Earthshock

In evaluating Earthshock, one has to look no further than the title. It’s a very cool title, evocative and sounding fantastic. The trouble is, it’s not actually a proper word. Earthshock seems to exist largely in the moment- Eric Saward writes scenes of great tension very well, but their linking together to form a coherent story is less successful. It is very fast paced- it can, indeed, be seen as two frenetically paced ‘base under siege’ stories, each having the Doctor blamed for mysterious deaths. However, it does just about work as a story, despite some very poorly thought-out plotting- the androids draw attention to the bomb, rather than protect it from discovery, the Cyber-plan seems like it was made up on the spot, the ship jumping back through time is a totally random development. The memorable scene of the Cyberman getting frozen in the door is typical of this- we are led to believe that the Doctor focuses all his efforts on one door, but totally ignores the other one. It is, perhaps, in this story that Eric Saward understands the character of the Doctor best- he solves the first crisis with a combination of scientific knowledge and wild improvisation and, even though he uses a gun, is directly involved in the climax of the second crisis. Characterisation is efficient, if colourless as is the dialogue. The script has its flaws, but it is better written than one would expect.

However, the production values are stunning. Immediately, the story looks expensive- the uniforms for the troopers look futuristic without looking dated- I wouldn’t be surprised if the costume designers for Starship Troopers were subconsciously ripping Earthshock off. Peter Grimwade manages to match the frenetic pace of the script, with montages as frenetic as those on The Leisure Hive. There are an embarrassment of memorable scenes- the Cybermen breaking out of the silos, the storming of the TARDIS. Episode one, in particular, is a mini horror masterpiece. The androids are simply, but extremely effectively realised and there is the horrible fate that awaits those who are shot by them- a pool of slime and blood, which is really near the knuckle. The guest performances are excellent, making up for the stock characterisation. Special mention must be made of Beryl Reid whose vast talent compensates for her miscasting.

All this talk, and I have barely touched the two things that this story is famous for. After seven years, the Cybermen return with a brand new look. Visually, this design was the most effective yet (with all due respect to the Tenth Planet and Invasion versions). The key genius touch is the moving silver chin, which manages to get over the fact that these creatures used to be human in a way that hadn’t been done since their debut. The voices, however, are too emotional, but they are, at least, far better than those on Revenge of the Cybermen. Again, the Cybermen show emotion and irrationality when they profess to be incapable of either, but this is nothing new, to be frank.

This story also sees us saying goodbye to Adric. It has become a cliché to criticise Matthew Waterhouse’s performance, but such criticism has some justification. It was only in Black Orchid that he ever put in a performance that could actually be called good and his performances before then were inoffensive at best and abysmal at worst. In Earthshock, Waterhouse manages to convey the emotions required, which is enough to ensure that his death is affecting, as well as the complete shock it must have been at the time. Janet Fielding again demonstrates she is easily the best actor amongst the companions, but Sarah Sutton puts in a nice reactive performance. Peter Davison is excellent. As usual.

Despite its flaws, Earthshock is excellently made and is, for my money, the second best Cyberman story of the 20th Century.

NEXT: Time-Flight