Holistic Review: The basic plot is pretty interesting, and a couple of the scenes are real highlights, but it's let down by a dragging pace and some fairly abysmal acting.

The Dominators is one of those stories that feels like it could have been so much more. It's difficult to make a story of this nature really zing when it features a pacifistic race, for the simple reason that pacifistic races tend to be boring. If they don't react to the threat, there's just no drama. Now, The Dominators actually doesn't do too badly out of this particular plot thread; although the Dulcians don't believe in violence, their refusal to fight fire with fire actually creates tension, because it's up to the TARDIS crew to save them when they won't save themselves. We also get to see how some members of the society - mainly Cully, but Teel as well - realize the necessity of fighting the Dominators. There's also the crucial moment when Rago storms into the citadel and the councillors realize that they have vastly underestimated their enemy. The downside is that violence is so far outside their purview that they find it almost ludicrous to believe that anybody could resort to it. This, combined with their stubborn refusal to believe any of the stories about aliens (despite the fact that they're incredibly blasé about the idea of space/time travel), just makes them look uninquisitive and stupid, not noble.

What I do find really interesting about the plot is its timelessness, and I wonder how well it would have played during the Vietnam War, or the war in Iraq. With such a large percentage of society decrying war altogether, as well as the use of force - even against single-minded terrorists - how would they react to a story in which the moral is "pacifism is all well and good as a concept, but when confronted by a callous and ruthless enemy, you'll be enslaved or destroyed unless you fight back"? It's sort of an unusual credo for Doctor Who; although the show has always been in favor of fighting for your freedom and defeating tyranny, and destroying the monsters, here we have a tale in which the Doctor deliberately turns his back on pacifism, and blows the bad guys up instead. And the audience unquestionably agrees with him, because the Dominators are evil, and willing to enslave or destroy an entire planet, unless they themselves are destroyed. No doubt even the Dulcians learned their lesson, that pacifism is a wonderful ideal but not a practical one unless the entire universe believes in it.

But, although the basic plot itself is pretty interesting, five episodes seems to be a bit too long. Episode 3, in particular, is relatively uneventful, and episode 4 is only moderately better. We get numerous scenes of the aforementioned stupid Dulcians - mainly Balan, Senex and the council - extolling the virtues of pacifism in the face of rapidly-mounting evidence to the contrary. Condensing the story to 4 episodes might have helped matters somewhat. As it is, episodes 2 and 5 are probably the best of the lot; 2 features the delightful scenes of the Doctor and Jamie playing dumb and pulling the wool over the Dominators' eyes, while 5 has lots of entertaining scenes of Jamie and Cully destroying Quarks, as well as the rather impressive dénouement.

Aside from the aforementioned padding, Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln seem to have a pretty good eye for plot. The events in this story seem to lead naturally from one to another, and I particularly like the Dominators' plan and the way in which it's foiled. They want to obtain fuel for their fleet, so they attempt to convert Dulkis into a radioactive lava pit by tossing an atomic seed device through the crust. The Doctor cleverly manages to intercept the device on the way down and sneak it aboard the Dominators' ship instead. It's actually quite satisfying, and not at all lacking in tension. Interestingly, there are a couple of unusual similarities to the upcoming The Krotons: both stories involve a monster with crystalline features, and in both of them, the villains are interested in evaluating the regulars' intelligence, with poor Jamie's smarts being insulted. (Haisman and Lincoln do seem to have a problem with cliffhangers, though. All four of them involve the Quarks menacing and/or firing at someone; at the end of both episodes 2 and 3, they destroy a building in which Cully and a companion are sheltering. Fortunately things improve with the end of episode 5, which is an unusual story-ending cliffhanger.) But for all their talent with plot, they really drop the ball when it comes to dialogue, particularly that of the Dulcians. Some of the lines are just awful, particularly the blatant exposition (one of the many examples including Balan's "Cully, you had no right to bring these people here without permission, even if you are the son of the director of the council!"), and they seem to leave the guest cast uninspired.

None of the guest characters are particularly great; they vary between "pretty good" and "pretty bad". Fortunately, Arthur Cox as star-of-the-show Cully is on the upper end of the scale, having a good range and being generally likeable. However, I always have to suspend my disbelief with Cully. Even though his father is clearly getting on in years, Cully is written as a rebellious youth; Arthur Cox, however, was either in his 40s or going prematurely bald, and somehow it's difficult to swallow an impetuous and energetic Cully with a bald spot and a combover. His "adventure tours" companions (Nicolette Pendrell as Tolata, Philip Voss as Wahed and Malcolm Terris as Etnin) likewise seem to be a bit too old to match their bored-and-adventure-seeking characters, but at least they're all good actors, particularly Voss. I like that their spoiled and pampered attitudes contrast so heavily with Cully's adventurous yet pragmatic nature. The real crime is that the three of them are killed off at the beginning, and another trio of far less interesting characters is brought in to replace them. Yes, the survey unit team. Now, Giles Block isn't bad as Teel, but he gets relatively little to do, at least initially. Much more emphasis is given to Felicity Gibson's Kando, the pretty-but-inexperienced student of Balan's. Gibson, bless her heart, just isn't up to much besides delivering her lines flatly, with a vacuous smile plastered on her face. Kando gets momentarily serious after Balan is killed, but then goes back to grinning inappropriately on the very next line. Worst of all are the scenes in which she's asked to recite her lessons or give long monologues; you'd think that her less-than-stellar acting would actually be appropriate during a scene like that, but her expressionless delivery and periodic beatific smiles and the fact that she keeps stumbling over her lines actually make it seem even more unnatural. Sigh. And then Johnson Bayly as Balan, who you'd think would know better, also seems to find his lines difficult to deliver. The one that makes me cringe is his very obviously scripted aside in "Oh yes, you see, students are - that was really very good, Kando - students are brought here... to test the radiation level and observe the effect on the vegetation." The members of the Council aren't exactly badly-acted, they're just terribly forgettable - even Walter Fitzgerald as Senex - because basically all they do is lounge around and talk about how wonderful it is that they don't believe in fighting, or mock Cully, or debate uselessly and at length.

The Dominators themselves, amazingly, are a highlight of the story. You'd think that a pair of brutal, emotionless, bickering villains would be as dull as dishwater, but they're so well characterized that their banter is quite entertaining, more often than not. Kenneth Ives is fantastic as the bloodthirsty Toba, who is so consumed with killing and destroying things, and getting swift revenge, that he constantly prioritizes destruction over his duty, to the point that he very nearly endangers their entire operation by wasting the Quarks' power on frivolous attacks. His barely-disguised resentment of Rago's higher rank (which frequently manifests in Rago forcing him to rein in his homicidal tendencies) gradually turns to outright hostility and threats. Ronald Allen, meanwhile, makes Rago almost likeable in contrast to Toba - he's mostly calm, level-headed, and has his priorities (such that they are) straight. But he constantly wears an almost-sneer, and seems more sadistic than Toba, so he's certainly not a nice person. It's especially interesting to watch the conflict between the two villains over issues that directly impact the story: when to unleash the Quarks, which prisoners to pursue, or whether something should be destroyed. Probably this is because the fate of our heroes often hinges on which Dominator wins out during any given argument. At the end, when Toba finally acquiesces to Rago's demands even without him being present, it's quite a tense moment because for once, we want him to be distracted by his bloodlust, to delay the central borehole being drilled.

Also a highlight, of course, are the regulars. Zoe doesn't get a whole lot to do in her first full story as a companion, but she's refreshingly bright, already holding her own against the Doctor, and Wendy Padbury acts the curtains off the Dulcians. There's one difference between the televised story and the novelizations, though, that's always made me sad. In the book, Zoe is all disappointed upon leaving the TARDIS to find a relaxing holiday paradise, something along the lines of "You mean there won't be any Daleks or Cybermen?" But as televised, Zoe comes off as rather disapproving: "And there won't be any Cybermen or Daleks, will there?" I think I prefer the Zoe who likes adventure, although I suppose it's understandable that she doesn't want to encounter any homicidal monsters. I am, however, quite pleased that she bucks the trend and doesn't shout "Doctor!" when Toba brings him to join the work group. Frazer Hines gets a somewhat better deal as Jamie, who gets some awesome scenes with the Doctor, goes around destroying Quarks with Cully, and comes up with the idea that saves the planet at the end. Patrick Troughton is delightful as always, canny and likeable. Love the way he frantically scrambles to get the gun away from Jamie in the war museum, and his hilarious "idiotic Dulcian" play-acting to fool the Dominators. He and Frazer Hines get another chance to demonstrate their superb comic double-act in the Dominators' ship, as they conspire to escape their cruel captors. I also like the moment when the Doctor asks Jamie to blow up the beach ball! (Jamie looks kind of perplexed!)

As monsters go, the Quarks are really cool! Even for robots, they're so different from what we usually see, with their small stature, cool crystalline head-spikes and the neat circular pattern in their heads, their nifty voices (even if they are difficult to understand at times), and the way their arms fold out from their body. I love the Quark eye-view shots, and the burbling sounds they make. But, their "total destruction" sure doesn't seem to do very much more than their regular "destroy". They seem very satisfied at their "total destruction" of the war museum, but all they did was knock a couple of walls over; the rest of the structure is still very much intact. How exactly is that "total" destruction, I ask?

The effects in this story are generally quite good. There's only one that doesn't really work: the shot of the Dominator ship descending onto the Island of Death has been overlaid in a way that makes it look transparent. On the positive side, the model shot of the Dominator ship landing looks great, and the effect used to represent Tolata's death is really cool. And this story is most definitely the King of Explosions: the destruction of Cully's craft, the awesome shot of the research station blowing up, and various exploding Quarks, all of which are quite big and impressive. I also really like the design of the Dominators' ship interior, particularly the Quark status monitor that bleeps cacaphonously when they're destroyed.

Morris Barry does an okay job directing. I definitely liked his use of angles, such as the shot of Cully's capsule framed by Toba's legs, or the many high-angle shots from the hilly landscape. However, I did get a little irritated with his framing tendencies: there are several instances in which bits of Rago (like one shoulder, or the front half of his face in silhouette) were cut out of the frame, and he also included the occasional extreme close-up (a trait he shares with some of his 60s compatriots), like the one of Jamie in episode 4 as he and Cully discuss the laser gun.

After the quality of the acting, I know it's hard to believe that this story can dip any lower, but do you want to know the worst thing about The Dominators? The costumes!!! I hope Martin Baugh shut himself up in his apartment for a month after this story aired as due penance, because they're absolutely hideous. The Dominators' costumes are at least moderately successful, despite their plastic-strip-covered arms and legs, and their scallop-shaped headdresses that make them look rather like Zygons from behind. But the Dulcians' costumes have to be seen to be believed. It's bad enough that the women are given bathing suits with (literally) cloth collars, with diaphanous "waist"lines at a very unflattering height, but the men are forced to wear curtains!!! Huge, pleated curtains across the chest that fan out into diaphanous short skirts that give them ample opportunities to flash their knickers at the camera more blatantly than Katy Manning (or, for that matter, Wendy Padbury) ever did. Oh... they're so bad. They win the "Worst Costumes Ever in Doctor Who" award with zero genuine competition.

Minor points:

• At the very beginning, we're shown something like 38 Dominator ships; so what happens to all the rest of them? Do they continue on to Epsilon IV?

• Someone apparently forgets to turn on the microphone during Cully's line:

  Tolata: "Didn't you mention something about a warning signal?"
  Cully: "Hmm? Yes, when we're in the radiation zone, why?"

• When Wahed checks the radiation meter, I find it unusual that it's registering zero, which is apparently below normal! Maybe there's a high level of background radiation on Dulkis? But how would the Dominators' ship suck all of that up? And, even more alarming, the level of toxicity is surprisingly high! (although maybe it's in the "normal" range, too!)

• I wonder, what purpose does it serve to put a war museum on a radioactive island? Nobody's going to see it! Is it solely for the edification of the few students at the research station?

• So one atom bomb caused 172 years of radioactive devastation? Isn't that awfully long? Apparently fallout radiation decays within weeks, although some radioactive isotopes have half-lives of up to 30 years. Even assuming that it might be unsafe for as long as 50 years, you'd think they'd still have been able to decontaminate the Island of Death long ago. Unless their atom bombs use some kind of hitherto-undiscovered kind of alien radiation?

• The Doctor realizes that the TARDIS may be in danger, and assumes that Jamie is accompanying him, but for some reason asks Zoe if she's coming as well. And does Zoe come? "No, I think I'll stay here," she casually decides, for no apparent reason whatsoever! Nice unobtrusive way to move the plot along, guys.

• Someone apparently wasn't reading her script very closely. The woman on the intercom informs Bovem that "Curly has arrived with a stranger." Yuk yuk yuk! *pinches Senex's nose*

• Infuriatingly, when Cully tells Senex his wild story, Senex then looks at Zoe and sighs, "And no doubt you will confirm all this?" as if that's exactly what he expects. But then, when Zoe does not confirm everything, does he rethink his skepticism? No. He still doesn't believe them! So what kind of answer did he want?! Apparently whether she answered "yes" or "no", he was still going to dismiss them. (Likewise, when the Doctor later attempts to persuade Senex that the Dominators are evil because they have murdered several people, Senex decides to completely ignore that assertion in favor of the fact that they apparently let the Doctor and Jamie go free. Honestly, the willful ignorance of the man!)

• I love this scene! Wonderful deliveries from both Troughton and Hines, not to mention some great physical comedy:

  Doctor: (realizing that the biomolecular force field has weakened) "I'm free! What about you?"
  Jamie: "Me too!"
  Doctor: "Come on!"
  (They try to shuffle away surreptitiously.)

• And then some great "dumb Doctor" acting from Troughton:

  Rago: (indicating a clear box with two holes in it) "Hands."
  (The Doctor holds his up, as if for inspection.)
  Rago: (impatiently) "Through there."

• And one more great exchange, as the Doctor muses as to what the Dominators are looking for:

  Doctor: "An unintelligent enemy is far less dangerous than an intelligent one, Jamie."
  Jamie: "Eh?"
  Doctor: "Just act stupid. Do you think you can manage that?"

• The diagram that Teel consults, showing the radiation decay over the past couple of centuries, makes it look like the radiation has had a sudden but gradual drop over the past few years, when in fact it apparently disappeared in a matter of minutes!

• Why does Rago think there would be any survivors inside the destroyed survey unit, if Toba didn't see anybody when he was in there just a moment ago?

• Toba threatens to destroy Zoe and the Dulcians if they aren't good slave labor, but is it just a bluff? Rago has made it pretty clear that they aren't to be wasting excess energy, and he already released the Doctor and Jamie because he thought they were too harmless to be any real threat, so why would they kill an exhausted work party, even one that refuses to work?

• Well, Wendy Padbury and the others sure try hard, but it's difficult to buy that they're carrying heavy "rocks" when the things hit the ground and make a sound like styrofoam.

• If the Dulcians aren't used to manual labor, how did anything ever get built? Do they have robots that do it for them? I guess that might explain why they aren't startled by the Quarks (although, really, are the Dulcians startled by anything?) but we certainly don't see any evidence of them.

• Funny line:

  Rago: "What are you doing? You were told to keep away from the Quarks."
  Doctor: "Oh, but I do. Whenever I see one, I go away."

• How is it that Jamie is able to aim the laser gun through a thick cloud of debris dust, especially when he was apparently having trouble aiming mere moments before, without the dirt cloud?

• One of the best lines in the Rago - Toba feud:

  Toba: "Are you suggesting I should have let him escape?"
  Rago: "And where would he have gone? We are on an island, Toba."

• What makes Rago conclude that Zoe is inferior? Just because she apparently knows the Doctor? It certainly must be the first time anybody's ever called her that!

• So apparently the Dominators have this whole big racket going on, in which they kidnap people by the shipful, destroy their homeworlds, and take them back to their home planet to work as slaves. This sounds like a slightly larger issue that the Doctor might like to get involved in!

• Wendy Padbury really does an amazing job rattling off technobabble like this without sounding awkward:

  Doctor: "I'm trying to investigate the power unit, and, and find out what fuel this ship carries."
  Zoe: "Well, the Quarks use ultrasound, so presumably it must be a fuel capable of producing a high enough energy quotient to sustain an amplifying complex of considerably sophisticated design."
  Doctor: "Yes. It must be pretty powerful, too."
  Zoe: "Yes, well, that's what -"
  (she looks at the Doctor, and huffs a bit)
  Zoe: "Well, if you don't want my help..."

• Their first time in the bunker, Jamie and Cully practically run out of air because the ventilation shaft is blocked. But their next time in, although they've cleared the hatch and the periscope, nobody mentions having cleared the ventilation shaft, yet they seem to have no trouble breathing. Did they move the rubble and just not tell us about it, or is it lazy scripting? I guess I should believe the former.

• How can anybody live on one small vitamin bar for an entire year? I suppose there could be a couple more inside that survival kit, but not many! Even if one bite is all Jamie needs for the day, that bar shouldn't last more than two weeks.

• When Jamie's trying to trip a Quark, it treads on his hand. Given how sturdily-constructed they look, shouldn't all that pressure break his hand? Or is the sand beneath him very soft and yielding?

• Poor Jamie, the Doctor really does tease him terribly in this story! (especially bearing in mind that the Doctor says this when Dulcians are around!)

  Doctor: "But, Jamie, it's a brilliant idea! It's so simple, only you could have thought of it."

• It always slightly irritates me that when Jamie "throws" the bombs at the Quarks, he doesn't really aim and throw it, he just sort of lets it fall out of his hand. Like that's going to give it any momentum!

• After Jamie destroys one Quark in a group of three, he then lobs another bomb at the remaining two. When it explodes, we suddenly cut to a shot - from equally far away - of but a single Quark blowing up. It's very surreal, like the other two (including one destroyed Quark) just vanish. Nevertheless, Jamie seems to think they got both of them, so, whatever...

• And I have to ask, if the center borehole is the most important one, because that's where they're planning on dropping the atomic seed device... why don't Jamie and Cully try to disrupt that one first, and most often, instead of leaving it for the last? (Maybe they thought it was safer to try to distract Toba first, before resorting to an all-out attack on the center hole?)

• An odd line for Zoe, as the visual doesn't match her words; there's perhaps even less obscuring dust when Kando asks the question than there is when Zoe finally answers her, and it certainly doesn't clear up after "I think"! (Maybe it took Zoe a moment to figure out what was going on?)

  Kando: "Has the drilling stopped?"
  Zoe: "I think... yes!"

• Cackle! When helping poor "paralyzed" Cully down the hatch ladder, the Doctor sticks his hand right up Cully's skirt!

• The Dominators sure leave their depature late; the bomb explodes before their ship's even out of the atmosphere! How did they expect to get away safely when they were still directly above the island?

Even though I've never been a huge fan of The Dominators, it definitely has its moments. Worth watching for the great Doctor/Jamie banter, the Quarks, and even the entertaining Dominator catfights. Just have some coffee on hand for the slow bits!