The Edge of Destruction review [David Whitaker]

The Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara are trapped in the TARDIS, stirring from unconsciousness with little memory. Strange things begin to happen on the ship, and it's not long before Susan suggests that perhaps a fifth intelligence is aboard, hidden inside one of them.

When and where?: This serial takes place entirely inside the TARDIS, which is travelling backwards in time thanks to a malfunction with the fast-return switch.

The Doctor's Case:

• The best thing about this story is what it tries to be, or rather what it should be: a claustrophobic story where the crew believe that some presence is on the ship hiding in one of them, resulting in a character-centric story that resolves the animosity between the Doctor and Ian and Barbara and has them start to trust one another. The distrust sewn between each of them whilst under the belief that there is an intelligence aboard could have been thoroughly engaging, but what we instead get is inconsistent amnesia and Susan stabbing her bed with scissors. 
  
• The Doctor, of rational mind rather than being insane like Susan, accuses Ian and Barbara of sabotaging the ship, and an argument follows. This sort of exploration of the relationship between the schoolteachers and the Doctor is the highlight of this serial. At the end, the Doctor shares a laugh with Ian and tells Barbara how valuable she is, walking arm-in-arm with her. It's terribly sweet and nice to see the beginning of real friendship between the Doctor and his two newest companions.

The Valeyard's Case:

• A Bad Quotation:
• "We had time taken away from us and now it's being given back to us because it's running out." Oh, Barbara, what are you talking about?
  
• Susan becomes a homicidal maniac armed with a pair of scissors. Trying to protect herself from Ian and Barbara under the belief that one of them was possessed would have been fair enough and not entirely uncharacteristic of her terrified and ineffective self, but instead she becomes unstable. Not only is it not very nice to watch but it makes so little sense.
• Barbara screams and throws away her watch after seeing that its face has melted before collapsing into a chair to snivel. This sort of pathos is expected from Susan, unfortunately, but Barbara is a much stronger woman.
• The pacing for this serial is very strange. There's no build to Susan's madness. Explosive things happen and then people pass out and forget things for no real reason. Some of the acting from Carole Ann Ford and William Russell is poor at times, but then the script doesn't make it easy for them.

Was First a Chauvinist?:

• The Doctor tells Susan and Barbara that the ship will disintegrate in ten minutes, but admits to Ian that it will actually be in five minutes. Sexist? Possibly, but when Susan and Barbara have been screaming and breaking down as much as they have it makes sense not to worry them too much.

I'll Explain Later:

• Ian says that the Doctor's heart is alright. Surely he should have noticed that he has two.
• "I can't take you back, Susan. I can't," the Doctor rambles. Why did he take Susan from Gallifrey in the first place?

The Inquisitor's Judgement: A good idea for a bottle episode spoilt by unusual pacing and inconsistent characterisation, The Edge of Destruction isn't a great story. Where it succeeds is in its exploration of the relationship between the Doctor and the teachers, with their arguments and signs of friendship at the end being the best parts of the serial. Unfortunately, though, the script is quite poor. Amy's Choice is better. The Edge of Destruction is bad, and that earns it a D.

Doctor Who (Season 1)

The Daleks  |  The Edge of Destruction  |  Marco Polo