The Underwater Menace

A slave, like a worm, might be turned.

I know next to nothing about The Underwater Menace except that it's generally thought of as very weird. This is also the first story with Jamie as a companion so I'm expecting either him or Ben to be flapping in the breeze with little to no lines for portions of this story as I'm sure it was written prior to the decision to keep Jamie on as a companion. I also believe this is the first of what would end up being three invokings of Atlantis. So I'm going into this story with a note of caution, despite my enjoyment of the Second Doctor.

Plot Summary

The Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie leave Culloden Moor in the TARDIS. Jamie is a bit unsettled but adapts to the surroundings as they arrive on the shore of the sea. They discover that the land is that of a volcano and the companions begin to climb the mountain while the Doctor takes readings near the TARDIS. Polly becomes winded by the climb and stops on a plateau to rest while Jamie and Ben continue to climb.

Polly becomes distracted by a set of caves nearby and goes to examine them. She discovers a stone figure and when she goes to examine it, she is attacked from behind. Jamie and Ben hear her scream and descend to go help her, discovering the cave where she disappeared.

Down near the base of the volcano, the Doctor finishes up but discovers a few shards of pottery, recently made. He pockets it and decides to find the companions and begins to climb the mountain.

Ben and Jamie continue in the caves but are grabbed from behind and thrust into a metal cage suspended over a pit. They discover Polly in the same cage. A few moments later, the Doctor is also thrust into the cage, having been captured while climbing. The cage begins to descend down into the pit and all the people begin to feel sick. The nitrogen becomes concentrated as they pass below sea level and they pass out.

At the bottom, the guards pull them out of the cage and lay them out in a compression chamber to adapt to the atmosphere. They wake up and Polly produces a bracelet she discovered earlier that was given at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic games. From this they figure that wherever they are, they are on Earth and probably around 1970.

A guard enters and motions them outward. They are taken to a room where food is laid out before them. They eat for a bit until a priest named Ramo enters and welcomes them. The priest states that their coming was predicted by the sea goddess Amdo in time for the festival. The companions are taken away but the Doctor is able to speak privately with Ramo and mentions a Professor Zaroff. This catches Ramo off guard but the Doctor states that he recognized Zaroff's work through the food. The Doctor writes a message and though Ramo refuses to take it, he slips it to a serving girl named Ara.

The companions are brought into the worship center and bound and placed on the dais platform. The platform has an opening where sharks circle in a well below. The Doctor is brought in by Ramo and placed in the fourth spot. The high priest Lolem begins the ceremony which steadily removes weight, tilting the people slowly towards the well.

Ara, unable to get in to see Zaroff, goes to see Damon, the chief surgeon. He takes the message from her and reads it. Damon takes the note to Zaroff who reads it. Zaroff heads to the temple and demands the release of the Doctor. The Doctor is loosed but he demands his companions be released as well. Zaroff agrees and has the three taken to a labor detail.

The Doctor confesses that he has no vital news for Zaroff which annoys Zaroff but he is amused by the Doctor and he brings him to his office. Meanwhile, the companions are taken to Damon who sends Ben and Jamie to the mines. Polly is shown a group of people who have been surgically modified to breath underwater to work the undersea farms. Damon reveals to Polly that he plans on modifying her as well into the same state.

Talking with Zaroff, the Doctor discovers that they are in the ancient city of Atlantis. Zaroff has promised the Atlantians to use his science to raise the island to the surface again while he continues his food research. He is distracted by a message from a guard. While distracted, Ara comes to the Doctor and informs him about Polly's impending operation. He instructs Ara to try and pull Polly away if at all possible.

The Doctor manages to cut power to the operating room, causing Damon to go and complain to Zaroff. The other surgical staff leave to go and see if they can fix the problem, leaving Polly alone. Ara sneaks in and takes Polly away, telling her to hide in the now empty temple.

After Damon is dismissed, the Doctor picks Zaroff's brain about lifting Atlantis. Zaroff admits that he can't but instead will lower the level of the ocean to put Atlantis on the land. The Doctor points out that that volume of water interacting with the molten interior of the planet will create superheated steam and potentially crack the surface of the Earth, destroying Atlantis. Zaroff agrees but says he will do it anyway to prove that it can be done.

The Doctor manages to slip away while Zaroff is distracted. He manages to find a costume and while in it, he finds Ara, bringing food and clothing to Polly. He goes with her but stops when he sees Ramo talking with Damon. He notes Ramo's dislike for Zaroff and confronts him about Zaroff. He takes him to the temple, where Polly has hidden herself, and shows what Zaroff's plan may do to a clay pot. Ramo agrees to take the Doctor to see King Thous to tell him of Zaroff's plan.

In the mines, Ben and Jamie help out two other prisoners, Sean and Jacko. In gratitude, they agree to take them along in an escape attempt through a stray tunnel they discovered while mining. When the foreman is distracted by routing workers to another project, the four of them bolt down the tunnel. They follow the passages until they find an exit that opens into the temple, just behind the idol. Polly greets them and Ara shows up a few minutes later with food. After eating, they duck back into the passage to avoid people entering, including the Doctor for his demonstration to Ramo.

Ramo takes the Doctor to Thous where the Doctor presents his case. Thous thinks for a bit, but decides that he trusts Zaroff and summons him where he collects the Doctor and Ramo. Zaroff gives them over to the priests for execution.

The Doctor and Ramo are taken to the temple and prepared for execution. Suddenly the idol begins to speak and orders the priests to bow. As they do, the door opens and Ben summons the Doctor and Ramo in. Lolem believes a miracle has taken place and reports back to Thous and Zaroff. Thous is satisfied by Zaroff suspects a trick and orders his guards to search Atlantis.

In the passageways, the Doctor devises a plan to capture Zaroff and force the king to see reason. He sends Sean and Jacko to convince the fish people to stop harvesting food for Atlantis. As the food spoils within a few hours of harvest, it will force the Atlantians to deal. The others obtain disguises from Ara and head to the marketplace.

In the market, Ben and Jamie pose as Zaroff guards while the Doctor and Polly pose as locals. Zaroff enters and gathers Ben and Jamie to him. The Doctor exposes himself to Zaroff and runs, Zaroff, Jamie, Ben and Polly all following. The Doctor runs to the temple where Ramo is waiting. Zaroff orders Ben and Jamie to arrest Ramo while he confronts the Doctor. The Doctor temporarily blinds Zaroff with powder and Ben, Jamie and Ramo grab him and take him into the temple passageways.

Zaroff tries to bluff his way out by saying the process is already started. The Doctor doesn't believe him but decides he should check to be sure. Zaroff then feigns sickness so he asks Polly and Ramo to keep an eye on him. The Doctor, Jamie and Ben exit to the temple but are forced to hide as a ceremony is about to take place.

In the passageway, Zaroff attacks Ramo when he tries to help him. He knocks Polly away as she tries to help and stabs Ramo with a spear. He then drags Polly down the passageway. As the ceremony ends, the Doctor, Jamie and Ben begin to leave but Ramo emerges from the passageway and dies. Realizing what has happened, the Doctor sends Jamie after Zaroff and Polly while he and Ben try to beat Zaroff to his lab.

Jamie catches up to Polly and tries to untie her. Zaroff attacks Jamie but they are joined by Sean and Jacko, having successfully convinced the fish people to go on strike. Outnumbered, Zaroff flees. Knowing they would get lost in the tunnels, the group heads back to the temple to find Ara and have her show them the way.

Zaroff enters Thous' throne room as he has been informed by Damon of the work stoppage by the fish people. Thous is prepared to meet with them to discuss their demands. Zaroff however says that he will threaten them with his guards. Thous realizes that Zaroff is as mad as the Doctor suggested and prepares to move against him. Seeing this, Zaroff shoots Thous and orders his guards to shoot Thous' guards.

Ben and the Doctor discover Thous still alive. They drag him back under the temple and meet Ara, Sean and Jacko. Jamie and Polly had gone on to find Zaroff's lab after Ara had described the way to them. The Doctor decides that the only way to stop Zaroff is to flood the lower levels of the city, including the lab. He tasks Ara, Jacko and Sean with warning the residents to get to the upper levels while he and Ben head to the generator room.

Zaroff continues to push things forward but is frustrated as workers are deserting their posts, most to find food as the fish people strike is taking effect. Meanwhile, Ben and the Doctor pose as a guard and prisoner to get past other guards. In the generating room, they knock out the technician and sabotage the main power source. The Doctor decides to head to Zaroff's lab next.

In the tunnels, Jamie and Polly have gotten lost. They discover they are near the lab. They also discover that the Doctor's sabotage has caused a radiation leak. The leak and the mechanical vibration has caused a crack in the walls and sea water is leaking in. They decide to abandon the quest for Zaroff's lab and get to higher ground.

Ara, Jacko, and Sean carry Thous out on a stretcher as the temple and other lower levels flood. They are met by Damon who has also fled the flooding. The group continue up the tunnels to escape. They take a brief rest on an upper level and Damon briefs Thous on the rescue efforts of the rest of the inhabitants, including the likely death of Lolem as he was last seen heading to the temple.

Jamie and Polly reach a dead end but Jamie discovers a draft and climbs up the wall to see if he can find another passage. Jamie finds a small passage and he pulls Polly up. They continue to climb up and away from the water.

The Doctor and Ben enter Zaroff's lab. The Doctor informs Zaroff's technicians of Zaroff's plans. He also tells them that the sea has broken through and will flood the lab. Panicked, the technicians flee the lab. Zaroff steps back and drops a gate down, isolating him and the lab controls from the Doctor. Ben runs off, pretending to panic. The Doctor destroys the electrical power relay, plunging the lab into darkness. Zaroff smirks and activates the back up power. He raises the grill to tie up the Doctor but as he steps forward, Ben leaps out and pulls the grill back down again, cutting off Zaroff from the lab controls. Ben and the Doctor run out as Zaroff fires his gun blindly at them.

The Doctor tries to go back, not wanting Zaroff to drown but Ben pulls him forward. They discover the water is rising faster than anticipated and continue onward. At the same time, Jamie and Polly push their way forward and emerge in a cave at the shoreline of the volcano.

Zaroff continues to struggle, refusing to give up on the switch. The water level continues to go up and he drowns in his lab.

The Atlantians check themselves in the caves, counting anyone missing. They are sure the Doctor has not survived and vow to rebuild their city in the upper levels without giving in to superstition as a legacy to him.

Ben and the Doctor emerge in the caves on the volcano, safe from the water. They see Jamie and Polly sitting dejectedly, sure they had drowned. Happy, the group of four returns to the TARDIS. Sean and Jacko also emerge from the caves, just in time to see the group enter the police box and disappear.

The Doctor decides to take them to Mars but as he sets the controls, the TARDIS lurches out of control.

Analysis

It caught me a bit by surprise when it dawned on me while watching this story that this is the last recon for me. I've not done a write up for The Evil of the Daleks yet but I have actually seen that one, meaning that I've now seen all recon stories and that feels like an odd milestone to have passed.

As for this particular story, I'm of a mixed mind on it. I think it can safely be said that this is the first story where the Second Doctor acts like himself. He was a bit off in The Power of the Daleks and The Highlanders but here he acts with the conniving false bravado that you expect. Nice as that is, the rest of the story is generic and somewhat forgettable or just downright weird at points and not in a particularly good way.

Taking an honest approach, I think it would be safe to say that the Doctor is not only the best thing about this story, he may be the only good thing about it. For the first time, we get that manic energy that has been lacking in the first two stories. He is plotting, blustery and also acting on his heels quite a bit which feeds that energy. He is planning and desperate at the same time. You also see a level of compassion that does mark the Second Doctor. He knows that Zaroff is mad, yet he wants to go back and prevent him from drowning. He is only prevented from that by the threat of his and Ben's drowning. All around, there is much to enjoy with the Doctor finally coming in to his own.

The companions didn't fare quite as well in this story. Ben and Jamie did alright as they were kept as part of the action, but Polly was about as close to useless in this story as you could imagine. Also hurting were the fact that three pseudo-companions were introduced, all with similar tropes to the regular companions. Jacko was the hot-headed man of action (Ben), Sean was a get along with an accent (Jamie) and Ara was the female resource person. Polly would have had trouble fully filling this role but Polly could have taken some of the back and forth work from Ara, which would have made her a bit less conspicuous. It also would have solved the dual problems of giving Polly something to do and explaining why Ara is helping so much. The Doctor is nice to her in one moment and now she is actively working against the leaders of her society? That makes no sense whatsoever.

An example of Polly being useless is when she and Rama stay behind to watch over Zaroff feigning illness. Zaroff springs up and attacks Rama. While they fight hand-to-hand, Polly literally stands behind them with her hands clasped as though she is terrified to move. She tries to grab the spear from Zaroff only when he is about to stab Rama. There is no reason she should not have been either scouring around to find a rock to brain Zaroff with or even to just leap on Zaroff's back and let Rama get a few stomach blows to bring Zaroff down. Instead, she stands there and lets Rama get killed and herself taken prisoner, from which Jamie rescues her a few moments later. It is just a complete waste of a companion.

Zaroff himself is also rather weak. He is portrayed in the stereotypical mad scientist fashion, yet he is supposed to have hoodwinked the king and the priests that he should be given absolute power? He runs around like a dictator, half crazed, yet neither his guards nor his fellow scientists have figured out that what he will do will destroy all of them. It feels like a lazy portrayal and without any nuance in it whatsoever. This ultimately makes it boring. Watching a man drown because he is so obsessed with destroying the world should be horrific, yet it feels so nonchalant because we simply don't care about him. Zaroff is not something worth investing any emotion in.

It is nice to have Episodes Two and Three existing, especially as Episode Two was a recent find, but it would be nice to see Episode Four especially. The direction in Episodes Two and Three is fairly non-descript as it is functional but not jumping out at you. It would be nice to see if the directing of the water rising action added anything to the grand fleeing of the sea which takes up the entire second half of the episode.

I also didn't care for the very ham-fisted "dedication" that Damon made for the Doctor at the end of the story. Not only was declaring the Doctor dead rather premature of their part, but you can't have some random doctor declare to the king that they are abandoning all of their religion and ritual and become totally devoted to science. Even a hard-core science person like Christopher Bidmede would laugh at the idea that a society can change it's views on a dime. It is exceptionally lame in concept and it is delivered in a poorly acted way as well.

One of the things that often comes under scrutiny is the "fish ballet" in Episode Three. Frankly, the fish people are incredibly weird to begin with as I openly wonder how Atlantis was feeding itself before creating human-fish hybrids to gather food but they are visually interesting. But the ballet is one of those things that is put in clearly to kill time. There is no need to show anything beyond Jacko and Sean making appeals to the fish people. Yes, the ballet gives you a visual of the people passing the word along to go on strike, but it is filler. It looks about as pretty good an underwater sequence as you could expect in 1967 so I won't knock it for that, but it does make for an odd inclusion.

Overall, I can't think of much else good to say about this one. It's greatest crime is that it's boring. There is a lot that doesn't make sense but that can often be glossed over at least in an initial watching if it's entertaining. This is not that. The peril doesn't feel real and the people in it feel clichéd at best and poorly portrayed at worst. Again, that is a great shame as this is the first time that the Second Doctor holds forth as himself. If they end up finding Episodes One and Four, or even animating it, I might go back and watch it again but other than that, leave it be and don't worry about it.

Overall personal score: 1.5 out of 5