Doctor Who (TV Series) The Caves of Androzani: Part One (1984) User Reviews

The Doctor's Most DESPERATE Adventure!

[profh-1 · 9/10 · 5 February 2010]

Cross the series's most blood-thirsty, murder-crazed story editor (Eric Saward) with his hero, the series' most BRILLIANT writer (Robert Holmes), and you get an incredibly dense, complex, intelligent, horrifying, and unbelievably violent MASTERPIECE.

I hated this story the 1st time I saw it. There, I've said it! It was just TOO dreary, TOO downbeat, TOO nasty to tolerate, and TOO hopeless for the main characters. But then I saw it again... and unlike, say, GENESIS OF THE DALEKS, which gets worse each time I see it, THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI gets better. The 3rd time out, I was floored. The story structure is positively amazing, the way so many elements are inter-woven and slowly revealed as the plot develops and progresses. This is no "mere" violence-spree where characters are killed just to satisfy a writer (or story editor) with nothing better to do or nothing to say. I'd say this story makes WARRIORS OF THE DEEP, Resurrection OF THE DALEKS and ATTACK OF THE CYBERMEN look like amateurish kiddie shows by comparison.

The "nice guy" Doctor and his unusually large-breasted sidekick stumble into a war where the motivations are far more complicated and devious than seemingly anyone involved understands. Except, perhaps, for the villain-- and it takes a bit of time to realize just WHICH kill-crazy character qualifies as the "real" baddie. There's the army general, who's just following orders, even when it's executing prisoners he suspects are innocent. There's the mercenary gun-runners, who kill anyone in their way on the path to earning their money. There's the twisted, deformed genius with the army of killer androids who holds virtually an entire civilization's future for ransom just so he can get his hands on the former business partner who ALMOST murdered him and left him burnt so badly even he can't stand to look at himself. And then there's his former business partner... a corporation CEO whose list of crimes against humanity keeps growing almost with every scene in the story. If ever The Doctor was mis-matched, this is it!

On top of that, the story is presented with such visual STYLE that one might almost mistake it for a feature film (if not for the videotape). Even before checking the IMDb listing, I just KNEW this had to be the work of the same director who did WARRIORS' GATE-- and I was right. Now I find Graeme Harper has also been working on the revival series and its spin-offs. (Is he the only one, I wonder?) It's no wonder this story is held in such high esteem by WHO fans.

Incidentally, I've come to feel Holmes' story was a sci-fi allegory for the Viet Nam war-- or any war that goes on and on only as long as it does because someone's making a HELL of a lot of money out of it.

Davison's Doctor, who never quite lived up to the idea of "an old man trapped in a young body", for most of this season at least did remind me in a lot of places of Patrick Troughton. This is pointed up in a great scene where Sharez Jek tells him, "You speak like a jackanapes-- but your EYES tell a DIFFERENT picture." No kidding! Davison really got better as he went.

Eric Saward once admitted he didn't respect the character of The Doctor, and Peter Davison's entire 3rd season seems his way of "proving" that the 5th Doctor was out of place and ineffective in a universe growing increasingly violent. Not only is ANDROZANI one of the most violent stories in WHO history, it also takes Davison's Doctor and Peri 4 whole episodes to DIE. Well, almost. She's saved at the very last moment... and he, well, he turns into Colin Baker. What a SHOCK that must have been (well, for any fans who hadn't heard about it in advance.)

The show's US distributor screwed up, big-time, when they "held back" the next story for an entire year. Don't be fooled-- this WASN'T the season finale! John Nathan Turner & Eric Saward structured season 21 the way it was for a reason... and I'm looking forward very much to sitting thru THE TWIN DILLEMMA next. It may not have been the greatest WHO story, but after everything else in season 21, it was a welcome relief!

"You have the mouth of a prattling jackanapes."

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 5 December 2018]

In my opinion, and the opinion of many other fans, this story is one of the best of all time. The Caves of Androzani gives the 5th Doctor the very finest send off possible and Peter Davison not only is brilliant in this story he is given superb material to demonstrate the full potential of his Doctor. Robert Holmes contributed so much of the best work on Doctor Who both as writer of many great stories and script editor overseeing the greatest era of the show in Tom Baker's first few seasons. Here he has written another immaculate script and excellent plot. The intelligence and quality of the dialogue is as good as it gets and the dark, gritty story full of action but also deeper themes makes for an adventure that is thoroughly impressive and absorbing.

The Doctor and Peri get caught up in a 3 way battle of intrigue, violence and greed where different factions seek to exploit the mining of a hugely valuable elixir of youth. Meanwhile both Peri and The Doctor suffer poisoning which leaves them facing death unless an antidote can be found.

As well as Peter Davison on top form this boasts an entire cast providing top notch performances. Christopher Gable as Sharaz Jek creates one of the finest villains in the history of Who. He is cunning, clever, has a wonderful way with words and has great menace. In addition, the character has depth in how he shows the trauma he has suffered and how it drives him to insanity. John Normington is also perfect as ruthless leader Morgus and other characters are all spot on. I am not a fan of Nicola Bryant as Peri but this story and the material provided gloss over any weakness in that role.

The only element which is not as well realised on screen as it could be is the Magma Beast which is not very good but does not detract from overall quality. The rest of the effects, set and production values are top Doctor Who standard.

Simply phenomenal. 10/10

A tale of two planets

[dkncd · 10/10 · 25 November 2007]

"The Caves of Androzani" is a "Doctor Who" serial featuring Peter Davison as the Doctor. The story concerns two neighboring planets, Androzani Minor and Androzani Major. Major is a center of governmental operations, but Minor contains a valuable resource. On Minor there is a war between government and resistance resources that is at a lingering stalemate. The situation is altered when the Doctor and companion Peri land in the TARDIS on Minor.

Peter Davison is in top form as the Doctor, playing the character as knowledgeable with occasional touches of sarcasm. Admittedly I always thought Peri was never an especially good companion for the Doctor. She gets better as the serial progresses, but too often whines, screams or squeals. I would say that her character is the only major detractor of the serial. John Normington is memorable as the cold, brooding capitalist that pulls the strings on Androzani Major. Christopher Gable is also notable as the enigmatic resistance leader Sharaz Jek, a masked character surely inspired by the Phantom of the Opera.

The sets for the dark caves of Androzani are well-made and the effects for space travel are amazingly seamless. The serial has many elements that make it an excellent one: political machinations, gunrunners, androids, minor military conflicts, duplicity, ambiguity and plot twists. Even the brief appearances by a rubber monster that terrorizes random British actors are decent. This is definitely a serial worth seeing for those that enjoy serials from the Peter Davison years.

An excellent finale for the FIFTH DOCTOR!!!

[lordzavulon666 · 10/10 · 26 July 2007]

The Caves of Androzani is definitely one of the most intriguing and thrilling classic DW stories.

The story is set around the Doctor and his new companion Peri Brown (whom debuted in the previous story, PLANET OF FIRE), arriving on the planet of Androzani Minor. The duo venture deep beneath the caverns of Androzani where they are immediately dragged into an underground war between the army of Androzani Major (Androzani's twin planet) and the renegade forces of Sharez Jek and his android army. The Doctor and Peri are taken for gunrunners, supplying weapons for Jek, as the real gunrunners are trying to make good on their dealings with Jek. While the Doctor and Peri plead their innocence, they discover that the war revolves around Spectox, the greatest substance in the universe. When raw spectox is refined, it is a turned into a life-sustenance drug to keep humanity living on for a younger and longer lifetime. But to the Doctor and Peri's dismay, it is also the deadliest substance when in its raw form. The Doctor and Peri earlier came in contact with a Spectrox nest where they have immediately become infected a horrifying disease known as "Spectrox Toxaemia".

Meanwhile, Sharez Jek is planning his ultimate revenge against his hated nemesis, Morgus. But unknown to Jek, Morgus is also planning Jek's demise as he uses the gunrunners who supplied Jek's weapons to bring his enemy down. As the war escalates into betrayal, political intrigue, and ultimately greed, the Doctor struggles to stay alive long enough to save himself and Peri from not only the disease that's killing them, but also the forces that are after his life.

This story is so top-notch. The actors, the sets, and the performances are amazing. Though, dated the production is, the story itself is definitely gritty, atmospheric, and not to mention, the last story of Peter Davison's period as the Fifth Doctor. Director Graeme Harper has to be one of the best directors of the series. His energetic and eye for drama and action is what makes the story so great. After watching his directed-episodes for the revived series of Doctor Who, it is no wonder why he is considered the best director of the series.

The Caves of Androzani is all and all the best story of the Davison years. And also holds one of the greatest regeneration scenes featuring all his companions and his enemy, the Master, to send him off into the next incarnation.

The Last Masterpiece From The Classic Era

[Theo Robertson · 10/10 · 31 January 2014]

Refers To All Four Episodes . Spoilers

Arriving on the Planet Androzani Minor The Doctor and Peri find a conflict taking place . Forces from Androzani Major try to defeat the android army of Shrez Jak who controls the raw material of spectrox which can be distilled in to an elixir of life . It is not long before the two time travellers are captured and accused of being gun runners and face execution

After a long absence of several years the highly regarded writer Robert Holmes returns to the show . I've always thought Holmes was over rated and derivative . Androzani confirms this because we've got is yet another story where the Doctor and his companion spend the entire running time getting captured , being accused of something , getting locked up , escaping getting caught etc etc in a subplot borrowed ie ripped off from THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA . On the written page it's very average action packed stuff and yet it nearly always wins the superlative accolade of the greatest story from the classic era of the show . It's definitely style over substance but what style

Director Grame Harper deserves the lions share of credit for this . Sometimes actors come in to the show and treat DOCTOR WHO as if its some childish pantomime which ironically is was it became in the latter years . Harper comes in with the attitude that he's Sam Peckinpah at his most extreme and gives bleak , nihilistic action adventure . Everything about the visual style of this story sticks out and lifts it in to the stratosphere of great television . Notice the occasional use of hand held cameras which while never giving the story a cinema verite feel does add an air of gritty realism . The editing is quickly cut to which adds an impact to a number of scenes such as the Doctor being shot towards the end of episode two . Harper also brings some striking flourishes such as the scene where Jek faces camera in episode three where the audience are fooled in to thinking they're watching The Doctor's POV only to have the rug pulled out from under their feet as he swings his head to his right . Perhaps best of all troopers still use projectile weapons that are loud and convincing . Imagine how silly things would be with ray guns shooting lazar beams

Harper also casts very well . JNT did like to cast well known faces and there's a handful of them here but anyone thinking they're going to be enjoying themselves in a camp children's' series is in for a rude surprise . Here everyone gives the impression they're appearing in a tough drama and this is communicated to the audience . Christopher Gable shines as one of the most memorable one off villains as Sharez Jek made more remarkable because the performance is confined to voice and body language . John Normington resists any temptation to make Morgus a political parody but for me best performance goes to Maurice Roeves as Stotz who might be written as a one dimensional thug but does manage to convincingly portray an amoral violent psychopath almost too convincingly

Despite the criticism that the story is mainly a superior type of runaround Holmes does bring a cerebral subtext to the script . Let's be honest if this was produced in 2014 we'd instantly jump to the conclusion this is about contemporary narco-terrorism whether it be in the jungles of South America or the mountains of Afghanistan . This is because that's what the story is about . The inhabitants of Androzani Major are inadvertently supporting an insurrection on Androzani Minor by buying a drug . You think this is children's television ? Think again . . It also contains some bitter ironies such as Salateen's famous last words

Greatest story ever from the era 1963-1989 ? How does one compare this story with the first Dalek story ? How does one compare The Dalek Invasion Of earth with Kinda , or the original Silurian drama with The Seeds of Doom , or Inferno with Genesis Of The Daleks . The honest answer is you can't and perhaps it's best not to compare stories from different eras . What is certain is The Caves Of Androzani is the last undisputed masterpiece the classic era gave us and from here the show went rapidly downhill

A Great Send-Off for the Fifth Doctor

[JamesHitchcock · 26 May 2017]

The Doctor and Peri land on the desert planet Androzani Minor, and find themselves in the middle of a war. The planet is the only source of the drug spectrox, much in demand on neighbouring Androzani Major because of its power to extend the human lifespan. (This storyline owes something to Frank Herbert's novel "Dune", also set on a desert planet which produced a life-extending drug). A war is being fought between the government of Androzani Major and an army led by a mysterious masked figure named Sharaz Jek. Trau Morgus, the head of the spectrox mining corporation seems to be playing both sides against the middle in order to boost his profits.

This serial marked Peter Davison's last regular appearance as the Fifth Doctor, and the first appearance of Colin Baker in the final scene, although Davison said that if he had had more scripts as good as this one he would have stayed on longer in the role. I can understand his enthusiasm, because "The Caves of Androzani" is one of the best "Doctor Who" stories of the eighties. Its one drawback arises from the series proverbially miserly budget, as the producers never had enough resources at their disposal to make the battle scenes at all convincing. With that exception, however, this is an excellent serial. The script was written by "Doctor Who" veteran Robert Holmes, and as in some of Holmes's other efforts such as "The Sunmakers" the story has a political edge. In the course of their misadventures the Doctor and Peri are captured by both Jek and General Chellak, commander of the government forces, but neither Jek nor Chellak is the real villain of the story. The greatest danger writer comes from the treacherous Morgus, the sort of ruthless capitalist whose only thought is for how he can turn any situation to his financial advantage. (This was Holmes's first script for the series since 1978; John Nathan-Turner, its then producer, preferred to attract new talent).

Davison is on his best form here, and the final regeneration scene, in which the Doctor sacrifices his life to save Peri, is a moving one. (Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. There were often religious overtones as well as political ones in "Doctor Who", and they are particularly strong here). There are also good performances by some of the supporting cast, notably John Normington as Morgus and former ballet dancer Christopher Gable as Jek. (Nathan-Turner had previously considered casting a famous rock star such as David Bowie or Mick Jagger in the role).

As I said, "The Caves of Androzani" is an excellent serial, but it is one about which I have mixed feelings, precisely because it did mark the end of the Davison era. The youthful, boyishly idealistic but somehow vulnerable and occasionally fallible Fifth was the last of the "classic" Doctors with whom I was entirely happy. The decline of the series in the second half of the eighties cannot all be blamed upon Colin Baker; he was handicapped by some weak scripts and by the programme-makers' eccentric idea of what the Sixth Doctor's personality should be. About Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor, the less said the better. At least the Fifth got a good send-off.

Davison goes out with a bang

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 10 April 2015]

Review of the Complete Story:

THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI was the final Dr Who outing for Peter Davison, and I can't say I was sorry to see him go. Davison was a nice enough chap but as a whole his adventures were rather lacklustre and today feel more dated than the earlier ones with Pertwee and Baker. Still, at least he went out on a high, as this is one of his better outings. It's full of atmosphere at the very least.

The storyline sees the Doctor and Peri (who thankfully spends most of the running time either off-screen or knocked out) landing on a mining planet where they discover a sinister figure known as Sharaz Jek is pulling the strings behind the scenes and provoking a war between rival human factions. Inevitably the Doctor is drawn into the mess, with Davison being put through his paces more than anywhere else.

THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI has plenty of stuff to keep it moving, even if the token presence of androids and monsters seems to be thrown in to keep the kids or sci-fi fans occupied. That the villain manages to be imposing while looking like the gimp from PULP FICTION is no mean feat, and Davison gives his best performance as a man on the edge. It's a little dark and dreary overall, but I don't think that's a bad thing; it helps to make CAVES a memorable adventure.

Oh man!

[wetmars · 6/10 · 28 March 2020]

The Doctor and Peri get involved with drug running after landing on the twin planet of Androzani Minor and getting arrested as gun runners and targeted for execution. Not before Peri stumbles into some highly toxic and lethal plant life.

This episode was a meh but I don't wanna see the fifth doctor go.. :^(