State of Decay |
BBC Underworld |
|
| Episodes | 4 |  |
| Story No# | 96 | |
| Production Code | 4Y | |
| Season | 15 | |
| Dates | Jan. 7, 1978 - Jan. 28, 1978 |
|
With Tom Baker, Louise Jameson,
and John Leeson as the voice of "K9". Written by Bob Baker and Dave Martin. Script-edited by Anthony Read. Directed by Norman Stewart. Produced by Graham Williams. |
| Synopsis: The Doctor reluctantly allies himself with a people once wronged by the Time Lords to recover their race banks after a tortuous journey. |
Tom Baker's missing story? by James Schiaffino 7/7/97
Underworld... Tom Baker's forgotten episode. Or at least it seems that way. No one ever seems to mention it anywhere, and it consistently fails to receive any votes for release on video in Doctor Who Magazine's surveys. Why is this? Certainly there can be no doubt that Underworld has its share of ugly moments. The infamous Who budget makes quite a showing here, with some of the most laughable special effects the Tom Baker years have seen. These go hand in hand with some pitiful plot devices, like the unimaginably unreal "pacifier" device used on Leela, who clearly is so good at acting like a savage that she doesn't remember how not to be violent. Tala's regeneration sequence is probably the only interesting visual in the whole story arc. (This was, in fact the only time in all the years of Doctor Who episodes that a female's regeneration was actually seen on camera -- Romana's was offscreen. Just a neat bit of trivia.)
However, certain elements of Underworld have particular merit. This is the only appearance of the Minyans in Doctor Who that I know of, a race that figures rather importantly in Time Lord history, as is explained in the episode. That alone lends some credibility to the story. The storyline itself also has some unique implications. What would it be like to have lived for 100,000 years in pursuit of a single objective, as Jackson and his crew have done? What would it feel like to have been alive for seemingly an eternity, for only one goal - the survival of your race? How would it feel to have finished, to have finally accomplished the task?
Clearly, Underworld has its share of embarrassing moments that are often cited as among the worst moments of Doctor Who. However, it does at least pose some intriguing philosophical implications, which make the story at least worth a look.
A Review by Stuart Gutteridge 30/6/99
It is fair to say that Underworld is not the most memorable Doctor Who story. Although it isn`t as bad as its reputation might suggest. The plot is perhaps Underworld`s greatest asset. Its roots lie in Greek mythology, this is most obvious from the similarities between names such as Herrick/Hercules and Jackson/Jason. The quest theme, whilst perhaps being a little too obvious, is none the less cleverly written.
The acting is also variable, with only Tom Baker, (particularly when confronting the Oracle) and James Maxwell really standing out. It is fortunate that Imogen Bickford-Smith, as Tala, was not cast as the next companion, as she ably proved here to be wooden at best.
Underworld also contains some nice ideas, using a pacifier on Leela, perhaps a precursor to her settling down in The Invasion Of Time, and Tala`s regeneration are effective. As is the first episode, the best of the four, with some passable effects. It is the effects also for which Underworld is best remembered; here the CSO kicks in and unfortunately it shows, all too often. Underworld isn`t a bad story, just an underrated one.
A Review by Nicholas Sims 11/3/02
Having just seen the video of Underworld, it has left me wondering why has this story obtained such a bad reputation. OK, the effects are a bit ropey, but quite a few effects are like that in most of the Dr Who episodes. The two robed guys in episode three with tin heads look quite amusing, but so does the "Dobbin" the fluffy rat in Talons, as well as the action man figures in Deadly and the gormless Magma-beast in Caves, plus not to mention the inflatable "pink" snake in Kinda. What is note-worthy about Underworld is the plot build up centred around the construction of planets in space for episode one and two – the asteroid's gravitational pull around the space ship is great. The spaceship is not quite on the level as the one in Trial but let's face it very few spaceship scenes have matched that one – if any. The "pacifier" was not half as horrendous as fans have been making out – I thought Louise's acting made it convincing, plus it came across as classic light humour.
It is a shame that there wasn't more budget to enable more imaginative concepts and visuals to be developed for the Underworld system; yet again it was a shame that the Wirrn grub didn't appear or act like the one in Ian Marter's book! However, for me the budget is a minor flaw in a plot that is far removed from the usual "lets invade Earth again!" or "I'm mad Doctor, stop me, or the jelly baby gets it!"
My main point is that none of the Dr Who episodes have been absolutely perfect – if you haven’t already seen Underworld or haven't seen it for a long time, view it again because I reckon you will be pleasantly surprised!
Some More Mr Nice Guy by Matthew Harris 1/5/02
Either I am the most forgiving Doctor Who fan in the seven galaxies, or I'm missing something. Terminus: detested by 80% of the community... except me. Revenge Of The Cybermen: reviled by 90% of the community... except me. Warriors Of The Deep: practically a swearword, but it has pride of place in my collection. And Underworld.
What a great idea was Underworld. And what a nearly-great serial it turned out to be. An episode setting Jason And The Argonauts in deep space, to the tiniest detail, with neat little anagrams and plays on words (P7E\Persephone, Jackson\Jason, Idmon\Idmon and so on). Instead of the tree at the end of the world, we have a planet with a tree-shaped cavern system at the end of the universe, with the P7E in place of the golden fleece.
Shame, then, that Mr Williams and Mr Read ran out of money well before making it and had to settle for CS (bloody) O instead of real caverns. Or that Imogen Bickford-Smith's older Tala looks like her younger Tala with polystyrene on her head. Or that you can't hear a blind word the Oracle says. Or that it doesn't quite, though it tries very hard, make a cohesive whole somehow. Still it's exciting, and incredibly watchable, and worth the wasted hour and a half or so.
In summary then (and not before time): Underworld is a neat piece of action unfortunately let down by the fact that the BBC couldn't even afford a hole in the ground. 7.5/10.
Over ambitious and weak by Tim Roll-Pickering 4/10/02
Underworld is a good example of how weak ideas can be dragged out far beyond their natural life and then further sunk by poor production values. The story has at its heart the quest for the Minyan race banks but the reasons for the quest are never made clear enough to justify the story. The story's roots in Greek mythology are all too clear, even before the Doctor compares Jackson to Jason, whilst the attempt to establish the Minyans as the Time Lords' great failure and thus a potential source of guilt completely fails since it makes little impact upon a roving wanderer such as the Doctor. The result is a mess of a story that quickly degenerates into an over-padded runabout that drags towards a lacklustre climax.
On the acting side there are few performances that stand out at all, with both the crew of the R1C and the Minyan survivors on the planet all giving performances that are at best forgettable and thus adding to the poor characterisation of the scripts. Even Tom Baker and Louise Jameson give less than their usual effort, perhaps indicating a weariness with the script. The one character that is used at all well is K9, since his creators are writing for him. The result is that K9 is actually used as a character and computer rather than as the mere mobile blaster he is reduced to in other stories such as The Sunmakers.
Production wise Underworld features cheap looking sets similar to several of its contemporaries, but what really scuppers the story is the excess use of CSO. Although the CSO backgrounds look a lot more convincing than many studio cave systems, the poor co-ordination that results in many actors being superimposed at the wrong level whilst the general CSO problems of lines around the edges of moving images and shadow being picked up all contribute to some very unconvincing scenes. Even the close-ups of characters look bad and the result is a major failing of the story. With today's digital technology it would be possible to produce far more convincing effects but even when compared to contemporary BBC efforts such as the other Doctor Who stories from this period or the early episodes of Blakes' 7, Underworld suffers immensely. Norman Stewart's direction is highly pedestrian at times and this merely adds to the disaster of the story. The script itself is poor, but the direction, design and effects all drag the story down even further. Ambition is fine but this story is far, far too ambitious and it shows. 1/10
Underwhelmed by Andrew Wixon 12/12/02
About 14 years ago DWM published an (for its time) unusual article entitled 25 Years of Turkeys, a cheerful rundown of the 10 worst TV stories up until that point. From memory, I seem to remember it featured The Chase, The Underwater Menace, The Horns of Nimon, a few others (none of which, I'm sure, were any worse than strange omissions such as The Time Monster, The Seeds of Death, Warriors of the Deep, Attack of the Cybermen, etc)... and Underworld.
This fact returned to me when I recently watched Underworld for the first time in nearly 25 years. When I buy a new tape, I prefer not to binge but to partake of its pleasures as nature intended, 25 minutes at a time (closer to 20 in this case), spread over a few days. And after episode 1 I thought, 'well, that wasn't great, but it's certainly not one of the all-time stinkers'. Famous last words - but episode 1 of Underworld has a lot going for it. The revelations of the past relationship between Gallifrey and Minyos promises the prospect of an entirely new perspective on the Time Lords and the Doctor. The unusual edge-of-the-universe setting and the eternal quest suggest a bleakly mythic tale is about to unfold. And the direction shows flashes of brilliance - especially in Jackson's weary speech as we see Tala placed in the regenerator.
It takes about ten minutes of episode 2 for this to all be forgotten and for this to turn into one of the most wretched fiascos in DW history. The main symptom is, of course, the CSO sets. Why, given the fact real sets weren't available, couldn't they have CSO'd the characters into more interesting backgrounds? The real crime here is not shortage of money but shortage of imagination. As it is the CSO prevents any suspension of disbelief, and severely hampers the director's options regarding camera angles and shot choices.
But this isn't a great script either. The Gallifrey-Minyos thing gets one - one! - mention after episode 1 and the Minyan argonauts - sorry, astronauts - are flatly written and performed. Only Herrick has any personality, mainly due to Alan Lake's Brian Blessed-ish performance. And the plot is so thin - capture. Escape. Run around caves. Lame plot device. Etc etc. And it has the worst lift music in the history of everything ever.
The concept of this as a knowing pastiche of Greek myths seems to be held up by the production as some kind of fig leaf, a defence that this isn't just a cheap, misconceived runaround, but a story with aspirations to be greater than that. Well, it just comes across as a pathetic excuse. The good stuff in the opening part must be some kind of fluke. 25 years on, this is still a terrible, terrible turkey.
The quest is the quest by Michael Hickerson 30/5/03
One of the good things about bad Who is that is really makes you appreciate good Who. And Underworld is one of those stories that, in most fans assessments, falls into the category of bad Who.
I'll admit that Underworld isn't even close to my top ten of all-time great Who. In fact, it's one of the last Tom Baker stories I saw (my PBS station skipped it in my first rotation through the Tom Baker years). To make up for missing it in my first run-through of Who, I read the novelization, which while not Earth shattering, painting some strong pictures in my head of how the story look, feel and sound once I finally got to see it on-screen. So, the first time I saw it, I was sort of looking forward to Underworld.
And to be honest, I've not really watched it much since that time I first saw it all those years ago. I've had it on tape for years, but it was more out of a sense of being an obsessive Who completist than an actual love of the story. There was very little danger of my wearing out the tape re-watching this one, as I would do with, let's say Curse of Fenric or Pyramids of Mars.
And so, Underworld languished in my memory as a rather pedestrian Who story. But something nagged at me -- perhaps I hadn't given it a fair shot. Maybe I should give it another chance. Then, the VHS release came along and, again, being a completist I snapped it up. Now, given that ever since WB took over the distribution of the videos, I've got at least half of my newly purchased Who vids that won't work, I came home, tore off the wrapper and put Underworld into the VCR. Thankfully, it worked and I didn't have to exchange it three times like I have some other Who vids I've got in the past couple of years. And since it worked, it was running and I wasn't feeling particularly well, I decided to give Underworld another viewing.
And for a few moments, I had some hope that maybe, just maybe it might impress me this time. Maybe this time it would rocket up my list from bad Who to good Who. Maybe time would help it out and make it a better story in my estimation.
Sadly, it didn't happen.
I'll go so far to say that Underworld isn't necessarily in the same realm that I consider The Gunfighters or The Web Planet. But neither is it in the realm of great Who like Pyramids of Mars.
For one thing, the visuals are a huge let down. There is never more apparent than when you view the story in the better quality VHS release. The overuse of CSO makes the entire thing looks so incredibly fake that it takes us out of whatever progress the story is trying to make on screen. Honestly, I know that Who has a limited budget, but I far prefer them actually building a cave set and trying to film it in new ways as was done in Caves of Androzani, than trying to convince us that this is actually a huge cave with lots of unique caverns done on CSO where it obviously looks extremely fake.
Also, you have to add to this a cast that is taking underacting to new depths. Everyone here seems bored -- especially Tom Baker, who seems to alternate between bored and embarrassed by the whole thing. The scene with the Doctor waving his scarf to dissipate the thick gas in the cave is just bad and you can tell that Tom thinks so during the scene. Seeing this story, it's easy to see why Louise Jameson got fed up with Leela and decided to leave. She is nothing more than a two-dimensional savage here, meant to be the butt of jokes when she's not being neutralized by the Minyans' "don't worry, be happy" gun. Add to it that the Minyans are all largely forgettable and that Imogen Bickford-Smith is in there to be eye-candy and little else (does she even have a line after episode one?) and you've got some pretty bad elements for a Who story.
And then, there's the script from the writing duo of Bob Baker and Dave Martin. When it comes to Baker and Martin, less is definitely more. And by this, I mean, the fewer episodes you ask them to write, the better it seems to be. Exhibit A: The Sontaran Experiment -- two episodes that are tightly written and may be their best Who offering. Exhibit B: The Mutants -- six episodes stuffed to the gills with padding and plot redundancy. Luckily Underworld is only four episodes, so the padding isn't too bad here. But the story isn't really that great. Cribbing the story of Jason and the Argonauts is not necessarily a good thing -- unless you tell it well. And they don't tell it well. Also, putting in the intentional winks at the audience in episode four as if to say -- golly, look at how clever we are! are a bit much. Baker and Martin have clearly run out of gas at this point and probably should have retired while they were ahead.
But for all that's wrong with the story, there are one or two things that are right. The concept of seeing why the Time Lords adopted their policy of non-intervention was a good idea, even if it's only brought up at convenient times. Then, the idea of a group of people who spend thousands of years in an obsessive quest (sort of like how I feel sometimes about trying to find lost Who episodes) is a good one. But the problem becomes that they get too content once the quest is done. I found myself wishing that we'd see what happens afterwards -- we spent a 1000 years looking for this thing and now we've got it. So, now what? Do we all go to DisneyWorld?
So, I've got to say that after viewing Underworld this time out, it's probably going to go back to where it was in my collection -- collecting dust for a few years until my memory of it fades a bit and I give it yet another chance. Until then, I think I'll work on wearing out my copy of Pyramids of Mars... at least until the Beeb sees fit to release that one on DVD, that is.
A Review by Brett Walther 14/1/04
Forget the notion that Underworld was based on a brilliant premise, spoiled only by inappropriate production... Forget adjusting the colour on your TV in the belief that it looks better in black and white... Don't bother looking for any subtext or subtle nuances that you feel you may have missed as you dozed off the first time you watched it...
Ladies and gentlemen, Underworld is really and truly as bad as it seems.
The peg upon which Underworld apologists build their case in defense of this drivel is invariably the backdrop to the story, involving the Time Lords' interference on the planet Minyos. Although by this point in the series we're already well-aware that the Time Lords aren't the omnipotent beings that can do no wrong, Underworld takes this portrayal further with the Minyan storyline, and although it pains me to say it, the premise actually works.
However -- and this is a big however -- this premise is revealed within the first ten minutes of the serial courtesy of some incredibly boring exposition from the Doctor. Instead of meeting the crew of the R1C and having their full origins emerge tantalizingly piece by piece, thus keeping the Minyan/Time Lord back-story a mystery that unravels over the course of the four episodes, Bob Baker and Dave Martin give it away right off the bat, and the enormous potential of Underworld's single redeeming feature goes up like a pair of fission grenades.
Strangely, other concepts that could easily have been elaborated upon are completely ignored. What exactly are the Race Banks that the Minyans are so desperate to retrieve? We find out that the Trogs -- who are descendants of the Minyans themselves -- have the ability to reproduce, so the Race Bank can't be vitally important to the continuation of the Minyan race. Seeing as how Baker and Martin seem to have found dialogue particularly difficult to create for Underworld (even the Doctor doesn't get much to say, which has got to be a first for the Baker era!), the omission of even the most basic explanations for plot elements like these are unforgivable.
Speaking of which, what the heck was the Oracle? It had a pretty decent voice, reminiscent of the creepy Animus in The Web Planet, but as a villain, we don't ever get a hint of why it even exists. Is it the P7E's ship computer gone mad? If so, why not introduce us to a ship computer on board the R1C to counterpoint? Why is it insane in the first place? Why does it have spare copies of the Race Banks, come to think of it, when there was really no reason for the Oracle to expect any other being in the universe to know of their existance? And who (or what) are the Seers? (Maybe the Seers themselves explained their origins at some point or other and I missed it -- their dialogue is largely unintelligible!)
Not only does Underworld fail to make sense in many ways, it's also unbearably dull. Part Two of Underworld is probably the single most boring episode of Doctor Who I've ever seen. Absolutely nothing happens for twenty minutes -- it's thankfully that short of an episode, I might add. People wander about aimlessly through unconvincing tunnels for those twenty minutes, rarely speaking and certainly not getting any closer to advancing the storyline. The cliffhanger evoked a smile, however. Actually, it was more of a grimace. It's bizarre, isn't it? Here's the Doctor twirling about the smoke-filled caves, coming to rest at what's presumably a control box for the fumigation system. (We don't know, because this is one of the many sequences that are directed as though it's a silent film.) Then, the Doctor appears to fiddle about with the control box, but we're not allowed to see what he's up to, because for some reason the director has employed a long shot. And then, as the Doctor's standing there stooped over working on the controls... the episode ends! I was stunned at the monumental incompetence of this "cliffhanger". The lack of tension at this moment makes the sudden appearance of the closing credits truly surreal...
It doesn't help things that the season fifteen pairing of the Fourth Doctor and Leela is pretty disastrous. It's obvious that Tom Baker positively loathed the character of Leela, as he's fairly venomous in his treatment of her, telling her to "shut up" and introducing her to the Minyans as a "savage primitive". Although the line about Leela being a savage was no doubt in the script, the "shut up" comment sounds more like Baker improvising, 'cos it's quite out of character for the Doctor to have such little patience with his travelling companions. Frankly, it jars.
The characterization of the Minyan space crew is equally disappointing. Apart from Tala's regeneration scene and a few cobwebs in the storeroom in which the TARDIS materializes, there's very little to suggest that this Quest was begun 100,000 years ago. Both the performances and the dialogue fail to convey the sense of weariness among the Minyans that would be inevitable after such an insanely long voyage. Jackson, Orfe, Tala and Herrick have been on the same ship for 100,000 years for heaven's sake -- I would have expected them to be borderline insane (or at least insanely sick of each other's company) by the time the Doctor and Leela arrive. Instead, they're just bland. The only one who isn't bland is Imogen Bickford-Smith as Tala, who is completely atrocious. I broke down at her complete non-reaction to the scene in which Herrick triumphantly declares "The Quest is over!" while brandishing the Race Bank cylinders. This woman just stands there as impassive as a plank, despite the fact that this Quest has been her raison d'etre for 100,000 years! Can you imagine the nightmare scenario of this woman taking over as Leela's replacement on board the TARDIS as the production team was considering at the time? Now that's scary.
If there's anything nice to say about Underworld, it would have to be the costume design. The grey pantsuits worn by the Guards are pretty cool (aside from the executioner's hoods with the eyelets serving as mouth holes, nose holes and eye holes!), and the wide pantleg design ensures that the Guards are the only ones whose legs don't disappear during the interminable chase scenes through the CSO tunnels. (Skinny-legged Idas in particular loses his legs below the knee throughout the adventure.) Come to think of it, the shield guns used by the Minyans are smashing too, aided by the interesting burbling sound effect they make when fired.
You can tell I'm digging for something positive to say about a Doctor Who story when I mention the sound effects...
1/10
A Review by Brian May 8/3/04
Underworld has some terrific space models, and the plot has an interesting premise, based on various tales of Greek mythology.
Unfortunately, that's all I can say that's good about this story. So, if this is your all-time favourite Doctor Who adventure, stop reading now. I know it has received a critical pasting from the bulk of fandom, so upon watching it I'm always a little more willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps, underneath the obvious flaws, this actually is a decent yarn.
Alas, no.
I can't even say it's a case of a good script let down by poor realisation because, while the idea of a science-fiction adventure based on various Greek myths is sound, the actual realisation of Underworld as a story fails. It's badly written and does no justice to its source material. I know it's not intended to be an authoritative text on the subject, but nevertheless it's pretty flat.
I suppose I should accentuate the positives, as the song goes. The opening shot of the Minyan vessel flying through space is excellent - as are all the model shots. They are superb, bringing to mind the high standards of modelwork that graced The Space Pirates, The Ambassadors of Death and Frontier in Space. The interior of the Minyan ship is quite well realised also; it's given an authentically dilapidated look, although the lounge chairs situated at the flight controls seem rather too impractical (and, unfortunately, a bit too seventies).
But the entire story just feels inconsequential, not helped by the uninspired casting. Apart from James Maxwell as Jackson, who convincingly brings to life the Minyan commander's determination and universe-weariness, and the underused character of Orfe (Jonathan Newth), the acting is all a bit amateur and rather hammy. The scene where Idmon is speaking to his fellow Trogs after the skyfall is one such case: he sounds more like one of those loonies you find at Speaker's Corner. The guards and Seers are totally bland (the voices of the latter carry no conviction or menace whatsoever). Even Tom Baker is less than impressive, gliding along in cruise control for the majority of this adventure.
The treatment of Leela is another detrimental factor, but this is not the fault of Louise Jameson. She gives her best, but the writing lets her down enormously. She is made out to be stupid and childish. Her pacification, which makes her practically fall in love with Orfe, and her sulking reaction when she realises what's been done to her is demeaning. This isn't Leela! Tom Baker's distaste for the character is evident here - note how he snaps at her while attending to Idas's foot; and how he practically orders her to accompany him to confront the Oracle after she says she will stay and fight. Given her character, helping the Minyans and the enslaved Trogs is the best thing she could do. She certainly doesn't play any significant part as the Doctor faces off with the mad computer.
Now for the direction. I was surprised, in fact, to learn that there actually was somebody credited as director for this story! Norman Stewart is the alleged man's name. Was he ever present? Perhaps not, given how this tale sprawls and idles. Hey, wasn't this guy just a production assistant a few stories ago (The Invisible Enemy)? Surely that's a giant leap in such a short time?!? Part one is completely unrivetting - nothing happens! Look at the cliffhangers. Three potentially exciting, nail-biting scenarios become boring, flat non-moments, with no sense of drama or tension. Watch the climax to part one, with the meteorites surrounding the ship. Although it's an impressive model, we've just seen the same shot about four times. Wouldn't it have been better to make the ending when the ship plunges into the surface of the planet? It's just as visually stunning, but a lot more exciting. Why not just cut out Leela's sulking and pouting and being everything a few minutes back? For episode two, the audience has been overcome by boredom long before the Doctor is overcome by the gas. From a visual and timing perspective, episode three's rock crusher incident is virtually incomprehensible.
Overall, the story looks cheap and tacky. From the bulldog clips that link K9 to the ship, to the weird and somewhat ridiculous jumping bean heads of the Seers. The awful shots of the Doctor, Leela and Idas floating down the shaft, accompanied by ridiculous muzak (it's not Dudley Simpson's finest hour, either). And of course, the CSO. I know the story went over-budget on the spaceship sets, and the superimposed caves are not as poor as their reputation suggests, but it's pretty embarrassing seeing it in every underground scene. I wouldn't have minded slightly crappier ships if we could have seen at least a few semi-realistic cave walls. Revenge of the Cybermen is another Tom Baker tale highly reviled by Who fans, but at least it has real caves. I'd rather watch that than this any day of the week!
The tackiness is also evident in the script. "Made in Minyos" on an item in the spaceship? The guards search for the Doctor and Leela, who are hiding inside the mining cart, not three feet away from them. Do they look under the cover? No, they just say "They must have doubled back!" (This incident is slightly more forgivable - it's no different from other "bumbling guards in pursuit" incidents, but this story needs all the help it can get!) The name Jackson is rather human for someone who belongs to a race that's a hundred thousand years old. The Oracle itself is unimpressive. It instils no awe, no fear; it's built up so much and the confrontation with it is rather an anticlimax. The Face of Evil treated the megalomaniac computer so much better. Finally, apart from one wonderful line - Leela's "Do not worry, he has saved many fathers!" - the dialogue is totally forgettable. Tom Baker's penchant for flippancy over genuine humour is also beginning to show.
Not the best piece of Who I've seen. 2/10
A Review by Laurence Manning 26/8/05
Underworld... not really a classic, is it? I only saw it recently, but I'd heard rumors of crappy CSO work, bad scripts, poor acting and an idiotic plot. It's fair to say I wasn't looking forward to it, yet it far exceeded my expectations. Underworld, while not a great story, isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be. It's a reasonable, enjoyable story with only one bad episode.
So let's start at the root of the problem - the CSO. Episodes 2, 3 and 4 all have extensive scenes set in caves and due to the fact that the budget had run out, they had to use models and superimpose the actors, rocks... well, everything but dirt and mud into the picture. I won't delude you here; it looks like crap, but let's remember an important point: we're Doctor Who fans. Since when have we wanted excellent, convincing special effects?
Now when I say they're crap effects, I'm not saying they are the worst ever. The Green Death has far worse CSO (although admittedly, less of it). The main problem with the Underworld CSO is the actor's interaction with it. They hover above the ground; they walk through rocks, etc. It all ends up looking artificial and messy. But that's enough about CSO - we can look past that. Onto the plot - which isn't bad at all. It involves the last survivors of the Minyan race - a race once (effectively) destroyed by the Time Lords - searching for their lost race bank, which in turn leads them to a newly formed planet. It's a good, solid, sci-fi plot (with silly science, but I care not). The only letdown is the villain, The Oracle. You mean ANOTHER megalomaniacal computer? That's WOTAN, BOSS, Xoanon and more that have slipped my mind.
Anyhow, the first episode of this story is brilliant - it's entirely set on the decaying, run down Minyan spacecraft. This ship, and crew, has survived for thousands of years through artificial regeneration and they are worn down to the point of breaking, even to the point where one member of the crew tries to kill herself (and interestingly enough leads to the only onscreen female regeneration of the entire series). They are hostile towards the Doctor and Leela when they identify him as a Time Lord, but he eventually helps them to find the general location of the race banks - in fact a planet that has formed around the ship carrying them.
The first episode is great, and the best of the story. Unfortunately, episode two is stupid, as absolutely nothing happens save walking around and getting confused. Episodes three and four, luckily, improve matters, even if four is a bit dodgy. The sacrifice scenes are well done, as well as a few battles, but there are very lame bits thrown in too - that bloody muzak on the elevator!
The Doctor and Leela are great together in this story, and there are some great moments - especially the recurring theme of Leela backing up whatever the Doctor says. K9 also works well here, even though he is hovering over the corridors in a humorous way.
But add all of this together and you have an enjoyable story. Sure, the scientific principles behind it are complete bollocks, but that hardly matters. Underworld isn't a great story, but it surely doesn't deserve the flack it receives.
A Review by Harry O'Driscoll 1/6/09
Underworld is usually regarded as one of Tom Baker's worst and it not difficult to see why. A measly budget, drab plot and rubbish villain does not a good episode make unfortunately.
The whole story is essentially based upon the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts. Not a bad idea, but sadly it fails to grab your enthusiasm. After a good first episode, it all just goes dull and I found myself losing track of the plot.
The Oracle as well is one of its major flaws. Of all the megalomaniac computers the Doctor has faced, this one is the worst. It fails to come across as anything other than another mad computer (the Doctor even says this himself!), and sadly the seers are not much better. There is nothing different or interesting about the Oracle and sadly it makes little impact.
The acting is satisfactory but not exceptional, the sets are good and convincing... which brings me to the CSO. The use of CSO is bold, but it just all looks dark and flat, not that it is unconvincing.
But Underworld is not all bad. The idea of a planet forming around a spaceship is clever (but the idea of zero gravity in the centre is just tripe). The first episode is good and sets the layout well. The plot, although boring, is consistent and solid.
All in all, Underworld despite having a decent script fails to grab any attention, but it not nearly as bad as its reputation.