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| The Cybermen invade London. |
8 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 194 minutes. Written by: Derrick Sherwin, Kit Pedler. Directed by: Douglas Camfield. Produced by: Peter Bryant.
THE PLOT:
The TARDIS materializes in 20th century England... only for the Doctor to discover that some key TARDIS circuits have been damaged. He decides to take the circuits to their old friend, Professor Travers. But Travers isn't home, having leased his flat to his friend Professor Watkins (Edward Burnham) and his daughter, model-turned-photographer Isobel (Sally Faulkner).
Professor Watkins works at International Electromatics, headed by Tobias Vaughn (Kevin Stoney). But the professor hasn't left the I. E. compound in weeks. When the Doctor and Jamie investigate, they become Vaughn's captives and barely escape with the help of the newly-promoted Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), and the newly formed United Nations Intelligence Task Force (UNIT).
The Brigadier is already suspicious of Vaughn. But even he is surprised when the Doctor reports that Vaughn is working with an alien force to conquer. A force all too well-known to the Doctor. The Cybermen!
CHARACTERS:
The Doctor: When he and Jamie first try to see Professor Watkins at I. E., they are greeted by an automated system. This annoys the Doctor to no end, who complains about "stupid machines," before deciding to ignore the computer and go in through a door marked "Authorized Personnel Only." It's a perfect embodiment of the 2nd Doctor's dismissal of rules. Still, this story shows that he's happy enough to work with Establishment figures he respects, such as Lethbridge-Stewart and UNIT.
Jamie: Remains intensely loyal and protective. This sometimes comes at the expense of common sense, such as when he reveals his and the Doctor's position to Vaughn's guards after hearing Zoe scream - thus walking into an obvious trap. He earns Zoe's ire when he declares that he believes men to be superior to women, though his playful tone may indicate that he's doing so to deliberately bait her.
Zoe: Outside of a mid-story lapse when she suddenly becomes an idiot with Isobel (more on that below), both character and actress are in good form. She gets a delightful moment in Episode Two, reprogramming one of Vaughn's computers in such a way that it ends up self-destructing - and doing it all off the top of her head. Later, when UNIT is faced with the impossibility of taking out incoming Cyber-ships with only a handful of missiles, Zoe takes thirty seconds to reprogram the missiles to create a chain reaction, prompting a priceless reaction from one of the soldiers: "Can we keep her, sir? She's much prettier than a computer."
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: Lethbridge-Stewart receives a promotion in his second series appearance, and the rank of Brigadier and the position as head of the United Nations Intelligence Task Force (UNIT) would define his role throughout the franchise. In may ways, this is a Season Seven story one year early. That includes the characterization of the Brigadier, who is consistently competent and quick to adapt to changes in the overall situation. He trusts the Doctor implicitly, and that trust extends to Zoe - as shown when he allows Zoe to recalculate the trajectory of the missiles despite another officer's objections.
Isobel: Together with Zoe, is guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter. In a desperate attempt to pad out the episodes... er, get photographic evidence of the Cybermen, the two disregard the Brigadier's instructions. With Jamie in tow, they head to the sewers where the Cybermen are hiding, and manage to get a police officer killed along with one of the soldiers sent to rescue them. At least she gets the photographs! Too bad they're totally useless. Isobel is hardly paralyzed with guilt; by the story's end, she is back to wheedling for the chance to take pictures of the Cybermen. Oh, and yes - We are actually meant to like her.
Tobias Vaughn: Kevin Stoney returns as another Doctor Who villain. As in The Daleks' Master Plan, his performance and sheer screen presence helps anchor an epic-length serial - but Tobias Vaughn is much better-scripted than Mavic Chen was. He's cold and utterly controlled most of the time, almost like a human machine... save for a tendency to erupt in fury when things don't go according to plan. Stoney's rapid turns from unflappable to furious are startlingly effective, while his emotionless exterior makes him the perfect foil to Troughton, who is arguably the warmest and most human of Doctors.
Cybermen: They've been redesigned again, and much for the better. Though I still find the Tenth Planet Cybermen to be creepier, this is by far the best of the various redesigns. These Cybermen are bulkier, and project a solidity that was absent in certain other stories. The helmets just plain look good, and the teardrop shape by the eyes has become iconic in itself.
I'm spending a lot of space on how good they look... because there isn't much else to say about them in this story. They're offscreen for the most part, only receiving three significant appearances across eight episodes: Menacing Zoe and Isobel in the sewers; the justly-famous Episode Six cliffhanger, in which they emerge from hiding to occupy London landmarks; and an effective large-scale action scene in the final episode. They're effective when seen - but this is very much Vaughn's story, with the Cybermen largely acting as his weapon for the bulk of it.
THOUGHTS:
The Invasion represents several firsts for the series. It was the first story on which Terrance Dicks acted as script editor, a role he would hold for the remainder of the Second Doctor's run as well as the entirety of the Third Doctor's. It was the first UNIT story (though I'd argue that The Web of Fear was one in all but name), and with Lethbridge-Stewart and Benton (John Levene) in the cast, it plays very like a template for the Pertwee era.
It is also an important last: The last of what I'd argue were too many Cybermen stories throughout the Second Doctor's era. In just three seasons, the series put out five Cybermen stories - as many as would occur throughout the entire remainder of the Classic Series! They would not appear again until Season 12, and it honestly was time for a break from them.
At least The Invasion sends them out on a far better story than The Wheel in Space. The script has been cleverly divided into what are effectively two 4-parters. The first four episodes focus on infiltrating Vaughn's factory, with the usual capture/escape pattern padding things out as the Doctor uncovers evidence that Vaughn is working with an alien force. The second half turns into an invasion story, with the Cybermen becoming more of a presence. The shift in focus keeps the pace alive.
Douglas Camfield is at the helm, which means that production and visual aspects are well above the series' average and that action sequences are particularly strong. The story also benefits from Don Harper's incidental music, which I'd rank among the best in the entire series.
Not everything is perfect. Padding is evident in the repetitive capture/escape/re-capture formula of the first four episodes, and later with Zoe and Isobel's narratively pointless trip to the sewers. An action scene involving the rescue of Isobel's uncle was scripted, but the production ran out of time for filming - leaving only some dialogue between Vaugh and a hapless henchman to paste over the gap.
Still, The Invasion is a fine story, with a particularly strong production helping to pave the way for the series' next, more Earthbound iteration, while at the same time sending the Cybermen off in style.
Overall Rating: 8/10.
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