7.1 Spearhead from Space

I saw this one a while ago, for no particular reason, so I remember the plot.  However, now watching it in context made a little more sense to me.  I love the story of this new Doctor.  He is stuck on Earth, exiled by the Time Lords for his crimes.  It's quite a change from what we've watched before. He can't go wherever he wishes, and he's rather angry about that.  It's not like he could steer the TARDIS before, but at least he could come and go when he pleased.  As long as there wasn't some sort of Mercury issue, that is.  

 

What's Jon Pertwee like? First impression is that he's a bit of a dandy, with his cape and fancy shirts.  He's also kind of a snob, and has a tendency to treat authority figures with disdain.  In short, he's got a big head.  Troughton and Hartnell had their pride, but they were more personable, I think.  Troughton didn't usually want to be an authority figure.  Hartnell just wanted to get the heck out of wherever they were at the time. Pertwee gives me a sense that he's more intelligent and capable than everyone else.  He's rather unhappy that he has a 'job', working for U.N.I.T., and that he is responsible to the Brigadier.

I also like that those around him don't really like or trust him.  Even the Brigadier often questions his methods and his inability to be diplomatic.  The 3rd Doctor does not like to be questioned.  I will say that so far, this Doctor is very concerned about the welfare of the aliens that he comes across.  I've said before that Troughton was sort of the one to blow everything and everyone to bits no matter the situation.

The Brigadier gets very excited to discover the blue police box, but is confused at the sight of Pertwee instead of his old friend Troughton.  At first he is very suspicious of Pertwee as the Doctor.  Could he be an imposter?  It takes some time before the Brigadier and Pertwee are trusting of each other and by the end they only have a cautious friendship.

We discover more about the Doctor's physiology.  His heart beat can be very low, he has two hearts, and he can put himself into a coma at will.  That's a rather strange skill.

The Doctor calls himself Doctor John Smith, which is an alias that Troughton has used. 

I remember the autons reappearing in the Eccleston and Tennant series.  They made more sense in their first appearance. 

Instead of Great Intelligence, we get the Nestene Consciousness.  The Nestene doesn't like Yetis, thank goodness.  They are into building mannequins.  At least the writers are trying not to bring back old aliens, though I'm not really sure if using the same idea is very original. 

The Nestene's plot to take over Earth involving replacing key government officials with robot controlled mannequins that look like them.  Eventually all the people would be replaced, and the Nestene can control Earth for however long they wish.  It's so great being a baddie.

The Time Lords have really mucked up the TARDIS, and the Doctor thinks he can fix it.  So far, he cannot, but it's worth a try.  Pertwee has a watch, which shows him the location of the TARDIS at all times.  That would have been handy in the Marco Polo episode, when it gets stolen five thousand times.  Next, the Doctor should invent a device that will bring the TARDIS to him no matter where he is.

There is probably a lot of discussion whether or not Liz is considered a companion.  She never leaves Earth with him, so technically she doesn't travel with him.  But she is still his assistant.  She also works for U.N.I.T. though, so they're more like colleagues.  It's all very confusing.

Next Up: Doctor Who and the Silurians