Doctor Who "The Ark in Space - Part Three" (1975)

It's amazing to me that four years before Alien so perfectly mixed the science fiction and horror genres that Doctor Who is playing its own variation on the same theme. The idea is not new to science fiction however but still the general plot of this serial follows that of Alien: a small band of humans (and one Time Lord) must fight off an alien menace that is picking them off one by one. Vira even stands in for Ripley following Noah's transformation into a Wirrn, which we learn is the name of the species. Unfortunately the effects of Doctor Who, particularly with regard to the design of the Wirrn, could not match up to the beautiful and grotesque cinematic quality of Alien.

The costumes of the larvae are green spray painted bubble wrap and at the cliffhanger we get our first look at a fully developed Wirrn, which is a re-use of the dead Queen costume which also looks unbelievable. The actors are what saves the serial however, as they all play it straight and their fearful and horrified reactions to the Wirrn give them more credibility than their looks do. I will say that the underside of the Wirrn larvae is a more realistic creature design and gives a truly nerve rattling appearance.

Although the full creature designs leave much to be desired, Noah's transformation into a Wirrn is well done. Even though it's just more bubble wrap, the way it is applied to his body and the increasing amount each time we see him makes it look like a flesh eating bacteria that is slowly consuming him. His feelings for Vira are the only thing allowing his human mind to maintain some control over his actions, however fleetingly. It's a beauty and the beast love story that is not overdone melodramatically as it might be done today. We'd only seen brief glimpses of the care Noah and Vira have for one another but it's enough to understand that the two are in love. Vira's torment at what is happening to Noah, being used as a tool of destruction against everything that he stood for, is well played by the actress and again is never overly done.

Let's not forget the Doctor in all this as he puts his life on the line again here by linking his mind to that of the deceased Wirrn. There is a strong chance his mind could become a part of the Wirrn consciousness and he would be lost, but he undertakes the task regardless because it is necessary to find a weakness so he can save the others. Baker shines as the joyful glee he displays at the experiment is in stark contrast to how someone else would react highlighting the true alien nature of the Doctor. He is still aware of the danger however and entrusts Vira to kill him if it looks like he cannot disengage from the Wirrn mind.

Favorite moment: Complementing the moment from the first episode, the Doctor's claim that humans are his favorite species is a sweet touch to the character as he once again puts his life on the line in order to save the remnants of the human race. Perhaps it's not coincidental the Doctor constantly finds himself returning to Earth so often after all.