Embedded Files
This week, Doctor Who and Leela meet a depressed man on a roof. After the madcap space adventures of the last few weeks, this is something of a let-down. And you can tell. Doctor Who is trying to stifle a massive yawn, and Leela is looking at the man as if to say, "Why are you not some monsters please?"
The man is sad because he lives on an awful planet with poor set design and really mundane clothes. Also the people in charge are evil and he's basically a slave. But I think it's the aesthetics that have really done him in. He wants to jump off the roof. We can't be sure that Doctor Who is whispering, "Do it," but we also can't be sure that he's not.
Hurray! K9 is in this story! He's looking out of the TARDIS as if to suggest that maybe he could come on the adventure too.
Doctor Who isn't so sure. 100% of the people they've met so far are extremely depressed, and experience has proved that K9 is no help in these situations. He's a very logical dog, you see, and tends to say things like, "Your feelings are irrelevant," and "Have you considered not having emotions and using maths instead?"
These are the guys in charge of the planet and you'll be unsurprised to learn that they are rascals of the highest order.
The guy on the left is a jovial, cackling sort of villain who would sit easily in a pantomime or small scale dictatorship. His interests are money, outlandish hats and the noises people make when they find that they are suddenly, unexpectedly on fire.
The small bald thing on the right is his boss, and he's simply the worst. He's an alien of some kind and he spends the whole story counting money and stroking himself. Together they run the planet, with a very strong, "Make things worse" agenda.
There's a third guy, isn't there, lurking around in the background. What's his deal? He's just watching, calmly, as these two madmen cackle away to themselves. That's really disturbing. Stop being weird, mysterious third guy.
It's not long before Doctor Who runs into some Plucky Underdogs. They live underneath the city and spend all their time drawing pictures of the Ruler Guys and then violently scribbling all over their faces.
Depressed Guy from earlier is very excited by these rebellious types. He no longer wants to jump off a massive building, and instead wants to die as part of a futile revolution. The leader of the Plucky Underdogs - that man there who looks like he sleeps inside his own bum - isn't so sure and thinks that maybe Depressed Guy and Doctor Who are spies or something.
Doctor Who is doing Mysterious Standing, hoping that people will notice how enigmatic and cool he's being. Then they'll want to take their photo with him, and make him their King, and say things like, "Please Doctor Who lead us in our glorious struggle against the bad aliens." And maybe the Master will see it all happening, and he'll be, like, "I was wrong, Doctor Who is the best." And then he'll start crying. Yeah!
It is to be hoped that no-one asks Doctor Who any questions, as he has definitely not been listening.
Leela, meanwhile, is doing a sneak around the city. She's being extra stealthy and borderline invisible. It's a shame, really, that there's no-one about to not-notice her. It doesn't seem to have bothered her though, does it? She's like a child playing out even though her friends are all away on holiday. Doesn't need them!
I can't remember what she's up to here. Helping the rebels, maybe? Trying to rescue Doctor Who? Whichever it is, she's certainly putting the work in. That's some strong corner business, right there.
Soon the villains capture Doctor Who. They seem super casual about it, don't they? No lasers, no strapping him to a desk and shouting "What does the inside of your brain look like?" Evil Hat Guy is just chatting away to him, clearly having a good old moan about how awful his job is.
Doctor Who is sucking his teeth in barely concealed irritation. This guy is being really over-familiar, as if their shared love of idiotic clothing is a sign that they are in some way friends. It's only a matter of time before he shows Doctor Who the script he's been working on, about the funny things that happen to him while exploiting the proletariat.
Who's that in the background? Is it that guy again? Why is he watching? Why is he dressed so casually? I don't like him. Make him go away!
Soon Leela and the rebels go on some kind of mission to usurp the very foundations of civilisation. There's only three of them, but what they lack in numbers they make up for in "Being led by a super violent murder vixen."
They have encountered something bad, though it's hard to be sure what it is from their varied reactions. Leela is clearly amazed and astounded, so it could be a huge robot death machine that no mortal can pass.
Depressed Guy is quite vexed, but much less so. Maybe, it's not a robot - maybe he's made eye contact with someone he really can't be bothered with, and now he has to make small talk.
Fluffy haired guy at the back is the least fussed at all, and is looking on with mild interest, as if at some lacklustre extras pretending to be soldiers.
It's the last one.
Doctor Who confronts the Small Bald Alien Bad Guy. This is some low-key business for Doctor Who: he's less, "Now you shall pay for your evil ways and perish in the heart of a black hole!" and more, "Now then, who's been a right old shiny headed ragamuffin? Eh?"
Alien Bad Guy is mightily peeved that everything has gone wrong, but his face suggests that it was only a matter of time before someone caught him out. He's no Davros, is he? He was on borrowed time and I think he knew it.
Another adventure ends with victory for the workers and the death of capitalism. Leaving only one question... who was that mysterious guy in the background. And where is he now?
Seriously. Where? I don't like not knowing.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse