2.13: Fury From the Deep

In which the villain is some evil seaweed, and somehow that works.

Broadcast: March-April 1968

Listened: October 2019

Another day, another missing story where I haven’t seen the animation because they hadn’t made it when I got this far. Oh well, I listened to the audio instead.

Fury From the Deep, Episode 1

A high-tech base? With a paranoid boss? Under some kind of siege? Well I never.

Okay, actually this is okay as a piece of audio which is weird as it’s quite a visual story. But I think the shallowness is easier to enjoy when it’s only taking up one of your senses.

I like the TARDIS landing on water, requiring the regulars to get a dinghy out. And the foam fight, and the “Shy is it always England?” chat. First appearance of the Sonic Screwdriver. 

The Harrises are hilariously wet but kind of nice. Robson is an abject arse. Quite odd how so much of the drama of this period of Who is dragged out of boring office politics, of people being annoyed at their colleagues: they might as well be arguing about who left the printer on overnight.

But the regulars are fun, and I find that oddly I’m going to miss Victoria, she’s way less annoying and more active than I thought she was. And the idea of evil seaweed is brilliantly Doctor Who. So.

Fury From the Deep, Episodes 2-3

“That’s where you’re wrong!”

I’m... really enjoying this? I’m quite surprised, I wasn’t expecting much because it’s another base under siege.

Couple of reasons I’m enjoying it more than most of them. The structure’s a bit different - the Doctor and co are investigating, they’re not endlessly locked up and on the sidelines. Although there’s the paranoid commander, continuing the office argument we’ve been watching basically since the start of season 4, his collapse comes quicker, and other elements (the Dutch guy representing the shareholders, the married couple) make it feel like we’re not just watching the same plot. Plus there’s something kind of cool about the monsters being sort of elemental rather than creatures.

Troughton is referred to as “an old man”. He’s 47. 

Love that Victoria can pick locks. Wish we could see the part 3 cliffhanger - Maggie walking into the sea - though. I think this would actually be a really good one to animate. 

Someone clearly agreed, look:

Fury From the Deep, Episode 4-5

“So nice to be trusted.”

Another reason this one works, I think: the tension builds steadily, the situation is gradually getting worse, the weed’s power expands. It’s not one of those where it’s really bad from the first cliffhanger and then we just get different forms of peril.

The plotting is bobbins though. Lots of “Well this Doctor’s been right so far, so” going on to justify unevidenced assertions. Oak and Quill are quite fun. Love that calm, intellectual Harris has instantly gone to “Well, let’s just blow all this shit up”.

It’s sort of interesting that Victoria’s exit is trailed from early on, and we see her actually debating the reasons she wants to go rather than simply thinking, “F- this” in the last five minutes of the story.

Other thoughts - this is a sort of evolution of the base under siege form into the version we’ll see in the Pertwee years, isn’t it? Same basic model but with slightly more characterisation, more thought given to how the authorities will react, etc.

Also: oddly, with its damp elemental force taking people over, I think it’s an influence on The Waters of Mars.

Fury From the Deep, Episode 6

I sort of like the mental thing that a third of the episode is given over to the Doctor trying to fly a helicopter, even if it doesn’t make great radio. I also enjoyed the way we learn Van Lutyens has survived as a reported fact because they haven’t paid the actor but don’t want to harsh the vibe by saying he didn’t make it.

Also the meta joke that Victoria’s scream is the only thing that can kill the monster, and the indignity of this makes her think, “Screw this, I’m off”. She’s been one of the biggest surprises of this project: I was slightly dreading her stories but she’s actually quite fun, much less passive and much better acted than I expected. Her departure scenes are very nicely played.

Did Watling get sacked, then? [No, they didn’t renew her contract, but she wasn’t that bothered; this was apparently par for the course in 60s Who.]