When it’s good, it’s really, really good
Although ‘Kinda’ and ‘The Visitation’ have their merits, the saving grace of Davison’s first season is the dramatic return of the Cybermen in ‘Earthshock’. The monsters have been thoroughly redesigned and look incredible. David Banks is so good as the Cyber Leader that he would retain the part throughout the 1980s, and he quickly develops a solid rapport with his Lieutenant, played by Mark Hardy. What’s more, the Peter Grimwade-directed outing is fast-paced. There’s a bit of grit and heft to it, and Eric Saward submits the first of his scripts that show his taste for violent and high-octane storytelling. I even enjoy Beryl Reid’s slightly dotty performance as a grizzled old space captain. Nobody can say she wasn’t game. “What’s the deday (sic)?” and “Come on, lad,” are common catchphrases among the Menagerie. Later on, Saward would try to repeat his success with ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’, another fast-paced story with a high body count. Although not quite as good as ‘Earthshock’, Davison’s Dalek story is really not bad… Honestly…
