Sometimes when writing for a sci-fi series its hard not to tread over used ground and make it seem new, most of the time the story just seems old and worn out. Considering the low budget status of the earlier Dr. Who series, rehashing of older storylines from science fiction became a necessity. Blending ideas from multiple sources brought some of the most inventive storylines in the series, and this one shows how well the writers did at constructing a usable tale for the expanding universe of Dr. Who.
While stopping in 19th century London to take in a theater play The Doctor and Leela are soon drawn into the strange goings on that include the disappearances of 9 women, giant rats, and a secret Chinese cult that is run by a time traveling madman. Tom Baker is the Doctor in this story, and up until the resent revival of the series, was the most popular and loved actors to carry the mantle. Using the elements of time travel, ancient Gods with power and a little bit of the Jack the Ripper mythology, you end up with a drama that captures your imagination and takes you on a ride through the fog cover streets of London. Having each episode end up with a cliffhanger helps draw the audience into wanting to see the next part so that they maybe able to see how the final outcome comes to be.
This tale was one of the few complete storylines that I saw in the 70s, and it still has the spark of entertainment that it had when it originally aired. Watching some of these older episodes of this series bring back the memories of seeing the stories unfold on a young mind, and impress upon the ideas of adventure and exploration of the world around us. This is a nice enjoyable disc to watch, with all the parts for this story on one disc there is no waiting to see the progression of the story.
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