The Daemons - Episode 5

The final episode of season eight has to do a lot in this episode and that is to give a satisfactory end to not just this story but to the season. The story starts off again with Azal appearing in his full form for the first time. It’s a good cliffhanger but I don’t think that it’s resolved very well. I like the explanation that the Doctor gives the villagers about what’s going on and after a while it goes back to the science vs magic argument between the Doctor and Miss Hawthorne. It’s fairly good that they use Jo as the sacrifice. It might be what you could argue the companion is for but it gives Katy Manning something to do other than fall over a lot.

After being stuck on the outside of the action for most of the time, the brigadier finally gets through and into the action and it’s a massive relief as I wondered quite what the point was for Nicholas Courtney to be in the story until this episode. There was also a look of relief on Nicholas Courtney’s face as he got to do something constructive. The episode features one of the most iconic lines in Doctor Who and the most famous that Nicholas Courtney says. “Chap with the wings there, five rounds rapid”. Once he’s involved in the story he doesn’t hang around and is firing at the gargoyle with everything that

There is a nice twist when Azal offers to give power to the Doctor and not the Master who refuses instantly. This must really have annoyed the Master after all he has gone through but this is clearly another instance where the Master hasn’t thought things through. Hopefully he goes away and thinks about how to do plans. Maybe watch a bond film or something like that.

The way that Azal is defeated is quite clever really as its Jo’s heroic moment of wanting to sacrifice her life instead of the Doctor’s does the job and I think that whilst it might have been the best way of finishing of the story, I found that it meant that the companion helped defeat the baddie and that makes a change from the Doctor swooping in at the last moment.

Now way back in episode one it was shown to us that the Doctor could use Bessie via remote control and it becomes relevant and prevents the Master from escaping. At the end of the episode he is seen being driven off and I still half expected him to find a way of escaping so it was nice and refreshing and felt like it left the door open for his return at a later date. Roger Delgado has been a  brilliant addition to the show and maybe a bit of a break will do the character and the show some good but he has been fun to watch.

The last shot is of them all dancing round the maypole with Yates and the Brigadier off to the pub. It does feel like the end of the season and it’s a nice way to sign off this season which has been largely good. I think that apart from Colony in Space, the stories have good but to be honest I think that the use of Roger Delgado in the vast majority of the season has been a bit of a mistake but I think that Katy Manning has really developed well in this season and I look forward to her second season.