Classic Who Catch Up

I have been a big fan of Doctor Who since it’s revival in 2005 but was too young to have watched the original series. On this blog I shall be recording my thoughts on every story from 1963 onwards!

27: The Dominators

“A Dominator must be obeyed. Your leader means nothing to me. I respect only one thing- superior force”

Format: 5 episodes, each 25 minutes long

Team TARDIS:

• Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton)
• Jamie McCrimmon (Jacobite Rebel from 1746)
• Zoe Herriot (Librarian from the future)

Story:On the planet Dulkis two aliens called Dominators arrive with their robots (quarks) and plan to destroy the planet just to use as fuel. The Doctor tries to convince the peaceful locals to fight back but it’s down to him and his companions to save the day.

What I liked: 

• The Quarks are amusing robots.
• There were some impressive explosions.
• Having few locations was great for the story.

What I disliked:

• Neither the Dominators nor the Dulkians were inspiring races.
• The story dragged on a bit.

Overall thoughts:This story gets slated a lot but I quite enjoyed it. It’s certainly one of the worse Second Doctor stories but could have perhaps worked better if it had been condensed to two or three episodes. It’s Jamie that makes this story though as he casually shoots, throws rocks at and blows up the quarks as well as being the one who creates the planet-saving idea. Not a great story but an OK one. And at this point in proceedings I think Jamie is Best Companion Ever!

Next Time: A whole story which might have been a dream. It’s The Mind Robber!