Vengeance of the Stones.

1 episode. Approx. 67 minutes. Written by: Andrew Smith. Directed by: John Ainsworth. Produced by: John Ainsworth. Performed by: Richard Franklin, Trevor Littledale.


THE PLOT

When an RAF fighter jet disappears while on a training run over North East Scotland, UNIT is called to investigate. The Doctor and the Brigadier arrive at the RAF base and are met by Lieutenant Mike Yates (Richard Franklin), a very pleasant and professional military officer who grew up in the area.

The pilot of the missing plane turns up, running like a madman toward a stone circle in the countryside. One of many, Mike tells them. When the pilot is killed by an unseen force after touching the "recumbent stone," the flat-laying stone within the circle, UNIT's suspicions of alien involvement are confirmed.

The aliens are from the planet Faris. Their leader, Garlan (Trevor Littledale), explains that they are a group of scientists who came to this region of Earth 4,000 years ago to gather information. But they were attacked by a primitive human tribe. Several of them were killed, and the rest went into hibernation within the stones to recover. Now they have been awakened... and even with Mike and the Doctor attempting to reason with them, the Farins intend to seek revenge on the entire human race!


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: It doesn't take long for him to decide he absolutely must recreate the original flight. He dons a flight suit, boards a fighter, and goes for a ride. How perfectly in keeping with the gadget-loving Third Doctor to not miss a chance to play jet pilot. Though I have issues with the script's treatment of Garlan (more on that later), I have no problems with the Third Doctor's empathy for him. He sees much of his own situation in the alien: Cut off from his own kind, alone on a world full of humans, with no prospect of a return to the life he once knew. This empathy does not stop him from battling the Farins, though. He may identify with them, but he won't sanction mass murder.

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart: Though his argument with the Doctor over his assault on the Farins echoes the situation in Dr. Who & the Silurians, we do see a hint of the Brigadier's softening. He orders his troops to attack, but he does add that they should attempt to capture the aliens if at all possible. He is still not at the point of deferring to the Doctor's judgment, but the icy side of their working relationship is thawing - not quite to friendship, not yet, but moving in that direction.

Lt. Mike Yates: This serves as an "origin story" for Mike Yates, showing his first meeting with the Doctor and the Brigadier. Mike instantly likes the Doctor. He deals well with the revelation that the Doctor is an alien, acknowledging that it's a lot to process but continuing to accept his presence. When he's captured by Garlan, he tries to reason with the Farin, but he also takes the opportunity to find out as much about his captors as possible. He is delighted to accept a full transfer to UNIT, especially when the Brigadier sweetens the pot with a promotion to captain.


THOUGHTS

Vengeance of the Stones is a good story, one that fits perfectly into the early part of the Third Doctor's era. Writer Andrew Smith's story opens on the exact right note. With its details of two RAF pilots on a training run, a sense of detail and authenticity is created that grounds the story. When the initial incident happens, it happens in something we recognize as the real world - lending this story the Season 7 feel right off the bat.

The script is well-paced, moving from that opening incident to Mike Yates' introduction to the Doctor and UNIT to the story proper in rapid order. Enough time is spent to get a sense of the setting and make the character interaction believable, but no time is wasted. It's effortlessly engaging throughout, and when Mike joins UNIT at the end, it feels like a natural conclusion to the narrative.

All of this is well-done, and Smith deftly handles the kind of action climax that can often defeat audio stories. One false note is struck, however, in the script's attempt to channel Dr. Who & the Silurians in its treatment of the Farins. The story seems to want to replicate the scenario of the Doctor trying to negotiate a peaceful resolution between the humans and the aliens, only to have missteps and misunderstandings destroy his efforts. But while Silurians did an excellent job of showing the missed chances for peace, this story fails to demonstrate any opportunity, or to show any real shared blame for that.

I have the feeling writer Andrew Smith would like me to feel some sympathy for the aliens here. But the Farins are drawn in one dimension. There are no dissenting voices; every one of the aliens agrees with Garlan (Trevor Littledale), leaving the group feeling one-note. Also, unlike in Silurians, there is no shared sense of fault. The Brigadier and UNIT do nothing wrong at any point. The entire conflict is started and escalated by the aliens.

Consider: The Farins awake four thousand years after being attacked by a nomadic tribe of primitive humans. If they were unaware of the time that had passed, that might create room for some sympathy... But we are shown that they are aware of the gap. It is indicated that they have hidden in a Scottish village for some time before the events of the story, enough time to observe that they are surrounded by a culture very different from the one that came before. 

Their response? To shoot down a helicopter, then capture its pilot and torture him before sending him, deranged, to his death. They then kidnap Mike, who Garlan acknowledges as a reasonably non-aggressive human... before torturing him anyway. Then, when Mike's comrades come to rescue him, they are branded "savages" whose actions in some way merit humanity's extinction! Exactly in their deeds calls for any level of sympathy at all?

Thankfully, this aspect of the story is not overplayed. The Doctor may reprove the Brigadier for not allowing him to negotiate alone (even though no indication is given that Garlan was even listening to him), but this is a brief scene and the Brigadier's position seems at least as reasonable as the Doctor's. The story's end sets aside any hint of animosity, with the Doctor joining the Brigadier in extending a welcoming gesture to Mike.

So yes, I have issues with the ill-advised attempt to make the aliens sympathetic without actually showing them behaving in a sympathetic manner. But this ends up being a small part of the story, easily made up for by the strong pace and the narrative's excellent fit with the era in which it's set. The Vengeance of the Stones may not be a great story, but I would certainly rank it as a rather good one. And one I will probably listen to again.


Overall Rating: 7/10.


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