Who Review: Silver Nemesis

November 23rd, 1988. The Doctor and Ace relax to the jazz stylings of Courtney Pine when an alarm goes off in the Doctor’s pocket. A reminder about something that was going to happen that day. Something disastrous for a planet. Earth. In 1638, a certain dabbler in black arts named Lady Peinforte, and her trusted servant Richard, conjure a way to travel to November, 1988, a time, according to her mathematician, when an opportunity will arise for her to become powerful. Meanwhile, a group of Neo-Nazis in South America calculate the descent to Earth of a comet named Nemesis that, they believe, will empower them to pick up where their hero left off and establish the Fourth Reich. This devastating power source is a statue made from validium, a “living metal” created by the ancient architects of Time Lord society, Rassilon and Omega, to protect Gallifrey. This statue has approached Earth in the form of a comet every 25 years, leaving some disaster in its wake: 1913, the eve of World War I; 1938, Hitler annexes Austria; 1963, JFK assassinated. In 1988, the comet will finally land. And when it does, the person laying claim to the statue, and reuniting it with its silver bow and arrow, will have control of life and death throughout the universe. And it’s not just Peinforte and the Nazis who want the power of the Nemesis. Another old foe of the Doctor turns up on Earth to lay claim to the statue, and they will use it to reshape the Earth to their own ends…

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!

Not only was “Silver Nemesis” part of Doctor Who’s 25th anniversary season, but episode one was scheduled to broadcast on November 23, 1988, exactly 25 years to the day since the show launched. This was to be, therefore, the celebratory story. The word “silver” was incorporated as much as possible (silver bow, silver arrow, silver aliens, and “Silver Nemesis”), and the show was to contain references to its past. To that end, producer John Nathan-Turner insisted on bringing back the Cybermen. And we had references to Rassilon and Omega, as well as the ultimate self reference, the question: Doctor Who? Writer Kevin Clarke had ideas of the Doctor that elevated him to divine status, something that couldn’t be made explicit in the show, but could certainly be suggested. That kind of mystery around the central character is something script editor Andrew Cartmel wanted to emphasize, so this worked well for him. At the end of the story, the viewer is left wondering who exactly the Doctor is supposed to be.

The essence of the plot of “Silver Nemesis” is a race to get all three elements: the statue, the bow, and the arrow. Lady Peinforte wants power over life and death, the Nazi’s want their Fourth Reich, and the Cybermen want to reform the Earth as their new home planet. Their original home planet, Mondas, Earth’s twin, was destroyed with the help of the Doctor (see “The Tenth Planet”), so they are not exactly on good terms with the Time Lord. Lady Peinforte seems to have a history with the Doctor, referring to him as her enemy. The Doctor knew all about the statue, and about it’s orbit since he was the one who launched it into space. Unfortunately, he forgot about it until his alarm reminded him. It’s a good premise, and does hint at the Doctor’s shadowy past, as well as his power, and his fallibility. Kevin Clarke may have seen him as God, but he’s more like one of the Ancient Greek gods, with both enormous power, but also as flawed as any mortal. Not so much a plot point, but one scene I would change, however, is the scene near the end where the Doctor gives the bow to the statue, and tells it what to do. Because we see and hear everything, we are party to the Doctor’s plan. So when he gives the bow to the Cyberman, we’re not surprised at what happens next–well, we shouldn’t be. We just heard the Doctor tell the statue. I think it would have been better if we’d seen the Doctor approach the statue, but not seen or heard anything. I think that would have made for a more suspenseful and surprising ending.

On the whole, the special effects are very good. I presume by now Doctor Who is using a mix of natural effects (real explosions), model shots, and CGI. Most of the model shots work. Nemesis’ crash-landing is particularly effective. Some of the hazy, ethereal effects around the statue are a bit odd, but the whirlwind-type effect around Peinforte and Richard when they leave 1638 is good. The final destruction of the Cyber fleet, however, is a bit of a let down. Perhaps they ran out of money and had to make do.

This story also seemed to have deliberately comedic moments that, to me, felt somewhat awkward. I’m not opposed to some laughs and gags in Doctor Who, but they should flow naturally from the characters and situations. The two skinheads that get stripped and tied up by Peinforte and Richard were a bit strange. It’s as if they were there just to pit the modern yobbo against the Jacobite strangers, and have the Jacobites win. Similarly the American woman in the limousine who gives a ride to Peinforte and Richard. At least she’s played by a real American (Dolores Gray), though, again, the scene does nothing more than to make us smile at their awkward interaction. Okay, so she does provide transport for the Peinforte and Richard, so I suppose the scene does serve some purpose. But it’s playing on a stereotype (this time a stereotypical American) for a laugh.

The sequence near the end where Ace takes on the Cybermen with her bag of gold coins and a catapult (US slingshot) was very enjoyable and well directed. In the end, Richard saves the day with his gold-headed arrows. This might seem like an act of male heroism that undermines all that Ace just did, but I don’t take it that way. Richard was despondent after the loss of his Lady, and this gives him a needed moment of purpose, and redemption since he was in with her on her evil scheme.

“Silver Nemesis” is a nice celebration of Doctor Who, and certainly suggests there’s a lot more to the Doctor than we ever dared imagine. Perhaps that’s a little over-played, since I don’t recall the Doctor ever looking or acting as if he’s frightened, or not in control. But it’s a good story idea, well acted, and for the most part well executed. Worth watching.