Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Chris Boucher
Directed by George Spenton-Foster
Coming off the disappointment that was “The Invisible Enemy”, this particular serial felt like a step back into the previous era’s gothic horror direction. It also seemed to restore a bit of the favorable characterization that Leela had gotten earlier in her tenure as Companion. Add to that a semi-Lovecraftian situation, and all in all, it was a good story for Season 15.
There hasn’t been much exploration of Time Lord culture up to this point, outside of the massive exposition dump that was “The Deadly Assassin”, so it was interesting to see how this particular nightmare from Time Lord legend fit into the bigger picture. The Time Lords have some nasty skeletons hanging out in those closets of theirs, don’t they? Destroying an entire planet to eliminate the gestalt intelligence that threatens to eat life itself fits into the somewhat draconian and heavy-handed response we’ve seen out of the Time Lords before.
As with the previous Boucher serials, much of the quality of the production rests in the characterization of both the regulars and the guest cast. It would be wrong to say that the Doctor and Leela are incidental to the story, but to a great extent, this story is not carried by them. And rightly so: it’s hard to tell a story about how an ancient evil emerges and ravages a group of people without getting you invested in their fate.
One fun element of the story is the incorporation of time-honored methods of dealing with the paranormal into the legends of the Fendahl. Certain apparitions and entities could, according to this story, be incomplete Fendahl gestalts, and the “old ways” have been holding the line against ancient evil as a result. And the notion that the Fendahl manipulated human evolution to prepare them as vessels for the gestalt is a wonderful little plot nugget. (I wonder if Azal from “The Daemons” throught of the Fendahl as competition.)
Some balk at the props and other effects used for the Fendahl, but I actually think it’s more than good enough to get the concept across to the audience. After all, it’s not the physical form itself that it supposed to be imposing, but rather, the power it represents. Had they not put the transformer Thea into close-up, making those painted-on eyes all too obvious, the intended effect of a monstrous evil would have been more than sufficient.
That said, it’s clearly dead in the center of the new era, because elements that don’t quite mesh with the tone of the story are present. K-9 is tossed into a couple of scenes, at the start and finish, almost out of obligation; it doesn’t really add anything to the story (though the continuity efforts are appreciated). Leela holds her own once again, but her outfit has been altered to something that is constantly on the verge of indecency. (Not that this is a problem, per se, but fan service doesn’t get much more blatant!)
Also, I found it a bit disappointing that this massive threat to all life itself was resolved, in essence, by blowing it up. Granted, the explanation is logical enough; the Fendahl gestalt is not yet fully formed, which makes it vulnerable. And on a practical level, they didn’t really have anything better that they could accomplish within budget. Even so, it feels a bit out of proportion to the implied threat itself.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Score: 8/10
