After a close call with the cat, the crew find themselves separated when Ian and Barbara take refuge in the dead man’s attache case (Ian’s go no luck when it comes to hiding places in this story) and is transported by our Sinister Industrialist into the laboratory of his Scientist Lackey. As the two men plot to dispose of the murdered man, the Doctor finds a way into the house through a drainage pipe and tries to reunite with the teachers but, wouldn’t you know it, the Scientist has to use the sink....and never mind that Barbara has touched some wheat covered with the highly lethal pesticide that killed all the insects they saw in the garden....
Even with the somewhat maniacal acting of Reginald Barratt as the scientist, Dr. Smithers, I am still digging this. I love how this thread of his scheming with Alan Tivern’s Forester is directly tied into the perils the crew are facing with them being totally unaware of this diminutive quartet’s presence. Hell, I’ll even admit that Tivern’s somber, low-key performance plays off of Barratt’s rantings pretty well. It’s just I would accept the conflict between the two more if Smithers’ claims of scientific altruism (he sees his pesticide as a cure for world hunger. Yes, really) weren’t made so...demonstratively.
Once again, the props are surprisingly effective given the obvious limitations of the series’ budget. I was particularly impressed with a giant fly that briefly shows up because it’s a puppet and is effective with its limited movement. You see this puppet being operated and I guess I understand why they decided to do an all-insect story this season.
Oh, don’t worry. We’re going to get to the f’in Zarbis soon enough.
Where the props don’t work is the ones depicting some of these enlarged props at actual size. There’s a pile of wheat grains that Ian and Barbara interact with that’s impressive--but the same pile looks like a cartoon muffin top when seen on Smithers’ desk.
There’s not much in the way of characterization, but nothing that made me roll my eyes. I did worry that Barbara would end up being a Girl School Screamer after she trips and hurts her leg on what turns out to be a paper clip, but Jacqueline Hill treats the incident with humor and cleverness. Susan doesn’t scream or cry and in fact Ford and Hartnell’s reaction to the--one would say inevitable--climatic cliffhanger. Instead of panicking when it seems that a sinkful of water is about to wash them out of the pipe and drown them, the two just hold each other tightly, eyes showing worry but actions showing stoicism.
I know I should not be enjoying this as much as I am. I know pretty much every other Whovian dismisses this as a curiousity at best....but I can’t help myself. This. Is. Cool.
...and I can’t wait to see how they wrap this all up.
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