Like The Reign of Terror I had watched this story not that long ago, probably in September of last year. It's an interesting story that's quite different to anything the show had done before it, or really since.
The story of the Doctor and co. being shrunken down to the size of an inch is rather fun and makes you think about everyday life. It is very well realised and I was amazed at how well my imagination went along with it and I really believed that they were climbing up onto a telephone whilst being no bigger than an inch.
This is all helped by the simply amazing props and sets. Everything is brilliant, from the fly, the match box and briefcase, and best of all the sink and plug hole. It's probably the best work seen on the show at this point. I think it helps that it's set on Earth and set at the time that it was made. It deals with things that people see in their everyday lives, so it has to meet up to people's expectations. The plug hole looks so good because they had to make it look like that, otherwise the audience would be taken out of the story and the illusion would be shattered.
Again it's all helped by some good direction too, from the slow pan out of the model TARDIS showing the garden path and house around it, to the very high angle shots of the Doctor and Susan in the sink, looking up. Especially good is the shot of the dead man and the miniature TARDIS crew looking up at his giant face. It is clear that's it a static image, but it does look massive, so it works.
Unfortunately the other story with the murder and the insecticide is a bit dull and bland for Doctor Who. It just doesn't really work with it. The whole thing with the operator realising that it was someone different on the phone is plausible but then her getting involved and calling the police is a bit of a stretch. Also who has a laboratory making seemingly top secret insecticide in a house? Not a very good business plan.
Also the Doctor wanting to start a fire? It never gets to that scale but he could have set the house on fire, maybe even killed people and caused massive damage. Seem a bit out of character to you?
I will say that the story being three episodes long was the perfect length for it though. And I'm noticing a pattern: Ian was sick in the Sensorites, Susan was ill in The Reign of Terror and now Barbara was ill in this story. Probably just a coincidence but seems a bit odd. Will the Doctor be next?
Episode scores:
1. Planet of Giants: 6/10
2. Dangerous Journey: 6.5/10
3. Crisis: 6/10
Average: 6/10
Next onto The Dalek Invasion of Earth.
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