On the planet Dido, the monstrous Koquillion terrorizes Bennett and Vicki, the only survivors of a crashed spaceship. When the TARDIS lands, the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara team up with Vicki t... Read allOn the planet Dido, the monstrous Koquillion terrorizes Bennett and Vicki, the only survivors of a crashed spaceship. When the TARDIS lands, the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara team up with Vicki to discover what Koquillion is hiding. (Originally broadcast in two parts.)On the planet Dido, the monstrous Koquillion terrorizes Bennett and Vicki, the only survivors of a crashed spaceship. When the TARDIS lands, the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara team up with Vicki to discover what Koquillion is hiding. (Originally broadcast in two parts.)
Photos
- Bennett
- (as Ray Barrett, Sydney Wilson)
- …
- Space Captain
- (as Tom Sheridan)
- Director
- Writers
- David Whitaker
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- Donald Wilson(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe producers wanted Maureen O'Brien to dye her hair black to make her resemble Susan more. Maureen refused, and instead suggested the alternative of getting Carole Ann Ford back.
- GoofsWhen the Doctor opens the door to leave the TARDIS, the cave wall is visible behind him, revealing the prop to have no back.
- Quotes
Barbara: [Pointing out the TARDIS has materialised] Doctor, the trembling's stopped.
The Doctor: Oh, my dear, I'm so glad you're feeling better.
- Crazy creditsAs not to give away that Koquillion is Bennett in disguise. Koquillion is credited as Sydney Wilson after Sydney Newman and Donald Wilson, two BBC department heads.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Chronic Rift: Doctor Who (1990)
How do you follow up The Dalek Invasion of Earth? The biggest story in Doctor Who's history up to that point, not to mention one that saw its first companion exit. For the production team in late 1964, there was only one answer to that question: by introducing a new companion in the very next story. That story, lasting a mere two episodes, was to be The Rescue.
On the surface, it was a story that had a lot going for it. It came from the pen of outgoing script editor David Whitaker, who had previously penned the two-part Edge of Destruction. Such a contained and character-driven piece as that story offered a route for this story to take. Raymond Cusick returns to do the sets, not to mention Christopher Barry as director, all of which likewise boded well for it. Add on the trio of William Hartnell, Jacqueline Hill, and William Russell and the introduction of Maureen O'Brien as Vicki, and one should have a classic.
Right?
Well, to be sure, this isn't a bad story by any means. First and foremost, it's a vehicle for introducing Vicki, and, in that regard, it succeeds beautifully. She's a young lady, practically alone on a planet with the invalid Bennett and terrorized by an alien monster. Meeting up with the TARDIS crew post Susan's departure, they're a perfect fit for each other. It helps that O'Brien has instant chemistry with the main cast, particularly with Hartnell's Doctor, which is definitely in her favor. True, there's a moment of overacting by her in the second episode but, all things considered, it's a solid first go at introducing a new character into an established series.
It's also got some wonderful stuff for Hartnell. It's here, after ten stories, that the First Doctor as we've come to know him is, finally, apparent. He's in high spirits, perhaps surprisingly given the previous story (leaving a gap nicely mined in the spin-off fiction) with all traces of the slightly more sinister early days of the character behind him. It's a chance for Hartnell to show a lighter, even more playful, side to the character he'd been playing for a year at that point, as well as showing a paternal side when it comes to Vicki. What's more, there are shades of the Doctor we've come to know later on, as he takes on the role of investigator into events, even if it means leaving Ian and Barbara behind.
On the other hand, The Rescue isn't without problems. At two episodes, it feels oddly inconsequential. What does happen feels oddly contrived involving the invalid Bennet, the ruthless Koquillion, and a seemingly deserted alien world. Whitaker goes for a hail mary pass of a twist late in episode two, one which just about saves the story but, ultimately, still leaves some glaring plot holes behind. It also effectively sidelines Ian and Barbara as characters, leaving little for them to do except have their chemistry with each other, Vicki, and the Doctor. Given how well Whitaker handled the two-parter, character-driven format in Edge of Destruction, it feels like something of a letdown.
At the end of the day, perhaps, there are worse stories than The Rescue. There are also far better ones. Yet, perhaps more than anything else, it stands out as much for introducing the first new companion as it does for being utterly inconsequential. Indeed, one would have to wait until the Davison era (and the return of two episode serials) to see such inconsequential tales in televised Who again.
So, could be better, could be worse?
- timdalton007
- May 11, 2020
Details
- Runtime26 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1