GG1 - The Underwater Menace 1

When a story like The Underwater Menace comes up for review, it's tough to watch it without the excessive weight of the general negative reaction from 40 years of fandom sitting in front of me, trying to block the screen from my impartial eye. So, as best I could, I tried to sit down and watch Episode One with as unbiased an eye as I possibly could. I've only ever seen this story twice before, so how jaded could I possibly be?

The verdict after episode one: middling. The only bad thing I could really think of was a cringe-worthy scene where each companion thinks to himself/herself, complete with cheesy vocal overdub, wishing that the TARDIS has landed in a location that would be fun and interesting to them. I suppose I could pick on the basic plot relying on the fact that Atlantis still exists under the sea, but that would be picking nits.

Jamie accustoms himself to the TARDIS better than any companion before or since, especially given the fact that he was born in the 18th century. It solves the age-old problem in Doctor Who : how do you portray the awe and wonder of a new companion when he/she steps into the TARDIS for the first time, yet make it fresh and exciting each time? Answer: you just ignore it. Jamie has slipped into the TARDIS rather unnoticed, and has already accepted everything that he has seen. Somewhere, Katarina is feeling that much more stupid.