The Android Invasion

daveyboy7472daveyboy7472 Posts: 16,354
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I guess The Android Invasion is the same as The Enemy Of The World in Season 5. A perceived weak story in the middle of a great run of Classics. However, I don't think this story is as bad as it's reputation deserves and in another Season it could possibly have topped the best story Poll.

I love stories about deserted villages and this one falls nicely into that category for me(in a sense). The first episode where things are not what they seem and the weird atmosphere like when the villagers just sit there waiting to be activated is quite creepy. And this sort of oddness runs throughout the first three episodes. The location filming adds to this as well. I've been to East Hagbourne and like Aldbourne in The Daemons, can see why it was chosen, it is a beautiful little village.

Love all the Android Double stuff, especially between The Doctor and his double.

The Kraals are quite an interesting race with a bit of minor quibbling between it's two regulars and also with Crayford.

What makes it even better is the peak period of the humour between The Doctor and Sarah in this, especially those scenes where they start talking out of sight while hidden behind a desk or ventilator grill. And the great double one-two dialogue. (Doctor:I feel disorientated. Sarah: You're in the disorientation centre!) Plus that great TB line(Is that finger loaded?) Like also it's Sarah who seems to do a lot of the rescuing in this!(And looks hot at the same time)

Overall I find it an enjoyable little tale to fill the mid-season. However, there has been a few faults that have been pointed out over the years. Why did Crayford never check under his eyepatch? Why didn't The Doctor use his robot detector in Part 4, earlier? How did The Doctor get his android double working again if they had all been jammed? That last one I think the answer to that is The Doctor can do anything. He's The Doctor! :D

The only other issue I have with this story is the inclusion of Ian Marter as Harry. As I said the other day, he was better off leaving at the conclusion of the Zygon story but they brought him back in a story where the real Harry was hardly seen and for the second time this Season we had an evil Harry duplicate. He never even appeared at the story's conclusion. It was a waste of the character. Benton doesn't fare much better in what was his last appearance in the show, John Levene playing mainly his Android duplicate.

I do like this story but it's just a shame it had to be ruined by silly little errors like mentioned above.

:)
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Comments

  • allen_whoallen_who Posts: 2,819
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    It was an okay kind of a story. I did love the cliffhanger where Sarah was revealed as an andriod. The 6 year old me loved that!

    The story as a whole wasn't menacing enough for me. It was more of a creepy affair
  • CAMERA OBSCURACAMERA OBSCURA Posts: 8,002
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    Excellent first episode.

    After that it becomes the standard 'villain at a monitor' scenario.

    A few nice moments here and there though, the Sarah Jane cliffhanger for one, wonderful.:eek:

    Not great but not bad either.:)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 82,262
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    The Doctor and his double.

    )

    Overall I find it an enjoyable little tale to fill the mid-season. However, there has been a few faults that have been pointed out over the years. Why did Crayford never check under his eyepatch? Why didn't The Doctor use his robot detector in Part 4, earlier? How did The Doctor get his android double working again if they had all been jammed? That last one I think the answer to that is The Doctor can do anything. He's The Doctor! :D


    Typical Terry Nation, script really lazy writting with not much thought given to plot where not for the first time i a Nation script the plot doesn't make much sense . I Think Android Invasion is for mee one of those Marmite stories you either like it or hate it and I've never been that fond of it .
    The only other issue I have with this story is the inclusion of Ian Marter as Harry. As I said the other day, he was better off leaving at the conclusion of the Zygon story but they brought him back in a story where the real Harry was hardly seen and for the second time this Season we had an evil Harry duplicate. He never even appeared at the story's conclusion. It was a waste of the character. Benton doesn't fare much better in what was his last appearance in the show, John Levene playing mainly his Android duplicate.

    :)

    Have to agree with you both Marter and Levene, deserved a far better final story than this they could easily of used different characters and it would not of made any difference to the story.
  • highlander1969highlander1969 Posts: 6,832
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    allen_who wrote: »
    I did love the cliffhanger where Sarah was revealed as an android. The 6 year old me loved that!

    I was 6 years old when I saw this too and I think that's why I look on it so fondly.
    I remember at the time "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman" had episodes which used very similar looking androids. It must have been a mid-70's thing! They fascinated and really scared me!

    Love the location, the growing relationship between the Doctor and Sarah and some great dialogue.
    Sarah to the Doctor (out of sight) when hiding behind the desk at the Centre "We should have hoofed it when we had the chance". :D

    I know it's not everyone's cuppa tea but I'll always have a soft spot for it! :)
  • allen_whoallen_who Posts: 2,819
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    I was 6 years old when I saw this too and I think that's why I look on it so fondly.
    I remember at the time "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman" had episodes which used very similar looking androids. It must have been a mid-70's thing! They fascinated and really scared me!

    Love the location, the growing relationship between the Doctor and Sarah and some great dialogue.
    Sarah to the Doctor (out of sight) when hiding behind the desk at the Centre "We should have hoofed it when we had the chance". :D

    I know it's not everyone's cuppa tea but I'll always have a soft spot for it! :)

    I remember that too highlander, ha ha. Incredible what sticks in the grey matter eh?
  • highlander1969highlander1969 Posts: 6,832
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    allen_who wrote: »
    I remember that too highlander, ha ha. Incredible what sticks in the grey matter eh?

    It certainly is allen.
    My very earliest Dr. Who memory is the giant fly from "The Green Death". My re-collection was slightly inaccurate. I always had a vision of The Doctor with the Brig in the Whomoblie and the fly above them when in fact it was The Doctor and Benton in Bessie. Must have been my fuzzy 4 year old brain! The strange thing is, I don't remember the magotts!?!? The giant fly must have made such a big impression on me.

    The next memory was Jon's swansong in "......Spiders". I remember being so upset as I thought he'd died and didn't immediately take to Tom at first! It didn't take long though!! :)
  • meglosmurmursmeglosmurmurs Posts: 35,104
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    While I wouldn't say this is one of the absolute classics, I think it's still one of the most memorable.
    I particularly like it how it tests the relationship between the Doctor and Sarah, as they are both faced with an android version of the other, which is quite uneasy for the viewer. Plus the fight scene between the Doctor and the Doctor is particularly brutal.
    Even though there's lots of holes in the plot, it's still got alot of atmosphere and great locations.
  • DavetheScotDavetheScot Posts: 16,623
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    I agree that this story is probably not really as bad as its reputation, and would be more highly regarded if it wasn't in such a very strong series. Even so, I think it's mediocre at best. The plot makes too little sense, and that eyepatch is just such a stupid device to prove to Crayford that the Kraals have lied to him.
  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    All I could remember from it, from when I saw it at the time, was the scene in which the Doctor goes to 'Sarah,' lying down on the grass, turns her over-and her face comes off, leaving just false eyeballs amidst circuitry.

    I watched it again recently, and that scene was about the only good part of it. I can see why I barely recalled that one, but recalled the other stories of that series well-like the Cybermen adventure in the first Tom Baker series.
  • daveyboy7472daveyboy7472 Posts: 16,354
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    Forgot to mention about the second Episode Cliffhanger. Today it probably seems dated but at the time I can see it was probably quite scary seeing Sarah's 'face' fall apart to reveal she was a robot.

    :)
  • gboygboy Posts: 4,989
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    I actually really like 'Androids' - agreed, it may not be Dr Who at its very best, but it's a nice story, with a brilliant opening episode.

    There's a very 'Avengers' feel about the early episodes, and the replica Earth setting works well. A good use of location and the scene with the UNIT soldier/android throwing himself off the cliff is particularly impressive.

    By episode 4, however, it alls starts to feel a bit predictable and there are quite a few plot holes that yawn out at us.

    But overall, a very watchable and entertaining tale.
  • Joel RobinsonJoel Robinson Posts: 69
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    An average story for me, okay but nothing outstanding.

    There is one scene in it when Harry and Benton are both standing behind the high ranking UNIT officer. He's making a big deal about the probe reaching Saturn and that being the furthest mankind has ever been into space.

    At that point Harry and Benton exchange a glance with each other as they both know it's not true. I thought that was a nice touch.
  • ListentomeListentome Posts: 9,804
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    I'm a big fan of this one. I just have a soft spot for Doctor Who stories set in villages. :)
  • Jon RossJon Ross Posts: 3,322
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    I find this story the biggest oddity of the Hinchcliffe seasons.

    It must be the weakest story of Hinchcliffe's era, worse than the much-criticised Revenge of the Cybermen. I'm quite amazed Hinchcliffe and Holmes even commissioned a story so full of plot holes as this one, especially as Hinchcliffe always says he was keen to move away from the UNIT set-up of the Pertwee years and tighten up the narratives. It just doesn't belong in the Hinchcliffe era at all. It comes over as a story that was left over from the end of the Pertwee years, and probably even wouldn't have been good enough then. Bringing back Barry Letts to direct was another strange decision which makes it seem even more of a Pertwee era story in its feel.

    I can forgive the rip-off elements of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as we can take it for granted that very few Doctor Who stories are completely original. However, I do recall reading an article which pointed out the staggering number of similarities between this story and Terror of the Zygons, a far superior story in almost every sense from the very same season.

    To me, it's Doctor Who being made for the smallest kids. It's not dark enough or frightening enough to compete with most of Hinchcliffe's stories. Most of the acting performances are pretty poor in this story too. Patrick Newell is no replacement for Nick Courtney, and John Levene and Ian Marter look like spare parts. They would have been better off having Zygons as their last story.

    On the plus side, the village of East Hagbourne is very pretty. That's the best thing about this story.

    I'm thankful it was a very temporary blip for Hinchcliffe. I've not seen the DVD but I can't imagine he's terribly proud of this one.
  • PointyPointy Posts: 1,762
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    I actually enjoy The Android Invasion! Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen were both on sparkling form. :) Sure, I know there are plot holes, but the likes of Blink have them too, it doesn't stop them being enjoyable romps. From season 13, I have more of an issue with Planet of Evil. Why? To m, it's the one thing Who should never be, boring.
  • allen_whoallen_who Posts: 2,819
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    Planet of evil has some good moments... love it when the doc falls into that pit where the anti matter monster is ...
  • daveyboy7472daveyboy7472 Posts: 16,354
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    Pointy wrote: »
    I actually enjoy The Android Invasion! Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen were both on sparkling form. :) Sure, I know there are plot holes, but the likes of Blink have them too, it doesn't stop them being enjoyable romps. From season 13, I have more of an issue with Planet of Evil. Why? To m, it's the one thing Who should never be, boring.

    It depends what you define as 'boring.' I find Terminus and several episodes in recent Series that I would call Boring but would rather watch Planet Of Evil than any of them. This story shows how to have a slow pace story and really make it atmospheric and interesting at the same time, something a lot of recent stories haven't had the capacity to do imo.

    :)
  • PointyPointy Posts: 1,762
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    It depends what you define as 'boring.' I find Terminus and several episodes in recent Series that I would call Boring but would rather watch Planet Of Evil than any of them. This story shows how to have a slow pace story and really make it atmospheric and interesting at the same time, something a lot of recent stories haven't had the capacity to do imo.

    :)

    Don't get me wrong, I love a good slowly paced story, but not Planet of Evil! :D The Deadly Assassin is a good example. :) Although it depends on what people classify as slow-paced.
  • PointyPointy Posts: 1,762
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    allen_who wrote: »
    Planet of evil has some good moments... love it when the doc falls into that pit where the anti matter monster is ...

    I've just never been that big a fan of that serial, sorry! :)
  • daveyboy7472daveyboy7472 Posts: 16,354
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    Pointy wrote: »
    Don't get me wrong, I love a good slowly paced story, but not Planet of Evil! :D The Deadly Assassin is a good example. :) Although it depends on what people classify as slow-paced.

    That's what I was saying. Everyone has a different view as to what a slow pace story is and everyone sees one differently. I always think if you have a good storyline you can pull of a slower paced story but it has to keep you interested. This one did for me but clearly not for you! :D
  • TheSilentFezTheSilentFez Posts: 11,103
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    I found The Android Invasion a bit dull, but on the other hand I thought Planet of Evil was pretty good.
  • PointyPointy Posts: 1,762
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    That's what I was saying. Everyone has a different view as to what a slow pace story is and everyone sees one differently. I always think if you have a good storyline you can pull of a slower paced story but it has to keep you interested. This one did for me but clearly not for you! :D

    :D indeed! By the way, I enjoyed all the story threads you started during my days as a lurker. I enjoyed reading them all. :)
  • daveyboy7472daveyboy7472 Posts: 16,354
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    Pointy wrote: »
    :D indeed! By the way, I enjoyed all the story threads you started during my days as a lurker. I enjoyed reading them all. :)

    Thank You and it's good a lot of them have been resurrected recently, shows there is still an appetite for Classic Who out there somewhere.

    :)
  • allen_whoallen_who Posts: 2,819
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    On a loosly related note if anyone wants to visit the beautiful place where this story is shot then its called east hagbourne in oxfordshire.. gorgeous too
  • daveyboy7472daveyboy7472 Posts: 16,354
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    allen_who wrote: »
    On a loosly related note if anyone wants to visit the beautiful place where this story is shot then its called east hagbourne in oxfordshire.. gorgeous too

    I've been there. it's a beautiful part of the country. It's actually not that far from Aldbourne where The Daemons was filmed, about an hour's drive or so. And if you've ever watched the 70's show, Children Of the Stones, Avebury(?) where it was filmed was shot not too far away either.

    :)
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