| THE MYSTERIOUS PLANET by Robert Holmes |
| Story 143 Synopsis: The TARDIS is forced down onto a space station, and the Doctor is unaware where Peri has gone. He finds himself in a courtroom, under prosecution, as part of an inquiry into his activities. He is shown an adventure from his past, where he and Peri find themselves on Ravolox. They are soon split up, as she is taken to a nearby village, where they worship the god Haldron, and he is forced underground, to a subterranean complex ruled by a robot, Drathro. Drathro is protecting a box of secrets for his bosses from Andromeda. Intergalactic conman Sabalom Glitz has come to Ravalox to find those secrets, or any profit he can find. The Doctor is nearly stoned to death, but is rescued by Drathro. He tries to persuade Drathro to reach peace with the Tribe of the Free, but he is more concerned with their elimination. Glitz breaks in to try and steal the secrets, but fails. He does manage to blow up a Black Light transmitter, which removes Drathro's power, and forces his followers to seek peace. The Doctor and Peri leave in the TARDIS. In the courtroom, the Doctor finds his inquiry has become a trial. |
| Review:- After 18 months of waiting, amidst crisis after crisis of creation, Doctor Who returned to the screen. In a parody of the real-life situation that caused its cancellation, the Doctor finds himself back on trial by a group of Time Lords... As with the rest of the season, there are two parts to each story. The actual story (the evidence) and the trial scenes. The trial scenes get the season off to a dramatic and mysterious start, as the question of what the Doctor is here for, and where Peri has gone are soon leading into the first piece of evidence. From the story, it's clear that time has passed since Revelation of the Daleks, even if only that Peri seems to have changed her demeanour. Her previously quite frosty relationship with the Doctor has also thawed. Sadly, that's as good as it gets. The Doctor is still way out alone in taking on his opponents, and Peri's useful qualities are all but ignored. But he does at least seem a little less standoffish occasionally. Unfortunately, the Doctor in the courtroom is badly behaved and dismissive, which rather defeats the object of softening his character. With no logical reason for his sudden change of character (not yet, anyway), the difference jars badly. As for the Ravalox adventure itself - well, there's a lot to cherish, happily. The idea of a society twisted by the selection of three books is hardly original, but here it's presented wittily and thoughtfully. There is again a look at religion, contrasting the Tribe of the Free's worship of Haldron, and their revulsion for Drathro, who is more effectively a living god. The contrast between the worlds underground and overground is entertaining, especially as the underground is surprisingly clean and bright, contrasting with the grime and gloom of the overground. The use of Marb as a shortening of Marble Arch leads to the revelation of the notion that Ravalox was Earth, but has been moved. The Andromeda intrigue suggests there is more going on than appears so, but in a "we'll come back to this later" sort of way. Sabalom Glitz is arguably the most lasting thing to come out of this story, thanks to his later returns on screen and even in books. Robert Holmes is scarcely breaking new ground with an intergalactic conman, but he's so well acted and charming that it's not that surprising that he came back. Even if the luckless Dibber didn't get the same treatment. Perhaps it's worth also mentioning Joan Sims, who gets ignored when people consider "star turns" in the JNT years. Her effort as warrior Queen Katryca is played straight, and all the better for it. Her rather brutal death sets the seal on a worthy piece of acting. It is hard to judge this adventure alone, as its efforts to seem standalone don't succeed. Overall, it's a solid little tale with some joy, but a lot of confusion too. |
| Disclaimer: I've seen the video, and read the book. |