Friday, September 16, 2005

'The Underwater Menace'

THE UNDERWATER MENACE
4 episodes: 1 surviving

On reflection, it's possibly just as well there's only one part left of this story, as I can't help but think four would have been rather heavy going... Some great sets (the temple especially) and exotic costumes are undone by a truly over-the-top mad scientist Zaroff ("Nothing in ze vorld can stop me now!!") and some rubbish scripting that gives Polly nothing to do except scream a lot and act helpless. The Fish People (this is Atlantis, by the way) look pretty silly and apparently haven't really got anything to do either, but do at least get an endearingly stupid 'underwater' showcase with the actors 'swimming' on wires... Reading up on the missing episodes, the Doctor destroys the fabled land by flooding it at the end. As it is an infamous Doctor Who factoid that Atlantis is destroyed no fewer than three separate ways over the course of the programme's history, I look forward to witnessing the others in the next few months!

4/10

Episodes watched: 90
Episodes still to watch: 632

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