The Day of the Doctor – spoilers ahoy

This won’t be a comprehensive recap (though that’s a thought for another time)… it’s too powerful for me.  Too emotional.  Too much.  For now, at least.

But first – let’s get this out of the way.

If you haven’t watched it yet and plan to, please STOP READING NOW.

Okay, that’s out of the way.  (Seriously, go away if you don’t want spoilers.)

Okay, now…

MY DOCTOR!!!! MY DOCTOR!!! AFTER THIRTY YEARS, I GOT MY DOCTOR AGAIN.  Oh, god.  Oh, god.

Watching this in a theatre, filled of fans was amazing.  And they were young and old, new and long-time fans alike.  And it’s wonderful, seeing the youthful crowd, the new fans, listening to them talk with wonder about the history of the show… I know many olde sk00l Whovians like to scoff and snort and roll their eyes and complain about the new fans.  Oh, that breaks my heart.  We were all new fans once, we didn’t know the history of the Doctors before we watched.  Time for everyone to drink a big glass of Get Over Yourself juice.

But, seriously, sharing it with a group of a couple hundred people, all emotionally invested.  The collective laughs, sighs, gasps, cheering, applause.  I couldn’t have imagined a better way to see this.  And, though it was hard, I managed to see it without any more spoilers.

I see people talking about “mixed feelings” about the episode.  Not me.  It was wonderful, it was amazing, and it gave me what I’ve been yearning for for the past eight years.

Don’t get me wrong.  I understand why they wrote Gallifrey out of the show for the relaunch in 2005.  There would be too much backstory, too much baggage, it would weigh down too much and the new fans would be confused, or felt excluded, and they would not have flocked to it the way they did and the show probably would not have had a 50th anniversary special.

It was brilliant, what they did.  They wrote Gallifrey out, made The Doctor the “last” of the Time Lords, and Eccleston got to mope and be full of anger and angst – and it was delightful.  He was the Wounded Doctor.  Rose helped him heal, and then it was time to regenerate.

But, despite knowing all that, I have yearned for the return of Gallifrey.  I love the Time Lords (though I do consider them the greatest of all the monsters that The Doctor has ever had to fight off – and I’m not even talking about The Master, my favourite Time Lord of all.)  I love the mythos of Gallifrey and the Time Lords and how so many alien races knew of them and they were not hardly ever favorable towards The Doctor’s people.

So, I have been waiting.  When we were teased with the return of Gallifrey in The End of Time, oh… my hunger was enflamed.  I needed Gallifrey back.

This blog, revisiting (and visiting for the first time, as the case may be) so many stories involving the Time Lords, involving Gallifrey, or involving knowledge OF the Time Lords/Gallifrey… that exacerbated things.

So, walking into this, knowing it was about the War Doctor, knowing that he was responsible, somehow, for the fall of Gallifrey, the end of the Time War… I wasn’t sure what we were going to get, but there was NO WAY IN HELL I remotely thought that we’d get a whisper of a chance of getting Gallifrey back.

I just watched it again, before writing this blog post (Sunday night, about 10:30pm, December 1st.)  I cried, several times.  I even rewound and watched several scenes more than once… and cried each time.

Tears of joy.  Tears of enthrallment, enrapture, amazement.

Tears of hurt, for The Doctors, as Ten and Eleven (hey, that whole numbering thing… I guess we’re just going to have to stick with what we have been doing and have the “War Doctor” sitting between Eight and Nine, unnumbered) join the War Doctor, saying he won’t have to do it on his own.

Tears as I begged them not to do it.

Tears as they didn’t.

And, then, the undreamt.  All THIRTEEN Doctors showing up to save the day.  Of course it would take all thirteen.  How could it not?  It had to.  Something like this couldn’t be done by one Doctor, not even three.

Gallifrey Falls No More.  Oh.  Oh, yes.  Damn skippy.

And my Doctor.  Approximately thirty years ago, I watched Logopolis for the first time ever.  And saw my Doctor fall to his death.  And regenerate into a mamby-pamby blonde twit.  (Ok, I’m being a bit harsh, but I was a teenaged boy who had just lost his Doctor.  And Four wasn’t my first Doctor, Three was, actually… but Four is, and always will be MY Doctor.)  I lost him and… he never returned.  (Not to video, at least – I do understand there are some delightful Big Finish original audios with Tom Baker, so I will have to pursue those.)

I had no idea Tom was in this.  I had no clue to expect him.

You should have heard the theatre when he spoke, when he addressed Eleven for the first time.  The collective intake of breath… the choked emotions… everyone was stunned (and I’m sure some knew or guessed or something – but I bet you they were caught in the spell, too.)

Oh, this wasn’t going to be a long post, but here we are.  I’ve been crying for half of it, too.

I am so excited to see the Christmas special, to see Peter Capaldi step into those shoes.  But, for now, I am so, so, so happy and touched and overwhelmed by the 50th anniversary special.

As always, there are still so many questions.  Will they go to Trenzalore?  Will they find Gallifrey?  What IS The Doctor’s name and will we ever learn it?  (And my question, will The Doctor ever go visit Susan as he promised?)

Who knows, indeed?

Serial X20 – The Five Doctors 2 / 2

Recap: Four of the Five Doctors, plus the Brigadier, Sarah Jane, The Master, a Dalek, some Cybermen, Tegan and Turlough find themselves in “the death zone” on Gallifrey, seemingly playing some “Game”. Five has transmatted back to the citadel and is meeting with the High Council, comprised of President Borusa, Chancellor Flavia and the Castellan.

Borusa demands what The Doctor is basing his accusations on. Five replies that the Cybermen were brought along, and even in their “darkest times”, the Gallifreyans never allowed the Cybermen to play the game.

“Like the Daleks, they play too well.”

Five opens the recall device to reveal a homing beacon. Borusa says that the Castellan gave it to The Master, but the Castellan says The Doctor is seeking revenge. Borusa orders his security to search the Castellan’s living quarters and office.

Back in the death zone, The Master struggles to convince the Cyberleader that he can help. He tells them the tower is the stronghold of the Time Lords, but he can help them. The Cyberleader agrees, promising to spare him in exchange (but not planning to keep his promise.)

Turlough and Susan watch One and Tegan’s progress. Suddenly, they realise there are Cybermen outside the TARDIS.

The Brig and Two continue through the tunnel; the Brig complains all the while. They hear the grumbling roar of some creature and hurry along.

Three and Sarah Jane make their way through the mountains towards the tower. Suddenly, a warrior robot appears. It shoots a spear at her from its arm. It seems to disappear from sight, appearing nearby, then jumping about, disappearing again.

The Doctor leads Sarah to the entrance. The robot appears near them, with its back to them.

Turlough asks if Susan can operate the TARDIS, but she says even though she can it will do no good – the forcefield from the tower still keeps them there.

Tegan and “Doc” (Her name for One, much to his displeasure) make their way.

The search of the Castellan’s quarters turns up a box with the seal of Rassilon on it. Within are the Black Scrolls of Rassilon. Borusa says it is forbidden knowledge. The scrolls burst into flame and Borusa closes the box.

The Castellan denies having seen the box or the scrolls before. Borusa orders him to be interrogated, authorising the use of the “mind probe”. As they take him off, there is a shot and a scream. The Doctor exits, to see that the Castellan has been shot down in an attempt to escape.

Borusa says The Doctor has found his traitor and hopes this will allow his other selves to complete their quests. He says Five cannot go back to the death zone, as the President needs him there to advise. Flavia takes The Doctor off to quarters to rest. Borusa is very pensive.

The Brig and Two flee through the caverns, pursued by the creature. They squeeze through a small hole in the wall and find safety there. A large paw tries to reach them, but Two fends it off with the torch.

Handing the torch over, Two searches his pockets for something, finding a firework to spook the creature. In the light, they identify it as a Yeti. The creature, enraged, attacks the opening, causing the rocks to slide down and block the hole they slipped through. Searching their area, they find it leads to a door. The door is unlocked and Two says that “someone…or something wants us to go inside.”

Despite this, they do enter.

The Cybermen are setting up something outside the TARDIS.

A Cyberman trailing Three and Sarah arrives. The robot attacks it, killing it. More Cybermen arrive, quickly dispatched by the robot. EVEN MORE Cybermen arrive (jeebus, how many are there?) Yet again, the Cybermen are killed with ease.

While the robot is distracted with them, Three and Sarah grab the robot’s spare… well, Three calls them “arrows” but they’re more like javelins. Three also grabs some bundles of cable. They move on and find themselves on the mountain facing the top of the tower.

Flavia assures The Doctor that his friends and other selves are safe. He tells her he’s more worried about the High Council, saying that the Castellan was limited and narrow minded, but always loyal to Gallifrey.

Five says the traitor is still at large. Flavia says she will speak to the commander. Five goes off to speak to Borusa.

Three lassos the tower and he and Sarah Jane slide across to the tower, while The Master and Cybermen watch from lower down on the mountain. They, too, find an unlocked door waiting for them, and enter.

Tegan and One stand at the main entrance. The Doctor finds an “entry coder” and opens to the door.

Susan says the Cybermen are setting up a bomb outside the TARDIS.

One tells Tegan to be careful as she approaches a checkerboard floor. He starts tossing coins onto the squares. The death trap doesn’t activate until you reach the fifth row of squares, then electricity arcs all about.

The Master comes up behind them, saying their ancestors were devious. When The Doctor questions who he is, he says they knew each other at the academy. He tells them they need to hide, just before the Cybermen arrive. They do so, just in time.

The Cyberleader questions why the main entrance was unguarded, but The Master says the Time Lords are overconfident. When instructed, The Master strolls across the board, with no repercussions, then skips back. But when the Cyberpatrol crosses, they are all blasted down.

The Cyberleader accuses him of betraying him, and tells him to show him the safe route, or he will destroy him. Despite the route changing each time, The Master seems to know it and leads the Cyberleader.

However, mid-route, the renegade Time Lord turns and shoots the Cyberleader with a Cybergun.

Tegan and One come out and she chastises The Master for his ruthlessness (showing mercy for Cybermen, when they were responsible for Adric’s death? Out of character for Tegan.) He skips across again and says it’s “easy as pie”.

The Doctor remarks, “What an extraordinary fellow. As easy as pie?” Suddenly, The Doctor realises he meant Pi. The Doctor says that the formula for Pi is the key. He walks across and then directs her across.

Five arrives at the Council room, but the President is not there, much to the guards posted outside surprise. Five tells the guard to inform Flavia, and then begins poking about.

Three and Sarah Jane make their way through the dark tower. Sarah Jane stops, saying something is stopping her, some force. Three says it is the mind of Rassilon, keeping her at bay. She sits down while Three goes on a bit.

While he’s separated, Mike Yates shows up, as is Liz Shaw – they say someone else he should know well is waiting – implying the Second Doctor. When Three goes back to get Sarah, they try to stop him.

Three realises they’re phantoms, “illusions of the mind,” and runs back to Sarah Jane. The phantoms call out to him to stop. Three reunites with Sarah Jane and they head onward.

Tegan feels the same as Sarah Jane; One says it’s all mental illusion and to just ignore it. The Master skulks behind them, following.

The Brigadier also feels it. Two explains it much like the first two. They hear a scream and investigate, though The Doctor says it could be a trap. Over and again, the scream continues.

Rounding the corner, they find Jamie and Zoe in the hall, warning them off. They claim there is a forcefield, and if he goes on or tries to free them, it will kill them.

Two realises that when they were returned to their own times, the Time Lords erased their memories. They, too, are phantoms. They move on, engaging in some wonderful banter:

“Trust me, Brigadier, have I ever led you astray?”

“Yes, on many occasions.”

“This will be the exception!”

In the council chamber, Five sees a painting of a harp player. There is also an actual harp. Playing with it, The Doctor realises it is a key to a secret door.

One and Tegan reach the actual tomb chamber. There is an obelisk that One examines while Tegan looks around. Three and Sarah Jane arrive shortly thereafter, and yes, there’s more Doctor on Doctor banter. Fun stuff.

The two Doctors examine the obelisk while Sarah Jane and Tegan introduce themselves and chat. One asks “What happened to the little fellow,” but before Three can answer, Two and the Brig arrive. The three Doctors (aw, yay!) banter and inspect, while the ladies greet the Brig.

Three is delighted to see the Brig and they shake hands. Before the Brig can complain too much, Three dismisses him and heads back to the obelisk. The companions exchange notes.

The three Doctors divine what it is all about, but One says it’s nothing to do with them. They simply need to leave. When the companions demand an explanation, One directs Two to fill them in.

It turns out that whomever takes the ring from Rassilon’s hand will get “the reward he seeks.” However, there is a warning of “to lose is to win and to win is to lose.”

At hearing how to gain the immortality, The Master steps out of the shadows. He rants at them, saying he came to help them, but he was scorned. Now he will help himself to immortality. The three Doctors protest, but he holds them off with his TCE.

The Brig sneaks up behind him and knocks out The Master with a right cross. Yay, Brig!!

(Yes, I know, The Master is my favourite Time Lord. But it’s the Brig, yo.)

Back at the TARDIS, the Cybermen (how many are there?) have set up multiple bombs. Apparently, the Cyberleader is with this crew, not one who went into the tower.

Turlough and Susan fret within, watching as the Cybermen withdraw from the perimeter of the TARDIS.

Five finally sees that the painting of the person playing the harp has a tune in the painting. He plays it, and reveals the gameboard and pieces and controls in a secret room!

Borusa, dressed in black robes, is there. He offers The Doctor his hand. The Doctor confesses he did suspect him, though not at first. The Doctor asks what has happened to Borusa. The President says he will not retire, his work half done. He wants to be President Eternal, to rule forever.

Tegan and Sarah Jane truss up The Master.

Three reverses the polarity of the neutron flow (take a drink everyone!) so the TARDIS will be free of the forcefield. Two attempts to contact the capital.

The TARDIS activates as the Cybermen detonate the bombs.

Borusa goes on, quite madman-like ranty, about following Rassilon’s clues. He says that the secret lies in the tomb. He sent the Doctors to get past all the traps. Borusa says that The Doctor will serve him; Five says he never will.

But Borusa is wearing the Coronet of Rassilon and that amplifies his mind to control others. He demonstrates by making Five bow before him, and then rise and accompany him as he departs the secret room.

The TARDIS arrives in the tower. Turlough and Susan join the others.

Two appears on the videoscreen of the transmat device. Five, under Borusa’s control, tells them not to meddle with anything until Borusa arrives to take charge.

After the conversation is over, Three says that something is wrong. Two mocks him for finding menace in his own shadow, but One agrees with Three.

Borusa and Five appear in the transmat booth in the tomb room. When the companions approach, Borusa compels them to be silent and not move.

One, Two and Three say they will not allow Borusa to win. They join their minds and ask Five to join them. They free him from Borusa’s control and he joins them; the four wills combined are more than the President, even with the Coronet, can handle.

Borusa says they cannot overcome him; Five says that Flavia and her guards will soon arrive. Borusa says that since he is the Lord President and they are an infamous renegade, Flavia will believe him, not they.

Suddenly, a booming voice announces, “This is the Game of Rassilon!”

Borusa moves to the voice, over by the tomb proper. One stops Five from following.

Rassilon (whose face appears in the air above his body) asks who disturbs him, what they seek. Borusa identifies himself, saying he seeks immortality. Rassilon asks who the Doctors are, and Borusa says they are his servants.

Three, Five and Two deny this, but One assures him the President speaks true. He asserts that Borusa deserves “the immortality he seeks”.

Rassilon instructs Borusa to take the ring; the President does so. Rassilon asks Borusa if he is sure, once more, asking if he will turn back. Borusa says “Never!” When instructed, Borusa puts on the ring.

Rassilon says, “Others have come to claim immortality through the ages. It was given to them, as it shall be given to you.” When he says this, stone faces on the side of the tomb become animated, their eyes glancing about helplessly.

There is a blank space. “Your place is prepared, Lord President Borusa,” and Borusa becomes a face in the blank spot. The ring returns to Rassilon’s finger.

The companions recover.

Rassilon asks if the Doctors claim immortality. They quickly deny this, saying they only wish to be returned to their proper place and times. Rassilon agrees to this, as well as to freeing the Fourth Doctor and Romana from the vortex. And The Master, whom Rassilon says “his sins will find their punishment in due time” disappears as well.

Rassilon says it is time for them to say their farewells and depart. He commends them on choosing well, and then he fades from sight. (Well, his floating face does; his body remains there all the while, laying atop the stone.)

Five asks One if he knew all along what would happen, but he says he suddenly realised what the warning meant, the one about winning and losing. He says it was a trap to remove those who sought immortality.

Farewells are said. One and Susan go into the TARDIS, followed by Two (who has to exchange name-calling with Three first) and the Brig, then Three and Sarah Jane go in.

After the others go in the TARDIS, Five says, “I’m definitely not the man I was… thank goodness.”

Tegan ask how they’re all going to travel together, but then each of the Doctors goes off in a triangle from the time scoop.

(That’s funny, I remembered it being separate TARDISes that branched off from Five’s.)

Flavia and several guards arrive by transmat. Five greets her, telling her that the legend of Rassilon is true. She says he has evaded his responsibilities far too long and he must replace Borusa, as the Council has appointed him the replacement.

She says that to refuse this would incur the wrath of the council. He deputises her until his return and (after instructing the companions back into the TARDIS under his breath), orders the guards to escort her back to the citadel.

In the TARDIS, The Doctor explains to his companions that he’s not going back to rule Gallifrey.

Tegan questions this, “You mean you’re deliberately choosing to go on the run from your own people, in a rackety old TARDIS?”

“Why not,” The Doctor replies as the camera zooms in on him, “after all, that’s how it all started,”… and the credits roll.

A fun story. Makes me excited to see the 50^th anniversary special later this year.

Serial X20 – The Five Doctors 1 / 2

The 20^th anniversary special, this is not technically part of the 20^th season, but stands alone. I remember this one well and it’s pretty darn good.

We open with a snippet of The Doctor’s heartfelt speech to his granddaughter, Susan, upon leaving her on Earth. Then the opening credits roll!

An alien landscape. The insides of a fortress seen amongst the mountains.

Then, switching to Turlough walking amongst some ruins. He sits down with a sketchpad and sketches the landscape.

In the TARDIS (looking spiffy, I’m guessing a new set), The Doctor polishes the console. Tegan enters, wearing a different outfit. She asks if he repaired everything, but he argues the TARDIS is more than a machine. However, to her point, he has difficulty opening the door.

He exits, and strolls along the ruins, finding Turlough. He admires Turlough’s sketch. Tegan joins the boys. Apparently, this is the Eye of Orion they spoke of at the end of The King’s Demons. Tegan asks if they can stay and The Doctor agrees they can, for a while, as they’re “due for a rest”.

Elsewhere, a mysterious gloved hand works some controls. We see, on the screen, the edifice from the opening.

The First Doctor is seen strolling along a garden. (Obviously, as William Hartnell had already passed away, the First Doctor is played by Richard Hurndall.) A mysterious twirling triangle of energy zooms down, and though he attempts to run away, he is snatched up.

The gloved hand takes a figure of the First Doctor that has appeared in a lightbox in the wall out and sets it on what appears to be a gameboard of some sort.

The Fifth Doctor clutches his chest, gasping in pain. He explains he felt “a twinge of cosmic angst,” “…as if I’d lost something.”

Inside the UNIT HQ, the Brig is visiting, apparently some form of reunion. He talks to his replacement, Colonel Crichton, and they talk of The Doctor. Just then, the Second Doctor bursts in, greeting the Brig. The Doctor says he read the article on the Brig’s speech in tomorrow’s newspaper and hopes he’s not too late for it.

The Brig and The Doctor go for a walk (the former hoping to get the latter away from his replacement, hoping not to cause any offense.) They reminisce about Yeti, Cybermen, Omega and others.

However, The Doctor says he has to go – he’s not really supposed to be there. However, before farewells can be said, the same force that kidnapped the First Doctor grabs the two of them.

Figurines of the two of them appear and are placed in the board.

The Doctor says, “It’s fading, it’s all fading. Great chunks of my past, detatching themselves like melting icebergs.” He tells his companions that all is well, but then collapses.

The Third Doctor is driving Bessie, when he sees the energy triangle. He tries to avoid it, but he and the car are snatched up by it.

He, too, is added to the field of play. (No figurine for Bessie, though.)

Turlough posits that The Doctor is under some psychic attack. The Doctor says he needs to get back to the TARDIS and the companions assist him. En route, he gasps again. He says he has to find his other selves.

Sarah Jane is leaving her flat, but K-9 tells her there is danger and she should not go out. He cannot identify the cause of danger, only that it is extreme and getting worse. When he tells her that The Doctor is involved, she says he’s imagining things and leaves.

The Fourth Doctor and Romana II are shown in footage from the (then unaired) Shada. The Doctor is piloting their punt, when the force abducts them. (Tom Baker had declined to appear, so the footage from the incomplete serial was used.)

The gloved hands work the controls, frustrated at the inability to manifest figurines of Four and Romana Two.

In the TARDIS, The Fifth Doctor collapses.

At the bus stop, Sarah Jane is abducted. She is added to the game board next to Three.

The TARDIS column rises and falls rhythmically. Turlough is surprised to discover that The Doctor has two hearts. As they watch, The Doctor seems to fade off and on, as the TARDIS materialises.

The gloved hands add three more figurines to the game board.

Turlough says the instruments say they’re no where and no time. When Tegan asks what they do, he says they wait.

Time Lords mill about hallways in the grand city. The Lord President Borusa attends a meeting of the Inner Council and protests involving someone who is awaiting them. They remind him that the Council has over-ruled him and they bring in The Master.

Borusa offers him a complete pardon, including a complete cycle of regenerations – to earn this, he must “rescue The Doctor.”

The First Doctor wanders some halls with crystalline walls. Lightning and thunder crash all about. Suddenly, he sees a shadow of a woman – it’s Susan!!! They embrace, happy to have found each other. She asks him what’s happening, but he’s clueless.

As they question their situation, a Dalek rounds the corner and they rush off. The Dalek pursues, shooting wildly, shouting for The Doctor’s death.

The Inner Council shows The Master the “death zone”, which has recently become active. It is draining energy from the Eye of Harmony, enough so to endanger all of Gallifrey.

When The Master asks if they bothered investigating on their own, Borusa says that two of the High Council went and did not return. They explain that The Doctor has been lifted out of time – only the Fourth can be found, trapped in some limbo.

“A cosmos without The Doctor scarcely bears thinking about,” The Master muses. When he asks why they want him, he’s told that they need someone ruthless and cunning. Again, they ask if he will go.

Five continues to fade in and out, but he becomes mostly rooted. He tells them he’s being drawn into a time vortex, but must find his other selves and be whole.

Susan and her grandfather flee the Dalek. It chases them into a dead end. They hide and when the Dalek approaches, they push it into the cul-de-sac and it fires. It’s beams bounce off the reflective walls and it ends up killing itself.

Part of the wall is blasted open and they recognise the Dark Tower – they both know it and where on Gallifrey they are – the “death zone”. The Doctor says they will find their answers in the tower.

The Brig complains about the wintry rocky terrain they find themselves in, while Two says it’s not his fault.

“You attract trouble, Doctor, you always did,” the Brigadier sums up his complaints.

They seem something moving, at a distance, in the mist, and crouch behind a partial wall. A metallic hand reaches out and grabs the Brig’s wrist, but Two beats at the hand until it lets go and he and the Brig dash off.

The movement in the mist is Three in Bessie. He stops to take in the area, and sees someone moving.

Sarah Jane, wandering in the mist, falls down a slope, crying out. Three, hearing her, calls out to wait and lowers a rope down, tied to Bessie, and drags her out. Sarah Jane is amazed to see that he’s still Three and not Four, and confused when he explains that hasn’t happened yet.

They get into Bessie, so he can explain while they travel.

Five cannot recall what he’s supposed to do; Tegan and Turlough remind him he wants to send a signal to become whole, but before he can do anything, he collapses again.

The First Doctor takes a break, but Susan sees the TARDIS and they go to it. They enter, finding the Fifth Doctor and companions. One demands to know what they’re doing in his TARDIS.

The companions explain that it’s “his TARDIS,” indicating the fallen Five. One asks who he is, and Turlough answers, “The Doctor,” and One seems to ‘recognise’ himself once this is pointed out.

Seemingly revived by his other self’s presence, Five awakens and tries to explain how he got there, but he doesn’t know. One says it doesn’t matter, and is delighted to find out there are “five of me running around.”

Introductions are made; Tegan (having known the Fourth Doctor) understands the two Doctors should not be together. They agree, saying it only happens in the gravest emergencies.

One starts barking orders, saying Tegan needs to fetch some beverages. Before she can go ballistic, Five begs her to play along.

The council gives The Master the Seal of the High Council (to prove his working for them) and a recall for the transmat so they can bring him back when he needs to speak to them.

The Master asks if anyone is going to wish him luck, but Borusa says he will wish him success, “…for all our sakes.” Personal note: when people say “wish me luck,” I always wish them success and I believe this is where I first picked that up.

The Castellan activates the transmat, sending The Master into the death zone. Borusa dismisses Flavia and the Castellan, saying he would prefer to wait alone.

The Master comes across a dessicated Time Lord, musing, “One of my predecessors.” A blast of energy comes near him and he calmly remarks about the inhospitable environment.

Two confirms his suspicions – they are in the death zone on Gallifrey – and explains to the Brig about the history of said place. In the days before Rassilon, his people abused their powers and would kidnap beings from other worlds and times and put them in the death zone. They set off to the Dark Tower, which Two says is Rassilon’s tomb.

One and Five argue whether to send the signal and wait (One’s preferred plan) or to go out (Five’s side.) It’s a classic example of the difference between the Doctors.

They set about setting up the “computer scanner” to see what’s out there.

Bessie moves down a road through a gnarled forest. Three explains that the zone was a setting of “the games”, until Rassilon put an end to it. He stops to get his bearings and indicates the Tomb of Rassilon to Sarah Jane.

The Master steps out and calls out to them. Three stops the car and isn’t sure he recognises him. They drive back and banter, The Doctor presuming The Master is behind it all. His enemy says he’s working for the High Council, presenting the seal as proof.

The Doctor says it’s probably stolen and doesn’t believe The Master is there to help. There’s more banter, but a thunderbolt strikes the ground near The Master. He dashes off, and Three drives off in Bessie, thinking it’s a trap.

One and Five have pulled up a schematic of the Dark Tower (the Stephen King fan in me is loving that name), identifying three entrances – the main, one above and one below.

One argues against Five’s plan to go in via the main door.

Bessie has been disabled by the thunderbolts. Three claims this proves it was a trap.

Borusa orders a technician to stabilise Four in the part of the vortex he is trapped. The Castellan arrives to inquire if there’s any news from The Master.

Two wonders if Rassilon brought them there. The Brig wonders about that if Rassilon was dead. They discuss the legends of Rassilon – The Doctor says that some speak of Rassilon not being a good guy, despite the official history.

Two posits that they could be playing the “Game of Rassilon”. The Brig says he guesses they’re not expected to win. Two frowns and they set off towards the tower again.

Five heads off with Susan and Tegan in tow; Turlough remains in the TARDIS with One.

Three and Sarah see a Cyberpatrol of Cybermen Cybermarching through forest.

In the TARDIS, One identifies the presence of two more Doctors… and wonders what happened to the final one.

Two and the Brig approach the tower, the Time Lord singing a nursery rhyme about the tower, trying to recall how to enter. They find some torches and a brazier and after he lights one, Two leads the Brig into a cave.

Five, Tegan and Susan encounter The Master. When the renegade Time Lord says he knows it will be hard to believe, but he means them no harm, Five replies with, “Like Alice, I try to believe three impossible things before breakfast.”

As the two Time Lords confer, and the companions worry from afar, a Cyberman Cyberspots them and Cyberreports to the Cyberleader. (Ok, ok, I’ll stop.) The Cyberleader orders that they be kept alive and interrogated.

The Master and The Doctor banter and threaten each other. The Master tries to convince him he’s legit, and even says his credentials were taken by another self.

The Cyberpatrol approaches the Time Lords; the companions dash off, and the Time Lords are attacked. The Master is knocked out. The Doctor takes the transmat recall device, and beams away as the Cyberpatrol arrives to take him prisoner.

Susan and Tegan rush off, Susan limping after hurting her leg (which I seem to recall happened frequently during her time with the TARDIS.)

Five arrives where Borusa, Flavia and the Castellan await.

The Master is taken prisoner by the Cybermen, but offers his services to them.

Back in the TARDIS, Tegan inspects Susan’s leg. One suspects that Five escaped via a transmat, but says with “our young friend” gone, he will have to go to the Dark Tower himself. Tegan says she will go with him, though the Time Lord is less than delighted.

Five discovers that he was wrong about The Master; Borusa says if he survived, “I’m sure he will learn to live with the misjudgment.”

When Five wonders who is using the death zone and the time scoop, the Council tells him they were hoping he could tell them. They say if he suspects the time scoop was used, it would be a Time Lord.

Five says he suspects it would be a rather important one, at that, eyeing the three of them. When Borusa asks if he has evidence, he says he doesn’t yet.

And that’s where we’ll leave off until Friday my friends, as this is the halfway point of the story…

Season Nineteen Schedule, Season Eighteen Poll

 

Scheduling update: I know I just scaled back the speed of the blog, but I’m slowing it down a bit more.  I’m participating in NaNoWriMo this year (first time in several years) and as a result, the next two seasons – Nineteen and Twenty will, for the most part, be one serial per week, split into two posts.  This will carry out seasons 19 and 20 through the end of 2012.  As far as how the schedule will go into 2013, I will let you know at that point.  (I think it’s appropriate that this blog last into at least part of 2013, since that is the 50th anniversary of the show!)

SEASON NINETEEN SCHEDULE:

Tue 10.16 Serial 116 – Castrovalva 1/2
Thu 10.18 Serial 116 – Castrovalva 2/2

Tue 10.23 Serial 117 – Four To Doomsday 1/2
Thu 10.25 Serial 117 – Four To Doomsday 2/2

Tue 10.30 Serial 118 – Kinda 1/2
Thu 11.01 Serial 118 – Kinda 2/2

Mon 11.05 Serial 119 – The Visitation 1/2
Wed 11.07 Serial 119 – The Visitation 2/2
Fri 11.09 Serial 120 – Black Orchid

Tue 11.13 Serial 121 – Earthshock 1/2
Thu 11.15 Serial 121 – Earthshock 2/2

Tue 11.20 Serial 122 – Time-Flight 1/2
Thu 11.22 Serial 122 – Time-Flight 2/2

 

Serial 115 – Logopolis 2/2

Recap: The Doctor wants to fix his TARDIS’ Chameleon Circuit and goes to Earth to measure a police box. While there, The Master’s TARDIS gets inside his. And a stewardess named Tegan wanders into the TARDIS, too. Then they go to Logopolis, a planet of mathematicians, to complie the code to fix the TARDIS. The Doctor is inside and activates the code, but his ship begins to shrink…

Episode 3:

The TARDIS ends up being about waist height; the Monitor orders his people to take it to the central registry.

Inside, The Doctor struggles to the console, trying to dematerialise. Through the scanner, he can see the Logopolitans carrying the TARDIS.

As they carry the TARDIS, they pass by The Master, who is sitting and laughing. Oh, yes, full on view of Anthony Ainley as The Master in all his diabolic glory.

“At last, Doctor. At last, I’ve cut you down to size.” Yes, it’s a corny line, but diabolical bad guys with goatees who wear black are cool when uttering corny lines. It’s a rule.

The Doctor sees the large faces of his companions, who are trying to tell him to hold on. The Monitor says they can trace the fault, and Adric offers to help. They begin going through lines of code, checking physical registers. Again, Adric questions why they don’t use computers; the Monitor explains more clearly – their use of numbers changes the physical world.

Sonic projectors are placed around the TARDIS, to create a stasis zone. Inside, The Doctor seems in less dire straits.

Adric and Monitor move into the streets, where the populace works, checking their numbers.

Tegan and Nyssa worry about The Doctor.

Monitor and Adric find a sequence of incorrect numbers and trace it down a side street.

The Doctor gets to his feet.

Monitor and Adric find several TCE’d Logopolitans. Monitor says that interfering in the working of Logopolis is one of the worst crimes in the universe.

The Doctor realises the code has a fault. He begins looking over it and asserts he will not be beaten… but he could do with some help from outside.

Adric wanders the streets, stopping when he sees the ghostly figure. The figure walks off just before the Monitor finds them. They bring the numbers back to the TARDIS, saying they have to get the numbers to The Doctor. Tegan takes them, holding them in front of the TARDIS.

Adric walks out, followed by Nyssa; he still thinks that the white figure is The Master, and says he’s out there. Nyssa says she came to find The Master, she has to know what happened to her father. They set off, watched by Tegan, who is listening in (so much for holding the numbers up.) She walks back to the TARDIS as the two youths set off.

The Doctor reprimands himself for being a fool, saying he can only get help from outside now. Just then, he looks at the scanner and sees the numbers.

Adric shows Nyssa the TCE’d Logopolitans. He tells her he’s seen The Master, but then changes it to, “I think so.” Just then, the ghostly figure passes behind them. Adric seems to sense this and they run off.

Tegan asks the Monitor about the Logopolitans working at the computers, saying at home in Brisbane, they would call that a sweat shop. (BTW, Tegan is from Australia.)

As Nyssa and Adric give chase to the ghostly figure, a voice calls out to Nyssa; it is The Master, whom she mistakes for her father.

Monitor tries to explain that his people are driven by math, not individual need. He brings her back and they see the TARDIS return to proper size.

Nyssa asks her father what his mission is and why he has been changed. “You look younger, but so cold,” she says.

“Logopolis is a cold place,” The Master replies. “A cold, high place overlooking the universe; it holds a single, great secret, Nyssa.” He sends her back to The Doctor, but she doesn’t want to be separated. He says they will not be, and places a bracelet on her wrist. It causes her pain, briefly.

“It will keep us in mind of one another,” The Master says as he puts it on her. He instructs her not to tell anyone that she’s seen him… yet.

The Doctor exits the TARDIS. He thanks Monitor and Tegan, the latter who tells him that Nyssa and Adric have gone looking for The Master. Talk of deaths come up and Tegan figures out that her aunt is one of the deaths.

The Doctor tells Monitor, “The Master is at work on Logopolis. I’m going to stop him if it’s the last thing I do.”

Adric and Nyssa reunite. Nyssa complains about her bracelet. When Adric tries to remove it, he is shocked. Her arm seems to have a mind of its own, but before anything happens, The Doctor shows up.

The Master, dressed in the robes of a Logopolitan, kills two Logopolitans as they wheel away the sonic projectors. He sets the two up in one of the computer halls, putting the Logopolitans in stasis.

The Doctor chastises Adric for going after The Master on his own. They stop when they see the ghostly figure and Nyssa says that’s who brought her there from Traken. The Doctor confirms that the ghostly man is a friend, as Nyssa claims she was told. Adric is confused, as he thought the man was a threat, possibly The Master.

The Doctor says he is prepared for the worst because the ghostly figure is there.

The Master disrobes and wheels a sonic projector into the control room. Monitor and Tegan turn, surprised, and he tells them to remain still, that he has the power to bring Logopolis to a standstill.

En route to the central register (control room), The Doctor wonders why the Logopolitans created a duplicate of the Pharos Project. Nyssa suddenly notices there is no sounds, “Logopolis has stopped,” she says.

The Doctor is shocked, “And I was vain enough to think it was me he was after. Logopolis is his target!”

The Master says he has put Logopolis in suspension. “The silence gives us the chance to discuss its future,” he says to Monitor. The Monitor says there will be no future, that by doing this he is introducing entropy. The Master scoffs.

The Monitor refuses to talk of the secret work or to explain why a duplicate of the Pharos Project was created.

The Doctor, Adric and Nyssa arrive. The Doctor explains to Nyssa that The Master is not her father, he stole Tremas’ body, but her father is dead. The Master begins to gloat and The Doctor and the Monitor try to get him to understand that he’s killing the Logopolitans.

The Monitor says that Logopolis is the keystone of the universe, it is the “causal nexus”. The Doctor tells his enemy that he is interfering with the law of cause and effect.

Adric tries to shut down the sonic projector, but The Master uses a control device to make Nyssa grab and choke the boy. The Master coerces Tegan into replacing the projector.

Still not believing them, The Master shuts the device off, saying the silence is only temporary. But when he does so, there still are no sounds from the city. Everyone rushes out into the streets to investigate.

Monitor says that Logopolis is dead, they will hear nothing.

The Master runs through the streets. The walls crumble and collapse, a result of The Master’s inteference. The Master blames The Doctor, saying he did this to keep him from his goal.

Adric postulates that the numbers kept everything stable; once the silence was imposed, the numbers, no longer chanted/muttered, could not maintain and entropy was accelerated.

The Master turns Nyssa on The Monitor, but she struggles with the bracelet and then the system fails and the bracelet falls apart. The Doctor tells him that this is all because of the entropy he introduced.

The Monitor says that the entropy will spread from Logopolis, throughout the universe. He says that the numbers were holding the universe together, that the universe had long past the point of total collapse.

The Master realises that’s why they copied the Pharos Project, and the Monitor admits it was so they could create voids into other universes, to bleed off the chaos. Adric says those are the Charged Vacuum Emboitments, like the one that the TARDIS went through to get to E-Space.

The Monitor says those were a temporary measure until their advanced projects could come up with a permanent solution, but now it was too late.

They wander through the city, as it begins to collapse about them. Tegan yells at The Master, swatting his arm, saying it’s all his fault. The Monitor says they are beyond recrimination, beyond hope, but The Doctor disagrees.

He leads them back to the common area and turns to The Master, saying they must pool their resources. Nyssa objects, saying he is the creature that killed her father.

“If we do cooperate,” The Master says, “there will be no question of you ever returning to Gallifrey.” “If we don’t cooperate,” The Doctor retorts, “there will be no question of Gallifrey!”

There’s a telling scene; when everyone complains about The Doctor working with The Master, our hero goes on a rant, saying he’s never chosen his companions – Tegan wandered in curiosity, Adric was a stowaway, and Nyssa he accuses of contacting him and begging for help in finding her father.

The TARDIS arrives, and when they question how it could have arrived with nobody within, The Doctor says there is someone within. They realise it must be the ghostly man. Adric tries to argue that they want to help him, but he insists they go inside, that he’s collaborating with The Master now.

Adric pushes Nyssa in, as she still objects, saying The Master is a murderer.

The Master offers The Doctor his hand, almost gleeful, asking, “Together?” The Doctor won’t look at him, just says, “One last hope,” and shakes his hand… and the credits roll.

Wow, I can’t imagine what the viewers thought about that cliffhanger, thirty-one years ago. That’s fucking awesome. I should make y’all wait….but I won’t.

Episode 4:

The Time Lords realise that the Monitor is not with them and head to the central registry to try to find him.

Tegan leaves the TARDIS, arguing with Adric. She says The Doctor is her way back and she’s not going to be separated from him. Adric heads back in and the TARDIS dematerialises as Tegan watches.

The Time Lords struggle through the collapsing city. They find the Monitor at the computer banks in the room. He gives the Time Lords a print out, saying all they need to know about the advanced research project is there.

The begin working to realign the aerial, hoping to reopen a nearby CVE. Tegan bursts in, looking for The Doctor. The Master says they need to withdrawl and take their two TARDISes to create a safe zone.

As they talk, Tegan gasps, directing their attention to the Monitor, who fades from existence. The Master is horrified and says The Doctor is on his own and heads out.

The Doctor says Tegan can help and they start to disassemble the controls.

The Master finds his TARDIS, but the roof of the area collapses on him.

The Doctor takes the memory boards out, saying the program is saved on the chips. When Tegan bemoans not having a computer to run it on, The Doctor says he knows where they can find one – on Earth. They head out, looking for The Master’s TARDIS.

Adric and Nyssa watch as the ghostly figure takes the TARDIS out of time and space.

The Doctor moves a heavy block off of The Master. The Doctor then asks him to take them to Earth.

Adric says they’re hovering outside space and time, but he’s worried that the TARDIS isn’t designed for that. They refer to the ghostly man as “The Watcher,” saying The Doctor said they’d be safe with him. Both agree they’d rather be with The Doctor, though.

The MTARDIS arrives in the Pharos computer room. A technician enters from fetching some coffee and the Time Lords hide. The Master tries to kill the tech, but The Doctor pulls him out of the way, knocking him out in the process.

Nyssa and Adric discuss entropy, how it all started when The Doctor was dealing with his TARDIS breaking down. They’re walking in the vine-covered area where it all started. The Watcher beckons to Adric from across the courtyard.

The Doctor and The Master debate philosophy and entropy as they work on the computer.

Adric speaks with the Watcher as Nyssa watches. He walks back to her, saying it seems that the Watcher knows what’s going to happen. When Nyssa asks what he said, Adric avoids answering, saying they have work to do. They return to the console room, where Adric begins setting coordinates for Earth.

Nyssa turns on the scanner and they see the whole universe. As they watch, a darkness spreads across the universe and they realise it’s the entropy effect. Nyssa pulls up Earth, and though they don’t see it at first, it’s still there. However, when she pulls up Traken on the scanner, she watches it be consumed by the darkness.

MAJOR FUCKING GOOSEBUMPS. I forgot about that scene, until I heard her voice, the dull anguish in it, when she calls to Adric. Wow.

On Earth, Tegan looks out the window. There are security outside and she reports to the Time Lords that the sun is rising and there are security outside.

Adric brings the TARDIS back into time-space and then to Earth, outside the Pharos Project. They see the giant dish, exactly like the one on Logopolis. Exiting, they hide from a patrol of guards.

The Time Lords realise they have to get The Master’s lightspeed overdrive device to the aerial controls, if they are to get it to operate. As they leave, The Doctor stops to peek out a window. He sees his TARDIS, and the Watcher standing in the doorway, watching.

Adric and Nyssa move across the compound, skulking to evade the guards. The Doctor, The Master and Tegan move across the compound… well, you get the idea.

When The Master tries to blast the guards with his TCE, The Doctor grabs it and throws it away; the sound alerts the guards, who give chase. Adric and Nyssa watch all this transpire. They close in and Tegan dashes out, distracting the guards so the Time Lords can head back to the aerial.

On the way, The Master stops to pick up his TCE weapon. He then heads back to the control room, and collecting something from the unconscious technician, and then hops in his TARDIS.

The Doctor makes it to the aerial contols, to find The Master waiting for him. He says he overlooks nothing, but The Doctor says he overlooked the lightspeed overdrive, but The Master tosses it out the door, laughing. The aerial is aligned to the coordinates to the nearest CVE and The Master offers him the privilige of connecting the device.

When he does, The Master steps out and using the technician’s recording device, records a message to the peoples of the universe. That done, he enters the control area, where The Doctor says the CVE is stabilising.

The Master tries to congratulate The Doctor, but he is leery of praise from his enemy. The Doctor begins to leave to try to help his companions, who are dealing with the guards. As he does so, he makes a comment that one mistake and everything would be ruined. The Master agrees, saying it could happen so easily.

The Doctor recognises the implied threat. When The Doctor tries to stop him, he pulls out his TCE weapon. The message he recorded is then broadcast – they either serve him or the universe dies. The Doctor realises that he’s mad and heads out to disengage the cable.

The Master follows and they struggle. The Master goes back in and enters new coordinates. The array begins moving and The Doctor is in a dangerous situation, crawling along the moving construct.

He makes it to the cable and using a spanner, then pulling on the cable, pulls it loose. However, the Time Lord loses his balance and falls, clinging to the cable, dangling from it. In his mind’s eye, he sees a variety of faces calling his name – the dessicated Master, a Dalek, the captain of the pirate planet, a cyberman, Davros, a Sontaran, a Zygon, the Black Guardian, the latter saying, “You shall die for this!”

He swings back to the support beams of the aerial, but slips and falls!

The Master slips back in his TARDIS and departs.

The companions, followed by the guards, run to The Doctor, who has landed on the ground.

I’m crying now.

The companions surround him, calling his name. In his mind’s eyes, we see Sarah Jane, Harry, The Brig, Leela, K-9, Romana I, Romana II all calling his name.

He looks up at Adric, saying, “It’s the end… but the moment has been prepared for.” He looks over and the Watcher is there. The Doctor reaches out with his hand and the ghostly figure approaches, then merges with The Doctor!

The Doctor’s body becomes ghostly and then changes into a young form with lighter brown hair.

The Fifth Doctor sits up… and the final credits roll.

Oh… oh… wow. Tears. My Doctor. That was MY Doctor. Gone now.

A powerful story – very neat stuff with Logopolis, great performances by everyone. Great companions, great villain (the best, really.)

And my Doctor, gone. Wow. Even knowing, even having seen this multiple times over the years… still so powerful, so hard to watch.

Serial 115 – Logopolis 1/2

Oh, this is going to be hard to watch.

Episode 1:

A bobby uses the police call box on the side of the road. As he’s on the phone, there’s a warping effect around the call box and we hear the sounds of a TARDIS. He finds the line has gone dead, and the door opens and something pulls him in. We hear the laughter of The Master.

The Doctor is wandering inside the TARDIS, pacing and pontificating about Chameleon Circuits. Adric interrupts him and he tells the boy not to interrupt if it’s not an emergency, and even if it is, to use the cloister bell.

The Doctor comments about the increase of entropy in the TARDIS, saying he should work on fixing it up. Adric asks if they’re still making their way to Gallifrey – The Doctor says he doesn’t want to go, there will be too much fuss over Romana’s departure. The Doctor explains Romana has broken the cardinal rule of Gallifrey – “She has become INVOLVED.”

Adric is disappointed about not going to Gallifrey, but The Doctor says he wants to take him to his home away from home, Earth.

On Earth, a stewardess is getting ready to leave her flat, but has to go back for her passport. Her Aunt Vanessa is waiting, trying to start the car, but has to send Tegan back to close the door. (Tegan is all jiterry – first flight nerves.) They swap seats and Tegan starts the car right up.

Adric and The Doctor meander, talking about Earth. The Doctor says he needs a police box, so he can measure it for some computations, in an attempt to repair the chameleon circuit. Another planet, or place, named Logopolis is mentioned, something to do with the computations.

Suddenly, the cloister bell sounds!

Tegan and Vanessa pull over with a flat tire, just where the police box we saw earlier is.

The cloister bell stops ringing. The Doctor speculates it might be entropy and wants to have a look at the circuitry. Adric seems to catch on about the dimensonal transcendental nature of the TARDIS. En route to the control room, they stop and peek in Romana’s old room. They talk of missing her and K-9 before moving on.

Tegan refuses to call for assistance and opens the boot of the car. She asks her aunt where the wheel spanner is, and Vanessa looks clueless.

The Doctor explains that when he “borrowed” the TARDIS, she had been in for repairs and when he was on Earth (in Totter’s Yard), the circuit got stuck as a police box. When Adric says the current appearance is “rather distinctive,” The Doctor wonders if they should be distinctive – he has a sense of foreboding, ever since they left Traken.

Tegan works on removing the nuts off the tire. She watches as a plane flies overhead. As she and her aunt work on it, The Doctor’s TARDIS appears, several meters away from the police box. He does a short second hop and the police box is inside the console room.

When Adric says it’s just like the TARDIS, the Time Lord says he hopes not as that would lead to some unpleasant anomalies. They begin taking measurements.

As Tegan and Vanessa work on their car, a strange man in all white watches from across the highway. Tegan realises that the spare is flat, too.

Adric complains about writing down all the figures; for someone who has a star in mathematics, he sure is complaining a lot about working with numbers.

The almost ghostly figure continues to watch the ladies work on the car. Vanessa says she saw a man over there and waves, but he’s not there any more.

According to The Doctor, the Logopolitans do all their computations through oral process – they mutter it. Suddenly, the TARDIS indicates a gravity bubble. The Doctor steps outside to have a look around. He sees Tegan and her aunt by the car and is about to turn back in, when he notices the ghostly figure across the highway. They lock eyes before The Doctor goes back in.

Adric picks the lock on the police box and when The Doctor comes back in, he says he thought it might have something to do with the gravity bubble; The Doctor worries that he’s right and slips in. Adric follows.

They find themselves in another control room, with another police box inside it.

Tegan takes a tire and rolls it down the road, stopping at the TARDIS. She reaches for the phone door, but the main door opens instead and she wanders in. Just before she enters, the police box disappears from within.

After she enters, the doors behind her close.

Inside the 2^nd TARDIS, The Doctor has Adric pick the lock on the police box inside.

Tegan examines the control console. She starts fiddling with switches, trying to contact someone. The cloister bell rings. Hearing it, she goes deeper into the TARDIS, looking for a crew.

Auntie Vanessa follows Tegan in.

The Doctor and Adric walk into another console with another police box within. Adric wonders if it could be an infinite regression, but The Doctor says he hopes not. As Adric is about to pick the lock again, a warbled, distorted cloister bell can be heard.

Vanessa backs out of the TARDIS, back to the highway emergency lane. She’s afraid of someone and we hear laughter again. The Master’s laughter, of course. I suppose this might be spoiling it, but his laughter is quite distinctive.

Again, Adric picks the lock. The Doctor explains that a second TARDIS had materialised around the police box first, causing the gravity bubble. The Doctor tells Adric to wait, as he goes in, saying they’re nearing the center of the bubble.

He ends up outside, where several bobbies are inspecting Vanessa’s sport car. A plainsclothes man asks him if that’s his vehicle. Adric listens from inside, then slips through the door.

The plainsclothes officer asks The Doctor to explain something and leads him over to the car. In the driver seat is something, but we don’t see it. The Doctor is shocked, saying, “So he did escape from Traken…”

Tegan wanders the TARDIS halls, lost.

The ghostly figure watches as the police say they want The Doctor to come along with them. The Doctor says that he’s still out there and when they ask who, we see what is in the front seat – miniaturised (or perhaps tissue compressed?) bodies of the first bobby and Aunt Vanessa… and The Doctor says, “Yes, The Master,”… and the credits roll.

Great start to a great serial. Tegan is awesome, always enjoyed her. (And Janet Fielding, who plays Tegan, is a total babe.)

Episode 2:

Adric steps out, watching The Doctor having difficulties with the police. The Doctor tries to get them to understand that there’s a dangerous man out there, but they really want him to go to the station.

Adric causes a distraction and he and The Doctor make it back into the TARDIS; the police box inside is gone and the cloister bell rings on and on.

The police knock on the door to the police box.

The Doctor tries to dematerialise, but it seems very sluggish. Something is dragging them back. Adric keeps harping about the cloister bell. In order to get out of there, The Doctor has to jettison part of the internal architecture of the TARDIS, including Romana’s room.

One of the police officers gets the key to the police box from the car.

The Doctor sends Adric to answer the cloister bell. Once the boy has gone into the corridors, The Doctor flips switches and puts his ear to the console, listening.

As Adric runs down the corridor, the bell stops.

The police open up the plice box, finding the usual items inside, but no people. They are quite confused.

Tegan is seen in the area where The Doctor was pacing at the beginning. She’s very, very lost. She sits down on a bench and watches as a police box appears!

The Doctor tells Adric that the message was from Traken – Nyssa is all right, but Tremas has vanished! He speculates that The Master had a second TARDIS hidden away, and took Tremas to renew himself.

Adric wonders how they can flush The Master out; The Doctor speculates about materialising the TARDIS underwater and opening the door.

Tegan investigates the police box. As she moves around it, the door opens.

The Doctor and Adric shut down mechanisms, preparing to land the TARDIS within the Thames River. There’s a sudden jolt as they materialise, and then a greater jolt. Tegan is thrown to the floor, complaining about the pilot. From within his TARDIS’ open door, we hear The Master’s laugh.

The Doctor opens the door, expecting the water pressure to slam them open. But there’s no pressure at all. The doors open and they step out, to discover they’ve landed on a dock/pier.

Tegan backs away from The Master’s TARDIS. His laughter echoes all about her, frightening her.

The Doctor and Adric look around; The Doctor says that there’s something “not quite right,” about everything. He turns around and looks at a nearby bridge; the ghostly figure is standing there, looking at him again.

He raises one hand and beckons to The Doctor, who says, “Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

Tegan begins to cry.

The Doctor leaves Adric behind, going to the ghostly figure. Adric watches as they talk. The Doctor seems to be explaining something to the ghostly man.

Tegan is back in the corridors, but she finds herself back with The Master’s TARDIS. Frustrated, she begins to cry again. Behind her back, The Master’s TARDIS disappears. Oblivious, she runs off again. The MTARDIS (Master’s TARDIS) reappears, this time as a vine-covered column, blending in.

Back in the TARDIS control room, Adric asks who that was, but The Doctor won’t answer, other than to say that he’s just “dipped into the future and we must prepare for the worst.”

Adric guesses that the ghostly figure was The Master, but The Doctor doesn’t confirm or deny, only chastises him for guessing. He tells Adric they are dealing with “a chain of circumstances that fragments the law that holds the universe together.”

The TARDIS arrives at Logopolis. The Doctor tells Adric he’ll be staying, but they have to part company. Adric argues, saying if he’s going after Nyssa, he wants to come along, but just then, Tegan runs into the control room. Everyone stares at each other.

Tegan demands to speak to whomever is in charge and Adric and The Doctor look at each other, bewildered.

On Logopolis, Logopolitans mill about, assembling in a common area. They are pale skinned and haired people who wear copper and black coloured robes. The TARDIS materialises in the common area. They seem to be expecting it.

Tegan Jovanka introduces herself and says she won’t answer any more questions until they tell her who they are. She says they can take her back, mentioning her aunt. The Doctor describes her aunt and the sports car, which Tegan confirms. He tells Adric, “That settles it, she’s got to come with us.”

Tegan storms off after them, demanding to know what’s going on.

The MTARDIS appears in the common area, as a small tree. The Doctor and companions exit and the Time Lord is greeted by one of the Logopolitans. The Doctor addresses him as “Monitor”. The Doctor and Monitor walk off, talking how things continue on – The Doctor remarks on the addition of the large antenna (think satellite dish.) The Monitor says that sometimes they have to add technology to assist in their computations.

The Monitor takes them into a control room for the antenna dish, which The Doctor says all of which is new… and familiar. As Adric challenges The Doctor’s earlier claim that they did not use computers, the Monitor repeatedly asks for the dimensions.

The MTARDIS changes to a pillar and then disappears.

The Monitor has the dimensions and says it will only take a moment; he sits down at the console and begins chanting. Tegan asks what he’s doing and The Doctor says, “The numbers, he’s re-creating the TARDIS.” Like that remotely explains to her what he’s doing.

Throughout the city, Logopolitans work on abaci, doing the computations. The Monitor says that code is being compiled. Adric asks how the people are doing the computations without machines and the Monitor explains that Block Transfer Computation requires the subtlety of living minds.

One Logopolitan sits in front of the MTARDIS and we hear a sound of a weapon and see the Logopolitan has been shrunk down – it’s been a long while, but The Master is using his TCE (Tissue Compression Eliminator) weapon!!! We still haven’t seen The Master (which is strange, since we did see his new form at the end of the last serial) on screen yet, only heard his laughter.

Tegan demands an explanation. The Doctor tells Adric to explain. He says it was her fault that she wandered aboard, and they start arguing.

The Monitor hands a sheet of paper to The Doctor and the Time Lord gets ready to depart, but stops, shouting, “Of course! The Pharos Project! This is a near replica of the Pharos control room!”

The Monitor corrects him – it is an exact duplicate. He says with Block Transfer Computation, they are able to model anything in space-time. The Doctor and Monitor explain, when Adric asks, that the Pharos Project was an Earth project that was trying to contact sentient alien life.

When everyone returns to the common area, the Logopolitans have assembled there again. The Doctor pulls Monitor aside, saying he has a special favour to ask – he asks him to look after his companions, saying what lies ahead is for him, not them. He slips in before they can get in.

The Monitor makes some story to allay the companions concerns. Tegan begins complaining, wanting to know how long they’re going to be. Adric tries to explain to Monitor to her, but he’s distracted when someone calls out his name. Going back, he sees Nyssa, who calls his name again.

She says a friend of The Doctor’s brought her there. Introductions are made, but suddenly the TARDIS begins buzzing and glowing in a strange fashion. Monitor says it is a transfer instability, but may not be more than a temporarily problem.

The white, ghostly figure watches on from nearby. He does get around! He wanders off as the TARDIS begins to shrink. The Monitor says he doesn’t understand.

The TARDIS shrinks and shrinks, as Adric cries out, “But The Doctor is in there,”… and the credits roll.

An excellent cliffhanger, one I did not recall (I’ll confess to not having a lot of detailed recollection of most of this serial) and one we’ll leave you with until Friday!

Serial 114 – The Keeper of Traken 2/2

Recap: In the peaceful Traken Union, evil works away at the roots. The Melkur, a statue comprised of “infinite evil”, manipulates and has put our heroes into great danger!

Episode 3:

Tremas, The Doctor and Adric are placed in a cell and locked in. Kassia gives Neman orders to keep them under close watch and not to let anyone contact them without her orders. She says there must be a full confession, to sastify the populace and then… she leaves the final bit unsaid, but it seems she and Neman are on the same page. She promises him that his cooperation will not go unforgotten.

After they depart, The Doctor stirs.

Kassia is approached by the other two consul; she tells them they must find a new successor to the Keeper – Tremas has forfeited his right. It is agreed that it must be one of the three of them, as Seron is dead, and they will decide, formally, but later.

The prisoners awaken. Tremas says they are in the penal wing, an area that doesn’t get much use. The Doctor tries to use the sonic screwdriver to get out, but to no avail.

Kassia kneels before the Melkur, saying all is as predicted. The Melkur tells her that Tremas may continue to live, so long as she continues to serve. Kassia is shocked, thinking there was no more to be done. The Melkur tells her that The Doctor is a dangerous enemy and he and Adric must be killed. The Melkur tells her that she should become Keeper.

The Doctor and Tremas discuss the impending end of the Keeper; The Doctor is worried that the Melkur seeks to connect to the Source, but Tremas assures him that only a Traken can succeed to the Keepership.

The Doctor insists that is precisely the point – and Tremas realises the Time Lord is thinking of Kassia.

Kassia demands the Melkur speak to her, but the statue is silent. Nyssa is present, coming with flowers for the Melkur, but seeks to hide. Kassia grabs her and threatens to have her Fosters (“bought and paid for”) to take care of the “spy”.

Nyssa discovers that her father, The Doctor and Adric have been locked up. Kassia sends Nyssa back home, then collapses in tears.

Nyssa returns home as bade, grabbing some equipment, then departs.

Kassia meets with the other two consuls. They talk of the Cult of Melkur and how they must be taken care of. Kassia says they must have a Keeper Nominate who can do what must be done. Katura says she is too old, Luvic says he does not have such greatness within.

The choice is quickly made – Kassia.

Nyssa approaches Neman, demanding he take her to her father. When he says that he cannot, she offers him a box that she took from home.

Kassia is appointed Keeper Nominate in the hall of the chamber of the Keeper. Kassia then declares that the strangers must die, but Tremas must be allowed to live, as he still can be useful to the Union.

Neman says he cannot accept payment as “the honour of the Traken Union is at stake.” Ooooh, principles!

From the box, Nyssa pulls out what appears to be a weapon, demanding the key to the cell. When they throw it at her feet, Neman and his Foster charge at her, but she blasts them both.

Nyssa arrives and frees the prisoners.

The consuls find Neman and the Foster unconscious and rouse them. Kassia gives orders to find the prisoners and to seal the court.

Fosters catch the prisoners, but The Doctor uses Nyssa’s modified ion bonder to stun them.

The Melkur is very unhappy with Kassia and uses the collar to cause her pain as punishment. The Melkur gives her orders to kill The Doctor, saying only he can stop all they have set in motion.

The fugitives go to Tremas’ quarters, which has already been searched. The Doctor asks if the master plans for the Source Manipulator are kept there, saying he needs them if they are stop Kassia from becoming Keeper. Tremas says that he swore an oath to keep them safe from all eyes.

The Doctor guilt trips him into getting them out. The Doctor lays them out and studies them.

Kassia calls off the search, giving orders to leaving the way to the grove clear and safe, setting a trap.

The Doctor says the construction of the Source Manipulator is magnificient. With Adric’s assistance, he lays out a potential way to trigger a circuit to cause a meltdown of sorts.

Plans settled, the fugitives leave to make their way to the TARDIS.

The fire in the Keeper’s chamber burns low – a sign that his passing is imminent. Katura sends the Fosters to summon Kassia.

Nyssa discovers that there are no Fosters anywhere. Tremas says it is completely unlike Kassia to give up so easily, but The Doctor says they’ll have to risk it.

The consuls worry as Kassia is not there and she must be there the instant of the Keeper’s passing; if she is not, there is danger that the world(s) might suffer great upheaval.

Still wary that it is a trap, they enter the grove. Neman and some Fosters leap out, springing the trap. Neman says the Keeper Nominate has ordered for the execution of The Doctor and Adric and orders his men to kill them, but just then, the weather erupts violently, wind and storm.

The Fosters panic, running off. Tremas tells The Doctor that the Keeper is dying. The Doctor says they must make the sanctum to stop Kassia, and they struggle through the storm.

Kassia approaches the chamber, as the consuls tell her to hurry. She kneels before the chamber, the Melkur telling her to hurry. She gives a ritualistic speech, bidding the Keeper go quickly, that she is there to take his place. She bids him relinquish the Source, and the fire goes out.

The doors open and Kassia enters, taking the seat.

Outside, the storms ends. Tremas says the Keeper is dead.

The chamber door closes as Luvic worries that the Source has not survived. Kassia speaks, isntructing the consuls to instruct the Source, so that the transition might be completed.

The Melkur addresses The Doctor, expressing surprise that he’s survived. It orders them to look into its eyes, but they do not.

Inside the control room, we see more of the figure’s body; more than just its hand is horrible in fashion. It seems to have burnt, dessicating skin.

The Doctor promises to stop the Melkur, but the figure gloats that the Source already belongs to it. The figure turns off the monitor and turns; it is wearing a cloak, but has a humanoid form. He declares that, now the Traken “web of harmony” is broken, he is free.

The Melkur disappears, and we hear the tell tale sound of a TARDIS!

Katura operates controls on the outside of the chamber, telling Kassia to prepare to be connected to the Source. Just as she is about to activate it, The Doctor steps in, followed by the others, demanding Katura not complete it. He insists they have been betrayed by Kassia, who orders Katura to complete the transition.

Katura hesitates, but completes it. The Doctor sends Adric and Nyssa to the TARDIS, saying to wait there.

Kassia screams and writhes and seems to be sucked into nothingness. In her place, the Melkur appears in the chair… and the credits roll.

Great cliffhanger!

Episode 4:

The youths pause at the Source Manipulator, regarding it for a moment, before they run onward.

The Melkur thanks Katura for completing the access to the source. She questions who he is, but The Doctor answers, “Your new Keeper.”

Luvic is bid to summon Neman. The consul is unsure what to do and The Doctor tells him that he better or he’ll be forced, but the Melkur says there is no compulsion.

“Hah, no compulsion, you’ve changed your tune,” The Doctor says, almost as if he knows the Melkur…

The Melkur tells the consuls that The Doctor and his ambition is known to him. The Doctor retorts, “My only ambition is to stop you… Melkur.” The Melkur brings up that they gave the order for The Doctor’s death. At this, Katura tells Luvic to do as the Keeper bids, and the consul leaves to fetch Neman.

The Doctor whispers to Tremas, saying that he gets the feeling that he’s crossed paths with the Melkur before.

In the grove, Nyssa wonders how the Melkur could just disappear and reappear elsewhere. Adric remarks that’s nothing, “We do it all the time in the TARDIS,” and then he realises it’s JUST like the TARDIS.

Tremas calls out, saying the Melkur has no right to sit in that chair, that there is no way they could believe that he was known to the previous Keeper. The Melkur insists that the previous Keeper arranged his succession. He says that Kassia gave her life so that he might serve them.

When The Doctor remarks that Kassia didn’t have much say in the matter, the Melkur turns his head to regard the Time Lord. In the control room, the hooded, dessicated figure says, “You still do not recognise me, Doctor, but soon you will know me. Soon.” (The Doctor, whose face is shown on the monitor, does not respond, so I gather this was not spoken through the Melkur.)

The youths enter the TARDIS. Nyssa wonders how “all this could be like Melkur,” and then the classic, “But why is it so much bigger inside than it is outside?” To the first, Adric tells her he doesn’t know, but the math he did earlier insists it is so. To the latter, he answers that The Doctor told him it was dimensionally transcendental.

“Oh, what does that mean?”

“It means it was bigger on the inside than the outside.”

Adric spins up the engines, just in case they have to leave in a hurry, but something is blocking them!

The Melkur orders Neman to confine the consuls to their quarters. Before they can object, the Melkur assures the consuls this is a temporary measure.

When the Melkur is about to address the death sentence on The Doctor, he begins to fade and orders everyone confined to quarters.

Adric tells Nyssa he could destroy the Melkur, but only by completely destroying the Source.

The Doctor and Tremas are confined in Tremas’ quarters. Tremas explains that Melkur’s difficulty maintaining a presence is normal – when a new Keeper first ascends, there is a period while they adjust and become one with their power. The Doctor realises this explains the Melkur’s genial behavior.

They begin hatching an idea to short out the security system on the Source Manipulator.

Neman reports that the consul and others have been confined to quarters. The Melkur says he needs must count on Neman, and we see that Neman is wearing a collar now, like the one the Melkur gave Kassia.

He sends Neman to get the schematics for the Source Manipulator.

The Doctor and Tremas review the schematics. Neman arrives to demand the plans for the Source Manipulator. Tremas says the plans are for the eyes of consuls only.

The Melkur arrives and blasts Tremas as a display of what will happen if he does not comply. The Doctor, who has the document hidden on him, urges Tremas to obey, and passes it to him surreptitiously.

The Melkur suffers some difficulty while this goes on and The Doctor tells him that he’d best take it easy. When Neman has the schematics, the Melkur blasts the document from his hand, destroying it.

After the Melkur disappears, The Doctor takes out Neman and the two Fosters with him (in a rather silly way, but, well.)

Nyssa helps Adric assemble a device.

Two Fosters encounter Tremas and The Doctor, but he blasts them both with the ion thingy from Nyssa.

Tremas and The Doctor bluff their way into the council hall. Tremas helps The Doctor access the Source computer.

Adric and Nyssa have completed the device; Adric says they have to attach it to the Source Manipulator and when the Melkur access the Source power, it will do “all sorts of things – time and energy will be displaced, energy will overflow, overload the control element.”

As The Doctor works on breaking the security, the Melkur appears and starts blasting at them. The Doctor tells Tremas that they need to enter three more digits – 3, 3, 7.

Melkur says for The Doctor to approach, and the Time Lord acquiesces. He approaches and drops to his knees.

Nyssa and Adric arrive, seeing the Source is active. They begin to attach their device to the Source Manipulator.

Tremas insists that the Trakens will never obey. When he tries to reach the computer to enter the digits, the Melkur stops Tremas, controlling him like a puppet.

Neman is brought in and the Melkur orders the proctor to hand his gun to Tremas. The Doctor is told to watch but not interfere as Tremas shoots Neman and then is told to turn the weapon on himself.

As Tremas is about to fire the gun to his head, the Melkur causes the gun to fly from the consul’s hand. The Melkur gloats that all will accept him, now that he has the powers of the Keeper at his command.

Nyssa and Adric have attached their device to the Source Manipulator and Adric turns it on.

The Melkur talks of conquering other worlds and settling old scores.

“Old scores?”

“You still do not know me, Doctor?”

The Doctor frowns.

“But none of this will matter when I control the deeper mysteries of time.”

When The Doctor asks how he will manage all of that, the Melkur says through the Keepership and through The Doctor – he will take the knowledge from him, atom by atom. He says the husk of what is left of The Doctor will also have its uses.

The Doctor is compelled to approach the Keeper’s chair. The Doctor and the Melkur both disappear. Tremas stands, in control of himself again, as Adric and Nyssa arrive, to say they’ve sabotaged the Source Manipulator.

When Tremas tells them that The Doctor is inside (inside where?), they worry about him being destroyed along with.

The Doctor stands in the control room behind the hooded, dessicated figure. He turns to face the Time Lord. The Doctor recognises his ancient enemy, The Master! When The Doctor moves to the controls, The Master flips a switch, rendering him immobile.

He says it would be irrational to destroy him, he wants to keep The Doctor’s mind as part of his library… and since he is at the end of his twelfth regeneration (or thirteenth incarnation), which is traditionally the end of a Time Lord, The Master plans to steal The Doctor’s body.

He says, using the Keeper’s powers, anything is possible.

However, just as he is about to effect his plans, he realises that someone has tampered with the Source. The Master cries out in pain as fires break out inside The Master’s TARDIS.

The Doctor escapes, returning to the Keeper’s chamber and shouts for Adric to enter 3-3-7 into the computer. The winds blast through the chamber, but Adric manages to crawl to it. This allows The Doctor to exit and he says that will reverse Adric’s sabotage and “put paid to the resident Keeper for good.”

Katura sees the Source fire fading and The Doctor strongly suggests one of them assume the power if they want to keep the custom going. Luvic rushes into the chair and Katura begins the transition sequence.

Tremas returns from… wherever he went, and The Doctor tells him he just missed his chance to become Keeper again. The Time Lord says his goodbyes and departs, telling Adric to follow. Adric waves, says, “We’re supposed to be going to Gallifrey,” and follows.

The TARDIS column rises and falls as The Doctor and Adric discuss the ship needing repairs, the code guessing and other things.

Katura, Nyssa and Tremas discuss the inauguration of the new Keeper and their hope for peace. Katura and Nyssa leave, Tremas saying he has something he wants to look into, but he will join Nyssa at home.

He approaches a grandfather clock, and when he touches it, he is paralyzed. He calls out for Nyssa as the door opens and The Master steps out.

The Master circles him, almost drooling over having a new body. He steps up behind him and their bodies merge together as one – suddenly, Tremas’ body becomes dark haired and goateed – a familiar visage!

The rejuvenated Master steps into his TARDIS and it dematerialises. Just after it is gone, Nyssa walks in, asking, “Father, where are you,” and she looks around… and the final credits roll.

Yes, so freaking cool, having The Master back! And Anthony Ainley… he really was my first introduction to The Master (other than the dessicated form, of course.) This was The Master that I first learned to love. Now, I have a great appreciation for Roger Delgado and his Master, so I’m not sure how I’ll feel about Ainley after watching his run all the way through… but we shall find out!

A great serial, across the board.  

Serial 114 – The Keeper of Traken 1/2

Yes, I’ve seen this one. Yes, it has the return of my favourite character of all from the show. Oh, yes, I’m excited.

Episode 1:

The Doctor confirms to Adric that they’ve made it across to N-Space. He explains that N-Space is much larger than E-Space. When Adric comments on all the stars, and asks if The Doctor knows them all, our Time Lord replies, rather wonderfully, “Well, just the interesting ones.”

Adric references the console (seems he’s getting rather comfortable with it – or perhaps she is with him) and finds a nearby planet, Traken. The Doctor says it is a great planet, an empire held together by people just being nice to one another.

When Adric points out that they’re going to Traken, The Doctor says it must have been Adric, but the boy says he didn’t. They end up in orbit around one of the planets. Suddenly, The Doctor notices that a man in a chair is inside the console room with them.

The man is very wizened, ancient. The Doctor guesses him to be the “Keeper of Traken”. The Keeper says that his time is coming near and his power is ebbing away. He invites The Doctor to come to Traken, saying there is great danger, that Traken faces disaster.

The Doctor and the Keeper regale Adric with tales of Traken and its goodness – The Doctor tells stories that are spoken about the empire and the Keeper says they’re all true.

Using the scanner screen, he shows them the planet and the people of Traken. He speaks of the Fosters, the “guardians of the spiritual welfare of our capital”. As we watch, a group of men tend to a forestal garden.

A glowing red dot that was approaching the planetary scene is seen landing near where the Fosters work. It appears to be a humanoid shape, a statue. The Keeper says they are called Melkur, “literally, a fly trapped in honey” and says the Fosters know there is nothing to fear, and the Melkur’s evil will be kept to the grove, where it will only produce weeds, before calcifying and passing into the soil.

A woman is shown attending to the Melkur, setting flowers at its feet, speaking to it kindly. Her name is Kassia.

When The Doctor says that evil seems to be under control, the Keeper says this scene was from years ago; Kassia has since grown up and become a consul. He says the day of her marriage to a man named Tremas has “somehow become the turning point for Traken.”

On the screen we see the newlyweds kiss as their friends and family cheer. Tremas calls for the applause to end, saying it is heady and he’s already drank too much. Everyone laughs with him. (Tremas is played by the wonderful Anthony Ainley, who gives a masterful performance.)

We see that Tremas has a daughter, from a previous marriage. The others begin playfully teasing Kassia for her dedication to the Melkur, even after all these years, saying they thought she was married to the statue.

The Keeper is shown appearing at the wedding and he calls the two of them to receive his blessing. The Keeper releases Kassia from her duty to the Melkur, saying the Fosters may tend to it in her absence… but then he changes his mind, saying that Nyssa, Tremas’ daughter, will take the responsibility.

Nyssa kneels with her father and his wife, to take part in the blessing. The Keeper says that he is nearing the time of his passing (and it’s worth noting that the Keeper is played by Denis Carey, whom we last saw as Professor Chronotis in SHADA!) The Keeper calls a blessing on the three before him.

In the TARDIS, the Keeper says that he sensed more than just the approaching end of his time and the transition between Keepers. He reveals that he named Tremas as his successor as Keeper, but he has sensed an all-pervading evil in the three he was blessing.

The Doctor and Adric promise to do whatever they can do. The Keeper says that they must confront power that could even obliterate a Time Lord and then bids them farewell, disappearing from sight.

On Traken, we see Tremas and Nyssa and a proctor discussing Kassia, who is absent, saying farewell to her Melkur – obviously, this is the same night we have just witnessed on the scanner.

Kassia stands in the grove, talking to the Melkur; she is unhappy about the appointing of Tremas as Keeper Nominate, saying when he becomes Keeper, she will lose her husband. She knows that the Keeper’s passing will be soon, and the Melkur echoes her, saying, “Soon…”

This startles her.

On the TARDIS, The Doctor has brought out several old time logs, saying he’s not sure if he’s ever been to Traken. He gives one volume to Adric and peruses one himself, telling Adric to look for any references to Traken, the Keeper, all-pervading evil or, as Adric suggests, universal harmony.

On Traken, several people gather around a body. One man directs several others to pick up the body. He tehn engages in conversation with two men, one being the proctor Tremas and Nyssa spoke to the night before. They speak of Kassia calling a meeting, one saying it must be “another of her strange ideas”. The elder defends her, saying she is a “gifted sensitive”.

They discuss the death, the proctor saying that the man died is a most unsettling way, his face wracked by fear. The elder man says that there is rumour enough abroad, restlessness within the consuls of the Union. The proctor suggests that the Fosters should be armed.

Tremas, who has been scanning the courtyard with a device, saying that if the readings are true, some force is taking possession of Traken. The elder man is equally alarmed.

Adric complains that the time logs are problematic and contradictory. The TARDIS arrives in the grove.

Tremas addresses a meeting of consuls, saying they are unsure if the death was murder or not. He explains that the death is a result of a high energy source. Kassia rises and (after murmurning to herself about a sign, something to do with the Melkur) says that she senses something and urges them to arm the Fosters.

The elder consul urges not to be alarmist, they must have reason. She asserts that she does have reason, but will not explain.

The Doctor and Adric exit the TARDIS, finding the Melkur. Adric says it looks almost alive, but The Doctor says it looks calcified to him.

The consuls debate – Kassia says the people are alarmed at the changes, the others try to reassure her that these things are to be expected at the end of the Keeper’s lifespan. The elder consul says the Keeper will speak when the time is right.

Adric and The Doctor slip into the building, only to be arrested by armed men.

The council votes to summon the Keeper, but before they do so, The Doctor and Adric are brought in. The proctor says he has found the cause of the evil.

In the grove, the Melkur regards the TARDIS and its eyes glow red.

Tremas asks who they are. The Doctor complains about Traken hospitality, saying they were invited by the Keeper. (He says, “Excuse my namedropping,” which I must scoff at.)

The consul is surprised, but Tremas says that the Keeper promised one who would come to help. The elder consul questions if The Doctor’s craft is in the grove, which he agrees that it is. Proctor Neman is ordered to send men to investigate.

The Melkur beams the TARDIS with energy from his eyes and it disappears.

Proctor Neman reports that the Fosters have searched the grove, there is no craft!

The Melkur’s head turns, watching Fosters move about the grove.

The consuls gather around the Keeper’s chamber, to summon him.

The Melkur enters the building, the hall of the council.

The council activates machinery to summon the Keeper. He appears in the chamber. When he is told of the strangers, he orders them brought forward. The Melkur watches from beyond the door of the chamber, its eyes glowing red.

The Keeper cries out that they are invaded by infinite evil and disappears. The Melkur scurries away and the council turns to The Doctor and Adric, believing the Keeper was speaking of them… and the credits roll.

Oh, I’m loving this. Such a great serial already. I am loving Anthony Ainley as Tremas – it’s a shame they couldn’t come up with a recurring role for him.

Episode 2:

The Doctor pleads for common sense as one of the consuls calls for their execution. He asserts that the Keeper was attacked by someone there or nearby. Kassia asserts that the strangers are the creatures of Melkur. She gets all melodramatic and passes out.

The Melkur exits the building.

Kassia is placed in a chair, and The Doctor asks about the Melkur, saying he wished he knew more about it. He says that it must have been some form of energy attack, and bemoans having an instrument to measure it, but then sees Tremas holding the device he was using at the scene of the death.

Tremas and The Doctor discuss being scientists and they beging consulting the device and each other.

The Melkur kills a man on its way out of the building.

Tremas seems to be playing both sides, consulting the strangers, but not willing to tell the council too much – and when he speaks to the council, he says he is unsure of The Doctor, but when Kassia calls for execution again (bloodthirsty bitch), he claims ancient privilige and puts the strangers under his protection.

The council reluctantly agrees, and they explain to the strangers that their behavior under his protection will reflect upon him as well. It is then noticed that Kassia has slipped off.

She runs into the courtyard, finding the dead bodies the Melkur left behind. She hides the body, saying it mustn’t be discovered, it is too soon. Just as she drags the second body away, the consuls, The Doctor and Adric enter and custody of the strangers is formally placed in Tremas’ care. The council departs and as the sun is about to rise, The Doctor asks for breakfast.

That morning, Nyssa tends to the Melkur while Kassia watches, seemingly jealous. Nyssa brushes off the moss and such off the statue’s shoulders, lays flowers at its feet and departs. Once she’s gone, Kassia approaches the statue, asking, “Yes, Melkur?”

Nyssa returns home as The Doctor, Tremas and Adric finish up breakfast. Introductions are made and The Doctor asks if she’s seen the TARDIS. Tremas offers to take The Doctor to the grove, leaving Adric behind with Nyssa.

Kassia apologises to the Melkur for her failure in trying to destroy the strangers, but the Melkur says the law that protects them now will end up destroying them. Melkur assures Kassia that Tremas will not become Keeper. It instructs her to listen and obey without question.

Nyssa shows Adric their technology and they discuss the Source, the bio-electrical technology that gives the Keeper the power to guide the Union. Adric references Tremas’ device and asks for pen and paper.

The elder consul, Seron, returns home to find the others (minus Tremas) gathered there. Kassia says that Tremas has been hiding information from them – the nature of the energy emissions. Seron chastises them for disharmony, saying that he and Tremas have discussed the energy emissions together.

Seron says that the knowledge is dangerous and could tip the populace into superstition. Kassia questions Tremas’ suitability for the position of Keeper and the others suggest rapport with the Keeper, as “It is the only way we know to resolve this problem.”

Seron says that it was he that advised Tremas to keep the knowledge from the others; the other male consul says that it must be Seron who enters rapport, but Kassia hisses that is not intended. Seron demands to know whose intent she speaks of, but she does not answer.

Seron says he will submit to rapport and asks that Tremas keep vigil for him, but the others say with Tremas under suspicion, this will not do. Kassia says she will take vigil.

Seron’s reply is awesome, “Thank you, Kassia. Under your zealous eye, we may be certain justice will be done.” He asks them to leave, so that he may prepare himself.

The Doctor and Tremas find a group of citizens assembled at the gate to the grove. Proctor Neman suggests that they not visit the grove, as it may confirm the populace’s belief that the Melkur has been redeemed and will soon save them from the current troubles.

As The Doctor begins to complain, Tremas leads him off, warning him that Neman is too fond of money to be trusted implicitly. He tells the Time Lord that there is another way to the grove, a service vault beneath the Keeper’s chamber.

Adric continues to work on the readings, saying he thinks he knows, but it is impossible. When Adric wants to find The Doctor, Nyssa says he is to stay with him. Adric says she’ll have to come along, and they head off to the grove.

Melkur gives Kassia a gift, a collar, which he tells her to wear as a token of her allegiance. The collar glows once she puts it on and the Melkur bids her to go be her eyes and ears.

She complains that all is not as the Melkur foresaw – she says Seron will enter rapport instead. She begs it to spare her husband.

Inside a control room, Kassia begs on the monitor screens. There are control panels all about. A dessicated hand presses a button, turning off the monitors, and a voice laughs.

Tremas and The Doctor enter the hall holding the Keeper’s chamber, but they see someone is in there, and hide. As they hide, they see Kassia exit the service tunnel. Tremas calls out to her, but she seems to be in a trance and does not notice.

Once she has departed, they enter. Inside, they see the “Source manipulator”, the device that gives the Keeper his power. Tremas leads The Doctor on, while the Time Lord pontificates about how such power could be a great temptation to those “less principled”. Tremas agrees, saying he has had such thoughts himself.

The figure at the control panel is alerted when they enter the grove and turns on the monitors. Again we only see a hand.

The Doctor determines that the TARDIS is actually there, just slightly displaced, temporally. He asks Tremas for help and they set off to get some equipment.

The figure in the control room turns off the monitor, saying, “Find your TARDIS, Time Lord, much good will it do you now.”

Nyssa asks Proctor Neman why the people are gathered at the gate to the grove. He says they are allowed there, but she says they offended the dignity of the Keeper and they should be removed. He argues that it is not lawful, but she reminds him her father and the counsuls determine what is lawful. She pays him and he acquiesces.

Once they’re gone, she waves for Adric to come. Finding the gate locked, Adric borrows her brooch to pick the lock. Adric slips through, but before Nyssa does in, Katura (the elderly lady consul) and Luvic (the other male consul) see her and tell her it is too dangerous and insist she let them take her home.

Adric hears all this from the grove and moves in on his own. This is observed by the figure in the control room.

Adric moves through the grove, wary of the Melkur. The Doctor and Tremas startle him and he says he must talk to them. The three go elsewhere to confer.

Seron is accompanied by the other consuls. He and Kassia enter the Keeper’s chamber hall.

Adric says the wave loop pattern of the emissions seems familiar and might be from some form of a TARDIS. The Doctor, reviewing his figures, says he might have a point.

Seron claims rapport with the Source so that the Keeper might make judgment. Kassia works controls at the Keeper’s chamber.

In the Source chamber, The Doctor takes a device and modifies it, making a “fully fledged full backflow inducer. Tremas sees the Source manipulator active and says the Keeper is being summoned. The three of them rush out to investigate.

Seron is caught in a beam of brilliant light. He goes stiff, then spins, moaning and collapsing to his knees.

The Keeper appears, saying, “You are blameless, Seron, but doomed. And we are both betrayed.” He turns his head to regard Kassia before disappearing. Seron rises, asking for Seron’s forgiveness, saying she serves a greater purpose.

Her eyes change, first seeming to fake, then glowing red.

In the control room, we see through Kassia’s eyes. Seron speaks to her, accusing her of treachery, reaching out to her, begging her to reject it.

She says she cannot and says, “Now, Melkur, now!” From her eyes, energy beams out, striking Seron dead.

Tremas arrives, asking what has happened, what she has done. The other consuls enter, accompanied by Fosters. Kassia tells them Seron has been rejected by the Keeper. She says the Melkur is behind it all and accuses Tremas and his charges as being the agents of evil.

Tremas, The Doctor and Adric rush back into the vault as Luvic orders the Fosters to arrest them. Kassia calls for the Fosters to stop, ordering them to come with her instead.

Back in the vault, The Doctor takes the device he was working on and leads Adric and Tremas to the grove. In the grove he activates the device, saying they must wait.

The Melkur speaks, saying recovering the TARDIS won’t help. The TARDIS appears, but Kassia steps out, blocking them from it. When Tremas approaches her, asking for help, she says not to look in her eyes, but he does and he is stunned by beams of energy.

As The Doctor and Adric help Tremas up, the three of them are ensnared in a net by the Fosters.

Kassia steps over to the Melkur, saying it is done, but the Melkur says it is just beginning. Kassia looks confused at the words… and the credits roll.

Oh, this is just so, so good. And a great cliffhanger, because we still don’t know WHAT the Melkur is up to… and one you’ll have to ponder over the weekend. See you Monday!

Serial 113 – Warriors’ Gate 2/2

Recap: Stuck between E-Space and N-Space, Romana, Adric, K-9 and The Doctor have gotten themselves into a bit of trouble…

Episode 3:

Romana screams as the figure releases her from the chair.

On the other side of the mirror, The Doctor stares at the men (and K-9), who stare at the mirror, though they cannot see him. He realises Biroc is there with him. Biroc says the time winds touched The Doctor’s hand, which allowed him to do so.

Romana hears the crew looking for the creature and she tells it/him to hide. It does so and Romana pretends to be unconscious.

Rorvik stops his men from breaking the mirror, saying they need to think about this. One of them fires his energy/laser pistol at the mirror, but it bounces off. Rorvik chastises him. Then Rorvik kicks the mirror.

(There’s a very jarring dissonance in the writing – the serial is mostly serious, albeit with the blend of humour that pervades most DW scripts, but the crew are being handled in almost a farcical manner.)

Adric still wanders the grey, still flipping a coin.

Rorvik kicks K-9. He sticks out his gun but then powers down.

Biroc says that K-9 can only be repaired on that side of the mirror. The Doctor asks him about where they are, and it seems they’re still in the gateway area. As The Doctor talks to himself, Biroc walks off.

The two clowns/crew enter the bridge and check on Romana, saying her mind is gone. One of them suggests hooking her up and giving her another dose of energy, but she asks them for answers, wanting to know what the crew is doing to the Tharils (Biroc’s people.) Before they answer, there’s a beeping and she yells at them to answer it.

Adric runs off in the grey.

Rorvik tells Aldo and Royce (the two idiots) to break out the MZ and that he’s sends others back for it. K-9 follows Lane and Packard, asking for orders. Packard keeps yelling at him to go away.

The Doctor wanders about in a black and white environment, following Biroc.

Lane and Packard and K-9 return to the ship. They remark that that distance back to the ship wasn’t as far as the first trip. K-9 says that the microcosm is contracting. Packard throws K-9 out, but Adric sneaks in while he does so.

Romana slips down and hides as Lane and the clowns are looking for her. Packard orders the clowns to get the MZ outside. Packard gives the orders to search the ship.

The Doctor pokes about another building, or perhaps part of the greater building.

The clows move the MZ out of the ship, commenting on how its become heavier; once they leave, we see that Romana and Adric were hiding in it. Romana tells Adric about the gateway, saying The Doctor must be there.

Romana and Adric follow Lane to the motor area. There is significant damage to the craft. Lane reports that the cables are worrying him. Romana comments to Adric that the warp engines are three times larger than they should be for a ship of that size. She tells Adric that the hull is made of “dwarf star alloy”, explaining the need for great motors.

K-9 arrives, shouting of dimensional instabilities and needing orders. Lane comes out and sees Romana. Packard grabs her and she shouts for Adric to take K-9 back to the The Doctor.

A female Tharil encounters The Doctor and takes him by the hand, leading him off.

Romana is thrown into the hold. Lane brings up that it (their evirons) seems to be shrinking around them. Packard acknowledges this and says it’s time they get back.

The other Tharil attacks the man taking Romana to the hold and frees her. Touching hands with her, they walk off and fade away, out of the ship, into the grey.

The Doctor walks with the female Tharil.

The crew moves through the grey with the MZ and even the two clows follow. Adric is hiding in the MZ array.

The Doctor overlooks a dining area – perhaps the same as the cobwebby one, but this one is clean and filled with Tharils eating good food. Suddenly it turns cobwebby and Romana and her Tharil companion are overlooking the scene.

In the real room, Rorvik and others sit about while the MZ is brought in and set up. Rorvik comments how quick it took; Lane comments that it was even faster this time.

Rorvik starts addressing the men, but stops as Romana, led by her Tharil come down some stairs. The Tharil leads her into, and through, the mirror. They walk the same black and white area The Doctor did.

Romana notices that the burns on the Tharil’s face are healed.

The Doctor sits at the table, being served food. He comments to Biroc, “You live like kings,” and the Tharil replies, “We ARE kings.”

The crew eats as Rorvik addresses them about the mirror and the MZ and the situation they’re in. He gets mad that they’re more interested in food and he draws his gun on them.

Biroc explains that the universe is their garden, the universe is theirs, even the people. One of the Tharils slaps the humanoid maid serving them. The Doctor realises that the Tharils were the masters that the Gundan spoke of – the enslavers.

Romana watches from above as The Doctor angers another Tharil, who pulls a knife on him. She rushes down, saying The Doctor is in danger, but just then a bunch of Gundan charge in, attacking.

Suddenly, The Doctor and Romana find themselves seated at the table with Rorvik’s crew, in the ‘real’ room.

Rorvik sees him and says, “Well, Doctor… this IS a surprise…” and the credits roll.

Interesting going ons here. I like the twist about the Tharils being the former masters.

Episode 4:

The Doctor admits it is a surprise for him, too. Romana posits they jumped back over the striations.

Rorvik and his men don’t believe that the mirrors aren’t the way out. The Doctor insists this is true and says they must work together or they’ll be trapped until the crack of doom.

Guns are pointed to The Doctor’s head again, demanding the secret.

K-9 enters (backwards, cuz he’s still not right) asking for orders, saying there is a mass conversion anomaly. The Doctor asks him about it, and K-9 says the area is contracting, warning them of the danger.

When they talk about the space and time contracting, Rorvik scoffs, but Packard says it’s worth hearing out. K-9 says he’s not able to predict how long they have left. The Doctor says they would need a huge mass to cause that sort of collapse and Romana informs him that Rorvik’s ship is made of dwarf star alloy.

The Doctor demands to know what they’re up to, accusing them of being slavers, trading in time sensitives – he says that dwarf star alloy is the only material that will hold the time sensitives from escaping.

Rorvik admits to it, but before too much can be said, The Doctor realises K-9 has moved off, to the mirror. He runs over to the robot, but K-9’s speech is distorted. It sounds almost backwards/reversed.

Lane tells Rorvik that the trip from castle to ship and back has gotten shorter each time. Rorvik says he doesn’t believe it and wants The Doctor to get them through the mirror.

The Doctor turns to face the mirror and through it, he and Biroc talk; the Tharil admits they once abused their power but asks have they not suffered enough. He tells The Doctor they will be free. The Doctor asks him what to do, and the Tharil says do nothing, it already is done.

As Adric points his gun, saying time has run out, Adric yells at them to stop. He’s at the controls of the MZ and says he doesn’t know what it does, but it’s pointed at them. The Doctor grabs K-9 and moves off as the crew back away. Romana takes K-9 and Adric out as The Doctor takes over the MZ, keeping the crew at bay.

The Time Lords and Adric rush off, searching for the TARDIS, entering it when they find it.

Lane says the MZ doesn’t have an automatic and the crew exits in pursuit.

Rorvik orders the men back to the MZ and powers it up. There’s a big explosion, but the crew walks out mostly unharmed, just covered in dust and smoke.

In the TARDIS, the Time Lords yell at Adric when he suggests just dematerialising and leaving, saying there are slaves on the ship.

The ship fires up the engines, shaking the entire gateway and the TARDIS (and all else within.) Romana says the ship won’t take off in the state the warp motors are. The Doctor says he’s trying to use the engines to back blast the mirrors.

Romana says that would just destroy everything and accelerate the shrinking. Adric argues for riding the blast back into N-space, but Romana says they have the slaves to think about.

Adric brings up the exposed part of the engines, saying they could short out the power to the engines. The Doctor orders them to stay, but Romana argues that he needs her to find the cables. They leave Adric and K-9 on the TARDIS, with orders to dematerialise in thirteen and a half minutes if they’re not back.

Rorvik orders the ship set down outside the castle, near the TARDIS. They start the backblast procedure, saying there’s about ten minutes to power up. Rorvik orders for the cargo to be revived en masse, hoping at least one will survive.

Rorvik checks on the progress, but is told three for three haven’t been revived. Biroc and the other male Tharil are seen skulking about the ship.

The Time Lords make it to the outer breach on the ship, and The Doctor goes in to find the cables, Romana staying back to keep watch. After he goes up, she slips off on her own.

The Doctor encounters Rorvik and tells the captain the back blast will kill them all. Rorvik kicks the Time Lord and attacks them. They struggle. Romana shows up and grabs the clipboard and hits Rorvik on the back, to no avail.

Romana grabs the manacles and uses them to short out the engine. Rorvik kicks The Doctor down again. The engine smokes and catches on fire. When The Doctor gets to his feet, Biroc is there.

When The Doctor asks what he’s doing, Biroc says to do nothing. Romana says it makes sense, and The Doctor agrees, saying, “If it’s the right sort of nothing.” Biroc touches both of their hands and they fade away.

Rorvik has the manacles, watching from above, and says, “Run, Doctor, scurry off back to your blue box!” He goes on a rant about lily-livered deadweights and goes into maniacal laughter. He’s gone around the bend.

Sagan keeps trying to raise more Tharils, to no avail. The other loose Tharil arrives and kills him. The Tharil then begins to awaken the other prisoners.

Biroc and the Time Lords make it back to the TARDIS, but Romana says she’s not going with him. She says she has to be her own Romana, she’s tired of taking orders. Biroc says they need a Time Lord. The Doctor gives her K-9, saying he’ll be okay on the other side of the mirrors and she promises to take care of him.

Hurried goodbyes are said and Romana leaves with Biroc as The Doctor calls out, “You were the noblest Romana of them all.” Biroc leads her back to the mirror and they walk through.

The TARDIS dematerialises as the ship fires its back blast, destroying the outer edifice of the gateway. The ship catches fires and explodes.

The TARDIS appears, briefly, in the black and white of the land beyond the mirror. K-9 says he contains all the schematics for duplication of a TARDIS. She says she will help Biroc free his people, who are enslaved on many planets.

Tharils exit the smoking remains of the ship and enter the smoking remains of the edifice.

In the TARDIS, Adric and The Doctor regard the scanner as it fades and shows nothing. The Doctor says that if the E-Space image translator isn’t working any more, that gives him hope they’re back in N-Space.

Adric asks if Romana will be all right. “All right,” The Doctor answers, “She’ll be superb.”

Biroc, K-9 and Romana walk off in the black and white… and the final credits roll.

An interesting farewell to Romana and K-9. I like the idea of her having a direction, a purpose to her departure… and the set up of there being an eventual return to Gallifrey, should she want it – with the ability to make a TARDIS of her own.

A pretty good serial, a little too much farce for my liking to say more than pretty good. I liked the nuances and double-play to the story.

Sad to think that there are only two more serials of Tom Baker…

Serial 113 – Warriors’ Gate 1/2

I’m pretty sure that I’ve not seen this one – certainly not the end of it, at least. Geronimo!

Episode 1:

Hirsute men lay in seemingly suspended animation/cryo sleep/something along those lines. They are chained and manacled and attached to machines and IV systems. Over a PA a voice counts down, “80… 70…” The camera pans out of the room into an area with different lighting. Graffiti on one wall reads “KILROY WAS HERE”. Everything is metallic, like a ship or a bunker. “50… 40.. 30… 29…28…” the countdown continues. Two men in orange worker suits and black skull caps sit, listening to the countdown.

Others sit about, some in grey, some in orange. One is a rather hirsute man like the sleepers, but he is strapped into a chair. The countdown reaches zero. A man in a grey military uniform shouts “hit it, hit it!” but one of the men in orange says that “he’s not visualising.” The military man turns to look at the hirsute fellow strapped in the chair.

He orders the men to jump, but the man in orange argues that you can’t jump the timelines blindly. The grey man walks over and hits the controls, saying ignition. The ship rumbles and shakes and lifts off.

Grey military dude walks over to the hirsute man, whom he addresses as Biroc, telling him to show them where they’re going. Nothing comes up on the monitor. They increase the energy into the hirsute man’s chair.

One of the men says they’re heading for a time rift. The ship shakes and time slows down as everyone is cast about. A coin tossed in the air stops then falls. On the screen attached to the hirsute man, we see the TARDIS briefly. A close up of Biroc’s eye shows an electronic outline of the TARDIS spinning.

In the TARDIS control room, the Time Lords and Adric hold on to the console as the time capsule shakes. Romana insists on one more go, saying it’s not her, it’s a time rift. The Doctor says to let him have a try, but he says it’s jammed, he’s lost control and they’re adrift in E-Space.

The Doctor posits that drifting might be the way out.

On the ship, men start to recover. One man reports that the readings report no space, no time, just as before. The grey man chastises Biroc, saying they’re back where they were after months of the same.

Damage reports come in. The hull seems to be okay, though there are rips inside and lots of damage to the electrics.

Romana insists that The Doctor doesn’t know what he’s doing, and he admits it, that he’s just following his intuition. They argue over coin tossing, The Doctor bringing up the I-Ching. Adric asks K-9 about the I-Ching. Adric starts tossing a coin.

Lane reports to the bridge that the warp drive is “shot to hell”. They lose communication shortly after that. The Commander (grey dude) starts blaming Biroc for what happened. Biroc sits there. Packard says they have to patch up Biroc and two men are ordered to do that.

Biroc is carried by the two men, but he seems to be aware. He knocks them down and staggers away. Lane sees him and tries to call it in to the bridge.

The Time Lords continue to argue. Romana brings up if they do escape E-space, they’d be taking Adric away from his own universe. The Doctor says the boy would love it on Gallifrey.

Adric tosses a coin and K-9 quotes from the I-Ching. Adric walks to the console and presses buttons.

Biroc runs through nothing, grey all around. Afterimages follow him.

The Doctor demands to know what Adric has just done. K-9 says the boy did non-determinate activity, following what The Doctor was theorising previously. The Doctor says that’s all right, but then the TARDIS shakes, the humanoids all fall and the doors open.

The TARDIS console begins to smoke and sputter, as does K-9. The Doctor says, “Ah, Time Winds,” and Biroc appears in the console room.

The commander complains they have a busted engine and no navigator. One of the men reports something on the short range scanner – an image of the TARDIS is visible. They determine the ship is coming into land.

Romana realises that Biroc is out of phase, and The Doctor agrees, saying that’s how he got in – he’s in a different time line. Biroc works the controls, almost in a trance like state.

Packard and the commander speculate that the crew of the TARDIS might be able to help them. They argue about reviving another to replace Biroc as navigator.

Lane is given orders to lead the way to approaching the TARDIS.

Biroc comes into phase, though he seems somewhat in a trance. Romana asks his name, he says he is Biroc. He warns them others follow and not to believe what they say, they are not Biroc’s kind. Romana asks what he is, and he replies, “the shadow of my past and of your future,” and then steps out, running back through the greyness.

The Time Lords determine that their coordinates are all at zero.

K-9 seems to be out of service.

The Doctor departs the TARDIS, leaving Romana and Adric to discuss the zero coordinates – if N-Space is positive and E-Space is negative, they’re stuck in between, at the intersection – or near it.

Biroc moves through the greyness again.

Romana tries to repair K-9. Adric says he’s looking forward to going to N-Space with the Time Lords, but Romana asks what if she and The Doctor went different ways.

The Doctor moves through the greyness.

K-9 is operational again. He detects three humanoid forms approaching the TARDIS. In the grey, Lane, Packard and the commander move, led by a device, a portable mass detector. Romana and Adric see them on the scanner.

K-9 babbles on, it seems he’s not quite right.

Biroc finds a part of a wall, like from a castle or such, with a door, in the grey. He pushes the doors open. The Doctor follows him inside. Inside, there is a castle filled with dust and cobwebs, and a skeleton in a chair at the cobwebby table. He seems to approach a mirror and steps into his reflection, passing through.

The crewmen find the TARDIS, walking around it. The commander gives the order to bust it open.

The Doctor enters the castle, exploring. He inspects two skeletal guards in armour, replacing one’s helmet, and dusting the other off. As he walks off, the second one turns and follows. The Doctor doesn’t notice, kneeling to inspect something and in the mirror (presumably the one Biroc walked through), we see the reflection of the guard come up behind him, raising an axe to strike… and the credits roll.

That’s a great cliffhanger, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen this serial at all.

Episode 2:

At the last minute, The Doctor sees it and moves as the axe comes down. He runs off, dodging a second attack and the skeletal guard staggers after him. He assumes a position next to two other guards, holding an axe, but the creature attacks, splitting The Doctor’s axe in half.

Romana and Adric argue about whether to go out and speak to the men. Romana tells Adric to watch as she goes outside to speak to the men. They ask her questions and she asks them questions. There’s lots of talk and double talk. She ends up going to their ship with them.

The Doctor realises that the guard is a machine. He asks it questions, but stops when another shows up.

Adric and K-9 leave the TARDIS to find Romana.

Romana and the crew make it back to their ship, which the commander says is a bulk freighter.

The Doctor tricks the two guards into attacking each other.

Adric and K-9 move through the grey. They get lost, K-9 admitting that his operational efficiency is piss poor.

Romana is brought to the bridge; she keeps trying to find out what sort of operation they have, but the commander keeps avoiding answering. We find out that his name is Captain Rorvik. They grab her and force her into the navigator’s chair.

Packard and Lane discuss that if Romana isn’t a time sensitive, she’ll be burnt to a frazzle.

Adric helps K-9 triangulate their destination.

With Romana attached, an image begins to form on the monitor behind the navigator chair. Rorvik says it isn’t going to work, so they’ll have to start using the cargo – Biroc’s people.

On the monitor, the image comes in better – it seems to be the place The Doctor went into. Rorvik orders some men out to investigate.

The Doctor takes apart the guards, taking memory wafers from them to repair K-9 with. Suddenly, a distorted voice can be heard saying, “Know thou shall outlive the day of the feast.”

The men head out, leaving Romana in the chair. Rorvik orders two to stay behind and get one of the ‘cargo’ ready for revival.

The Doctor quizzes the guards, who refer to themselves as Gundan; they were made by the slaves to kill the brutes who rule. The Doctor finds out about a gateway, but cannot get the guard to tell him more about it. K-9 shows up.

The two crewmen left behind enter the sleeping room.

Adric wanders in the grey, by himself.

The two buffoons (crewemen) set up the revival equipment. Despite orders to wait, they start the process. The creature screams and yells and they shut it off.

The Doctor hooks up K-9 to the Gundan guards, using him to power the guard to ask it about the gateway.

The crew find the door and enter.

The Gundan says there are three gateways and the three are one. “The whole of this domain, the ancient arch, the mirrors.” The crew enters as The Doctor quizzes the guards.

Rorvik pulls a gun on The Doctor, demanding he make the guard repeat the recital. The robot is about to reveal the secret of the gateway, but the other robot suddenly chops off its head and runs through the mirror, disappearing.

On the ship, the awoken ‘cargo’ gets off the bed.

The men check the mirror, but it seems solid to them. Rorvik realises that The Doctor has slipped off. They see him carrying K-9 and give chase.

The cargo moves about the ship.

Backing away from the crew, The Doctor passes through the mirror, leaving K-9 behind.

Romana struggles to get out of the chair, but she is strapped in.

The creature moves through, getting closer to the bridge. Romana seems to be aware of it and is frightened. It enters the bridge and sees her, approaches her and reaches out to her.

Romana screams… and the credits roll.

Pretty effective cliffhanger there, and the one you get until Wednesday.