The Creature from the Pit

Creature from the Pit is one of those stories that I have fond memories of enjoying in my youth. I remember showing friends the episode as an example of good Doctor Who when they used to ridicule my watching the series. They admitted there were some good points, but they found Erato to be a little too phallic and thus laughable for their tastes.

Sadly, years later as I watch the story again, I cannot find the charm or be reminded of what I found good about the story as a younger man. The concept itself is great; a monstrous ambassador from another world with a translator is separated from his device as a power-crazed woman throws him into a pit. The Doctor arrives and he tries to piece together the elements that make up this little mystery.

Unfortunately, the plot, while great, is too thin to hold up the entire story. Other elements, such as the thieves and Karela’s schemes are just rehashes of Lady Adrasta’s. Just when you think the story should have been over with Adrasta’s death, Karela tries to form and alliance with the thieves. And then the additional tack on of the destruction of the planet only seals this story’s fate as being less than good.

There is also the simple matter of the lack of any real acting in this story. We have Lalla Ward’s awful lament over K9 being attacked by the wolfweeds. We have Karela’s way OTT acting in most scenes. It’s not as if she chews up a scene as rather she destroys it in an annoying way.

And finally, I still, after all these years, cannot get over how phallic Erato is. He really is.