
of
its own good points at times. The Doctor is more interesting and
likeable
than he has been in the past, but in the very last scene, he completely
overreacts
to a remark that Ian makes about the other humans knowing where they're
going:
sensing an implied contrast to the TARDIS, he once again resolves to
throw
Ian and Barbara out at the next opportunity. Susan is stronger and more
independent
than she has been in the past, but she ends up giving in to the
Doctor's
insistence that she "do as she's told" instead of leaving the ship with
the
Sensorites, whereas I'd have preferred to see her stay resolute and go
anyway.
And I think it's a bit of a cop-out to describe the humans who have
been
poisoning the Sensorites' water as "insane": history has proven many
times
over that humans don't have to be insane to be greedy murderous racists.
All that aside, "The Sensorites" is a solid installment and a nice
companion
piece to "The Aztecs" on the subject of interaction between different
cultures,
offering a more hopeful view in contrast to the pessimism of its
predecessor.
There are certainly parts that could have been better, and perhaps it
might
have been five episodes instead of six, but it fits well into a first
season
that, based on the preserved episodes, seems to have been a largely
successful
beginning.
Other notes:
- The limits of early TV production are on display in "The Sensorites"
with
quite a bit of flubbed dialogue that evidently couldn't be replaced. I
especially
got a kick out of "I heard them over-talking."
- I'll unfortunately have to skip over "The Reign of Terror" (the next
serial)
since the partially-restored version won't be available in the U.S. for
a
few months yet. I did glance at a plot summary, and it looks like the
Doctor
does at least try to get Ian and Barbara back to 1963 London (and in
fact
believes he's succeeded at first).
Rating: *** (out of four)
"Doctor, assuming you're right--"
"Which he is, of course."
"Naturally!"
-Barbara, Ian, and the Doctor
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