An Hour of Who a Day: 05/05/14

May 5: The War Games Episodes Five & Six

Episode five is focused much less on the regulars and much more on the supporting characters. There's infighting going on in the Resistance camp while the Doctor is evading capture in the aliens' control center. Zoe is less successful and is taken to the Security Chief's office -- though at least she's not shot by Carstairs. And the Security Chief''s office...it's a triumph of design with its simple yet striking concentric circles (and the door has an interesting way of opening too, which is also nice) that carry on not just along the walls but the floor itself.

But the most interesting thing about episode five is how it takes the interaction between the War Chief and the Security Chief and makes it the focus of the episode. The Doctor and Zoe are catalysts for this interaction even though they don't contribute to it directly. The distrust the Security Chief has for the War Chief is palpable (particularly in the capable hands of James Bree's acting), with a touch of xenophobia present as well: "He is a traitor to his own people. How can we be sure he is not a traitor to us?" he asks the scientist played by Vernon Dobtcheff (who is seemingly the only scientist in this entire place). Of course, he's suspicious because the War Chief appeared to recognize the Doctor in episode four. The War Chief, meanwhile, seems to be driven more by simple dislike of the Security Chief. "The security of this entire venture is being threatened by your incompetence... When I came to your people I was promised efficiency and cooperation. Without the knowledge I have, this complete venture would be impossible," he says, brandishing the medallion around his neck. There's definitely some tension brewing.

In the meantime, Jamie has convinced some of the resistance to enter one of the "green boxes" and be taken to the aliens' control center. But when they emerge in the landing bay, they're shot down by the alien guards...

Episode six continues the breakdown in relations between the War Chief and the Security Chief, with each becoming increasingly suspicious of the other. The Security Chief in particular thinks that the Doctor might have been brought in by the War Chief as one of his own people. "Are you suggesting he's bringing in his own people, the Time Lords⁴⁹?" the scientist asks him. "He came to us because he wanted power. Perhaps there are others of his people who feel the same," the Security Chief replies.

The scenes in the American Civil War zone, meanwhile, get a little more interesting. Enter David Troughton, Patrick Troughton's son, as a resistance soldier entrusted with guarding General von Weich. This sure looks like it's been designed as a showcase piece for David Troughton, but fortunately it's done well enough that this isn't a problem; in fact, by showing that Private Moor can still be hypnotized by von Weich, despite having broken his conditioning, it makes the threat of the alien generals much more potent. Before, that threat had been reduced once von Weich was tied up, but here we see that even then they're still dangerous.

The scenes with the Doctor are also good, as he works out a plan to gather all the resistance groups together (Zoe, you see, has memorized all the resistance leaders in the various zones, thanks to the Security Chief showing their images to her). He also seems remarkably proficient in using the aliens' controls. "Doctor, how did you do it so easily?" Zoe asks, wondering at how he managed to set up a force field and preset the controls of the transport box so quickly. "It's not very difficult, Zoe," the Doctor says, brushing her concerns aside. And so they make their escape into the transport machine -- but before they can get away, the War Chief prevents the craft from leaving and then manipulates the internal dimensions, making the entire inside close in on our heroes...

⁴⁹ This marks the first use of the term "Time Lords" on the series, though here it's strictly in reference to the War Chief and his people.