Doctor Who: The Rescue

STRANGER DANGER!

The Rescue is the third serial of the second season of Doctor Who which aired on January 2 and January 9, 1965. It is known most for introducing the new character, Vicki (portrayed by Maureen O'Brien). It also introduces a planet called Dido, but who cares about that? There are a lot of planets in the Whoverse.

Now, the fact that the serial is called "The Rescue" and if features a new companion to replace former companion Susan Foreman doesn't really bode well for me or my ears. Apparently the Doctor needs a young friend to constantly rescue. On the bright side, she'll only be in nine stories. So let's get them out of the way!

One Hour Later...

Okay... So... I think I may actually like Vicki. We'll see though. She wasn't very annoying this serial, but we have eight more to go after this. We'll see.

So, the episode starts off with the Doctor sleeping in the TARDIS as it lands. Ian and Barbara are very worried about him because he's showing his age more and more. The Doctor doesn't like this kind of talk, however. The Doctor tries to tell Susan to open the TARDIS doors for everyone, but Susan is gone.

I kind of like this. It's just a quiet moment, nothing big. The Doctor does something that has been routine for the whole series and in one action tells the audience that he definitely misses his granddaughter. He calls for her to do something for him and then gets a look on his face as he remembers that she's not there to help him anymore. Barbara steps up and offers to do it instead and he immediately latches onto her offer and we move on.

No waxing poetic.

No sad staring off into space.

Just... napping in the TARDIS when he shouldn't be and calling for her help when he normally would. Unusual behavior of a person who's loved one just left them in some way, but nothing overly dramatic.

And then we meet Vicki who has just been alerted that some sort of craft has landed near her crashed spaceship where she and a man called Bennett are the only survivors. They've called for a rescue ship, but it isn't due for some time yet. Vicki thinks the ship that landed is the rescue ship, but Bennett insists it can't be. Vicki's so exuberant and excited; I couldn't help but like her a little at first. I also felt bad for her the way Bennett kept snapping at her.

Then he mentions someone or something called "Koquillion" and how "he" can't find out that a rescue ship is on its way.

Barbara, Ian and the Doctor leave the TARDIS to have a look around and realize they've landed inside caves. Barbara and Ian go to find a way out of the caves, but the Doctor decides to go back into the TARDIS to "have a little nap"... and then asks Ian for a stone on the cave floor. He actually examines the stone to find out where and when they are. They are on the planet Dido.

While the Doctor is doing this, a really fake looking spiny monster comes upon Ian and Barbara. When Ian goes to find the Doctor, Barbara is left with the creature who is Koquillion and she ends up backed off the edge of a cliff where she falls off. Then the creature raises some kind of staff and causes the mountains to shake and kind of blow up.

Ian finds the Doctor and returns to find the place caved in with Barbara no where in sight. They then try to work their way out of the cave.

Meanwhile, Vicki saved Barbara and takes her to ship where Barbara meets Bennett who passes out upon meeting Barbara. They reminisce about things and it comes to light that after the ship crashed, the survivors were killed by the natives of Dido, among them, Vicki's father. With Vicki's mother already dead, Vicki is an orphan.

Well, Vicki goes to get food while Barbara sets the table. Barbara looks outside to see a Sand Beast close to Vicki. Not knowing that Vicki is friends with the creature, Barbara kills it to protect Vicki just as Ian and the Doctor arrive.  Vicki has a breakdown after this, but the Doctor calms her down. They immediately form an odd sort of bond, being people who have recently lost those closest to them. It's actually kind of sweet in a weird sort of way. 

The Doctor then goes to meet Bennett, but finds that Bennett, who is supposed to be crippled, is not in his room and has been using a tape recorder to cover his absence. There's also a trap door in the floor of the cabin which leads to underground tunnels which leads to a temple made of rock that belonged to the natives of Dido.

The Doctor then reveals the truth. Bennett is Koquillion. He killed a crew-member on board the ship and was arrested. Well, Bennett didn't like the idea so he crashed the ship. Then he used explosives to kill the members of the ship and the natives of Dido. He began pretending to be Koquillion to manipulate Vicki into supporting his story. The Doctor and Bennett get into a scuffle. Just as Bennett is about to win, two natives of Dido show up. Their presence scars him so much he backs himself off a ledge and dies.

The Doctor takes Vicki on as a companion with Ian and Barbara's support and they fly off while the Didonians prevent the rescue ship from coming.

So... Which rescue does this refer to? Vicki's rescue of Barbara? The TARDIS crew's rescue of Vicki? The Didonians' rescue of the Doctor? The rescue ship that never quite made it? Barbara's idiotic idea of rescuing Vicki from her pet? The Doctor and Vicki rescuing each other from depression due to loss?

Because... That's the only part that loses me.

The Next Episode: The Romans... Please tell me we've got the Julio-Claudian Dynasty!