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Why I like the Drum

The Drum is an underwater base under the titular lake in "Under the Lake" run by Vector Petroleum. I like it because it's an underwater base. I seriously have a thing for underwater bases. But also - how many times have you seen an underwater base that is not an undersea base? Doctor Who has had a number of spacecraft chilling beneath lakes - from the Zygon ship under Loch Ness to Arthur's spaceship under Lake Vortigern - but I believe this is the first proper sublacustrian base.

What's it there for? Research and drilling, of which the drilling is by far the less interesting to everyone but designated Arrogant Prick Richard Pritchard. The submerged world is fascinating and terrifying. We know more about the surface of the moon than we know about the bottom of Lake Superior. There are lakes and grottos deep enough that they remain entirely unplumbed. How cool is that? This is not one such, of course, since it was artificially created, but that might be even cooler. There's a whole sunken city out there, complete with creepy churches and mysterious spacecraft. What's better than a ghost town? An underwater ghost town. And these things exist! St. Thomas, Nevada can still be seen when the water is low in Lake Powell, the townsfolk having had to have been relocated in preparation of the building of the Hoover Dam. Such a sunken city is a good part of the plot to Doctor Doolittle and the Return to the Secret Lake. It's such a compelling setting, to me at least. So much for Atlantis Is Boring - naw man, underwater stuff is awesome.

(gif by @clarabossoswald)

The 22nd century whoniverse seems to be particularly adept at building underwater bases. "Warriors of the Deep" was set on another one. The Drum seems to much more pleasant all around, though - and at the very least inhabited by much more pleasant people! But the Drum seems clean, practical, and, surprisingly, comfortable. Even if it is also a nuclear reactor. But it's got a very well-appointed mess hall, which even has a whimsical mural of people in starfleet uniforms being devoured by a horrible sea monster. The people are very comfortable getting around and using it. It's got very nice airlocks - I am really impressed by how straightforward going in and out of the base is. They've got remote rovers to go explore the ruins and some kind of teleporter for bringing material inside, and if you wanna you can take a walk outside without really a second thought. I really like the near-future technology - subtle enough to seem natural, not magically advanced, but far enough ahead of us to just be...efficient, and to make life just easier enough. And it's got a freakin Faraday Cage! Everyone loves Faraday Cages. I'm not sure how one would protect you from nuclear meltdown, but it still is extremely cool. And elegant - very elegant. And, while we're on the nuclear reactor, I really appreciate the realism of repurposing the Drum from one sort of functionality to another. An installation like this has a multitude of uses, and of course they take advantage of them.

No base, of course, would be complete without running through corridors. The Drum, to its credit, has very runnable corridors - with right angles in all the right places. That has got to be one of the best running through corridors scenes I've ever seen - using the very geometry of the base to their advantage, not expecting any one person to be an accomplished marathon runner, confusing and befuddling the enemy with misdirection and bait and switch... purposeful running through corridors, not just fleeing the monster through miles of interchangeable passageway for the sake of episode padding. And I honestly really enjoy the circular cross-section. It's just visually appealing. As is water rising and covering portholes. Trapped by slamming doors is always a fun conceit, and having automatic flood doors on an underwater base is just plain good sense. Close the doors and flood what can be flooded - what a good idea. It doesn't feel nearly so artificial as it might, again, because of the very geometry and logic of the base itself. Fantastic!

I really just love the entire aesthetic of the Drum. Its layout, its logic, the really just the fact that it's an underwater base. But like - a nice one. Not grungy, cramped, dripping, and dystopian, nor that too-perfect futuristic bright bright white. It just seemed very practical, very functional, and very comfortable. Everyone at ease - if not for those pesky ghosts.

#doctor who #under the lake #underwater base #the drum #vector petroleum #running through corridors #12W