September 10: The Armageddon Factor Parts Five & Six

Apparently I had lowered expectations going into these last two parts: I had a memory that the Drax bits were too jokey and that the very end wasn't very good.  It was therefore nice to be pleasantly surprised.  These two episodes hold up quite well.

But yes, if the first two episodes were primarily on Atrios, and the second pair on Zeos, then these final two are set on the Shadow's world (what the Doctor calls the planet of evil but which looks more like a space station, at least from the model shots).  There's a sense of trying to disorient the Doctor (and therefore the viewer) by providing fake voices and multiple visions of Romana, but it doesn't quite come off.  And as it turns out, it doesn't last too long either, as the Doctor counters fellow Time Lord Drax, who refers to the Doctor as "Theta Sigma".  As About Time mentions, it really does feel, given Bob Baker & Dave Martin's history of naming Time Lord characters after Greek letters (Omega), that they're revealing the Doctor's real name after all these years.  (Fortunately (since Theta Sigma is a dumb name) The Happiness Patrol will retcon this as a nickname.)  The Drax bits are quite entertaining, and I like how the Doctor rumbles his game almost immediately -- which means we don't have to worry about Drax betraying the Doctor at a crucial moment.  Mind, part five's cliffhanger makes it look that way...

All the shrunken stuff in part six is okay, but this episode is really about trying to obtain the complete Key and stop the Shadow from handing it over to the Black Guardian, and doing so before time runs out on the time loop and Atrios and Zeos annihilate each other.  This does give things some welcome tension, and while the events themselves aren't the most exciting (it's basically about the Shadow getting the first five segments, turning Princess Astra into the sixth, and having the Doctor and Drax infiltrate the Shadow's main chamber via K-9), that time pressure makes you wonder if they're going to achieve everything in time.

The Doctor commands the completed Key to Time while Romana
looks on. (The Armageddon Factor Part Six) ©BBC

The very end of the episode is a bit problematic.  The bit where the Doctor pretends to have gone mad with absolute power doesn't really work (although one wonders if it would have been more successful if Dudley Simpson had put some dramatic music over the scene), and there's a bit of a sense of "that's it?" at the end.  Yes, the Key to Time was completed, but the Doctor is never seen to hand it over to the White Guardian, choosing instead to rescatter the pieces across the universe (which brings Princess Astra back, who tenderly looks at an injured Merak -- except I'm so heartily sick of Merak by this point that the scene doesn't have the impact I suspect they were going for).  It's a bit anticlimactic for a season-long arc, and while there are theories to account for this (one is that the Guardian in The Ribos Operation was in fact the Black Guardian in disguise, and that the Universe wasn't actually in grave danger; this appears to have been the view that the production team took -- at least according to interviews with Bob Baker), the problem is that none of those theories show up on screen, which does leave an unfinished feeling at the end.  (Oh, and speaking of unfinished business... what actually happened to all the Zeons?  Did they die early on?  Are they all in hiding on another part of Zeos?  We never find out.)

Still, this only happens at the end, and before that The Armageddon Factor is a surprisingly entertaining story.  There's a feel of an epic here in Bob Baker & Dave Martin's final story for the series (and as it turns out, the last six-parter as well¹⁰⁷), and even if what we get on screen doesn't quite match the effort, there's still plenty here to engage with.  It's also nice to have a story that's actually largely about the Key to Time, as opposed to the other five stories this season, which treat the Key as an incident along the way.  Making the Key the focus helps with that epic feeling.  It's not perfect, but The Armageddon Factor is a damn sight better than its reputation would have you believe.

Season 16 was, of course, the first season of Doctor Who to have a linking theme for all the stories.  As an experiment I would say it was a qualified success.  Certainly having a specific season-long goal gives the stories an impetus that contributes to the feeling of something monumental going on.  Of course, the fact that these six stories often only have a passing familiarity with the Key to Time as they go on to tell their own tales (The Androids of Tara in particular) does lessen the impact somewhat, but I found I didn't mind.  It's only at the very end that things disappoint, and as that's something that could have been solved with an extra line or two of dialogue it's not that frustrating an ending.  The production issues behind the scenes (essentially, linking six stories means you can't switch the running order around any, which causes problems when one of the stories is having troubles) meant that they were unlikely to try this again, but in general the Key to Time season works more often than it doesn't.

Of course, the other thing to note about this season is how uninterested it is in being scary.  The one story that half-attempts this (The Stones of Blood, if you've forgotten) seems incredibly uncommitted to making things terrifying.  This is a season far more interested in space stories and in romping about and having a good time.  This obviously suits Tom Baker just fine, as he seems far happier being invincible and having fun than in being dark and brooding.  But the issue this causes is that the focus of the show is now squarely on the lead actor's shoulders.  Doctor Who, at this point in time, is no longer interested in exploring strange environments and presenting striking, often scary, imagery; now it's all about watching the Doctor and Romana romp through the action and being generally invincible -- content to make jokes at the baddies rather than look worried (which, to be fair, isn't the worst lesson in the world).  It works as well as it does because, frankly, Tom Baker is incredibly entertaining to watch, but there's a sense that there's only so much more of this the programme can take and still remain viable.  Doctor Who has essentially become a light entertainment show, something safe and comfortable; we're a long way away from its beginnings.







¹⁰⁷ Allowing for the fact that The Two Doctors (and, sort of, "Utopia"/"The Sound of Drums"/"Last of the Time Lords") is essentially a six-part story masquerading as a three-parter.

September 9: The Armageddon Factor Parts Three & Four

The action shifts in these two episodes from Atrios to Zeos, as we see what the other side has been getting up to.  Well, I say "the other side", but it seems there's a third party involved, a tall, dark, emaciated figure called the Shadow who wants the Doctor to hand over the first five segments of the Key to Time.  But he seems to believe the Doctor will make a mistake and so leaves him be to explore Zeos.

K-9, the Doctor, and Romana in Mentalis's computer room. (The
Armageddon Factor Part Three) ©BBC

There's a lot of corridor wandering in these two episodes, but in part three, at least, I find I don't mind too much, as there's enough to sustain interest.  The stuff with K-9 and Mentalis, the Zeon computer, is a lot of fun -- particularly K-9's pleasure at encountering another computer and his slight exasperation with all the organics he has to deal with; K-9 often comes across as a mobile plot-solver-cum-weapons-platform, so it's nice to see him get some characterization.  And while Davyd Harries is starting to get a little looser with his portrayal of Shapp, I still don't really mind it.  He's leagues ahead of the characterization of Merak, who seems so focused on Princess Astra to the exclusion of everything else that he comes across as unbelievably wet and annoying.  Mind, even the Doctor (or is it Tom Baker?) seems irritated with him, as he snaps at him near the end of part three.  The cliffhanger to part three, by the way, gives us our best ever look at Doctor Who's standard monster actor Pat Gorman, who here is the Marshal's copilot.

It does start to sag a bit in part four, though.  The best part involves the Doctor constructing a temporary sixth segment to hold the Universe in check long enough for the Doctor and Romana to stop the impending Armageddon from both the Marshal (who's preparing to blast Zeos out of the sky) and Mentalis (which is prepared to destroy both planets if an attack gets through).  The idea of the time loop affecting the Marshal's ship and the Zeon computer room, and how the time loop is slowly stretching as the makeshift sixth segment burns out, is clever (even if it isn't incredibly original).  The stuff with Princess Astra and Merak, on the other hand, is rather dreary -- Astra may be possessed, but this seems to be an excuse for some rather theatrical acting.  And at this point in the story it's hard to care about the Shadow, as all he's doing is lurking sinisterly -- he's not really putting many plans into motion.  Still, it's one of the better cliffhangers, as it's rather unsettling to hear K-9 refer to the Shadow as "Master" -- and the Shadow is more than happy to laugh maniacally as the credits roll...

September 8: The Armageddon Factor Parts One & Two

Five hundred episodes!  That's quite a milestone that The Armageddon Factor Part One has reached.  And it's also my anniversary, which is a different kind of milestone and rather harder to tie in with this story.  I guess there's that couple at the beginning ("Men out there, young men, are dying for it")?  No?  I guess not.

This is another one of those stories that gets a rough ride from fandom, but -- at least on the basis of these first two episodes -- it's hard to see why.  It's no worse than anything else we've seen under Graham Williams's producership, and there's quite a lot to enjoy here.  The propaganda video is honestly a nice touch, juxtaposed as it is with the scenes of despair and destruction we see in the makeshift hospital on Atrios.  I also like the iridescent quality of the braids and such on the Atrian costumes.  I'm less convinced about using an office chair as the Marshal's seat of power though.

See, the thing is that these episodes are structured quite well, and no one really lets down the side on the acting front; people often deride Davyd Harries, but here, at least, he's quite pleasantly understated.  The worst of them is probably Ian Saynor as Merak, and that's only because the script needs him to be all moony over Princess Astra.  And this is probably Mary Tamm's best performance as Romana, as she's finally figured out how to deliver the exposition lines in a way that sounds natural (a problem that she was having in earlier stories).  Plus there's a lot of fun to be had with John Woodvine's performance as the seemingly possessed Marshal of Atrios, constantly fingering his neck and prone to sudden, irrational mood swings.

It's got a decent set design, a good cast, and a reasonable script (well, except for the second cliffhanger, where the Doctor suspects he's walking into a trap and then seems surprised when the trap is sprung).  It's not going out of its way to impress anyone, but so far The Armageddon Factor is a solid, entertaining story.

September 7: The Power of Kroll Parts Three & Four

Kroll emerges to destroy the Swampies' settlement. (The Power
of Kroll Part Three) ©BBC

Actually, these episodes are better than I had remembered them being.  That's not to say that they're undiscovered classics or anything, and part three is definitely the weaker of the two, but they still manage to remain entertaining for the duration.

But man, that join between sky and swamp...

As I said, part three isn't so great, due in no small part to the fact that the Doctor, Romana, and Rohm-Dutt the gunrunner spend most of it being slowly stretched to death as a ritual sacrifice to Kroll.  There are a few moments of fun to be found (such as Romana's exasperation at the Doctor's reaction to their impending demise), but the resolution (giving the Doctor a heretofore unknown superpower of high-pitched screaming that can shatter glass) comes out of left field and is thus rather unsatisfying.

But the emergence of Kroll, join aside, is rather good, and the shot of Rohm-Dutt being dragged away by a tentacle is far better than it has any right to be.  The cliffhanger is rather odd, though, as it hinges on us caring about a nameless Swampie being dragged under the waters of the swamp.  Unless it's simply supposed to represent that Kroll is on the hunt?

Part four has quite a bit going on.  Some of the Kroll shots are better than others -- the one where it's jabbing its tentacles through the shrubbery wall is surprisingly effective.  Meanwhile, Thawn, the leader of the refinery, appears to have gone mad, since he doesn't seem to care about the thought of wiping out the Swampies (and possibly the refinery itself) in his pursuit of destroying Kroll.  He's even willing to kill John Leeson's character to achieve his goals.  This means that things have been accelerated to a fever pitch, and so it's quite exciting when everyone turns up in the refinery for the story's final act.  Ranquin is killed by his god, Thawn is killed by the Swampies, and the Doctor's decisions, first to sabotage the orbital shot that Thawn intends to use to kill Kroll, and then to head out to face Kroll armed with the tracer (he has a theory that the Symbol of Power that Kroll swallowed 200 years ago is the Fifth Segment of the Key to Time) are treated surprisingly somberly.  The latter choice in particular is one that Tom Baker chooses to play very straight.  "Here," he says, giving his scarf to Romana.  "Where are you going?" she asks him.  "To test a theory," the Doctor replies.  "All theories have to be tested some time, and this seems as good as any.  You stay here in case I'm wrong."

Ranquin prays to his god. (The Power of Kroll Part Four) ©BBC

I also don't find I really mind the bit of danger after Kroll is defeated, where the orbital shot is going to go off on automatic and can't be shut down.  Yes, it looks like blatant padding, but it's blatant padding with Philip Madoc at the helm, so it remains highly watchable anyway.

Unless The Armageddon Factor ends up being significantly worse than I remember it being, The Power of Kroll will still end up being the weakest story of season 16.  But other than a bad choice regarding the masking of the camera, the effects of this story are better than I remembered them being.  The Kroll model itself is nicely done (and the shots of it attacking the refinery are pretty good), and the scenes of its tentacles aren't too bad either; in fact, the close-ups of its body as the Doctor goes out to face it with the tracer are surprisingly good.  The worst thing about this story is that it's a bit dull; there's too much focus on the Swampies (who look great but are rather more questionable as characters) at the beginning and the refinery plot remains too unconnected to everything else for too long.  But it does manage to bring things together in a reasonably satisfying way at the end, which is more than can be said for a number of other stories.  It's not the best, but it's better than its reputation.

September 6: The Power of Kroll Parts One & Two

Poor Norman Stewart; first he's tasked with directing Underworld, and now this.  He does the best he can with what he's given, but the problem seems deeper than what he can do.

No, the main mystery with this is why Robert Holmes, a man who worked on the production side of things and was around for stories like Invasion of the Dinosaurs and Robot, was unable/unwilling to convince Graham Williams and script editor Anthony Read that a story about a giant monster was a bad idea.  But no, instead we get a story with gun-running rogues, green natives, and a truly gigantic squid (the realization of which in part two is a hell of a lot better on the picture-stabilized DVD than on the original).

To be perfectly honest, though, these first two episodes aren't that bad.  All the swamps and high reeds do make this looks like an alien moon, and it's nice to have one that's not in a quarry.  And Tom Baker seems a bit more reined in on these two episodes (slipping cups of liquid into his pocket aside), which does sell the threat a bit more.  And the green makeup on the native "Swampies" is surprisingly effective.  And somehow, they've managed to put together a top-notch cast, with Philip Madoc, Neil McCarthy, and Glyn Owen.  They've even gotten John Abineri as Ranquin, the leader of the Swampies.  This is a talented cast, to be sure.  The problem, though, is that these two episodes are a bit dull.  There's some stuff about sending guns to the Swampies that looks like it was meant to both give the Earth colonists a reason to kill them all and discredit a troublesome organization at the same time, but it's handled in such a way that it's difficult to care.  The scenes in the methane refinery are slightly more interesting, but they're just tracking the strange movements on the sea bed that turn out to be Kroll, a gigantic squid who happens to be waking up after a 200 year slumber -- there's little else going on.  Really, it's only the scenes with the Doctor that are really watchable, and he spends a good deal of time being captured.

Any good bits?  The Kroll monster costume that turns out to deliberately be a costume is a nice touch, and the model of Kroll is actually rather good -- it's simply the mix between the effect and the film that doesn't work (and even if the cameraman hadn't physically masked off the top of the shot while shooting, thus making a very obvious straight line across the screen, it's unlikely this would have really worked).  And it's nice to actually get to see John Leeson, the voice of K-9, for a change.

Like I said, the worst thing about these two episodes is just that they're a bit dull -- even the usually reliable Philip Madoc seems to have trouble delivering lines in an interested manner.  But the cliffhanger to part two, where a rather unconvincing rubber tentacle breaks through a pipe and pulls one of the refinery workers inside, might be a worrying sign of things to come...

September 5: The Androids of Tara Parts Three & Four

Happily, these two episodes are just as wonderful as the first two.  The third episode is primarily concerned with a deal between the Doctor and Count Grendel to get Romana back.  The Doctor, naturally, suspects a trap ("They always want you to go alone when you're walking into a trap, have you noticed that?"), and the Count doesn't plan to disappoint him.  But his villainy is so satisfying -- making an android assassin version of Romana and willfully stringing along his assistant, Lamia (who is hopelessly in love with him) -- that it's genuinely distressing when Lamia is accidentally shot down by the Count's men, as it seems cruel and unexpected rather than just desserts.

Zadek and the android King, along with the Doctor, listen to what
Count Grendel has to say. (The Androids of Tara Part Three) ©BBC

Of course, these two episodes also highlight the continuing shift in Tom Baker's performance, to make the Doctor less serious than before.  The third episode has the scene where the Doctor exits the little house where the exchange for Romana is to take place after the Count tells him that he has "my word as a Gracht you will not be harmed," only to be shot at by the guards' men, whereupon he ducks back inside, sticks his head back out to yell, "Liar!" and then ducks back in.  It's a fun scene, but it does require us to take the Doctor as a more comic figure than before.  There's also the start of the swordfight between the Doctor and Grendel at the end of part four, which has more clowning from the Doctor -- he might be doing it deliberately to provoke Count Grendel, but it still looks like Tom's not taking things seriously.

But honestly, those are minor complaints, and it helps enormously that this is the sort of story where such behavior fits in: the Doctor is playing the role of the charming hero, and so his actions are broadly in the same vein.  And that climactic swordfight, once it gets going, is one of the best we've seen on the whole series so far; it has an energy and drive that a lot of swordfights on the show have lacked (due, presumably, to safety concerns), and it helps that it's recognizably Tom Baker (and not, say, Terry Walsh) for a lot of it -- it gives it that sense of verisimilitude.

The whole story is really one whole bright and charming tale, full of life and fun.  It's also nice to have a story with such "slight" stakes: only one kingdom is at stake.  Yes, obviously it's a take on The Prisoner of Zenda, but it's done with such style that it's hard to care -- and it's not like Doctor Who hasn't plundered other sources for stories before.  It's not an Important tale, and there are a couple duff moments here and there, but overall The Androids of Tara is a breezy, entertaining yarn.

September 4: The Androids of Tara Parts One & Two

There might not be a Doctor Who story that is better described by the word "charming" than The Androids of Tara.  From the moment it begins, there's a sense of cheerful effortlessness that pervades the entire piece.  Compare, for instance, the chess game here with the one in The Sun Makers: the Doctor is still losing here, but he seems far less aggrieved about it than he did last season.

There's also something marvelous how David Fisher (who, as the author of both this and The Stones of Blood, becomes the third writer credited with back-to-back stories) chooses to deal with the fourth segment of the Key to Time almost immediately, by having Romana locate it in the first ten minutes of the story while the Doctor's off fishing.  Of course, this is also the moment where the infamous Taran Wood Beast appears.  There are a number of stories that have a token monster to (presumably) keep the kids happy (The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Caves of Androzani, and Ghost Light spring to mind), in which said monster is actually quite decent but still receives criticism from fandom just because it's in the story at all.  While the Taran Wood Beast is another token monster, it deserves all the criticism it gets; it's clearly a man in a fur suit with an appallingly poor mask to complete the ensemble.  Surely they could have spent a little time on that face?

But other than this brief blip, it's a delight all the way, as Romana is captured by the wonderfully villainous Count Grendel (who makes no attempt to hide his ambitions but doesn't insist on being a vile and twisted man as well), while the Doctor is grabbed (at electrified swordpoint -- "Do you mind not standing on my chest?  My hat's on fire," the Doctor tells his assailant) by the other side: those working for Prince Reynart, who establishes himself as the obvious "goodie" of the story -- note the way in which he accepts the Doctor's word with a smile on his face, to show that he's a just and reasonable man.  And since the Doctor knows about technology and the Prince and his men don't -- knowledge of such things being a peasant skill (one wonders if Fisher is making a sly comment on the sorts of upper class people who, say, don't know how their car works, just that they need to call a mechanic when it breaks down) -- Reynart knows that the Doctor will be useful in helping him being crowned king, thanks to an android replica of the Prince.  There's also some stuff about how Romana is a very close lookalike for the Princess Strella, and so Grendel at first thinks she's an android and then decides he'll use the resemblance to his advantage.  It's all pleasingly entertaining.

Obviously complications are introduced in part two, with Reynart being kidnapped by the Count and the Doctor having to use the android to fool everyone at the coronation, but this same feeling of charm runs through these events as well, and you can't help but smile as they happen.  It's a well-balanced tale so far, and everyone in the cast seems to be having a good time making this -- there's not a misjudged performance among them.  If things continue like this, The Androids of Tara will be a winner.