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(More customer reviews)There are many firsts in ROBOT - it's the first turn of Tom Baker as the Doctor, it's the first Harry Sullivan story, it's the first time we see the scarf, it's the fourth Doctor's first (and second) trip inside the TARDIS (we know the second trip takes us into THE ARK IN SPACE, but, where did the first land the Doctor?), and it may be the first time the Doctor has killed in cold blood... maybe.
ROBOT is everything the Pertwee years were and more. Picking up and dragging the chain that was UNIT, the series doesn't meddle with the formula too much just yet, but just enough to show us that things have really changed. The pace of this story is fast. Opening like an AVENGERS episode and running like Z CARS, this is a "thief in the night" plot spliced with some COLUMBO detective work which tells you from the title on that a ROBOT is the puppet and then wastes no time in telling us who is pulling its strings. This story zips, and had their been another actor other than Tom Baker in the role, then it may have tripped and fallen on its face as well. As it is, Baker is just as fast as the material and, even from the get go, wasn't scared to pull at his scarf and have fun with the story and us. Watching him and the story, you can't help but just get a sense of how effortless he made it all seem. ROBOT fires on every level here. The cast is top notch, old hat, yet still fresh, which is something of a surprise as the entire set up had been inherited from the Pertwee years. But you can't deny that the Baker/Sladen/Marter trio clicked right from the start.
The story itself borrows heavily from so many sources that when yout tie all the threads together it creates quite the blanket, but there is one thing different in ROBOT than most all other DOCTOR WHO stories - and its in the fact that the Doctor kills the "monster" here without a second thought. Granted, the robot was just that, and when you look back at the story, every time the Doctor encounters the robot, it's hostile, but I find it difficult to accept that the Doctor pays no heed to Sarah's observation and pleas of its "humanity" as the Doctor had often pleaded just the same case with the Brig time and again. Instead of reason, the Doctor rushed headlong into destruction and does so with glee. It's an unsettling moment at the end as what could have been the birth of a whole new form of life is reduced to rust, ash and then nothing.
As usual 2 ENTERAIN has gone out of their way to provide a host of extras. Commentary with Baker, Sladen, Dicks and Letts (uncredited on the extras listing) is casual, comfortable and often very funny. As always, Baker and Sladen demonstrate again why they made such a good team, while Dicks and Letts fill in as much production backstory as they can remember. The documentary follows the lead of all those that have come before it. It's a concise look at the shift change from Pertwee to Baker with some repeat from the commentary, but more face time with everyone involved. It's good, but won't knock your socks off. The review of the creation of the TUNNEL EFFECT is technical, but an interesting look at what would become DOCTOR WHO's most famous opening credit sequence and logo.
Text commentary is included and detailed and worth the time, but, have your remote handy and trigger finger on PAUSE as some of the passages are long, and flip by in under a two seconds or less.
It was smart marketing to release ROBOT shortly after the release of the NEW BEGINNINGS box set which featured Baker's last story LOGOPOLIS. While there are still many stories to go in the Baker years before it is complete, at least we have the bookends to make us feel safe. ROBOT may not go down as a classic, but it does go down easily and is a lot of fun, and for fans is a must buy.
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Mortally wounded by the Spider Queen on Metebilis 3, the Doctor is forced to regenerate. His recuperation is cut short as UNIT investigates a spate of robberies involving components for a top-secret disintegrator gun. The culprit is quickly identified as a highly sophisticated robot built by Professor Kettlewell, which is being ordered to act against its Prime Directive. (Episodes 1-4, 98 mins)DVD Features:Audio CommentaryDVD ROM FeaturesDocumentaryFeaturettePhoto galleryProduction Notes
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