The Space Museum

I stated previously that there is only one Hartnell Doctor Who story that I really don't like. 'The Space Museum' is it. Before I lay into however, I'll consider its good points. 

Episode One is suitably intriguing thanks to the gimmick of the TARDIS "jumping a time track". From the start it creates an air of mystery, with the TARDIS crew's clothes changing, the broken glass leaping back into Vicki's hand, and the lack of footprints. The discovery by the Doctor and his friends of their future selves preserved as exhibits is memorably creepy, and the surreal cliffhanger as they "arrive" for real is well executed. As usual, the regulars are excellent, with great banter between Ian and the Doctor in episode one, the Doctor's amusing interrogation by Lobos in episode two, and for the first time a decent role for Vicki as, separated from the Doctor for the first time since she joined the TARDIS, she leads a revolution by the Xerons. Oh, and I love the scene in which the Doctor hides in the Dalek casing. The fact that they are constantly trying to avoid their grim future fate makes Ian and Barbara in particular more anxious than they usually are, especially in contrast to the optimistic Vicki, and Russell plays Ian at his most resourceful, as he out-fights Moroks and saves the Doctor from the Museum. The Moroks themselves, while basically being Star Trek-like humanoids with silly hair, are an interesting idea, in that they represent an empire in decline – Lobos is clearly bored out of his mind, whereas his soldiers are utterly unenthusiastic about their work, and thus incompetent. This makes a change from a powerful enemy force in the midst of conquest, such as the Daleks or the forces of the Animus. Lobos isn't actually bored throughout – watch him when he is demonstrating the mind scanner, or applying himself to the task of reversing the Doctor's frozen condition. He becomes far more animated as he clearly takes delight in the application of science, almost like an immoral version of the Doctor. There's also a surprisingly realistic fight scene in which a Morok is knocked down hard and fast without the usual lengthy exchange of fisticuffs. Unfortunately, these good points do not outweigh the bad ones.

Whilst the gimmick of episode one makes for an interesting opening episode, the explanation is pure technobabble and doesn't stand up to scrutiny – I'm fairly sure that the way in which time catches up with the Doctor and his companions means that part of their past remains missing. Furthermore, the line about time being a dimension but having dimensions of its own is pure gibberish, which is unusual in a series that during this era still slips in the occasional science and history lessons. Then there is the supporting cast – the Moroks are all badly acted, constantly giving the impression (supported by the novelisation) that their lines are supposed to be a lot wittier than they actually are, but are badly delivered. Richards Shaw as Lobos is the sole Morok actor who gives a faint hint that he can actually act, but unfortunately he seems to have decided not to. His deputy is particularly bad, although with lines like "have an arms fallen into Xeron hands" he's probably fighting an uphill battle. The Xerons are even worse – despite the frantic acting of Jeremy "Boba Fett" Bulloch as Tor, the Xerons succeed in taking the crown of most boring aliens to appear in Doctor Who from the Didonians. Showing that they are aliens by moving their eyebrows upwards probably seemed like a good money-saving idea at the time. As characters, they are immensely boring. Other lowlights include the zaphra gas, which is supposedly extremely harmful, but from the effects of which Barbara and Darko recover instantaneously on getting outside, despite having just been coughing themselves raw moments before. Then we have the universe's worst security system, which can be easily reprogrammed to allow entry to the armoury. Which of course is full of "ray guns", a phrase that sounds incredibly bad regardless of whoever says it. Even "phasers" would be better. The sets too are uninspired with the Museum interiors looking especially drab and being filled with "exhibits" that look suspiciously like any old leftovers from the BBC prop department. And the museum itself must be a TARDIS, since it is clearly bigger on the inside. The incidental music, recycled to great effect in 'Tomb of the Cybermen', seems melodramatic and over-the-top here, with sinister booming riffs accompanying tame fight sequences and footage of the regulars sneaking around the museum. It's almost impossible for a four-part Doctor Who story to feel padded, and yet 'The Space Museum' manages it. 

So overall, whilst 'The Space Museum' has a few good points, it is disappointing overall. It picks up at the end with the appearance of a Dalek, strangely foreshadowed earlier on by Ian wondering if they will ever meet the Daleks again. The cliffhanger ending, in which the Daleks reveal that they have a time machine, is suitably gripping and promises an epic and deadly struggle between the Doctor and his most dangerous foes. Ironic really…