The Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa and Adric encounter the Cybermen in a rather vicious encounter which results in the death of young Adric.
Adric, who had been the teen-aged stowaway with the previous Doctor (Tom Baker), suddenly seemed out of place when #5 Peter Davison took over the main role.
What should have been a worthwhile, almost nuclear family quartet, suddenly gave way to strange rumors.
Did Peter Davison want Adric & Tegan removed from the show, feeling only he and Nyssa were worthwhile? Or did Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) behave too irresponsibly and cause his own departure? The truth may never be known by the masses, but as Peter Davison says with his three co-stars on this story's DVD audio commentary, "Earthshock" is now rather discussed by fans because of Adric's death.
Was it a good story or was it behind-the-scenes shenanigans that brought about Adric's death? Looking back now, I didn't like Adric's death then, and I still don't like it. I would have much rather preferred he left in "Terminus" with Nyssa.
However, to hear the commentary of the four cast regulars shows that there was clearly no animosity amongst them, thank goodness.
No harm done.
But still, I didn't think Adric should have died.
Adric, who had been the teen-aged stowaway with the previous Doctor (Tom Baker), suddenly seemed out of place when #5 Peter Davison took over the main role.
What should have been a worthwhile, almost nuclear family quartet, suddenly gave way to strange rumors.
Did Peter Davison want Adric & Tegan removed from the show, feeling only he and Nyssa were worthwhile? Or did Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) behave too irresponsibly and cause his own departure? The truth may never be known by the masses, but as Peter Davison says with his three co-stars on this story's DVD audio commentary, "Earthshock" is now rather discussed by fans because of Adric's death.
Was it a good story or was it behind-the-scenes shenanigans that brought about Adric's death? Looking back now, I didn't like Adric's death then, and I still don't like it. I would have much rather preferred he left in "Terminus" with Nyssa.
However, to hear the commentary of the four cast regulars shows that there was clearly no animosity amongst them, thank goodness.
No harm done.
But still, I didn't think Adric should have died.