12x3. The Sontaran Experiment
Writers: Bob Baker & Dave Martin
Director: Rodney Bennett
Script Editor: Robert Holmes
Producer: Philip Hinchcliffe
Synopsis: The Doctor and his
companions teleport to Earth's surface to investigate and discover,
much to their surprise, that the planet is inhabited -- not only by a
group of humans who have only recently arrived and believe that Space
Station Nerva is a myth, but by a ruthless Sontaran named Styre who is
performing cruel experiments on the humans to prepare tactics for a war.
Review: For some reason I don't
think of two-parters as rare on Doctor
Who, and yet "The Sontaran Experiment" is only the third in the
series' history and the first since "The Rescue" all the way back in
Season 2. While it certainly doesn't derail the good start for the new
cast and production team, it lacks the invention and depth of
storytelling seen in "Robot" and "The Ark in Space," largely because
the script fails to adjust for its abbreviated length.
Storytelling on Doctor Who
tends to move at a slightly slower pace than what we're used to from
modern television dram, largely, I suspect, for structural reasons. Not
only do the writers have more time than they would in the hour-long
format, but they also have to produce some sort of cliffhanger or
dramatic twist every 22-1/2 minutes. Each serial typically begins with
the Doctor and his companions arriving in a completely new situation
and often not even being sure where they are -- unlike, for example,
most of the Star Trek shows,
which usually start with the crew beginning a specific mission. As a
result, it's difficult to establish the setting, premise, and guest
characters *and* still get to a major turning point by the end of
Episode 1, and since the writers typically have another 3-5 episodes to
satisfy the demands of the plot, they often spend Episode 1 with the
TARDIS crew mostly just investigating and exploring until the main
enemy or conflict is revealed at the end. The problem with "The
Sontaran Experiment" is that it basically follows that same formula,
with the twist at the end of Episode 1 being the revelation of the
Sontaran Styre. Because the script has to wrap things up in another
22-1/2 minutes, it doesn't have time to do much with the premise other
than go through the standard Doctor
Who checklist of chases, captures, escapes, and scary aliens.
The increased emphasis on horror elements that would typify the
Holmes/Hinchcliffe era is in evidence again, and I should point out
that Styre is a legitimately frightening villain. His actions are a
curious mix of sneering sadism and bureaucratic detachment. I get the
sense that he obtains some sort of sick thrill out of torturing and
killing, and the script is pretty explicit about the psychological and
physical pain that his victims endure. And yet, at the same time, I
think he'd still do it even if he didn't enjoy it at all, simply
because these are the orders he's received to prepare for the war
against humans. In a way, the cold indifference with which he records
the results of his various cruel experiments actually make him a more
unsettling presence; if he'd marched in with a cackling "let me admire
my handiwork" attitude, it could have easily degenerated into camp.
It's not hard to believe that Vural has betrayed his companions to
Styre so as to avoid being tortured and killed himself (or so he
thinks), and we also see the difference between the humans and Styre
when he experiments on them by placing a huge weight above Vural and
forcing the other two to hold it up. Even though their nerves are
frayed from fighting to survive, and even though they're furious at
Vural for his betrayal, they still try to save his life.
The new Doctor's unique personality continues to make an impression,
once again showing his tendency for offbeat humor in the face of
danger when the human crew angrily order him to talk and he responds,
"Certainly. What would you like me to talk about?" We also see another
example of his somewhat unconventional and aloof approach when he
distracts Styre by claiming, right in front of the human crew, that
they are from the "slave class" and that he comes from the warrior
caste. He's doing it to save their lives, of course, but it highlights
his alien nature in a way that differs from his predecessor; Pertwee
could be brash and sanctimonious, but he usually seemed like a brash
and sanctimonious human,
whereas Baker really gives the impression of thinking in a
fundamentally different way. Sarah doesn't get a whole lot to do in
this one, but she's engaging and likeable as always, and we also see
that Harry, despite being a bit oafish at times, is a genuinely
courageous individual as he shows no hesitation about challenging Styre
physically. His bravado might be a bit "old-fashioned," as Sarah would
put it, but there's clearly nothing fake about it.
The horror elements and solid character writing elevate "The Sontaran
Experiment" to perhaps a notch above average, but that's about all it
is. Styre is a disturbing presence, but he doesn't have the depth of,
to name an obvious recent example, the Wirrn, who were also unsettling
villains but had a more developed and interesting backstory. And
perhaps because of the abbreviated length, there are a number of plot
twists that feel too easy. The sonic screwdriver is essentially a magic
wand in this one, as the Doctor can apparently do whatever he wants
with it whenever he wants, and it's not hard to see why a later
creative team decided to do away with the thing. The Sontarans'
operation also just seems ridiculously flimsy, given that the Doctor
can just walk into Styre's ship, access the entire war plan, and then
derail the invasion by passing it along to the humans. Haven't the
Sontarans ever heard of password protection? And why would Styre need
to have the whole thing on his ship computer in the first place? Again,
I imagine this was a result of the compressed length and the subsequent
need for a quick resolution. None of these flaws are enough to ruin the
serial altogether, but they do prevent "The Sontaran Experiment" from
being much more than an acceptable but largely inconsequential bit of
filler.
Rating: *** (out of four)
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