Underworld

"The quest is the quest."

Writers: Bob Barker & Dave Martin 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 7th-28th January 1978

Season: 15.05

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela, K9

Synopsis 

At the very edge of the known universe, the TARDIS materialises on an aging spacecraft, the R1C. On board, the Doctor and Leela meet Jackson and his crew, who are doggedly pursuing their mission to recover the Minyan race banks from a ship which left their home planet centuries earlier.

Closing in at last on the P7E, Jackson risks everything to follow the trail into the heart of a newly-formed planet. Can the Doctor help Jackson face his greatest challenge yet, and secure the future of the Minyans?

Verdict 

Underworld was a very good little story and one that I feel is underrated amongst fan opinion. I fail to comprehend why this has ranked as the worst Fourth Doctor story in the recent polls from Doctor Who Magazine as I don't think there's a great deal wrong with it. That's not to say it's perfect, and although the story doesn't get an incredible rating from myself it still does an excellent job and scores very well. I liked that part one started with the Doctor and Leela in the TARDIS and the former being dressed in his best painting gear was superb. I loved how he referred to he and Leela as a pair as 'intelligent and semi-intelligent' beings and I really do think that we get some of the very best of the Fourth Doctor when he's travelling with Leela. Her reaction to being pacified by Orfe was hilarious and she soon snapped out of being calm and dreamy to her normal warrior-like self. There was a lovely reference to The Face of Evil and it's great that it's obvious Leela has been travelling in the TARDIS for a while now by the point of this story. I thought K9 was a real highlight of the serial and his interactions with the Doctor never fail to amuse. Leela was trying to sound more intelligent around them but it sadly wasn't working very well, despite it being quite admirable. This story serving as the reveal of Time Lord policy on non-intervention was a real treat and it was fantastic to hear the Doctor explain that particularly part of his people's history. The Minyans sounded an intriguing race but the involvement of Time Lord technology in their lives and society ultimately doomed them. I thought it was good though that they referred to Time Lords as gods, especially with the Doctor just arrived on board the ship. Their constant reminder that the quest was the quest was good and it was quite staggering to hear that the Minyans had been seeking the P7E for over 100,000 years. I know they had their purpose but that is some serious commitment. Seeing their method of regeneration was intriguing as the age process was simply reversed and I loved that the Doctor commented on his own previous regenerations. It did not appear to be something he enjoyed undergoing. I guess by this point he still wasn't used to it. The setting of the underworld was very good and despite some popular negative opinion, I really liked the cave and tunnels. They fitted the story extremely well and everything seemed very closed in which was very good. Jackson was a brilliant character and he got on with the Doctor splendidly which was good to see. I know that this DVD was included in the Myth and Legends boxset (as I bought it) but I can't say I was aware of the myth that the story was based upon. After doing a little bit of research after viewing I can see the similarities and things worked well. The cliffhangers were pretty decent and although the resolutions weren't terribly exciting, the ending was with the Doctor almost unintentionally saving the ship and allowing it to escape. He handed back the grenades and kept ahold of the true race banks which meant that the newly formed planet of the Seers wouldn't last much longer. The Doctor saved the descendants of the Minyans and brought them aboard the ship before the planet was ripped apart and I loved how quick he just left and went back to the TARDIS. There was no more than a quick goodbye, which is usually the case, and off they went again. Overall, a highly underrated story. It's not bad at all, in fact it's pretty darn good.

Rating: 8/10