Story #101 - The Androids of Tara (1978)

Sarah -
So, here we are, on our way to finding the fourth segment of the Key to Time. Oh, look, it's on the lovely planet of Tara. Romana will pop off to find the segment while the Doctor treats himself to a spot of fishing. It's just a short stroll to locate the segment, which is part of a statue, transform it, and back to the TARDIS before you can say Bob's your uncle!

Oh wait...this is Doctor Who. It wouldn't be fun if it was that easy!


Harry -
No kidding. I looked at the clock and Romana had recovered the segment seven minutes into the story. If this was a contemporary story in the Steven Moffat era, who knows where it might have gone next.


Sarah -
There would be much running down corridors, to be sure.


Harry -
It would be MAD! It would be AMAZING!

Fortunately, the Doctor didn't spend the remaining 3 3/4 episodes dozing at the fishing hole while Romana registered the segment with the minerals authorities at Castle Gracht. Which reminds me, two out of the first four stories this season have been set in a kind of alternate-Tsarist Russian planet. One was wintry and the other was summery, so it must have been a happy coincidence -- that or they spread out the costumes and props over two stories.


Sarah -
The Beeb, as we know, was all about budgetary efficiencies at the time so it could have been either case.


Harry -
I was fascinated by that giant clock on the wall outside the coronation room. It looked like a 16-hour clock.


Sarah -
I'll have to go back and have a look. I missed that.


Harry -
Peter Jeffrey as Count Grendel carried himself with the air of a Famous Guest Actor, so I looked him up. Turns out he was a very familiar face to British viewers, having made numerous appearances on stage, film and telly throughout the 60s and 70s. He was reportedly also considered for the role of the Doctor back in 1966. Imagine that.


Sarah -
While I quite like "The Androids of Tara", one has to credit Jeffrey for single-handedly raising it from a good story to a very good story. He's positively smashing as Count Grendel and steals every scene he's in -- which is a hard thing to do with Tom Baker on the set.

The sword fight scene between the Doctor and the Count made me positively nostalgic for the Doctor's sparring with the Master in the Pertwee era. It's been a while since the Doctor had a nemesis as hearty has Count Grendel.


Harry -
That fight scene went on long enough to earn its coordinator a screen credit. It was that long!


Sarah -
It did go on a bit. I love the moment when the Doctor allows Grendel to regain his sword. So sporting!


Harry -
In addition to the swordfight, the Doctor ended up having to punch his way out of confinement a couple of times with K-9's help, as well as run through a corridor -- of trees -- to effect a getaway. No wonder he kept that scarf quadruple-wrapped around his neck most of the time.


Sarah -
He had to keep it wrapped up to keep more if it from getting chopped off by Farrah!


Harry -
He really liked whipping out that sword, did Farrah.


Sarah -
Classic compensating gesture.


Harry -
I've never read The Prisoner of Zenda, nor am I wild about doppelganger stories, but the android twist made it more interesting.


Sarah -
I've not read it, either, but I've seen the 1937 movie with Ronald Coleman -- and was extremely amused that they cast an actor who bore such a striking resemblance to Coleman to play Prince Reynart.


Harry -
Neville Jason was a very dashing, Balkanesque Prince Reynart. When Reynart's android twin was first revealed, I flashed back to the Sarah Jane android from "The Android Invasion". Those eyes!


Sarah -
The faceless android eyes is one of the most disturbing images in the entire history of Doctor Who. I feel uncomfortable just thinking about them.


Harry -
Seeing Romana almost get "disassambled" when mistaken for an android was also a chilling moment, and it was shocking to watch the Doctor club Strella with a sceptre at the end of Part Two.


Sarah -
Lots of scary images to frighten the children in this one.


Harry -
Going into this story, my previous impression was that it was the weakest of the Key to Time season. I remembered being bored for long stretches the last time I'd watched it years ago. However it was a lot breezier this time around.


Sarah -
When you think about it, being the weakest story in the Key to Time series can still put you head and shoulders above many other stories in Doctor Who!


Harry -
It was better than I remembered it. Surely you can't go wrong when Cyril Shaps appears! Unless I'm mistaken, this is the only story in which a character he played didn't die horribly. Hurrah for the Archimandrite!


Sarah -
Also, he has a most excellent hat. As does Romana. This is a story with the most excellent haberdashery!


Harry -
Armoured helments, spiked helmets, this story had it all.

In my notes, I, er, noted that this was a story with lots of mini-plots within the larger framework. I think that's what made it more interesting this time around. We are seeing a different kind of storytelling this season. Instead of rampaging monsters and prolonged chase scenes, there's a lot more plotting and conniving going on among the characters that our friends encounter. The heroes and villains spent a lot of time together in the same room, instead of being separated by great distances. The dialogue has been cracking in every story so far.


Sarah -
Well noted! The story is full of castle intrigue and, as a viewer, it feels as though we've just stumbled into the middle of someone's family feud.


Harry -
Sure, it's a story without any bug-eyed monsters (androids excepted), but it fits well within the way this entire season has been structured. And they found enough material to fill 3 3/4 episodes after the fourth segment was recovered!


Sarah -
Spot of luck the Count happened upon Romana, isn't it? We've have been in and out in a flash and missed all the fun!


Harry -
Too bad Count Grendel revealed himself to be Coward Grendel at the end, swimming away in defeat. I'd forgotten how this one ended, and it was quite the happy scenes all around. Reynart and Strella together at last, the Doctor and Romana free from peril with the fourth segment in hand, K-9 floating happily in the moat, and most importantly: Cyril Shaps lived!

Best Line - "That's the trouble with chess, it's all so predictable."

Favourite Moment - Romana betraying her lack of equestrian skills. "Go Charger, start. Start!"

Lasting Image - Romana's purple and green ensemble.

7/10


Sarah -
A hearty laugh from the Doctor and we're on our way to the fifth segment!

Best Line: "Would you mind not standing on my chest, my hat's on fire?"

Favorite Moment: The swashbuckling sword fight!

Lasting Image: Continuing the fashion theme, the Archimandrite's headgear!

7/10

Our marathon continues with Story #102 - The Power of Kroll...

Story #100 - The Stones of Blood (1978)

Harry -
Halfway through the Key to Time season and I'm ready to declare this one of the best seasons ever! What say you, Old Girl?


Sarah -
Absolutely! It's even better than my memory of it!


Harry -
In "The Stones of Blood" we are treated to a classic folk horror story right out of the late 60s/early 70s, complete with stone circles, hooded cultists, glaring ravens and bloody sacrifices.

Well, that's the first half anyway. Things go all science fictioney after that. What an abrupt course change!


Sarah -
One of my favorite things about the Tom Baker era -- my favorite era of Doctor Who -- is all of the stories that start out as gothic horror and then end up being science fiction. They're absolutely brilliant and "The Stones of Blood" is a particular favorite.

Beatrix Lehmann as Professor Rumford is responsible for no small part of my love for this story. She joins an esteemed list of character actors who have graced Doctor Who while portraying lovable eccentrics. She reminds me a bit of one of my college English professors and I'd love to share a cup of tea with her.


Harry -
Professor Rumford is more than just a long-winded academic, she's charmingly feisty, and she loves a good sandwich.


Sarah -
Who doesn't?


Harry -
Susan Engel as Vivian Fay is a total counterpoint. As warm as Professor Rumford -- may we call her Amelia? -- is, Vivian is icy cold. Maybe I've seen this story too many times, but it's so obvious that there's something shady about her right from the start.


Sarah -
I had that same repeat-viewer feeling that she was evil, but I'm pretty sure I had that feeling the first time I watched it, too! The power of Engel's performance is all down to her voice -- so mellifluous that she can only be up to something!


Harry -
Back to the beginning. The Doctor announces he has a surprise for Romana: their next stop on the Key to Time search is 20th century Earth. To her mind, that means Burberrys and open-toed heels. I liked the hat, but the shoes proved terribly impractical for the English countryside.


Sarah -
Impractical for any situation, really, but quite stylish.


Harry -
K-9 is initially left behind to "guard" the TARDIS. I liked the moment when he offered to explain tennis to Romana, she told him to forget it, and he took it literally.


Sarah -
That was an excellent K-9 moment.


Harry -
Is there any setting that's more English than an ancient stone circle?


Sarah -
If there is, I can't think of it! We've certainly encountered neo-pagan/druid types in the past, but I'm fairly certain this is our first stone circle!


Harry -
As for the neo-pagan/druid type in this go-around, we meet Nicholas McArdle who plays De Vries, and in fact often overplays him during the ritual scenes. Another crazy shouter! But he and poor Martha quickly fall victim to the mysterious moving stones that can propel themselves at will.


Sarah -
I'm not really clear on why the stones turn on them. Was it their failure to sacrifice the Doctor? The stones are so unforgiving!


Harry -
Maybe they got thirsty. As we learn in the second half of the story, the stones are blood-drinking alien creatures brought to heel by Vivian, who is actually a criminal from outer space. She has been trapped on Earth for almost four thousand years, and the hyperspace prison ship she was in is moored in another dimension, just above the stone circle. I didn't catch what type of alien Vivian is, but she hasn't seemed to have aged a day during her time here. She zaps Romana aboard the ship, and it's left to the Doctor, Amelia and K-9 to rig up a device with which to follow.


Sarah -
And the resulting scenes give Our Amelia so many opportunities to be plucky, resourceful, and fabulous!


Harry -
During most of the Tom Baker era, Dudley Simpson's music scores have been reliable accompaniments to the action on the screen. I thought he really stepped it up here, throwing in some moody strings during the scenes in De Vries' manor home, and hitting us with futuristic synth drones when the Doctor arrives on the hyperspace ship. It really stood out.


Sarah -
It's been a while since we've acknowledged the steady reliability of Dudley Simpson. Season after season, he brought his best to Doctor Who.


Harry -
Speaking of standing out, did you think the Megara stole the show, or were they too silly? Or did they steal the show by being so silly? These anal, humourless justice machines had Douglas Adams all over them, as the Doctor danced them around in circles.


Sarah -
I always find them so annoying. Still, they may make a good backup costume if Mr. Smith decides not to cosplay the Vardans this year.


Harry -
Hah! I was going to suggest that very thing. He could kit up a string of flashing lights and place them on his head. Instant justice machine!


Sarah -
The simplest cosplay is often the most effective!


Harry -
For all their silliness, the threat posed by the Megara was frightening, because there was no reasoning with them. The Doctor did his best to delay his execution long enough to fling them to another part of the universe. We'll see if they catch up to him in 2,000 years time.


Sarah -
Dashing a note to Steven Moffat right now.


Harry -
I wasn't sure how everyone suddenly reappeared on Earth, but Vivian received her due punishment and Amelia was given a whole new opportunity to survey the remarkably fluid ancient stone circle. Hurrah!


Sarah -
Another quick wrap up to an excellent story!


Harry -
That's three great stories in a row. The third segment of the Key to Time is in hand. Let's keep this party going, shall we?


Sarah -
Onward, Old Boy!


Harry -
Best Line: "Well you know how it is, Professor. I often get tied up in my job."

Favourite Moment: Amelia rescues the Doctor from being sacrificed at the stone circle.

Lasting Image: the Doctor admiring the empty places on the wall as De Vries describes the paintings that once hung there.

8/10


Sarah -
Best Line:
Professor Rumford : "But I still don't understand about hyperspace."
The Doctor : "Well, who does?"
K-9 : "I do."
The Doctor : "Shut up, K-9!"

Favorite Moment: It's not quite a favorite moment, but the scene when the stones attack the campers is so chilling that I won't soon forget it.

Lasting Image: The Doctor's trial on the spaceship and the Doctor's wig!

8/10

Our marathon continues with Story #101 - The Androids of Tara...

Story #99 - The Pirate Planet (1978)

Harry -
Moons of madness, Sarah! This is the second story in a row in which a spectacularly shouty character steals the show!


Sarah -
I'M SORRY, HARRY DEAR, CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU FOR ALL THE SHOUTING!

Oh wait, the Captain seems to have piped down, perhaps calmed by his nurse...


Harry -
Season 16 continues its strong opening with the "The Pirate Planet", written by none other than Douglas Adams. He would of course go on to greater fame than any other Doctor Who writer. When one describes something as "Douglas Adamsy," you can point to this story for examples. There are loads of wit and cracking dialogue, characters who are larger than life or grotesque parodies, moments of humour and interesting sciency bits too.


Sarah -
It's all so Adamsy. It's a short leap from demolishing the Earth to build an Interplanetary bypass to materializing a hallowed-out planet around another planet to pirate its resources. There's so much concept going on in this story and it's a tribute to Adams' talent that it's so enjoyable!


Harry -
His concepts have always been wonderful. A planet that materializes around smaller ones and mines them for minerals; compressing the remains of these plundered planets into little spheres and suspending them inside a pressurized container; a queen who seeks immortality by rematerializing into a younger body, and so on, and so on. Adams is bursting with ideas as always.


Sarah -
Apparently, he wrote the script for "The Pirate Planet" at the same time as the radio play for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the scripts share the same domestication of the fantastic.


Harry -
And there's his storytelling too. You mentioned the nurse above. Look at how slyly he introduced her, and how Rosalynd Lloyd underplayed the role in the first half of the story. By the end, she seizes control of the story and leads to the demise of everyone on the bridge, including poor Mr. Fibuli -- another classic toady character. There's a lot of the harried civil servant in Mr. Fibuli, haha!


Sarah -
Oh, Mr. Fibuli -- another fabulous Adams' character. He is forced to be a toady, but clearly believes the Captain is a megalomanic nincompoop! In the end, the Captain is heartbroken by Fibuli's death and swears to avenge him. It was a surprisingly tender moment.

Amusingly, the first time I saw the story (and keep in mind, this was 1983), I got it in my head that Mr. Fibuli resembled Trevor Horn and I haven't been able to shake that image -- even when Mr. Smith insists they bear no resemblance whatsoever.


Harry -
This is another case where I would have loved to see the actors who played the three baddies in more Who. Unfortunately, this was the sole appearance for Lloyd, Bruce Purchase and Andrew Robertson.


Sarah -
The bait and switch on the Queen is a nice touch.


Harry -
Adams had so much fun coming up with his slate of baddies, that he almost neglects the citizens of Zanak. Mula, Kimus and Pralix are undistinguished characters, but the cringing coward Balaton was memorable.


Sarah -
It's not the most interesting planet, is it? Seems to be a lot of sitting around waiting for the next golden age.


Harry -
Was it me or was K-9 all over this one? He seemed to be everywhere, his banter with the Doctor and Romana was fun, he literally ran his batteries down from all the tasks he performed, and of course he fought the famous battle with the pirate Captain's robot parrot of death. Very very very good dog!


Sarah -
A VERY good dog. If there's one thing Douglas Adams knows how to do, it's writing robot dialogue!


Harry -
I wonder if Douglas Adams was still around, would he have found a place in the new series? He could have had fun writing for any of the newest Doctors.


Sarah -
I can only think it would have been inevitable.


Harry -
Gosh, we've barely mentioned the Doctor and Romana yet. Did they get the shaft in this story? The Doctor seems to get spun in every direction, stumbling across a projection device that saves his hide before the explosive finale. Romana seemed to have even less to do. They did enjoy some flights in those aircars.


Sarah -
They were definitely sidelined once the story got going. I like their opening scene -- Romana reading the TARDIS manual while the Doctor takes umbrage, and, of course, she's right.


Harry -
By the time we get to part four, my notes reflected a slowing down of the story. The Mentiads took forever to get up that mountain. There was a lot of shouting on the bridge before the Queen tried to do away with everyone, and the Doctor delivered one corker of a technobabble resolution to it all. At least the Mentiads and the other citizens got their planet back. (It's always amusing when these things are presented in such a grand scope -- "We've got our planet back, hoorah!" -- even though we've only seen about a dozen of the planets' people in a very small area.)


Sarah -
There's an opening for some fan fiction: the inhabitants of the other side of the planet who are wondering what the what keeps happening!


Harry -
The next segment of the Key to Time isn't even in our friends' hands by the end -- they still have to go scoop it up after he credits have rolled. Ah well, never mind the details, it was a fun ride, no?


Sarah -
T'was. Who needs minor details like wrapping up on the story? Onward to the next piece!


Harry -
Best Line:
Captain: "YOU DARE TO LEAVE THE ROTTING FRUITS OF YOUR OWN INCOMPETENCE AT MY DOOR?"

Favourite Moment: The Captain's roaring outbursts.

Lasting Image: The Captain and Mr. Fibuli.

8/10


Sarah -
Best Line:
Kimus: "But I don't understand."
Doctor: "Exciting, isn't it?"

Favorite Moment: The Captain roaring "Mr. Fibuli!"

Lasting Image: The Doctor in the aircar.

7/10

Our marathon continues with Story #100 - The Stones of Blood...