The third serial of Jon Pertwee’s first season of Doctor Who is possibly the weakest. But does that make it a bad story? And why doesn’t it shine as brightly as other serials in this season?
With most of the serials from Jon Pertwee’s first season of Doctor Who, I can remember major details before re-watching them. This is partially because I’ve watched them so many times (this is especially true of both Spearhead from Space and Inferno), but it’s also because the stories really stand out.
For example, Doctor Who and the Silurians is a story that I hadn’t watched in years, but I could remember so much of it before watching it again last week. The first full appearance of a Silurian; the plague spreading across England; the story’s shocking ending. Generally speaking, the stories of Season 7 are extremely memorable.
Well, I say “generally speaking”. Three of the stories are absolute classics. One of which arguably isn’t, and that’s The Ambassadors of Death.
It’s not a terrible story, by any means. But it’s not very well plotted. There are some really great ideas here – ideas that should make the seven-part length work, if used correctly. The trouble is that this story doesn’t exactly do that.
The Ambassadors of Death suffers from issues of padding, but could’ve been a great story with its length if handled properly.
(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
Too many episodes, not enough answers
For example, for most of the first six episodes, you’re left wondering what exactly is going on. This does work well, at first. There’s a distinct feeling of a conspiracy thriller to the story, particularly when there’s a surprisingly large focus on all-too human villains.
But when the story is seven episodes long, it would help to get some answers along the way. We get a few, but not enough, and the story feels more dragged out than it should be. At least, for the first six episodes.
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But then we get to the final episode, where we find out who the real villain is. Now, there are two problems with this. The first is that the main villain of the piece is screamingly obvious from the first episode. The second is that it’s revealed far, far too late.
You see, the villain’s motivation in The Ambassadors of Death is actually interesting. Really interesting, in fact. It’s a motivation that should’ve been explored across the second half of Ambassadors, not in the final episode.
How it could have been stronger
What worked about The Silurians and Inferno is that you get a pretty good idea of what’s going on relatively early on. The tension comes from knowing what’s going to happen, and knowing that our hero is powerless to prevent it.
This very approach could have worked brilliantly for The Ambassadors of Death. The first three or four episodes could have been focused on telling a conspiracy thriller, while the final episodes focused on the main villain of the story and their dangerous plan. Unfortunately, the final twist comes far too late, leading to a climax that, after seven episodes, feels surprisingly rushed.
As a result, The Ambassadors of Death, while enjoyable at times, feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. There’s a great story that beautifully subverts the usual “alien invasion” trope, but it’s hidden, and not allowed to shine as brilliantly as it should do. The Ambassadors of Death is far from a terrible story, but forgettable, and in a season filled with incredibly strong stories, this is definitely the weakest.
What are your thoughts on The Ambassadors of Death? Do you think it’s underrated? Or do you think it was a bit of a missed opportunity? Let us know in the comments below.