Classic Doctor Who - Season 19 - Earthshock (1982) - Review

Starring: Peter Davison, Matthew Waterhouse, Sarah Sutton & Janet Fielding

Written By: Eric Saward

Directed By: Peter Grimwade

 

Since its first broadcast, Earthshock has been regarded as one of Doctor Who's “classics” and features multiple iconic sequences, villains and characters. In particular, Earthshock is remembered for two things – reintroducing the Cybermen after a seven year absence, and Adric's final moments. But is this story regarded so highly just because of these moments, or is this a genuinely great adventure all the way through?

 

Earthshock begins on Earth, several hundred years in the future, where an expedition into a cave system has resulted in several deaths. A new expedition journeys into the cave system, hoping to discover what happened to those who went missing. At the same time, the TARDIS lands down in the same set of caves, and the Doctor and his companions are mistaken for the killers. However, it's not long before the real killers reveal themselves – androids under remote control by the Cybermen, hiding in the cargo of a space freighter in orbit. The Cybermen have a single motive – to put a halt to a peace conference by any means possible, even if that means destroying the Earth.

 

Straight away, Earthshock gets off to a great start by providing a dark and atmospheric first part. The dim cave system, and the ominous music make for a terrific grisly setting. Not to mention, Peter Grimwade serves up some fantastic direction here, particularly during Snyder's murder. The first part also makes sure not to play all its cards at once, and it isn't until the 20-minute mark that we get our first proper look at the killers – the androids. While they certainly aren't anything to rave about, I liked their more simplistic yet sleek design, and their fight with Lieutenant Scott and the rest of his party was really well-executed, given the limited space available.

 

However, at this point, we see one of the many things that Earthshock is remembered for – the first of its wonderful cliff-hangers. The true killers are revealed and the Cybermen are back. While I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like to watch this cliff-hanger for the first time back in 1982, the individual endings to each part of Earthshock are all fantastic. The first cliff-hanger delivers thanks to pure surprise value, while the conclusion to Part 3 is both suspenseful and impressive with a whole army of Cybermen awakening. It's wonderful to see the Cybermen being used so effectively again, getting into battles with the crew on the freighter, breaking through metal pipes like cardboard (mostly because it is cardboard) and even breaking into and fighting in the TARDIS. Honestly, the Cybermen have not been used this effectively since 1968 in The Invasion as their single proper appearance in this fourteen year gap, Revenge Of The Cybermen, made them very emotional and a little too human. Here though, the Cybermen are redesigned and on form. Not to mention, their new design is my personal favourite, even to this date – sleek yet powerful and finding just the right balance between robotic and human, especially with the visibly moving chin. David Banks also makes his first appearance as the Cyber-Leader and already he is one of the best characters to come out of Doctor Who in the 1980s.

 

From a writing perspective, this is certainly Eric Saward's strongest script for the show and it's paced flawlessly, frequently hopping between the caves, the cargo hold, the freighter bridge and the TARDIS. It never gets dull and is always either mysterious, dark or action-packed, with great fight scenes abound in each part. That being said, Earthshock does have a lot going on across its four parts, and there are some parts and characters that suffer a lack of attention. This is most notable with Nyssa and Tegan, as the two get side-lined with very little to do during the story, and Nyssa barely leaves the TARDIS. With so much going on, a few minor plot holes and gaps in logic are also evident in the script. For example, in Part 2, the Cybermen try to detonate a bomb planted in the caves, with enough power to destroy the Earth. But if the Cybermen can plant and access a bomb on the Earth, why do they go to so much trouble to crash the freighter? Why not just plant another bomb? Also, where do the rest of the Cybermen evacuate to when they set the freighter on a collision course with the Earth? In several cases, plot holes like this would damage a story, but thankfully, Earthshock is so watchable and enjoyable that these gaps won't severely damage your opinion of the story.

 

Aside from the Cybermen's return, Earthshock is also remembered for something else – it's ending and Adric's final scenes. (Spoiler Warning!) At the end of Part 4, the Cybermens' plan fails when Adric inadvertently causes the freighter to travel back in time 65 million years. When the freighter does eventually crash into the Earth, it doesn't destroy it but heavily damages it, and the freighter becomes the object that wiped out the dinosaurs. Maybe it's just me, but I find this a really smart conclusion to the story, especially given how it was subtly foreshadowed at the beginning of the story. It's also great to see the Cyber-Leader slowly figure out what's happened before going into full-on attack mode towards the Doctor.

 

Here we must also make our farewells to Adric. Until this point, Adric was widely regarded as being a poor companion, and while personally I don't think he was quite as bad as everyone made out, he isn't exactly great. This perhaps makes his final scenes all the more powerful. (Spoiler Warning!) As a Cyberman blows up the console, it's both heart-breaking and tragic to see Adric's last hopes go up in smoke. Adric's death is seriously one of the most powerful and impactful moments of the show, and this is mainly because it wasn't something that was foreshadowed or had been building up, but because it was so instant and so quick. The Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan's reactions really hammer home what we just witnessed, with the silent credits being the cherry on the cake. Not only does it take the threat the Cybermen present to new heights, but it does something I love, and that is taking both the Doctor and the show out of its comfort zone.

 

In conclusion, Earthshock is a well-loved and highly regarded classic for all the right reasons. It thoroughly deserves its reputation, bringing the Cybermen back to new heights of power and with a wonderful new design. The story never gets dull thanks to continuous action, twists and turns and one of the most powerful moments in Doctor Who's history with Adric's death.

 

 

Earthshock



9/10