Robophobia
Ah, those pesky robots. From their first story, they became a firm favourite with fans and, after a few revisits to the episodes, a favourite of mine. Their first appearance had a great atmosphere, amazing plot and some of the best lines in Who history. The only problem with these robots, they had a very limited future. There was almost no room for another appearance which wouldn’t be an exact copy of The Robots of Death. Thank God it was Nicholas Briggs writing.
Robophobia takes what we saw on the TV and turns it on its head. Instead of the murder mystery, it becomes a physiological thriller that plays on the mind. Instead of everyone convincing themselves they have a murderer on board, they are convinced the murderer is a robot. The Doctor is dead, but he is walking the decks of the Lorelie, seemingly untouched by mechanical hands. The answer to that last mystery is surprisingly basic. It was no doubt unexpected, but as the conclusion to a question that lasted for most of the serial and had most of the characters going crazy attempting to understand it, the real nature felt a little thin.
For me, the main plot is a lot better than The Robots of Death. There is a lot more happening, and there is a lot more to guess here. The original gave away most of its surprises in the title. Thankfully, the sequel does no such thing, and is much more rewarding because of it. Until part 4 I had no idea who was the murderer, and that was the second time listening. The anxiety of the main cast is toxic, with Cravnet especially being brilliant with his fears of robots. As writer, Nicholas Briggs has done a sterling job of bringing these people down to earth. While most writers can make a cast surprised, in this episode their emotions feel so real, it’s scary.
The Robots have been recreated perfectly here. Normally I would be disappointed that they couldn’t get the original actors to do the voices, but Dan Starkey, Toby Hadoke and everyone else who contributed (and it is a lot of them, most of the cast in fact) do a brilliant job of reproducing those classic, smiling yet monotone voices. On audio, they do seem more menacing, as they are no spoiled by having tin foil for shoes. Scenes that are full of robots work even better. Their activation at the end of episode 1 is fantastic, and has one of the all time great endings of an episode, with the Doctor realising his mistake. At this point, the robots are the threat and having hundreds walk out of their containers is chilling.
The conclusion of the play is a moving affair. When the truth is revealed and everything falls into place, there is a feeling of genuine surprise and a shout of ‘of course’ rose in my throat. When the killer is revealed, I was shocked and moved by how it turned out, when you listen you will understand how moving it is. And the Doctor is key to stopping it, stepping into the forefront of the action for the final 30 minutes. Even the final scene of the play is a sombre one, as thousands of robots float towards their death, seemingly without a single care. Unusually, I found this scene quite a sad one; after all, they were not to blame in the end.
So, from amazingly realistic characters, to tear-jerking endings, Robophobia is a story not to be missed. As a sequel to a classic story, in every respect, it stands out from the crowd to deliver something that could arguably be named better than the original. And, it presents quite a large question about a certain Time Lords TARDIS.
Robophobia takes what we saw on the TV and turns it on its head. Instead of the murder mystery, it becomes a physiological thriller that plays on the mind. Instead of everyone convincing themselves they have a murderer on board, they are convinced the murderer is a robot. The Doctor is dead, but he is walking the decks of the Lorelie, seemingly untouched by mechanical hands. The answer to that last mystery is surprisingly basic. It was no doubt unexpected, but as the conclusion to a question that lasted for most of the serial and had most of the characters going crazy attempting to understand it, the real nature felt a little thin.
For me, the main plot is a lot better than The Robots of Death. There is a lot more happening, and there is a lot more to guess here. The original gave away most of its surprises in the title. Thankfully, the sequel does no such thing, and is much more rewarding because of it. Until part 4 I had no idea who was the murderer, and that was the second time listening. The anxiety of the main cast is toxic, with Cravnet especially being brilliant with his fears of robots. As writer, Nicholas Briggs has done a sterling job of bringing these people down to earth. While most writers can make a cast surprised, in this episode their emotions feel so real, it’s scary.
The Robots have been recreated perfectly here. Normally I would be disappointed that they couldn’t get the original actors to do the voices, but Dan Starkey, Toby Hadoke and everyone else who contributed (and it is a lot of them, most of the cast in fact) do a brilliant job of reproducing those classic, smiling yet monotone voices. On audio, they do seem more menacing, as they are no spoiled by having tin foil for shoes. Scenes that are full of robots work even better. Their activation at the end of episode 1 is fantastic, and has one of the all time great endings of an episode, with the Doctor realising his mistake. At this point, the robots are the threat and having hundreds walk out of their containers is chilling.
The conclusion of the play is a moving affair. When the truth is revealed and everything falls into place, there is a feeling of genuine surprise and a shout of ‘of course’ rose in my throat. When the killer is revealed, I was shocked and moved by how it turned out, when you listen you will understand how moving it is. And the Doctor is key to stopping it, stepping into the forefront of the action for the final 30 minutes. Even the final scene of the play is a sombre one, as thousands of robots float towards their death, seemingly without a single care. Unusually, I found this scene quite a sad one; after all, they were not to blame in the end.
So, from amazingly realistic characters, to tear-jerking endings, Robophobia is a story not to be missed. As a sequel to a classic story, in every respect, it stands out from the crowd to deliver something that could arguably be named better than the original. And, it presents quite a large question about a certain Time Lords TARDIS.