The Wheel In Space

Logic, my dear Zoe, meerly enables one to be wrong with authority.

I was a bit worried about The Wheel in Space when it first started. It was very slow going at first. But things picked up as it moved along.

Plot Summary

The Doctor and Jamie land the TARDIS on a seemingly abandoned rocket. The TARDIS senses danger and tries to get them to take off but when the Doctor fights it, the fluid link fails and all the mercury atomizes into the atmosphere. They leave the TARDIS to explore the rocket. A robot patrols the halls and prepares to send the rocket on a different course. The Doctor hits his head in the speed jump, suffering a concussion. They arrive outside a space station and the robot releases probe spheres containing cybermats. Jamie destroys the robot when it attacks them and then signals the station for help. The crew rescue the two and the Doctor recuperates in the infirmary while Jamie is shown around the station by the librarian, Zoe. Overhearing the station commander's plan to destroy the rocket, Jamie sabotages the laser in fear that the TARDIS will be destroyed. He is arrested and confined to the infirmary with the Doctor.

The cybermats destroy the mineral stocks that power the laser and a team is dispatched to the rocket to gather more. Inside the rocket, the two crew are brainwashed by two Cybermen who are then smuggled into the same box as the minerals and carried back into the station. They brainwash the engineer in charge of the mineral and repairing the laser. The Cybermen take over rebuilding the laser and send the brainwashed engineer to destroy the radio, which he does although he is killed in the process. The Doctor rallies the station crew against the Cybermen while the station commander descends deeper into denial about the situation.

The Doctor and the crew manage to disable the cybermats and discover that the Cybermen intend to take over the base rather than have it destroyed. The Doctor needs the time vector generator from the TARDIS that he gave to Jamie but Jamie discovers it has been lost. He and Zoe spacewalk back to the rocket to discover it. Meanwhile the base second-in-command discovers the Cybermen intend to poison the air supply but is killed when she radios this to the Doctor.

Zoe and Jamie manage to make it over to the rocket and retrieve the time vector generator and learn that the Cyberplanner has learned of the Doctor and instructed the two Cybermen on board to eliminate him. The Doctor sneaks into the laser control room to gather parts to repair the radio while Jamie and Zoe make it back to the station. They capture one of the brainwashed crew who takes Jamie to see the Doctor. The Doctor manages to kill one of the Cybermen through a jury rigged force field and then installs the time vector generator into the laser. Jamie and the recovered crewman go down to the landing bay and kill the remaining Cyberman, rescuing another brainwashed crewman in the process. They seal the landing bay and eject a Cyberman boarding party into space. The crew then fire the Doctor's upgraded laser and destroy the approaching Cyberman invasion ship. The Doctor refills the mercury in the TARDIS but Zoe sneaks aboard asking go with them. The Doctor agrees but only if she understands the danger and proceeds to show her a previous adventure (The Evil of the Daleks specifically).

Analysis

Like a number of six-part stories in 1960's Doctor Who, this story was heavily padded and was two episodes too long. Patrick Troughton was absent in episode two so there is a holding pattern there. On top of that, episode one does very little to get the story going. The first half is spent setting up the problems with the TARDIS and lamenting the loss of Victoria. There is a bit more action in the second part of the episode but again, it is more set up before the actual plot gets going. The fact that the Cybermen don't even appear until the very end of episode two bears out how much padding is going on.

This is a real shame because the remaining four episodes are pretty good. The acting is done pretty well, especially by Gemma, the second in command. She is a strong presence and has an excellent rapport with the Doctor and Jamie. The rest of the cast isn't too bad despite indulging in easy stereotypes to portray an international crew as had been done several times before.

Episode Five drags a little as you feel you are just waiting for the final face off between the Doctor and the Cybermen but it pays off pretty well in Episode Six. It's only fault is that it is too short. It is a wonderful example of the Second Doctor looking like he is cornered and prepared to give himself up but then turns the tables. It is also an excellent example of his ability to out-think the enemy and keep control of the situation, even when he is at an apparent disadvantage.

The development of Zoe is done quite well. She is shown to be amiable although a bit cold in her devotion to logic. A lot of time is poured into her character so that it does become somewhat obvious that she is going to become a companion. However, that is appreciated as it forms a good substantive reason for her becoming a companion rather than just a quick tack on like others (such as the aforementioned Victoria).

Because of the padding, I don't think I would ever rate this story as highly as others. But the stuff that is good in this story is pretty good. The padding might be a bit better if all the episodes existed. Only Episodes Three and Six exist and they move well even if they also have slower points. I would give this story a reevaluation if it was found or fully animated, but I still think it would have been better if made in to a tight four-parter.

Overall personal score: 2.5 out of 5