The Sensorites

Dear Gary—

The Sensorites—how aptly named these creatures and this story is. The root word—sense—this story encompasses each definition: intelligence, meaning, and most importantly feeling. Of course, Gary, all Doctor Who stories deal with intelligence as this is one of the primary characteristics of the Doctor. However, this story begins to explore more aspects of the Doctor.

As our story begins, the Doctor sums up our group’s adventures to date and they all agree that not only have they traveled a great distance, but they have all grown personally as well. Building on Barbara’s question in The Aztecs--what is the point of their travel--the Doctor concludes that what started out as a mild curiosity in a junk yard has turned into quite a spirited adventure. Later, to the crew of the ship on which they have landed, our travelers seem to come from nowhere and are going nowhere—travel without a purpose. No, Barbara explains, their purpose is to ultimately get back to their own time and place, and in the meantime The Doctor leads and they follow. Susan adds, “Isn’t it better to travel hopefully than arrive?” They have put both meaning and feeling into their journey.

Also as our story begins, the Doctor makes two more statements about himself; statements that define him and yet that he treats with some flexibility as his character evolves. “I never make uninformed guesses,” and “I’ve learned never to meddle in other people’s affairs.” Taken together with previous declarations from previous stories (“Fear is with all of us and always will be—just like that other sensation that goes with it” (hope); “I never give advice;” “Always seek the truth—mine is amongst the stars;” “Rush to action is worse than no action at all;” “You need my knowledge and ability to apply it and experience to gain fullest results;” “One man’s law is another man’s crime;” “I serve the truth”) we begin to get a fuller picture of this complex hero of ours, and this story serves to round out his character even more.

To begin, the Doctor is at his curmudgeonly best. Perhaps it is because the Sensorites are so unthreatening, meek and mild that the Doctor feels he can bully them the way he does. And he does bully them. Of course they have stolen the lock of his TARDIS and driven a wedge between him and Susan, however unwittingly. I rather like these wizened little creatures, and the Doctor slowly comes round to them himself. His first motivation is his old one of self-preservation as he desires to restore the TARDIS. Later, however, he acts out of compassion as he works towards curing Ian (a contrast to earlier stories in which he is willing to leave Ian and Barbara behind and in which he threatens to put them off the ship). Next he is motivated by his standby curiosity in striving to solve the mystery of the poisoned water and the haunted aqueduct. (His spirits couldn’t be higher, the Doctor exclaims gleefully. “Collecting evidence circumstantial and otherwise; calculating it; pursuing it until its inevitable end. It’s fascinating.”) Finally he works to save the Sensorites from the rogue humans sabotaging their water and from the duplicitous City Administrator (although that, too, is for his own and his group’s good).

I know I have belittled Susan in the past, Gary, but in this story she comes alive. She shows a will of her own and a desire to break free of the stifling role of young obedient child. It is this desire which triggers two contrasting emotions in the Doctor: anger and tenderness. His anger he takes out on the poor Sensorites, his tenderness he shows towards Susan, his granddaughter, as he struggles to repair his relationship with her. The Sensorites have caused the two to quarrel for the first time in all their many years together, he claims as he hugs her lovingly to him. Susan has opinions of her own, she proclaims, and is tired of being pushed aside. “The sole purpose in growing old,” The Doctor advises her, “is to accumulate knowledge and wisdom, and to help other people.” Through this fleeting rebellion on the part of Susan, the Doctor is growing in his own way. His care and concern for Susan begins to evolve into a more open and willing nature towards others. (And I’d like to point out, Gary, that this advice of the Doctor encompasses our three definitions of intelligence, meaning, and feeling.)

Trust is another sense that is explored in The Senorites. The whole of the Sensorite society is based on a blind and mutual trust that they believe results in the impossibility of treason and secret plotting. Trust must be earned, our travelers urge the Sensorites. Blind trust will only bring about the downfall of their people. The ensuing story bears this out, as the City Administrator plots his treason and our adventurers and the Sensorites learn to rely on one another, building respect and trust through proven worth.

Just a few tidbits to wind things up, Gary. This story marks the first time our travelers land inside a spaceship. They find themselves in the 28^th Century, and we learn of 28^th Century Earth that there is too much air traffic, the whole lower half of England is called Central City (there hasn’t been a London for 400 years), and no one seems to know what Big Ben is. It would be interesting to make a Doctor Who timeline to see if all these tidbits are honored throughout the series.

In addition, this story finds the Doctor wielding a weapon, even though it has been secretly disabled. “I have never liked weapons at any time,” states the Doctor, but he goes on to qualify, “however they are handy little things.” William Hartnell’s Doctor, while not embracing arms, does see their use, unlike some of the more extremist Doctors of later years.  I’d like to point out, too, Gary, that the Doctor picked up a knife back in The Keys of Marinus, although he ultimately only used it to free Altos and Sabetha.

The Doctor does a little name dropping in this story as well, a character trait shared by all incarnations of our hero. At the beginning of the story the Doctor shares a brief encounter with Henry VIII in which the king threw a parson’s nose at him, and the Doctor in his turn threw it back, all as a clever ploy to get reunited with the TARDIS which was locked in The Tower. Later he casually mentions that Beau Brummell always said he looked better in a cloak. This does not mark the first time the Doctor drops a name (Gilbert and Sullivan) and most certainly is not the last. I’ll try to mention any as I come across them, Gary. It might be interesting to track all the Doctor has come in contact with that we never get to see.

Our last tidbit comes courtesy of Susan, who shares with us the fact that her home planet (we do not yet know it to be Gallifrey) although much like Earth, has a night sky that is burnt orange and the leaves on the trees are bright silver. She says she has not seen her home planet in ages, and she expresses to her grandfather her longing to see it again. The Doctor, in his evasive way, blames things on “this old ship of mine” that seems to be an aimless thing. However, he says, they needn’t worry about it . . . .

And so the adventures continue, Gary, and as ever I continue to listen . . . .