The Dominators - Classic Doctor Who Review

[@ftumschk]

This story is more enjoyable than many people say, but it needed to be a 4-parter. Troughton, Hines and Padbury are always worth watching.

[@rowanc88]

Arthur Cox who plays Cully reappeared in 'The Eleventh Hour' as the man whose car Amy trapped the Doctor's tie in.

[@BreakRoomofGeeks]

It’s fine, now go get a coffee!

[@bendream544]

@@BreakRoomofGeeks also the Dulcian that gets killed in the council chamber is Brian Cant who was the space agent Kent Gantry that gets killed again by the Daleks when he is investigating the disappearance of Marc Corey who has discovered that the Daleks have a Master Plan and tries to warn the universe in Mission to the Unknown. Brian was also the main presenter of a long running British kids magazine programme called Play Away which was a bit more watchable than Blue Peter( that was aimed more at your snobby,boy scouts type of audience.) Going to try finding it on Google see if it bears up to my memory's scrutiny. Oh theres loads get my binge head on see you later

[@edwardphilibin3151]

I woudn't be surprised if "It's no Time Lash!" doesn't become the base level of "not terrible" for this batch of Classic reviews. 😉

[@stephenkay4008]

I didn’t get to see this until the UK VHS release in (I think 1991?) and I remember mild shock at the rippling/warping effect of Kando being killed by the Quark weapon and thinking “that’s pretty horrible” and I came to realise that 60’s WHO could and would depict body horror just as well as, if not occasionally, better than the 70’s and 80’s heyday. Back then, most people who weren’t Uber-fans had still photos in Dr Who Magazine and the novelisations to draw from, but unless they were old enough to have seen the original transmission, they were largely ignorant of the visual feel of older stories. I also remember thinking how inventive some of the other visual tricks were, like the reverse effects for molecular bonding and also the moving background displays onboard the Dominator’s craft. I also appreciate you latching onto the pacific procrastination versus resistance of an oppressive foreign power - this definitely gives a sense ‘won’t get burned again’ in the basic story message. It’s pretty standard storytelling and having most of my childhood and teenage years watching and loving the 3rd and 4th Doctors, but knowing very little about the 1st and 2nd, outside of the wonderful Target novelisations, when I finally got to experience them, most of those early (available) stories are right up there for me. A lot of the 70’s episodes I am probably more fond of, allowing for pure memory nostalgia of having watched them at the time, but both William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton were so skilful in the role, as well as having some of the very best Doctor/Companion combinations, it would be folly to ignore their importance in informing the way the programme developed and became as successful as it did. Other factors eventually played a role in the decline and demise of the Classic series which would also have ramifications for NuWho, but that’s another story……

[@inionanbas615]

The quarks are adorable, so are the yeti, and the henchmen in the Mind Robber, maybe Troughton's era just leaned into the adorable-yet-deadly vibes.

[@pious83]

Personally, I think the Quarks and Dominators would have been a better fit for the Nightmare in Silver script. Reintroducing them into Nu Who as something a lot more serious and lethal. I adore Troughton. He is my favourite Classic Who Doctor by a mile. He and Jamie also make the best Doctor/Companion duo.

[@lizzie8561]

This story was originally six episodes, but it was decided that there wasn't enough story for six parts and it was reduced to five at the last minute. Because of this, an additional episode had to be written for the following four-part story, The Mind Robber, also making that story five parts.

[@209PH]

If this is only the second story you've seen with Zoe, then I guess you've never seen The Mind Robber or the Invasion (the next two stories after this). Both highly recommened, two of the best stories in all of Classic Who IMO. Much, much, much better than The Dominators!

[@CoalDiamondandhisawesomeness]

Believe it or not, this was going to be six parts but script editor Derrick Sherwin edited down

[@alunrundle162]

Which had other effects. All of a sudden 'The Mind Robber' was allocated an extra episode. And NO extra money. All Derrick Sherwin had was the TARDIS set and the three regulars. He snuck in the white robots as they were already allocated to Mind Robber but everything else was... well, nothing else as you would have seen in part #1

[@jedisalsohere]

@@alunrundle162 and it still manages to be one of the most memorable and effective episodes of classic Who.

[@AlexFyrehartDGAFCave]

I feel like my primary enjoyment of this serial came from treating it like a cheesy 50s B-grade sci-fi. The silly Turtle-y outfits of the villains, the Dulcians basically wearing curtains, the Dominators' ships looking like stereotypical UFOs. Was personally very forgiving of that stuff purely by the mindset I put myself in. That said I did legit enjoy it despite problems it did have that the mindset I was approaching it from couldn't entirely negate. Given this serial was the first podcast An Unearthly Podcast did after we learned of Tim's death it was also an incredible relief that this serial was personally fun to watch because if it'd been completely terrible that would have made it seem to be WAY worse. For that reason, if nothing else, this will always have a special place in my heart.

[@Yan_Alkovic]

BTW I just realised that they're called "Dulcians" because "dulcis" is Latin for "sweet, nice, friendly" :P

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

Same here, sort of. I started really getting into sci-fi and monster movies when I was about 5-7 years old. After I got home from kindergarten, and my mom was cooking dinner, I had the television to myself. Most of what was on in the late afternoon to early evening was talk shows, soap operas, news, and other stuff that boring to me at the time. But I discovered Doctor Who on PBS and it blew my mind. Starting with Hinchcliffe-era Tom Baker, the super-gothic scary stuff, and I loved it. Even the more recent stuff I knew was cheap and pulpy and I definitely saw it as riffing on similar themes and aesthetics to other things I'd seen like Forbidden Planet and Godzilla. I was discovering this sort of media at about the same time. Then I gradually worked my way back to seeing the 3rd, 1st, and 2nd Doctors, and was basically caught up in time for our delayed reception of the 5th.

[@danielsleeper2307]

One thing with the "of the times" bit: This story was more directly/specifically about the flower power movement

[@UnchainedAmerica]

Pacifism and hippies.

[@UnchainedAmerica]

The Quarks saved the serial, hands down. Robots who can comprehend human nuances and demands. They are evil robots, being controlled by race of megalomaniacs. "Stop! Do not move! New Ta-sk Should we destroyed? should we destroyed?" I think Sheila Grant made the Quarks memorable. People also loved the sonic fire sound effects the Quarks make.

[@DrT999]

The only way to enjoy some of the classic Dr. Whos is to view them at the pace of one episode a day (or even more spaced); they just don't all work well back-to-back, but do much better viewed as originally intended

[@TonksMoriarty]

When I first saw the Dominators, I thought they had pointy ears, and so my first thought, with the shoulder pads & hairstyles, was: super-Romulans!

[@IronSalamander8]

I actually like this one. I read the novelization a LOT as a kid, that may be part of it. It's not amazing, but it's fun to watch. The Doctor/Jamie double act when they're being tested on the ship was brilliant! I love how Toba was all 'DESTROY!' and Rago is 'Investigate!' It's far from perfect but I've watched it a few times now.

[@neptunesphere3964]

I’ll never understand why people hate this one.

[@Slarty947]

Thanks for sharing this one with us! I've only ever watched The Dominators as a kid... curious what I'd think of it now.

[@kickingroses8925]

Jamie is a himbo, you can say it. XD

[@HereComesPopoBawa]

I loooove Zoe's mod-futurist outfits, like the jumpsuit in that still! I don't have the skills to make anything like that yet. Some of my favorite looks in all of Doctor Who.

[@UnchainedAmerica]

The best part of Dominators -- Kando. Mmm...shes gorgeous! Shes now in her 70s probably wish she was 20 again. Least favorite part? well, a lot of things. The quark not hearing The Doctor sneak up behind it to drop the Seed Bomb into the ship. They have automated flying transports, but no long-range communication. No security screens. No computers? The squabbling Council politicians didn't bother to send a scout to investigate the invaders on their island? Lastly, they said they don't believe life from other planet, yet they met the Doctor 172 years ago.

[@citrinedragonfly]

I really enjoyed the Dominators by the time I finally saw it when Twitch did its stream a few years ago. I read the Target novelization 25-ish years ago, back in high school. It was one of the first novelizations I owned myself, rather than borrowed from the library. And I would read it as a bedtime story to a boy I babysat, because I'd introduced him to Doctor Who via Tomb of the Cyberman, and he ADORED Jamie, and wanted more stuff with Jamie in it. Back in the 90s, there wasn't much, and there were more limits on access. So, we'd do a chapter or two whenever I babysat. He'd make me do a horrible Scottish accent. Reading the novelization first I think really helped with the enjoyment of the story for me, because it was familiar already, but still new in terms of visuals. Anytime you have the Doctor and Jamie in a story, it's going to be fun. Hearing Frazier Hines' stories about the things they'd get up to off-camera, or the adlibs they'd do on-camera is delightful. And Wendy Padbury lights up just about every scene she's in. The second Doctor had a very good rapport with both of his own companion teams.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

I really like the quarks in the same way. I like the adipose I like Dr Who to occasionally have a cute villain. Though the closest thing we've had to that recently was the Pting.

[@mike4282]

Actually now that I watched it recently I really like all the aspects of the story. Maybe its because I had watched Classic DW before so Im good with all the cheesiness that came with it.

[@natsmith303]

It happened a fair number of times that the First Doctor would allude to having been to a place pre-An Unearthly Child. Even in The Tenth Planet, he's acting like he's encountered this situation from another angle before.

[@pious83]

Indeed. He really isn't surprised in the slightest by the Cybermen of Mondas. Almost like there was a story there that could have been explored. Which I like to think was in some way inspiration to Spare Parts.

[@clomiancalcifer]

It happened in The Rescue, the First Doctor knew the Dido People before he'd met Ian and Barbara...

[@ksaunders4362]

I didn't mind the Dominators. It's not the worst of the 2nd Doctor's stories by any means, and certainly not the worst Classic Who story. I did have to google which came first when I watched the big DCTV crossover event with their version of the Dominators - out of curiousity if nothing else. It does, however, follow the standard 2nd Doctor story formula of everything and anything going wrong until the last episode, when everything is fixed. And even that, in of itself, isn't a bad way to write a story, it just depends on how good the writing is. In the case of the Dominators, it's just average.

[@toddfroggs]

My personal favorite way they pad out older episodes is to have the doctor and companions getting captured, then they escape, only to be captured again! XD

[@neilmcdonald4113]

Yes often a would be climax around episode 4...then a new situation for remainder 🎩

[@eclecticdog2k901]

I definitely enjoy this one, although I agree it’s not one of the best Classic Who has to offer. A very fun little story!

[@FoundSongs]

While it’s definitely not a classic, it seems most of the hatred is based on the fact that it exists and so many better Troughton stories don’t. It seems like fans blame the Dominators for existing instead of Power of the Daleks, Fury from the Deep, or Macra Terror. Actually in the DVD documentary, which was produced before Web of Fear was mostly recovered, Mervyn Haisman (the co-writer) makes the same lament, that this story survived while the BBC junked Abominable Snowman and Web of Fear.

[@kierenevans2521]

Re: repeated story elements to extend a story - Have you seen The War Games? I love it but yeah it shouldn't be as long as it is.

[@feilvei4498]

Tbh I enjoy all of The Wars Games.

[@schmendrickcoldwater1727]

what? it certainly shouldn't be any shorter. it's the only perfect who story, wouldn't miss one minute

[@mike4282]

I really liked this episode. But to be honest the interaction between the two Dominators is what kept me watching it.

[@neilmcdonald4113]

There were I believe children inside the Quarks...hence the pitch of their voices (I can understand them but maybe that's because we're both British (?)🎩

[@GamerWho]

I imagine the repeated story beats become more noticeable watching a serial in one sitting. Probably less noticible before repeats or hone video.

[@roguebritgravy1]

Did you know they used school kids to act as the dominator's

[@Stephen-Fox]

I think I read the novelization of this one in the early 90s...

[@SanctumSanctorumVidz]

For an American TV show dealing with total pacifists, look at STAR TREK "Errand of Mercy" (1967) - which introduced the Klingons (in the role of Dominators).

[@kirstyshadowdancer5095]

If Jamie is in your top three cassic companions, by your other eps I'm guessing Leila, Ace, Turlou or Nyssa will be in your top. If not a mix of them.

[@Yan_Alkovic]

*Turlough ;) I still don't get where he got that name from....

[@Yan_Alkovic]

Yeah, this was definitely not a noteworthy story (aside from the very last moment where the Doctor's like "Oh, it'll only be a local explosion, it should only cover the island" and then Jamie goes like "That's as well as it may be, but we happen to be _on_ the island!" and the Doctor was like "Oh my word!!!". That was one awesome moment, if I do say so myself!), but it was competent, decent, I'd call this a "bog-standard classic Who episode but not in a bad way".

[@natbarmore]

I haven't even started watching your review yet, but I'm so sorry. I think your Patreons are punking you. ;-)

[@natbarmore]

Ok, now I've watched your review. Surprised you were so positive. If you watch more of Jamie, particularly if you watch them in order, you ll see that he's actually very smart, and often understands advanced tech more quickly/easily than many of the modern companions. And he's quite clever and frequently solves problems with brains as well as braun. Very similar to Leela in both regards. And Zoe is possibly smarter than the Doctor (within the constraints of plot demands).

[@spluff5]

Zoe is from the late 21st century, I remember hearing 2070 somewhere so she's still from the future.

[@CosmicWhovian]

You should do "The Mind Robber" and "Enemy of the World" two VERY good episodes.

[@209PH]

She's already done Enemy of the World in a podcast.

[@BEETEAPG]

Given how few classics this CoG visits its weird that this is on the list...rather than something more click bait"y"

[@alfje5492]

A decent serial that suffers from filler and the never-ending quest to find the new Daleks.

[@paulharries9558]

You watched The Dominators. I'm sorry to hear this. Is there anything I can do?

[@melanierhianna]

The Dominator approach to domination is basically how the British ruled their empire. There were less than 200,000 British in India, a country of a billion. Basically the British dominated those it needed to and that’s it. In the case of India they got the Maharajas on side and they did the ruling and the British told them how to.

[@tardisnet9487]

The best way to describe this story is dull. Lifeless characters and villains and tiresome and overlong dialogue that drags on