Doctor Who (1963) 2.02.06

Flashpoint

(aka The Dalek Invasion of Earth - Part Six)

Ian damages the bomb before it is in place and escapes from it before it is dropped into the ground. He then wedges some branches into the shaft after finding a door out of the shaft.

Barbara and Jenny are taken to the Dalek command center. Barbara keep the Daleks distracted while Jenny messes with the controls. The Daleks lock them up once they realize that they have nothing to gain from them.

The Doctor sends Susan and David to destroy some of the Dalek radio towers while he and Tyler head down into the Dalek command center. The Daleks that were in the command center are gone. The Doctor frees Barbara and Jenny, who were left there to die.

The Daleks start to return when they realize that someone is in the command center. David and Susan are successful in shutting down the Dalek radio towers which interferes with their ability to operate. The Doctor and Barbar use the Dalek command center to order the Robomen to attack and destroy the Daleks.

Ian joins the others in the command center and lets them know about how he jammed up the path for the bomb. Without Ian's handiwork the bomb would have descended much deeper and probably destroyed the Earth when it exploded.

Everyone escapes from the command center and the mining tunnels. The bomb explodes creating a volcanic explosion. The Daleks are destroyed.

Susan is torn over staying with David or leaving with the others in the TARDIS. She tells David that she needs to go but the Doctor takes the decision out of her hands. He says goodbye to her and leaves her behind as he, Ian, and Barbara leave in the TARDIS.

Thoughts

That's it for this story. On the whole it isn't a great story but I am glad that I have watched it. The last few minutes after the Daleks have been defeated and the Doctor opts to leave Susan behind (ostensibly for her own good) are very moving.

It occurs to me now that in the past few years I have watched the final stories for the Third Doctor and four different companions (Susan, Liz Shaw, Sarah Jane Smith, Leela). Susan returned in The Five Doctors, the 20th anniversary story, which I have seen but not recently.

This isn't it for me and the First Doctor. There are a few more that I want to watch but I have to say that I don't enjoy them as much as the later stories. The plots, the budgets, and the attempts at characterization usually don't amount to much. They are museum pieces to to me.