REVIEW OVERVIEW: BAD FIRST IMPRESSIONS - RATING THE FIRST APPEARANCES OF RECURRING FOES: THE SECOND DOCTOR ERA

The REVIEW OVERVIEW of first appearances of recurring foes continues. Just in case you're late in coming, here's an explanation of the Grading System: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/08/review-overview-bad-first-impressions.html

And, here's my review of recurring foes that make their first appearance in the First Doctor Era: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/08/review-overview-bad-first-impressions_18.html

THE SECOND DOCTOR ERA: 

While the Second Doctor reigns, the show starts settling into a proper formula. The Doctor is the Hero. The companions are really just meant to ask: "What is it, Doctor?!" And there's lots of scary monsters that really want to invade people's bases!  

Having said that, however, there's still quite a bit of experimentation going on. Sixties Doctor Who hasn't quite figured itself out. Which means the show also hasn't perfected the manufacturing of the Perfect Recurring Foe. There's a lot of hit-or-miss going on, here. We will witness monsters and/or villains that merited return appearances but didn't get one. At the same time, we will also see characters that, maybe, should have never come back. 

While the First Doctor Era always seemed to bring back the enemies they should have, it's a bit more of a mixed bag when Troughton takes the helm. 

THE MACRA TERROR 

Recurring Foe: The Macra 

Admittedly, this one scarcely bears looking at. It almost feels like a joke when they are brought back in New Who. But a recurring foe is a recurring foe. The pattern must be followed.  

Writing          ........................................          7

The way the Macra are written is interesting. It's another case of seeing a monster handled in such a manner for the first time so it does make them stand out a bit. For the most part, they are controlling things from behind the scenes. Getting certain humans to do the bulk of their dirty work for them. Which, as I said, is a new and interesting way to present a baddie. 

There's a considerable drawback, though. There should have been a moment where they were brought into the spotlight. A scene similar to what the Rills get in the latter half of Galaxy Four. But that never really happens. And, because it doesn't, the Macra never have all that firm of a foothold in the plot. They stick more to the shadows. Which is creepy in its own right and has some degree of merit to it. But the effect also works to the monsters' detriment. 

Performance     .........................................        4

There aren't really any performers playing the Macra. It's, moreso, a case of operators. Production did something very ambitious with the way they constructed them. But it was a tad too ambitious for a low-budget show being made in the 60s. Things, for the most part, just end up looking awkward and clunky. 

There's not much existing footage to go by, of course. But what does remain isn't particularly watchable. Lots of actors putting on horrified expressions as they are "menaced" by the slowest-moving mechanical monster you've ever seen. Or, in some cases, we get a single claw being extended into the edge of a shot and looking thoroughly unconvincing. It's all quite painful. 

The Actual Story  ......................................       6

I would say The Macra Terror is a tad sub-par. It's a bit more interesting in its first half when it's this sort of kitschy Orwellian Dystopia. But when it switches to being more about the Macra, it tends to just plod along. It takes forever, for instance, for Jamie to find his way out of a tunnel! 

The writer seems to expect that we'll find turning gas valves on and off to be a wild and exciting piece of action. It isn't, of course. Which makes the whole conclusion of the plot wildly anti-climactic. The story's biggest blessing is that it only needed to fill out four episodes. If this had been a six-parter, it might have killed me to sit through it!  

How the Doctor Interacts With Them   ......  2

He doesn't really interact with them. That's part of the problem. He, sort of, tries to talk to them through a vid-call while they're manipulating the colony's figurehead leader. And he sees them for a bit through a window! Hardly the great confrontations we usually get when he faces off with a villain. 

Long-Term Impact     .................................     2

I think when RTD brought the Macra back in Gridlock it was too show off how much of a super-fan he is. "Look Everyone! I can remember an obscure monster from the 1960s and write them into one of my scripts!" In that sense, it's a bit of a fun gesture. As a super-fan, myself, it amused me. But, really, they didn't need a second appearance. They barely deserved the first!    

FINAL SCORE: 21

In The Great Hall of Recurring Who Villains, the Macra Exhibition is found in a hidden service corridor next to the staff washroom! If you ask the Guide about them, he simply responds: "We don't talk about the Macra." and glares at you.     

TOMB OF THE CYBERMEN 

Recurring Foe: The Cyber-Controller

If we're being extremely technical, I shouldn't be writing anything up on this guy. The first appearance of the Cybermen was covered in the last entry. That should be it for anything Cyber-related. 

But, sometimes, a new and interesting recurring foe evolves from an already-established recurring foe. They deserve an analysis of their own when that happens. This, I believe, is one of those cases. In a few years' time, someone similar will grow out of Dalek lore. Way down the road, the Cybermen will do this one more time (No, I'm not talking about the Cyber-Leader. He's really just a sort of watered-down version of the Cyber-Controller. David Banks did do an awesome job of playing him in Earthshock but we're still not gonna cover him).

Writing:        ........................................          10

The Cyber-Controller is magnificently-crafted. He is, essentially, the voice of the Cyber-People. His dialogue, for the most part, is a direct manifestation of the Cyber-Philosophy of Life. With the Need to Procreate ("You will become like us") and the Need to Continue ("We will survive") always at the forefront. Giving voice to the thoughts inside the heads of all Cybermen makes these monsters that much creepier. It's an absolutely gorgeous effect. I love that a writer took the time to create such a character. It made the race the Controller hails from all-the-more menacing. 

Performance:  ......................................          9

Michael Kilgariff totally rocks at bringing the Cyber-Controller to life. His movements have just the right level of dramatic intensity as he storms about the set. He's a big man with a big presence. And was, therefore, perfect for the role. 

The portrayal loses a point, however, because of the voice-work. Something odd happens between Parts Two and Three. At the end of the second episode, the ever-chilling "You will become like us" line gets delivered with its weird electronically-synthesized tone. It sounds great. When they reprise the cliffhanger next week, you can clearly tell that they've forgotten the setting they had the vocoder at. They go for something at a higher pitch that is frequently hard to make out. You have to, pretty much, watch the story a couple of times before you truly understand everything the Cyber-Controller says. 

The Actual Story:   .................................       8

I've given Tomb of the Cybermen a pretty thorough Review elsewhere in this blog (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/12/book-of-lists-top-five-cybermen-stories.html) so I won't dwell on it long. Parts One and Two are amazing. Some of the best stuff I've ever seen in 60s Who. The second half of the story, however, does get a little wonky in places. Never does it descend into being completely horrible - but there are some problems. However, the strength of the first half, somehow, makes up for a lot of these issues. In the final analysis, it's still a great story. A few problems (which causes it to get the score it's gotten), but not enough to mar my admiration of it too much. 

How the Doctor Interacts With Them:   ....  9 

Always wanting to give us something different from One, Troughton confronts foes in a very unique manner. Rather than being full of bluster as his predecessor frequently was, he actually seems more timid. Even a bit comical (the "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to" line in Part Three cracks me up every time!). But, as is always the case with Troughton's performance, he gets it to work. While this version of the Doctor doesn't, necessarily, stand up to the bully, we still get a clear impression that he also won't yield to them. Which makes for some very engaging drama. 

Long-Term Impact:      .................................   6

This one gets a significantly lower score. The Cyber-Controller is great in his first appearance but really lacks presence any time he returns. He almost doesn't fit into the plot of Attack of the Cybermen. We would have been just fine if the Cyber-Leader had run the show. Bringing back Kilgariff to play the role all those years later was also a difficult decision to stomach (God, I'm just so hilarious!). 

And then there's those last few minutes of  Age of Steel where a converted John Lumic is claiming to be the Cyber-Controller. Quite simply, he's not. He's still got his side-handles and doesn't even have an elongated forehead!      

FINAL SCORE: 42

Oh, what a wonderful first appearance. I wish New Who would finally bring him back and properly restore him to his glory. 

THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMEN 

Recurring Foe: The Great Intelligence 

The Great Intelligence: that evil villain who we thought we'd only ever see during the Second Doctor Era. What a delight it is when he makes a super-triumphant return during Series Seven of New Who.  

Writing:          ................................................       10

A very unique and intensely-fascinating villain. The Great Intelligence really captures our imagination. He's this mysterious figure in the earlier episodes of the story who turns into something quite terrifying as we do start getting his origins in the latter parts. On paper, he's absolutely terrifying. He's also quite different from most of the monsters we've seen thus far in the show.  

Performance:   .............................................        10 

The performance is absolutely terrifying, too. For most of the story, it's mainly about voice-work. But the tone his dialogue is delivered in is downright bone-chilling. Simply through vocalization, it feels like there are two personalities fighting to dominate the Abbot. It's all being performed in an extremely effective manner. 

Finally meeting Padmasambhava at the end can only be experienced through reconstructions. But it still looks like a totally awesome scene that was magnificently-acted by Wolfe Morris (again, the dialogue sounds like it was delivered perfectly). If only we could properly see it! 

The Actual Story:  ........................................      9 

I really am trying to find some flaws, here. But it's hard. I think everyone involved in this production did some excellent work. The plot, perhaps, didn't quite need a full six episodes to be told. But it doesn't really drag much, either. So I still find myself giving it a great score. 

How the Doctor Interacts With Them:  .....      9

Again, things are being done here in Patrick Troughton Style. He doesn't get up in his enemy's face much. He, instead, just has pointed conversations with them where he is assessing weaknesses and figuring out a strategy to beat them. I probably would have liked the confrontation between him and the Great Intelligence to go on longer than it did. We certainly could have used a more protracted discussion to explain this mysterious being just a bit better. 

Long-Term Impact:     ................................     8

For decades, it looked like we were only ever going to get one sequel. Fortunately it was magnificent. As high-scoring as Abominable Snowmen is, I like Web of Fear even better. 

But then Moffat decides to bring the nasty old jerk back in New Who. And, for the most part, he does a great job with it. It's especially cool that he gives us a prequel to Abominable Snowmen first. The Surprise Reveals that he hands us in the first two stories are also quite wonderful ("GI" - it was right in front of us the whole time!). The final demise of the Great Intelligence works a bit strangely. But, otherwise, there's much to love in the legacy this first appearance creates. 

FINAL SCORE: 46 

While it's difficult to truly pass judgement on just one episode and then a bunch of re-construction, the brilliance of Abominable Snowmen shines through. The Great Intelligence completely deserves all the attention he gets. In both New and Classic Who, the character is handled magnificently. Especially since they got Richard E. Grant to play him in Series Seven!   

THE ICE WARRIORS 

Recurring Foe: The Ice Warriors

When it comes to returning villains, one could almost say that the Ice Warriors are a bit lucky. It's quite amazing that they ever come back since they do not make the best of first impressions.    

Writing        ................................................        4

The Ice Warriors are meant to be these vicious warriors that still adhere to a rigid set of codes and try to remain noble in their pursuits. Most of the time, their brutal tendencies put them on the wrong side of a battle with the Doctor. But, because they are still highly-principled, he has a measure of respect for them. 

The Ice Warriors we get in this story, however, are nothing like that. They are a bunch of bullies who don't seem to give a rat's ass about honor. They're just out for themselves and will brutally murder anyone that looks at them the wrong way. In this tale, they're merely a generic "monster of the week". 

Performance:   ............................................       6 

Let me say upfront that I do not fault the artistes in the slightest for this low mark. They are doing their damnedest with what's been handed to them. But, essentially, the costumes are far too restrictive. Even the mouthpieces make it difficult for them to do any kind of proper lip-synch with the voice artists that are doing their dialogue. We're kind of getting Tenth Planet Cybermen again. Except this time, the effect doesn't work. 

Later Classic Who Ice Warrior tales would give us an Ice Lord to be the main speaking part. The actual warriors just lumber around menacingly. The bulky suits didn't get much in their way for that sort of acting. But in Ice Warriors, they have our full attention. And much of their awkward mannerisms are difficult to watch. 

The Actual Story  ........................................      6

The plot to Ice Warriors is a bit of a mess. It just seems to meander all over the place and does a miserable job of properly filling the six episodes it's been allotted. Several complications are created just to buy a bunch of time. By having Jamie badly wounded, for instance, it makes getting him back to the Ice Base a much lengthier process (that's meant to be exciting, of course, but really amounts to Peter Sallis firing a toy gun at some stock footage of a wolf). Victoria dashing about madly in ice caverns, pretty much, amounts to the same thing. There is a ton of stalling as everyone proclaims over and over "We can't do anything 'til we know what sort of engines they have!" 

It all gets a bit tiresome pretty quickly.   

How the Doctor Interacts With Them  ......      9

Troughton is quite interesting, here. For much of the time that he confronts the Ice Warriors, he is acting more like Hartnell did during these situations. He, very much, stands up to them and even taunts them a bit. He still puts some comical touches to the whole thing. Two really only can do so good of a job at throwing his weight around. But his telling off of the Martian warriors is one of the better points of the whole story. 

Long-Term Impact:    ..................................       9 

While they don't clock in quite as many stories as Daleks or Cybermen, this is still a greatly-used monster that merits the many return appearances  they've gotten. Especially since they are much better fleshed-out each time they come back. 

One could almost disqualify them as recurring foes as there is one story where they are genuinely "good". Also, the Ice Warriors we get in New Who are mildly ill-intentioned, at best. But, really, that's good enough for me. They deserve to be here. Even if their first tale is somewhat lackluster. 

FINAL SCORE: 34 

Not very great here. But the Ice Warriors will go on to do much better things. May they continue to flourish in future eps of New Who.... 

And that covers all the recurring foes for Two. Things are much more hit-or-miss during this era. But there's still quite a few of them from this period that end up having a pretty long reach. 

    

REVIEW OVERVIEW: "BAD FIRST IMPRESSIONS" - RATING THE FIRST APPEARANCES OF RECURRING FOES: THE FIRST DOCTOR

Having laid out some basic ground rules in the last entry (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2024/08/review-overview-bad-first-impressions.html), we can now get on with our review-overviewing. 

THE FIRST DOCTOR ERA 

Those glorious old days of William Hartnell at the helm of the TARDIS. So much experimentation going on as the show is trying to find its feet. Occasionally, during all that mucking about, a villain would get created that "sticks". They would be brought back again. Sometimes only once . Sometimes, still only once, but fifty or so years later. And sometimes -  just sometimes - they became a vital part of the show's lore. 

The First Doctor Era has a decent number of characters like this. Which makes sense, of course. A period of this nature is bound to be full of recurring foes appearing for the first time. The show is in the process of introducing itself to its audience. Which makes it highly likely that we're going to meet a bunch of very influential bad guys for the first time during this time. 

THE DALEKS 

Recurring Foe: The Daleks (well, duh!)

After just one story, we encounter our first recurring foe. And it's a doozy!     

Writing:          ........................................          9

The Daleks we get in this story are certainly different from the Daleks we  will eventually get down the road. During this particular tale, it does almost seem like there's a certain sense of individualism to them (by Dalek standards, at least). Which is ever-so-slightly off-putting. In future stories, these menaces will seem more homogenous. Unless they have some sort of authority, they lack any sort of real identity of their own. We don't get much of that with this first batch of Daleks, though. The drone-like quality of a Dalek is an important trait. Because of its absence, it loses a point in the rating system.  

Aside from this one difference, however, everything else that we need to have in the Daleks is there right from the very start. The paranoia, the need to dominate, the xenophobia. Everything that continues to persist in the character over the next six decades is firmly on display. Which is exactly what was needed to capture our imaginations and get us to fall in love with what is, essentially, salt shakers with plungers and egg whisks stuck to them! 

Performance:     ........................................      10

A certain style of performance for Daleks gets introduced, here. One that we will only see now and again in future stories. In most Dalek tales, efforts are made to make them glide smoothly and seem almost elegant in their movements. Here, they are more jittery. The eyestalk and limbs that extend from them tend to wave about much more. It makes them seem just a bit neurotic. Which I think really works for the characters. It creates a great visual that belies an interesting concept: Deep down inside of that casing, the Kaled Mutant is genuinely scared.   

Again, there will be a few other stories down the road where this type of movement will be brought back. Death to the Daleks is another tale that gives us Daleks that seem like, maybe, they need to cut down on their caffeine a bit. Even New Who stories like Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks will portray the Skarosian Mutants in a much similar manner. Personally, I love seeing them like this. The smoother-moving ones work great too. But I'm just as happy with this version. 

The Actual Story:      ..............................       8

Those first four episodes are actually quite mind-blowing. This really is amazing stuff that we're seeing. Episodes Five to Seven, however, really do start to peter out. To the point where the final climactic battle in the Control Center feels fairly lack-luster. By choosing to do such a long story, Nation appears to have bitten a bit more than he can chew. Which, to me, almost kills the Daleks' chances for a return. I just don't find myself caring that much about anything as we get to the end. I just want the story to finish! 

But I can't deny how good those first four episodes are. Even as we move into the latter parts, the quality does persist quite a bit before it truly dies out. 

Which is why I'm still scoring it so high. 

How the Doctor Interacts With Them:     .....  8

This is another situation that we will never see again. In future Dalek tales, the Doctor is always full of bluster when he deals with them. Even in the very next adventure that features the ruthless cyborgs, the Doctor places those hands firmly on his lapels the first time he meets the Daleks in Part Two and tells them exactly where to go. 

In The Daleks, however, he's acting more like the audience. He's genuinely fearful of them. It's especially brutal to see him trying to use the TARDIS as a bargaining chip near the end of the adventure. 

But it all still works very well. Yes, it's a bit strange to see. Which is why I knock a few points off. But this is the Doctor's first time encountering them. So this very unique behavior does make a sort of sense and helps to create menace in what is, essentially, a bunch of salt shakers with plungers and egg whisks sticking out of them (where have I seen this before?!). 

Long-Term Impact:          ..............................     10 

I think it would be impossible to give this anything less than a perfect score. The Daleks does represent a very humble beginning for these monsters. They will go on to do much greater things than what we see here. But, overall, the story does a great job with getting the ball rolling. One cannot deny the impact this adventure will have on the whole future of the series. 

FINAL SCORE: 45 

A hugely-significant story that is fraught with problems. But it still excels and very much deserves the respect it has earned. 

THE TIME MEDDLER 

Recurring Foe: The Monk

Here we see an excellent example of just how much breadth the show likes to have. The second recurring foe that we meet is an anti-thesis of the Daleks. While we were meant to the Daleks very seriously, the Monk is mainly there for laughs. Even though the contrast is vast, I still deeply adore him. 

Writing:          ........................................          9

It's as plain as day that the Monk has been written to be a bumbler. There's a ton of comedic sequences built right into the plot that we watch him stumble through like a fool. To the point where it's almost difficult to perceive him as a legitimate villain (which is the reason why he doesn't get a Perfect Ten). He is still an absolutely delightful character but he, perhaps, needed just a bit more of a darker side to give him a tad more potency. 

Performance:     ...................................          10

Peter Butterworth plays the role to absolute perfection. He sees what the Monk is meant to be on paper and adds some gorgeous nuances to him. Charm is the most important trait that he imbues his character with that wasn't, necessarily, on the page. In the wrong pair of hands, the Monk could have just been an annoying fool. But Butterworth gives him a healthy dose of likeability. This is a crucial element that triggers his return. We're actually quite happy to see the Monk come back a season later because we really do enjoy him. Or, more accurately, we love how the role is played. 

The Actual Story:   ...............................          8

I do hear this fairly common complaint about Time Meddler. Apparently, it moves a bit too slow. To which I regularly respond: "What episode of 60s Doctor Who doesn't?!" Maybe the story drags even more than others but I don't really feel it. Especially since there is a lot of fun little comedy going on. 

There's also a few things that make Time Meddler quite special. It's our first "pseudo-historical" and it expands quite heavily on the show's mythos. The Doctor isn't the only individual out there travelling in a TARDIS. There are others like him. Which is infinitely fascinating...

So, yes, it does drag a bit, in places. But I'd still say it's an above-average yarn.   

How the Doctor Interacts with Them:  ......   9

Now this is more like it. The Doctor cowers in his first tale with the Daleks. But, here, he's much more in keeping with how we usually see him when dealing with an enemy. He's not afraid to get up in the Monk's face and berate him for his plans to pervert history. There's also a fair amount of chest-beating as they compare TARDISes. In Time Meddler, the basic template is set for how rival Time Lords will interact with each other. 

But there are some dynamics that are unique to the way the Doctor and the Monk interact with each other. The Doctor gets far more emotionally-involved in their game of wits than he does with most other renegade Time Lords that he faces. Look how delighted he is as he sabotages the Monk's TARDIS at the end of Part Four. Or sulky and bad-tempered he gets when the Monk locks him up. When these two battle, it's very much like a game rather than a true fight. Which tends to make the Doctor more child-like. It's great fun to watch. 

Long-Term Impact:          ........................      8

Only one other appearance from the Monk?!!  That's it??!! 

In my opinion, we should have seen way more from this guy. Particularly since he is a much lighter character than most recurring foes. While Daleks and Cybermen and the Master create fiendish plots with high stakes and big consequences, the Monk represents a breath of fresh hair. He's a big goof who can actually be dangerous if left unchecked.  He does legitimately represent some degree of threat. But, for the most part, he's just a great laugh. 

Which does limit him in some ways. Because of his triviality, a character like this can only be used so often. Otherwise, he stops being such a treat when he does appear. But only being featured in a measly two stories from the 60s and then never being seen again is a veritable crime. Regenerate the dorky little bumbler and bring him back!    

FINAL SCORE: 44 

Being such a huge contrast to the seriousness of the Daleks makes him a recurring foe that is only one point away from being as appealing as the Great Skarosian Mutants, themselves. 

THE CELESTIAL TOYMAKER 

Recurring Foe: The Toymaker (who's not Celestial, anymore)   

One of those villains that we don't see return for several decades. Although plans were made to bring him back after only twenty years instead of over fifty! 

Writing:           .........................................          9

A well-constructed villain who, at the time, would have a very new and interesting vibe. Basically, he really feels like the Master. He has a profound hatred of the Doctor that he doesn't conceal in the slightest. He also seems to relish being evil. And, while he wishes nothing but ill for the Time Lord, he loves the games they play against each other. We would, eventually, see this dynamic over and over again in years to come. But we are witnessing for the first time, here. And it's done gorgeously. 

Performance:     ......................................         10

Like Butterworth with the Monk, we get some top-notch acting from Michael Gough. It's one thing to create a sort of Traditional Melodrama Villain on paper, it's another thing to bring him to life. The performance has to be pitched just right. You need to chew the scenery a bit but not go too far with it. Gough hits all the right notes with his performance. It's an absolute treat to watch. Or, at least it is in the one episode that's still left!  

The Actual Story:    .................................         8

As has just been mentioned, there is only one part of this story that still exists. It is a bit difficult to work off of the various re-constructions, but it is still possible to get a fairly general gist of the story from them. Celestial Toymaker is delightfully surreal with some very dark undertones masked in child-like imagery. It's only significant flaw might be that watching Steven and Dodo have to play through so many goofy games does seem to drag a bit. Still, it's something very cool and unique. We would get other strange stories like this in the future. But seeing it for the first time, here, makes the tale all-the-more special. 

How the Doctor Interacts with Them:    .....     10 

Hartnell and Gough are great, here. They spark off each other brilliantly in a vicious game of wits. Again, this feels very similar to what we would get with the Master in a few years' time. This sort of chemistry between the Doctor and a rival is always a splendid experience. Both actors have to be at the top of their game for it to work properly. And we definitely get that, here.

Long-Term Impact:     ....................................    10 

While it took forever to finally see him truly come back, it's obvious this is a foe we've wanted to see more of. We would have actually gotten more of Gough had the original plans for Season Twenty-Three succeeded. But, in some ways, it's a bit good that it all fell through. The implication, now, is that the Toymaker changes his form each time he's defeated. Which means more fantastic actors can take on the role. Lets hope they don't take so long to bring him back for a third battle. He's a great villain.    

FINAL SCORE: 47

Woah! The Toymaker beat the Daleks! He deserved it. He makes an excellent first impression... 

THE TENTH PLANET

Recurring Foe: The Cybermen 

Just before bowing out, the First Doctor gives us one more massive returning enemy. 

Writing:          ........................................          9

In many ways, it felt like much more thought went into the crafting of this monster. Which makes sense. Production could feel that their grip on the Daleks was becoming tenuous and wanted something to replace them. The success of the Daleks had been a happy accident. This time, they were intentionally going for a new and exciting monster that would haunt the Doctor again and again. 

Fortunately, they get things right. Oftentimes, when you do this sort of thing on purpose, it fails miserably. You can't get lightning to strike in the same place twice. But Kit Pedlar manages to do that. And we get another great race of monsters that the Doctor will battle over and over throughout the years.

Performance:      ....................................       9

The artistes in the Cybermen outfits have an absolute party creating their characters. Like the writing, you can see a lot of thought was put into all of this. Particularly the way they made the decision not to properly lip-synch their dialogue. Instead, we get something that comes across as very weird and creepy. 

The potency of their performance is best affirmed by the fact that the show will re-create the Mondasian Cybermen several decades later. They stick pretty close to the original costume design. Which, at best, makes a performer very stiff and clumsy. But the sinister quality of that initial performance shines through and inspires a whole new generation to hide behind the sofa from it. 

The Actual Story   ....................................      8

The plot to Tenth Planet is a bit weak, in places. There's not quite enough of it to fill the four parts. We get something akin to captures-and-escapes to mark time. We would see this time-killing trick in other base-under-siege adventures. Instead of capturing-and-escaping, it's more akin to "the monsters break in for a bit, get kicked out, then break back in some more later." Most of the story is still quite good, though. And the Doctor's regeneration at the end does nothing to overshadow the presence of the Cybermen. They still make a tremendous impact. Really, it's two major developments for the show's lore in just one adventure. Which helps to boost its score a bit. 

How the Doctor Interacts with Them:   ..... 8

"Emotions. Love, pride, hate, fear. Have you no emotions, sir?" The Doctor's confrontations with the Mondasian Menaces are full of rich dialogue like this. How can we not love how he deals with them? Although, it does feel a bit like his first encounter with Daleks. He's not that pissy with them, yet. Tell-offs like the one we got in Dalek Invasion of Earth will come later. It does almost feel like the Doctor's trying to understand this new enemy properly before really laying into them. But much of it is still great stuff to watch. 

Long-Term Impact:          ..........................     10 

This would be another monster that deserves a perfect score in this category. That excellent first appearance creates a tremendous legacy of adventures that will never end. For as long as we have Doctor Who, we'll have Cybermen. And I'm thankful for that. Whether they're the coldly logical versions we get in the 60s and 2000s or the more sadistic models of the 70s and 80s, I adore them all. 

FINAL SCORE: 44 

Another great recurring foe. The First Doctor Era is chocked full of them. It was a great time for villains and monsters that would make return appearances. They were all handled magnificently. 

The Second Doctor Era also has quite a few recurring foes to contend with. That will make for another sizeable entry. So he'll get a post of his own, too.    

 

REVIEW OVERVIEW: BAD FIRST IMPRESSIONS - RATING THE FIRST APPEARANCES OF RECURRING FOES

So I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy my more-or-less full collection of Doctor Who videos. Recently, I thought to myself: "Hey! The Doctor's got a ton of recurring foes. Let's just watch the very first adventure of each of them and see what I think."  It's an interesting study. Some villains are fully-fleshed right in their first appearance. Others take some time to grow into the monsters they will become. The whole experience is quite fascinating to watch. 

Initially, this was just a study I was doing for my own sake. But, oftentimes, when I undertake such ventures - it turns into a blog. Or, in this case, a whole series of blogs! 

A REVIEW OVERVIEW entry is a great way of restraining my blowhard opinions. Instead of just looking at something from the show and spewing out unfounded nonsense like: "I like this but I don't like that!", I have to work to a sort of grading system. Adhering to such a construct makes me more analytical or even objective about the material I'm reviewing. 

It's also a method that works well with broader themes that span several years of the show. My very first post of this nature, for instance, looked at all the different stories that have featured Homo-Reptilia. A species we first saw way back in Season Seven that is still making appearances to this very day. Breaking so many stories down into categories that received "marks" made the whole process of comparing them go more smoothly. 

So now I want to look at the first stories of all recurring foes and see how effective they were. Particularly in relation to each other. That's another big topic to cover. Best to come at it with something systematic rather than just say stuff like: "The Daleks is way better than The Tenth Planet. So there!"

As an introduction to this series, I'm just going to take the time to explain the Five-Point Grading System. In subsequent posts, we'll go through various eras of the show and cover them in their own distinct entries. 

So, here we go:    

Writing: This section will look at how well the actual foe was written in their very first story. Did the author do a good job of constructing them or was it subsequent yarns involving them (that were, perhaps, penned by other writers) that built them up properly?     

Performance: Writing is, of course, only half the battle in making a good recurring villain and/or monster. The actor that was hired to portray the miscreant contributes massively to their success. There are times when that initial performance is what captured the audience's imagination and earned the return appearance(s). On other occasions, subsequent iterations of the role outshine the original.     

The Actual Story: Setting aside the foe for just a moment, how well-executed was the plot of the story that featured them? A good narrative can help massively with determining whether or not we see someone come back. Not just in terms of the quality of the script. Production, in general, can have a huge bearing on this sort of thing. 

How They Interact With the Doctor: How the Doctor deals with these foes in their initial confrontation can also be crucial to their success. There are any number of foes that made return appearances because they sparked off of him so well in their first adventure. 

Long-Term Impact:  Something a bit more abstract that still relates to the quality of the initial story. How were the subsequent adventures that featured the foe? What sort of legacy did that initial tale create?   

IMPORTANT NOTE #1: Each category will receive a score between 1 and 10. I will also give a relatively short dissertation on why it received that mark. 

IMPORTANT NOTE #2: We should properly define Recurring Foe: 

This is a character or group of characters that the Doctor openly opposes on all occasions that they meet each other. They may form brief alliances to handle certain problems (ie: the Doctor and the Master fighting entropy together during Logopolis), But, overall, the Doctor is trying to foil whatever sinister plans the foe is brewing. Obviously, they also have to have, at least, two separate encounters in two different stories to qualify as a recurring foe. 

IMPORTANT NOTE #3: It should be noted that the definition I just gave does have grey areas. There will be some characters that don't fit the description perfectly that will still be included in the analysis (ie: the Ice Warriors are, for the most part, nasty to deal with). There may even be certain individuals that don't make the cut that you feel should have (ie: As much as I love Sabalom Glitz, he is very much the Doctor's friend in Dragonfire. So he's disqualified). 

All righty, then. The Rules have been defined. Lets start Review-Overviewing (that's totally a real verb). In the next post, I'll be looking at the First Doctor Era. He meets quite a few returning baddies for the first time so he'll get an entry all his own...   

I review-overview 

You review-overview 

He/She review-overviews

and so on....