(644) The Trial of a Timelord (Part 5): Mindwarp - Part 1

Philip Martin returns for the second piece of evidence that the Valeyard is using in one the flimsiest cases ever seen on TV. Long before Deidre Barlow got stitched up on Coronation Street in the mid 90’s, The Doctor was still having to argue against evidence which showed that things might not have gone smoothly but it could have been a lot worse. This four part adventure is the one that the Doctor was on before being taken out of time and joining the courtroom at the beginning of episode one. The opening shot of Thoros Beta is stunning. I know that the colours are rather garish but I still like it.

There are a lot more court scenes which is good to see but unlike the previous story. I found this story to be far more interesting. Also the flow of the episode is better than in the previous adventure. The action centres of Kiv getting a new body and all of his hopes lay with Crozier. That is pretty much it but what I like about this is that Martin has managed to keep the action going. The Doctor has a rather unfortunate end to the episode. One that gives the sense that things are going to spiral out of control in the future. There was something that was a bit weird about the performances of Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant.

This is the story of course where Brian Blessed makes a guest appearance. This would have been several years after appearing in Flash Gordon. He quite quiet in this episode which is the only time that the words Brian Blessed and quiet will be used at the same time. It’s fun to have him in this story because he is pretty much perfect for the show. Nabil Shaban returns as the wonderful Sil. Sil seems to be less repulsive than he was in Vengeance on Varos. I still like the Shaban laugh and think that any story with Shaban in will be greatly improved. Despite Sil being in the story, Crozier is the one that is the main villain in the piece only because he is more dangerous than Sil.

Christopher Ryan plays Kiv. Ryan would return to play a Sontaran in the new series. The voice is pretty obvious but I like the character of Kiv. He basically treats Sil the way that Sil treated the Governor in the Varos story. Another person that is familiar is Trevor Laird. Laird plays Frax in this story. He would return to the new series to play Martha’s dad in the 2007 series. It’s a rather small part but its always fun when people show up and I know that they will come up in future Doctor Who.

The cliffhanger is another zooming in but this time I found myself distracted with the weird dance that Colin Baker seemed to be doing which I found partly amusing but partly confusing. Anyway this has been the first time since this trial season has begun that I have felt that it’s like a proper Doctor Who story. It also is the first time that it’s felt like a Colin Baker story.

(643) The Trial of a Timelord (Part 4): The Mysterious Planet - Part 4

This is the final part of The Mysterious Planet part of this season. The thing is that it doesn’t feel like the end of a story.

The cliffhanger worked quite well because it seemed to show Merdeen about to shoot the Doctor. This of course didn’t mean that the Doctor would die three episodes in. Merdeen shot Grell instead of the Doctor and it’s a rather touching moment when its revealed that Merdeen convinced Grell to join the army. This has been the best episode for Tom Chadbon because he gets a good amount of stuff to do. The character has been unravelled over the course of the four episodes and this is the reward for that.

It’s still rather funny that Queen Katryca is still under the assumption that the immortal is dead. Her death and the death of Broken Tooth is rather grim but compared to some deaths it could have been much worse. Joan Sims has been rather good in the role and when you consider what she is best known for, it makes her performance in this serial even more impressive.

The courtroom scenes do still continue to disrupt the flow but the first one was quite fun because it allows the Doctor to do a rather over the top. The next scene comes after a scene between Glitz and Dibber bleeps out a particular word which creates more mystery.

There is a nice debate between the Doctor and Drathro about the meaning of life. It’s surprising that such time was given to this philosophical issue. Drathro isn’t defeated by the Doctor but really by Glitz. The Doctor does actually save the day but it would have been better if he had been the one defeating the stupid robot. Colin Baker has slowly been getting better in this serial but it seems that he’s not really allowed to be like his previous self. Nicola Bryant was pretty much silent in this episode. I cant really recall what she was allowed to do in this episode. Scratch that comment, there is one moment that I can think of but it isn’t a positive moment. There is a bit where Peri, Merdeen, Glitz and Dibber are in a food chute and there is a laser used which sadly doesn’t look very good.

The mystery isn’t really solved in this story but there are two questions that the Doctor (and the viewer) want to know and that is ‘Who moved Earth and what was in the box that Glitz and Dibber were after’. The final scene in the courtroom is rather good because the Doctor is basically goading the Valeyard and the last shot is a close up (again) of Colin Baker’s face which is still annoying.

This is the last full story that Robert Holmes would write (his last contribution coming later) and whilst it’s not his best offering by quite some distance. It’s hard to appreciate what Robert Holmes has done for the show and so as a result I don’t have it in me to be too critical of this adventure. There are some nice things that take place over the four episodes and some of the season long story arc start to gain some significance. Four episodes into this season and I don’t know whether I like the structure that this series is going to take. The idea of the Doctor on trial is all fine and dandy but I don’t know whether mixing it with four related stories is the best move.

(642) The Trial of a Timelord (Part 3): The Mysterious Planet - Part 3

The third episode of this season is one that doesn’t get going for about ten minutes. There is a lot talking and this doesn’t exactly come across as very exciting. One of the first court room scene is quite interesting and that is something that stands out in this episode that I found the courtroom scenes to be more interesting than what was going on on Ravolox. The scenes on the surface are moderately exciting that is only because Glitz and Dibber are quite amusing and I like seeing them on screen. The stuff underground is less interesting because it just looks rather sterile and looks like an awful lot of 1980’s Doctor Who studio sets that look too clean and I just find myself not quite so interested.

It’s quite fun that they the tribe think that they have killed the Immortal but instead have just killed its robot and start to embark on a trek to the Immortal’s Castle. It’s clear that things are going to end badly for them because they are happy and we are nowhere near the end of this story. It’s a shame that Joan Sims’ character is going to get a not nice ending.

Towards the end of the episode there is the start of the suspicion that there is something dodgy going on when evidence. This is perhaps the best thing about the episode because it is where the season arc is really going to get going. As far as the central performances, I thought that Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant were good. Baker was slightly more noticeable but it’s a warm performance from the pair of them. Michael Jayston is still the strongest of the supporting cast. It’s a shame that he doesn’t have more involvement in the story at this point.

Merdeen appears to shoot the Doctor which forms the best cliffhanger in the series so far. I think that the fact there isn’t the extreme close up. I think that this episode is an odd one because it just seemed to lack any sense of excitement. If this were a normal four part story then I think that they would be building up towards something. However with this story it doesn’t feel like its building up to anything and that this story is just a holding pattern until the business end of things appear. It’s quite disappointing so far.

(641) The Trial of a Timelord: The Mysterious Planet - Part 2

After being slightly disappointed with the opening episode, I was wondering that I was going to go back to the days of the Hartnell and Troughton era where I would be going through several days of unwatchable but I am happy to report that I don’t think this will be the case. The episode starts off with the court scene reprise which is still good and doesn’t have the zoom in. Like in the previous episode, the courtroom appears in the middle of the episode which again disrupts the flow of the Ravolox story. There is another courtroom seen scene a few moments later.

The Doctor in the Ravolox story was being stoned in the previous cliffhanger and this is stopped by Merdeen via the Immortal. The Immortal has two helpers who are blonde and quite intelligent. Sadly they are slightly annoying. Whether they are as annoying as Balazar is still up for question but I think that it’s a close call. Merdeen is played by Tom Chadbon who last time we saw him in Doctor Who was throwing punches like Amir Khan. Chadbon is different in this story. Merdeen starts off as a bit of a bossy boots but soon shows his true colours by letting Balazar escape to the surface and he has been doing this for a while.

This episode starts the joke about making fun of the Valeyard. Boatyard and Graveyard are two insults that the Doctor hurls towards the Valeyard. I like the childish behaviour between the Doctor and Valeyard. The thing that is clear is that the Valeyard is trying to use what is seen onscreen to use against the Doctor. The thing is that whilst he may have a point it is also easy to argue that without his involvement then the people of Ravolox would be still be repressed.

The immortal is a robot that is running the base like a dictatorship and won’t allow people to go to the surface to get much needed water. This is when the story is that of an overzealous robot that is taking his job role to the letter.

The cliffhanger is much better but there is still the close up of the Doctor which didn’t work the first time and it doesn’t work the second time either. Two episodes in and I feel slightly more positive to this series. It is one of those episodes that has more good things than bad things. It’s not a classic Robert Holmes script by any means but I thought that the pacing of the episode was far better than in episode one. I still have reservations about this season but I am starting to think that the previous episode might have been a blip but I will need to see a few more episodes to judge.

(640) The Trial of a Timelord - The Mysterious Planet: Part 1

Doctor Who was saved. After being cancelled the show was saved although its clear that the show was now living on borrowed time. Instead of 13 x 45 minute episodes, the twenty-third season would be 14 x 25 minutes episodes. So it was a shorter run because instead of 585 minutes there would now be 350 minutes. The idea that the season would have one theme is something that had been done before in the form of the Key to Time and the new series would have a similar idea. However to have the Doctor on trial when the show itself was on trial is something in retrospect wasn’t the strongest idea. First that is evident about this new season is that there is a new theme tune which I hated when I first heard it but over the years via Big Finish plays its grown on me.

The open shot of the space station is one of the greatest sequences in Doctor Who history. It’s impressive to the point that for a few moments it seems like Doctor Who had stepped up a gear since it was off the air but it wouldn’t take long for that to change. The opening scene where the Doctor has landed is quite well done. The Doctor had previously been on trial in The War Games (1969) and is put on trial for pretty much the same thing.

One of the two new supporting characters for the season is the recently deceased Lynda Bellingham who plays the Inquisitor. I don’t think that it’s a very rewarding role however I think that Bellingham does a good job of acting like she is in charge. Michael Jayston plays the Valeyard and he is one of the strongest things about this season. Jayston is most recognisable to me as the father-in-law of Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses and also appeared in Emmerdale recently. He just has a sense of evil that he is rather enjoying and that is what makes the court room scenes half watchable.

The Valeyard intends to use two examples of why the Doctor is guilty and his first example form the first four episodes. When Peri appears in this story, its clear that their relationship is a lot more warm than it had been. It’s the only thing that is warm in this part of the story. There is a nice mystery (hence the title) about where they are. The planet is called Ravolox but soon its revealed to be Earth.

There are occasional moments where the action is broken up by a short scene back in the courtroom. To be this slightly ruins the momentum that the story has had. Instead of the bit in the middle which doesn’t contribute anything to the story. However the ending is slightly more important because it sees the Valeyard says he wants the Doctor’s life put on trial.

As this is a Robert Holmes story there is of course a double act. In this case its Tony Selby and Glen Murphy who star as Sabalom Glitz and Dibber respectively. They are quite a good team and Robert Holmes’ magic works in this department. They are both rubbish criminals and shouldn’t be taken seriously. That is why I like them because there is something comedic about them and that is what this story needs. Joan Sims is one of the big stars in this season. In this part of the story she plays Queen Katryca and I remember when Beryl Reid appeared in Earthshock and it was clear that she didn’t understand the part and so didn’t come across as a convincing space pilot. Here I think that Sims is far more convincing and as a result I buy into the fact that she is a Queen. There is a character called Balazar who is somewhat annoying and one of things that slightly ruins this opening episode. He keeps calling the Doctor “old one” which is funny at first but becomes quickly annoying.

The cliffhanger is basically a zoom in on Colin Baker’s face which is going to be a recurring theme during this season. It’s somewhat disappointing that this is the way they have chosen to end each episode but I suppose a cliffhanger doesn’t make or break a season. What has surprised me about this episode is just how underwhelming it feels. There doesn’t feel like the opening that it should. It doesn’t have the big selling point that Attack of the Cybermen or Warriors of the Deep had. It is sort of half-hearted in certain was which does worry me a little bit.

(639) Revelation of the Daleks - Part 2

The final episode of the shortest season of Doctor Who at this point and it’s the final story of the 22^nd season. I mentioned in the previous episode that the episode wasn’t as grim as I remembered. I still don’t think that this episode was as grim as I remember but there are some moments that do stand out as memorable. The cliffhanger from the previous episode has some good things about it but I think that its instantly forgotten just moments are the episode starts.

Jobel begins his interest in Peri and his dislike of the Doctor from the very beginning. Jobel’s time in this episode is rather entertaining. He walks around the place with arrogance. The attitude he has aimed at Tasambeker leads to her killing him and its hard to muster any sympathy for him. There is a little bit more sympathy when she is exterminated by the Daleks. On the subject of Jobel’s death, it was another example of the violence in Doctor Who at this point and its one of the more valid points. There is a slight dark comedic moment in his final moment in the store when his toupee falls onto the floor.

There is a solid moment with Orcini and Bostock when they are on Necros and come across as Dalek. It ends with a spectacular explosion. They don’t seem to feature in the episode as much as I thought they did but when they are in then they are fantastic. Their next big scene is when they encounter Davros but things start to go downhill for them and Bostock is the first to fall. Orcini’s death is far better because it’s a noble death and he dies with his friend next to him. William Gaunt has been a superb piece of casting.

I like how Davros sends some Daleks to ‘protect’ Kara and Vogel. It’s at this moment that it’s clear that they won’t have very much time left in this episode. Vogel’s death is rather amusing because it’s over the top. Kara’s death is slightly better but only because it comes at the end of a good scene where she meets up with Orcini and he stabs her. It’s hard to find sadness in her death because whilst she might have started out with good intentions, the fact that she was more looking out for herself sort of removes any sympathy that the viewer should have.

The DJ in this episode is less annoying and becomes a more likeable person. The first scene with him and Peri is a rather sweet and lovely encounter. He is willing to fight against the Daleks that is good for the viewer to see but I think that he was a bit rubbish in the seconds leading to his death. He deserved slightly better. The casting of Alexi Sayle might have been part of a long running problem that hung around this period of the show but I thought that Sayle managed to that this was more than a one dimensional character.

I had forgotten about the moment where the Doctor first encounters the Daleks in this story. It’s good to have this brief encounter and if there was one thing I would change about this story then it would be to have more time between Colin Baker and Terry Molloy. Terry Molloy’s performance wasn’t mentioned in the previous entry but he has really performed well in this serial. He is just a head for most of this serial and yet he manages to be one of the best things in this serial. Davros is very good in this episode and I like the twist when it appears that Orcini and Bostock have killed Davros. Davros does something that hadn’t been seen on screen before and that is he floats in the air. It’s often mentioned that the Daleks floating in Remembrance of the Daleks is the first time they are seen in the air but Davros beat them by three years.

It seems like I have had to wait for ages to see the Doctor meet Davros. There is a nice bit of continuity link back to Resurrection of the Daleks. Another memorable moment for Davros apart from the levitating bit is when his hand is blown off. The next time we see his hand is in metal form in the new series. Davros is basically led out to survive and fight another day. This seems like a plausible way of keeping the option open of using the character in another story.

There are a new breed of Daleks that have the more traditional colour scheme. The white and gold ones that are associated with Davros are the better looking ones and thankfully they return in the next story. Compared to the Davros aligned ones, the Daleks that are associated with the Supreme Dalek look rather bland in comparison.

The final scene is quite sad because I know what’s coming up. The Doctor talks about taking Peri on holiday is about to take her to Blackpool but due to the show being cancelled before being renewed, that is edited out so that we would have to wait until 2009 before Big Finish would take us to Blackpool. It’s a shame that the show was put on hiatus at this time because it seems like the show was still firing on all cylinders. Apart from Timelash, I thought this had been one of the strongest and most consistent season for quite some time. It would be 525 days before the show would return but it wouldn’t have the soul that it had before. This would be the last great story that Colin Baker would have but one thing is for sure the next fourteen days are going to be a mixture of emotions but one of major change.

(638) Revelation of the Daleks - Part 1

Revelation of the Daleks is a story that I have waited for and it arguably the last great Sixth Doctor story. This is the final story of the 22^nd season and the final story to air as a 45 minute episode until the show returned in 2005. It is also an Eric Saward story so you can expect a darker Doctor Who story than normal. It is also a story directed by Graeme Harper which means that the story will move in an interesting way. It seems that the Doctor and Peri’s relationship is as frosty as the lake the TARDIS lands by. The fact there is a lot of snow adds something to the story which is an added bonus.

Clive Swift appears as Jobel. He is quite an arrogant individual and is instantly unlikeable but that makes his likeable. He treats everyone around with contempt and that includes Tasambeker. Tasambeker is someone who has a bit of a crush on Jobel. Tasambeker is played by Jenny Tomasin  and she might be small but she almost stands over some of the other performers. Tasambeker comes to the attention of Davros which isn’t always a good thing.

Alexi Sayle appears as a DJ and adds a bit of anarchy to proceedings. He seems to be in own little world talking to those who are in suspended animation. He in fact doesn’t interact with anyone which is quite similar to Arak and Etta in Vengeance on Varos. Sayle’s performance is quite entertaining but it’s more fun trying to listen to the music playing in the background and guessing what the tracks are.  

It takes just eight minutes for Davros and the Daleks to make a return and this is a wonderful change of form because normally they wouldn’t appear until the half way point or even later. Here, Eric Saward doesn’t waste anytime. What he does do however is delay when the Doctor realises that the Daleks and Davros are on Necros with the name ‘The Great Healer’.

The Doctor and Peri spend an awfully long time just walking around. I suppose this allows for the other aspects of the story to take centre stage. The only person they come into contact with is someone who is quite deformed due to the Great Healer’s experiment. It almost seems like they are being kept separate from the main action. They are there for the cliffhanger however when a statue of the Doctor falls over and seems to crush the Doctor. The cliffhanger is different because it’s a white statue that falls to the camera and then the screen goes white before the credits roll.

There are several different plot strands that take place in this episode . The first involved Kara and Vogel. Kara (Eleanor Bron) and Hugh Walters (Vogel) run a factory that is basically a plaything for Davros. They dislike Davros but are nice as pie to his face. They are arranging for Orcini and Bostock to kill him. The first scene between Kara and Orcini is a great one because Kara is gushing about him but Orcini is less enthusiastic and acts like a nice guy because he gives his fee to charity. William Gaunt is brilliant as Orcini and the character is great because Gaunt makes us believe that he is a gun for hire and is a man with morals and a code.

Natasha and Grigory appear at first to be two body snatchers which is a wonderfully dark idea to have in a Doctor Who adventure. They are looking for Natasha’s father and it doesn’t take long to find him. He is in a glass Dalek casing and its in a dark room that has a faint red glow. The image of a glass Dalek casing is wonderful and the make-up used for Natasha’s father is quite gruesome. He wants her to kill him which is a quick and surprisingly emotional moment.

This episode didn’t strike me as grim or dark as I remembered. I do think that this might change in the next episode but the episode wasn’t slow and had enough going on to maintain my interest. It shouldn’t be a surprise considering how good Eric Saward’s last credited effort Earthshock was. Graeme Harper also deserves credit for directing this episode with the passion that it needed to. No story will ever be as well directed as The Caves of Androzani but Harper has shown again how a story should be directed. I look forward to the season finale.