5. Horror Of Fang Rock
General Plot: The TARDIS arrives near a lighthouse foggy island in the English Channel, just as one of the keepers, Ben, is electrocuted. The Doctor realises that Ben was not killed by the generator, but by a creature lurking in the fog. Soon after a boat carrying several high-society passengers, capsizes and the survivors join the Doctor, Leela and the remaining two keepers in the lighthouse. But the creature soon strikes again, and begins to pick them off one by one. But has the shape-shifting Rutan already infiltrated their group?
What Makes It Great: This story is a dark, sinister, claustrophobic murder mystery. As a season premiere, it carries on the Gothic theme and level of quality from the previous season. It also follows on a similar plot The Doctor arrives as people start dying, the Doctor gets the blame, then he eventually earns their trust as he strives to solve the mystery. The run of those three stories, Robots of Death, Talons of Weng-Chiang and Horror of Fang Rock are arguably the strongest run of stories to date. Each one follows a similar theme and pattern, but each of them have their own strengths. The main one for Horror of Fang Rock is the sheer edgy, nervous claustrophobia that one feels when watching it, and the same albeit worse feeling that the characters have. This is the only story to date that leaves all the characters bar the Doctor and his companion dead. It's a ruthless story, and the supporting cast are fantastic, which makes it all the more interesting to see the dynamic change as each character gets picked off and killed. The fact that the story is brave enough to kill all the supporting cast was a brilliant move as it heightens the sense of danger and makes the scenario all the more tense. Like with Terror of the Zygons, the monster, a Rutan, shape shifts into their victim. This offers another fascinating dynamic because unlike Terror of the Zygons, the Doctor doesn't know his foe can shape shift until the end of Part 3 when it's too late. The introduction of the Rutan was a great idea, as they have long since been mentioned as the sworn enemies of the Sontarans and in the midst of a war that has lasted a millennia. Considering how much they are steeped in Doctor Who folklore, it is astonishing that, like the Zygons, they have only appeared once. But their introduction shows a great deal of promise and potential for a return that never came. Their ability to change shape shift into another person is used to greater effect than in Terror of the Zygons in that the Doctor doesn't realise until late in the day, allowing the Rutan to go undetected. The ability to do this would be invaluable in a war with the Sontarans, which makes their appearance and characteristics from this story, an invaluable addition to Doctor Who folklore. Tom, as he is in all of these stories, is electric and eccentric. He is basically exactly what the Doctor should be. Grave when he needs to be, firm with those who cross him, funny to those who annoy him, caring to Leela but always retaining his famous enigmatic charm throughout the story. The delivery of the part 3 cliffhanger was just terrific. The scene where he tells the survivors, totally deadpan, 'I have news for you. This lighthouse is under attack and by morning we may all be dead!' is, in my opinion, one of the best deliveries in the shows history. It was brilliant. Yet moments later, he was grave, even scared, as he realised the enormity of the situation. An uncharacteristic error, but it just goes to show how flawed the character can be.
Memorable Quote:The Doctor : "The chameleon factor... sometimes called lycanthropy. Leela, I've made a terrible mistake. I thought I'd locked the enemy out. Instead I've locked it in... with us!'"