Who Review: Robot

In an attempt to keep the newly-regenerated Doctor from flying off, the Brigadier involves him in a case of disappearing parts. It seems someone, or something, has stolen what appear to be the parts needed to make a disintegrater gun. Their worst fears are confirmed when the top secret plans for such a gun are taken from a Ministry of Defense advanced research center. From his investigation, the Doctor determines that whatever stole the plans is very large, very heavy, and not likely to be human. Meanwhile, Sarah Jane Smith goes to visit the National Institute for Advanced Scientific Research (“Think Tank”), armed with a U.N.I.T. pass. The Institute has created a giant humanoid robot, K1, that is programmed to replace humans working in hazardous environments. Its creator, Professor Kettlewell, used to be a member of Think Tank, but left to pursue alternative energy solutions. The director of the Institute insists that the robot is benevolent, obeying its prime directive to serve humans and not harm them. But as the Doctor and Sarah start connecting the dots between the thefts and “Think Tank,” they come to the conclusion someone is overriding the robot’s prime directive. A conclusion that puts their lives, and the lives of all humanity, in danger…

SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen this serial. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!

The primary purpose of the first post-regeneration story is to introduce the audience to the new Doctor, and if nothing else, “Robot” fulfills that purpose flawlessly. Aside for some (at times lengthy) cut-aways to show the robot stealing things, the first half of episode one gets us into the wacky character of Doctor number four. Cho-Je warned the Brigadier and Sarah Jane that the Doctor’s behavior might be “a bit erratic” to begin with. That was a fair warning, as the new Doctor creeps around in his nightgown, ties up Harry Sullivan, and tries on a variety of outlandish costumes before arriving at his iconic hat and scarf. But in the midst of this, we see the wacky-but-serious Doctor that we will come to know and love for the next seven years. There’s no mistaking this is the Fourth Doctor. Tom Baker puts his stamp on the roll from his opening lines. Of course, we can only say such things with hindsight–audiences still had to get used to this wild, bug-eyed, Harpo Marx character. But it is interesting how little Tom’s Doctor’s character changed from this opening story in 1974/1975 to his last in 1981.

The story itself isn’t particularly spectacular. It’s essentially a riff on King Kong, with the monster forming a bond with Sarah Jane, and protecting her from the destruction he plans for the rest of humanity. At the end, when the robot is no more, Sarah can’t help feeling sorry for him. So, perhaps a little clichéd, but certainly not the worst in the Who canon.

The robot design is actually pretty good. If anything, it’s the CSO, or “green screen” effects, that let the story down visually. The strangest part of the story for me is the emotional breakdown the robot has after it kills Kettlewell. In fact, this robot is very highly strung for a mechanical monster, which stretches credulity a bit. I also wonder why the U.N.I.T. soldiers continue shooting at the robot even when it’s obvious their bullets have no effect. Surely it would be better to try a different strategy rather than waste time and ammunition with the same futile effort?

At the end of the story, Harry Sullivan, the U.N.I.T. medical officer referenced in episode one of the previous story, “Planet of the Spiders,” becomes a member of the TARDIS crew. We also see the Doctor offer Sarah Jane and Harry Sullivan a jelly baby. From that moment on, the Fourth Doctor will never leave the TARDIS without his white bag of jelly babies.

To sum up, as Doctor Who stories go, “Robot” is nothing special. What makes it special is that it’s our introduction to the man who would become the face of Classic Doctor Who. It also marks the end of an era, as Terrance Dicks passes the Script Editor baton to the inimitable Robert Holmes, and Barry Letts hands producer duties to Philip Hinchcliffe. And so begins what is arguably Classic Who’s golden era.