The Rescue

"You haven't got that sort of face... that kills things."

Writer: David Whitaker
Format: TV
Broadcast: 2nd January - 9th January 1965
Season: 2.03

Featuring: First Doctor, Ian, Barbara, Vicki

Synopsis

Arriving on the planet Dido in the late 25th century, the time travellers come upon a crashed spaceship from Earth. Its two occupants are living in fear of a creature called Koquillion, but everything is not as it seems...

Verdict

The Rescue was a great little adventure to introduce Vicki as companion. Short and sweet was this two-part adventure. I liked the setting of Dido, with a crashed spaceship and roaming through the caves of the planet. An early reference to Morbius was tremendous! The design of Koquillion was tremendous, something I really liked. Vicki's desperation to be rescued from Dido was obvious and I liked her eagerness throughout - it looks as though she'll be a great companion (not that I haven't seen every adventure of hers before). Her attire was somewhat questionably short but as a young women, it seems as though she's a like-for-like replacement for Susan. Speaking of the Doctor's granddaughter, it was crystal clear in the adventure that the Doctor missed Susan. He forgot she had left, but his companions reminisced on the good reason it was that she left. They liked David. But The Dalek Invasion of Earth is the past now and the TARDIS crew must move on! The banter between the Doctor and Ian was at its peak in this adventure, and it's been a standout of the early seasons since the very beginning in An Unearthly Child. I liked the mystery behind Bennet, although you had no reason to question him - something didn't seem to fit. It was brilliant how the Doctor had been to Dido before - but much has changed now. The revelation of Koquillion actually being Bennet was very good and revealed a selfish plot full of murder. The way he was killed was surprising with Dido residents emerging from hiding, having survived Bennet's vicious scheme, and forcing him to fall to his death. I thought it was a lovely touch having the Doctor, Ian and Barbara all wanting Vicki to join the TARDIS. She had nothing left and she was amazed by the size of the TARDIS on the inside! The beginning of what will become the Doctor's favourite bit for a new companion it seemed.

Rating: 8/10