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 153 – Silver Nemesis 3/3

Recap: In 1638, The Doctor sent a statue comprised of Gallifrey metal into space. In 1988, it has returned. The Cybermen, Fourth Reich Nazis and an evil sorceress from the 17^th century are all after it. The Cybermen have the statue and its arrow, they need only the bow to complete it – and The Doctor and Ace have the bow.

Episode 3:

Ace asks what they can do; The Doctor says their best move is “to go to the crypt, unarmed, with the bow.” He says they need to activate the statue. Ace is reluctant to go, but agrees.

In the crypt, the Reichleader tries to bargain with the Cyberleader. The leader throws gold dust at the Cyberleader, but it doesn’t seem to have the lethal effect he was hoping for.

It turns out that Reichleader’s assistant has turned on him, handing over his leader (and presumably sabotaging the gold dust) in exchange to be made a Cyberman. (He says that the giants are the true master race and he wants to be one.)

The Cyberleader orders for the two of them to “be programmed at once” and sends his men to fetch the bow and kill The Doctor.

Lady Peinforte says she doesn’t understand why Richard continues to serve and protect her, when she does nothing but treat him unkindly.

Richard says they have no more weapons, but she says she has her knowledge and that is weapon enough.

En route, Ace confesses to The Doctor that she’s “really, really scared” and he offers to send her back to the TARDIS, but she refuses. They arrive at the crypt, but then the tape runs out on her ghetto blaster (unknown to them) and the Cybermen regain communication.

The Fourth Reichleader challenges the Cyberleader’s plans, saying they still don’t have the bow. When they say they will soon have it, the Reichleader says The Doctor “is no common adversary, do you think he’s going to walk in and simply hand it over?”

Just then, The Doctor and Ace walk in, the bow in his hand. He greets them, apologises for not being there. The Cyberleader tries to grab the bow, but in a stupid scene, they play keep away with the Cyberleader.

The Doctor makes it over to the statue and touches to bow to it, bringing it to life. While they’re distracted, The Doctor and Ace escape the Cybermen and Reichmen, heading back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor tells Ace that, now that the statue is alive, it will follow the bow.

The statue rises, there are great fireworks and explosions and a scream in the heavens.

Hearing the scream, Lady Peinforte says that Nemesis is come alive and shall be hers.

The TARDIS dematerialises.

Lady Peinforte goes on about how “all power, past, present and future” shall be hers. She gets megalomaniacal, especially when Richard suggests finding shelter. “How dare you! I shall lead and you shall follow,” she rages at him.

Back in 1638, The Doctor considers the chess board while Ace asks what they’re doing there again. He says he doesn’t want the mathematician’s calculations to fall into the wrong hands.

At the same time, she asks about the chess game and he says black is losing. He makes a move, then walks to the other side of the board. She asks if the same person who stole the bow in 1788 was the one who took the mathematician’s notes.

“How should I know, Ace? Questions, questions,” he replies, making a move for the other side of the game.

Ace asks who brought the validium to Earth in the first place. The Doctor makes a couple moves, resulting in a checkmate and win for black. He says it’s time to go, instructing Ace to bring some gold coins.

Having watched a young man hitchhike, Richard tells Lady Peinforte he can acquire a “steed” for them. He goes hitchhiking, but the first several cars pass him by.

The Doctor and Ace return to where the asteroid was cut open, saying the statue will be there shortly. He works on calculations while Ace gets ready with her slingshot and gold coins.

There’s a cute interchange where he reminds her no more explosions, and she quips, “And I’m a better person, as a result, Doctor.” One of the few times she doesn’t call him ‘Professor’.

As Richard continues to fail at hitchhiking, Lady Peinforte sits, murmuring how all will be hers. Finally, she steps out in traffic to flag down a car. They get a ride.

It turns out that the Reich assistant didn’t betray his leader, it was a scam. A ploy to stay alive, it seems.

At the hangar, the statue returns to the asteroid, landing atop it, next to The Doctor. He gives it the bow and it takes it from him.

Richard and Lady Peinforte ride in the limo, where the passenger tries to chat them up. She says she’s there to check out her “roots”. Richard thinks she’s talking about crops.

The statue says, “I am beautiful, am I not,” and Ace replies that she is. The statue says she has had many forms, many of which would horrify her. She says she is whatever she is made to be – since Lady Peinforte called her Nemesis, “I am retribution.”

The woman in the limo tells Richard that she’s traced her family back to this area, dating to the 1600s. Lady Peinforte leans over, “All things will soon be mine.” I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this episode before, as I recall this sequence.

Cybermen enter the hangar, firing at Ace, who runs up a balcony and fires a gold coin into the lead Cyberman’s chest unit. The Cyberleader sends the others to destroy her.

Lady Peinforte says she knows the woman’s family, calling them “thieves and swindlers”. The woman replies, “You studied history?” They start comparing notes, the woman thinking that Lady Peinforte has “researched my family!!”

Ace takes out some more Cybermen with gold coins. Others fire on her, but they’ve been assimilated from Stormtroopers, it seems. Ace is pursued further back and loses her bag of coins.

The Doctor has placed the statue back in the asteroid/rock/whatever, planning to send it on course towards the Cyberfleet.

Ace is in the rafters of the hangar, running from pursuit. The Cyberleader and and two Cybermen surround her, and she has only one coin left, but she manages to shoot one and duck as the other two shoot each other. One of them (the Cyberleader?) falls to the ground below.

The Doctor pulls up the Cyberfleet to see how they’re progressing and sees that they’re “right on course”. Nemesis asks what is she to do after destroying the Cyberfleet. He tells her “Reform.”

“You will need me in the future,” the statue says.

“I hope not.”

“That is what you said before,” she reminds him.

“Enough,” he cuts her off.

“And after this, will I have my freedom,” she asks.

“Not yet.”

“When?”

“I told you when,” he says, taking her bow, “things are still imperfect.”

Two Cybermen approach him, but he tricks them into standing behind the rocket (using the bow as bait) as the burners test fire, catching them both in the flames (as well as the bow.)

Up on the rafters, a Cyberman removes the coin from his chest, seems he’s not quite dead, yet. (My guess is Cyberleader.)

The Fourth Reich (all two of them, guess they didn’t want to pay the extras for more than the first two episodes) arrive and take the bow. Guess it wasn’t burnt/melted. The Doctor stands by as the Reichleader stands over the statue, talking to her. She ignores him, but he says it is time to leave.

The Cyberleader (yep, was him) arrives and shoots Reichleader, demanding the bow or he will shoot Ace. Ace grabs the bow, but just then Lady Peinforte and Richard arrive. Lady Peinforte goes on about time and power and space.

The Cyberleader says she is insane. When Ace argues that Nemesis belongs to The Doctor, she says if she has the bow, that is all that matters. Lady Peinforte then tells the Cyberleader that he is nothing, that only The Doctor counts, and even he is just a pawn in her game.

“Listen, you old bag, The Doctor’s just not going to give you the bow,” Ace tells Lady Peinforte. “Tell her, Doctor,” she implores him.

As you can imagine, The Doctor doesn’t tell her. He looks over at Lady Peinforte, who says, “Doctor WHO? Have you never wondered where he came from? Who he is?”

Ace replies that nobody knows who The Doctor is. Lady Peinforte says that she does. The Doctor seems rather uncomfortable at this. Lady Peinforte says that the statue told her, and The Doctor’s discomfort grows.

“All right, so what? He’s a Time Lord, I know that,” Ace retorts.

“Well, Doctor,” Lady Peinforte replies, looking at him.

“If I give you the bow,” he asks.

“Your power becomes mine, but your secrets remain your own.”

He turns to Ace, “It’s all over, Ace, my battle, all my battles.” He says he can only surrender, but not to Lady Peinforte, and hands the bow to the Cyberleader.

When Lady Peinforte says she knows his secrets, The Doctor says, “Very well, tell them.”

“I shall tell them of Gallifrey, tell them of the old time. The time of chaos.” She pauses and he tells her, “be my guest.”

She begins to go on, but the Cyberleader says the secrets of the Time Lords mean nothing to the Cybermen. The Doctor addresses Lady Peinforte, “Thank you for coming to the 20^th century and giving me assistance. Thank you for bringing the arrow. You may go now.”

Lady Peinforte is most upset at being spoke to in such a fashion.

“You had the right game,” he tells her, “but the wrong pawn. Check.”

“Enough, Doctor,” the Cyberleader interjects. He orders The Doctor to cancel the destructive capabilities of the statue. The Doctor takes the bow, handing it to the statue, “Do you understand the Cyberleader’s instructions,” he asks it.

“Perfectly,” the statue replies.

Ace begs him not to surrender.

The Cyberleader destroys Ace’s tape and goes on about how the Cyberfleet will convert Earth into a new Mondas. He tells The Doctor that he will allow him to live long enough to see the fleet arrive.

Lady Peinforte screams and leaps into the asteroid-rocket, merging with Nemesis. The rocket launches into space. On the ghetto blaster, they watch the rocket’s progress.

The rocket approaches the fleet and explodes, destroying the entire Cyberfleet. The Cyberleader levels his gun at The Doctor, but Richard grabs an arrow stuck in the TARDIS and stabs it into the heart of the Cyberleader (well the heart of his respiration unit), killing him.

The Doctor thanks him and offers him a lift back to his proper time, which delights Richard to no end.

Later, in 1638, Ace and The Doctor are playing chess; she has realised that when he sent Nemesis off into space, he planned all along for the Cybermen to be here so he could finish them off.

She says there’s still one question he hasn’t answered, but just then Richard and a woman with a lute arrive. He says they may not have this “jazz”, but he thinks he will like this. Richard takes out a flute/recorder and plays with the woman.

The Doctor smiles, listening, as Ace asks, whispering, “Professor, Doctor, who are you?”

The Doctor lifts one finger to his lips in a ‘shhh’ motion… and the final credits roll.

Yes, I’d seen this last episode, if not all three, before. Pretty good, but showing a more manipulating side of The Doctor. Can’t say it’s a bad thing, I’ve liked when The Doctor’s darker side shows through.

Serial 153 – Silver Nemesis 2/3

Recap: 350 years after he sent it away from Earth, a statue returns. It’s a powerful artifact that a sorceress from 1638, a group of Fourth Reich Nazis and the Cybermen are all after. What more do you need to know?

Episode 2:

The lead Cyberman cyber-recognises (what? Oh, I’m doing it again…) The Doctor, something that’s never happened before when he has a new incarnation. However, it seems they expected him.

The Fourth Reich soldiers open fire on the Cybermen. I’m sure you can guess how well that goes. The Cybermen fire back. The Doctor and Ace take cover while the firefight ensues.

Lady Peinforte shoots a Cyberman with an arrow, which strikes in the chest, and is surprised when it doesn’t go down… but then it does, just belatedly.

The Fourth Reich leader picks up one of her arrows (she missed, another time, apparently. It landed near him, so I’m not sure of the reasoning behind that.) The arrow is gold-tipped – thus the delayed reaction of the effect!

More Cybermen go down due to Lady Peinforte’s arrows. Her man, Richard, is praying, but she tells him to get up, saying they’ll let the two factions destroy each other and take Nemesis for themselves.

The Doctor examines a fallen Cyberman and sees the arrowhead is gold. When Ace goes to touch it, he warns her that it’s been dipped in poison, saying it’s Lady Peinforte’s “calling card”.

Lady Peinforte and Richard spy The Doctor and Ace; she recognises him. The Doctor grabs the silver bow from the case (why the Fourth Reich leader left it laying there, I don’t get) and run off, escaping in the TARDIS.

The Fourth Reich leader sends a man to fetch the bow case, not realising it’s been taken. The Reich men run off and the Cybermen regroup. The lead Cyberman cyber-learns that The Doctor and his companion took the bow, and that Lady Peinforte is there, responsible for killing the Cybermen with arrows.

Lady Peinforte and Richard walk into town. He’s surprised that there are people there, for some reason.

The Cybermen cut into the asteroid.

The Doctor and Ace return to 1638 Windsor; the body is gone. The Doctor finds a piece of paper, saying the mathematician was a genius, but he needed some help to get started in the right direction. The Time Lord takes the paper and burns it in the fireplace.

Ace says she doesn’t like that place and wants to go. The Doctor moves a chess piece (having noticed that the pieces had been moved since their last visit) and they leave.

The Cybermen have cut around the statue and move the rock-encrusted statue into their ship.

Some punks follows Lady Peinforte and Richard in town.

The Cybership flies through the sky.

The Fourth Reich leader prepares some gold dust.

The TARDIS returns to modern day (presumably), and The Doctor and Ace exit. The Time Lord explains that validium was used as a defense for Gallifrey, created by Rassilon, and was never meant to leave his world.

They set off, using the silver bow to be directed to the validium.

The Cybership lands, between trees and a field.

The punks confront Lady Peinforte and Richard. They try to rob them. Richard is not amused.

The silver bow leads The Doctor and Ace to a castle. The Cybermen are set up inside, and are aware of the “remaining validium” approaching.

The two punks are dangling from a tree by their ankles, gagged, blindfolded and bound. Their clothes are burning in a fireplace.

The Doctor and Ace try to use Ace’s ghetto blaster to jam the Cybermen’s communication signal.

The Cyberleader demands that they transmit to the fleet that they have the validium, but his subordinate argues that is not the complete truth as they don’t have the arrow or bow.

Ace’s jazz tape interferes with the Cybermen’s attempt to communicate with the fleet. The Cybermen are not pleased.

The Doctor and Ace find the punks, who say “social workers” did this to them.

Using the arrow to lead her, Richard and Lady Peinforte come to the location of Nemesis, which is part ofLady Peinforte’s estate. Richard whines to return to their proper time and she threatens him to shut up, reminding him if they are not successful in capturing Nemesis, she will leave him here.

He discovers his own grave site, as she explains she gave orders for him to be buried near her. It seems the ‘castle’ where the Cybermen are holed up is her burial… edifice?

Richard is startled by llama which are grazing in the yard. It seems her estate area is now a “safari park”.

Coming through the woods, The Doctor and Ace arrive and see Lady Peinforte and Richard enter ahead of them.

The Cybermen are outside, the Cyberleader saying that being faced with her own death will drive her mad. When they hear her shouting in anger, demanding to know where Nemesis is, the Cyberleader sends his Cybermen after them. Richard starts firing arrows, taking one down.

Outside the estate, the Fourth Reich leader says the estate is that of Lady Peinforte, a 17^th century noblewoman. His assistant points out they saw a woman in 17^th century garb firing arrows at the battle, but his boss tells him to shut up.

Spying the Cybership, The Doctor and Ace hide in the woods. Ace sneezes, alerting the two human agents who are keeping guard on the ship. (I do hate the sneezing to alert someone to their presence schtick. So fucking old.)

The Doctor asks if Ace might, despite his instructions to the contrary, have any Nitro-9 on her. “Of course not,” she says, “I’m a good girl, I do what I’m told.”

He tells her “to blow up that vehicle,” which brings a grin of childish delight on Ace’s features.

The Cybermen are forced to retreat after the Cyberleader’s CyberSecond CyberArgues that they must choose the course of safer action. (Sorry, doing it again.)

Lady Peinforte realises that Nemesis must be in her tomb. She tells Richard to help her open it.

The Doctor distracts the two goons so Ace can approach the ship. She throws in a backpack of Nitro-9 which completely obliterates the Cybership.

Seeing the explosion from afar, the Fourth Reich go to investigate.

Seeing the goons, the Cyberleader has the two men killed. Ace is horrified that the men were killed for her action.

They open the tomb, Richard asking where her bones are. “What matter,” she replies.

Ace confirms they’re still jamming the Cybersignal.

The Fourth Reich leader and his assistant approach the Cybermen, offering an alliance. He says the Cybermen are “giants”, and they are the “supermen” and are destined to work together. They agree to work together, the Reich taking care of the Lady Peinforte for them, and they will split Earth in two.

After the Reichmen leave, the Cyberleader gives the order to kill them once the arrow and bow are retrieved.

The ghetto box scanner shows the location where the signal is directed, but there’s nothing there. The Doctor says there has to be a force out there, because it’s 1988. He explains that the orbit of Nemesis brought it back every 25 years – 1913 (the eve of the first World War), 1938 (Hitler annexes Austria), 1963 (Kennedy Assassination).

Inside the tomb, Lady Peinforte appreciates the statue. Richard still goes on about her bones, but she says it is no matter. The Reich open fire on the tomb and enter. Richard throws the arrow in the tomb with the statue and drags Lady Peinforte off through a secret exit.

In the tomb, the statue comes to life, grabbing the arrow and clutching it close.

The Cyberleader enters, as the two Reich men plot what to do next. The Reich leader tells him to stay away, as he has Nemesis, and thus power of life and death over everything.

The Cyberleader asks where the bow is and the Reichleader opens the case, only to discover it is gone. (Yeah, I find it hard to believe he wouldn’t have checked before then. Hell, I still refuse to believe he would have left it laying in the middle of a battle.)

The Doctor mopes, holding the bow.

We see a red planet.

The Doctor mopes, and watching a chameleon, suddenly realises, “Of course, it’s so simple! They’re shrouded!” He goes to the scanner and fiddles with it, revealing thousands of Cyberwarships (his word, not mine), waiting… and the credits roll.

Decent enough cliffhanger, fell a little flat though.

And to Friday!

Serial 153 – Silver Nemesis 1/3

I believe I’ve seen this before. At least part of it. Pretty sure. Yeah.

Yeah.

Episode 1:

We open with, a rare thing, a location with a subtitled description – “South America 22^nd November 1988”. A jeep is parked in front of a large white house. Well, it was, but then it drives off.

Inside, we see scrolls/maps. An old style phone. A… I wanna call it a trophy, as that’s the best I can describe it… with a swastika atop. “Ride of the Valkyries” is playing in the background. A man works at a computer on the far side of the desk where all the maps are strewn.

On the computer screen, the following is displayed, flashing and beeping:

LANDING LOCATION

WINDSOR

GRID REF: 74W 32N

NOVEMBER 23 1988

On a balcony, a white haired man stands, next to the old school phonograph player, listening to the Wagner music. A parrot cackles from a nearby tree. The old man pulls up a bow and arrow and takes aim, but he is interrupted by the man from the computer.

350 years earlier (as indicated by the subtitles WINDSOR, ENGLAND 1638) a woman takes aim and shoots an arrow at a bird, but misses by an inch. A man, kneeling at her side, praises her, but she looks disgusted. She storms off.

Inside, a man sits in a room with a boiling cauldron, poring over some notes, chuckling happily to himself. The woman from outside storms down the hallway, followed by her man, and they enter the room with the cauldron. She demands, “How much longer,” but her companion tells her that the man cannot hear her.

When he offers to address the man, she instructs her companion to leave. She says, “There’ll be time enough to punish his impertinence when he’s finished.”

She takes an arrow and gives it to her companion, who is reluctant to take it. She tells him the poison will only affect if the tip breaks the skin. “Let who will steal my gold,” she says, turning away from him.

“And the silver arrow, my lady,” he asks.

“Leave that… to me,” she replies. As she regards another arrow, she asks, “You’re sure the potion is well mixed?”

“On my life, ma’am,” he answers. Oh. That doesn’t bode well.

She accepts his guarantee and says they await the calculation; throwing some money in front of the man (who is still working away, paying them no attention), she suggests perhaps that will expedite matters.

Back in South America, the white haired dude is now wearing a snazzy suit. He enters a room, upon which a group of men waiting there stand up. He greets them, wondering if even now, can they full appreciate the importance of this occasion.

The six men are all dressed in camouflage military uniforms. He tells them that they are “standing now at the turning point of history.” He goes on to talk about destiny, how fifty years ago he was there for a beginning, but this time they must not fail.

He takes a drink and toasts them, “Gentlemen, I give you the Fourth Reich.” Everyone present toasts in return, “The Fourth Reich.” That done, he says it is time to leave, and the men depart the room. He stops to take a small silver bow out of a case.

His lackey, the man from the computer, takes out a carrying case and the man places the bow in it. The lackey closes the case.

In outer space, not sure when as we don’t have subtitles this time, what appears to be an asteroid moves through space. It has a hole with a glowing core or something.

Back in 1638, the man working at the table tells his lady that he has finished. She demands he tell her immediately. “The comet, Nemesis, will circle the heavens once every twenty-five years. He says the trajectory is decaying.” She demands to know when it will land.

He says it will circle ever closer, eventually striking Earth at the point where it originally departed from, just outside the estate. Again, she demands to know when. “On the 23^rd day of November, in the year of our Lord, 1988.”

We cut to a band playing jazz is a cafe/park area. The Doctor and Ace are seated at one of the tables. Ace reads a paper which has a headline of a meteor approaching England.

The Doctor’s alarm goes off on his fob watch. He says it’s a reminder, to change course to a certain destination, but he’s forgotten where. They head off to the TARDIS so he can find out, but someone opens fire on them.

They run, being shot at as they head to the TARDIS, and fall/jump into some water. Two goons wander by, looking about for them, but don’t see them.

The Doctor drags Ace out of the water.

Back in 1638, the man who’d been working on the calculations goes on about men in flying machines like birds. The woman throws paper down and tells her man to prepare to leave at once. Her man reminds her they need one final ingredient for their potion, human blood, and they both look at the old man.

The Doctor brings Ace’s tape deck out of the TARDIS; she wants to play a tape she bought at the jazz performance, but he says it’s more than a tape deck and there are more important things than her tape. It seems he’s going to use it to figure out what his reminder alarm was about.

As he tinkers with it, he tells her that the alarm is a serious one, an indication that some planet somewhere is facing termination. When calibrated, Ace’s tape deck (one he built for her after hers was destroyed by the Daleks, mind you) projects a holographic display, showing Earth as the planet in danger!

Back in 1638, the lady and her man stand, each holding a goblet. She mocks him for being afraid. She orders him to have courage and drink. She does so, and then he does as well. Lights flicker, their voices grow echoing. She says they go to meet their destiny. He freaks out but she holds on to him, telling him not to break the aura.

They are surrounded by a nimbus of chaotic energy. They both scream as the world changes around them and they find themselves in her house in Windsor, which is now some sort of restaurant or cafe, and people are staring rather surprised at their sudden appearance.

Ace grouses, “So the world’s going to end and you’d forgotten about it.”

“I’ve been busy,” The Doctor retorts.

“How long have you known?”

He says that he’s known since 1638.

In space, something flies towards the Earth. If it’s the meteor/comet, it’s artificial, as it has propulsion jets.

The TARDIS materialises inside a cluttered room. The Doctor says they’re all presents and they have to search for a silver bow. He answers her questions, saying they’re in the vault at Windsor, and they’re not stealing only borrowing.

“It’s probably treason! I’m too young to go to the Tower,” Ace protests. She gets some really wicked lines.

He reminds her that the safety of the world is at stake. It’s totally worth noting that he’s wearing a fez for much of this discourse and then places it on her head.

Nemesis smashes into the ground.

The Doctor tells Aces what the sound/shaking was. She’s amazed, but he says it’s no big deal, since he was the one who launched it into space in the first place.

“This might qualify as the worst miscalculation since life crawled out of the seas on this sad planet,” he says, rather melodramatically.

Ace asks if this is the bow, seemingly having found something.

The Fourth Reich travel in a van. Their leader talks about not keeping history waiting, looking at the silver bow in its case in his lap. It seems they are no longer in South America.

Police arrive at Windsor to investigate the explosion/collision and the lady and her man smash a window to get out.

The van with the Fourth Reich comes to a stop. The leader says that Nemesis has come to ground there. When one of the men urges attacking and take it now, he tells them that there is a statue inside the meteor but it will be too hot for them to handle.

He says, since the English government is unaware of its power, they can allow them to guard it safely until the time is right to collect it. He tells the driver to go to the hotel so they may rest and prepare.

The Doctor says the bow was in the case, but isn’t there any longer. Ace reads that the bow disappeared in 1788, but legend has it that if a place is not kept for the bow, the statue Nemesis will return to Earth to destroy it.

The Doctor says that the legend isn’t wrong, as the statue has just returned.

The lights flicker in the vault, but Ace says it’s no big deal, it’s just the electricity, “it does that sometimes, even in the 1980s.” She asks how a statue can destroy the world, but he says he’ll tell her 350 years ago and he dashes off.

She returns the fez and follows him.

The TARDIS appears in Windsor, 350 years ago. They exit and poke about, and find the dead man (the one who did the calculations.) The Doctor tells Ace to hang back while he covers the body, not wanting her to see the corpse. (It’s funny, she’s so rough and tumble but he babies her so much at times.)

Ace asks who the house belongs to, and The Doctor replies that it’s Lady Peinforte’s house. Seeing the man’s calculations, The Doctor says he’s done very well in the few months since he’d launched the comet, figuring where and when it would return. “And Lady Peinforte’s rewarded him with her usual generosity.”

He explains that the bow belonged to a statue of Peinforte that she had made out of a silver metal that fell to Earth, landing in her meadow.

Ace gets nervous, but The Doctor assures her they’re alone, saying Peinforte is in the future.

The three policemen stand about the smoldering area where Nemesis landed. Peinforte (who is played by Fiona Walker, last seen in the show 24 years prior as Kala in the Hartnell serial THE KEYS OF MARINUS) and her man, Richard, watch as they call for reinforcements.

She is upset about this, but Richard reminds her that they know nothing of the power and even so, without the arrow, it is nothing. (She has the arrow in hand. So, the Nazi has the bow, she has the arrow.) He advises biding their time and watching, waiting for the proper moment to act.

Back in 1638, The Doctor says that Peinforte used the Silver Arrow to get to the future. He says that the metal was more than just silver, it was a living metal, validium. He says it has one purpose, destruction.

She asks more questions, but he says to wait.

The cops try to start their car, but the battery is dead. As they tinker with the car, something rises up out of the ground, spewing a gas that knocks the men out (or kills them, who knows.)

A tour group comes to Windsor castle, where the TARDIS appears. Ace and The Doctor join in the tour group briefly, but then slip off into the royal apartments. They see someone coming with dogs. Ace gets panicky but The Doctor tells her, “Act as if you own the place, it always works.”

The dogs are Corgis, so we know who the woman walking with them is. The Doctor is clueless, saying she looks familiar but he can’t place her, but Ace drags him off before she gets too close.

After Ace clues him in, he says she’s just the person they need to talk to. They rush in after her, but are confronted by a stern man.

Richard whines, saying he’s gone mad. She tells him to man up (my words, not hers.) He asks what she will do with the power of Nemesis, and she says the first thing will be to get vengeance upon “the nameless Doctor whose power is so secretive.” She knows he will be there, too.

She says she has found his secret out. “In good time, I will speak it. I will be his downfall.”

The Doctor and Ace are interrogated. When he explains they’re time travelers, that goes over as well as you might expect. Ace doesn’t help. Neither does telling them the fate of the planet is at risk.

Finally, The Doctor puts on a pair of spectacles and says, his voice strong and strict, YOU WILL BELIEVE ME. YOU WILL NOT MOVE. Turning to Ace, YOU WILL MOVE.

They run off, Ace asking how he did that. “It’s easy, once you know how,” he explains. As the effects don’t last long, they are forced to run away.

The two goons who shot at Ace and The Doctor in the park are greeted by someone off-camera, something seemingly large and ominous. Oooooh, I know what it is….

The two men are wearing headsets/headphones and electricity arcs from the off-camera figure to their headsets.

In the castle, The Doctor gets distracted by a painting, but Ace drags him off. They pass through the tour group, which hold up the pursuit somewhat.

Suddenly, as they run off, Ace stops, seeing a painting of herself hanging in the hall. He explains it hasn’t happened yet, which is why she doesn’t remember it. Their delay allows their pursuit to catch up and they must run off again.

(Okay, this is the running part of the show.)

The Fourth Reich (way more than six this time) unload from the van outside the landing site. (So much for the hotel.) They find the cops KO’d/dead. The leader arrives, saying it is of no importance that the cops were taken out, all that matters is Nemesis is safe.

He places the bow on the comet, but suddenly realises the arrow isn’t there. He orders his men to find it.

The TARDIS materialises and The Doctor and Ace run over, the former saying he hopes they’re not too late.

The old man demands that he hand over the arrow of Nemesis. The Doctor says he doesn’t have it. The old man demands Ace tell him where it is, but she says she doesn’t know anything about it.

The Doctor begins expositioning, I mean explaining to Ace, that for validium to become active, you need a certain quantity. If the bow and arrow were placed in the statue’s hands…

“…you would have the power of life and death,” the Nazi leader interrupts. “Not only over this Earth but any planet in existence.” He compliments The Doctor on his knowledge.

The Time Lord says he simply notices what is obvious, which they don’t. When they ask what he means, he points out the policemen. He tells them that the cops have been attacked “by a technology more advanced and terrible than you can imagine.”

“What technology,” the lead soldier asks, but The Doctor just holds up one finger.

“But you might have also observed the electricity supply being drained over the last few days,” The Doctor continues.

The old Nazi just wants to know where the arrow is. When The Doctor says he can’t, they threaten to shoot Ace.

However, just then, a spacecraft lands. The doors open. “They saved my life, Ace says, but The Doctor says not to thank them.

CYBERMEN!!!!!!!! exit the spacecraft… and the credits roll.

Now, THAT is a cliffhanger.

See you Cyber-Wednesday!

Serial 131 – The Awakening

Another two parter, I have no recollection what this one is about. Let’s find out!

Episode 1:

Horses are racing. A woman is looking for Ben, calling out his name. The three horses, and their riders arrive where the woman is. They’re dressed in armour, but her clothing isn’t quite as historical. One of the men charges at her with his spear and she runs into one of the buildings.

Inside, she sits down, shaken up. One of the men grabs her, but it turns out to be Ben. She’s mad, but he says it’s just a bit of fun. The other two men enter, and she demands that Sir George “stop these war games”.

They argue; he says she, as a school teacher, should appreciate the merit of what they do. She says not when people can get hurt or things damaged. Sir George says no harm is meant.

In the TARDIS, Turlough is under the console, working on something. The Doctor says it’s not any better – apparently there is a time distortion. Tegan asks if there is any problem, but The Doctor says they’re right on track to the time and place she asked for, so she could see her grandfather.

They materialise, apparently in a building or tunnels. There’s a rockfall/collapse, and they see a man moving about. The Doctor rushes out to see if he’s okay, the companions follow. The man rushes by, but Tegan sees his dress and says they’re in the wrong time, but Turlough assures her it’s 1984.

The three head off to “have a look”. When they leave, the man in archaic clothing watches them from near the TARDIS.

Sir George demands to know why the teacher is the only person in the village not involved in the war games. Her concern is that some stranger or visitor might arrive and be put in danger as she was. Sir George says that the village has been cut off from the outside world, something that suprises/upsets Ben and the teacher.

Tegan gets bored with The Doctor and Turlough inspecting the church they’re in and demands to find her grandfather. As they leave, there’s a creaking sound. The Doctor makes a crack about a ghost, but behind him in the wall, there’s a new crack with gas or steam spewing out. As they leave, they encounter a large group of men in armour and on horseback and are quickly surrounded.

They are led off to see Sir George.

Again the man from the tunnel is seen following; his face is partially disfigured.

The prisoners are brought into the room where Ben and the school teacher are; Ben questions if the men should be arresting people, but the lead jerkwad says Sir George is aware. Ben apologises, saying some of the men get carried away with the game, but they’ll soon have it all sorted out.

The Doctor compliments the room, noting it’s 17^th century. Ben preens, as it is his pride and joy (his words.) Tegan looks irate. Turlough uncomfortable, and the school teacher baffled. Tegah demands to see her grandfather, but when she brings up his name, she learns he disappeared several days ago.

Upset, she rushes off. Turlough gives chase, but jerkwad pulls a gun on The Doctor.

Outside, the man following them snatches Tegan’s purse and runs off.

Sir George arrives and admonishes jerkwad. He explains the war games is a celebration of a historical battle. Miss Hampden (the teacher) says it’s madness. They talk and The Doctor says he’s come through the woods from the church. Sir George says he should stay away from the church, as it could fall at any minute.

Changing tack, Sir George invites The Doctor to join in their reenactment, but the Time Lord says he needs to find his friends and Tegan’s grandfather. He slides jerkwad’s gun away (it’s lying on the table) and dashes out the door. Sir George says it’s no big until he learns that Tegan is Andrew’s granddaughter, then he orders for the perimeter guards to be doubled, and to capture Tegan, as he has something special in store for her.

Miss Hampden reminds Sir George that detaining people against their will is illegal. He tells her that since he’s the local magistrate, he will find himself quite innocent.

In the building she finds herself, there’s some flashing lights and an old man appears in the upper part – he looks almost like the old man from SNAKEDANCE, but I’m not sure.

Outside, the man who stole Tegan’s purse runs into The Doctor, knocking him down. When the Time Lord gets up, he wonders how the man got so far away so quickly.

Jerkwad and Ben argue about searching for Tegan with only four men, as all the rest were added to the perimeter. They split up – jerkwad and Ben together, the other two men to Andrew’s cottage.

The Doctor follows the thief back to the church. Suddenly there’s a loud noise, sounds of a battle. The Doctor covers his ears, collapsing, when suddenly a young man breaks through a wall. The Doctor tries to greet him, but he’s wary. The Doctor asks him what year it is, and he answers 1643.

The young man asks if the battle is done and The Doctor says it is; just then Tegan and Turlough burst in to say something strange is going on. The Doctor introduces them to Will, the peasant who was hiding in the priest hole.

Ben and jerkwad report to Sir George, who wants Tegan to be the May Queen. Hampden says she knows about the old tradition and is well aware of what happens to the Queen at the end of her reign. Ben says they won’t harm her, but Hampden isn’t sure.

Sir George leaves with some mysterious talk about something coming to the village – something wonderful and strange.

Hampden tells Joseph (jerkwad) she’s going to the police (you know, that’s just the dumbest thing you can do – if someone is doing something wrong JUST GO TO THE POLICE, DON’T ANNOUNCE IT.) He rushes to cut her off from leaving, threatening that she could just as easily be the Queen of the May. She slaps jerkwad, who locks her in the room.

The Doctor tells his companions that there has been a “confusion in time”, and 1984 and 1643 have become linked in this village. Turlough asks about the apparitions, but The Doctor says they’re psychic projections. Even the man who stole Tegan’s purse, and Will, are ones, just ones with physical form.

Turlough asserts that this would take great power, and The Doctor agrees.

Turlough points out that the crack in the wall has gotten wider. The Doctor agrees, saying it is ominous, as is Tegan’s grandfather’s disappearance. The Doctor takes Will and heads to the village, instructing his companions to wait in the TARDIS.

En route, Will and The Doctor have to hide from guards.

In the TARDIS, the pixelated form of a psychic projection starts to manifest. Tegan and Turlough leave to find The Doctor.

The Doctor asks Will what happens in 1643. Will says something, someone called “Malus” (sounds like he’s saying Malice to me) came and made the fighting worse.

Tegan and Turlough pause outside the place The Doctor and Will are hiding, but move on.

Will says that amidst the fighting, there was a terrible wind and Malus appeared. The Doctor indicates a carving of something (we don’t get a good look at it) on the floor of where they’re hiding and asks if that’s what Malus looks like. Horrified, Will says it is.

The Doctor presses on the visage of the Malus, opening a secret door in the floor.

Tegan and Turlough wander the village, looking for everyone; strange, since they’re aware they have to hide from the horsemen. Sure enough, Tegan is captured by Ben.

Hampden finds a secret door in the office and slips in just before Sir George and his guards arrive. He sends them after her.

The Doctor and Will move through a passageway. Hearing others, they hide – as I’m sure you guessed, it’s Hampden, but we can hear the others behind her. The Doctor pulls her into their hiding spot just before Sir George and his cronies pass by.

Jerkwad Joseph puts Tegan in a room and orders her to put on a gown.

Sir George and his men return, giving up the chase. Hampden tells The Doctor the stairs lead back to Sir George’s office. (I thought it was Ben’s.) The Doctor finds some soft metal, saying it is called tinclavic and is from the planet Raaga.

After she’s changed, Jerkwad tells Tegan she’s beginning to annoy him; he’s already annoyed me. He takes her modern clothing, saying she is now Queen of the May.

Hampden questions what The Doctor said about the metal from another world; he says the Terileptils (remember them?) mine it for another planet in another star system, Rifta. She says he’s mad.

She questions how it got there (accepting what he’s claiming out of sake of argument.) He tells her that it came in a ship, likely a computer-controlled recon vehicle. He asks if Andrew was involved in research about the Malus, which she confirms.

Hampden says it’s a legend, a myth. The Doctor says the Malus is from the alien probe ship.

The crack in the wall is even bigger. The Doctor pulls away at the wall, revealing something behind it. There is what appears to be a green glowing eye as smoke pours out. The Time Lord puts his hands over his ears and Hampden screams a ridiculously long, “Doctorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,”… and the credits roll.

So far, not very impressed.

(spoilers)

Episode 2:

Will and Hampden pull The Doctor away from the crack. The glowing evil face of the Malus peers at them from within. Suddenly, they see the thief has arrived, but then he gets pixelated. Will hears sounds of battle and runs off.

The thief changes from a thief to a poncey looking fellow.

Turlough skulks about, spying on the village, but is captured by a guard, who drags him over to Sir George, who orders he be locked up.

As the poncey dude approaches them, there’s a bit of a wind. He draws his sword and they run off.

Turlough is thrown in a building, where Andrew Verney greets him, telling him not to be afraid.

The Doctor says he has to talk to Sir George; when she questions this, he explains that the war games are the focus for the Malus’ energies, and since Sir George is in charge, he’s the man to talk to.

Will runs through the fields.

Tegan is staring out the window; Ben tells her she can’t escape. He assures her that her grandfather is safe. Sir George arrives to compliment how charming she is. She says she is in no mood to play a silly game, but George gets serious saying this is no game, but will change the future of mankind.

Andrew says Sir George’s “deranged mind” awakened the Malus. Turlough says they need to escape and find The Doctor. Turlough calls for a guard, but gets no response and asks what they can use as a battering ram.

Hampden questions why the Malus has been dormant – especially if it was in the village long before the English Civil War broke out. The Doctor says it takes massive psychic energy to awaken in, to empower it. The war did in 1643 and the reenactment is doing so in 1984.

Hampden realises that the final battle of the war games won’t be play, but for real – will be a real slaughter. They enter the office, as Tegan argues with Sir George. The Doctor asks Sir George to stop the war games and there’s a great line here:

Sir George: You speak treason!

The Doctor: Fluently. Stop the war games!

Sir George gives his gun to Ben, ordering him to kill them, and then departs. Ben asks The Doctor to explain what’s going on.

Suddenly, a psychic projection of a stone face appears in the air. Ben asks if he can shoot it, but The Doctor says it’s not physical. The Doctor tells Ben to take the girls back through the tunnel, then he departs to find Turlough.

Ben tells Tegan she’ll have to show up on the cart awaiting to take her, or they’ll have guards scouring for her and The Doctor will have no hope of succeeding.

Will scurries about the village.

Turlough and Andrew are exhausted from their attempts to break down the door.

The cart bears Tegan through the town, Hempden sitting on the back, as Ben steers it.

More of the wall obscuring the Malus breaks down.

The Doctor finds Will, who says things are just like before. They see the cart with Tegan passing by; Will tells him they’ll burn the Queen of the May.

The Doctor tries to casually walk by the May Pole, but Sir George orders his men to grab him.

More of the wall breaks down in the church, revealing more of the Malus’ grinning face.

The cart arrives at the May Pole, but Sir George realises something is wrong – the figure in a dress in the cart is an effigy. Sir George orders his men to kill Ben.

Will rushes in to help The Doctor escape and they leap on the back of the cart. Ben takes them to the church. Sir George, enraged, sends his men after them.

Finally, Turlough and Andrew break out. Andrew says they have to rush to the church to destroy the Malus, saying they don’t have time to look for The Doctor.

At the church, everyone but Turlough and Andrew reunite. They head to the TARDIS, where The Doctor chastises Tegan for not closing the door. There’s a pixelated manifestation inside the TARDIS, looks like a lizard-Malus.

Jerkwad and a guard try to enter the TARDIS. They try to break it open.

Inside, the Malus-lizard is getting stronger, more physical.

Andrew and Turlough arrive in the church, see the Malus. They hear the pounding on the TARDIS echoing from below.

The Malus senses that The Doctor is up to something and this makes it mad.

In the village, Sir George clutches his head and cries out, saying he must get to the church.

Andrew and Turlough knock out Jerkwad and the guard.

The Doctor manages to cut off the Malus from the emotional energy from the village. The Malus-lizard in the TARDIS begins to die. The Doctor leads everyone out of the TARDIS and Tegan is happy to see her grandfather. They head up to the church, but the Malus has generated three guards to attack the heroes.

The guard with jerkwad wakes and staggers up to the church; the psychic projections turn and kill him. The Malus has grown silent. The Doctor says it used a lot of energy and must be resting.

Before they can leave, Sir George arrives, raving that he is there, calling out to his master. This wakes the Malus again. Ben says Sir George used to be a man of honour, and tries to talk to him.

The Doctor tells Ben that Sir George is now under the control of the Malus. (C’mon, like he has to tell him this? The man is VISIBLY bonkers. Not to mention the mad shit he’s been doing all episode long.)

Ben asserts he has to try, since he is partially responsible for what has happened. Sir George doesn’t seem to know his friend, Ben. Everyone tries to reinforce that George listen to Colonel Woosley.

The Malus roars. Down below, Jerkwad wakes up.

Sir George argues that the Malus is not using him, that they are working together. The Doctor argues with logic, pointing out the influence of the Malus has him pointing a gun at a friend.

Just as Sir George drops his guns, Jerkwad attacks Ben. They struggle. Will shows up and shoves Sir George into the Malus, saying he’d be better off dead. George dies and the Malus begins bringing down the church.

Everyone rushes into the TARDIS as the church collapses about the Malus.

There’s a big boom.

The Doctor announces that the Malus has destroyed itself. Hempden asks if it was a machine or beast; The Doctor says it was a living being reengineered for war, sent as an advance scout/attack on the planet.

Turlough asks why they never invaded, but The Doctor isn’t sure and says he’ll have to check the records.

When Turlough asks why Will is still there, The Doctor admits he was wrong about Will being a projection, but actually someone who slipped between times.

Ben and Hempden shake hands with Jerkwad, who I guess was under the Malus’ influence, too. They promise no recriminations on their behalf if he helps them work to rebuild the village.

There’s a bit of silly banter at the end that just falls flat for me.

All in all, this serial wasn’t anything special. Not horrible, by any stretch, but very meh.

Serial 121 – Earthshock 2/2

Recap: Adric and The Doctor get into an argument; the boy wants to go home to E-Space. The Doctor, wanting to get away from Adric, lands the TARDIS on Earth, 26^th century. In a cavern. Where androids are attacking the people there. And there’s a bomb, which The Doctor defuses. The Cybermen are behind it, but our heroes don’t know it yet. The time travelers and a group of Earthlings follow the signal to an Earth-bound space freighter. But the danger has just begun as The Doctor and Adric are found looming over some dead crewmen…

Episode 3:

Having ordered the alarm to be sounded, the captain complains about it. Ringway reports to the bridge that he’s caught some stowaways and ordered to bring them to the bridge.

The Cybermen identify The Doctor on their viewscreen; the Cyberleader says they must make sure The Doctor suffers for his crimes against them.

Tegan and Nyssa talk Lt Scott out of going out to find out what’s going on.

The Cyberleader orders for his personal guard to be activated.

The Doctor tries to explain they have nothing to do with the previous disappearances, much less the murders. While the captain interrogates he and Adric, a power surge alert comes on. She accuses The Doctor of it being his work.

Nyssa identifies a massive electromagnetic field nearby.

Cybermen, in large baggies, come to life.

The captain questions the story The Doctor and Adric just gave her about the bomb on Earth and the signal traced back here. Another power surge is detected.

Kyle and Scott argue that they should go out and investigate. Nyssa says they need to stay.

The bridge crew tracks down the power surge to hold number four. Apparently, this has happened several times before, but never quite so strong. The Doctor advises shutting down the main power line that hold is run off of. He says he doesn’t know who is behind it, but they’re up to something.

The Cyberleader’s personal guard is activated; he learns that the crew knows of the power drain and says they will take the ship at once, ordering the activation of others to continue.

The captain refuses the first officer’s suggestion to drop out of warp. She refuses not only based on losing her bonus and having to pay a fine if they’re late. Despite the first officer arguing, she continues to refuse.

Nyssa says the electromagnetic field has diminished and says it’s safe if they want to go out. Tegan tells Kyle to let her wear her overalls, since the professor isn’t going out. When Scott opens his mouth to protest, Nyssa has a great line, one perfect for dealing with Tegan, “Don’t bother to argue.”

Scott gives Nyssa a communicator. He then leads a group of his soldiers out.

Ringway oversees some crew moving crates.

Adric answers The Doctor’s earlier question of “Why a bomb,” saying that a missile would never get through Earth’s Red Alert status.

The security cameras start going on the blink. The captain alerts Ringway. He and his men take positions behind the crates they set up outside the hold.

The Cyberleader and his guard march through the hold.

Tegan whines how big the hold is, saying they’ll never find The Doctor.

The Cybermen show up on the security monitors and The Doctor is horrified to see them. The Cybermen engage in a Cyberfirefight with the crew. The Doctor urges the captain to recall her men.

Scott and Tegan and soldiers hear the blaster fire and set their weapons to kill.

I love the marching music that accompanies the Cybermen. I need to go back and check all previous ones, to see.

Ringway enters the bridge, ordering the captain to shut up, that he’s taking control of the bridge. It seems that he’s the mole working with them. The Doctor tells him that he knows the Cybermen quite well. The captain accuses Ringway of being a traitor (rightfully so), saying they must have paid him well.

“I bet it isn’t in gold,” The Doctor says, going into a bit of exposition, reminding us that the Cybermen have a deathly allergic reaction to gold. Much of this is done for Adric’s benefit, as The Doctor tells him this directly. Ringway tells The Doctor, “When the time comes, killing you will be a joy.”

Adric tries to slip his academics badge off, but Ringway notices and grabs it. He sees that it’s made of gold. As Adric struggles with the traitor, The Doctor attacks Ringway, knocking him out. Verger, the first officer, shuts the blast doors to the bridge, stopping the Cybermen from entering.

The captain says the doors will hold until they get to Earth. “There’s only a few of them, the security boys can handle it.” The Doctor reminds her that this is an invasion force and there are more than a handful on board.

Adric asks how many of the silos are being transported to Earth. The captain answers fifteen thousand… and then stops, realising what that means. “No… it’s not possible!”

The Cybermen prepare to break through the bulkhead shields. The Cyberleader gives the order that The Doctor be taken alive.

Tegan and Scott and a handful of soldiers wander, apparently the only survivors. They search the bodies for Adric and The Doctor, not finding them. As they search, they see several Cybermen and hide, watching them from afar.

Ringway starts to recover; the captain has a great line. “I’ve just composed a rather nasty epitaph for him.”

Lt Scott points out that the ship crew had the same weapons they did and weren’t able to take down any of the silver creatures – he suggests direct combat is not the way to go. What, a military man in Doctor Who with a brain?

The Cybermen start cutting through the bridge door with a CyberThermalLance.

The Doctor attempts to stabilise the shield by tapping into the antimatter drive. There’s a clever bit of scientific swoggle, but you’ll have to watch the show.

The soldiers ambush the Cybermen guards. Both go down and Tegan rushes forward, grabbing the Cybergun and shooting the Cyberman, killing it. The other escapes.

As the shield door becomes soft (cuz a thermal lance just makes an entire surface soft, instead of cutting through it, apparently), the Cyberleader orders a Cyberman to Cyberpunch the door. The moment he does, the door becomes solid suddenly, with the Cyberman fused into it.

The Cyberleader says he anticipated this, saying The Doctor is a crafty opponent. The wounded Cyberman makes his way to them, crawling. The Cyberleader’s second says that according to Ringway, there were only ten crew, and all have been accounted for (killed, or stuck on the bridge.)

“Then he has lied,” replies the Cyberleader. I love their logic. He then orders the activation of reinforcements.

Cybercharges are placed on the bridge door. They blow the door open, the explosion knocking The Doctor, Adric, the captain and Verger to the floor. By the time they get up, the Cybermen have entered and take them prisoner.

The Cyberleader approaches The Doctor, “So, we meet again, Doctor.” He gestures to one of his Cybermen, who approaches The Doctor with his Cybergun, but then turns and shoots Ringway. “He deceived us,” the Cyberleader explains.

The Cyberleader gloats about his plan to destroy Earth. For creatures with no emotions, they sure are a Cyberproud people, no?

Reactivation has commenced, and we get a montage of Cybermen escaping the silos, bursting out.

Scott, Tegan and soldiers hear the noises and investigate. They are surrounded by Cybermen and the humans scatter. We get another montage of marching Cybermen with marching music.

The Cyberleader Cybergloats, “My army awaits, Doctor!” We get a close up of our hero, who swallows, quite nervously… and the credits roll.

Another fantasic Cybercliffhanger. (And I Cyberpromise, I’m done with the Cyberoverkill.)

Episode 4:

The Cybermen begin tampering with the ship’s navigational systems. The captain and Verger protest, saying that if they mess with it while in warp drive, the ship could disintegrate.

The Cyberleader replies, “Your technology is primitive compared to ours, mistakes will not be made.” So perfectly Cybermen.

Tegan moves through a corridor, alone. Cybermen are seen moving about.

On the TARDIS scanner, Nyssa and Professor Kyle see the Cybermen and are shocked at the size of them.

Scott, reunited with several of his soldiers, look for Tegan.

The Doctor postulates that the ship is being turned into a flying bomb.

The Cyberleader reveals that the purpose of this attack is to take out the conference on Earth – the conference is a gathering to sign together a pact to unite against the Cybermen. The Cyberleader feels that destroying Earth will destroy any chance of unity. (I would think the opposite would be true.)

Scott calls Nyssa, telling her that they’re uninjured (so I guess none of the soldiers got killed, my bad) but they lost Tegan.

Tegan gets captured by Cybermen.

Scott leads his soldiers back to the TARDIS, but the Cybermen are on their tails and enter the ship. By concentrating their fire, they kill one and use a second’s gun against itself. Professor Kyle is killed in the chaos, however.

Tegan is brought to the bridge, and the reunion allows the Cyberleader to realise that the Time Lord has emotions and affection for Tegan. The Cyberleader says this is weakness, The Doctor disagrees. The Cyberleader gives the order to kill Tegan and when The Doctor protests, the Cyberleader calls off the order, saying he has power over The Doctor now.

Scott leads his men back out. Nyssa gets emotional with him, not wanting them to leave.

The Cyberleader gives the order to evacuate the ship, but says they’ll be leaving the crew behind. Two Cybermen are left behind to observe the crew on the bridge and keep them from trying to interfere with the controls.

Tegan and The Doctor are ordered to be brought to the TARDIS, but Adric must stay behind. The Cyberleader threatens Tegan’s life if they disobey. Adric argues for The Doctor to go, and The Doctor shakes hands with him, wishing him good luck.

Adric says goodbye to Tegan, “I’ll see you soon,” as she is pushed out by the Cybermen.

The Cyberleader gives orders for the Cyberfleet to meet him near Earth; he plans to go via the TARDIS to observe the ship’s impact with Earth.

Scott contacts Nyssa, saying that the “robot-things” have left the ship, but he hasn’t located The Doctor yet.

Adric asks if there’s a way to alter the course so that it misses Earth; the captain says they’ll have to deal with the two Cybermen first.

The Cyberleader receives confirmation from the fleet on his plan; after the impact, a small force will arrive to help him subdue any survivors.

Scott splits up his men.

The Doctor and Tegan enter the TARDIS, and they tell Nyssa that Adric is “safe… for the time being”. She’s startled when the two Cybermen enter behind them.

Scott and several soldiers enter the bridge, taking out the Cybermen on board.

The last of the Cybermen being reanimated exit their silos. I thought they were all gone?

In the TARDIS, the Cyberleader has The Doctor lock on to the freighter’s coordinates, so they will follow it to Earth. The Cyberleader sends his Cyberman to search the TARDIS.

Adric and the crew try to hack into the Cybermen control device. Adric starts working on the triple logic code lock. Scott, the captain and soldiers set up a barrier to prepare for a firefight against the other Cybermen (guessing those are the ones that just reanimated.)

Tegan begs The Doctor to do something. The Cyberleader says their plan will not fail. She throws a tantrum and almost turns the TARDIS sidewards.

Adric solves the first logic code. Trying to see what they can do, Verger makes the freighter jump time warps. So, it’s a time traveling ship, too? Why wasn’t this mentioned before? Pretty sure the Earthlings didn’t have time travel in the 26^th century before.

The Cyberleader orders The Doctor to follow the ship.

When Verger says the ship is traveling backwards through time, the captain says it’s impossible. Adric says it’s not when, “You have an alien machine controling your ship.” Uh huh. Okay. That’s pretty fucking weak, even for Doctor Who.

The Doctor says he cannot follow the ship, it’s not on a fixed course. Even when the Cyberleader threatens Nyssa, he doesn’t budge.

Adric says if they can solve the last two logic codes they might be able to do something about their predicament.

The Doctor reveals that the ship is still heading towards Earth, so the danger remains. The Cyberleader is pleased. Tegan is horrified. The Cyberleader gloats that Earth “will never have existed as you know it.”

The ship comes out of warp drive as Adric solves the second code.

Despite The Doctor’s protestations earlier, they seem to have followed the ship again. The Cyberleader says to remain there, not get closer, to watch the impact from afar.

Adric hurriedly struggles with the computer, trying to solve the last logic code. The captain yells at him to hurry up, they’re abandoning ship. They argue, Scott eventually grabbing Adric and dragging him along into the lift, so they can get to the escape pod.

However, as the door shuts, Adric says, “Of course, that’s it,” and slips back into the bridge as the door shuts.

The TARDIS scanner shows an escape pod leaving the ship; the Cyberleader proclaims it is his guards leaving the ship before impact.

The Doctor announces that it may be of some interest to note they’ve traveled back “some sixty-five million years.” Tegan is too wrapped up in her self misery to get the hint, and says, “Big deal.” Nyssa has to educate her.

The Doctor gloats at the Cyberleader, saying the Earth is safe.

Adric continues to work with the computer, saying he must do it, he can do it. A wounded Cyberman crawls and staggers through the hallway to the bridge.

Scott contacts Nyssa via the communicator; he tells them they escaped but Adric is still on board. The Doctor solemnly pulls out Adric’s star from his pocket. Hiding it behind his back as the Cyberleader crushes the communicator, he tells him, “You’ve failed, Leader.”

The Cyberleader says The Doctor won’t be able to enjoy it, and levels his gun. Tegan grabs him from behind and the Cyberleader struggles, spinning around. The Doctor grabs him from behind and crushes the gold badge against the Cyberleader’s filtration unit. The Cyberleader lurches and cries out and fires randomly, hitting the TARDIS console. As he falls to his knees, The Doctor grabs the Cyberleader’s gun and shoots him with it.

Adric is perplexed; he says out loud, “There’s something missing… something I’ve forgotten.”

The Doctor rushes to work the TARDIS console, but says there’s too much damage.

Adric works the computer, but a wounded Cyberman staggers onto the bridge. As Adric realises the solution, the Cyberman shoots the device, but collapses to the floor, dying.

“And now, I’ll never know if I was right,” Adric says, his face a mask of fear and regrets.

The Cyberleader’s companion returns to the console; Nyssa shouts to The Doctor, but he yells, “I must save Adric!” Nyssa grabs the Cyberleader’s blaster and kills the other Cyberman.

The three stop to look at the scanner as the ship impacts into Earth. Nyssa screams out Adric’s name.

There’s a close up of Adric before impact.

The Doctor closes the scanner as the girls embrace. He staggers away from the console, stunned. Tegan and Nyssa cry and embrace again.

The credits roll, in a unique way. No usual ending credits sequence, no music. Just silence, Adric’s smashed badge on black, and the credits rolling. This is the sole time the credits were ever run without music.

Powerful… but ultimately, Adric died for nothing. He didn’t die to save the day. Why not have him come up with a way to send the ship back in time on his own – his choice to stay and have to guide it back to a point where it would be safe to impact Earth? That would have given his death MEANING at least.

Other than that and some silly bits, this is one of my favourite serials. Sadly, it’s followed by one of the worst ones ever. Ugh, I’m dreading that.

Serial 121 – Earthshock 1/2

Why, hello there! Long time no see. Yep, we’re back at it.

And boy, oh boy, are we starting off with a doozy. This is a great episode, but damn… I’ll say no more, let’s just get started.

Episode 1:

We open with a group of humans in some form of uniforms, most black, who are armed with weapons. At least one woman in a grey uniform (and a white helmet, as opposed to everyone else’s black helmets.) They’re setting up equipment in a rocky terrain.

A technician operates a scanner, but comes up with nothing. They’re scanning for mammalian lifeforms and the woman in grey worries that whomever they’re scanning for are dead. One of the black-suited men tries to reassure her, but doesn’t try that hard.

Apparently, the woman in grey was the sole member of a group of eight doing a survey in the cavern below, when something went wrong. She says they were all paleontologists and geologists and they’d just discovered a new branch rich in fossils.

The scene switches to inside the caverns, the tunnels light by lamps. Two figures walk in the shadows.

The soldiers and the woman in grey prepare to go down. Two soldiers are left behind to man the scanner. When she’s away, the leader asks one of his subordinates if she believes Professor Kyle (the woman in grey.) They agree that she’s likely telling the truth, as far as she knows it.

The soldiers and Kyle head down. As they make progress, the two on the surface watch the scanner. They see a repeating ‘flare’ on the scanner, but the scanner tech says it’s not worth reporting to Lieutenant Scott.

In the TARDIS, The Doctor knocks on the door, then enters, Adric’s room. He has a book that seems to fascinate him and he tells Adric he must read it. Adric is, typical of teenagers, sulking in bed, looking all pouty.

The book The Doctor is reading is “Black Orchid”, which he was given last serial. Adric starts whining about how everyone teases him and he never gets any proper attention from The Doctor. The Doctor agrees to make more time, but Adric says he’s promised that before.

Adric continues to complain and criticise and The Doctor gets mad and storms off. Adric follows, saying he wants to go back home.

Lt Scott leads Kyle through the tunnels. Kyle discusses a series of issues the expedition had – tools going missing, equipment breaking down, etc. Scott asks if she thinks it was sabotage, but Kyle says there would be better ways to do so. As they move on, we see the two sleek silhouettes moving in the shadows.

The Doctor storms into the console room, arguing with Adric that the TARDIS is not meant for E-Space. Nyssa agrees with The Doctor, saying it’s dangerous. Adric says he could calculate the course, even with negative coordinates.

Tegan tries to stand up for Adric, but gets snapped at by The Doctor. Adric asks to use the computer and The Doctor tells him to go ahead, then storms off again. I’m not sure who’s being more childish – The Doctor or Adric.

In the tunnels, the lights flash suddenly. One of the soldiers stumbles and hurts her shoulder. There’s a wonderfully stupid bit of dialogue – “I’ve hurt my shoulder.” “Can you walk?” I’ve hurt my shoulder before, it’s NEVER impacted my ability to walk.

Scott radios to the two on the surface, to tell them he’s sending up the injured soldier. As they talk, there’s serious static over the line. It seems to coincide with the ‘flare’ on the scanner. Scott tells Walters to trace it, but there’s a bell-like tone in the tunnel and Scott says, “too late,” as the line goes dead.

Kyle says she’s heard that sound before – minutes before the expedition was attacked.

Once more, we see the sleek silhouettes. They seem to look at one another.

The TARDIS appears somewhere in the caverns. Inside, Adric scribbles furious on a pad. The Doctor announces they’re on Earth, 26^th century. Adric has to be specific, saying it’s the year 2526 in the scale called Anno Domini.

Tegan and Nyssa try to get The Doctor and Adric to make up, to work together, but both refuse, petulantly. Tegan follows The Doctor as he goes outside for a walk. Nyssa stays to talk to Adric, who is already sorry for his snark. Nyssa tells him to finish the calculations, then show them to The Doctor once he’s calmed down. She leaves to follow Tegan and the Time Lord.

On the surface, Walters and the other (I missed her name) view the scanner – they see three groups of lifeforms – the main party, the injured soldier and escort returning to the surface and a new group of three, unknown to them – obviously The Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa!

They report the new lifeforms to Lt Scott; they tell him that one of the lifeforms has two hearts.

Tegan and Nyssa speak to The Doctor, asking him to make it up to Adric. He agrees, saying he won’t go back to E-Space. Nyssa asks him to look at the figures first and the Time Lord reluctantly agrees.

Scott orders his soldiers to set their weapons to stun, at the news of the newcomers.

The two sleek figures are seen; they seem to be comprised of metal or something, completely smooth exterior, no features whatsoever.

As Tegan, Nyssa and The Doctor investigate the cavern tunnel, Adric works on his figures, watching them on the scanner.

Professor Kyle is given the coordinates for the intruders and she says it’s a tunnel near where they were attacked.

The wounded soldier and her escort stop. The woman on the surface goes down to help them.

The Doctor and the ladies find fossils of dinosaurs and discuss them, as Nyssa is unaware of them. The Doctor discusses the death of the dinosaurs; when Tegan says an asteroid, he says he doesn’t know, but always meant to go back and find out.

Snyder (that’s her name) contacts Walters, checking in to find where the wounded party is. He gives her directions.

The wounded party sees one of the sleek figures. The wounded soldier asks if it’s Snyder.

Snyder can’t find them. Walters tries to triangulate, but there’s a flare again. He says the computer doesn’t register it. Snyder hears a scream and rushes off. Walters yells over the communicator for her to get out of there, as the other two are dead, but we see that she is too, and the sleek figures stand there, impassively.

Professor Kyle collapses as the troops rush through the tunnel. Scott calls for a stop and then is contacted by Walters, who says Snyder and the other two are dead. Scott asks if the aliens are still there and Walters confirms. Scott sends Sgt Mitchell and a few others to go back and investigate what happened to Snyder and the other two.

Adric watches as The Doctor and ladies wander. He says out loud, “Don’t wander too far, Doctor.” This line has always stuck with me, for some reason.

Professor Kyle has recovered enough to continue and the troops move on.

Tegan wonders what evolutionary stage her ancestors were at when the dinosaurs passed on. The Doctor smirks, remarking, “Primitive, Tegan… very primitive.” Stupid Tegan.

The scanner flares again. Walters contacts Mitchell, who is leading her secondary group, warning her the scanner is flaring again, very near her.

The main group of troops (led by Scott, accompanied by Kyle) reach a large open room and take cover, realising they’re near the aliens.

Mitchell and her two soldiers (oooh, big troop) find the burned remains of Snyder (identified by her name tag which survived). Suddenly, the sleek figures approach them. They report their presence to Walters, who says there’s no reading. Suddenly, Mitchell screams and her life-form blip on the scanner goes out, as do the two with her. Walter yells into the communicator, cuz, well, that’s the smart thing to do.

The Doctor and ladies enter the large room Scott’s troops are hiding in. Tegan identifies mining equipment, and she and Nyssa approach, despite The Doctor’s caution. Scott and the troops step out. Kyle says she doesn’t recognise any of them.

When The Doctor makes introductions, Scott yells at him to shut up. Walters contacts Scott to report Mitchell and her men are dead. He tells Scott the hostiles that killed Mitchell and company never showed on the scanner. Scott says that’s impossible and tell him to keep trying. Scott throws down The Doctor and demands to know where the bodies are.

As usual, the travelers try to explain they didn’t kill anyone. Kyle says the bodies must have been covered by the rockfall.

Adric suddenly gets an alert from the TARDIS and sets down his figures.

The two sleek figures run through the tunnels.

The soldiers find a metal plate in the rock, a hatch. Scott demands The Doctor open it. Suddenly, the two sleek figures arrive and begin shooting (they have weapons build into the palms of their hands, it seems.) Everyone takes cover and a firefight starts.

The Doctor explains to Kyle and Scott they’re androids. Kyle says she recognises the sound of their blaster fire, saying they’re the ones who attacked them. The Doctor asks if she knows why they attacked, but she doesn’t. He remarks that whomever is controlling the androids must have had a reason.

We see a scanner showing the view of the androids. The view focuses in on The Doctor. Suddenly, our camera view switches and we see several Cybermen standing, watching the view, seeing The Doctor (though they shouldn’t recognise him, they haven’t met him in this incarnation yet) and the Cyberleader barks, “Destroy them! Destroy them at once,”… and the music plays.

A good episode, they were going for a surprise of bringing back the Cybermen, and did a great job of it. (I even understand the filming was hush-hush.) Great reveal at the end, great cliffhanger! I can only imagine watching that and not knowing they Cybermen were the bad guys (they were last seen in 1975, I believe) and having to wait a week… oh, wait, the show was aired twice a week on consecutive days then. Still, having to wait 24 hours, when you guys only have to wait less than a second!

Episode 2:

The Doctor tells Scott to have his soldiers concentrate their fire on one of the androids; they single out the one on the right and and manage to damage it. The Cybermen discuss that the androids are programmed for self-preservation and will take precautions not to be further damaged. The androids retreat to the entrance.

Adric leaves the TARDIS.

The Doctor suggests that the androids are protecting the hatch. Nyssa brings up that the androids are more logical than people, which The Doctor suggests could be used against them.

Adric wanders into the area, calling out for The Doctor, but sees the androids and hides.

The Doctor and Nyssa propose that if the soldiers attack the hatch, they’ll create a conflict in the androids between their programming to defend the hatch and protect themselves.

As the soldiers attack the hatch, the Cyberleader says the humans must be stopped. The androids move to act, but Adric distracts one by throwing a large rock. The soldiers take advantage to focus their fire on the android’s head and it explodes. The other android moves off.

As the soldiers congratulate each other, Nyssa examines the head of the android that went blooey. She shows that the android was transmitting and The Doctor says that whomever the hatch belongs to now knows the android was destroyed.

The Cyberleader says to activate the device; his subordinate argues with him. The Doctor works on the hatch. The Cyberleader gives the order to detonate the bomb.

The Doctor opens the hatch, revealing the bomb within! The Doctor orders everyone back into the TARDIS. When Scott radios to Walters, the chirping of the bomb can be heard over the radio. The Doctor realises that the signal was sent from afar and not a result of him opening the hatch, as he’d originally thought. He rushes with the others into the TARDIS, attempting to jam the signal.

(But if the signal has started the countdown, why must there be another signal to detonate? That makes no sense whatsoever.)

The Cyberleader prepares to detonate as The Doctor hurried rushes to jam. With moments left, the signal is jammed. The Cyberleader calls for more power.

The Doctor and Adric run to the bomb, to deactivate the bomb before power is increased to break the jam. While working, they discuss why the androids didn’t attack Kyle’s party for the first four weeks of the expedition. Suddenly, the signal breaks through and the bomb starts up again.

Desperate, The Doctor randomly starts cutting the bomb, and luckily gets the right one.

The Cybermen are dismayed that the bomb has been deactivated. The Cyberleader says that Earthlings are too simple to overcome Cybertechnology. (Ah, yes, I forgot that everything is Cyber- with the Cybermen. My Cyberblogging will do it’s Cyberbest to Cyberkeep up.)

The Doctor asks why a bomb, why these caves? Adric says it’s not their problem.

The Cybermen review the recording from the android from the fight. The Cyberleader sees the TARDIS, recognising it. (So they just made it seem that The Doctor had been recognised.)

The Doctor and companions prepare to trace the signal to deep space, to see who is behind the bomb. Scott and Kyle insist they come along and The Doctor reluctantly agrees.

The Cyberleader tells his Cybersubordinate about The Doctor. On their little scanner, we get video of the First Doctor lecturing the Cybermen on emotions, then the Second Doctor speaking of orders to destroy him and the Fourth Doctor calling them “a pathetic bunch of tin soldiers skulking about the galaxy in a spaceship”.

Realising that none of these men were there, the Cyberleader says he’s regenerated once more.

Lt Scott gets a subdued line of “Bigger than you think,” as he and his troops are led deeper into the TARDIS. The Doctor asks Adric to stay, but the boy whines that he’s hungry. The Doctor thanks him for his help in deactivating the bomb and helping with the android.

The Doctor says that if Adric could work out a course, he’d see about taking him home. Adric says the work is already done, even a way through the CVE. The Doctor compliments him and then apologises for their argument. Adric does the same, saying he over-reacted.

Adric says he doesn’t really want to go home, that there’s nothing there for him. The Doctor says he did the work for nothing, but Adric laughs and says it made a point… “Besides, you never know, I might change my mind again.”

The Cybermen prepare their contingency plan to attack Earth.

On a space ship, a man and woman debate about their captain being on a space station a long time. They discuss morale and non-functional security scans. They get a report that the captain is about to come aboard.

Elsewhere, the TARDIS materialises on the freighter, apparently in a cargo hold. The Doctor and Adric exit, to do some recon.

The captain, accompanied by two men carrying her goods, enter the bridge. She gives the crew new coordinates. The captain complains that she was kept there seven hours, explaining that there’s some big conference going on Earth, thus all the increased security… but the ship has an all-clear all the way to Earth now.

Ringway, one of the officers, worries about some missing crew. Apparently, he feels the captain should have brought it up with the security inspection, but she says it can be dealt with later – she’s more concerned with getting to Earth on time and getting a bonus.

In the TARDIS, Lt Scott grumbles that he should have gone with them. Tegan says he’ll be fine. A signal beeps on the console and Nyssa says the ship has entered warp drive.

A security patrol wanders the catwalk on the cargo hold; one mutters that he doesn’t want to go wandering through all the crates in the hold. The other says you could hide an arm down there and nobody could find it. (Hmmm.) They see a motion and go to investigate.

Adric asks why they’re going back and forth, but The Doctor says he wants to announce his presence.

The Cyberleader receives a report that the ship has gotten the all-clear to Earth, but the missing crew is still an issue for many on board. The Cyberleader says they have intruders in the hold that can be used as scapegoats.

Adric wants to go back to the TARDIS, but The Doctor says they should have been seen by now and will stay out a few more minutes.

Ringway contacts the men in the hold, who report they saw someone. Ringway gives the order to apprehend them, that he’ll be down immediately.

Adric tells The Doctor he has the feeling they’ve been spotted some time ago and are being followed.

The patrol wanders, seemingly having lost their prey.

The woman on the bridge sees The Doctor and Adric and calls the captain.

Adric and The Doctor hear some screams and run to investigate.

The captain arrives on the bridge and gives the order to sound the general alarm.

Adric finds the dead patrol. Ringway comes up behind The Doctor and Adric as they inspect the bodies. Adric says they should go before they’re found and blamed and when they turn, Ringway, gun pointed at them, says, “On this ship, we execute murderers,”… and the credits roll.

Another well done cliffhanger and the one you get until later this week. See you then!

Serial 117 – Four To Doomsday 2/2

 

 

Recap: The TARDIS lands on a ship traveling to Earth; there are some ominous things going on. Dum dum dum!!!

 

 

Episode 3:

 

Tegan is horrified at the nature of Bigon.

 

Bigon informs them that some on board have a disk on their hand – they are slave robots with only one chip (while others like he, have three.)

 

Monarch explains to Nyssa and Adric that his people are not biological life forms. She over-simplifies by saying they’re androids, much to Monarch’s disappointment.

 

Adric asks about the subservient or slave caste androids. A little philosophical discussion comes up and we get the explanation of “flesh time” – Monarch’s word for being organic.

 

“I have overthrown the greatest tyranny in the universe – internal and external organs.” – Monarch

 

When Nyssa asks about love, Monarch turns to Enlightenment, who defines it as “The exchange of two fantasies.”

 

Adric proclaims that Monarch has performed a miracle; so pleased at this, he orders them released. Monarch says that they can help him save the Earthlings from the flesh time. Nyssa argues against this.

 

The Doctor learns Monarch’s plan from Bigon – he will come, offering peace and advance science to the Earth people. He tells them that Monarch has a deadly poison that causes organic matter to shrink upon itself and with that he will conquer Earth.

 

Adric (who I think is more clever than Nyssa and playing long) tries to get Nyssa to see the light of Monarch’s way. When Nyssa calls Monarch a tyrant and compares him to The Master, Adric explains who The Master is.

 

Bigon reveals that Urbanka’s sun didn’t go supernova; Monarch ravaged the planet, destroying the ozone layer and laying the planet to waste. Monarch is obsessed with going faster to light, going back to before the Big Bang, to before – he believes that he is a deity and will find himself waiting before the Big Bang.

 

(The Big Bang is a recurrent theme this season.)

 

Adric explains that The Doctor is a Time Lord, and that The Doctor gets his power from other Time Lords, notably one called Rassilon. Enlightenment speaks of a legend about a Rassilon who found the Eye of Harmony. Monarch dismisses that as superstition.

 

Adric is eager to reveal much to Monarch – perhaps he’s not playing along. He answers many questions about the TARDIS. Nyssa yells at him to shut up, but Monarch who encourages him along.

 

Monarch sends Adric off to ask The Doctor about going on a sight-seeing tour of the TARDIS, but doesn’t let Nyssa go along. He has other plans for her, it seems.

 

Bigon urges The Doctor that Monarch must be stopped at all costs. Tegan begins to flip out again. Jesus. He makes her stay and he heads out with Bigon.

 

Enlightenment hypnotises Nyssa. She is taken to the Mobiliary. Monarch sees the orb that The Doctor put out of commission and shows anger for the first time.

 

The Doctor continues to take out orbs. Monopticons, rather. He and Bigon make their way to the library. Bigon explains that the Athenians working in there are attempting to solve formulae for exceeding the speed of light.

 

Nyssa is placed in a chamber by the Chinese and hooked up to a helmet – this seems to be the recording chamber for memories, prior to someone being converted into an android.

 

Adric returns to the quarters and asks Tegan where The Doctor is. It seems Adric isn’t playing along, he really believes Monarch as the two of them begin to argue about the danger to Earth.

 

As they argue, she shows him the TARDIS key; He tries to get it and they struggle. Adric is thrown to the ground.

 

Bigon leads The Doctor to the Floral chamber. This entire serial is wandering about the ship. They have frogs there, that the Urbankans are using to replicate the poison they will use to conquer Earth.

 

Tegan makes it into the TARDIS and starts fiddling with switches. She realy doesn’t know what she’s doing, of course.

 

The Doctor and Bigon have made it to the Mobiliary. The head Chinese guy confronts them, but Bigon prevaricates and bluffs their way in. Bigon explains this is where the “metamorphoses” take place. He shows The Doctor the drawers holding the Urbankans. The Chinese man is listening in and slips off, presumably to report.

 

Bigon then shows The Doctor the poison.

 

Tegan flips more switches.

 

They see Nyssa in the chamber and pull her out. She tells The Doctor that Monarch wants the key to the TARDIS.

 

Adric comes to in the quarters, holding and rubbing his head. He staggers out.

 

Tegan presses buttons and turns dials.

 

The Chinese man reports to Monarch that Bigon and The Doctor are planning the destruction of the Urbankan people. Monarch gives the orders for Bigon to be de-circuited and The Doctor to be destroyed.

 

Tegan gets panicked as she fights with the controls.

 

The Doctor asks Bigon if there’s any help they can rely on, any weapons, but Bigon says the other leaders cannot be trusted. He says he can try to reprogram the slave androids.

 

Nyssa asks The Doctor for his sonic screwdriver, saying she wants to try something, but Adric comes running in, saying Tegan is trying to move the TARDIS.

 

Just then, Persuasion and a bunch of androids come in, taking The Doctor prisoner.

 

Tegan manages to get the TARDIS moving. Monarch watches as the TARDIS dematerialises.

 

Bigon is dragged off to be de-circuited. Persuasion gives the order for an Athenian to kill The Doctor. The Time Lord is forced to his knees and the soldier lifts his sword high as Adric struggles… and the credits roll.

 

Decent cliffhanger, what what?

 

Episode 4:

 

Nyssa uses The Doctor’s sonic screwdriver and a pencil to short circuit the disks on the soldier’s hands. Persuasion pulls out a gun and points it at The Doctor, but Adric jumps in the way.

 

Monarch gives the order not to hurt the boy. Adric pleas to Monarch, saying that he cannot join him if The Doctor is going to be hurt. Monarch orders for everyone to be brought to him, but first Nyssa is relieved of the sonic screwdriver.

 

Persuasion orders The Doctor to turn out his pockets. The items are returned upon being checked. Persuasion orders The Doctor, Adric and Nyssa to the control room.

 

Tegan finds herself outside the Urbankan ship.

 

En route to the command room, The Doctor looks outside the window and sees the TARDIS out there.

 

In the command room, The Doctor and Monarch argue and make accusations, but then Monarch backs down, playing the congenial victor. He orders for Nyssa to be taken away and sedated, as a guarantee of The Doctor’s good behavior.

 

Monarch orders for a recreation and then gives The Doctor and Adric permission to withdraw. After they leave, he proclaims that Adric cannot help but be with him now.

 

Tegan references a book and exclaims, “Holy Mumbo Jumbo!”

 

Persuasion returns to the command room, to inform Monarch that Nyssa has been sedated. Monarch watches the screen, seeing the recreation, wondering where The Doctor and Adric are. He sees Bigon there. Persuasion leaves to find the Time Lord and his companion.

 

Back in their quarters, The Doctor apologises to Adric and says he might have been wrong about Monarch. Adric is pleased to hear that. Monarch listens in via the orb (which is still wearing The Doctor’s hat and cannot see, but can hear.)

 

The Doctor retrieves his hat, talking all the while about the positive qualities of Monarch. This is music to Monarch’s ears, of course. They depart to attend the recreation.

 

At the recreation, as the aboriginals dance, The Doctor and Adric watch as Persuasion arrives to see them there. The Doctor takes Adric aside, “Now, listen to me, you young idiot. You’re not so much gullible as idealistic. I suppose it comes from your deprived, deliquent background. Monarch is the greatest force for evil in the known universe…” and proceeds to explain. Adric argues, but The Doctor tells him to shut up and listen.

 

The Mayans replace the aboriginals in the recreation.

 

Adric keeps arguing The Doctor’s points. Finally, Adric agrees that he’s with The Doctor and The Doctor feigns being tired. (Watching, Monarch proclaims another weakness of the flesh time – fatigue.)

 

Tegan kicks the book and stomps on it, as it hasn’t helped her figure out how to get out of her situation.

 

The Doctor takes Adric to the Mobiliary; they use a magnifying glass to disorient the Monopticon there. As Adric holds the glass, The Doctor speaks to the head Chinese android, pleaing for him to listen.

 

Monarch sees the visuals from the Mobiliary Monopticon and orders Persuasion to investigate.

 

The Doctor finally gets Lin Futu to agree to re-circuit Bigon. He asks Lin to have the dragon dance next in the recreation and then he and Adric leave. They return to the recreation hall and sit next to Bigon as the dragon dance begins. Persuasion checks in and sees them there and departs. The Doctor waves to the Monopticon there and Monarch is pleased.

 

As the dragon dancers leave, The Doctor and Adric and Bigon have slipped under the costume of one of the dragons. The dragons dance to the Mobiliary, Adric again using the magnifying glass to disable the Monopticon, while Bigon in placed in a repair booth.

 

Monarch and his ministers watch the wrestling match of the Athenians, the next part of the recreation.

 

Tegan keeps trying stuff on the TARDIS.

 

Bigon, recircuited, sends a signal to summon the Mayan leader and the aboriginal leader, saying they will join once they have heard the truth. Adric (who is no longer disorienting the Monopticon, wonder what’s up with that) asks what they’re to do. Nyssa is there, having been woken.

 

The Doctor says he’ll have to use a hatch to go out on a lifeline to the TARDIS. Bigon says hatch 9 is nearest. Lin Futu provides a space suit (the androids need it when doing repairs outside as their lubrication freezes up in the cold. The look of confusion on The Doctor’s face prior to the explanation is priceless.)

 

Monarch finally notices that Bigon, The Doctor and Adric are no longer at the recreation.

 

The Mayan and aboriginal leaders arrive (and we see a chinese android holding the glass to the Monopticon, so that answers that). Bigon tells The Doctor that there is a failsafe mechanism for overriding the androids – built in is a collective override to prevent mutiny. To facilitate this, he orders for all the recreations to happen at the same time.

 

Monarch realises that this is a plan and gives order to kill Nyssa and find and destroy The Doctor.

 

Adric, in the space suit, and The Doctor, in his helmet, are at the hatch. The Doctor ties a rope and jumps out, while Adric feeds out the rope. Persuasion shows up and he and Adric fight. The Doctor comes back in to help Adric.

 

Monarch sends Enlightenment to go help. The Doctor pulls out Persuasion’s circuits and tosses them into space. Again, The Doctor leaps out to the TARDIS. Again, the rope isn’t long enough.

 

Enlightenment comes in and blasts Adric and unties the rope. Monarch gloats from his command room. Adric wakes and attacks Enlightenment, disabling her in the same fashion.

 

The four cultural leaders watch from the window; Bigon says The Doctor’s six minutes are almost up (how long he can withstand space’s cold without a protective suit.)

 

The Doctor unties the rope and pulls out his cricket ball. Throwing it at the ship, it bounces back and he catches it – the momentum taking him to the TARDIS door.

 

Monarch, watching, announces, “I, too, am not without agility, my friend.”

 

The Doctor enters the TARDIS and works the controls as Tegan asks questions.

 

Monarch makes it to the recreation room, pushing his way through the dancing madness. The TARDIS appears and he waits as The Doctor and Tegan exit. Seeing him, they run and Monarch gives orders to cut life support.

 

Back at the Mobiliary, Adric puts on his space helmet, Nyssa and Tegan put on the two they had, as The Doctor goes into a trance. Lin Futu hurries to assembled another space suit helmet and they get it on him.

 

The Doctor asks Bigon to change the course of the ship, and then he and the companions and the leaders head to the TARDIS.

 

Monarch beats them to the TARDIS, armed with a rifle. The Doctor takes the poison from Adric, and throws it on Monarch, who shrinks down to a tiny size – seems he was still partially organic!

 

Goodbyes are said and the TARDIS dematerialises. As The Doctor sets coordinates for Heathrow, Nyssa cries out and collapses… and the final credits roll.

 

Oh noes! I don’t remember that bit! Wonder what’s up with that. We’ll have to wait until next week.

 

Again, this was a bit of a lacklustre serial. Lots of neat bits, lots of interesting characters, but still managed to fall flat. A bit too much… I think it would’ve been better as only two or three episodes.

 

Ah, well. Still enjoyable for the most part.

 

Serial 117 – Four to Doomsday 1/2

I know I’ve seen this, pretty sure I’ve seen all of this season, but I’m drawing a blank about what this one is about…

Episode 1:

We open with a spacecraft flying through space (hey, that was a theme a couple seasons ago, wasn’t it?), a big blocky vehicle, vaguely Battlestar Galactica looking.

Inside, the TARDIS materialises.

Adric tells Nyssa they’ve arrived. Nyssa goes to fetch The Doctor, but he and Tegan come in. The Doctor says they’re ahead of schedule and asks Tegan when her flight was. She gives the time and he consults the console, confirming the date and time – saying she has a couple hours.

However, when he opens the scanner screen, they see it’s not Heathrow Airport outside! Adric defends the coordinates he set, but The Doctor sees traces of a magnetic field. Checking more, he sees the atmospheric readings are all wrong for Earth. He dons a rebreathing helmet and heads out, issuing orders for the companions to remain in the TARDIS.

Stepping out, he begins examining the machinery in what appears to be a laboratory of some sort. A floating orb begins following him about, though he is quite unaware.

Opening a viewscreen, he sees the stars outside and wonders if he’s on a spaceship.

Someone in a control room orders the orb to look at the “intrusion” and it floats back to view the TARDIS. Several people talking (we don’t see them yet) say they do not know the object. The orb then follows The Doctor, as instructed.

The companions wait for The Doctor; Tegan is a worry wart and wants to get a helmet of her own to go out. She claims he might be in trouble (though they can see him poking about casually and haven’t noticed the orb yet, so I’m not buying that.)

Adric has a great line, “Oh, he’s always in trouble, Tegan. Haven’t you noticed? It amuses him.” He urges her on patience and she gets (melo)dramatic. Adric makes some very chauvanistic comments, offending both Tegan and Nyssa.

The Doctor finally notices the orb observing him.

Nyssa and Adric discuss some of the technology they see outside. The Doctor returns and tells them about the ship and the “monopticon”, the orb. He tells them to get helmets and they go out to poke about.

The inhabitants of the ship, watching from their control room, run a scan and identify the TARDIS as Earth origin, saying that is their destination. (Okay, it looks like an Earth object, but shouldn’t it scan as otherwise?)

The Doctor and Nyssa start geeking out over the technology; Nyssa notes that there are several devices that do the same purpose, but of different technological phases. The Doctor says that is what is interesting.

The orb zooms in on The Doctor as commanded by the (still unseen to us) controllers. The Doctor determines that the orb has a force shield. He attempts to engage it in conversation.

The inhabitants have determined the intruders to be Earthlings.

After The Doctor asks the orb if he could be taken to the leader, a door opens; Tegan and The Doctor go through, leaving Adric and Nyssa behind in the laboratory – Nyssa is attempting to get a device working and The Doctor tells Adric to stay with her (much to his disappointment.) He sulks and yells at the orb, like the whiny snot that he is.

Nyssa gets him to help her with machinery.

The multiple voices in the command area discuss the Earthlings, wondering if they’re more advanced than expected, and wondering if they’re more civilised than they understood.

Nyssa sends Adric into the TARDIS to fetch the time curve circuits, wanting to use the device to scan them.

The Doctor and Tegan arrive at the command room. Three alien, green skinned humanoids, sit in what seems to be a throne of sorts. The lead one introduces himself as Monarch. His companions are Enlightenment and Persuasion, the former seemingly female, Monarch and Persuasion seem to be male.

The Doctor explains that they come in peace and inadvertantly. Monarch orders the computer to initiate full life support so they may remove their helmets.

Monarch explains he is the supreme leader of the people of Urbanka. The Doctor realises they are a long way from home. It comes up that the Urbankans have not visited Earth in 2500 years.

Enlightenment asks Tegan about female fashion and she begins to draw a sketch for the alien. There is a slight tension in the air that The Doctor seems to note as well as Tegan.

A human approaches Nyssa from elsewhere in the lab. He is an old man in white robes. When Adric comes out seeking her, she is nowhere to be found; only the orb floats. When he asks where she is, another door, I’m not sure if the same one the old man came through or not, opens, and Adric passes through.

Monarch asks questions about how the TARDIS got on his ship; again, The Doctor seems tense about answering. As they talk, Adric arrives. He defends his sums and Monarch challenges him to show off his knowledge.

Tegan presents the sketch of a man and woman in fashionable gear to Enlightenment and Monarch instructs the visitors to go to another room for refreshments.

Monarch praises Enlightenment for getting a sketch from Tegan.

Adric is worried about Nyssa, as they head elsewhere. The Doctor tries to reassure the boy. They are led into a room where Nyssa awaits (as well as an orb.)

In the laboratory, Monarch inspects the TARDIS. He attempts to gain access using a laser key, then a directional cobalt flux, but neither unlocks the door. He is frustrated and storms off.

Bigon, the old man who approached Nyssa in the lab, enters, carrying trays. He introduces himself. Bigon admits that he is an Athenian, and sets out a meal of fruits, nuts and juices for them. A man in primitive dress enters and speaks to Tegan, who speaks Australian aboriginal tongue (of course she does.)

She says the man says he is on walkabout, going to Heaven.

Monarch is watching this from the command room; Enlightenment and Persuasion are nowhere to be seen.

In the refreshment room, a woman in Mayan dress enters, then a Chinese man in traditional robe. The Doctor questions what they’re doing on the ship and wonders if they’re hostages; through the orb, Monarch communicates to them not to answer The Doctor’s question (though it is not obvious to The Doctor and companions what is said.) Bigon says if Monarch has not told them, they must not answer.

A man and woman in green arrive; they are the spitting images of Tegan’s drawing! They tell them that Monarch says they will be at Earth in four days and they are to complete the journey with them. When The Doctor asks who they are, the male responds they have already met. “This is Enlightenment, and I am Persuasion.”

At this shocker, the credits roll.

Nifty bit, that. I remember this serial in general and a few specifics (like that last bit), but more than that, not much.

Episode 2:

Tegan is very upset by this development. Enlightement assures her that there’s nothing to be afraid of.

They explain their technology allows them to do this. Adric questions if he could do it and Enlightenment says he could, but he has no need… adding an ominous, “Yet”. Persuasion informs them that they do have a need, as the dominant emotion on Earth is fear and the last time they visited, they were greeted with hostility.

Monarch, still watching, consults his computer on Gallifrey.

The Doctor inquires the purpose of the journey to Earth. They explain that Urbanka no longer exists and they are going there for resettlement, bringing three billion of their people with them on the one ship.

Monarch instructs his ministers to relate no more, and the orb in the room chirps. The computer tells there is no entry on The Doctor or Gallifrey.

Once the meal is complete, Bigon is instructed to lead the visitors to their quarters. Bigon says they will be comfortable there, “I was.” They are led into a room that doesn’t look very comfortable.

Adric asks Bigon where the others of the three billion Urbankans are.

Bigon assures The Doctor that he has no need of the accomodation any longer. He mentions being rescued from Earth one hundred generations ago. Monarch (now accompanied by his now human seeming ministers) complains that the old fool is chattering.

Bigon suddenly departs, though there was no orb to relate Monarch’s displeasure.

Tegan is quite panicked and says she wants to go now, once The Doctor says he doesn’t anticipate any difficulty getting back to the TARDIS. However, the Time Lord has other plans.

The Doctor places his hat over the orb in the room and then activates a small device, cutting off Monarch’s listening ability. Monarch seems pleased at The Doctor’s intelligence, saying he could be a valuable ally. Persuasion says he could be a dangerous enemy, too.

Tegan then complains about the buzzing from The Doctor’s device (she complains a whole lot, I don’t remember her being so fucking obnoxious…) He tells her if they want their conversation to be private, she will have to put up with the buzzing.

Adric says there’s no way three billion people could fit on one ship and the Urbankans must be lying… or mad. The Doctor points out that Enlightenment didn’t speak of three billion people, but of a population. When Adric says they’re the same thing, The Doctor calls it “sloppy thinking”, pointing out there are at least three billion bacteria in the room they’re in.

The Doctor realises that the Mayans flourished 8,000 years ago, the Futu dynasty in China about 4,000 years ago. He suggests the aborigine was taken twelve thousand years ago.

Tegan says that’s mad. The Doctor says that the humans they met could be descendants of the originals taken. He lays out that the Urbankans visited four times that they can guess at, taking at least one representative each time. Now they’re coming back, looking to place three billion Urbankans with three billion humans. (Funny, a quick Google search suggests that the population of Earth in 1982 was 4.2-4.6 billion.)

Monarch tells his ministers to find a way to separate The Doctor from his companions, saying the boy and girl (Nyssa and Adric) will tell him more about The Doctor than he will himself.

The Doctor leads his companions out of their quarters. The Doctor and Tegan pass into an open door, which closes and cuts off Adric and Nyssa from them. The two teens go through another open door.

The Doctor says they were meant to lose them and cautions Tegan to stay calm.

Monarch says for the youths (or all, i’m not sure) to be allowed to move freely. He tells Enlightenment that he wishes to examine Bigon and she departs.

In a common area, we see groups of people – Athenians, Mayans, Futu chinese, aboriginals. Five Mayan women do a dance as music is played. The Doctor and Tegan enter and Persuasion joins them, inquiring about the “junior companions”.

He explains this is a recreation; when The Doctor asks how Urbanka is represented, Persuasion says they have no culture, “Such concepts are for the primitive.”

Monarch scolds Bigon for telling The Doctor too much. He says he wants to know more about The Doctor before telling him about “the ultimate”. Bigon warns him that when he does, The Doctor’s hand will be against him.

“Then I will cut it off,” Monarch replies, matter-of-factly.

Nyssa and Adric wander about, watched by orbs. They find themselves in a greenhouse; the plants are tended by aboriginals, who barely acknowledge them and do not speak to them. The youths leave.

The Mayans’ dance comes to a conclusion. Those assembled applaud. The Chinese present their entertainment next, two Chinese dragons come out and dance.

The Doctor tells Tegan not to fret too much, telling her to pretend to be enjoying herself at least.

Nyssa and Adric walk into a room where they have difficulty breathing. For two geniuses, it takes them long enough to remember they’re carrying around their helmets. (Watching, Enlightenment remarks that they have lungs – why this is worth stating, I don’t know. Monarch says, “Let them remember that.”)

Putting their helmets on finally (morons), they see Athenians working on computers. Adric realises the Athenians don’t need oxygen! He taps the arm of one of them, telling Nyssa the man’s arm is ice cold.

Nyssa sees a silver disk on the back of the man’s hand and realises they all do. When she messes with the disk, Monarch says she goes too far. The orb in the room chirps and the man shoves her away, never acknowledging her otherwise.

Another door opens and the youths depart.

The dragons depart to much applause. Bigon enters and claps his hands one, as four men enter. Two in gladiatorial gear face off against one another.

Bigon kneels by The Doctor and pretends to explain the contest (as Persuasion is watching from across the room), saying he needs to see him in private, as soon as possible. He asks The Doctor to make a diversion in about ten seconds and steps away.

The Doctor gets up and collapses, drawing attention from the orb and Persuasion. Bigon slips off as Persuasion checks on The Doctor, who says it was just a dizzy spell, “Must be the altitude.” (Enlightenment remarks to Monarch that was a fatuous remark, and Monarch replies, “Ah, the flesh time,” a phrase used a couple times before.)

Adric and Nyssa wander into another room, this time Chinese tending the machines. They find an induction furnace.

Enlightenment questions if it is wise “to let the children see the Mobiliary chamber?” He assures her he is in charge of things.

The gladiatorial fight ends with one running the other through with his sword. The audience applauds, but Tegan runs off, horrified. The recreation continues, the fallen man being dragged off, and aboriginal dances taking the floor.

Tegan runs into their quarters, where Bigon awaits. She’s rather upset. The Doctor follows, activating his buzzy thing. He chastises Bigon for his taste in entertainment; Bigon consoles Tegan, saying, “It is not as it seems!”

Nyssa and Adric watch the slain gladiator enter and lay down on a bed, where he is repaired – a cover slides down over the bed and glows brightly, then rises. The wound is completely healed.

Monarch orders for the children to be brought to him, and the healed gladiator and his companion approach Adric and Nyssa, who back away, fearfully.

Tegan (now composed) admits that The Doctor was right. Bigon explains that the first visit was over 35,000 years ago when Kurkutji (the aborigine) was taken. He explains that Monarch has increased the speed of the ship, cutting back the time between visits, with each trip.

Bigon reveals that he is not organic; he peels back his chest and slides up his face, to reveal a robotic body… and the credits roll.

And that’s our cliffhanger for today, kids. See you Thursday!

(This is really a slow-paced serial and could be better – the concept is neat enough to keep interest, but not as well as it should.)  

Serial 108 – Horns of Nimon 2/2

Recap: The Nimon is a minotaur like creature who has made a contract with the former glorious empire of Skonnos. The Skonnons have been gathering tribute for the Nimon, and when the final batch of Anethans (food for the Nimon) is delivered, he is to give them technology to build their new battlefleet and start a Second Skonnon Empire.

The Doctor and Romana get caught up in things. (Yanno, that line could be a regular description.)

Episode 3:

The Doctor shows up, just after the Nimon slays the co-pilot. Waving a red piece of cloth, he speaks to the Nimon, coaxing him to follow. Backing into the larder, he waves the cloth like a matador’s cape, but the Nimon blasts at it with his horns, seemingly releasing one of the Anethans in cryo.

Romana grabs the co-pilot’s gun and fires on the Nimon, urging the Anethans to flee. Only two, Seth and Teka, do so and follow. The Doctor runs off in a different direction.

The Nimon begins speaking of the journey of life again, something he speaks of often, apparently. He says that the mere five crystals will suffice.

Soldeed and Sorak examine the exterior of the TARDIS. K-9 watches them from within.

The Doctor reunites with Romana, Seth and Teka. They discuss the changing walls and pathways and the crystals that were brought as tribute and the Nimon’s using them in his furnace.

The Nimon orders the Anethans to bring forth the tribute and they place the crystals in a machine. The machine (the furnace?) glows brightly and the Nimon growls and gesticulates. He says they have achieved “operational power level” and “the next step in the great journey of life will soon be accomplished.” He then blasts one of the Anethans with his horns.

The Doctor and others find a room full of machines. The Time Lords quickly deduce that the set up is for transmitting energy – even the horns on the building itself are for that. Teka and Seth are sent to keep watch for the Nimon.

The Doctor then realises that the complex resembles a giant positronic circuit, which is why the walls keep moving. They decide they need K-9 to solve what the system is designed to transmit. The Doctor blows his whistle.

K-9 comes out and is accosted by Soldeed, Sorak and the guards. Soldeed manages to neutralise K-9.

Trying to guess what the purpose is, The Doctor speculates a transmat, but there’s no transmat pad. They quickly determine that it’s beaming to the black hole.

The Doctor brings up mentioning the black hole to Soldeed and him not knowing what The Doctor was talking about. Romana gets the best line ever in response: “Oh, well, people often don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Soldeed gives a rousing speech to his Skonnon battlefleet leaders. Afterwards, he speaks with Sorak, who questions what’s in it for the Nimon. Soldeed says that the Nimon is godlike and thus it appeases him to receive tribute in exchange for power.

They return to Soldeed’s quarters, where Sorak says something for nothing is something he finds hard to trust. Soldeed claims that he is playing the Nimon “on a long string”.

The Nimon walks the halls, growling. Teka and Seth stand on watch; again Teka seems to think that, somehow, this little boy is going to solve it all. They hear the Nimon approaching and Seth sends her to warn The Doctor.

Seth follows her to the room where the Time Lords await, as the Nimon is right behind him. Everyone hides behind machines as the Nimon enters and tends to the instruments. The Time Lords try to determine what he’s doing, but it’s no use, they’re unable to.

Soldeed crows about how he has used the Anethans, the Nimon and he said he would use K-9 (who is in the room, his side panel open) if he could figure out how. He admits that K-9’s construction is greater than his knowledge.

Suddenly, the horns on the power complex begin glowing; Sorak sees this through the window and points it out to Soldeed, who says to mark this moment as the beginning of the Second Skonnon Empire.

The sky glows red and the Skonnons are trepidatious. Soldeed enters the power station to confer with the Nimon.

Teka asks Seth what the Nimon is doing, but the ‘prince’ admits he doesn’t know. She demands to know why he doesn’t know. I could really do without the whole Seth/Teka storyline.

As the Nimon works the controls, a door opens in the room and a large stone… egg? Appears. The Nimon approaches it, growling. He opens a hatch and out step a group of other Nimons. He welcomes them to the new home for the Nimon race.

One of the two new Nimons say that his work is just in time – their planet, Crinoth, is finished. The three of them set about to begin the migration.

The Doctor and Romana realise that they’ve used the black hole as part of a hyperspace tunnel to travel across the universe. Seth and Teka are set on guard duty again as the Time Lords set to examining the capsule and equipment.

A gleeful Soldeed marches through the halls.

As the Time Lords tinker, an alarm sounds. Romana rushes to where The Doctor is, but he says not to worry. He thinks he can reverse the beam and possibly even send the Nimons back.

Soldeed calls out for “Lord Nimon”. Seth and Teka hear him and rush to The Doctor to warn him. The Doctor is busy with the beam reversal and ignores them, but accidentally sends the capsule, WITH ROMANA STILL IN IT, back to where it came from.

As he sets to bringing her back, Soldeed arrives and blasts the machinery with his staff. As The Doctor frets about Romana, Soldeed points his staff, saying “You shall die…” and the credits roll.

Again, I’m not terribly thrilled with this serial, like most of this season.

Episode 4:

Seth shoots Soldeed before he can blast The Doctor. The Doctor checks on the damage to the machinery, but seems less than optimistic.

Romana appears on Crinoth and is pursued by two Nimon.

The Doctor says he cannot fix the machinery without K-9.

Sorak enters Soldeed’s chambers and contemplates K-9.

Romana runs from the Nimons.

As The Doctor tries to use his gravitic anomoliser to get the machine working, Soldeed slips off. There’s a whole butt load of overacting. It’s really not impressive.

As Romana is cornered by the two Nimon, a man comes to her aid, using a staff much like Soldeed’s. He blast the Nimons and introduces himself to Romana as Sezom. Romana is very, very jumpy and Lalla Ward is overacting. Seems to be a theme.

Sezom says this is left of Crinoth; the Nimons have destroyed everything, everyone… everyone but him. He is weak and says his time is almost up. She helps him to sit down. He says the total destruction of the planet and his people is his fault – he was the one who allowed the Nimons to come there, to serve them in exchange for promised peace, technology, prosperity.

Sezom says there was only one Nimon at first, that he had no idea that the cost would be so great.

Seth (carrying Soldeed’s staff) and Teka (wth the blaster) get separated in the changing halls as they pursue Soldeed.

Sorak fiddles with K-9 and results in activating him.

Sezom compares the Nimon to locusts. He agrees to help Romana try to get back to Skonnos to warn them.

Seth runs through the halls, calling out for Teka. There’s a lot of S-names in this serial. Teka walks backwards through the halls, then comes across the dead co-pilot, his body laid out on the feeding table. This brings her to the larder.

Soldeed takes her captive there, but then the three Nimons arrive, much to Soldeed’s horror.

The Doctor fiddles and pulls the lever, bringing back the capsule. However, inside is not Romana, but several Nimons. He quickly closes the door and sends them back.

On Crinoth, the Nimons depart the capsule, confused to find themselves still on Crinoth. One stays to guard the capsule while the other departs.

Sezom and Romana skulk about, hiding from a Nimon who storms by, growling.

K-9 demands to know where he is. Sorak is amazed he can speak, but once K-9 blasts him with a warning burst, he obeys the robot dog’s instruction to put him on the floor. K-9 departs, Sorak calling after him to wait.

Romana overhears several Nimon discussing the “final contingency”. If Crinoth explodes too soon, too many Nimon are still there and the great journey of life must continue. They leave and Sezom explains that without the power plant on the other side, the only way for the Nimon on Crinoth to power the transfer would be to canniablise Crinoth’s energy itself.

Sezom explains that though the Nimons gave him his staff, he’s modified it enough so that it can stun them, using jacenite (a rock with a powerful electromagnetic charge) to amplify it. They use the staff to stun the Nomon guarding it, but before it goes down, he blasts Sezom.

As he lays dying, Sezom holds off other Nimon with his staff, while Romana goes back inside the capsule.

Two Nimon approach The Doctor. In a great case of shoddy dialogue, one Nimon tells the other, “Kill him… but not yet, we need to know who he is.” Yeah, that’s really awesome. They take him prisoner.

On Crinoth, two Nimon prepare to blast the capsule, knowing an alien is inside.

On Skonnos, the Nimon reverse the beam and the capsule is brought there, just as the Crinoth Nimon start to blast the capsule.

Romana throws the jacenite to Seth, who just arrived, and he is instructed to wedge the rock into the staff and blast the Nimons. One of them blasts Seth (though he’s barely hurt), but K-9 (who just arrived) blasts it from behind.

The Doctor sends Romana and Seth to the larder to find Teka and save the others, while he and K-9 work on trapping the Nimons in a time tunnel.

At the larder, they find Teka in one of the cryo chambers. Soldeed is there and he calls Romana a “meddlesome hussy”. She confronts Soldeed with the knowledge that there are a great many Nimons and he’s been played. Soldeed’s mind doesn’t handle this, but he blames Romana. He rushes to the furnance and pulls down some levers, saying they’re all doomed. Seth blasts him, but it’s too late.

The reactor has gone critical.

Seth frees the others from the larder (ok, not cryo, just paralysed.) Teka celebrates that Seth defeated the Nimon. K-9 leads everyone out of the power station.

The Nimons awaken in the control chamber and leave in pursuit.

Outside the power station, Skonnons gather, perplexed and confused.

K-9 keeps having to recalculate the path. This is the slowest, most boring chase scene ever, worse than when the cops were chasing OJ Simpson. He leads them to a wall, but K-9 insists it is an exit. The Doctor argues with him for moments, not figuring out it is an illusion.

The Skonnons are amazed as the Anethans come out. Teka starts praising Seth as the Skonnons ask questions, but the Time Lords come through, yelling for everyone to take cover. (Right, a nuclear reactor is going to blow and taking cover isn’t going to help much, yo.) Everyone flees the great hall.

The power complex explodes. I love when the little model buildings go blooey.

Back in the TARDIS, Romana bemoans when she sees The Doctor is tinkering with the TARDIS console yet again. They discuss leaving Skonnos with Sorak in charge – The Doctor says he won’t be much better, but they’ll be too busy rebuilding to bother anyone else.

On the scanner, they watch as Crinoth explodes. The Doctor says it’s the end of the Nimon, and good riddance, too. Then they watch the Skonnon ship taking Seth and the Anethans back.

And we end with a silly joke that I won’t even bother repeating.

Not the worst serial this season, not by far, but I am still pretty much not happy with this entire season.