Image of the Fendahl - Part One
Dr. Fendelman and the scientists working with him, (Adam Colby, Max Stael, Thea Ransome) at Fetch Priory (near Fetchborough) are performing some experiments (on what looks like a 12 million year old human skull) using electronics to probe into the origins of humanity. They don't realize it but their experiments are having some unintended consequences.
Max finds the body of a hiker, the next morning. Dr. Fendelman doesn't want anything to interfere with their work. He talks the others into keeping quiet about the body. He calls in some security to keep an eye on the perimeter.
Max performs a postmortem on the body of the hiker. He can't figure out how the man died. He tells Dr. Fendelman what he found and about how the body seems to be decomposing very rapidly. Fendelman orders him to dispose of the body.
The Doctor and Leela arrive on Earth after the TARDIS is shaken by a hole in time. The Doctor lands the TARDIS in a cow field. The Doctor and Leela go looking for the source of the hole in time. They learn about Fendelman and his team from Ted Moss, a local man whom they meet while they are exploring the countryside near where they landed.
Thea sneaks into Dr. Fendelman's room of electronic equipment. She turns something on and starts to experience something mysterious.
The Doctor and Leela see the guards at the priory and decide to sneak around back. They get separated when Leela wanders off. She heads to the priory while the Doctor continues to explore the woods.
Thoughts
I don't recall very much about this story but I am fairly certain that I've seen it before, back in the 1980s. K-9 is in this episode very briefly but he isn't functioning at all. Leela has a new outfit and her hair tied up on top of her head. Her outfit is a little skimpier than the one she usually wears.
The Doctor and Leela have yet to meet the scientists when this episode ends. I'm sure that introductions will be made in the next installment.
This story probably feels familiar because it follows a a familiar pattern to other stories I have watched recently. The first one that comes to mind is Inferno. The pattern goes something like this. The Doctor arrives, sees scientists experimenting, and warns them that they need to stop. The scientists insist that everything is under control. The Doctor insists that the scientists don't understand what they are meddling with. The scientists proceed anyway and the Doctor is forced to intervene in order to prevent a disaster.
This is a decent start but it is all set up. I like the scientists. They each seem to have a part to play. This story is good but I have yet to be won over.
Notes
Wanda Ventham played the part of Thea Ransome. This is the second of three Doctor Who stories in which she appeared. The other two stories in which she appeared were The Faceless Ones (2nd Doctor) and Time and the Rani (7th Doctor). She is on the commentary track and mentions that her son is also an actor but she does not mention his name. It is Benedict Cumberpatch. The commentary track was recorded in 2009 which was just before he became very well known.
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