Super artwork by Daryl Joyce (left) and Will Brooks (right):
The original theme arrangement is still peerless, but Peter Howell's version is great too.
KeithSay @50dw50 Original or nothing! I’m feeling militant today
Mark Walker @Mark_Walker · I've only watched this once before - you should be honoured I'm only watching again for your tweetalong! ;-) 
KeithSay @50dw50 Warriors Of The Deep after a 12 hour night shift.. i will probably go mad!
You don't have to be mad to watch Warriors Of The Deep, but it helps! 😸
PART ONE
5th January 1984
Bek Hobbes @Greebobek · You mean they didn't build a lifesize base under the sea? Cheapskates! 
Special Guest Villainess @evilniamh Not sure you would guess it's underwater... bar the title. At least the next model scene attempts to use water 'noise'.
Gareth Rafferty @Garferty I like the model shots in this. Possibly the only aspect...It's the year 2084, and the Earth is divided into two opposing power blocs, East and West.
Not overly keen on these plasticky looking uniforms, or the white, white studio. Sorry, I mean, base.
KeithSay @50dw50 sooooooo very bright.Combat Officer Bulic has detected movement on the sea-bed, and Commander Vorshak speculates that it could be an enemy probe trying to sniff them out.
David @Davidsideas Or it could be MaxFactor making their weekly delivery...The sleek, strange-looking craft is in fact a Silurian battle cruiser.
It slows and turns as it approaches a disguised undersea fortress.
As it docks, it powers down, and is lost to the Sea Base scanners.
The Silurians, Scibus and Icthar, aren't ready to act. We know, love, we know.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Maybe there was a deleted subplot about all the man-made chemicals dumped in the ocean causing the Silurians and Sea Devils to become permanently stoned. 'Cos, if so, then this is superb acting.The Silurians' blinking 3rd eyes are bloody stupid, but at least they've got them.
The *design* is actually okay, in fact it always looks great in artwork, but the ill-fitting costumes, overly slow voices & flashing third eyes let them down in the flesh.
KeithSay @50dw50 Flashing is never advisable
It was like a fundamental misunderstanding of them; based on bad advice from people relying on inaccurate memories and publicity photos alone. But it's not just the poor execution of the look (and the painfully slow line delivery from the Silurians in particular), it's the poor characterisation too.
Funny how JNT liked to say "the Memory Cheats" and then relied on the memories of so-called superfans swearing blind they were right - their memories cheated the rest of us.Scanner Officer Karina reports that although the object has disappeared, their readings indicate it was organic, leading the crew to conclude that it must have been volcanic debris.
Panic over... for now.
The Doctor, in his 5th incarnation is a slender, fair-haired young man with a pleasant, open face. He's dressed in the costume of an Edwardian cricketer, and has had a haircut since we last saw him.
KeithSay @50dw50 Isn’t that console a thing of beauty 
Kosmic Kris @KosmicKris · that lovely new sparkly TARDIS set - oh how my teenage self loved the funky new console! 
Stuart Webb @InflatableDalek I remember reading a making of book from the library once (must have been a Peter Hanning one) that help up Davison having his Sink or Swim haircut rather than the required long locks of a Doctor Who as a terrible flaw in this story.
Stealexanderuk @stealexanderuk Looks great though. Very smart!
KeithSay @50dw50 · usually when a male companion discusses going home he is dead by the end of the story, #TheAdricEffect Now he's aiming to show Tegan the future of her world.
Gareth Rafferty @Garferty He looks quite like Kamelion there.
5thdocactionfig @4thdocactinfig I think they were past the point anyone else would be willing to take the job.The ever-cautious Bulic is granted permission to send out a reconnaissance probe.
Vorshak orders Maddox to be ready in case of a missile run.
The fact that this brings the young Sync Operator out in a cold sweat doesn't go unnoticed by Controller Nilson, the base's 2nd in Command.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly He's me in the 90s, every Tuesday and Thursday. PE class.Special Guest Villainess @evilniamh He is sweating his balls off in that hideous tracksuit!Mark Walker @Mark_Walker · Greg Preston has turned up, he usually sorts things out! 
The Silurians make their way into the base below.
They're grumpy because the Sea Devils are having a lie-in.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Doesn't help when your face is designed to look like a constant sulk.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly The first big problem with this story is the characters. Bunch of drips. Even the villains are dull.
Imagine this shot on film in a darkened set, more like the rusty submarine intended. In fact, shoot this on film, much darker, with a different cast, director and script, it'd be GREAT. Or "Cold War" at least.It seems the TARDIS has arrived further in the future than the Doctor intended...
This story is the perfect storm of no budget, indecisive script editing and odd production and directing decisions, forced in front of the cameras earlier than expected due to Thatcher calling an early election.
Beat me to that one!
...and is hovering above the Earth in a forbidden military zone patrolled by robot weapons system, Sentinel 6.
The Doctor needs time to change the TARDIS' Co-Ordinates, but Sentinel 6 is getting shouty, demanding that they transmit security clearance codes or be destroyed.
The Time Worrier @SteveSouthart The entire premise of this 55 year old show is based on an old man who is a really bad driver.Controller Nilson enters the "psycho-surgical" unit for a quick conspiratorial chat with fellow double-agent Dr. Solow.
KeithSay @50dw50 Zombie Flesh Eaters v Countess DraculaThey've identified Maddox as a weak link they can exploit.
Nilson's dialogue oddly seems to indicate they weren't actually responsible for Lt. Michael's demise, and have just got lucky.
Are Nilson and Solow like some sort of futuristic Scandi Simon & Garfunkle? They would be on the Bridge, under troubled water, I guess. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. (I'm not really. Mwah ha ha!)
Despite the Doctor's protests, the Airfix kit has got bored of waiting for him to take the handbrake off the TARDIS.
...and fires, sending the TARDIS into a spin.
The Doctor manages to flip flop the TARDIS out of its spin.
That's stage one of an emergency materialization sorted.
Just because they're not on edge enough already, the computer, wind-up merchant that it is, simulates a missile attack.
Time to plug Maddox in...
The idea of the base having a human/computer interface in Maddox, whilst not massively original at least gives a flicker of interest & a worthwhile sub plot; albeit one that gets (ahem) submerged.
Kosmic Kris @KosmicKris · again, the whole Maddox business felt different in tone to what had gone before. Some great concepts in this story.
The TARDIS arrives unnoticed as the base shifts up to red alert.
The Doctor speculates that they're on a submarine or underwater base.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly The sets are great. The lighting is painful. Mid-80s Who, one step forward, three steps back.Right at the last minute, the computer jumps out and shouts "had you going, suckers!"
The Time Worrier @SteveSouthart Even more annoying than the Microsoft paperclip.Maddox crashes.
With Maddox carted off to the Psycho Surgical unit, the base will be defenceless if there's a real missile run. Well played, computer.
Hang on, this corridor's actually a bit darker. Still rubbish.
Actually a nice bit of business there with Turlough and the Doctor pushing the door before Tegan slides it.
The Silurians knew the missile run was a fakeout; their technology seems more advanced than that of the humans.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Impressive considering it appears to be rock and seaweed based tech.
MisterTom @Tomfan_photos The Silurian costumes look better here, in the dark, and underlit, than when they turn up on the Seabase with their stadium lighting!While Vorshak has Karina launch another probe...
...Nilson summons him to the psycho-surgical unit.
"Chekovsgunamite gas! It's part of a sealing compound that kills things in 4th episodes!" That was embarrassingly clumsy.
Kosmic Kris @KosmicKris ·Even aged 13 I saw the Hexachromite Gas and thought “Hmmm, that’s going to be useful if they get attacked by sea monsters”
K-9 Recaps @K9Recaps Is it to clean barnacles off the portholes with th extreme prejudice or something?David @Davidsideas For use only on nuclear wessles
Gareth Maddieson @AuntieDrJo From the makers of Yesweredoingthisagainbarelya season later in Attack of the Cybermen!*shakes fist* Saward!"Progress doesn't seemed to have solved anything."
"No."
All part of their strategy to trick the commander into giving them Maddox's control disc.
"Don't let this disc out of your sight, wink wink!"
Gareth Maddieson @AuntieDrJo It's the latest re release of the White Album! One swift reprogramming later...
...and Nilson and Solow have their very own remote control Maddox.
Turlough sets off the Sea Base's burglar alarm, much to the Doctor's irritation, and the TARDIS crew have to leg it.
Special Guest Villainess @evilniamh That was a lovely wee scene.Vorshak dispatches Bulic and Preston to find the source of the alarm.Gormlessghast @Trim_Bachelor The unions were a bit funny about lighting, weren’t they?
The reprogrammed Maddox is ready to rock.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Press the button and he wets himself.Special Guest Villainess @evilniamh It's a sex thing innit?
Phil Creighton @phil_creighton Maddox looks like he's the lovechild of Turlough and the Doctor Finding their escape route to the TARDIS cut off by Preston and her squad, the Doctor and his friends are going to have to take the long way round.
The Silurians finally crash the Sea Devil slumber party.
Wakey wakey!
The TARDIS crew find themselves in the base's reactor room.
The Doctor decides the best way to evade security is to start a nuclear meltdown. Obvious, when you think about it.
"When I say run, run!" Yay!
Although Tegan and Turlough have a good head-start, the Doctor is tripped by a guard and gets into a scuffle.
Mark Walker @Mark_Walker Seems regenerations make you forget Venusian Aikido and Karate! Despite a well aimed kick...
...who charges him over the rail, and into the cooling chamber below.
As the Doctor sinks, apparently unconscious, Tegan grabs a nearby arrangement of chains (hoping to move them closer to the Doctor to give him something to climb, perhaps? Answers on a postcard).
The Time Worrier @SteveSouthart Janet Fielding said she petitioned JNT for Tegan to jump in because that's what trained cabin crew would do. But JNT thought it better she grabbed hold of a chain for no reason"Face it, Tegan, he's drowned!" Blimey, Turlough gives up without much of a fight, doesn't he!
The Time Worrier @SteveSouthart "Oh well. Pub?"Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Every time the Doctor takes a nap, he wakes up to find himself in a grave, Turlough standing over him with a shovel. "Oh, you were sleeping. Sorry, just assumed you died."Bek Hobbes @Greebobek Because he is eviiiil!!!!!!Oh yeah. Good job for Eric that that storyline wasn't resolved at the end of Enlightenment then. Hang on...
Kosmic Kris @KosmicKris Least convincing cliffhanger ever! Were they really suggesting the Time Lord could be killed by knocking him into water? 6th January 1984
A nice little swim for Peter, there.
He doesn't look too pleased though.
KeithSay @50dw50 · it would be so funny if Colin Baker climbed out of the poolIt's a soggy bottom for the Doctor. Where's Mary Berry when you need her? That celery looks properly forlorn.
Yeah, we're part way into part 2 and the Sea Devils haven't even got out of bed.
A lot of Davison's stories come off a bit like they were actually designed to be watched in pairs of episodes, as per broadcast. i.e. as they were being broadcast twice weekly, you get a 1st episode spread over the first 2 then part 3 is a water treading recap of the previous week's pair before part 4 ends the story.
With the hunt for the invaders on, Nilson is ordered back to the bridge. Solow wonders who they might be, but Nilson is only concerned with the opportunity this presents for activating Maddox.
The Sea Devils are *finally* out of bed.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly The Silurians have resting Queen Liz II face.Turlough is captured, but Tegan remains at large.
Special Guest Villainess @evilniamh "Save yourself" 😂Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly The plotting is terrible. The regulars should be involved in the story by this point, not just split up and legging it.Turlough's sabotage gives a guard a shock...
...allowing the Doctor to switch costumes.
The leader of the defrosted Sea Devils greets his Silurian cousins.
Sauvix. 'Nuff said.
Special Guest Villainess @evilniamh Cervix? Really?!Davison starts to get his own way a bit more this season with injecting some of his dry humour. "What *have* you been eating?" ("Clearly, garlic had recently featured in the menu of the Base canteen" according to Terrance Dicks' novelisation.)...
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly I had a much dirtier explanation than the novelisation.Hashtag Warriors of the Deep 👀
...which then gets repeated by Tegan when he bumps into her.
Mark Walker @Mark_Walker It is actually quite amusing. Possibly best bit of this story! 
KeithSay @50dw50 · a rare and fun gag in those humour free daysThe Sea Devils are itching to get stuck into a good scrap. "Battle orientation automatically commenced the instant we were revived."
With the reactor stabilised...
...Turlough is hauled in front of Vorshak to account for himself (if he can get a word in edgeways).
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly The most unnerving and dramatic element of this whole story is Nilson's comb-over.Kosmic Kris @KosmicKris · I’m no security expert but why take a prisoner to the nerve centre of the base? Wot no cells? Part 2 is where things start to unravel a bit. At the first sign of trouble why not wheel out the Hexachromite?If Turlough hated that school so much, why does the stinky beggar never change out of that uniform til Planet of Fire?
The Doctor insists Tegan hides round the corner whilst he sneaks onto the bridge, which is a suggestion that goes down just as well you'd expect.
Strange to think Davison spends most of this story in the radiation gear, it's like having a modern episode with those occasional orange spacesuits.
The Doctor arrives to rescue Turlough...
...but with the Commander at his mercy...
...he surrenders his gun in order to gain his trust; an overlooked bit of correct Doctor-ing in this one.
Look, I know that Tegan left the door ajar, but here we are, yet again in the Davison era, with the Sea Base crew wandering in and out of the TARDIS. *weeps*
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly So bleedin' naff. As if discovering an impossibly advanced alien spaceship on the base wouldn't completely dominate the plot.Preston reports back, and confirms the Doctor's explanation that they're innocent space travellers.
Vorshak is willing to believe them... for now.
The Silurians decide on a full frontal attack. Think of the children!
Tegan is the world's worst hide-and-seek competitor.
Vorshak has only just accepted that the Doctor and his friends aren't hostile...
...when the Silurian battlecruiser hoves into view.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Oh, look, we're finally coming up on where Part One should've ended.5thdocactionfig @4thdocactinfig That would be a very long part one thenSimon Threadgold @dimwittedly Minus the filler, it would be the shortest Part One ever.As the crew prepare to get all under siege, the Doctor urges them not to attack, having recognised the Silurian ship. He's never seen one on-screen.
Vorshak fires anyway, and the Doctor is proved right, as the Silurians neutralize the base's weapons systems.
Told you so.
The Silurian Leader, Ichtar orders the Sea Devils to attack the main entrance to the base.
It's not long before the base's main airlock is under attack.
Tegan asks how the Doctor knows the Silurians, and he tells her that "I let them down then, it seems I'll do so again." There's nothing like a bit of optimism, and that was...
Vorshak refuses to break radio silence and contact the surface...
...but eventually relents and allows the Doctor a chance to speak with the Silurians at the besieged Airlock One.
Bek Hobbes @Greebobek So far, so Troughton. The doors are holding. For now.
When Bulic, the Doctor and Tegan arrive, the automatic pumps have started up, meaning the invaders are in the Airlock.
Airlock Five is also under attack.
Nilson & Solow think they can take advantage of the Silurian attack to gain control of the base.
How's that really supposed to work? Let the Silurians wipe out the other humans then do them in?
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Nilson and Solow are married, but thing are getting stale, so they role play being spies at work to add a little frisson to their relationship. It's the only thing that makes sense!Bulic isn't very confident that the bulkhead will hold.
With good reason, as we'll shortly see - it's basically a memory foam mattress.
...and fobs Karina off with the help of Dr. Solow.
The bulkhead of Air Lock One has buckled beyond the point of no return now, and enough of a glimpse of the beast breaking down the defences can at last be seen for the Doctor to identify it.
"Jesus H Bidmead! The Myrka!"
So imagine it's 1983, you're Eric Saward & the script comes in requiring a giant green sea dragon for your '84 opener and you just think, yeah, that stays in the script, we'll definitely pull that off... I mean really? REALLY? He can't pin this on JNT.
Karina's instincts were right...Rhys Benjamin 🇬🇧 🏳️🌈 @MrRhysBenjamin No, you just blame the lighting director.
Bob McCow @BobMcCow · You can laugh at the Myrka, but I tell you it's a bugger if you find one growing in your shed.
Isaac Whittaker-Dakin @IWhittakerDakin "Hey Eric, I know you're trying to get the Awakening to work, but theres dozens of continuity errors that only the hardcore fans care about, so have fun!"
...Nilson is using Maddox to commit sabotage, and soon turns his boy-bot on her.
Like a man possessed, Maddox throttles his friend to death.
The Base crew open fire...
...and drive the Myrka back.
Tegan over-confidently thinks the Myrka is beaten and gets too close.
When the cybernetic sea dragon redoubles its efforts and breaks through, she's pinned beneath the bulkhead.
That foam bulkhead door is nearly as big an embarrassment as the Myrka itself.
Special Guest Villainess @evilniamh I had forgotten just how abysmal that 'door' is.... I mean WTAF.
Gareth @liquidparanoia The early future needed to make their sea bases as environmentally unfriendly as possible, foam was the only option. It’s probably made out of micro plastics and asbestos.Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Davo is really giving it his all. I'd give him a BAFTA just for this scene. Best Lead Male Performance When Surrounded By Utterly Shit Production Values.With it's electrified touch, the Myrka ploughs through the crewmembers in its way.
Bulic pulls everyone back, Turlough included.
Despite Turlough's protests, Vorshak orders the bulkhead sealed.
Although the Doctor has finally freed Tegan from the fallen bulkhead, they're still trapped in with the Myrka.
"Brave heart, Tegan."
"Brave heart? That thing's going to get the show cancelled!"
Cliffhanger!
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly The accidental thumbs up Myrka is the one saving grace of this story.
Dave Knight 🌞 🌈 🎈 @DaveWKnight That's not it's thumb I think Dinosaurs on a Spaceship showed that, if they wanted, they could genuinely do the Myrka justice now. #WarriorsOfTheDeep #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/lriNXHoFi9— Kippy Woo (@TygerWhoCame2T) August 18, 2019
Kosmic Kris @KosmicKris · Was it really any worse than the “Talons Rat”?
Yeah, I think so. But they recognised the limitations of the rat, minimised use and shot in dark and it isn't so integral to the plot.
KeithSay @50dw50 · the direction is terrible, a bit of imagination could have slightly improved it. Maybe some closer shots, rapid cuts, would've helped, but the trouble is the Myrka practically *is* the whole plot of part 3 so there's really no hiding place for the director, to be fair.
PART THREE
12th January 1984
The Doctor is able to ward off the Myrka with a bright flash from an ammunition pack.
The creature's Achilles' Heel is its' eyes, which are only used to the inky depths of the sea-bed.
Turlough interrupts Nilson's sabotage to persuade him to release the bulkhead.
Although he complies...
...dooming a crewmember in the process...
...he can't be sure that the bulkhead closed once the Doctor and Tegan made their escape.
Sure enough, the Myrka has got a foot, or flipper, in the door.
Tegan worries that the Myrka is indestructible, but the Doctor, preoccupied with speaking to Vorshak again, reminds her that it does have its' weakness.
Solow has concealed Karina's body, and readied an escape pod. She and Nilson can leave as soon as Maddox's work is complete.
...wiping out crew members as it lumbers ever onwards...
...under the direction of its' Silurian masters.
Special Guest Villainess @evilniamh That death scene is HILARIOUS.The Silurians pick up a mysterious box on their way to the base. Probably a nice packed lunch.
Vorshak is not best pleased to discover that the Doctor is at large at the expense of the Myrka tearing its way through the base.
He agrees to let him tray to slay the sea dragon, though. The Doctor just needs someone in authority to help him get things done, and is assigned Preston.
...as the Sea Devils make it through Air Lock Five.
In the face of the invaders' relentless attack, Bulic pulls his forces back behind the Bulkheads. They might not have kept the Myrka out at Air Lock One, but they should last here... shouldn't they?
Turlough hears the sound of gunfire on his way to put his demands to Vorshak.
5thdocactionfig @4thdocactinfig This is literally the only place it would be useful to them. Underwater, the thing wouldn’t work.Bulic tells the Commander that they're outgunned.
The Myrka's inexorable journey to the bridge continues without any serious opposition - yet.
Preston confirms that to make it to the bridge from its' current position, it will have to pass through here.
Bulic is loathe to break radio silence for help for fear of giving away the base's position to the enemy, but Vorshak has decided Sea Base Command has to know what they're facing.
He's got a point: the Sea Devils have almost cut through the bulkhead.
The Doctor's plan is relatively simple: set up a giant ultraviolet converter in the Myrka's path to the bridge and bring a bit of sunshine into its' life.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Considering the state the world's in, I'm not sure why the Doctor's putting in so much effort. Maybe now would be a good time for the Silurians to reclaim the planet. 
Lawrence Monk @trendylefty I'm putting my faith in a cat takeover.
Bulic gives the order to prep Maddox for a missile run, moving Nilson's plan into its endgame: using the missiles to attack Sea Base Command.
Nilson gives Maddox's conditioning disc to Solow and sends her off to the escape pod. He'll join her once the sabotage is complete.
Plod, plod, plod.
Solow hurries away...
...as the Doctor's UV weapon passes its' audition.
Solow has rushed straight into the path of the Myrka.
Somewhat optimistically, she attempts to overcome it with some martial arts, only to die by its electrical discharge.
Special Guest Villainess @evilniamh How did ANY of this make it to screen?5thdocactionfig @4thdocactinfig To be fair, the original scene had her just randomly dying from being touched. This is at least more memorable.
Craig @craigwill1982 Wasn’t this Ingrid Pitt’s own suggestion to the director?I believe so, yeah.
Yes, she tried to kung fu kick a sea dragon. THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
☕ Nilso @TeaNilso To be fair how did she know she’d get electrocuted if she kicked itTrue! (although obvs it *is* still a ruddy great sea dragon....!)
☕ Nilso @TeaNilso Anything’s possible with sea dragons.Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Finally, this story has value!MisterTom @Tomfan_photos I think this comes under the heading of 'WTF were they thinking?'!KeithSay @50dw50 Classic!Gareth Maddieson @AuntieDrJo And cue Michael Grade Room 101 clip!
Fran-tic-tic-toc @FrozenAlex2 Completely wrong performance of mae geri keage.
Matisyahoo Serious @PickleCatShow more like Warriors of the Derp
derJOgelle⁹⁰⁰⁰ @derJOgelle Oh the infamous scene! Imho actually one of the better moments of Warriors of the Derp! Ridiculous but at least so bad it's fun. To me the pacing & horrible Silurians & Sea Devils were much more a reason to hate on this.
John Kelly @JohnPKelly78 I want to "Special Edition" Warriors of the Deep with new effects, grading and cutting out the weird kung-fu bit.
Gav R¥ 🤖 @themindrobber And replace the Silurian voices. Episode one dies on its arse as the Silurians walk slowly explaining everything slowly to the audience.John Kelly @JohnPKelly78 Totally, they talk..... so........ slowly........ but I think something could be done.Gav R¥ 🤖 @themindrobber I’d love a Peter Hawkins soundalike version dubbed.John Kelly @JohnPKelly78 Do you mean Peter Halliday? Yes, that would be great.Gav R¥ 🤖 @themindrobber Oops! I knew it was a Peter if some style!John Kelly @JohnPKelly78 They're both good! :)
David Brunt @CFarnesbarnes Peter Bowles needs the work.As the creature shuffles off, some of the crew find Solow's body, and Maddox's purloined control disc.
As the Sea Devils prepare to finally breach the bulkhead, they're joined by the Silurians and their picnic basket.
The Doctor is ready to spring his trap, but Vorshak is disturbed to learn that Maddox's conditioning disc was found on Solow's body.
There's worse news to come: the Sea Devils have cut their way in...
...and are massacring Bulic's guards.
Special Guest Villainess @evilniamh How do they know they are called Sea Devils?!Gareth Maddieson @AuntieDrJo I wonder if like the Changelings in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine they took the name out of spite yeah it makes no sense but it's all I've got (Where's a short story or DWM Brief Encounter when you need one!)Nilson pushes Maddox to the limit to complete his sabotage.
The Silurians and Sea Devils let it all hang out. The Sea Devils need to give their head a wobble.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly OK. Fine. Cancel it.
The Commander rumbles Nilson's up to no good...
...and the enemy spy sets his remote control Maddox on him.
Vorshak gains the upper hand when Maddox, finally exhausted, collapses.
The Doctor readies to blind the Myrka with UV light. Cos, y'know, the base isn't already dead bright.
Sure enough, the Myrka is blinded to death. He's the lucky one.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Tegan taking the Trump approach to eye safety.
Jason McLaughlin @jangomac72 ·The paint on the costume was still wet in some scenes apparently! It was that rushed!
KeithSay @50dw50 · paint got onto Tegan's costume, improving it.
The Silurians don't seem too arsed about the death of the Myrka. It seems it's served its purpose as a battering ram to the bridge.
Preston has uncovered Karina's body, which is the final nail in the coffin of Nilson's plausible denials...
...and the enemy spy's hand is forced.
When the Doctor strides into the middle of the standoff...
...he's not impressed with Nilson's petty agenda.
5thdocactionfig @4thdocactinfig When your own lead points out the pointlessness of the subplot, you’ve done something wrong.For all the story's faults, Davison's Doctor is much stronger than last season. His anger at Nilson is very much "I don't have time for this shit."
As much as I rate the 5th Doctor quite highly, I'm not convinced Davison ever really gives us "alien", to be honest.
In S19 he's a breath of fresh air, energetic and hopeful; in S20 he's bored and coasts, then in S21 he grows a pair and rocks it.
Maddox tries to bite the hand that controls him and in the ensuing struggle, Nilson takes Tegan hostage.Finlay H-S @Esterath · Davison's Doctor had just started to shine in his last series, shame we couldn't have more of this Fifth Doctor.
Turlough hasn't been captured and locked up for a while, so guess what?
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly I made a bot watch a thousand hours of paint drying and what it wrote was better than this.The Myrka's still able to cause trouble, as Tegan tries to get away when Nilson falls over its corpse.
Prompted by the Doctor's "make a wish!" callback, Tegan makes a break for it...
...and Nilson gets the UV treatment from the killer tanning ray, which overloads in the process.
Nilson stumbles blindly right into the path of Sauvix...
...who dispatches him without a second thought.
"Docccckkkkk-teeerrrrr!"
"Eh? Stop whispering!"
Cliffhanger!
It's literally only Davison on any kind of form here, and what a weight he's having to shoulder. A great Doctor, let down by too high a hit rate for bad scripts during his era. I think certain other Doctors knows that feeling, YMMV as to which.
PART FOUR
13th January 1984
"How do you do, I'm the Doctor, haven't we met before?"
"Actually, no. You think all Sea Devils look alike? Racist."
Turlough eyes up a nearby ventilation shaft as the best chance of escape.
The Doctor and Tegan are taken to the bridge...
...where the Doctor recognizes Ichtar from a previous meeting.
He explains to the Silurian leader that he's regenerated since they last met. So now the Silurians know about regenerating... *weeps*
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Ugh. Just ugh.
CharlesWynfordLodge @2hrTV 'Of all the under-sea bases in all the world, you had to walk into mine.'Special Guest Villainess @evilniamh So clumsy and so easily accepted. This whole story is Trash.Gareth Maddieson @AuntieDrJo Was this a case of getting the original tv story mixed up with the novelisation?! I do think one of the Virgin MAs explained it however.
Gary Russell's The Scales of Injustice. I quite liked that one. It's more of a retcon than an explanation per se, but GR makes it work.
The Doctor is horrified to find the Silurians waging war...
...and derides their justification of "Defensive war", telling Ichtar there's no such thing.
Even more worryingly, Ichtar is hellbent on a "final solution" - Genocide.
They're going to trigger the war this base was designed to fight, and let both human power blocs wipe each other out.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Suits me.
Tegan and Turlough are reunited, albeit in the make shift cell of the crew barracks.
Turlough and Preston get to work on an escape plan.
The Silurians hack into the base's systems, but they'll need the Commander's hand print to activate the missile data banks.
"You'll get no help from me, Silurian!" An immortal line, not necessarily for the right reasons.
The Doctor points out that they only need his hand, and he doesn't have to be alive for them to use it.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly "I'd rather die than help the enemy." "They'll kill you if you don't." "Oh, well, in that case..."Vorshak acquiesces, confident that the missiles will never leave their pads without a sync operator...
...but the Silurians have an app for that.
Turlough loses enthusiasm for the jailbreak when Tegan insists on heading for the bridge rather than the TARDIS.
Ichtar has plans to revive many more Silurians and Sea Devils in hibernation.
Preston finally manages to cajole Turlough into shaking a leg.
The Silurians promise to let the Doctor and his friends leave once the war is over...
...but their willingness to see everyone else on board the base killed without mercy seems a point of no return.
Bulic and Tegan arrive in the adjacent computer room...
...just as the Silurians gain control of the missile system.
The Doctor clocks Bulic giving him the come hither...
...and makes his way past a couple of hapless Sea Devils to the computer room...
...for a conspiratorial natter.
Sure enough the Doctor's mind is made up, and they're off to the chemical store for the Hexachromite. It's part 4 now, after all.
Preston and Turlough make it to the corridor, where they retrieve rifles from the bodies of fallen guards.
Discovering that the prisoners have escaped, and the Doctor's done a bunk...
...Ichtar orders Sauvix to hunt them down and kill them.
Preston and Turlough reunite with the others en route to the chemical store...
...while the Silurians prepare to take control of the missiles with their pound shop Orac.
When a Sea Devil tracks them down in the chemical store...
...a stray shot punctures a nearby gas tank...
...and the effect is instantaneous.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly His nickname was Lucky.The Sea Devil dies in a green snot implosion. Lovely.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly And then he gets up, pulls off the mask to reveal the Master!Gareth Maddieson @AuntieDrJo Watching this at 7/8 slime of any kind was most welcome. In fact I think Chibnall needs to bring it back for series 12
The City of Jeff @TheCityOfJeff I was just 7 when this aired and this really upset me. I'd been obsessed with the Sea Devils thanks to my dad's copy of the Anniversary edition of the radio times since I could read so seeing them die so horribly was a bit heartbreaking. Poor fella. With Bulic and Preston all in favour of using the Hexachromite to rid the base of all reptile life in much the same way, Davison's Doctor finally does give us a bit of alien. "I sometimes wonder why I like the people of this miserable planet so much."
Ever the optimist, he's still hoping a less lethal solution will present itself, but time is not on the Time Lord's side.
The Computer begins another practice run, but the Silurians override it...
...so they can begin the real deal.
Martin Curnow @mjCurnow That yellow alert is some serious high-tech stuff.
With a missile launch imminent there's no going back. 
The Doctor agrees feeding the gas into the ventilation system - slowly at first, so he can give Icthar a chance to surrender - is now necessary.
Vorshak tries a last ditch attempt to convince Ichtar to put his demands to the governments of Earth, but these pleas are to no avail. "It is too late for pity. It is much too late."
The Doctor is still hoping he can talk Ichtar round before the effects of the gas reach the bridge.
When Sauvix invades the chemical store to capture the fugitives...
...Preston ignores Tegan's warnings and makes a dive for a nearby rifle.
Despite her heroic attempted, she's gunned down by the Sea Devil Commander.
Bulic finishes Sauvix off with a quick squirt of Hexachromite.
With the Doctor bridge-bound, the gas begins to do its' work - a little too well.
The Silurians have complete control of the missiles now...
...and force Vorshak to begin the launch.
The Doctor arrives to give Ichtar a final chance to abort...
...but with Bulic pumping the gas into the air around them at full blast...
...the Sea Devils and Silurians begin to drop like flies.
The gas seems to hit the Silurians right in the pants.
There's only one way to stop the missile launch now - the Doctor is going to have to interface with the computer himself.
Vorshak warns him that it'll burn out his mind, but no-one's got any better ideas.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Oh, sweet zombie Jesus, just end already.There's missiles about to go off on that BBC computer and the Doctor stops to have his hair done.
Come on, priorities.
At the Doctor's urging, Tegan and Turlough try to revive the Silurians with oxygen masks.
As Vorshak coaches the Doctor to find the ignition circuit and burn it out before the missiles can launch...
...one of the groggy Silurians fires a gun with his last breath, fatally wounding Vorshak.
Too late, and rather pointlessly, Turlough finishes the Silurian off.
Vorshak stoically soldiers on through the pain to talk the Doctor through the endgame.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly I chuckled. That's not right, is it?With the crisis averted in the nick of time...
...Vorshak succumbs.
Just this once, Rose, everybody dies! Well, they all did in Horror of Fang Rock too. Just this twice. And... I'll come in again. Our chief weapons are everybody dies, kung fu and a fanatical devotion to Dobbin the Myrka.
Tim Pieraccini @tjpieraccini Not everybody. Somewhere, Bulic survives, I think.True! He's still in the chemical store, pumping gas into the ventilation system.
Simon Threadgold @dimwittedly Should've ended with the Doctor saving the world from the Silurians, but the war breaking out anyway. 'Cos this story puts me in a very bad mood."Did I succeed?"
"Yes, Doctor."
"They're all dead, you know."
"There should have been another way."
Great line to finish on and great delivery from Davo, but sadly rather sums the whole thing up!
Autopsy of the Myrka!
Overall, don't think Warriors of the Deep deserves its' reputation as one of the very worst Doctor Who stories (there are much worse, anyway...) but it's bad. And very unengaging, despite Davison's best efforts.
I think the basic plot is there and I like the Silurians (in general, the concept etc.) but every department has a mare especially the script editor, director and producer, unfortunately.
shane cook @shanecook71 I always think how great it would be if it had the lighting and enclosed feeling of Cold War, the Myrka should just be glimpsed and alluded to no standing in the bright studio lights in all it's freshly painted glory...
MAW Holmes @MAW_H Another that works much better as the soundtrack release, to be honest... Also, I once watched it with the colour off and that helped (but not much) but my DW was mostly watched on a B/W portable at that point :-)
Lee Mahon @Lee_JM75 · A mate of mine always refers to this story as Warriors on the Cheap. Very apt!
It's sunk by almost everything that could go wrong all going wrong at once.
Definitely, the frustration is more 'offensive' than if it was just bland and boring.
Martin Robertson @m_robertson_UK · it's a Space 1999 adventure with the names/location changed and directed by a Muppet in a coma.
James Smith @thejimsmith · Every Byrne Who has "The villain has permanent control of the McGuffin!" as the part 3 climax.
David Darlington @deejsaint All except one of the three, yes.
Warriors being it. Just the Sea Devil confronting the Doctor. Keeper of Traken & Arc of Infinity are almost "insert name here" style carbon copies though!
The incidental music doesn't really help this one, nor the daft laser sound FX. But at least we got to see Ingrid Pitt kung fu kick a green panto dragon horse before we died. Tegan's usual negative whinging is a bore, and predictable cowardly weasling from Turlough makes him hard to like, but Davison himself battles heroically.
5th Symphony
I'd largely put that down to script quality, though, to be honest don't think Davison has really had as many 'hits' for BF as Colin & Sylv. Not for quite a few years, at least until The Peterloo Massacre, which is *superb*.
1999 & 2003 respectively there. The lionised Spare Parts was 2002, Circular Time 2007.
Thank you! Preston would love to have regenerated and reappeared! #DoctorWho #WarriorsOfTheDeep https://t.co/0sONlqNYPV— Tara Ward (@TaraWardBooks) August 18, 2019
Okay, sing us off, Fred...Brad_Filippone @Hamlet64 As I suggested once before, no one checks to see if she is actually dead, so she might have survived.
Tara Ward @TaraWardBooks Thank you for repeating this very important theory, Brad. Surely it’s time for a Preston reappearance on Doctor Who!
Jeremy Maidment @maidment_jeremy Most definitely
TTFN! K.Ba-ba-dum-dum-dum WARRIORS OF THE DEEP!— Kippy Woo (@TygerWhoCame2T) August 18, 2019
Dum-dum-dum WARRIORS OF THE DEEP!
And another one gone, and another one gone, WARRIORS OF THE DEEP!
Hey, the Myrka's got you too, WARRIORS OF THE DEEP!#WarriorsOfTheDeep #DoctorWhopic.twitter.com/g1CUWERlqq
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