TV Club: Doctor Who, The Curse of Peladon
The Curse Of Peladon (season 9, episodes 5-8. Originally aired Jan. 29-Feb. 19, 1972)
Its hard to see it if youre watching Doctor Who out of chronological order like were doing in this TV Club series, but The Curse Of Peladon was an unusually old-fashioned sort of story for where the series was in 1972, even while it also pointed toward Doctor Whos future. The heart of the issue comes up as soon as the Doctor makes his appearance: The TARDIS lands on a remote planet and he and his companion get out, having no idea where they are, and immediately get embroiled in an adventure. But whats weird about that, right? That describes the opening five minutes of almost every Doctor Who story since the very beginning. Its been the basic format of the show since 1963, and its still true today. Ah, butit wasnt true in 1972. Because for a couple of years, the Doctor wasnt a wanderer through time and space, but a convicted criminal sentenced by his people to exile on Earth, where he served as the reluctant employee of a military organization whose job description didnt involve randomly popping around to anywhere more than 50 miles away from London.
There was a good reason why that had happened. Two years before, when Patrick Troughtons Second Doctor was replaced by Jon Pertwees Third, Doctor Who also made the biggest stylistic shift in its history, making a radical change in format to regain declining viewership and compete with the smart, sophisticated sci-fi shows of the era like Star Trek, The Avengers, and The Prisoner. The show became slicker and smarter itself, most importantly by boosting the sophistication of its writing, with a concerted effort at political and social relevance and a distinct sense that Doctor Who was trying hard not to be seen as just a childrens show anymore. It was a necessary move, and it worked on both the popularity and artistic fronts: Ratings went up, the show wasnt cancelled, and as a group, season sevens four stories are easily among the finest Doctor Who ever did.
Originally published April 1, 2012 on avclub.com. Read the complete article.