REVIEW: Doctor Who, Season 12 Serial Three 'The Sontaran Experiment'
REVIEW: Doctor Who, Season 12 Serial Three 'The Sontaran Experiment'
Orginally published in 2016, here are my thoughts on 'The Sontaran Experiment'.
Acting as a break between the two Nerva Beacon stories 'The Ark In Space' and 'Revenge of the Cybermen', The Sontaran Experiment is another one of those odd classic serials like 'The Edge of Destruction' that form only two episodes rather than the usual four part minimum. It's an unusual format for the classic series, as it removes much of the screen-time usually devoted to the world building of the current setting, and as a result the location of the serial doesn't feel as developed as previous classic series adventures This two parter is the very definition of 'filler', and i feels as though it's just there for the sake of filling a gap rather than because they had a decent story to tell.
The Sontaran Experiment follows Sontaran Field Major Styre (Kevin Lindsay) experimenting on a bunch of astronauts who were brought to a deserted Earth by a fake distress call. The story is badly paced throughout and very dull to watch, especially when you would expect a faster pace from the shortened runtime. The Sontaran in question doesn't even appear until the end of episode one and even then he never feels like much of a presence or a threat to the other characters. There's not even enough story to fit forty five minutes, and if anything it would have worked better as a single twenty five minute episode as the narrative is rather thinly spread. At least The Edge of Destruction had a little more plot to give This one is like it was cobbled together because they suddenly realised they needed two episodes between the previous serial and the next.
The Sontarans are usually great villains but here Field Major Styre feels as though he's only there to save on the budget; it could have been any monster in its place and the story wouldn't have felt much different. Using a costume they already have from the wardrobe department is, after all, much more cost effective than creating a whole new one from scratch. The only neat thing about Field Major Styre as the antagonist is how it links in to Sarah Jane's (Elisabeth Sladen) first appearance, meaning there is more of a history between the companion and the alien race. There wouldn't have been that same level of recognition between Sarah Jane and a new threat, which would have removed a certain chunk of dramatic tension from the screenplay. Their shared history is what makes their dynamic on-screen so interesting, as Sarah distinctly remembers her encounter with Lynx from 'The Time Warrior' and knows how much of a threat these Sontarans can pose.
Speaking of Sarah Jane, Elisabeth Sladen is brilliant and demonstrates throughout the serial why she's still arguably Doctor Who's most iconic companion after K9. The way she plays the horror of seeing who she believes to be Lynx is so understated and yet conveys so much fear, that you really feel just how much Sarah is scared to come face-to-face with another member of the Sontaran clone race. In fact if there's any saving grace for this serial, it's the show's current lead cast. Tom Baker, Ian Marter and Elisabeth Sladen all manage to imbue the story with so much character and personality, that it makes The Sontaran Experiment still feel worth your time, despite it being arguably one of the weakest entries in the show's initial run.
The Sontaran Experiment follows Sontaran Field Major Styre (Kevin Lindsay) experimenting on a bunch of astronauts who were brought to a deserted Earth by a fake distress call. The story is badly paced throughout and very dull to watch, especially when you would expect a faster pace from the shortened runtime. The Sontaran in question doesn't even appear until the end of episode one and even then he never feels like much of a presence or a threat to the other characters. There's not even enough story to fit forty five minutes, and if anything it would have worked better as a single twenty five minute episode as the narrative is rather thinly spread. At least The Edge of Destruction had a little more plot to give This one is like it was cobbled together because they suddenly realised they needed two episodes between the previous serial and the next.
The Sontarans are usually great villains but here Field Major Styre feels as though he's only there to save on the budget; it could have been any monster in its place and the story wouldn't have felt much different. Using a costume they already have from the wardrobe department is, after all, much more cost effective than creating a whole new one from scratch. The only neat thing about Field Major Styre as the antagonist is how it links in to Sarah Jane's (Elisabeth Sladen) first appearance, meaning there is more of a history between the companion and the alien race. There wouldn't have been that same level of recognition between Sarah Jane and a new threat, which would have removed a certain chunk of dramatic tension from the screenplay. Their shared history is what makes their dynamic on-screen so interesting, as Sarah distinctly remembers her encounter with Lynx from 'The Time Warrior' and knows how much of a threat these Sontarans can pose.
Speaking of Sarah Jane, Elisabeth Sladen is brilliant and demonstrates throughout the serial why she's still arguably Doctor Who's most iconic companion after K9. The way she plays the horror of seeing who she believes to be Lynx is so understated and yet conveys so much fear, that you really feel just how much Sarah is scared to come face-to-face with another member of the Sontaran clone race. In fact if there's any saving grace for this serial, it's the show's current lead cast. Tom Baker, Ian Marter and Elisabeth Sladen all manage to imbue the story with so much character and personality, that it makes The Sontaran Experiment still feel worth your time, despite it being arguably one of the weakest entries in the show's initial run.
Unfortunately the directing from Rodney Bennett however is a little on the disappointing side. Rodney Bennett's directing choices feel surprisingly amateur for a professional in the field of television, with poor positioning of the actors and some very bland pieces of cinematography. There is nothing particularly engaging about the directing in this serial and with a weak story it really could have benefitted from some stronger imagery. Credit where credit's due, however, as Rodney Bennett does at least manage to do a good job at disguising Tom Baker's injury during the fight with Field Major Styre.
Overall, The Sontaran Experiment is a rather dull forty five minute story with some very poor direction from Rodney Bennett. The pacing is surprisingly plodding for such a short classic serial, and Sontaran antagonist Field Major Styre feels oddly generic for a member of one of Doctor Who's most iconic alien races. It does, however, contain some great performances from the main cast, and disguises Tom Baker's injury well.
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What are your thoughts on The Sontaran Experiment? Let me know in the comments section.
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