After the somewhat leisurely pace of the previous episodes, things really pick up here. First off, Ian picks a fight with new Thal leader Alydon (John Lee) in the hopes of getting him to agree to help the crew recover the fluid link. (Remember the fluid link? It was the thing the Doctor removed from the Tardis to trick the others into exploring the city. Well, Ian took it off the Doctor, and the Daleks took it off Ian, so now they have to return to the city to get this vital piece of equipment back....even if, as the Doctor mention, the Tardis actually is low on mercury.)
It’s interesting to note that Alydon doesn’t actually put Ian on his ass until Ian grabs Dyoni and threatens to take her to the Daleks. And it’s Dyoni who convinces Alydon to consent to the Thals’ involvement in this plan. Couple that with Barbara’s insistent stand that the Thals need to stand up for themselves, and there’s a little bit of forward thinking going on here. Hell, we see more of the Doctor’s respect for Barbara, as he admits ‘I may have underestimated you.’
Meanwhile, the Daleks have learned that the anti-radition serum is poisonous to their system. It seems that those mutations we were introduced to last episode have made the Daleks dependent on radiation...which makes the lead Dalek (the one all the others defer to, even the cardboard Dalek cutouts in the background*) conclude that it’s easier for them to re-irradiate the surface with another neutron bomb explosion that, you know, making nice with the Thals and stuff.
Then Alydon’s right hand Ganatus (Philip Bond), who seems to be crushing a lot on Barbara comes up with an idea--splitting the Thal forces in two, with one group attacking the front of the Dalek city while the other takes a undefended path through the swamp and attacks from behind. Yeah, the swamp is full of deadly mutations, but still....
Which brings us to a Doctor-less second half, with Ian, Barbara, Ganatus and other Thals traipsing through the swamp, discovering a possible short cut via what amounts to a water main, being threatened by...something and our first Monsta Sighting!
You will soon learn as we continue on this journey that in Doctor Who there are Monsters and Monstas. A Monsta is a creature that way outstrips the means available to the special effects crew at the time, and the gooey Play-Doh tarp creature with light up eyes that rises up from the swamp to spook Ian is kinda charming in its lo-fi ineptitude.
There’s some pretty nice moments throughout this episode, and one that may be an indication of Hartnell’s ill health--namely, the famed ‘Chesterman’ moment. I wonder if the serial’s overall pace couldn’t have been helped by spreading some of these moments both forward and back, as we’ve got two more episodes of this landmark story to go. Still, this is a key segment.
*--Here’s where I remind you we’re talking about something made over a half century ago on a miniscule budget that the producers never thought would be watched with interest by adults long after some of them were gone in a format that was so sharp we could see such things with startling clearness. You know, just before I geek out about a Tarp Monsta.
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