Image of the Fendahl

"Leela, you simply must stop attacking people."

Writer: Chris Boucher

Format: TV

Broadcast: 29th October - 19th November 1977

Season: 15.03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis 

A sonic time scan draws the TARDIS to the Fetch Priory on Earth. There, the Doctor and Leela discover an impossibly old human skull that is the key to a nightmare from the Time Lords' past.

A murderous monsters stalks the priory grounds; and within, someone is intent on unleashing a malevolent creature that feeds on death itself...

Verdict 

Image of the Fendahl was a decent story but it didn't come without its faults. It quickly follows on from The Invisible Enemy but we barely get to see K9 other than a cameo scene at the start of part one and then a follow up at the end of the final part. I understand scheduling and decision making wasn't made clear, but with K9 becoming a mainstay with the Doctor and Leela, he surely had to feature prominently here. The story was rather significant for the human race which was good and I liked how the Fendahleen had a big part to play in the evolution of mankind. The Doctor was keen to make clear that they didn't create humanity as we know it today but just had a big impact in what it became at the point of this story. I thought the Fetch Priory was a pretty good setting and it had a lot going for it but the thing that I'm probably most critical of in this story was the lack of clarity and explanation. There seemed to be a lengthy scene with no dialogue followed by the Doctor or someone else in the know explaining in depth what had just occurred. Things came in clumps and I'm not a fan of that. I liked the ambition behind some of the visuals in this story and although they perhaps didn't all pay off, I liked the idea of trying to impress. Maybe the fact I'm watching this nearly forty years after it first broadcast has something to do with my opinion on that though, I'm not sure. I must say, I thought Leela's new attire was absolutely atrocious. Louise Jameson already looked different enough with her change of hairstyle and then the new outfit to match was just horrible. It was so obviously trying to be sexy and appealing that it just didn't work. The savage nature of her character continued in good fashion and I liked the reference to The Face of Evil with Leela mocking the man she supposed was hunting her and the Doctor at the start of the story. The Fendahl coming from Time Lord mythology was really intriguing and the history lesson on their origin on the fifth planet was really good. I really liked Thea prior to her quite life changing transformation and I also thought that Max and Adam were very good characters. I thought the story could have had a bit more of a central focus on mythology with the whole pentagram being found in the impossibly old skull but what we got was decent. Jack and Martha weren't characters I was a great fan of which was a shame but I did like the latter's presentation of rock salt to the Doctor. I thought the cliffhangers were nothing more than okay and I was rather amazed by the Doctor's use of a shotgun on the Fendahl. They must really be the stuff of nightmares in Time Lord mythology for him to resort to those kind of means. I thought the climax was pretty exciting but it definitely could have been more impactful and quicker paced. In saying that though, it wasn't bad at all. The Doctor assisting in suicide was again another surprise to accompany his use of a gun. I must admit I was very shocked by some of his actions. Overall, good but not without its flaws. It tries hard, has ambition but doesn't quite pull everything off as successfully as I'd have liked. 

Rating: 7/10