1.3: The Edge of Destruction
- Doctor: William Hartnell
- Companions: Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright
- Creators: Verity Lambert (Producer), David Whitaker (Writer)
- Season 1
What's the rating?
Intriguing Crap.
What's interesting about it?
A strange story indeed. Created as a two-episode filler to complete the contracted season before likely cancellation, this "kid's show" is like a cross between Waiting for Godot and Six Characters in Search of an Author . No silly monsters here; instead we get an existential exploration of the mind of the TARDIS, through vignettes ranging from opaque dialogue while the actors wander around blank-faced to Susan trying to kill her fellow travelers with scissors (producer Verity Lambert later regretted going that far).
While it definitely provides intellectual fodder far above the typical Who fare, I can't truly recommend it as it doesn't really fit into the Who universe and doesn't provide a cohesive, satisfying story. It's more of a writing and acting exercise, of the kind best left to rehearsals.
The most redeeming aspect, and the one factor that is relevant to Doctor Who continuity, is that Barbara is the one who figures out what is going on, and the Doctor comes to respect her and thereby to start the process of his softening toward Barbara and Ian. While I prefer the crustier version of this Doctor, this is an important step in his evolution.
What are others saying?
Nobody likes this one much.
- Wife in Space (score: 2/10)
- The Memory Cheats podcast #1