A lot happens in this first episode of the story. If you want to then you can count the number of times the Doctor and Sarah Jane investigate or get shot at or get captured or run away. I don't think I know enough numbers to count all the times these things happen.
It starts with a UNIT manny in some woods. He is walking funny so we know at once that something is up because UNIT mannys are normally sensible like the Brigadier. We don't find out what is up just now, because the Doctor hasn't even arrived yet.
The TARDIS appears and the Doctor and Sarah Jane come out. They are in the same woods as the UNIT manny and we see him hiding from them but they don't see him. Once they go past him he carries on with his funny walk.
The Doctor and Sarah Jane meet four mannys in white. The Doctor speaks to them but the shoot at him with finger guns (a bit like Travis in Blakes 7).
The Doctor and Sarah Jane run away until Sarah Jane falls down a hill and the Doctor saves her from falling off a cliff at the bottom of the hill. Then the UNIT manny appears again and he jumps off the cliff.
He goes
They go down and investigate his body. The Doctor finds a lot of new coins in his pockets . This is obviously a clue but I don't know what it means because I'm a cat and cats don't have money.
They see a big black thing and the Doctor thinks it is another clue, but before he can investigate it the mannys in white shoot at them again and so they have to run away.
They run into a village. There don't seem to be any other mannys about. The Doctor says "Let's try the pub," because he knows lots of mannys like pubs.
The pub is also empty. They investigate it and the Doctor finds more new coins. He has a theory about why there are no mannys about but it is wrong. They see out the window that the four mannys in white have arrived along with the UNIT manny who is alive again. The Doctor and Sarah Jane are surprised because mannys are only supposed to have one life.
Another manny in white turns up with a truck with lots more mannys on it. These mannys go into the pub while the Doctor and Sarah Jane hide and watch them. The mannys all stand very still until the clock chimes, then they all start moving about at the same time. It is a mystery why they do this.
The Doctor and Sarah Jane split up, because the Doctor wants to go to the Space Defence Station so he can contact UNIT. After he has gone the UNIT manny opens the door to reveal Sarah Jane and all the mannys look at her. Because she has now been captured the UNIT manny starts asking her strange questions, but the landlord thinks she should go away.
Sarah Jane goes outside and sees a manny in white. It is not a manny; it is a robot with no face. Sarah Jane runs away.
The Doctor gets to the Space Defence Station and goes inside. He sees a UNIT manny on guard but he is standing still and does not react to the Doctor so the Doctor just goes past.
Sarah Jane gets to the TARDIS and puts the key in the door. Then she notices a big black thing like the one they found earlier so she goes to investigate it. The TARDIS disappears behind her and then the thing opens and the manny hiding inside tries to grab her. Sarah Jane runs away again.
There is a manny called Guy Crayford. He has an eyepatch (I wonder if he has a finger gun as well?) and is in an office talking to another manny called Styggron who we don't see because he is not there.
The Doctor comes in and Crayford captures him with a gun (but not a finger gun). The Doctor knocks over a table to distract him and then runs away. Crayford shoots at him a couple of times but misses, maybe because he's only got one eye?
Crayford sends a UNIT manny (who is the same UNIT manny who jumped off the cliff and was then in the village) to chase the Doctor. The Doctor goes on the roof but he is shot at by more UNIT soldiers in an exciting chase scene. Sarah Jane is there too and she sees the Doctor jump off the roof. Two mannys in white point their fingers at the Doctor.
"Is that finger loaded?"
The Doctor has been captured again. Sarah Jane follows them without being seen as the mannys in white lock the Doctor up, so she goes to rescue him straight away. But behind her a panel opens and someone is watching them. We see it is a scary face (but not Balok or Scary Cat).
Scary face!
Of course this means it is the end of the episode.
This is a very fast-paced episode with all the things that happen in it, but it also builds up atmosphere with all they mysterious goings-on. It reminds me of the Avengers episode The Hour That Never Was, but with a deserted village instead of a deserted air base.
But aliens hardly ever invaded in The Avengers (except in Man-Eater of Surrey Green) so maybe this will take a different turn when we find out who the scary face belongs to - next time.
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