The Dominators

Directed by

UK Viewers

6.1 million

Appreciation Index

52

Synopsis

The TARDIS arrives on the planet Dulkis where the Doctor, Zoe and Jamie decide to have a quiet holiday. Only to find the Evil Dominators and their robotic slaves, The Quarks have arrived on a radioactive island, where they plan to detonate a bomb in the planet's core, which will turn the entire planet as source of radioactive fuel for their invasion fleet.

Episode 2

First aired

Saturday, August 17, 1968

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

5.9 million

Appreciation Index

55

Synopsis

The Doctor and Jamie are captured by the Dominators, who subject them to an intelligence test, while Zoe and Cully attempt to convince the Dulcian council of the threat.

Episode 3

First aired

Saturday, August 24, 1968

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

5.4 million

Appreciation Index

55

Synopsis

Zoe and Cully are captured by the Dominators and put to work alongside the survey team while the Doctor and Jamie decide to return to the island to help.

Episode 4

First aired

Saturday, August 31, 1968

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

7.5 million

Appreciation Index

51

Synopsis

The Doctor and Zoe are interrogated by Rago, who is planning to present his terms to the Dulcian council, while Jamie and Cully try to find a way to strike back against the Quarks.

Episode 5

First aired

Saturday, September 7, 1968

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Directed by

UK Viewers

5.9 million

Appreciation Index

53

Synopsis

Jamie and Cully manage to rescue the Doctor's party and together they try to find a way to stop the Dominators before they destroy the entire planet.

Characters

Second Doctor

Patrick Troughton

Jamie McCrimmon

Frazer Hines

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The Dominators

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The Dominators (VHS)

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5 reviews

“Just act stupid”

Quelle nullité.

Il y a des bons moments mais c’est quand même surtout aux dépens du scénar’ désespérément sérieux et parce que rien - vraiment rien - ne va dans sa prod’.

Déjà on nous inflige des personnages atrocement idiots qui errent de carrières en carrières, mais il faut en plus que le propos politique soit juste digne d’un Obertone.

On pourra alors me dire que beaucoup d’histoires de Doctor Who sont tout aussi bêtes, mais peu sont aussi bêtes que méchantes

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Review last edited on 17-11-24

This review contains spoilers!

I didn't initially get the hate for this story after watching episode one. Its very silly but I got the impression that it was a fun story for young children, with lots of exciting little touches. The Quarks for example are they are little boxes of joy and sets like the travel pods are superb.

Ultimately, my problems with this story came later. One note characters kept on beating their single note to infuriatingly unlikely levels. The Dominators themselves (Rago and Toba) are possibly the greatest victims of this. Whilst I can suspend my disbelief to the point where two men can believably dominate an entire planet, the idea that one could consistently undermine the other in the dullest and stupidest of ways and keep being let off is beyond ridiculous. I know a lot of humour was supposed to derive from this, but I would have loved Rago to destroy Toba after the first or second betrayal of trust (or vice versa). The only accolade that it could be given at this point is one of the "so bad its good" variety.

I have never known any piece of television to have such little character development; no-one changes or goes on "a journey". Perhaps this would be less of a problem if these characters had much nuance to them in the first place, but they don't. "Good guys" are almost soul-crushingly naïve and kindhearted; to the point where (despite Cully) they would almost lie down and take any invasion willingly, or make out that they are without option. "Bad guys" are pointlessly evil, seemingly without real motivation; they seem to revel in being evil.

But hey! Those Quarks are fun right?!

Like Liked 1

Review last edited on 19-08-24

I enjoyed this one quite a lot. The villains felt interesting and multilayered: many villains are like a hive mind, all acting together. The Dominators aren't like that and their internal conflict is interesting and adds an extra layer to the story. Moreover, the villains motivation is a little more complex than I feel is common and it was also effectively kept unclear for a large part of the story, keeping me guessing as to what their actual intentions were which was fun, especially when I realised I'd guessed wrongly due to the appearance of new evidence.

The plot itself felt tight and kept me interested and the supporting characters felt well-written. The Doctor and is companions were also on-point.

Like Liked 1

Review last edited on 30-07-24

I find barely any enjoyment in this story

Like Liked 1

Review last edited on 29-05-24

I know this story is kinda bad and the political satire leaves something to be desired but i'm just so happy to be done with the torrent of base-under-siege that was season 5 that i almost don't care anymore

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Review last edited on 29-04-24