DVD Review: The E-Space Trilogy

A box set of late-era Tom Baker stories. And they're a bit of a mixed bunch.

Full Circle

First up, Full Circle - which introduces us to Adric. Ah, poor sweet Adric. He's an exercise in wish-fulfilment. Getting a nerdy, 17 year old, Who-geek to write a teenage nerd to appeal to other teenage nerds. I don't think the character quite works because, in my opinion, the Doctor needs a slightly dimmer foil in order to explain things to. And because, sadly, no-one likes watching grumpy know-it-all teens. He's the original Wesley Crusher. It's a pity because Matthew Waterhouse plays the part brilliantly.

Sadly, Romana is kind of useless in this one. The character doesn't really suit the "scream queen" role she's given. Although she gets much more interesting when infected - which leads on to a brilliant (if underused) effect where her veins glow mysteriously. The effects are of the usual quality - with the animatronic spiders being particularly poor.

The story is interesting enough. It is the mirror image of 2008's The Doctor's Daughter. It's nice to have some solid sci-fi that isn't just solved by shouting. The technobabble about the Charged Vacuum Emboitement is sort of muttered away as an aside. It would have been nice to build up the mystery of E-Space throughout the episode. But TV wasn't really into multi-layered arcs back then.

K-9's decapitation deserves much more of a fanfare. Yes, he's a daft robot dog who can't really do much - but he's a fan favourite. As with most 20th Century Doctor Who, emotion is an alien concept. Romana's in a bit of a mood because she has to go home - but it never becomes part of her character - nor the story.

It all sets us up nicely for…

State of Decay

This is an interesting one. Lalla Ward is in a completely different show to everyone else. She's wry, bitchy, and an utter style icon. Easily my favourite companion. Adric is fascinating! What is it like to have a companion who doesn't get on with everyone - and who might betray you? You can see where Mickey came from!

The plot, in isolation, is pretty good. Vampires... In... SPAAAAAACE! But the story is identical to Full Circle. A human ship crash-landed thousands of years ago and the inhabitants have forgotten their origin due to being led by despots.

Even certain story points are similar - the Doctor getting attacked by a bat is just a replay of Romana getting attacked by a spider. And the effects are similarly "convincing".

There are some excellent touches - especially the fuel cells filled with BLOOD! I actually think the effect of the giant vampire's hand towering above the heroes is pretty good - and it's an obvious influence on Ten-Doc's Satan Pit.

Some good Time Lord Lore being built in to the show - as per Full Circle - which helps the mythos of the show.

It's one of the classic shows which would be brilliant with a modern remake.

Warriors' Gate

This is worth the price of admission alone. A brilliant story. Stunning effects. And directed by someone who gives a damn. It has a filmic quality that doesn't really re-appear until the modern series. It is no surprise that 21st Century Who director Graeme Harper cut his teeth directing this serial! You can also see the visual impact it had on shows like Red Dwarf - with its copious shots of gantries.

Nowadays it is common to film everything in front of a green-screen. But this was a first for Who. It makes it feel like a sci-fi show - not just a drama set in space. It gives shots an ethereal, dream-like quality which no Who has matched since. The story is also excellent - drawing on Alien and Kurosawa - to make something truly special.

There's also a good set of cliffhangers, a mystical b-plot, and even Adric & K9 are useful! Sure, Romana is relegated to scream-queen once again, but there's enough going on with the plot to justify it.

This is the final part of the E-Space trilogy. But we haven't really learned anything about E-Space. Nor has it had any impact on the stories! It's a pity the arc wasn't developed further. Similarly, Romana's story comes to an abrupt end. Her frustration at being recalled to The Division Gallifrey could have been an important emotional arc for her. As could her abhorrence of the Lion-Folk's enslavement. Instead, she just says "Byeeeeeeeeee!" Which is a shame.

All three of these would be brilliant if remade for a 2020s audience.

DVD Extras

The team always give us a good crop of features. Some documentaries, studio off-cuts, and other curios. Good for the nerds like me who lap it all up. But I'm not sure the world needs a documentary on what blood is!

The triple DVD box set is about £12 - which is excellent value for money.