Doctor Who/Recap/S1/E03 The Edge of Destruction

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< Doctor Who‎ | Recap‎ | S1
As we learn about each other, so we learn about ourselves.
—The Doctor

One of Doctor Who's few bottle episodes, "The Edge of Destruction" (sometimes known as "Inside the Spaceship") is a two-part oddity wedged between two longer stories. Originaly the show was confirmed for four episodes (until the end of The Fire Makers) to be reviewed up. Then it was increased to having 13 episodes, 2 more than The Daleks allowed for and, worse, there was no money for sets or extras.

The TARDIS lurches and everyone falls over, and when they get back up again, everyone's acting a bit odd. Weird stuff starts happening and the Doctor suspects there's an alien presence on board and gets very paranoid. He accuses Ian and Barbara of sabotage, drugs their cocoa and is himself attacked by Susan.

Turns out it's the TARDIS itself that's the problem. The Doctor hit the "fast return" switch at the end of "The Daleks", but it got stuck and the TARDIS has been whizzing back in time to its own creation and therefore destruction. The weird stuff was the ship trying to warn its crew, who fix the problem (a faulty spring - lovely 60s space technology) and go on their way.

The story can be watched here. [dead link]

Tropes

  • The console's Billions of Buttons (as iconic to Doctor Who as the blue police box) cause the actors to start labeling them.
    • Incidently, on the DVDs it turns out that no one is sure who actually wrote it. Carol Ann Ford suggests it may have been her and Hartnell, during rehearsal, but she isn't sure.
  • Bottle Episode: One of the few in the old series, along with the first episode of "The Mind Robber".
  • Break the Haughty: Given that the Doctor was well into Type IV on the Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes in the first two stories his behaviour here isn't very surprising. However, he reaches a new low upon threatening to throw Ian and Barbara out the TARDIS, something that could easily kill them. When the woman he threatens to kill not only gives him one hell of a What the Hell, Hero? but also figures out the problem and saves the day, the Doctor is understandably humbled. Not only does this lead to his attitude improving but sets his moral compass in a more unambigously good direction, something that will determine the show's outlook to this day.
  • Easy Amnesia: At least, that what it appears to be...
  • Everybody Lives: ...by virtue of having no guest stars, and no companions dying for another two seasons
  • Mind Screw
  • Minimalist Cast
  • Not Themselves
  • Sinking Ship Scenario
  • The X of Y
  • What the Hell, Hero?: A truly awesome and well-deserved one, delivered by Barbara.
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