The Invasion

Dear Gary—

The Invasion would be long and boring if it weren’t so darned entertaining. This is another alien invasion of Earth with the Doctor aiding the military operation to stop it, rather reminiscent of The War Machines from Hartnell’s era. It is long at eight episodes (with two of the eight being reconstructed) and has lots of running around in cavernous factory compounds, sewers, and railway lines. It has the return of the Doctor’s old familiar enemy the Cybermen and the obligatory delusional human conspiring with the Cybermen in the false belief that he can control them.

Amidst this rather grim and plodding story, though, is an unexpected fun factor that only Doctor Who can provide.

I think I’ll start with the dynamic duo of Vaughn and Packer. Vaughn is the human villain of the piece, played brilliantly by Kevin Stoney who had taken an earlier turn at Doctor Who as the marvelously malevolent Mavic Chen in The Dalek’s Master Plan. In The Invasion as Vaughn he oozes evil that is blunted with an edge of inevitable futility; a futility that is personified by his sidekick Packer, whose incompetent cruelty is captured magnificently by Peter Halliday (who rather reminds me of Carl Reiner). These two are so desperate to gain power (Vaughn) and to cause harm (Packer), that their inexorable failures are laughable and a little touching.

This pair doesn’t have quite the same comic overtones as Rago and Toba did in The Dominators, neither is the comedy unintended, nor does it rise to camp. No, the humor of Vaughn and Packer is grounded in reality, a rather sad clown reality that is both hilarious and poignant.

"Yes, Packer,” Vaughn confirms, “our dear Doctor has outwitted you . . . oh then that wouldn’t be too difficult, would it?”  

No, Packer doesn’t have the brains to match the Doctor, but he never gives up. Despite continual defeats he still gets that crazed look in his eye as he contemplates new methods of brutality, and his frustration and disheveled appearance only grows with each newly thwarted attempt. But he keeps springing back up with fresh vigor. He is so earnest in his viciousness.

While Packer rushes about Vaughn remains calm. “Oh Packer,” he sighs, “you disappoint me.” Except then the calm breaks and Vaughn bursts forth with all the pent up anger in hysterical tirades. “You’re a stupid incompetent” he finally sputters as he begins to realize that his plans are falling apart. His frenzied diatribes are all the more effective for the oily charm and controlled confidence he exuded previously.

“My body may be cybernetic,” Vaughn states at one point, “but my mind stays human.” That is the key to Vaughn. His body is staid; calm; unemotional. But his mind churns with the constant irritations that finally come spewing forth in his harangues.

Vaughn and Packer are not the only bright spots in this story, though. The Invasion marks the return of Nicholas Courtney as Lethbridge-Stewart: “Brigadier now; I’ve gone up in the world.” And for the first time he reveals his connection to UNIT, an intelligence gathering taskforce for the United Nations. Corporal Benton makes his first appearance in this story as well, and there is another rather charming UNIT member by the name of Captain Turner who seems to have a thing for Isobel.

This brings us to Isobel. I understand the character was originally intended as a possible new companion for the Doctor which explains her prominence in the story. She never did make it into the TARDIS, but I’m glad she made it into the story. At eight episodes long, this story has plenty of room for multiple characters to shine. An independent woman of the 60’s, Isobel wields a camera and an attitude with a flourish. She is not just there to look pretty and scream.

Isobel and Zoe team up to start, providing a nice female camaraderie that is usually absent from the show. Tiring of the girl bonding fashion shoot, the two go off in search of the Doctor and Jamie and run up against Vaughn and Packer. Despite getting captured and carted off for an episode, the two don’t wilt under the threats of our villains but remain defiant. After they are rescued Isobel continues to contribute to the tale. Determined to get proof of the Cybermen invasion for the Brigadier, she and Zoe grab a camera and drag Jamie after them down into the sewers.

It’s not just the action that Isobel contributes to, though. Her character is given dimensions that would not be necessary for the plot, but provide layers of interest that enrich the show. I especially like the small detail of her never using paper to write things down on (paper can so easily get lost), but rather she uses her wall to scribble her notes. And when Turner asks her to dinner and she turns to him with an ingenuous, “Hey, are you stinking rich?” you just have to love this candid, breezy, plucky, brave personality that has been created.

Not to overlook Zoe, which I admit, Gary, I have done since her introduction to the show. The Invasion is a great showcase for Zoe. We get a new side to her as she sports a feather boa and mini skirt during her fashion shoot with Isobel, but we also get the brainy, brave side of her as well. When confronted with a computerized receptionist that refuses access and information, Zoe states, “I will not be beaten by this brainless tin box,” and proceeds to sabotage it with an insoluble problem. (Unlike the Doctor who simply decides to bypass the 'tin box': "I hate computers and refuse to be bullied by them.") Later she takes just 30 seconds to calculate a formula to destroy all of the Cybermen ships headed to Earth with the few missiles they have on hand. “Can’t we keep her on, Sir; she’s much prettier than a computer,” one of the men says as they celebrate the annihilation of the Cyber fleet.

And I still haven’t even mentioned the Doctor and Jamie. They always delight with their easy-going rapport, and in The Invasion they have lots of opportunities to entertain. As Zoe says, “If there’s trouble to be found, The Doctor and Jamie can’t miss it.” The Doctor and Jamie find plenty of trouble, and spend a good deal of time running and chasing, jumping guards, rescuing, and climbing ladders, all with their characteristic flair. Of course we also have Jamie’s requisite dig at the TARDIS: “What’s the matter with the TARDIS, Doctor; it keeps going wrong all the time.” And we have the Doctor having to explain things to the befuddled Jamie: "I’ve told you over and over again, Jamie, time is relative.”  Jamie’s delight over and the Doctor’s disgust with the transistor radio that Vaughn has given Jamie results in some classic comedy bits as well.

I’ve rather run on again, Gary. It was a long story and multi-layered, despite the rather mundane nature of the plot itself.

I’ll leave with a bit courtesy of the Brigadier: “You still making a nonsense of it, Doctor, in your—what was it called—TARDIS?”

Yes, I’ll leave with that, Gary, still making nonsense of it . . .