Classic Dr. Who Review: Robots of Death
Article By: Tribix
Hilden’s Note: My appologies to Tribix for the late post on these. I’ve had a whole series of these kick ass Dr. Who reviews sitting in my inbox forever. With the whole server shitstorm, my head’s been a bit out of the Robot Panic posting mode. Look forward to more of these reviews in the coming weeks!
If you have never seen any episodes of classic Doctor Who (see my note at the bottom, *about Doctor Who), Robots of Death is a great place to start. I say that not only because it came about when the show was at its very height in terms of cast and crew, but even among the stories of that period it’s a highlight. ROD is a 4 part serial story which first aired from 1.29.77 to 2.19.77 (right before Star Wars premired). Fans of classic Doctor Who are often in the position of having to apologize for poor sets, poor effects, poor model work, and poor monster costumes, but ROD is one of the more solid stories where most of these elements are at least okay, and some elements, like the robot design, are really inspired.
The story opens as the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela (Loise Jamison) land on a large scale mining vehicle, with a human crew of less than a dozen, and many more robots who perform most of the work, especially when the crew takes to lounging in luxury. Soon the human crew start dropping like flies, and, surprise, the Doctor and Leela are suspected to be behind the deaths.
Drawing from a number of different literary sources: Agatha Christi, I Robot, and Dune come to mind, ROD is also it’s own, totally original story, where these influences, though transparent, really do provide background ambience to a larger aim. As was often the case in classic Doctor Who, the supporting guest cast are all quite good (well, mostly), especially the ones who get the most screen time, thankfully. There is a moment when one female character reads a letter and feigns a cry which is wince inducing, but that’s the only really bad acting standout. The model work is okay in this one. The miner is a very original design of a vehicle, but it could do with greater detail to sell it’s scale better, also, there are a couple of composite shots with it and the live actors which don’t work well at all on account of some depth of field issues with the cameras (I had a hard time figuring out what these were supposed to be the first time I saw them). The sets are pretty good, no real complaints there. The robot design is a treat, but the other costumes are a bit over-the-top for a mining crew. They suggest that these people spend more time lounging than working, which would go with later revelations in the plot, so I suppose that was the intended effect. There are few ‘effects’ but they are mostly pretty good, not realistic, mind you, but not distracting either.
As I said before, if you have never seen a classic Doctor Who, this is a good one to start with. It’s a very interesting story, mostly well produced, and very enjoyable, one of the very best stories of classic Doctor Who.
*About Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British sci-fi show which aired from 1963 – 1989 and again from 2005 to the present. In the UK, it is ubiquitous, watched by boys and girls, men and women, ages 9-99, most people, even if they are not watching, know what’s happening in the show each week. It typically airs in the early evening on Saturdays, right after the sports finish up.
Doctor Who in America is a bit more divisive. Some fans love it, while a lot of people in the genre community can’t stand it. It’s easy, even for fans, to understand this schism, because the show has a lot of rough edges, on account of low budgets and quirky temperament.
In Doctor Who, the main character, the Doctor, wanders the universe through time and space, in a telephone booth called the Tardis, which is larger on in the inside. He cannot completely control the Tardis, and often doesn’t know where he’s going or where he is. He is usually accompanied by a companion or more and they are usually female, though some have been male and/or robotic.
Originally it was to have been a time traveling educational show for kids, but the show’s first producer, Verity Lambert, keen on making a career for herself with a ‘hit’ show, gave it her own spin, downplaying the historical aspect, upping the sci-fi, and gearing it towards all audiences, instead of just children. This tradition continues today.
-by Tribrix
Table of contents for Classic Dr. Who Review
- Classic Dr. Who Review: Robots of Death
- Classic Dr. Who Review: The Talons of Weng Chaing
- Classic Dr. Who Review: Horror of Fang Rock
- Classic Dr. Who Review: Underworld
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Tags: dr. who, fucking awesome, robots of death
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February 3rd, 2010 at 10:33 am
Coincidentally, I watched this exact series of episodes not too long ago, and it was awesome!
I’ve always loved Dr. Who since my mom was a big fan of it back in the late 70s/early 80s. As such, Tom Baker will always be the definitive guy for me. I watched a few of the newer episodes a couple years back and it was pretty good. But these old ones will always be the best.
February 3rd, 2010 at 4:41 pm
One of the longest running series it’s great. Tom Baker was the doctor when i started watching and i have to say David Tennant was just as good. I recommend watching the episode “Blink”. Most of these you can stream from next flix. And take a look at Torchwood spin off one of the best sci-fi action I seen in years.
February 4th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Tom Baker will always be my Docter, but I agree with Shermi, David Tennant is a very close second. My wife used to make fun of me for watching Dr Who until David Tennant took the role, now she watches regularily. He’s a great mix of charm and geek. “Blink” is awesome and a must watch for any sci-fi fan.