Who Review #45 - the Dominators

Season 6 only lacks seven episodes. It opens with this five parter.

A spaceship lands on an island. Its two man crew, Rago and Toba, are going to use the planet for their own ends and use the populace as slave labour. An expedition lands on the island are curious to find the radioactivity from a previous atomic test has gone. Three of the team go out to investigate and are killed by the robotic Quarks; only Cully, the fourth man in the team, survives. The TARDIS materialises; this is the planet Dulkis, which the Doctor has visited before. The Quarks destroy Cully's ship. Alerted by the explosion, the Doctor and co. explore; they find a war museum. They prepare to leave but turn to see three figures clad in radiation suits. They are led to a ship where they undergo decontamination; yet the island isn't radioactive. The Doctor is surprised that the peaceful Dulcians have weapons. Kando explains that there was investigations into atomic power; but now the island is a museum to serve as a warning to future generations about war. Cully finds Teele, from the survey team. Rago and Toba explore the island and find the war museum. Cully tells the Doctor that Rago and Toba have placed something around the TARDIS and have discussed destroying it; Jamie and the Doctor rush off. They find the TARDIS is fine and follow some tracks, which leads them to the spaceship. They turn to see Quarks, which ask Toba if they should destroy the travellers.

The Doctor and Jamie are led into the craft by Quarks. Rago tells them that he belongs to a race called the Dominators. They do a physiological scan of Jamie. They think the Doctor will be the same. Zoe and Cully take a capsule to the Dulkis capital. He tells the Dulcian council that a spaceship has landed and that the travellers are from a different planet - he isn't believed, Senex, the leader, talks to his son Cully - he doesn't believe what he hears either. The Doctor and Jamie are forced to do tests to measure their intelligence - they play dumb. The Doctor says that Dulcians consist of clever ones and them; and that they have stopped fighting hundreds of years ago. The Dominators release the travellers, believing them to be dumb. They follow Zoe to the capital. Balan, Teel and Kando investigate the ship and are taken captive by the Dominators. Zoe and Cully return to the island; the Quarks open fire on the survey base.

Rago orders the Quarks to cease fire and orders Toba to look for survivors. The Doctor tries to convince Senex. Zoe and co. are taken to a drilling site. Senex sees a Quark on the communication's screen. Jamie and the Doctor return to the island. Zoe tries to organise an escape. Tensa (Brian Cant) is called on by Senex to plan a response - the council decide to wait. The Doctor and Jamie spot Zoe and the others. Cully slips into the war museum and grabs a laser gun; Jamie stops him firing. Toba comes across the Doctor and orders him taken with Zoe and the others. Toba orders the destructtion of the war museum; Jamie shoots a Quark. The Quarks open fire.

In the Dominator ship, Rago and Toba argue. Toba thinks Rago is being too soft, but he submits. Rago questions the Doctor and Zoe. Jamie and Cully have taken refuge in a bomb shelter but are trapped by all the rubble above them, Jamie realises the ventilator shaft is blocked. Balan operates a drill. Rago wants to go to the capital. Jamie and Cully force a way out and plan to attack the quarks - they destroy one. Toba and some Quarks leave to see what is happening; the Doctor takes the chance to see how their ship is powered. Rago sets out his demands to the council and Senex; Tensa is killed by a Quark. Balan and the others are brought to the ship. The Doctor finds out the crust is thinner on the island. Toba wants to find Jamie and will kill them one by one until he gets an answer. Balan is shot and then a Quark faces the Doctor.

Rado returns and stops Toba. The Quarks are running dangerously low on energy and so are recalled, saving Jamie and Cully. They rescue the Doctor and co. The Dominators put all their efforts into completing the drilling; the Dulcians are viewed as unsatisfactory for slave labour and plan to destroy the planet and kill everyone. (They need fuel for the Dominator fleet.) The Doctor and co. dig a tunnel to divert a bomb; the digging is done with the sonic screwdriver. The Doctor also concocts a few bombs using emergency kit chemicals; Jamie and Cully go Quark hunting. The Doctor orders Jamie and Zoe to the TARDIS and Cully and co. to the capital. He has caught the bomb and places it on the Dominator ship. There is only a small disturbance to Dulkis - a volcanic eruption on the island.

This is another dreadfully dull story. The Dulcians are colourless and uninteresting - only Cully is any good. The Dominators spend five episodes arguing and the Quark voices are difficult to understand at times.

Classic Zoe
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG!"

Wendy Padbury's dulcian dress - basically a leotard with a seethrough dress. i.e. even more leg on show than Victoria and Polly!

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