#7-b: The Evil of the Daleks Missing Episode Notes.

Six of the seven episodes of The Evil of the Daleks are gone, with only some model footage of the Dalek battle from Episode Seven surviving.

Fortunately, Episode Two exists in its entirety, presented (along with the model footage) on the Lost in Time dvd set. This episode gives a wonderful glimpse at the serial. It's a good episode in its own right, though the same could be said of any of the story's parts. It also neatly bridges the contemporary setting of the story's start and the Victorian setting that occupies the central portion. It introduces Victoria and Maxtible, and sees the Doctor's wonderful reaction to realizing that the Daleks are at the heart of his TARDIS' theft. If only one episode could survive, this isn't a bad one to choose.

Below is a quick run-down of the ways in which viewers/listeners might choose to enjoy the rest of the story:

1. The BBC Audio: BBC Audio does its job to its usual standard, with the narration by Frazer Hines nicely livening up the extended action scenes during the attempted rescue of Victoria - even more than the Loose Cannon reconstruction does, in my opinion, though I accept that others may differ from me on that.

2. The Loose Cannon Reconstruction: Dalek stories provide Loose Cannon an advantage in reconstructing, as scenes of Daleks interacting are easily recreated with models and/or CGI. Both are employed in this story, and when they are just used for Dalek interactions, these touches greatly enhance the watchability of the recon. Less effective are the scenes in which live action stand-ins are used for the characters. We see the backs of stand-ins' heads or large chunks of action in which a stand-in's face is carefully avoided while hearing the soundtrack - an experiment which I just found distracting, as it really drew attention to the lack of the actual actors. The bulk of the reconstruction is excellent - but I would have preferred the elimination of bits using "doubles" for the cast.

Once again, either option provides a fine way to enjoy the full story - A story so good that it grips in any form, watched or listened.

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#6-b: The Faceless Ones Missing Episode Notes.

The Chameleons in their true form.

The Faceless Ones is another partially complete story from Season Four. Like The Moonbase and The Underwater Menace, two episodes exist in their entirety. This provides a strong feel for the story's visual element, showing off the Gatwick Airport locations.

Serious applause should be given to the Restoration Team for their efforts on Episode Three. The existing print is scratchy and jumpy from damage over time. For the DVD release, a combination of clean-up, digital sampling, and zooms to undamaged portions of frames allows the episode to play more smoothly. Some of the zoomed-in shots jump out, I'll admit - but compared to the episode's prior state, the improvement is nothing short of remarkable.

The story was fully animated in the wake of the highly acclaimed release of The Macra Terror.  The animation is in the same style, respecting the original episodes without being too bound to a full recreation. A disintegration effect in the final two episodes, for example, is almost certainly more effective than its live action counterpart would have been.

Less effective are a couple of physical scuffles, however. A fight scene in Episode Six shows that even though the animations have improved, budget and schedule remain limited, and certain actions just don't end up convincing. These moments are few in number, though, and the release is overall another good one.

The DVD release's bonus disc includes the existing episodes and a still reconstruction of the missing ones.  As with the unofficial Loose Cannon reconstruction, the story is easy to follow for the most part, with clear still frames showing off the well-designed sets.  However, the static images can't carry action scenes, and the final episode greatly suffers as a result. The DVD release has an option to play the reconstruction with the narration Frazer Hines recorded for the BBC audio release, which helps - but given that the animation is a generally good one, I'd personally regard the reconstruction as an intereesting curio.

>The BBC Audio release is up to the usual strong standards of that range, with Hines' narration blended effectively with a clean soundtrack. Track listings make the missing episodes easy to find, which makes it nearly seamless to go from the existing episodes to the audio ones quickly.  Again, though, given the strength of the animation, this is mainly an alternative for those who need something to listen to on a long drive.


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#4-b: The Moonbase Missing Episode Notes

The Cybermen receive a slight visual upgrade...

The Moonbase is only a semi-missing story. Episodes 1 and 3 are lost, but 2 and 4 exist in their entirety. The existing episodes were presented in generally excellent quality on the Lost in Time dvd set, which also includes the soundtracks to the two missing episodes.  The story was later given its own individual DVD release, with the missing episodes presented in animated form.

With so much of the story existing, it's a rare and welcome opportunity to truly enjoy an early Troughton story - a key story in his Doctor's development, at that.  The subtleties of his performance come across much more strongly in existing episodes than even in the best of the animated ones, and I am particularly grateful that his delivery of the famous "They must be fought" speech exists.

The animated episodes do a fine job of bringing the missing episodes to life,  Episode Three, the serial's best episode, is particularly good - In fact, the animated Episode Three is visually stronger than the existing Episode Four, to such an extent that I found the first few minutes of Episode Four slightly jarring by comparison.

For the sake of completeness, I will briefly mention the previously existing options for experiencing this story:


1. Lost in Time audio tracks are presented without narration over a single still frame, which... is not ideal. Episode 1 particularly suffers, as the regulars' exploration of the moon would likely be very confusing to try to follow with neither visuals no narration.  Still, those who perservere will find all the exposition they need delivered by Hobson after the first ten minutes, while the more dialogue-driven Episode 3 should present no challenge at all. I would still consider this the least of the main ways to enjoy the missing episodes.

2. The BBC Audio benefits from the restored soundtrack, with the more visual moments effectively brought to life by Frazer Hines' narration. Though the narration doesn't fully convey certain visual moments (notably the glimpses of the Cybermen's shadows in Episode 1), it is easy to follow at all times. This was the first way I experienced the missing episodes, back before the Lost in Time set had been released, and I still find it an enjoyable audio story.

3. The Loose Cannon Reconstruction has been superseded by the animation.  Still, for those with an aversion to seeing the regulars in cartoon form, this is one of the group's stronger efforts. Clever editing and brief bits of basic CGI bring the "space plague" to life in Episode 1, while the choice to take time to edit the Cybermen's mouthplates into opening and closing when they speak makes Episode 3's reconstruction vastly more dynamic than average.  I still prefer the official release, with its full animation, but the recon stands as a fine effort.


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#3-b: The Underwater Menace Missing Episode Notes

Episodes Two and Three of The Underwater Menace survive, making them the earliest Troughton episodes known to exist. I'm sure we'd all rather have two episodes of The Power of the Daleks instead. Even two of the parts of The Highlanders would be preferable.  Still, existing episodes are inherently better than missing ones, and there is something oddly fitting about this serial having both it best (Episode Two) and worst (Episode Three) parts intact.

The recovery of Episode Two in 2011 paved the way for a home video release of this story.  However, unlike other missing stories that are 50% or more complete, the BBC opted not to animate the missing parts of this one - almost certainly a response to its poor reputation.  Instead, the missing episodes are represented via still reconstruction.  It's perfectly acceptable as a way to experience the story - But in an age where the audience has come to expect animations of missing episodes, it feels like what it is: a cheap copout.  The saddest thing about it?  Given the overall tone of the piece, this is a story that would probably work better in animation than in live action.

For those who prefer to experience non-animated missing episodes through audio, there was a release of the full surviving soundtrack, cleaned up with some linking narration by Anneke Wills. As with most early Who serials, the story is very dialogue-driven. Part One even sees Polly telling the audience that she's tied up, then telling us that they are going down in the elevator. The same dialogue in a Big Finish audio would earn complaints about "overly descriptive dialogue."

Whichever method is chosen, however, the weak story and hammy performances are tough to get past. Unless you want something campy to laugh at, I'd tend to label The Underwater Menace as one for completists only.


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