Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction
(2 episodes, s01e12-e13, 1964)
Aside from developing the mythology behind the TARDIS being a living machine and some nice moments at the end between the Doctor and Barbara, I really didn’t like this serial much. It did emphasize some of the inherent friction amongst the companions and the Doctor, and seems to have healed those rifts to make a more coherent team. The plot, and especially the ending, seemed rushed and almost pulled from thin air.
Rating: 2/5 – “Mm? What’s that, my boy?”
UP NEXT – Doctor Who: Marco Polo
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Creative Criticality 
The plot really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and like the previous serial, hangs on something as simple as a stuck switch. Still, yes, the living machine aspect really comes into play here.
Yeah it’s sad but Hartnell goes off the reservation here and apparently misses some key lines in the script, which would have helped this along. For a story that was made in a rush I don’t think that it’s to bad and at least it has atmosphere. Basically the Powers that Be began getting cold feet about Doctor Who and decided to give it a 13 episode lease on life. Since An Unearthly Child and The Daleks added to 11 episodes they didn’t want to go into Marco Polo as they’d have to cancel it after 2 episodes if the Powers that Be decided to end it after 13 so they made this as as 2-parter. Basically that last scene would have been the Doctor getting Ian and Barbara home if the show had been cancelled. Once the Daleks hit there was never any thought of cancelling the show but as they’d already prepared this one and held off on casing Marco Polo they still had to run with it.
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