Story #129 - The Five Doctors (1983)

Harry -
It's the twentieth anniversary special -- we have watched 20 years' worth of Doctor Who. Time for a celebraish! Pop that champagne, Sarah!


Sarah -
Hang on, Chuck. The cork is sticking. *POP* Ah, there were go. Cheers, Old Boy!


Harry -
Cheers ducks.

Well, when it came to producing a fitting tribute to mark two decades of Doctor Who, JN-T followed the impulse that most of us would have, and he threw absolutely everything into it. He asked the legendary Terrance Dicks to pen the adventure and Peter Moffatt to direct it, and he managed to cram almost every Doctor and companion up to that point into the thing.


Sarah -
We Doctor Who fans do love to complain, but there's something here to make everyone (at least a little bit) happy.


Harry -
It continues the template from "The Three Doctors" and would be emulated in future anniversary specials. The story serves as a vehicle for a seemingly endless round of cameo appearances, each one delightful. So good to see characters like Jamie and Zoe, and Liz and Yates, even if just for a moment. Characters like Susan, the Brigadier and Sarah Jane get bigger billing in the story and Carole Ann Ford, Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen step right back into the Whoniverse with ease.


Sarah -
It's like a school reunion!


Harry -
Best of all...five Doctors! Squee!


Sarah -
Well, five(ish).


Harry -
Technically, it was three actual Doctors. The late William Hartnell appears in a brief prologue, reciting his famous "One day I shall come back" speech. For the main story, his Doctor was played by Richard Hurndall. Tom Baker -- recently departed from the show -- chose not to appear in the story, so the producers made use of the punting scene from "Shada", which had not yet been broadcast. Both moves worked out for the best. Hurndall captured Hartnell's cantankerous feistiness, and the Doctor-Romana punting scene is one of my favourites. It's so sublime. We need to go punting sometime.


Sarah -
I'm game. Have you punted before? Do I get to lounge and read while you do all the hard work, or will we have to fight it out?


Harry -
We'll figure it out as we go, Doctor & Romana style.


Sarah -
That's the spirit! I love, love, love that the story opens with the Hartnell clip. It's reassuring to have the First Doctor inviting us into the adventure, isn't it?


Harry -
One of the best moments in Doctor Who's history, despite its sad context.


Sarah -
Only if you consider being abandoned by your grandfather on a planet that had been invaded by Daleks, after having lost your shoes, to be sad. Richard Hurndall really did a wonderful job. It was so good that Mr. Smith -- who is admittedly a casual viewer but has also been watching the show with me for more than 25 years -- didn't initially realize that it wasn't William Hartnell.

It sounds like there were weeks of back and forth between Tom Baker and JN-T -- he was coming back, he wasn't coming back, he was coming back, no he really wasn't coming back. Using the "Shada" footage was a brilliant way to have the Fourth Doctor in the story without having Tom Baker in the story.


Harry -
Once we've made the rounds and watched the first four Doctors getting scooped out of their time streams with varying degrees of success, the fifth and present Doctor collapses in pain. "I am being diminished," he says. Tegan and Turlough drag him back into the TARDIS, where he lies prone and fades in and out as if he himself is dematerializing. The TARDIS lands in a foggy wasteland. Whomever has been kidnapping the various Doctors has been plunking them down in the Death Zone. It's Gallifrey! It's time for another Time Lord conspiracy!


Sarah -
Oh, those Time Lords and their conspiracies!


Harry -
The high council of Gallifrey has been observing these events. In a strange turn, the Master is brought before them. President Borusa asks the Master to go to the Death Zone and rescue the Doctor in exchange for a new cycle of regenerations.


Sarah -
I quite like Anthony Ainley in this scene. He’s so wonderfully smarmy – like the class smart-ass called to the principal’s office. “What makes you think I want your forgiveness?” His reaction when they ask him to save the Doctor is priceless: “A cosmos without the Doctor scarcely bears thinking about.” This is probably Ainley’s best performance so far.


Harry -
Meanwhile, the various Doctors team up with their companions and head to a tall tower in the middle of the Death Zone -- the tomb of Rassilon.


Sarah -
The First Doctor and Susan get to dash down some quite stylish corridors, trying to evade a Dalek, before finding the Fifth Doctor’s TARDIS. I love when the companions all sit down to fancy drinks and snacks in the console room while the Doctors work out the problem.

Don’t you love the moment when the Third Doctor and Sarah meet the Master and the Doctor doesn’t recognize him? He’s so dismissive of the Master and even steals the seal from him. He gets the same reaction from the Fifth Doctor, who steals the recall device when they are attacked by Cybermen. The Master can’t catch a break when he’s trying to be good, which leads him to an faux alliance with the Cybermen.


Harry -
The First Doctor and Tegan take the high road, straight into the tower. The Second Doctor and the Brigadier take the low road, entering from beneath but not before a couple of scary encounters: first with a Yeti, then with Zoe in a bubble wrap costume.


Sarah -
Don’t forget our dear Jamie, who’s looking quite fetching in his kilt – sans bubblewrap – and Mike Yates and Liz Shaw!


Harry -
Great to see Liz Shaw get one more appearance after her abrupt departure from the show. After lifting Sarah Jane Smith from a perilous ditch of death, the Third Doctor takes her all the way to the top of the tower via zipline and they enter from above.


Sarah -
Speaking of Sarah Jane, what the hell is she wearing? That jacket makes her look hugely pregnant. It’s an absolute relief when she takes it off.


Harry -
The fashions of the 80s are something we shall never understand, even if we did live through them.


Sarah -
They weren’t all bad. I distinctly remember wanting Tegan’s dress when I watched this for the first time.


Harry -
In addition to the Master, there are brief encounters with some classic monsters (Daleks, Cybermen) and a new one: a Raston Warrior Robot, the most perfect killing machine in the universe. Is it terrible to admit that I get a kick out of imagining Terrance Dicks saying "Raston Warrior Robot" out loud?


Sarah -
It seems you haven’t watched the featurette, where you get to hear him say it! It’s brilliant!


Harry -
Hah!

I guess we could spare a moment to talk about the actual story here. "The Five Doctors" completes the informal Borusa cycle. We have seen Borusa four times over the years, each time played by a different actor. His rise began in "The Deadly Assassin", when he was a Cardinal. In "The Invasion of Time" he was Lord Chancellor and teamed (loosely) with the Doctor to combat the Vardans and Sontarans. In "Arc of Infinity" he was finally Lord President of Gallifrey, but something of a tired character while someone else's conspiracy played out around him. Finally, here in "The Five Doctors", Borusa's ambitions have been rekindled as he seeks the secret of true immortality and ultimate power from Rassilon himself. Thankfully, Philip Latham was not required to act with his hands for half the story.


Sarah -
Lantham is really brilliant as Borusa. The scene where he frames the Castellan, leading to his death, is chilling. What a bastard!


Harry -
Borusa was cool, calm and collected throughout the story. This is one of my favourite Borusas.


Sarah -
He's the most cunning Borusa, that's for sure.


Harry -
Eventually, everyone arrives at the tomb of Rassilon and the slow-moving story comes to a rapid conclusion. Borusa is unmasked as the conspirator du jour, having used virtually everyone else in the story as a dupe for his ambitions. He seeks the ring of Rassilon and the promise of immortality and never-ending power. Rassilon appears and offers it up without hesitation.

Naturally, Borusa is undone by his own wickedness and becomes imprisoned in the tomb for eternity. Having sorted that out, Rassilon gives a Brian Blessed-like laugh and fades away again.


Sarah -
Say what you will about the silly Great and Powerful Oz-like appearance by Rassilon, Borusa's entombment is horrifying. I feel absolutely claustrophobic just thinking about it.


Harry -
It's all in the eyes. Horrible fate. An eternity of living entombment is a chilling prospect.

Sadly for Borusa, no one felt too bad about what happened to him. That leaves our Doctors and their friends to make a big series of goodbyes as the story wraps up. I say "story" but "The Five Doctors" is more of a celebration, a greatest hits or whatever cliché you want to attach to it. This would be one of the first stories I would encourage new viewers to watch, just because it gives you a sampling of all the eras from the first 20 years of Doctor Who.


Sarah -
The story is a bit of an afterthought, which makes sense when you consider all the rewriting Terrance Dicks had to do as actors dropped in and out during the planning. Still, it's a delightful romp and a moment to pause and feel the love.


Harry -
Well, looks like the champagne didn't last very long. Shall we move on to Peter Davison's third and final season?


Sarah -
Final season? It feels like we just got started!


Harry -
I know, it's crazy!

Best Line:
SECOND DOCTOR: "And, er, and who is this?"
BRIGADIER: "That's Colonel Crichton, my replacement."
SECOND DOCTOR: "Ah. Yes, mine was pretty unpromising, too."

BAM! HAHA!

Favourite Moment: Really, every cameo was a favourite.

Lasting Image: The Doctors all congratulating themselves at the end.

8/10


Sarah -
Best Line: There are so many, but I have to go with the closer,

Tegan: "You mean you're deliberately choosing to go on the run from your own people, in a rackety old TARDIS?"
The Doctor: "Why not? After all, that's how it all started."

Favorite Moment: The Second Doctor meeting up with the Brig.

Lasting Images: All the Doctors together!

8/10

Our marathon continues with Story #130: Warriors of the Deep...

The Tom Baker Era - Final Thoughts

Harry -
Well, I wondered how we'd feel after watching all 42 Tom Baker stories in a row. The strongest thing right now is nostalgia. Watching all of his stories took me back to childhood days, being curled up on the living room floor -- way too close to the TV -- and watching that funny man with the funny scarf as he and his nice friends faced all sorts of dangers and saved the day, time and again.


Sarah -
I'll be honest, I kind of want to start over and watch them all again. Tom Baker's Doctor always makes me very nostalgic, too. Having a few years on you, I was a young teenager, staying up late on Sunday nights to watch Doctor Who on public television. It was the best part of the week -- Monty Python at 10:00 p.m., Dave Allen at Large at 10:30, and Doctor Who, run in the movie format, from 11:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. I spent Monday mornings in high school in a constant state of exhaustion, but it was so worth it!


Harry -
Tom is the colossus at the centre of the classic series. He made the show an international sensation and cemented its place in pop culture.


Sarah -
For decades, he was the one Doctor who was recognizable to non-viewers. If you mentioned Doctor Who in the 80s and 90s, the inevitable response was, "Oh, the guy with the scarf." He even made three appearances in The Simpsons in the 90s!


Harry -
He was also the only actor to play the Doctor long enough to have visibly aged from his first season to his final one.


Sarah -
Having watched them all in just over a year, it's really striking how much he aged, being a Time Lord and all. He looks so tired at the end, which is perfect for a Time Lord on the verge of regeneration. My first story was the Ribos operation, so I started in Season 16. This meant that I saw Tom's final three seasons first. When WTTW got back around to the beginning of his era, it was like meeting an entirely new Doctor.


Harry -
He started wearing a little thin by the end, but in the beginning he required no breaking in period to get into the role. Tom himself has said countless times that he was the Doctor. He immersed himself in the role from the get-go, grafting his own madcap persona onto that of the character, and he never stepped out of character in public. How's that for method acting?


Sarah -
From the very first moments, he was absolutely the Doctor. There was no growing into the role. He simply WAS.


Harry -
I agree it's tempting to watch this era all over again -- right now! So many stories I could watch over and over and I'm not exaggerating. It's quite possible that Season 12 (Tom's first) is the one season of Doctor Who that I have re-watched the most.


Sarah -
That may well be the case for me, too.


Harry -
It's nearly perfect. Tom is fresh and energetic, UNIT is still part of the scene, Sarah Jane and Harry are fantastic companions, and the stories (Robot, The Ark in Space, The Sontaran Experiment, Genesis of the Daleks, and Revenge of the Cybermen) are all brilliant. Revenge of the Cybermen was my first story and it hooked me forever.

I'd be hard pressed to pick a different season as my favourite. How about you?


Sarah -
I would have to agree on Season 12. Every story is so strong and the entire cast is spot on. Elisabeth Sladen did some heavy lifting as a crossover companion, letting us know that this Doctor was still THE Doctor and ushering in a new era.


Harry -
Once they cleared the remaining UNIT stories out of the cupboard, we entered the era of the Hinchcliffe Horror Homages, easily the high point of classic Who. Planet of Evil, Pyramids of Mars, The Brain of Morbius, the list goes on and on. As much as the stories were "borrowed", they were still undeniably Doctor Who and I'm glad Sarah Jane stayed around for those.


Sarah -
Season 13 is a very close second on my list of favorite seasons. While the stories are mostly homages, they are all perfectly Doctor Who. One of the delights of the season is the perfect chemistry between Sarah Jane and the Doctor. They're both wonderful and Sarah's departure is still one of my saddest moments in Doctor Who. Have you ever listened to the commentary tracks they did together? You can just feel the love they have for each other, even all those years on.


Harry -
If I remember correctly, Tom still had a boyish crush on Lis ,and who wouldn't? Anyway, Hinchcliffe Horror eventually gave way to the zany fun of the Douglas Adams years, represented by the Key to Time season and the high point of the year that followed, City of Death.


Sarah -
These seasons also feature the only Time Lord to have traveled with the Doctor so far -- Romanadvoratrelundar. I'm a big fan of having a companion of equal (or perhaps superior) intelligence traveling with the Doctor. The two Romanas have very different styles, but they've both got the Doctor's number! Going from Leela to Romana may have been one of the most dramatic changes in companion ever.


Harry -
The biggest course change came in the final season. Under John Nathan-Turner and Christopher H. Bidmead, Doctor Who veered towards serious, sober science fiction.


Sarah -
Season 18 has such a different feeling. We say goodbye to Romana and eventually meet the three companions who will carry us over into the Fifth Doctor era. Adric is the only one who has significant screen time with the Fourth Doctor, so I don't usually think of of Nyssa and Tegan as his companions. On this viewing, I couldn't help but feel the weight of the inevitable regeneration getting heavier and heavier with each story. It was a very bittersweet experience.


Harry -
So many varieties of Doctor Who, all with the same lead man. We'll never see something like that again until the new series, where the genres will change from week to week.


Sarah -
It's unlikely that any future Doctor will serve as long as Tom Baker, which is probably for the best -- both for the series and the actor's career.


Harry -
It's great that so many of our favourite companions travelled with Tom, from Sarah Jane and Harry, to Romana and K-9, and finally we watched as Peter Davison's future team of companions was assembled.

It was thrilling news when Tom finally dipped a toe into the world of Doctor Who audios, with the BBC and with Big Finish. It's wonderful to hear his voice again. And his appearance in the 50th anniversary story was sublime. After decades away, there was our Doctor again, face to face with Matt Smith, and being as playful and enigmatic as ever. For me it was the high point of the story. I'm so glad he returned.


Sarah -
Listing to his audios is like seeing a beloved friend after a long absence. The 50th anniversary appearance was a delightful surprise. I have to admit that I started crying the moment he appeared and it's almost the only thing I still remember about the story right now.


Harry -
News of his cameo leaked the day before, but I was still rendered a dripping mess when he appeared. Oh Tom Baker, you will always be our Doctor! I wouldn't give up all the time we've been together for anything.


Sarah -
He's Our Doctor always and forever -- and we have him to thank for making our friendship possible in the first place. Thanks, Tom!


Harry -
Well, shall we check out this new fellow? He's got an excellent team around him already.


Sarah -
I think I'm ready. Let's do it.

Story #115 - Logopolis (1981)

Harry -
I keep muttering "block transfer computation" to myself.


Sarah -
Just watch out for that column behind you while you're muttering.


Harry -
Do you think you could ever work "block transfer computation" into a conversation?


Sarah -
Now I really want to find a way.


Harry -
It might help distract from the cold realization that the Doctor -- our Doctor! -- is no more.


Sarah -
I can't hear you. *fingers in ears* LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA

Wait! Is that the cloister bell I hear?


Harry -
There's a veritable cacophony of sounds that kick off Tom Baker's farewell story. We've got the cloister bell, we've got the chuckling Master, we've got the New Companion Klaxon -- it's all happening at once!

It begins in the TARDIS cloisters. The Doctor stalks around, preoccupied with something. Adric trails behind, trying to figure out what's on his mind. Turns out, it's the chameleon circuit. After all this time, the Doctor wants to finally repair it, using [dramatic pause] "block transfer computation." And what is that, we wonder. Why, it's creating solid objects through pure mathematics, something they do for kicks at a place called Logopolis. So! First it's nip down to Earth to measure an old police box, then a quick dash to Logopolis where something something something, and the chameleon circuit will be good as new.


Sarah -
I've been thinking perhaps we should add cloisters to the Sofa -- you know, give us a place for reflection between stories.


Harry -
Could have used it after this one.


Sarah -
There's a lot going on in the opening TARDIS scenes. In addition to something something "block transfer computation," we learn that the TARDIS was on Gallifrey for repairs when he "borrowed" her ("There were rather pressing reasons at the time.") and the chameleon circuit has been stuck ever since. To distract himself, the Doctor decides to repair the circuit, but first needs to get accurate measurements -- in twenty-seven dimensions -- of a police box, which requires materializing around a working police box.


Harry -
Lost? So was I. But in the meantime, here's Tegan Jovanka!


Sarah -
TEGAN! Her arrival takes away some of the sting of so much loss in this story.


Harry -
I love the leisurely pace of Part One. It takes five minutes just to get into Auntie Vanessa's car. Then she and Tegan spend the rest of the episode trying to fix a flat tyre.


Sarah -
It takes five minutes just to lock the front door! I love the scenes of Tegan and Auntie Vanessa bickering over the tyre. It's a nice was to establish the character's sense of adventure: automobiles aren't good enough for Ms. Tegan Jovanka -- it's air travel or nothing. I also have to say that I've always positively adored Vanessa's ensemble. I don't think I could pull it off, but she rocks that look.


Harry -
A whirlwind of fur and feathers, it's quite the style.

Meanwhile, the Doctor is conducting what could be construed as a very symbolic "one last look around the TARDIS", strolling through the corridors we haven't seen for some time, peeking in on Romana's old room, and finally landing around an actual police box. Only, the Master got there first, and he hurls the Doctor and Adric into a maze of TARDISes within TARDISes. I liked how each time they entered one TARDIS, the lights got dimmer and eerier.


Sarah -
The last look at Romana's room is touching, but sentiment can't be considered when it's time to jettison her room, French schoolgirl costume and all!

I love the "TARDIS inside a TARDIS inside a TARDIS" scenes. Each TARDIS manages to be more menacing than the last. As we end Adric's brief tenure as a solo companion, I found myself really enjoying his scenes with the Doctor. We know now how intimidated Matthew Waterhouse was while working with Tom Baker, but he pulls off some great work in these scenes. I imagine his frustration having been put to good use during the scene when the tension gets to be too much and they start shouting at each other. That felt quite genuine.


Harry -
Some very crabby exchanges there. I still think the brief Doctor-Adric combination worked more often than not.


Sarah -
I agree. Their timing in the measuring the TARDIS scene is perfect and I love the image of Adric atop the TARDIS.


Harry -
Frustrated by the discovery of a flat spare tyre ("Hell's teeth, Auntie Vanessa!"), Tegan sets off for a garage, but can't resist peeking into the police box standing by the roadside. Her exploration of the TARDIS -- layered with curiosity, bafflement and apprehension -- was a nice sequence.


Sarah -
If I can't manage to work "block transfer computation" into a conversation, I'm totally going to devote myself to making "Hell's teeth" a thing. Here's Our Tegan, taking the tyre off to the garage and then fearlessly exploring the TARDIS. She's got spunk!


Harry -
Alas, while Tegan was off exploring, Auntie Vanessa fell victim to the Master and his tissue compression eliminator (I'm not even going to IMAGINE trying to work that one into a conversation).


Sarah -
Poor Auntie Vanessa. The shot of her and the police constable shrunken on the car seat is heartbreaking.


Harry -
I have to admit, the flow of the story was a bit clunky. Part One was slow paced, but then things started jumping all over the place. The Doctor got this bizarre idea to flood the TARDIS, presumably to flush out the Master. They end up on the deck of a barge in the Thames. The Doctor then spots the Watcher and they have a chat on the Albert Bridge! as Adric looks on with the Battersea Power Station! in the background.

(I am inordinately excited about these places because this is one of the rare times that I have been to a Doctor Who filming location. I visited London back in 2001 and one day took a stroll around Chelsea and Battersea, where this filming took place. Permission to Squee?)


Sarah -
Squee away! I thought of you during these scenes and could almost hear the squeeing from Toronto to Chicago. The Doctor's plan to flood the TARDIS is perhaps the oddest part of the story. Other than holding back the doors, we don't find out much about his plan not to have himself and Adric drowned in the process.


Harry -
Following his chat with the Watcher, in which he glimpsed his future, the Doctor sets course for Logopolis immediately, just as Tegan returns to the console room. What an arrival!


Sarah -
The looks on the Doctor's and Adric's faces when Tegan bursts into the console room are priceless! It makes me laugh every time, but the humor ends when Tegan asks about her aunt and the Doctor realizes that she's been the Master's victim. Fortunately for him, the TARDIS has arrived on Logopolis and he is able to sidestep the question.

Logopolis is unlike any place we've visited before. Its inhabitants are able to model reality by pure mathematics and whatever they calculate can take physical form. They seem to spend their days sitting in little monk holes, muttering and working their abaci, but Logopolis turns out to be a more exciting place than it appears.


Harry -
The scale replica of the Pharos Project, for example. I didn't catch the purpose behind it, but I'm sure it was very sciency and Christopher H. Bidmead was immensely pleased by his having come up with it.


Sarah -
That whole part of the story was like, "science, science, Pharos Project, science, science, blah, blah, blah," but somehow still managed to be absolutely compelling.


Harry -
Anyway, the Master upsets one too many apple carts on Logopolis, triggering a series of missed calculations by the Logopolitans, with the effect that they can no longer stave off the entropy that threatens to engulf the entire universe. The battle against entropy -- one might imagine the showrunners seeing themselves battling a kind of entropy that had set in at the end of the Tom Baker era. This story is packed with symbolism.


Sarah -
The script practically writes itself! (Christopher Bidmead would love to read that, wouldn't he?)


Harry -
With Logopolis crumbling around them, it's up to the Doctor and Master to team up and prevent the end of the universe, while Tegan, Adric and Nyssa wait safely inside the TARDIS.

Nyssa's return. Bit of a surprise, but they gave it a decent explanation don't you think?


Sarah -
The Watcher brought her there to look for her father, it seems. She finds him, not immediately realizing that his body is now inhabited by the Master, but she's certainly suspicious when he forces her to wear a bracelet that can control her actions. It's not long before he turns her on Adric -- strangling him to force Tegan to comply with the Master's wishes. Oh, what tangled webs he weaves!

This is our first full story featuring Anthony Ainley as the Master. What do you make of him? Ainley was my first Master, so I can't help but having a fondness for him. I'm looking forward to revisiting his episodes in light of Roger Delgado having become my definitive Master.


Harry -
For sentimental reasons I can't not love this Master, but I remember having a negative reaction to Ainley at first. He seemed to be too much of a Snidely Whiplash character. Where the dapper Delgado presented himself with cool reserve, Ainley's Master came off more cartoonish, twirling his moustache and chuckling at his nefarious schemes. However, Ainley's interpretation has come to fit right in with the evolution of the character. Haunted by the task of four beats that pounds ceaselessly in his head, the Master has become further unhinged over time. Each time we meet him anew, he is more and more insane. By the time we get to John Simm, the Master is utterly manic, and the Missy-Master doesn't hesitate to describe herself as "bananas!". So Ainley has come to represent a middle ground between cool early Master and bananas contemporary Master.


Sarah -
The Master is on a one-way train to crazyville -- and we get to go along for the ride!


Harry -
The one constant, however, is that the Doctor always outsmarts his lifelong adversary -- even, as here, at the cost of his own life. His plans foiled, the Master jumps into his TARDIS and flees as the Doctor lies near death, having plummeted from the aerial dish tower after saving the whole damn universe.

As the Doctor's friends gather around his broken body, he announces that "It's the end... but the moment has been prepared for."

We've watched this scene a zillion times, perhaps two zillion, but it still retains its power. The longest era of Doctor Who comes to a quiet, unforgettable end.


Sarah -
This was my first regeneration and I didn't know it was coming at the time, so it hit me really hard. Every time I watch it, I will the Doctor to not fall. Every time is as dramatic and heart-wrenching as the first time I watched it and I'm reduced to tears despite myself.

Tom Baker is the reason I became a Doctor Who fan 30+ years ago and he will always be my Doctor. I often wonder if I would have fallen in love with the show if I had started watching during another Doctor's era and am grateful that I don't have to answer that question.


Harry -
The final scene is by far the best moment of the entire story. There's no better way for Tom to have gone out than by saving the entire universe from the grip of the Master. And it turns out the Watcher was him all along, in an advanced mid-regenerative state. He slips away knowing that everything will be alright...


Sarah -
If there's one thing viewers believe they can count on in Doctor Who, it's that the Doctor will survive his adventure to fight another day. In Logopolis, perhaps for the first time, it feels as though he could fail and the story leads us to the inevitable conclusion. The moment has been prepared for us and it doesn't feel forced or unnatural. We are (mostly) ready.


Harry -
...and along comes Peter Davison! Surrounded by his newly-assembled trio of companions, a new era of Doctor Who is ready to take off! Shall we dash along to the next adventure?


Sarah -
Peter Davison, looking so young and handsome. I'm looking forward to our first post-regeneration story in a while. Castrovalva awaits!


Harry -
Best Line: Rather than a best line, there were so many memorable and endlessly repeatable phrases, like "Block transfer computation," "Hell's teeth, Auntie Vanessa!" and "It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for."

Favourite Moment: the Doctor chats with the Watcher on Albert Bridge.

Lasting Image: the dying Doctor lays surrounded by his friends.

7/10


Sarah -
Best Line: "Never guess. Unless you have to. There's enough uncertainty in the universe as it is." This line is so representative of the Fourth Doctor and his need to keep all options open.

Favorite Moment: The Doctor and Adric reacting to Tegan bursting into the console room.

Lasting Image: Adric atop the TARDIS taking measurements.

8/10

 

Our marathon continues with Story #116: Castrovalva...

Story #114 - The Keeper of Traken (1981)

Harry -
Romana and K-9 have stayed behind in E-Space, but the Doctor and Adric have to keep on Traken, all the way back to N-Space and the titular planet of this story.

So many familiar faces in this one!


Sarah -
I felt like I was visiting old friends! I still remember the first time I watched "The Keeper of Traken" and how wonderfully exciting it was. I have to admit I still felt a bit of that excitement on this viewing -- which is probably #10 or so. This is the magic of Doctor Who, isn't it?


Harry -
Absolutely, old chum. There's a nice sort-of-symmetry in that John Woodnutt -- who appeared as the Duke of Forgill in "Terror of the Zygons" at the start of Tom Baker's second season -- appears here as Soron in Tom's second-to-last story. Rrrrrolling his R's all the way as one of the Consuls of Traken. Can you believe we've just watched all but one Tom Baker story in a row and not gone doolally?


Sarah -
Of course I can! He's Tom Fecking Baker! He's OUR Doctor -- the person who made us Doctor Who fans forever and ever. This has been the best year of viewing ever, which hardly seemed possible after the past three years of great viewing! Oh ye of little faith, Harry. We've rocked this!


Harry -
It took us on average one year to get through each of the first three Doctors, and there were some weeks when it dragged, but it feels like we've gone through the entire Fourth Doctor era in the blink of an eye.


Sarah -
All those recons were a drag. A year each for three seasons of the first two Doctors, just under a year for five seasons of the Third Doctor, and just a tad over a year for seven seasons of our Fourth Doctor. I wonder how our schedule will run from here on. Will we hit a wall or continue our breezy pace? Will we survive the Sixth Doctor's wardrobe? Will I reconsider my violent loathing of Peri? Can we bear to watch the dreaded movie kiss one more time? So many unanswered questions -- stay tuned, kiddies!

We were discussing something, weren't we? Oh, yes, "The Keeper of Traken", meeting old friends, familiar faces, etc., etc., etc. Carry on, Old Boy.


Harry -
Another familiar face -- even though he's unrecognizable in this one -- is Denis Carey as the Keeper. He was none other than Professor Chronotis from "Shada".

There's one more fun fact to be had here, in that this is the only story where Adric is the Doctor's sole companion. Although we barely get halfway through before it looks like Adric's made a new friend on Traken.


Sarah -
Yes, hasn't he? Nyssa wasn't meant to be a companion when she was introduced, but we'll get to that soon enough.


Harry -
I like how both Adric and Nyssa got a sort of "soft launch" as companions, compared to others. But yes, we'll get to that soon enough.

The Traken Union! One of the most peaceful and harmonious places in the universe. It's so nice there that evil forces literally seize up and calcify there. Backed by the power of the Source and aided by a group of Consuls, the Keeper of Traken is the union's figure of leadership and wise judgement.

But all is not well. The Keeper senses that a presence of all-pervading evil has descended upon Traken, and he seeks out the Doctor for help.


Sarah -
You know peace, love, and understanding are great ideas in concept, but imagine how boring it could be living in such a perfect place.


Harry -
The Consuls found the time to get fitted in some really swish looking outfits. Their Renaissance-inspired robes stood out against the slightly more modern looking clothes of the proctor and other citizens.


Sarah -
Apparently, when everything is perfect and harmonious, there's a lot more free time to focus on wardrobe.


Harry -
Just before the TARDIS arrives, a dead body is discovered in a leafy grove. The Doctor and Adric are immediately surrounded at gunpoint. "I wonder what we've done this time," the Doctor asks, as he teaches Adric how to raise one's arms in surrender.


Sarah -
Of course a body is found just before they arrive. Bodies are usually found just before the TARDIS arrives. To be honest, I suspect the only time bodies are ever found anywhere in the known universe is just before the Doctor shows up to be blamed.


Harry -
It's one of those things that practically defines a Doctor Who story.


Sarah -
With that in mind, learning how to raise his hands in surrender may be one of the most useful things the Doctor ever taught Adric.


Harry -
Despite what we've heard from behind the scenes, the Doctor and Adric have a friendly partnership going here. I would have liked to see them in more adventures.


Sarah -
I would be a strong proponent of that.


Harry -
Anyway, they find themselves hauled before the Consuls for a rapid interrogation. Our friends protest their innocence, and the Consuls refer to the Keeper for advice. As soon as he appears, the Keeper is stricken by fear of an evil presence nearby. Everyone assumes he means the Doctor and Adric, but no one notices the enigmatic creature peeking through the doorway: the Melkur.


Sarah -
The Melkur -- Traken's personification of calcified evil. We first meet young Kassia, protege of the Keeper, and later a member of his council, when she was assigned to care for the Melkur. Maybe it's just knowing what's coming, but I find even her initial scenes with the Melkur disturbing. The Melkur is playing the long game, luring Kassia under his spell, just waiting for her to become a member of the council so he can launch his plan. And, then, of course, the Doctor shows up just in time to spoil his best-laid plans.

Sheila Ruskin certainly chews up the scenery as Kassia, but the real standout guest actor is Anthony Ainley as The Ma.... um, I mean as Tremas. He shines in every scene -- strong, intelligent, loyal, a doting father to Nyssa. Widowed and entering into a second marriage with Kassia, he is the planned successor to the Keeper. While the rest of the council falls under Kassia's influence and are suspicious of the Doctor, Tremas eventually believes the Doctor's story of being summoned by the Keeper -- and finds himself under suspicion.


Harry -
I love seeing Anthony Ainley here. His thoughtful, positive attitude as Tremas is a brilliant set up for what will befall the Consul. I never understood how or why the showrunners went ahead what that character's name, which is such an obvious anagram for another character's name. I'm sure there have been hundreds of rationalizations circulated among fanhood after the fact, but it's such a clunky note.


Sarah -
The Master hadn't appeared in five years, so I suspect it's more obvious in retrospect.


Harry -
Another thing I loved was Kassia's massively teased out mane of hair. Her and Nyssa both have amazing looks in this story. It's so 80s and yet it works quite well with their Trakenite clothes.


Sarah -
There was a whole lot of hair going on in this story!


Harry -
Despite being newlywed, Kassia does not hesitate to zap Tremas and throw him into a cell with the Doctor and Adric, as the Melkur exercises total power over her. The Melkur's plot comes to fruition at the end of Part Three. Kassia briefly takes the Keeper's place, before she herself gets zapped into oblivion and replaced by the Melkur.


Sarah -
Poor Kassia. She was just a pawn in the Melkur's hand, which is a sad end for such an interesting and strong character.


Harry -
Now, if this story were broadcast in the present day internet era, the true identity of the Melkur would have been plastered on every social media outlet even before broadcast. Watching this story now, I'm surprised how late they left the confirmation that the Melkur was in fact... the Master! There were certainly enough clues fed to everyone. It just felt a bit rushed towards the end, and the inevitable Doctor-Master confrontation was no more than a couple of minutes. These days, they produce entire two-parters around the two characters playing off each other.


Sarah -
I almost don't mind the quick confrontation because it leads us to the real shocker when the Master steals Tremas' body for his next regeneration!


Harry -
Kudos to Geoffrey Beevers for his brief albeit memorably grotesque turn as the rogue Gallifreyan.


Sarah -
Beevers' disfigured Master is wonderfully evil. "The Keeper of Traken" was my first Master story, so I didn't know much about his history with the Doctor. That said, I still remember how shocked I was by this scene. I love that the Doctor and Adric head off believing that all is well on Traken, while we're all screaming at the television trying to warn him!


Harry -
This was the Master at his evil worst - bodysnatching a still living body to inhabit. What a creep! On the plus side, this is the start of a fresh series of Master stories to enjoy.


Sarah -
Hooray for more Master stories!


Harry -
Overall, this was a very straightforward story by Johnny Byrne (not a name we are familiar with, is it?).


Sarah -
It's not! This is his first story and here's a fun fact: because Byrne created Nyssa and she was only intended to be in one story, he received royalties whenever her character was used.


Harry -
Good on you, Johnny Byrne.  It's the wonderful characters that bring "The Keeper of Traken" to life. Tom Baker and Matthew Waterhouse were both great here. Tom boisterous but restrained, Matthew clever and industrious.


Sarah -
I love that he managed to lure good girl Nyssa into joining his caper and being mischievous. Adric is excellent in this story!


Harry -
We have completed the penultimate story of the Fourth Doctor era. Shall we proceed to the grand finale?


Sarah -
With a deep breath and a sadness in my heart...


Harry -
Best Line:
DOCTOR: "You criticise my logic."
ADRIC: "No. No, I'm just saying that a lot of the time you don't really make sense."
DOCTOR: "Ah. Ah. Oh, you've noticed that, have you?"

Favourite Moment: The Master seizes Tremas' body.

Lasting Image: Kassia and her fantastic 'do.

8/10


Sarah -
Best Line:
The Doctor: "If I knew everything that was going to happen, where would the fun be?"

Favorite Moment: Absolutely the stealing of Tremas' body. It's one of the most shocking moments in Doctor Who and I love anticipating it!

Lasting Image: The Melkur -- I love that design!

8/10

 


Our marathon continues with Story #115 - Logopolis...

Story #113 - Warriors' Gate (1981)

Sarah -
It's been a while since I've watched "Warriors' Gate". This is an unusual story, don't you think?


Harry -
It's definitely out there, even though the foundation of it is quite simple: at a point in existence where two universes intersect, several groups of people find themselves stuck. They spend the ensuing four episodes trying to get themselves unstuck.


Sarah -
It's a lot of bother when everyone shares the same goal of getting out of there.


Harry -
"Warriors' Gate" is also known for having been a difficult production. Writer Steve Gallagher delivered to the BBC what was, in his own words: "a novel in screenplay format." Director Paul Joyce and Script Editor Christopher H. Bidmead hacked it down to mere splinters, to Gallagher's dismay. Joyce then found himself stifled by the time and budget constraints of the Beeb, which impeded the grand cinematic visions he had for the production. A frustrated Joyce was temporarily replaced, but he returned to finish the job and the conclusion of the E-Space trilogy hit TV screens in the UK in January 1981.


Sarah -
One of the amusing aspects of the making-of featurettes on so many Doctor Who DVDs is watching the directors, writers, and crew members airing their grievances thirty years on. Still, "Warriors' Gate" seems to have had more drama than your average production.


Harry -
I love how passive-aggressive everyone is on the featurettes. So many lingering grudges!


Sarah -
Really, it's kind of perfect for Doctor Who fans, as we never let go of things ourselves.


Harry -
We get an immediate taste for Joyce's big screen ambitions from the long tracking shots that open Part One. The camera drifts over a group of shaggy humanoids who lay in stasis, before pulling away and roaming through the empty, graffiti-stained corridors of a space ship. Instant atmosphere.


Sarah -
I love those establishing shots. So evocative. The ship really looks lived-in and that carries over to the crew, who all look like they've been on this ship far too long. Royce and Aldo, the lowest-ranking members of the crew, provide the comic relief as the most apathetic members of an extremely apathetic crew.


Harry -
Royce and Aldo were charmingly unenthusiastic throughout. You could tell the rest of the crew was worn out from Commander Rorvik's constant bluster. Although he presented his ship and crew as "traders" to Romana, he left out that small detail that they traded in slaves, and their cargo was the room full of Tharils in stasis -- Tharils being prized as time-sensitives who provide a valuable resource as navigators.


Sarah -
While we don't know the entire story at the beginning, the scene where the Tharil is being used for navigation is just brutal. Rorvik's lack of concern with the Tharil's well being is our first clue that these "traders" are not the good guys.


Harry -
Biroc the Tharil managed to escape and traverse the time winds right into the TARDIS. There, he warned the Doctor and friends that, basically, stuff was about to get weird. And it certainly did.


Sarah -
The opening TARDIS scene, before Biroc arrives, is interesting. Romana is still trying to avoid going back to Gallifrey, while the Doctor thinks Adric will love it. Meanwhile, the TARDIS continues to struggle against E-Space, leading to a long discussion of the I Ching, which leads to Adric tossing a coin and pressing a button. The TARDIS lands just as the time winds are sweeping in, bringing Biroc into the TARDIS.


Harry -
All season we've been having these opening scenes in the TARDIS console room where we first glimpse our friends. Usually, they've been repairing K-9, or having some down time, or puzzling over where and when they are. That's the case this time. It was a bit garbled as they jumped from one subject to another before Biroc appeared and got the story going.

The TARDIS lands and the Doctor follows Biroc into the partial ruin of an old castle. Romana follows the crew back to their trade ship. Adric and K-9 spend some time roaming the empty space in between. Did you get any "Land of Fiction" vibes during those scenes? I was half-hoping that Lemuel Gulliver might appear out of the whiteness.


Sarah -
How great would it be to see Bernard Horsfall again? I was absolutely thinking of "The Mind Robber" during these scenes.


Harry -
Bernard Horsfall, or those noisy robots.

Inside the trade ship, Romana is mistaken for another time sensitive and strapped into the navigator's chair for a spot of terror.


Sarah -
That was terrifying!


Harry -
Back in the castle, the Doctor finds the dusty remains of an ancient banquet, complete with guard robots who conveniently spell out just what's going on. So convenient! Sort of. The robot's story was a bit garbled too, and didn't really explain how certain characters could start jumping between striations of time - literally going through the looking glass to do so.


Sarah -
Don't you love it when a handy plot device turns up? The Gundan robots are certainly visually interesting, not so much on the whole sticking-to-a-clear-narritive thing. The plot was even more confusing after the Doctor got the robot to "explain" the situation.


Harry -
On the other side of the looking glass, the Doctor discovers the ghosts (?) of dead Tharils at the banquet, and discovers that they too employed slaves - humans in fact.  O ho!  This twist seemed to render both the traders and the Tharils no better than the other. There was no angry speech from the Doctor this time, perhaps because Rorvik and his crew were growing increasingly impatient and violent, and the intersection between the universes started contracting. Time to find a resolution, fast.


Sarah -
The Tharils aren't the innocent victims we think they are, after all. The plot thickens.


Harry -
Eventually, everyone makes it to the banquet room for a final confrontation. Obsessed with getting through the looking glass, Rorvik and company decide to employ heavy weaponry to smash it. Adric saves the Doctor and Romana with another bluff, turning the MZ device on the traders. The idiots eventually blew themselves up as everyone else legged it back to the TARDIS.


Sarah -
I love the imagine of Adric perched about the MZ, staring down the traders. Before Rorvik kills the rest of the crew, we witness the death of Sagan at the hands of a Tharil. The final shot of his corpse nearly drove me behind the sofa -- so disturbing.


Harry -
There is a lot of horror and gore in E-Space - more than I remembered.

I'm not sure what happened with Adric and K-9 in this story. They got lumped together for a period of time, wandered around and didn't do much until right at the end. I wonder if Gallagher didn't have much use for them, or Joyce and Bidmead found themselves running long and shunted them aside. K-9's most memorable moment was when he got a bit panicky with a lot of "Danger! Alert! Warning!" shouts as the intersection continued shrinking in upon itself. Little did we know that this was his swansong.


Sarah -
Poor K-9.

How many times have we said that in this last season?


Harry -
No kidding. At least the fiends didn't blow him up.

Romana foreshadowed her own swansong earlier in the story, when she mused aloud about her and the Doctor going separate ways. As everyone returned to the TARDIS, she made her surprise announcement...


Sarah -
Overall, Romana has a good send-off. Having had her mind expanded by traveling with the Doctor, she's not content to go back to Gallifrey and sets off on her own to make the universe a better place.


Harry -
It was so sudden, yet so decisive, and totally cool. No emotional sendoff, just a calm, mature parting of two equals (despite what was going on between Lalla and Tom away from the cameras).


Sarah -
Sadly, this is exactly why JN-T decided Romana had to go. The Doctor having a companion who is an equal is a rare thing and those are the companions I always like the best. I adore both Romanas, but Lalla Ward is truly the Romana of my heart. Her parting from the Doctor is one of the most memorable moments in Doctor Who for me.


Harry -
Of course, it set up not only the best line of the story, but one of the best lines in all of Doctor Who.


Sarah -
"You were the noblest Romana of them all."

It makes me teary-eyed every time.


Harry -
According to the fine folks at Big Finish, Romana continued her adventures and eventually returned to Gallifrey to assume the Presidency. I really can't see her making a return in the new series. Most of the main companions in New Who have followed the same template: young female from contemporary Britain. And repeat. And Clara is back for another season. There have been flashes of that "team of equals" thing with Clara that the Doctor had with Romana -- to the point where Clara assumed the role of the Doctor herself a couple of times last season, in "Flatline" and "Death in Heaven." I like. Hopefully there will be more of that in the future.


Sarah -
Have you read Terrance Dicks' Blood Harvest? Apparently, Romana turns up again, still in E-Space.


Harry -
I don't think I have read that one, but it sounds fascinating!

As for K-9, he had quite a long run as a companion, although the version that joined up with the Doctor and Leela was succeeded by a second one at the end of "The Invasion of Time." Another one will be gifted to Sarah Jane Smith. Do we just assume that there is a continuity among K-9s? I don't know. Regardless, K-9 was wildly popular with the kiddies. Many adults who get asked about classic Who always go back to two things right away: the scarf, and the robot dog. I like that too. He was a very very very good dog!


Sarah -
A very good dog -- the noblest of them all!

Before we say our final farewells to Romana and K-9 and make our way out of E-Space, I wanted to ask if you thought Tom Baker look tired in this story. There were so many shots were he just looked exhausted and his hair seemed to have a will of its own. As we move into our final two Fourth Doctor stories, it really feels (in retrospect, of course) that he's just winding down in the role. It's all so bittersweet.


Harry -
It's funny because I was just looking at pictures of him in "Robot" the other day, and the physical changes between then and now are striking.


Sarah -
Best Line: "You were the noblest Romana of them all." *sob*

Favorite Moment: The Doctor and Romana's parting *sob*

Lasting Image: Romana and K-9 staying behind in E-Space

6/10


Harry -
Best Line: agreed on this one. One of the best lines ever!

Favourite Moment: the parting scene is up there, but I'll also mention those moments in the whiteness of space and time, when it seemed as if they were back in the Land of Fiction.

Lasting Image: those striking black and white backgrounds from the universe on the other side of the mirror.

8/10

Our marathon continues with Story #114: The Keeper of Traken...