The Armageddon Factor - Episode 4

The fourth episode of this story is where the story has its usual change in direction which can sometimes work and sometimes doesn’t. Sometimes it manages to do it without too much of a giveaway and I think that this is the case in this episode. Once the episode starts up there is one thing that seems to suggest the darkness has gone and that involves Shapp. Shapp is definetly a comedic character. This is evident when he shoots the Shadow and shrieks backwards before falling to the ground.  For the Doctor and Romana they have to deal with the Mentalis machine and that seems to be sorted quite quickly.

I like how the Doctor thinks that he can sort of get around the fact he doesn’t have the sixth segment of the key and decides to try and make his own segment. It works but it’s a short term fix. The Doctor tries to talk it into working but that doesn’t do the trick and we are reminded constantly that time is stretching but looking at the clock that is counting down.

There is a bit where K9 does come across as quite stupid. He enters a room with a ringing phone and then when he is transmatted he stumbles across the Shadow and becomes overpowered. To be honest this is best he has been in since he joined the show. I think I quite like bad K9 and I never thought I would put like and K9 in the same sentence without being sarcastic. The Marshall is stuck in a limbo now until the end of the story just as says ‘fire’. It’s a shame that someone like John Woodvine has been reduced to this minor role now. He has been one of the best things in the story and now he’s not. Ok so at least he will be appearing in the rest of the story but he wont be the same and between him and K9 I would rather have more Woodvine.

There is a scene where Tom Baker, Mary Tamm and Lalla Ward are on screen at the same time and its weird to think that two incarnations of the same character are interacting and also Tom Baker is encountering his future ex-wife. Lalla Ward is given some good stuff to do and feels like she is part of the story instead of just being a character that appears in random scenes. Her best period in the episode comes when she is in the TARDIS and is looking at the Key to Time. It was during this time that I realised that I don’t think that there has been so much time used in the TARDIS.

I don’t think that this episode was as good as the previous one but I still think that its maintained my interest and I think that with two episodes left the story is starting to build up to the big finale and the pieces are starting to fall into place.

 

The Armageddon Factor - Episode 3

I have been keeping an up to date note of how many episodes people have been in and even though Lalla Ward isn’t playing Romana yet, she is in the show and this is her third episode and that puts her just two behind Adrienne Hill. People may say that as she is not a companion it does count but I disagree and I did the same when Peter Purves appeared in ‘The Chase’ as Morton Dill before appearing in episode six as Steven Taylor. Also and I know that he has been involved in the show for a while at this point but John Nathan-Turner’s name has been appearing in the credits at the end of the episode. Now back to the episode itself. The episode starts off with the Doctor being held by a strange figure dressed in black who calls himself the shadow. It’s a great name for a well realised design. The Shadow knows about the Doctor’s search for the key to time and seems to have a lot of power.

I still think that Merak is a wet individual and isn’t someone that I have really have a lot of time for. Sadly as the Doctor is spending time with the Shadow, it means that Romana has to interact with someone and that person has to be Merak. He pinches the tracer of Romana and decides that he is going to Zeos without her. “I’ll explain it to you when I’ve got two weeks to spare” is what Romana says to Merak and it shows a bit of the Romana that we saw at the beginning of the season but said in a way that shows she has mellowed.

Shapp gets to become a more independent character because he finds himself on Zeos. I don’t know whether its because the Marshall isn’t right next to him but I find him even funnier than in previous episodes. He doesn’t quite believe that he is on Zeos and his refusal to accept this fact is breathing a bit of humour in a story that doesn’t quite have a lot of fun qualities about it. When the Marshall does return to the episode, he is ranting at the camera in a war speech to try and get people whipped up into a frenzy. It’s a short scene but its enough to remind me of how good John Woodvine is.

It was a while before I realised that this were a studio bound story as the story was so good that I was too involved in what was going on to either notice or care. We do get a model shot in this episode and its used to show us the Marshall’s ship and the only ship left in the fleet. This is the last episode where the Marhsall gets to be useful really as I think in future episodes he is part of a loop that will last for most of the serial. The revelation that there aren’t any Zeons on Zeos but infact its just one computer that has been fighting with the Marshall is wonderful idea and the computer is called Mentalis and interacts with K9 thus making this the only time that K9 has been useful.

The episode ends with the Marshall just saying “Attack”. This is perhaps not quite as impactful an ending as the previous cliffhanger was but I enjoyed the episode quite a lot and thought that there have been much worse endings in the show before that I forgave the story for its weak ending. I am now at the half way point of the serial and think that its progressing along nicely but I am waiting for the build up to start because whilst there have been a few mentions of the key to time and segment, the drama and tension has yet to really start and time in starting to run out. Still at least I can say something good about a six parter and that is I am still not bored. Couldn’t really say that about other six parters that there have been during the Tom Baker era.

The Armageddon Factor - Episode 2

I still think that the TARDIS being out of action isn’t the best cliffhanger that there could have been. Anyway this is a minor blip really as the episode starts off in a good way because we get a Doctor and Marshall scene. I have just noticed that Merak is with the Doctor and Romana. Merak is in love with Princess Astra so as a result becomes someone that the Doctor and Romana can trust and the viewer knows is a good person. My impression is that he’s a bit wet and not on par with the Doctor or Romana. The Marshall continues to be very good in this episode but whilst we noticed that he’s a bit odd in the previous episode we learn a bit more in this episode and that is he has a little thing on his neck which seems to be controlling him and on the other side of the mirror he talks into he is actually talking to a skull.

Tom Baker and Mary Tamm have been really good in this episode. I haven’t really commented on the performances of the regulars for quite sometime in any real detail but I have to say that Tom Baker was fantastic and seemed to be back on fine form. I cant quite put my finger on exactly what it was about Baker’s performance that I liked but its been one of his best performances this season. Mary Tamm is also very good in this episode but for different reasons. The role of the companion is pretty much a thankless task but Mary Tamm has always managed to drag something out of the character and I think she has been one of the best things about this season. There is a point where K9 looks like he is about to meet his end and I am so happy about this because as regular visitors to this blog know, I am not a huge fan of K9. Sadly he is saved by the Doctor. There are few things that I can’t forgive the Doctor for but this is one of those instances.

The Marshall is after the ‘ultimate deterrent’ and the Doctor does a deal with the Marshall that if he helps the Doctor find the Princess (who he sort of let slips that is the segment) and he will help the Marshall to create this ultimate deterrent. Normally if the Doctor were to help the bad guys then that would mean a comprise of the Doctor’s principles but on this occasion I think that the Doctor is helping partly to get the key/Princess Astra and partly because he sees it as a challenge.

It’s funny that during the ‘battle’ scene of this episode we don’t see any models to indicate this but a radar on the CSO screen. This is another indication that the money has pretty much run out. Another indication of this is the outfit that some of the crew wearing the sort of costume that the Sensorites were wearing. The difference being that it suited the Sensorites and it was 1964 not 1979. During this episode it enters my head about why they don’t just try and seek peace and its an argument that could be used in some conflicts in the world today. There is a line about how many ships they have going from hundreds or thousands to three.

As this is a six parter this story is still moving along at a good pace and whilst there doesn’t seem to be much of a story, Bob Baker and Dave Martin have done a good job of fleshing things out to make it seem like its not padding. I haven’t felt bored during these two episodes and even with budgetary limitations on screen, I don’t think that production values have really taken a dip. The cliffhanger for this episode was much better than the previous one although like the previous cliffhanger Mary Tamm gets the last line in the episode. The Doctor has walked into a trap but finds out just before he is taken. This has been another good episode and the ending matches the rest of the episode and I am looking forward to the remaining two third of this serial.

The Armageddon Factor - Episode 1

So I have now reached the final story of the Key to Time season and today’s episode is the 500^th. This story is also the six parter of the season. With so many four parters in a row, it’s weird when a six parter arrives. Six parters have become something of a problem as far as the show is concerned because when I was watching the Pertwee era they were really fun to watch and now they seem to be a bit of a bore because they have to almost change stories at the 2/3 point. I watch this story knowing what the sixth and final segment of the key is but I wonder what those watching in 1979 would have thought the segment would be when they started to watch.  This has never been one of my favourite stories ever but I am hoping that watching it at steady pace might mean something comes out at me that I have previously missed.

This story has a lot to live up to and do in a longer time than previous stories and do it with probably less money than previous stories. Lalla Ward makes her debut in the show but not as Romana. Here she plays Princess Astra and from the moment she makes her first appearance on screen she commands my attention.

John Woodvine is very good as The Marshall. I recognise him from appearing in ‘The New Statesman’ and he played a slightly unhinged policeman. As the Marshall there is something peculiar about him. Davyd Harries plays Shapp who is the marshall’s right hand man and I found to be one of the few moments of comedy in the episode. I don’t think he was intended to be funny or says anything particularly funny but its just the way that he performs because it’s the impression that I get.

Atrios is the planet featured in this story and its twelve minutes before the segment if mentioned. Atrios is at war with Zeos and that’s pretty much all that we need to know really. Due to the fact that money is tight, it means that the lavish location filming that we have seen in previous stories are gone and its all studio based from now on. I think that it adds a certain amount of claustrophobia which might work in its favour.

As we approach the end of Mary Tamm’s time on the show, I am reminded of how far the character has changed in such a short amount of time. In ‘The Ribos Operation’ she was quite a snobby madam but now it feels like she’s mellowed a lot and is forming quite a partnership with the Doctor. Due to the fact that quite a bit is happening, it means that I don’t think Mary Tamm and Tom Baker really got to stand out. I suppose that might be a good thing but considering this is suppose to be such an important story its weird that they spend so long in the TARDIS at the beginning of the story. Also I haven’t missed K9.

The cliffhanger is a little bit disappointing. It’s just the realisation that the TARDIS has gone but with five episodes left in the story, it was clear that they weren’t going anywhere. Apart from that odd cliffhanger, the whole episode has worked out quite well. The various aspects of the story have been set up well and whilst it might be light on humour or location filming, I think that the final story of this season might be a good one.

499 - The Power of Kroll: Episode 4

Episode 499 is one that I wasn’t really looking forward to if I am being honest and that’s because of the last couple of episodes which haven’t been the finest in Doctor Who but I was hoping that something would get me back into the story and I am happy to say that this does happen. There is at least some excitement to start this episode with and it comes when Kroll starts to pick off some of the swampies.

The humans are trying to wipe out the swampies and vice versa which just shows that this is the final episode of the story. The shot of Kroll above the Doctor and Romana in their boat works ok but there is another shot of Kroll on the horizon which looks a bit unconvincing. Also there is a shot of Kroll attacking the refinery which really looks disappointing. This is the time of the season where money starts to run out so this is where quality starts to take a dip. There is a bit where the Doctor goes up a wobbly ladder to mess with a little circuit board and when he slaps the lid back the rocket wobbles. It’s always good to try and argue that walls rarely wobbled in Doctor Who but times like this it makes my job of arguing harder.

There is a shot where John Abineri is talking to a tentacle prop as if it the head part of Kroll. It’s due to the fact that Abineri is such a good actor that it doesn’t come across more ridiculous than it could have done. Whilst I haven’t been totally thrilled with the humans in this story, I thought that they made up for it in this episode because there was a nice bit of friction between all three of them and at one point K9 Dugeen gets shot by Thawn. His death is sad but I thought that Thawn’s death was quite shocking and surprisingly gory considering that Philip Hinchcliffe isn’t the producer.

Kroll is the fifth segment which perhaps shouldn’t have come as a complete surprise. Due to the size of Kroll it was always going to be difficult for the Doctor to save the day against something that doesn’t speak and doesn’t communicate but somehow it works. The fact very little has been mentioned about the fifth segment seems to be a good way of covering up the fact that Kroll was the segment and one could argue that it was obvious when the Doctor and Romana were talking at the beginning of episode two.

One stat for today’s episode and that is this is the 52^nd episode to be written by Robert Holmes which ties him with Terry Nation. It will be a while before Robert Holmes returns to the show but I think that he managed to save the day with this episode. I feel slightly more positively about this story than I did at the end of the previous episode. I still stand that this wont be Robert Holmes’ best story but I think that Norman Stewart did a very good job of battling some tricky moments and making good use of the location filming.

The Power of Kroll - Episode 3

This episode was the first to be broadcast in 1979. There that is about as interesting as this entry is about to get.

I know that I have commented that this isn’t a great story, I think that this is the worst episode of the serial. The problem with the episode is that it just doesn’t really get going until the final five minutes. The Doctor and Romana start the episode about to be stretched to death. They spend nearly half the episode in this situation which does seem like a lot of padding was needed for this story. The Doctor is the one that saves the day by using his high pitched voice to shatter a window and use rain to stop the vines stretching them further.

It is perhaps the most obvious case of padding by having the leading characters do pretty much nothing of worth. The humans on the refinery do nothing apart from sit around and talk about things and the swampies also do very little. The only saving grace for the episode is that we do get some good location filming. Norman Stewart’s previous Doctor Who credit was ‘Underworld’ where he did a remarkable job in making that story work. He does the best he can but the problem with the story is the script so where the scrip allows it, the directing helps saves the day.

The performances from this episode are the sort that I would expect to see if nobody can see a reason to take centre stage. Not even Tom Baker’s comedy tone can help save him and if there was a time that his humour would have helped me get through an episode then it would have been now. As I mentioned the episode only really gets going in the final five minutes as the Doctor, Romana and Rohm-Dutt are escaping from the swampies. The cliffhanger is of the Doctor and Romana sitting in a boat just in front of Kroll. If they were going to have the sight of Kroll looming over people then it would have been better if we hadn’t seen it already in pretty much the same way as we see in in the cliffhanger.

This is one of the weakest episodes for sometime. I have rated this episode 7.00 and it’s the first time that an episode has received this low a rating since episode two of ‘The Face of Evil’. That was back in July. Out of the five episodes of this season it is just about in third place ahead of ‘The Ribos Operation’ but out of Tom Baker’s entire run it is currently in 23^rd place out of 28 stories. It’s tied with ‘The Invisible Enemy’ on 7.30. Hopefully the final episode will do something that makes me think this story has some hidden secrets just waiting to be shown to us but I could be wrong.

The Power of Kroll - Episode 2

Today’s episode is the final episode of 1978. It’s been quite a year as far as the show has been concerned with some quite intriguing stories (such as Underworld). One companion has left and another replace her. I think that in terms of quality the show hasn’t really changed that much in a year. This is episode 497 and is close to celebrating it Quincentenary episode (500^th) and that means that I am over 60% of the way through the marathon. I am still on course to finish this marathon on August 2, 2015.

The opening episode was a bit of a disappointment and I commented that this story wasn’t going to be one of Robert Holmes’ best stories. The cliffhanger had Romana do something that I don’t think she does very often and that’s scream when something does seem to attack her. Sadly its not the for mentioned Kroll but someone dressed in a clam costume. There’s a nice mystery that’s set up during an early scene between the Doctor and Romana when the Doctor questions who is paying Rohm-Dutt when the Swampies don’t have money. Sadly this is dismissed quite quickly by Romana.

When the stories move to the refinery I just find myself being slightly bored with what going on. I never thought I would find myself saying that a scene with Philip Madoc being boring. Madoc, Leeson & Neil McCarthy (previously in ‘The Mind of Evil’) spend the episode looking at some screen trying to decide what to do.

I forgot that John Abineri appears in this story. I forgot because he is caked under green makeup and plays one of the swampies. Like Philip Madoc, Abineri has had some impressive previous performances in Doctor Who. I think that his best performance was in the 1970 story ‘The Ambassadors of Death’ when he played General Carrington. But its still a good performance and I think that he does the best with the green make up.

We get to see the Kroll of this story and its quite a good design and looks quite disgusting but it is certainly one of the largest monsters ever seen in Doctor Who. The effect used to show it infront of the swampies is perhaps a little basic but it could have looked a lot worse and it must have been quite difficult to achieve on location. Even though I know that Kroll turns out to be the fifth segment, its still quite good as how they get round the fact that they don’t know what the segment is by having all this drama about sacrificing and that’s quite a clever thing to do.

This is definelty a stronger episode than yesterday’s. The story feels like its actually going somewhere and building up towards something which wasn’t the case yesterday. I am still more won over with the location filming and the swampies than anything else but my opinion of the story hasn’t changed I think that this is the weakest of the Robert Holmes stories. That said I think that there is something about this story and its certainly stronger than ‘The Pirate Planet’ and also ‘The Ribos Operation’.

The Power of Kroll - Episode 1

T’was two nights before Christmas and Santa seems to have come early with the penultimate in the Key to Time series. I always forget that Robert Holmes wrote this story so this story might be the third story in a row that might be rated very highly. This is one of the least popular Robert Holmes stories and I think that if it were any other writer then it wouldn’t be such a problem but when you’ve written the sort of stories that he has written then a below par story is going to stand out. Like the previous two stories, there is an extraordinary quality of location filming.  I think that this season has seen some of the best location filming that I can recall. The fact there isn’t a road or a building in sight does a lot to create the impression that this is an alien world.

The first faces that we encounter are humans. They don’t seem to be terrible people but there are clearly the aliens and the ones that are in charge. There are also green skinned people called swampies who have become slaves to the humans. They do have their own group who are very afraid of Kroll. They do business with a human called Rohm-Dutt. Rohm-Dutt is a gun for hire, played very well Glyn Owen. He is perhaps the most interesting of the humans because the people working on the refinery seem to be rather ordinary. John Leeson makes an appearance, probably due to the fact that K9 doesn’t feature at all during this story and this was probably an attempt to keep him busy. Philip Madoc returns to the show but this was never going to be Solon from ‘The Brain of Morbius’.

The sacrifice of Romana seems to go on forever. It actually turns out to be about five or six minutes. The cliffhanger involves Romana yet again and she does something that I don’t recall her doing before and that is scream. She is screaming because something does appear to be attacking her so as a cliffhanger it works and gives the episode the ending that it needed because up until this point the story hadn’t really worked for me. The whole episode seemed like it was plodding along and not really leading to anything. I don’t think that this story is going to be quite as good as ‘The Stones of Blood’ and ‘The Androids of Tara’ but maybe the rest of the story might change my opinion on that.

The Androids of Tara - Episode 4

As I watch this episode I wonder whether the story would have worked if they had gone with my original suggestion and have the coronation in this episode because it would have been the perfect end to the story. I think that as good as that suggestion might be (ok I am biased) but I think that the ending that they use in this episode is ok. This story should really have been called two weddings and two funerals because of all the shenanigans that the Count is coming up with. Like most plans in Doctor Who, the plan he has come up with is very convoluted. Surely there would have been an easier way. That said the plan never seems to be come close to working. Before the first wedding between the Prince and Romana happens, the Doctor gets involved and the wedding is stopped.

The Doctor embarks on a sword fight for the first time (I think) since ‘The Sea Devils’. The lack of music is something that I think makes the fight less interesting that it could have otherwise should have been. When the incidental music does arrive it doesn’t really save things. The end of this fight is the end of the Count’s involvement in the episode. The fight goes on for a few moments and I can’t help but compare this to the Sea Devils story. The Count jumping off the bridge into the river is a bit of a cop out. It would have been better I think for the Count to have had some sort of closure because this ending implies that he could return but obviously this isn’t the case so it just seems like a bit of a weird way for a character to be written out of a story.

The scene where Romana encounters the Princess Strella is a funny moment and one that I think is the perfect way to end this adventure. The scene with the Doctor and Romana and the segment is a good one because it reminds us properly for the first time since the first episode that they are on a mission.

I think that this episode was a perfectly fine episode but it wasn’t quite the finale that it should have been. It’s a story that has a lot to like about it and it starts with the story and ends with the characters which all been very well realised by David Fisher and credit should be going to Michael Hayes because he has directed this story beautifully and has done a really good job. It doesn’t happen very often in Doctor Who where both the writing and the directing work so well together but it happens here and this is the second best story of the season which might sound like a bit of a back handed compliment but considering that the best story of the season is ‘The Stones of Blood’ then you know how good this had to be. I think that now I am 2/3 of the way through the season, I realise that we have just two stories left of the Key to Time and the stories that are left aren’t quite as good as the previous two that I have enjoyed. The Androids of Tara has remained as good as I have previously thought of in previous years and think that David Fisher has shown himself to be one of the best writers of recent years. His freshness is something that the more established writers could learn a thing or two from.

The Androids of Tara - Episode 3

It’s fair to say that the previous episode ended on a bit of a sombre note because it appeared to show the Doctor striking a companion. It all becomes clear that it wasn’t the real Romana. The Princess Strella that is in the room is revealed to be an android and the opening few minutes become a bit mad because there is a lot of talking but I couldn’t really tell what was going on. Something else that seems a bit odd is the moment where Lamia and Romana are talking about the segment. This seems to be added in just to remind the us why the Doctor and Romana are on Tara.

I like how the Doctor is advised not to make the android King too intelligent. I thought that its was a funny moment. The humour that has been in these three episodes (and perhaps in Fisher’s previous story) have had a nice dose of comedy and perhaps not the obvious slapstick kind that Douglas Adams attempted to pull off. I think that its credit to David Fisher that he has made the good guys seem to regal and yet not at all annoying. I think that Zadek is my favourite of this group of people but even Neville Jason is doing well as Prince Reynart.

I haven’t commented on just how loathsome the Count is. I always thought he was unlikeable but when its clear that he is doesn’t have any feelings towards Lamia it makes him even more unlikeable. Lamia’s death is quick and surprising but I suppose there wasn’t really much more that the character could do. Peter Jeffrey is playing the role the way that it should be played. With 20% seriousness and 80% humour and campness. I discovered on Wikipedia that Jeffrey previous appeared in ‘The Macra Terror’. I didn’t know this and can safely say that this is the better story for him.

The episode did a thing where it managed to keep the story going without really doing anything. The coronation was done and Romana escaped and then got captured again. I am still impressed with the location filming and it becomes greater in this episode. It all feels like the location filming is a part of the story and by that I mean that it does feel like we are in a land where a kingdom is instead of a quarry pretending to be an alien world. It’s perfectly reasonable to assume that this park/forest filmed wherever in the UK (I can still refer to the UK in the same way after the events of this week) and it still seem like an alien world.

The final scene leading up to the cliffhanger is quite good because it seems that the Count is up to something and it ends with him throwing a spear at the android King and running away with the real Romana. I think that it was a good episode and I am still enjoying this adventure and the final episode should be the perfect ending to this serial. I rate each episode and at the moment the average for this story is 0.01 less than ‘The Stones of Blood’. In terms of Tom Baker’s entire run of stories, it currently stands in joint 9^th place (tied with Robot).

The Androids of Tara - Episode 2

With the Prince kidnapped the Doctor proposes that they get the android crowned. The prince isn’t the only one that has a duplicate. Romana meets her double who is a Princess (Princess Strella to be exact) that is being held prisoner by the Count.

The Count doesn’t know that there is an android version of the Prince exists so when he walks into the coronation chamber and sees the android version he believes it to be impossible. It’s quite odd that if the Prince was late then his opportunity would go to someone else. It’s hard to imagine that if Queen Elizabeth were late to her coronation that they would have crowned someone else. That’s the only thing that doesn’t quite make sense on Tara. That said I thought that the room where the coronation takes place looked quite splendid.

Mary Tamm’s performances were splendid. Playing two roles that are supposed to look alike but are completely different is a tricky thing to pull off but Tamm does this really well and due to the fact Romana acts like she’s a princess she doesn’t really have to try too hard to make it work. Tom Baker does seem to not be quite on form in this episode and seems to be on autopilot which shows that perhaps his time on the show should have been coming to an end now. After over 100 episodes I suppose its only fair to expect the occasional off the boil performance.

I’m surprised that the coronation happens so soon in the story. This would have been what the story was building up to and so happened in episode four but I suppose this means that Fisher has plans for the final two episodes so that is something to look forward to. The writing has been just as good and also the directing has been superb. I still love all the location filming but even the studio scenes have been directed with a refreshing pace and it shows that studio scenes don’t have to been slow and boring. The episode zips along nicely and at no point did I feel like the story was stalling.

The cliffhanger is quite shocking because as far as the viewer is concerned, its Princess Strella that walks toward the android King but the Doctor seems to have other ideas and instead appears to strike a blow (off screen). It’s got to be one of the strongest cliffhangers for a while and its clear that David Fisher is very good at coming up with cliffhangers that are strong and don’t feel bolted at the last minute. I am still enjoying this story even though this episode doesn’t have quite the impact that the opening episode does.

The Androids of Tara - Episode 1

The Androids of Tara is a story that I have always found rather charming. After enjoying the previous story its good that a run of enjoyable stories is showing all the good things that there are about the show. This story is famous because Mary Tamm gets to play two roles. This is the second story in a row for David Fisher. There are only two instances before this where a writer has written two stories in a row, the first was Ian Stuart Black in 1966 with The War Machines and The Savages and the second was Chris Boucher in 1977 with The Face of Evil and The Robots of Death. This episode was broadcast 2 days after the shows 15^th birthday and this is the final story of 1978. This story is quite unusual in that it takes just seven and a half minutes for Romana to find the fourth segment. That means that instead of the story being about the search for the segment the story could be a standard, more traditional Doctor Who story.

The Doctor’s decision to have a break instead of looking for the next segment seems like a bit of an odd thing to do. The only purpose that it serves is for Count Grendel of Gracht to encounter Romana without the Doctor being around. Gracht thinks that Romana is a robot and she is about to be cut up. The Doctor encounters Prince Reynart who is about to be coronated and Gracht is trying to kill him and become king himself. This is essentially the plot of the entire serial. Zadek is played by Simon Lack returns after previously appearing in the 1971 story ‘The Mind of Evil’.

Like the previous story, the location filming is some of the best that has been seen in the show. If I didn’t know any better I would have sworn that it was the same director. There is a shot where we see the castle and it looks slightly dodgy because the castle looks like it has a few bits added on which don’t quite match. I’m not sure whether its just my 2014 eyes looking at a product of 1978 but it’s the only thing that lets the location filming down a bit.

The segment is pretty much forgotten about which is a bit of shame really but that aside I thought that this was another good opening episode. Despite being wedged in the middle of a season long story, the story doesn’t feel like its running out of steam. In fact it feels like its picking up momentum. I am looking forward to the next three episodes and I will probably be spending the next three days figuring out which story is David Fisher’s best. That isn’t the sort of thing I would be considering.

 

The Stones of Blood - Episode 4

This final episode of this story does feel slightly different to the previous three episodes. The Doctor is put on trial. The trial is because the Doctor broke a seal which apparently he shouldn’t have done. The Doctor uses the trial to try and discover who Vivien Fey truly is. Fey says who she is pretending to be without anyone mentioning the fact that she wearing silver body paint. The trial (or retrial) seems to be there to allow Tom Baker to be a bit comedic because he puts on his barrister wig on. The problem that I have is that I don’t really care much about this trial stuff. I am much more interested in the plot with Romana and Rumford.

The way that the megara discover who Fey was is done in quite a clever way because it does seem to come out of nowhere. Here punishment is to spend eternity as one of the stones. This seems to tie the story up nicely. I think that the final ten minutes was the best part of the episode because it was the only part that was of any interest and seemed relevant to the story. The trial stuff seemed like padding. It’s almost like David Fisher has got to the beginning of episode four and knows where the episode is going its just the journey that lets the episode down.

The performances were really good. Tom Baker does seem a bit out performed by Beatrix Lehmann. Her enthusiasm has never waivered at any point during the story and I would argue that her performance was the best out of anyone. Tom Baker’s performance has been largely good though I thought that this episode was a bit indulgent and was a bit disappointment. This story was another strong one for Mary Tamm because she was actually doing stuff and wasn’t relying on the Doctor to help her. Susan Engel was superb as Vivien Fey because she plays it like she’s playing Cruella de Vil. Even K9 wasn’t as bad as usual though that might be that because I wasn’t really paying attention to what he was doing.

Doctor Who’s 100^th story (and 15^th anniversary) is a nice adventure that works well really well and its definelty the best story of the season so far in terms of plot, acting and directing. As a season its working in such a way that you wouldn’t have really missed anything if you had come to the show late but at the half way point its moving along nicely and it shows that you can have a season long story arc that will make sense at the end unlike the new series.

The Stones of Blood - Episode 3

As this is the 100^th story of Doctor Who I thought that I would look at some stats. Currently, this story has a rating (based on episode one and two) of 7.65 which puts it in joint 5^th place in the chart of Tom Baker stories. The top five stories are Inside the Spaceship (1964), The Deadly Assassin (1976), Mission to the Unknown (1965), An Unearthly Child (1963) & Terror of the Autons (1971). The bottom five are The Space Pirates (1969), The Highlanders (1966), The Myth Makers (1965), The Smugglers (1966) & The Web Planet (1965). The lowest rated story from the 1970’s is The Pirate Planet (1978) which is currently in 82^nd place. Patrick Troughton’s highest rated story is ‘The Invasion’ (1968) which is in 6^th place. The first Dalek story is currently in 49^th place, the first Cyberman story is in 11^th place. In the top 20 stories, Tom Baker currently has 7 stories, Jon Pertwee and William Hartnell have 5 and Patrick Troughton has 3. In the bottom 20, William Hartnell has 10 stories, Patrick Troughton has 8 and Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker both have just one story. Death to the Daleks (1974) and The Pirate Planet (1978) respectively.

Now back to business and I have been enjoying this story a lot and my enjoyment continues. The Doctor and Professor Rumford partnership is a lot of fun to watch and its not difficult to enjoy Rumford’s enthusiasm for what’s going on. With Romana gone (for now), the Doctor and Rumford get to work to try and find Romana and Miss Fey. Sadly K9 has been fixed and appears in the story more than I like.

The action moves to a spaceship in hyperspace and this is where Miss Fey and Romana are. The model of the Hypership is rather impressive. This episode sees the introduction of the Megaera. They are a visual effect and it looks quite good and Tom Baker and Mary Tamm work well to try and keep eye levels just right. They turn up and put the Doctor and Romana on trial. There is a bit of a puzzle here because if Miss Fey had been on Earth for 4000 years then how can she be a prisoner on the ship and living happily on earth? Hopefully this small query will be answered in the next episode but it’s one thing that doesn’t quite make sense. Miss Fey is hovering around the story and doesn’t really do much until the very end when her laugh ends the episode.

There is a death that is shown where a couple camping find two of the Ogri stones outside their tent and when the woman touches it he starts to groan and the screen turns red. This is quite a grim death but this is down to the fact that there is no blood and the death doesn’t happen on screen. It’s a short scene that does seem out of context for the rest of the episode

There is an awful lot of BBC Computer graphics which shows that the 1980’s aren’t too far away. Sadly this is a problem when they use current technology because nearly 40 years later it would look extremely old fashioned. That could be aimed at the stuff we see in today’s Who. This is a good episode and I am still enjoying the story but I don’t think that this episode was as much fun as the previous two. I think that as the story has progressed, the darker tones have disappeared and have been replaced with the bright white hyperspace studio. If memory serves me correctly I have found the stuff with the Megaera to be a bit boring but maybe that will change tomorrow.

The Stones of Blood - Episode 2

The direction used in the reprise is what makes it so impressive. There are some inconsistencies as far the sky is concerned but that’s the only thing that’s wrong with the start of this episode. Romana thinks that the Doctor is the one that pushed her over the cliff but obviously we know this isn’t the case. This introduces a nice sense of distrust for a moment between the Doctor and Romana. Oddly the story seems to have time for Romana to have a costume change. I do think that the costumes is better than her posh farmer look.

The idea that the stones should light up when active is a clever idea and one that belongs to Matt Irvine. The stones are a force that have been gradually introduced into the story and despite not having a face or a voice it seems to be quite destructive and causes some damage to K9, so there not totally evil. The idea also that the third segment can be used to conjure up an image of the Doctor to make Romana think that he pushed her is quite a clever one.

Normally I don’t praise studio sets because they are…well studio sets but the stone circles set is rather impressive. I don’t know if its because its poorly lit but it looks rather good. Other things that are good include Professor Rumford who spends some quality time with the Doctor and I could easily see Rumford travelling with the Doctor. She is a TV version of Evelyn Smythe. If only she were a little younger then it could have happened.

The gothic vibe is running through the episode and I am still amazed that this happened during a Graham William story. The whole episode is directed with a freshness and I think that considering that the episode is only 25 minutes, there seems to be quite a lot going on and I was quite surprised when the episode ended. The cliffhanger is quite a good one and again it involves Romana which shows what good form the character is on at the moment. The end is when we learn that Vivien Fey isn’t as good as she made out. I think that the revelation wasn’t handled in the best way but that aside its another very good episode and this is definelty the best story of the season so far.

The Stones of Blood - Episode 1

The Stones of Blood is the 100^th Doctor Who story. That’s quite an achievement and this story is one that I have always enjoyed in the past. After not being terribly impressed with the previous story, it feels like the show has got back to doing what it does best and the first thing that strikes me about this story is that it feels like the sort of story that Philip Hinchcliffe would have produced. It doesn’t take that long for the story to become quite creepy. We hear from the White Guardian for the first time episode one of ‘The Ribos Operation’. I think that it’s good that we are reminded that there is a white and black guardian. Even though I have forgotten about the segments, it’s nice for there to be a bit of a reminder about the potential danger. It puts it back in my mind and adds something different to the story.

The Doctor and Romana’s relationship is quite funny at the moment. Romana instructs the Doctor to search for the next segment with the Doctor realising and then talking to her like he’s made that decision. It feels like their relationship has cooled down a bit but there is a prickliness to it that makes it an utterly enjoyable experience to watch. The story is set on earth and it feels like an age since the TARDIS landed on earth. That is why there is perhaps a new interest in the story because the whole feel of the story is different to the previous two stories.

The Doctor and Romana encounter Professor Rumford who is played superbly by Beatrix Lehmann. From the moment that she appears on screen its clear that she is someone that the Doctor and Romana will be able to call a friend and the viewer will be able to warm to and like. They also encounter Miss Fay who’s first appearance should be an indication that she’s got a bit of a dark side to her. I think that Susan Engel plays her brilliantly because whilst there is something intriguing about her.

The location filming is some of the best for quite sometime. I think filming it on the coast lends a different atmosphere to it and considering that about 80% is filmed outside and that is why this has to be one of the strongest episodes of the season. When the story does move inside I am a little bored with it but that’s because the outside seems so much more interesting. Don’t get me wrong, the studio stuff is still better than what was shown in the previous story but I don’t think that it was particularly memorable.

After being disappointed with cliffhangers in previous episodes, it was nice to get back to a solid cliffhanger. Romana is the one facing threat and its literally a cliffhanger. Romana’s screaming is the last thing that is heard before the credits roll. Ok so it’s similar to episode three’s cliffhanger from the previous story, but I still think that it’s a cracking end to a cracking opening episode. I love it when an episode picks me up after being somewhat depressed by a story. It almost makes enduring ‘The Pirate Planet’ worth it now I get to enjoy this story.

The Pirate Planet - Episode 4

The cliffhanger was quite good because it appeared to show the Doctor falling to his death. The way that it was resolved was quite clever because it was a projection of the Doctor. This was demonstrated in quite a good way with a nice bit of split screen. The nurse’s truth is quite good as well because we know about the connection between her and the old woman we saw in the previous episode. She is behind the planet swallowing just to save her own life but like most hair brained schemes it’s doomed to failure.

The Captain becomes a puppet in this episode once the Nurse’s truth is revealed. Though he does get better towards the end of the episode when its revealed that he has had a cunning plan to try and get rid of the Nurse/Queen. I haven’t been a big fan of the Captain during these four episodes but I think that Bruce Purchase gave 100% for the role. I thought that the way the Nurse/Queen Xanxia was defeated was quite good and I thought that in the end the character of Nurse was well written and played by Rosalind Lloyd. Mr Fibuli’s death was quite sad but that was because the Captain managed to make it seem much more emotional. The Captain’s death also had some emotion to it because he died trying to kill the Nurse.

Tom Baker and Mary Tamm have been perhaps the only consistent thing in the entire serial. Tom Baker has had a noticeable bite mark on his top lip and sometimes that has been a bit distracting but on the whole it wasn’t too bad. It’s nice that Mary Tamm got to be quite active. Romana has grown on me over the course of the four episodes and think that a bit of the snobbishness has gone since the previous story and the relationship between the Doctor and Romana is better now than it was when Leela was on the show.

The idea that a planet is actually the second segment of the Key to Time is quite a bold one and one that clearly came from Douglas Adams. The fact they don’t pick up the shrunken planet until after the episode ended does feel like a bit a bit of a shame because we are deprived of that moment where the segment changes into that crystal like segment. I don’t know what happened but I suddenly started liking this story. It seems that everything fell into place and made sense. It’s a shame that it took until now to get to this stage. I think that out of the two so far, The Ribos Operation has been the better of the two. That’s not saying a great deal but I think that this stories saving grace has been the final episode. Things made sense and it was a better written and better performed piece as a result.

The Pirate Planet - Episode 3

I think that its safe to say that I am not a fan of this story. Nothing has really made me change my opinion of this adventure. With the faults that it had, ‘The Ribos Operation’ was a better written story because there were characters that I was interested in and a story that was interesting. As much as it pains me to be mean about Douglas Adams, the story so far hasn’t been anywhere near as good as it should have been. People would be quick to point out that he was writing ‘The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’ at the same time which would explain why this story misses the mark. I would say that he should have picked one or the other.

There are positives about this episode. The captain doesn’t seem quite so annoying in this episode and his reaction to the death of his parrot is quite sad. The nurse that suddenly appeared in the previous episode seems to be more involved in things and we suddenly seem to have a trio with the Captain, Mr Fibuli and now the nurse. They just need K9 and Romana and they have their very own Scooby Gang.  

This episode features one of the best scenes in the entire serial. It comes when the Captain shows the Doctor all the planets that he has captured. The rocks that he sees are in fact the planets and this sets the Doctor off. This sees Tom Baker give one of his more serious performances. For a brief moment I was enjoying this story, then its over and my reservations about this story continue.

The fight between the Captains parrot and K9 was a little bit of fun but only because Pennant Roberts managed to make it come together quite well.

The cliffhanger is way better than the previous two because at least it had some tension with it and was well performed. The Doctor falls off the plank and there doesn’t seem to be any way that the Doctor could survive so if I were watching this for the first time then I would say that this is a fantastic cliffhanger but having seen it several times over the years, the best that I can say is that it’s the best cliffhanger so far.

The Pirate Planet - Episode 2

After being less than impressed with the opening episode, I was preparing myself to find something that would make me change my mind. A woman suddenly appears in this episode and she looks like a nurse but is clearly more than that. Obviously I know who she is and what her involvement in the story is but as first appearances go, its slightly underwhelming and its one of the few things that Douglas Adams does right.

Romana is captured and spends most of her time with the Captain. I think that the Captain has lost a bit of fun in this episode. The shouting that he does for 98% of the episode does seem to be a tad bit boring now. I really done know what they actually bring to the story. Sorry I know what they bring to the story and that is nothing. I actually hope the other guys win, that’s how little I actually care about the Mentiads.

What does get mentioned in this episode is just where the second segment of the key to time and why the tracer is picking up everything. The explanation that the planet is actually a pirate planet and gobbles up planets is quite a clever idea and this seems very much like a Doctor Who. The scene where the Doctor and Romana discover this in the caves comes just the Mentiads bore us with their presence.

The corridor sequence that features in this episode does seem very Douglas Adams as there is comedy feel to it. The problem that I do have with this episode and perhaps this story is that it cant quite make up its mind whether it wants to be a comedy or a drama. I think that it becomes a little bit distracting and as a result its left me feeling confused. This is definelty a stronger episode than the previous one because there’s a bit more meat to the story. Sadly whilst Douglas Adams has worked on the context of the episode, he still has trouble to deal with the cliffhanger. This is the second weak cliffhanger in a row and its weird that one of the best sci-fi writers ever has written appears to be a dud.

The Pirate Planet - Episode 1

This is quite an interesting story because it’s the first to be written by Douglas Adams. Adams is perhaps the second most famous writer in Doctor Who history. He is perhaps most famous for writing the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. First thing I have to say is that its not one of my favourite Doctor Who stories but maybe things will change over the course of the next four days. The opening scene is quite good. The models are quite impressive if not a little bit crude. We have to wait a while before we see the Captain’s face. He quite an impatient person as he shouts at Mr Fibbiley for being 30 seconds late which is enough to get him a scalding.

The first scene between the Doctor and Romana is intriguing because it does feel like their relationship has mellowed (just a little bit). There is a little bit of action put into to hide the fact that Tom Baker had a dog bit on his lip. It’s quite a clever little addition. There’s a nice bit of mystery when there is difficulty with the Doctor trying to land the TARDIS on Calufrax. Romana tries to land the TARDIS after the Doctor’s failed attempt and the Doctor concludes that Romana has landed on the wrong planet.

The planet that the Doctor and Romana have arrived on is filled with diamonds and jewels which is something that is quite unusual. The scenes in the ‘square’ are quite fun because the Doctor is being ignored by people and Romana is the one that gets the answers. K9 even comes up with a funny line by suggesting that Romana is prettier. If Douglas Adams can get K9 to be funny then there is hope for the rest of the story.

There are mentiads who come across as a sort of hippie group who are suppose to be quite powerful but all they seem to do in this episode is deflect some shots and also overpower the Doctor. The thing about that Mentiads as well is that they look rather silly and its hard to take them seriously and the pale make up used also doesn’t help. This isn’t a terrible opening episode. There is certainly a nice amount of mystery in it and there is something about it that makes me look forward to the rest of the story but I would be lying if I said that my opinion had changed due to watching this episode. I don’t know if things will pick up but I think that the Douglas Adams humour could have started a bit earlier than it seems to have done.   

The Ribos Operation - Episode 4

I have been continuing my tradition of watching the documentaries on the DVD’s after I finish the final episode of the story and I watched the one about the Graham Williams era on Doctor Who. It’s hard not to be impressed with Graham Williams considering just what he had to go through. What with strikes, budgets and Star Wars, it was amazing that all the stories he produced were anything other than rubbish. Ok so I haven’t been too positive about this story on the whole but before I even started to watch this episode I was feeling more positive towards this story.

I think that the scenes between Binro and Unstoffe are quite sweet really. It’s because Timothy Bateson and Nigel Plaskitt playing it perfectly. Binro’s final scene is quite sad and I think that it was the wrong thing to do. Sholakh is very good in this episode and seems like a more likeable person than the Graff Vynda-K. When he dies, its another sad moment. I was thinking that all the wrong people are being killed and also I wish that I noticed him earlier but I think that his role could have been made bigger. Paul Seed gives his best performance in this episode and it only really happened after the death of Sholakh. The fact he goes on roaming to avenge the death of Sholakh is perhaps a rather foolish if not quite accurate.

Garron gives a great little speech which feels like an act of defiance against the Graff Vynda-K. I have liked Iain Cuthbertson and thought that even his final scene shows why he’s such a great character. The seeker returns in this episode and she’s just as annoying as she was in previous episode, that’s why when she does meet her maker it comes as a blessed relief. Out of all the deaths in this episode, hers was the best.

The final scene between the Doctor and Garron and the business with the jethrik was quite funny. Garron tries to do a switch and the Doctor does a double switch and leaves Garron with a rock. I haven’t mentioned until now that the Jethrik was the first segment of the Key to Time. That’s because its largely been forgotten due to all the business with the Graff. The idea that all the segments would be disguised as other things helps narratively to make the task of finding them just that little bit harder.

Not only do I have to judge this story on its own merits, but I have to judge it as one part of a story arc. On its own it doesn’t really feel like Doctor Who. Had the Doctor and Romana not got involved then it wouldn’t have made much different and would have made a fine period drama. As part of the story arc it does a good job of pretty much setting up the upcoming season. It’s a perfectly fine serial and there are some good performances.

The Ribos Operation - Episode 3

The episode starts off with a bit of humour which seems to undermine any tension that there might have been at the cliffhanger. I know that the humour has replaced the darkness in these stories and I have no problem with humour in Doctor Who but I think that two seconds after the episode starts isn’t perhaps the right time to do this. It doesn’t take for the Graff Vynda-K to realise that he is being conned (even though he must have suspected something in the previous episode.

Binro the heretic is introduced in this episode and becomes a nice person when he helps Unstoffe hide from guards. He’s played rather sweetly by Timothy Bateson. In one scene he tries to prove to Unstoffe that there are other worlds and Unstoffe tells him that he’s right and one day people will believe him. In just a few short scenes he has become one of my favourite characters in the story. Primitive Mumbo-jumbo is the reaction from Sholakh when the seeker is doing her thing. Oddly enough it’s the same reaction I gave. I haven’t commented much of Sholakh because he’s sort of been one of the quieter characters but I thought that he was quite good and worked well with Paul Seed to make the Vynda-K and Sholakh just as good a double act as Garron and Unstoffe.

The story does come across quite good when the action moves into the catacombs because it shows us that there is more to Ribos than the two or three rooms that are starting to look less appealing as the story progresses. I suppose that this is one of the limitations of a studio bound story is that eventually the sets lose their appeal.

The duo of Baker and Tamm seem to working well together, there still seems to be a bit of a frostiness (forgive me for that one) but I like the dynamic between the two. I think that its better than the one the Doctor has with Leela.

The episode ends with the Doctor, Romana, K9 and Garron hiding from the Graff Vynda-K and it’s a rather disappointing ending. The whole episode felt a bit like the previous one in that there isn’t much happening. I mean stuff happens but I cant think that isn’t one of Robert Holmes’ best scripts. It’s not terrible but when you have written the sort of stories that he has written then anything below par is going to look weaker than if it had been written by another writer. I still maintain that the story is holding together and I still maintain that the excitement isn’t there really. Apart from that its ok.

The Ribos Operation - Episode 2

Today’s episode is Tom Baker’s 100^th episode as the Doctor. Sadly the episode is not as great as I would perhaps have liked. The episode’s studio bound setting was something that I thought would help add an atmosphere to the story but sometimes it works against it. I also get the feeling that this story could easily be held on earth because it has a very Russian vibe going on with the incidental music and the design of the sets. I like the fact that there aren’t computers and any futuristic things going on. There is a line that Garron gives when he responds that it will take a few weeks to get a response about something and the Graff Vynda-K reacts normally to it. The episode starts off with Romana about to become a meal of the Shrivenzale. I’ll be honest that I only knew it was called a Shrivenzale because it appears on the information text.

Graff Vynda-K does come across as a rather grown up child. He goes hysterical when talking about how he was betrayed. He is the male version of Queenie from Blackadder 2. Paul Seed is rather good as the Vynda-K and I think that I could easily see Bernard Horsfall play this role. Seed comes across as someone who would jump down your throat just because you asked what time it was. I like the partnership between Garron and Unstoffe. I think that Nigel Plaskitt (Unstoffe) is having a lot of fun with his accents. I mentioned in the previous episode review that double acts/partnerships are Robert Holmes’ calling card and he does it well but I think that Iain Cuthbertson (Garron) and Nigel Plaskitt work well together but I think that this con that they are attempting would make the worst episode of ‘Hustle’.

The thing I didn’t really pick on until the end of the episode is that the Doctor and Romana don’t really have a great deal to do. In fact I can only remember one scene that they had together that seemed to stick in my mind and that wasn’t a particularly spectacular scene. Mary Tamm is allowed to settle into the role and does seem like she’s been playing the role for more than two episodes. Sadly I would expect that Mary Tamm is wondering whether she made the right decision in taking on this role. At the moment, Romana is the only female character in the entire piece. I think that changes in future episodes but its rather worrying that more female characters weren’t introduced.

The way that the episode plods along is a worrying thing considering how much energy seems to have been on show during the course of the previous episode. It was only in the last few minutes that had anything about them. I think that there was too much talking and a lot of sitting down. I want more running and more action. Graham Williams was bought in to make the show less scary than it had been under Philip Hinchcliffe’s era and whilst I can say that the show has benefited from this (though I would like more scary stories), I think that Williams has done a top job as producer and whilst this episode was lacking in excitement I think that the story is holding together.

The Ribos Operation - Episode 1

It struck me as I started to watch this episode that there are three seasons of Tom Baker’s Doctor remaining. He’s about to reach the 100 episode soon and it feels like the end is approaching at a faster and faster rate. This is the first episode of the Key to Time season which is the first season/series of Doctor Who to have a story arc that ties all the adventures together. This wouldn’t happen again until the show was bought back in 2005 so this is quite a bold experiment that producer Graham Williams has embarked on. This episode also introduces the late great Mary Tamm as the first incarnation of Romanadvoratrelundar or Fred. I like how there is instantly a frosty reception between the two (forgive the pun given the setting for the story). It does remind me of the current Doctor and Clara’s relationship but this was is more frosty.

The opening scene has to do a lot considering the scale of what its about. The opening is unlike anything that the show has seen in the show in 480 episodes. The story introduces the White Guardian who look like he should be on the Costa del Sol. The explanation is rather good and shows that the journey to find the six segments isn’t going to be easy. At the very end of the scene we are told about the Black Guardian who is suppose to be this big force but we wont meet him until the end.

The camera seems to fall in love with Romanadvoratrelundar when Mary Tamm first appears on the screen. There is a snobbery about Romandvoratrelundar. She brags about how she’s smarter than the Doctor and inspects the cleanliness of the console. The friction between the two seems worse than the Doctor and Leela. It’s quite good that they have decided to go with someone who can challenge the Doctor intellectually because this hasn’t really happened since Liz Shaw was in the show. Compared to her predesecor, Romana isn’t going to get stuck in but is instead going to judge those that do and let her mind do all the action.

The planet of Ribos is recognised completely in studio and normally this would be an issue for me but I think on this occasion it adds something to the story. The only that disappoints in this episode for me is the creature. Unstoffe and Garron are the first two people we meet who seem to be a rather odd double act. Double acts are a recurring pattern in Robert Holmes stories. Another interesting character is the Graff Vynda-K (played by Paul Seed). Graff is someone who is looking to buy a planet from Garron and is hoping to seek revenge on the planet that forced him into exile. Unstoffe and Garron are conmen so it was clear that there were going to bring problems but if memory serves me correctly then they will be fun problems.

The cliffhanger sees Romana suffer her first peril when she becomes a potential meal. I don’t know whether it was a good way to use the character so new in the show. Apart from that and the dodgy monster that is munching on Romana, this is a good if perhaps ordinary opening episode. I think that this season of Doctor Who is going to be very different to any that Tom Baker has had.

The Invasion of Time - Episode 6

This is the last episode to feature Louise Jameson as Leela. Not that you would know that due to the fact there has been no real build up. This is the 40^th episode to feature Louise Jameson and this ties her with Debroah Watling in terms of episodes. The episode starts with the Doctor and everyone on the TARDIS about to be thrown into a black star. The hand held camera adds to the great dramatic feel to the start of the episode.

Stor takes off his helmet and everytime I see it, I cant help think that it looks like Bernard Cribbins. I cant help it. No matter how many times I see this story I think that this is Bernard Cribbins is making his first appearance in official Doctor Who. This is the episode where the TARDIS is explored in a way that has never been seen before or perhaps since. I wonder if the rooms that we see in this episode get deleted in ‘Castrovalva’. Would it really be missed if they were?

There is a moment when Kelnar and a Sontaran are looking at art and I cant help think about the opening scene in the Big Finish play ‘Dust Breeding’ where the Seventh Doctor and Ace are talking about art and I cant help think of the set used for this story. If you haven’t heard that story then you should because it’s a great story.

The new Doctor is tagged with being cold and heartless and perhaps the moment when Tom Baker’s Doctor kills Stor is an early example of this. I think that the shot of the Doctor holding the gun at Stor in a particular way is his ‘John Wayne moment’ is a very cool shot and is one of my favourite shots in the entire piece. I think that all the shot inside the TARDIS are quite nice however they are completely forgotten about as future tours into the bowels of the TARDIS are completely different so its hard to really take this episode seriously as far as continuity is concerned.

Leela’s final scene is a bit rushed and feels like it. Suddenly she has developed feelings for Andred and the Doctor is rather too quick to let her go. Even though Leela looks sad when the Doctor leaves, it seems like the Doctor couldn’t wait to get rid of her. It’s a shame that more effort wasn’t made to write a better departure for her. It surely would have made more sense to have her fall in love with one of the rebels. However as the story and episode stands it’s a fine end to the season. It’s not a perfect story by any means but I think that I would be lying if I said I didn’t largely enjoy it. Oh well, now we are onto the Key to Time series which is going to be a rollercoaster of quality.

The Invasion of Time - Episode 5

So the Sontarans have finally appeared. After being stuck with the horrible tin foil (or nice Vardens if you had been watching the CGI version), it was nice to know that they wont be making an appearance. They cant be that good an alien race if they allow the Sontarans to use them in this way. The appearance of the Sontrans on the stairs continues to impress me and I think that they manage to give this final season story a bit more gravitas than it would have had. Whether it is the best of the six part finales remains to be seen but considering that this is the only one to feature a returning monster then its certainly up their.

Despite this being their third story and the race suppose to be clones, the Sontarans we get in this story don’t look like anything that we had seen before. Just by looking at their hands shows that the budget clearly didn’t stretch to proper prostecthics. There is one shot where Derek Deadman (who plays Stor) is talking to Kelner and the mask he has to wear looks a bit iffy. I think that these issues will surface in a more noticeable way in the final episode but I think that the mask is going to be one of the problems I have with this story. Certainly if memory serves me right.

It didn’t take Kelner long to become best buddies with the Sontarans. Luckily the Sontarans don’t want to know and don’t see much value in him and refuse to listen when Kelner tries to tell them that the President is the Doctor. I still think that Kelner is the best of the supporting characters but I think that its down to Milton Johns’ portrayal of this role. John Arnatt is good as Borusa but becomes a bit more of a sidekick to the Doctor which given that Brousa is suppose to be the President’s number two isn’t perhaps surprising.

The Doctor becomes the first President to hold the great key. I think that calling it the Great Key is perhaps being a bit too kind because it looks just like a normal key. Speaking of the great key, it does lead to one of the nicest moments in the episode when the Doctor hands the great key to Leela and tells Borusa that he trusts Leela and Leela smiles. After not getting the impression that they were on the same page, it was nice to see in Louise Jameson’s final episode the two seemed to be working well.

As the penultimate episode this story feels like its still in transition even though more happens in it than in the previous episode. I think that it’s a very good episode and ends in a really bonkers way. The Doctor and Rodan (presumably the others as well) are in a tiny bit of trouble and the screen goes white with the Doctor looking at the screen. I think that with just one episode remaining this story has managed to deal with the lack of money a lot better than ‘Underworld’.

The Invasion of Time - Episode 4

Get your violins out but I’m currently a bit under the weather and there was a part of me that thought that I might not be able to do it but I’m gonna fight through it and just do the best I can. The episode starts with Andred pointing a gun at the Doctor that didn’t last long as K9 was on hand to save the day. Andred is finally let in on what the Doctor is planning. He realises that banishing Leela was a wise thing to do. Castellan Kelner is easily one of the best characters in the serial. He’s just loving walking around like he’s the boss.

I am watching this story without the CGI effects on and its sad that the tin foil Vardans don’t quite work. There is one bit where one of them is sitting in a chair and that looks quite good but that’s about as good as it got. The Vardans are quite stupid really because they don’t question where he is and why they cant read his mind. It’s almost like they are trying to lure the Doctor into a false sense of security. That’s the only reason I can think of for this level of incompetence.

Leela’s part in the story is starting to get interesting. She has managed to state a fairly impressive coup by overthrowing the guards. She is the one that drives the rebels and is the one that convinces them they can succeed. I think that without her the rebels would have carried on living outside in the rather bland wilderness. It’s not the wonderful orange sky that we get promised in future stories.

I like how everyone thinks that the troubles are over and then the cliffhanger changes all that as the Sontarans appear for the first time in 86 episodes. I have to say that their appearance was done quite well by Gerald Blake. This has been the transitional episode where the plot needs to change direction and stay interesting. The episode picked up in the final 10 minutes but before then it didn’t seem like it was really going anywhere but despite that I am still enjoying this serial and think that its not as bad as I previously thought.

The Invasion of Time - Episode 3

I was just browsing the Den of Geek site and there is an article about Rainbow (which is a show that I love) and I discovered that John Leeson was the voice of Bungle for its first series which aired on ITV from October to December 1972. That has nothing to do with this story but I just thought that it was an interesting fact to start things off. The cliffhanger is made great simply by the Doctor’s laugh when the Varden’s first appear. This might also be because the CGI effects makes it look really good. The effects that were used in the original transmission are somewhat disappointing.

I like how Leela accepts her exile because she still thinks that the Doctor must have something planned and she is still willing to trust the Doctor even after all that has happened in this story so far. Leela becomes a lot more active in this episode as she goes outside and interacts with other people who seem to be unlike the timelords in the citadel. When I say unlike I mean that there is less pomp and circumstance.

When Rodan is told that she will have to build her own shelter and hunt for her own food she is basically reduced to tears and this shows how pompous the Timelords are really. Leela seems to be in her element when she meets the exiles. To be honest, the exiles aren’t particularly pleasant and its easy to see why no one really ventures outside. Also it looks baron and horrible so that’s another reason. The Doctor finally reveals his plans to Borusa and this is the first time that there has been any sense of plot explanation. This is also the first time that the Doctor has really been himself. The scene between Tom Baker and John Arnatt are nice and humorous. I have thought that in recent years that Louise Jameson’s departure was rushed and made no sense but judging on this episode it seems to be far less rushed than I had previously thought. She seems to be at home once she’s outside and it’s the first time that she’s been truly happy since she boarded the TARDIS.

The cliffhanger doesn’t quite have the punch that the previous two had but its still a good ending. I get the feeling that the story is moving on and at the half way point I am still enjoying this adventure but feel that its largely down to the CGI effects. The performances are all good and the writing and direction are all perfectly fine. I think that out of the two stories set on Gallifrey, this one is the weaker of the two but it still has some good moments.

 

The Invasion of Time - Episode 2

The second episode starts with the rather impressive cliffhanger reprise. It still works a second time. Something that struck me about the previous episode was that Leela shouldn’t be on Gallifrey due to her being an alien. Sarah Jane had to leave the TARDIS for this reason prior to ‘The Deadly Assassin’. This is resolved fairly quickly in this episode and it leads to Leela being exiled to the wastelands.

The scene where the Doctor is pretending to talk to Borusa so that he can open the secret door is quite amusing and does feel like the dark clouds have been lifted from the doctor for a moment. Such as hopscotching down a corridor and the chat he has with K9.  That didn’t last for long as by the midway point he’s back to shouting Borusa in a very stern way. I quite like John Arnatt because he gives a very grandee performance and is believable as Chancellor. Milton Johns returns after last appearing in ‘The Android Invasion’, here there is something rather slimy about him but it works and that is why he is one of the best supporting characters in the episode.

Tom Baker’s strong performance continues. It’s reassuring that he goes back to his old self and there is one look he gives K9 in the TARDIS which shows his good self. The thing about the Doctor is that its very difficult to tell whether he’s pretending to be devious or whether its just the new Doctor. The mystery is quite fun and considering the number of times that I have watched this story its still difficult to work it out. Louise Jameson’s performance is hampered somewhat by not really being given anything substantial to do. All that she does that is noteworthy is where she is introduced to Rodan (played by Hilary Ryan). Rodan seems very much like the rest of the Timelords as she shows very little interest in whats going on.

This episode has another cracking cliffhanger. This is where the people that the Doctor has been working for finally arrive after nearly an hour of storytelling. Thanks to the CGI effects being switched on for this DVD it means that the ending is far better than it would have been in 1978. This story is moving along at a decent rate but it does feel like it needs to start delivering soon. Two episodes in and there is no indication that Leela might be leaving. The episode works well and I am just waiting for it to all go badly wrong.

The Invasion of Time - Episode 1

After being largely surprised with how much I have enjoyed the last few stories, I am looking forward to the six part finale that makes up Louise Jameson’s final appearance in the show. This story also marks the first appearance of the Sontarans since ‘The Sontaran Experiment’, nearly three years ago. This is their third encounter with the Doctor but this opening episode sees the show start off in a way that most people wouldn’t have expected. The episode starts off with the Doctor acting quite oddly. There is a nice scene between Leela and K9 and by the end of it, Leela looks like she is being left out in the cold. When the Doctor lands on Gallifrey he claims the presidency which is very unlike what I saw in the previous Gallifrey story. Tom Baker is on absolute fantastic form in this episode, giving the sort of performance that I haven’t seen for quite sometime.

This DVD is one that features new CGI to replace some of the rather poor special effects. The effects don’t really stand out in this episode but if memory serves me correctly then it wont take long for the effects to stand out. This story is famous really for delving into the TARDIS like the show had never done before, this will happen later on it the story. In this episode Leela is having a swim.

Once the action moves to Gallifrey, Leela’s role in the story becomes clear and it is to spend most of her scenes shouting at Andred. I cant quite make my mind up about Andred because he doesn’t really stand out much as a guard. He doenst have much of a presence about him and it does seem that if he was a guard then the standards would have slipped quite a bit.

This story takes place on Gallifrey but its slightly different to the Gallifrey that we saw in ‘The Deadly Assassin’ just two years earlier. Yet whilst there is a similarity to the old set, the new set isn’t as dark and it seems like they left the lights on during this story. The weird random chairs that seem to be dotted around the place are slightly distracting. They don’t really seem to fit the tradition and sophicastion of the Timelords yet just seem to be a ‘modern’ thing to add.

The cliffhanger was really good as the Doctor’s coronation starts off all nice but then it goes a bit wrong when the ‘crown’ is put on his head and he falls to the floor in pain. This ends what has been an intriguing opening episode and the Sontaran’s return is held off for another episodes, its not been 83 episodes since they last appeared. Having remembered what they look like, I cant say that their return is 100% welcomed.