The Tour presses on with classic capitology with a story we’ve written about quite recently in connection with the 50 for 50 Countdown, so we’ll try not to duplicate the efforts there.
Having watched The War Machines again for the first time in years in preparation for capping the story, it was easy to forget some of its stiffer aspects, notably Professors Brett (primarily) and Krimpton doing lots of plot exposition in front of WOTAN. There were also lots of process shots of the assembly of the War Machines themselves which oddly take the Doctor out of the story (Hartnell seems to barely be in episode 3). Having said that though, this is a very charismatic performance from Hartnell, very much in command of his scenes and surprisingly vital given how close to the end of his run we are here.
This is also Ben’s story more than almost anyone else. Dodo went gogo halfway through and Polly came under WOTAN’s influence (as did Dodo) in the story so Ben bears witness to the birth of these proto-Daleks, and while the War Machines are certainly clunkier and not at all alien in execution as the Daleks were, the modern setting for the story still makes their threat palpable.
As has been the case lately, the new caps for The War Machines greatly improve the breadth and quality that previously existed with Tour borders. Capitology rumbles on next week. Who knows what it will be?
