Five Doctors Gather

At the "Official Doctor Who Celebration" last weekend in London four classic Doctors and the present Doctor provided a fantastic photo op.

I'm surprised they didn't get them all together, minus the never present Christopher Eccleston. That would have been epic, especially with Peter Capaldi. However, this is still a treasured image in my library. It even looks good when they cut up...

Among the media releases we received for the 50th, one of my favorites has to be "The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot," written and directed by fifth Doctor Peter Davison. A 30 minute film, it starred Davison, along with former Doctors Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker and Paul McGann. With a host of guest appearances ranging from the director and another star of The Hobbit, former companions new and old, a hilarious "cameo" from another former Doctor and not one but two showrunners of Doctor Who. This hilarious film plots the determination of the former Doctors to be in the 50th special, and the equal determination on the other side that they not be included. Peter Davison did a brilliant job of poking fun at the egos of the actors, which were equally as brilliantly acted out by them. I haven't seen where it might be, but I definitely hope this is included with the release of "The Day of The Doctor"  because I think it's the perfect companion piece to the special.

Trial Of A Timelord - Part Four: The Ultimate Foe

At only two parts, "The Ultimate Foe" is a pretty good climax to the whole trial. This wasn't just the end of the trial, it was the end of the season. For the first time since "The Key to Time" a season long story arc was wrapped up. Apart from most regenerations, the last story of the season is just a regular one. Here is the end of The Doctor's trial.

PART ONE

The Inquisitor brings in the Keeper of the matrix and asks if The Doctor is done with his defense. The Valeyard reminds them of the charge of genocide. The Doctor says much of The Railyard's evidence has been distorted. The matrix was tampered with. The Keeper says it is impossible to change, only he holds the key of Rassilon needed to enter the matrix. The Doctor points out the key does get used, could be copied, and it COULD be distorted. The Valeyard says there is no evidence. When asked who would do this, The Doctor blames The Valeyard. Another shot outside the ship, with the beam of light appearing, this time bringing in two oddly casket shaped capsules. Inside The Doctor is saying he can only rebut evidence with witnesses, which he doesn't have. In walk Mel and Glitz, to The Doctors confusion. They say they were sent, and a face appears on the matrix screen. The Master. He's inside the matrix.

This is proof the matrix can be invaded. The Master has a copy of the key. The Inquisitor is upset. The Master claims to be intervening in the name of justice, which makes The Doctor laugh. The Master doesn't like The Valeyard. The Valeyard objects and pretends not to know him. The Master has sent Mel and Glitz. The Valeyard calls Glitz a criminal, but The Inquisitor allows the witness. The Doctor questions Glitz about the secrets he was after. Glitz reveals that the sleepers had found a way into the matrix. They were operating from Earth and the Timelords found out. The Timelords used a magnatron, which must be ordered by high counsel, to move the Earth, renaming it Ravalox. This caused the fireball and the rescue team from Andromeda to never find the sleepers, thus the secrets. The Doctor says he has had many enemies, but he should have stayed on Gallifrey, calling them corrupt. It would have remained secret if The Doctor hadn't gone to Ravalox. The Master says the high counsel struck a deal with The Valeyard, or as he's always known him, The Doctor, to distort evidence and make The Doctor a scapegoat, promising The Valeyard the rest of his lives. The Valeyard is an amalgamation of the darker sides of The Doctor's personality, somewhere between his 12th and final incarnation. The Doctor objects at both prosecution and defense being the same person. The Inquisitor says in this case it is irrelevant. But The Valeyard runs. They follow but just outside he has disappeared. The keeper says he must have gone through the 7th door and opens it for The Doctor, who takes Glitz with him into the matrix.

A beam of light brings The Doctor into the streets and back alleys of what appears to be Victorian times maybe? It's dark, there's hay, you hear horses clopping, there are rats, no people around, but a man's laughter. No Glitz, either. Children in the distance hauntingly sing London Bridge. Then there's a saloon piano playing somewhere. The Doctor finds a barrel and looks into the water. Hands reach out and pull his face under. Glitz appears, but The Doctor is on the ground awake. He says in the matrix the only logic is there is no logic. Nothing is real. Glitz hands The Doctor a note from The Master with the location of The Valeyard's base. It's called The Fantasy Factory, and the proprietor is J.J. Chambers. Why is The Master helping? In the courtroom The Master is filling in The Inquisitor and tells her The Valeyard exploited The Doctor's feelings for Peri, who was actually still alive, the Queen to King Yrcanos. The Valeyard is playing games with The Doctor and Glitz. The Master hopes The Doctor and Valeyard destroy each other. The Doctor and Glitz go inside the factory. Junior Mr. Popplewick asks if they have an appointment and talks about procedures and things taking time. The Doctor rushes through the office door to find the same man, except the senior Mr. Popplewick this time. More procedure and appointment talk. He asks The Doctor to sign a release so that if he dies while there, Mr. Chambers gets his remaining lives. The Doctor signs. The Doctor enters the waiting room to find himself on a beach alone. He hears laughter as hands grab his ankles from under the muddy sand. The Doctor falls and the hands pull him under as he screams.

PART TWO

Glitz arrives, but not in time, The Doctor goes under. But he rises up dry and reminds Glitz they aren't dealing with reality. The Valeyard appears, and keeps popping around the place while he talks. The Doctor asks why he wants him dead. The Valeyard says to be free of The Doctor's morality, and with unlimited access to the matrix nothing would be out of his reach. He disappears. A fog starts coming in, nerve gas. The Doctor and Glitz run. Mel is in court watching this on the matrix screen. The Inquisitor says they can't interfere. Mel wants the key to the 7th door but doesn't get it. The Doctor helps Glitx into an old rundown house, which dematerializes. They are inside The Master's TARDIS. The Master wants The Valeyard eliminated. He sets his console and takes Glitz out of the room. Loud noise and lights start flashing and The Doctor is forced into a catatonic state. The Master's TARDIS materializes as an old tomb in front of the factory. The Master brings out The Doctor and stands him there. He and Glitz hide as his TARDIS dematerializes. The Valeyard comes out and The Master tries to shoot him, to The Valeyard's amusement. He sends little explosions after The Master as he and Glitz run. 

The Doctor reacts when he hears Mel's voice. She's calling from the shadows and gets him to come with her. They exit the 7th door and she says he must clear his name. The Inquisitor wants an apology and he gives her one. The charge of genocide is still before them. After assuring them he would trust Mel with his life, they show her the clip of destroying the Vervoids. The Doctor says tell the truth and she admits The Doctor acted on his own, there was no choice. She senses something is going wrong. The Doctor admits you always have a choice. The Inquisitor delivers a verdict of guilty, saying his lives are forfeit. The Doctor accepts the sentence. Mel and the real Timelords are watching this on the matrix screen. Mel is upset he is being tricked and finally gets the key from the keeper. Inside the matrix she sees The Doctor standing stoically in a horse drawn cart led by a Gallifreyan guard. Mel tries to save him. He whispers for her to go away. But the damage is done, the cart and horse disappear. Mel ruined it. The Doctor was trying to force a confrontation with The Valeyard. When fake Mel gave evidence of The Doctor denying the genocide charge he knew she hadn't even been there at the time. The Master wants Glitz to lead The Doctor to The Valeyard and tries to hypnotize him. Glitz is all money, though, so The Master offers him a chest full of treasure. 

The Doctor is searching one office and in another Glitz finds the tape of secrets, the original copy. He also finds the senior Mr. Popplewick. The Doctor finds a list of the Timelords at his trial, all crossed out, and in his handwriting. Glitz comes in with Popplewick, who will take them to Chambers. Glitz leaves with his tape of secrets but The Master forces him to his TARDIS. Popplewick keeps stalling, but The Doctor knows what's what and takes the mask off Popplewick to reveal The Valeyard. Mel opens some doors marked danger and claims there is a megabyte modem, which sounds ridiculous now but at the time was so fancy sounding. The Doctor calls it a MASER, or microwave amplification and stimulated emission of radiation. The Doctor processes the info. It is a particle disseminator, which will destroy everything. The Valeyard is untying himself. The Doctor gets the list of names, it is a hit list. They must disconnect the matrix and evacuate the courtroom. 

In the courtroom The Inquisitor learns the high counsel has been deposed, there is chaos. The Master, on the screen, is pleased and offers his leadership. In his TARDIS he plugs the tape into his console, but everything gets distorted and he and Glitz are trapped against the wall unable to move. Mel bursts into the courtroom and yells to get out. They don't, the screen explodes, but everyone is fine. The Doctor had fiddled with the maser, but he also triggered a feedback. The Doctor runs, but The Valeyard stays and is apparently killed when we see the building explode. The Doctor appears in the courtroom asking about his sentence. The Inquisitor gladly tells him all charges are dropped, and let's him know that Peri is still alive. They show a sweet shot of Peri and Yrcanos from "Mindwarp." The Inquisitor tries to persuade The Doctor to run for Lord President again, but he suggests she take up the post. He asks her to be lenient on Glitz when they restore the matrix. The Doctor and Mel stand outside the TARDIS and she talks about getting back to exercise and carrot juice. They leave, which makes me wonder. When did the Master take Mel and bring her? The Doctor was taken when he was with Peri, so he has not traveled with her yet but she has with him! That one is definitely a first, and is partially what happens with River Song.

Back in the courtroom the Timelords are leaving. The Inquisitor instructs the keeper to reconstruct the matrix as she leaves. The Keeper turns around and it is The Valeyard.

Trial Of A Timelord - Story Three: Terror Of The Vervoids (or: the case for the defense)

PART ONE

This story is the first time since Susan in the first episode where we have a companion The Doctor has already been travelling with. It also has not happened since. The Doctor is still sad from the news of Peri's death. The Inquisitor has given him time for his distress and The Valeyard insists they continue. The Doctor is to present his defense. He has been allowed access to the matrix and plans to present evidence from his future, his defense being that he improves. Evidence where he thwarts a threat to a cruise liner and the entire planet Earth. The Hyperion 3, bound from Mogar to Earth, with passengers and a priority consignment of precious metals. It is 2986 and the last passengers board. One will murder. A blonde woman, Professor Lasky, complains her key doesn't work. Final passengers check in with Janet, the lone cruise stewardess. An old man calls out to the last passenger, recognizing him as an investigator named Hallett. The man denies it and claims to be named Grenville. Laskey and her two colleagues, Bruchner and Doland, are worried at the thought of an investigator. The Hyperion leaves Mogar. 

In the TARDIS, Mel is making The Doctor work out on a stationary bike, then offers him carrot juice to quench his thirst. On the Hyperion, the crew picks up the TARDIS on radar. Elsewhere a Mogarian, very steampunk before it's time, must switch on his translator to communicate. Crew members flirt. Someone enters the communications room, stuns the crew, and flips some switches. A mayday signal sounds in the TARDIS. They materialize in the Hyperion hold. The Doctor is hesitant, claiming evil is present. He's stopped from leaving by guards who take them to the bridge. Here they meet Commodore Travers, a man who has been helped by The Doctor before. They don't know who sent the mayday, so Travers confines The Doctor to the passenger quarters, planning to use him to flush out the culprit. In the hold there are plant pods. In an office among them, a Mogarian turns on a light and steals some Demeter seeds, like huge silver Mentos. The light hits a plant pod and it begins to glow.

The Doctor and Mel talk in the lounge. Mel is from a place called Peas Pottage, but that's all we learn about her. Mel pushes a worried Doctor to solve the mystery. We see an isolation room that a masked Doland or Bruchner goes in past a guard. In the gym, Lasky is working out and Mel comes in. She dons a headset for workout music, because that's how it's done in gyms. Bruchner, or the other one, comes in and gets Lasky because of a problem at the hydroponics. Mel's music stops and a voice speaks to her. The Doctor is checking the passenger list when Mel comes and tells him to meet whoever sent the mayday in cabin 6. Cabin 6 is in shambles. They find some Demeter seeds and a boot. They run off the the waste disposal where someone has fallen in, or been pushed. There is a boot left that matches the lone boot in cabin 6, which they learn was Grenville's cabin. The Doctor says the case is over, suggesting Mel go investigate the hydroponics center. In trial The Doctor interrupts, not remembering that, claiming those aren't even his words. He feels he is being manipulated and evidence has been distorted. The Valeyard says it's them who are being manipulated, saying The Doctor sent Mel to die. Mel and crewman Edwardes go to the hydroponics to find Lasky. He tells Mel the lights must be low spectrum to keep the plants dormant. He opens the cage and there are huge flashes of light, Mel screams, and boy does this companion scream.

PART TWO

The plants come alive and kill Edwardes. Another guard comes and takes Mel to safety as another guard is killed. The Valeyard claims this is The Doctor's fault, who said it isn't what happened when he viewed the matrix. He says the only way to discover why he's being manipulated is to press on. Laskey and The Doctor are talking in the gym when guards come to take him to the bridge. Travers is questioning Mel, who says there was a booby trap and if not for Edwardes she would be dead. The bodies can't be found, so that clear Mel. Travers laments The Doctor's appearance on thee scene. In the lounge The Doctor and Mel asks Lasky about the Demeter seeds. She accuses him of stealing them and he explains. The Hyperion adjusts it's course. In the lounge the Mogarians are, no kidding, playing Galaga. I could only find a small pic but I'm surely including it. They stop and make complaints individually about going so close to a black hole. They complain about the humans and their taking of Mogar's minerals. The Valyard interrupts as to the point, but The Doctor points out if he had payed attention, he would have known one of them was about to die. 

The Mogarians are served drinks as the passengers mill about the lounge. One rises, choking, then collapses to the floor. The Mogarians object when The Doctor removes the ventilator mask, but it is not a Mogarian. He is identified as Grenville, from cabin 6. The Doctor knows him as investigator Hallett, who the old man says he had recognized him as earlier. The Doctor figures that's why he staged his death. When The Valeyard asks how The Doctor knew he wasn't a Mogarian, they show the clip again and see he didn't need to use his translator. He says he couldn't choose to stay on the sidelines. Mel follows The Doctor to the hydroponics, where The Doctor shows her a leaf he found on Hallett. They wonder what came out of the pods. Laskey is talking with her men about their experiment and discovery remaining a secret. The isolation room was just an unfortunate accident. Someone, or something, watches from the air vent. The old man orders a drink from Janet. In his cabin he enters the bathroom and is killed by the sting of something still unseen. It's plantlike and it turns the shower on when Janet returns to fool her. Determined to get in the isolation room, The Doctor sets off an alarm and the guard runs. The Doctor and Mel enter. There is some tank or chamber, and when they open it, the body of a woman lies inside, part of her head some type of strange plant hybrid. Her one good eye opens. 

PART THREE

The plant woman begs them to stop Lasky. Lasky and her men come in and shoo The Doctor and Mel out. She was a lab assistant who had a scratch on her thumb during a cross fertilization experiment. They called it a calculated risk. Security comes and takes The Doctor for setting off the false alarm. The Valeyard fails to comprehend the evidence. The Doctor begs the same restraint he showed, and The Valeyard chuckles. The Doctor defends his actions to Travers. Janet comes and tells him the old man is missing. Mel overhears and goes to his room, finding a leaf in the vent. In the hold, the Vervoids are piling bodies. They are some of the worst looking monsters. I can't even begin to describe them without being vulgar. Plant people, leave it at that.  Travers agrees to cooperate with The Doctor. Security chief Rudge is forced to sit and talk to the Mogarians. Vervoids attack more crew. Doland sees Bruchner destroying their paperwork. In the gym, Lasky won't tell Mel what the leaf is. Doland comes in and tells her what Bruchner is up to and she leaves. Mel hears voices in the vent and uses her headset to record them. She hears the Vervoids plotting to kill them. Someone grabs Mel. The Doctor looks for Mel, who he doesn't see being wheeled past him in a trash bin.

The Doctor finds the recording, hears Mel scream, puts 2 and 2 together and gets to her just before pulverization. The tape was now missing, though. Mel goes to spy on Janet, The Doctor says he's off to the hydroponics. After a quick scene of a Mogarian clumsily spilling a drink there is a shot of The Doctor, holding an axe, standing in a destroyed communications room. In trial The Doctor objects that he's not the one who did the sabotage, and states the matrix is wrong. When asked if there's any point in continuing, he says what else does he have and they continue. Mel is snooping in Janet's room when a Vervoid comes in. She hides in the shower. Lasky is mad at Bruchner for his destruction of files. He knocks her out and flees. The Doctor finds her and warns her Bruchner has gone wild. On the bridge, Bruchner forces Travers out, locking the door. Bent on destroying the ship he changes course. In Janet's room the Vervoid goes wild, then starts spraying a fog. Outside the bridge, The Doctor tells the others that Bruchner is aiming the Hyperion 3 into the black hole of Tartarus.

PART FOUR

Vervoids get into the vents, including the one in Janet's room. Mel escapes the fog. They cut through the door to the bridge, but the Vervoids have fogged the bridge, Bruchner is dead. Rudge calls the Mogarians, who don't breathe air, and they go in and set the new course away from the black hole. Then the Mogarians, with the help of Rudge, take over the ship. They take the group to the lounge. Mel, Doland and Janet stay hidden. Rudge gets the keys to the vault to get the minerals the Mogarians feel were stolen. On the bridge, someone unseen throws a liquid on the Mogarians that kills them. Mel climbs in a vent and talks to The Doctor. He tells her to attack the bridge. On the bridge, they take the masks off the Mogarians to prove to Rudge his plan is over. The Doctor gets Rudge's upside down gun, which Mel thinks is odd for him to want. He also announces a search for the missing audio tape. Doland takes The Doctor to a safe in Laskys office. The safe is locked but Doland had the tape all along. He gets the gun The Doctor has set down to examine the safe. He vows that he will get the Vervoids to Earth to be used as slaves. The Vervoids hear this. But The Doctor had disarmed the gun. Doland runs, to be caught by guards, who all then get killed by Vervoids. 

Laskey believes there was a DNA malfunction in the Vervoids. They talk about how they want to kill all animal kind. Co-existence wouldn't work. Travers begs The Doctor's undivided commitment to help. In trial, The Doctor uses this to show he did not interfere, and The Inquisitor agrees. The Valeyard, however, prefers to await the outcome. Ingredients to make an herbicide have been destroyed. Lasky tried to reason with the Vervoids and is killed. A crewman kills a Vervoid, a Vervoid kills a crewman. The Doctor and Mel find the Vervoid's body pile. This upsets Mel. The Doctor tries to calm her by likening it to a compost heap. As they all try to fight off the Vervoids, The Doctor gets the idea of using the metal the Mogarians were after, a mineral that could release intense light and carbon dioxide to accelerate their life cycle. They fake a generator fault and shut down main lighting. The Vervoids retreat. The Doctor and Mel listen to them, but one finds Mel. She screams and releases the mineral. There are bright lights and negative lights. The Vervoids collapse, wither, and die. Thank yous all around and The Doctor and Mel leave. In trial The Doctor admitted that none of the creatures survived. The Valeyard is excited. He now says it is no longer a matter of meddling, but that it was now an issue of breaking article 7 of Gallifreyan law. The Doctor objects. The Valeyard says no exceptions, this was now a case of genocide. 

Next: The concluding story for "The Trial of a Timelord": "The Ultimate Foe"

The Trial Of A Timelord - Story One: The Mysterious Planet

PART ONE

I have never forgotten the beginning of this set of stories for two reasons. At the time, the theme was excellent 80's synthesizer. Okay, I did forget that for a while, but I never forgot the opening sequence. The shot of a spaceship in space was done like no other space shot in Who before. The camera angle rotated as it discovered the ship with the stars in the background reacting accordingly. You really felt it was a spaceship. A hole opens in the structure of the ship and a beam of light shoots out. You see the TARDIS as it travels down the shaft of light into the ship. Inside, The Doctor exits the TARDIS with a bit of confusion, but seems to know where to go. He opens a set of doors to reveal a dimly lit courtroom, a figure in black opposite from him. We learn The Doctor had been propelled there by the Timelords who are in the shadows. Then the lights come up to reveal the Timelords. One in white comes in, The Inquisitor. She sits in the place of a judge and calls The Doctor the accused, surprising him. The man in black, The Valeyard, is bringing a case against The Doctor for conduct unbecoming of a Timelord and for transgressing the first law of time. They mention him having been on trial for this before, and perhaps they had been too lenient. The Doctor tries to get out of it by reminding them he is Lord President of Gallifrey. The Inquisitor tells him he was deposed for neglecting his duties. He is offered representation, but The Doctor says he will speak for himself. The Valeyard claims he will show 2 instances of The Doctors meddling, all stored within the matrix. They will begin on Ravalox.


We see The Doctor and Peri walking in the rain of a planet eerily similar to Earth, but light years away. One that was supposed to have been destroyed by a fireball, but clearly supported life, except they hear no birds. I like this more mature Peri, and her relationship with The Doctor. There are also two mercenaries, Sabalom Glitz and Dibber. They see The Doctor and think he is there for the same reason they are. Glitz discusses a complex and L3 robot being operational, so they need to find the light converter, which some villagers are using as a totem pole. He intimidates some villagers to take them back to their leader. The Doctor and Peri find a cave which leads to what appears to be a destroyed underground station. The Doctor interrupts the trial to ask where Peri is. He has some amnesia from being taken out of time by the Timelords. The Valeyard says she is probably where he left her. The Doctor and Peri find a doorway leading downwards, but Peri stays behind. Men in an odd primitive type of armor and mask grab her.

Glitz is at the village, thinking he can charm the leader, Katryca, played by the delightful Joan Sims. She's not having it. She's seen many travelers who all wanted the totem for a different reason. They take Glitz and Dibber's guns and lock them in one of the huts. The Doctor is walking in modern hallways that are well lit. He finds a room and lifts a carafe of water, setting off an alarm and a swarm of jumpsuited men who tie him up. They call him old one and he tells them he is only 900. A large robot is watching them on a scanner. The men refer to the immortal who commands them, and tell The Doctor that water is life. They untie The Doctor and begin to throw stones. He opens the umbrella to try and block the stones but is hit. The Doctor brags to the court about his little move with the umbrella. The Valeyard said The Doctor takes pride in his interferences. He then says that this began as a mere inquiry but was now a trial, and he was sure that if found guilty The Doctor would face termination.

PART TWO

The Inquisitor tells The Valeyard that the court may not have termination in mind and they return to the evidence. The Doctor is unconscious, and before the men can kill them the robot (the immortal) communicates to bring The Doctor to him. Katryca welcomes Peri to the village and promises to provide many husbands, then puts her in the same hut they are keeping Glitz and Dibber. Glitz discovers The Doctor is a Timelord. First he thinks he must have been sent, but sees him as freelance. Glitz has an underground map of the tunnels he plans to bargain with, but Katryca  says he shall be sacrificed to the fire. Meanwhile, Balazar is telling The Doctor how there is a culling to rid them of people and they take the two brightest children for the immortal to eat.We see two intelligent men with the large menacing robot with quite a sleek design including horns. They send out a service robot, the L1. 

The Doctor is the only one allowed in to see the immortal, who calls himself Jathro. Jathro thinks The Doctor is from Andromeda at first, but is pleased that he is a Timelord. He has a black light system that needs repaired. The inquisitor interrupts to see if this is all pertinent to the trial. The Doctor calls The Valeyard The Boatyard and The Graveyard, The Inquisitor warns him. The Doctor protests that he was working under duress, trying to repair the system or die. The Inquisitor agrees and The Doctor begins to try and charm her. 

The Doctor tells Jathro he can't fix the machine and must go to the aerial. He asks what all of it was for and is told it supported 3 sleepers until they could return to Andromeda. The Doctor recalls the rain above and asks why people can't go to the surface. Jathro says his instructions were to sustain an underground survival system. In his working, The Doctor gets a cable into the hands of Jathro and each of his companions. He zaps them and makes his escape. At the village, Peri, Glitz and Dibber escape. They also blow up the totem, which effected Jathro. The leader of the underground search party, Merdeen, secretly tells Balazar he must go to the surface and find others he has saved from the culling. Above, Peri, Glitz and Dibber run from the village search party. The Doctor finds Merdeen, who convinces him to take Balazar to the surface, and he does. The Valeyard interrupts to show that The Doctor could have removed himself at that point and chose not to. The Inquisitor says they will reserve judgement until the end of the sequence. Outside with The Doctor, Balazar is amazed at the lack of destruction. The Doctor is just remarking about Peri wandering off when she and the others run up and they all rush inside as the villagers approach. But inside they find themselves trapped between the villagers and the L1 service robot. 

PART THREE

Balazar knows one of the villagers, who shoots the L1 robot. Jathro reacts badly. His system is failing. The Doctor learns the totem is gone, and now the black light system is unstable and must be shut down. The Inquisitor interrupts to complain about the violent scenes, which The Valeyard says are necessary to show The Doctor's predilection towards violence. After The Doctor and others are taken to the village, the L1 robot reactivates. Katryca is intrigued by The Doctor, who has no weapons, and curious when he says he wants to repair the totem. But while Balazar is welcomed the others are imprisoned again. Outside, the L1 robot finds the village. Glitz says he is there to collect a few files, and confirms that this is Earth, in the wrong location. The L1 robot breaks into the hut they are in and stuns then grabs The Doctor. The rest follow. Katryca grabs up arms and follows. During a scene where Jathro and his 2 assistants argue, The Doctor interrupts, calling it irrelevant, calling The Valeyard, The Farmyard. He says he wasn't even in the scenes. the Valeyard brings him up to date on surveillance techniques. The evidence is being taken from the matrix, which is knowledge being constantly fed by the experiences of Timelords no matter where they may be. The Doctor tells The Scrapyard he wasn't even present, then apologized, claiming force of habit. The Valeyard tells him the experience of a 3rd party can be accessed if in range of a TARDIS. The Doctor says his TARDIS is old and must have been bugged.

The L1 robot is carrying The Doctor when it is attacked by villagers. Peri watches helplessly from behind a tree. The L1 is dead so Katryca thinks the immortal is dead and they leave to attack. Peri runs to The Doctor. Jathro says The Doctor must be there to collect the secrets of the sleepers. Glitz sends Dibber after heavy artillery. The Doctor begins to come around and calls Peri, Sarah Jane, asking when are they. Katryka and the villagers are underground trying to find their way to the riches they expect to find in the form of tools and knowledge. The Doctor knows Jathro won't want the system shut down because he will shut down too, but if not it will implode. He must save them if there's a chance. When he finds out The Doctor went underground, Glitz is sure he is here after the same thing. He and Dibber go down and Glitz warns that if they run into The Doctor, not to mention they are after the stuff.... and here the audio was squelched. The Valeyard says it has been excised in public interest. The Inquisitor doesn't like it but continues and we see Merdeen find The Doctor, raise his gun and shoot.

PART FOUR

Merdeen shoots the man behind The Doctor, saving him. Katrika enters Jathros room, surprised at the sight of him. He kills her and sends the other off for the culling. The Doctor tells the court he was trying to avert a catastrophe. The Valeyard says his crime was in being there and setting in motion the chain of events. Glitz and Dibber are searching for the secrets. Dibber wonders if they're really worth anything. Glitz says the sleepers found a way in... and again the squelch in audio, then Glitz saying "..the biggest net of information." The Doctor objects again, but The Inquisitor lets it continue. Glitz is talking about the facts, figures, formulas, scientific information, anti grav power, all worth a fortune to various governments. 

The Doctor is trying to get Jathro to let him shut down the system, but Jathro feels robots have more value than humans. Peri tries to find a way in, Balazar suggests the ration chute. Glitz finds them. The Doctor says the implosion will cause a chain reaction that could cause universal destruction. Jathro sees Peri on the monitor approaching and thinks it's a plan of The Doctor's. He turns on the huge fans in the chute and for some reason lasers, really really bad lasers, shoot in one condensed area that was easily avoided. Peri, Glitz and the others come in. The Doctor explains what is happening. Glitz pretends he has black light power on his ship and leads Jathro away, asking him to bring the secrets. They tie up The Doctor and Peri then leave. The Doctor is instantly out of his binds and releases the others. He begins to try and shut the machine down. He does enough and there's only a small explosion. Jathro collapses above, overheating and burning the files containing the secrets.Glitz and Dibber are satisfied in finding the hardest metal in the galaxy, so it wasn't a total loss. 

Everyone else is okay and The Doctor tells Balazar it's time to bring his people to the surface. He still wonders who moved Earth in the first place. In court The Doctor seems proud to have succeeded. He insisted it be recorded what he did and that his presence was requested. The Valeyard scoffs at The Doctor and tells him he has barely started. The most damning evidence was yet to come and he felt sure the court would demand his life.

Up next: A review of "Mindwarp"

Doctor Who Review: The Trial of a Timelord

I can remember Doctor Who nearly getting canceled and then returning in 1986 after a year and a half hiatus. And it was returning with something new. Back in 1978, season 16 started with a story arc over the entire season pertaining to the key to time. Back in 1971, season 8 saw The Master in every episode, but season 16 contained an arc linking the episodes. When the show did return in 1986 it was titled "The Trial of a Timelord." This was one true entire season storyline. The difference is like the difference between the new season 1-4 (bad wolf, torchwood, the master/saxon, missing planets)  compared to Torchwood seasons 3 and 4 (children of earth, miracle day). In one case a plot thread runs through the different stories to culminate in a grand finale, in the other the entire season is one narrative spanning all episodes of the season. Season 23 is the closest we have to this in Doctor Who. Although unofficially broken into 4 stories, those stories interweave with the trial, giving the entire 14 episodes an uninterrupted flow.

Summing it up, The Doctor is put on trial by Timelords for his interfering ways. The case is heard by The Inquisitor, and presented by The Valeyard. During the trial, evidence is presented of The Doctor's meddling, giving us 3 of the 4 stories. In the first 2 we see The Doctor still travelling with Peri, albeit a seemingly more mature version. In the 3rd we meet the new companion, Mel, after she is already travelling with The Doctor, a first since Susan. She is shown in evidence given from The Doctor's future, but he continues on with Mel from here on out.

This is Colin Baker's last season as The Doctor, and after being fired he didn't even come back to film the regeneration scene, but I am going to review that first episode of the next season, "Time and The Rani", next month. I had forgotten until re watching these that there is a new theme arrangement used only in this set of episodes. Just in case some of you haven't seen it, I've tried to give a breakdown without giving away some key details, because there are some huge ones in this season. I'm going to review them each by the unofficial titles:
"The Mysterious Planet"
"Mindwarp"
"Terror of the Vervoids"
"The Ultimate Foe"
And then I will link them each below as I post them.

Also On Attack Of The Cybermen

When the TARDIS chameleon circuit worked

Attack of the Cybermen

The one with the black Cyberman

Classic Who Review: Earthshock

In case you haven't seen this one, I feel obliged to say that part 4 of this review contains a MAJOR SPOILER. "Earthshock", story 121, was the 7th story of season 19. It saw the Cybermen return after 7 seasons. The companions were Adric, Nyssa and Tegan. I loved this team and love the Cybermen. This is definitely a standout story with an ending unlike any before or since.

PART 1

It begins on a future Earth, at the entrance to a survey sight. Professor Kyle, all that's left of the team of paleontologists and geologists has sent for help. The rescue team is puzzled that no life signs are on the scanner. Their uniforms are pretty good for 1980 BBC budget. The leader, Scott, takes Kyle with his team to try and find the others. There is a flare on the scanner. In the caves we see 2 shadowy figures. In the TARDIS, The Doctor is with Adric in his room. Adric feels The Doctor doesn't have the time for him and feels like he's considered a joke. He wants to go home. Adric is from E-space, where the TARDIS went after falling through a CVE (charged vacuum enboitment) They argue about the possibility of calculating the negative coordinates to even do it. Adric claims to have the mathematical skills and begins work.

In the tunnels, Kyle discusses the sabotage her team had experienced. Above ground the scanner flares again. Thy experience interference with their communicators. One soldier inexplicably stumbles, which somehow hurts her shoulder. Kyle hears noises she heard before the attacks. They show the 2 shadowy figures again. The TARDIS materializes in a nearby tunnel. It is Earth 2526. The Doctor steps out to cool off, Tegan follows. Adric agrees with Nyssa things got out of hand and to just plot the course home and take it from there. Above ground they see new lifeforms on the scanner, one with 2 hearts. Scott says to set weapons to stun. Nyssa joins The Doctor and Tegan and discuss the dinosaur bones they see. Adric can see them from the console room as he works. Scott gets the coordinates to the life signs, which Kyle says is near where the attacks happened.

The wounded party stops for a break and Snyder sets out from above after them.The Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan talk about the mystery of the dinosaurs dying out and how he always meant to slip back and find out what happened. The shadowy figures are near the wounded. The scanner flares. Screams. 3 dots on the scanner disappear. Snyder's name tag can be seen amidst a puddle of steaming melted person. With the main group Kyle keeps stumbling. The scanner flares. The group find Snyder and the shadowy figures appear. All in black with smooth featureless heads. The 2 figures are not on scanner. Screams and 2 more dots disappear.

The Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan find the main group near a rockfall. They plead with them to believe they just arrived and were not the attackers. Scott doesn't trust them. Adric looks out and sees no Doctor. The team are looking for bodies in the rockfall and find a hatch. The 2 figures are running towards them. Scott, still not trusting The Doctor, tells him to open the hatch. The 2 figures show up and attack with flashes on their palms. The team have lousy looking lasers. The Doctor says they're androids and their willingness to kill The Doctor should be prove his innocence. Kyle recognizes the figures flash sound from the attacks. With red vision we see a view of the team from the androids point of view. The view appears on the screen of a console, which has 3 Cybermen standing around it, calling out to destroy them all.

PART 2

I love the control panel the Cybermen stand around, something they've used on the new show. More fighting in the caves. They concentrate fire power on one and it damages it. The androids retreat to save power, but stay close to protect the hatch. Adric leaves the TARDIS and finds the others, but hides just in time. They attack the hatch to create confusion in the androids. Adric gets one with a huge rock and the other gets destroyed by lasers. The android was a transmitter so they know someone knows they're there. The Cybermen activate the bomb within the hatch just as The Doctor opens it. Everybody runs to the TARDIS. Scott is visibly amazed. The Doctor temporarily jams the bomb, He and Adric go back to it and try to disarm it. The Cybermen increase power, but The Doctor succeeds just in time. The Cybeleader knows their technology is too advanced for Earthlings and vows to destroy whoever helped them.

The Cybermen review the video from the cave and see the TARDIS. They look at clips from the 1st, 2nd and 4th Doctors. Meanwhile The Doctor wants to go where the signal came from. Kyle and Scott insist on going along with the team. The Doctor thanks Adric for his help and relents about taking him home, if he can calculate it. Adric says he has. They both apologize and Adric doesn't really want to go home, he was just making a point.

The TARDIS destination is a freighter. On deck there are 2 officers. The woman is relaxed but the man, Ringway, is a nervous wreck. They discuss being on time with their delivery and bonuses. The TARDIS materializes in the hold. There are many, many silos as cargo. The Doctor and Adric go out. The Captain arrives on board, their security clearance is cleared and they are on time. They had extra security because of an interstellar conference happening on Earth. Now that they have clearance they will wait to report the 3 missing crew members. The freighter jumps to warp drive. One security camera is down so Ringway goes. Two security guards are looking around the shadows. The Cyberleader says The Doctor will be the perfect scapegoat for the 3 missing crew members. Adric is spooked. On deck they see him and The Doctor on screen. There are screams, they sound the alarm. Now The Doctor and Adric run, and stumble upon 2 bodies, killed in a familiar way to The Doctor. Ringway finds them by the bodies and says on this ship they execute murderers.

PART 3

Ringway apprehends the two. The Doctor offers to show him the TARDIS to prove he's no stowaway, but Ringway doesn't care if they're stowaways or pirates. He takes them to the bridge where The Doctor pleads with the captain. there is an alarm and a power surge. Nyssa says there's a strong magnetic field. The Cybermen in the silos begin to wake up, wrestling free from their drycleaning bags. The Doctor tells the captain about the bomb on Earth controlled from the ship, but she won't stop and risk her bonus. The Doctor says they want to go to Earth and she is giving them safe passage. Alarms are going off and they're arming men. Tegan, Scott and his team go out of the TARDIS and spy the Cybermen as they march through the hold. The Doctor sees on screen who it is. The ship's men shoot and die.

Ringway turns out to work for the Cybermen, and The Doctor bets he wasn't paid in gold because they're allergic. It plugs up they're chest units and suffocates them. Adric fingers his mathematical badge. Ringway sees it and takes it. When he's distracted, the captain knocks out Ringway. The Doctor picks up Adric's badge. They close the shield doors. The captain says there are 15,000 silos on board. Meanwhile Tegan, Scott and the team are skulking about the cargo hold. The Cybermen get a thermal lance to burn through the shield door. The Doctor uses the antimatter power on board to stabilize the shield just as the Cyberman breaks though, freezing him in place. Scott and Tegan attack 2 Cybermen and get a gun. One gets away. The Cyberleader calls for reinforcements to be activated. They blow the shield door and enter the bridge. "So we meet again, Doctor", says the Cyberleader. They kill Ringway for deceiving him, which I think was actually The Doctor's fault. If it wasn't for him they wouldn't have thought Ringway deceived them. The Cybermen are bent on destroying the Earth while The Doctor watches. In the hold, Tegan and Scott take cover as all the Cybermen begin to wake up.

PART 4

The Cybermen mess with the navigation. They lock it, making the ship a bomb. The interstellar conference is a cyber pact against the Cybermen. Tegan is hiding but gets nabbed by a Cyberman. Scott gets to the TARDIS, but a Cyberman gets in with him. Three of them shoot it and it dies, but another tries to get in as they try to block the door. The Cyberarm sticking in shoots the console. They grab the gun and kill the Cyberman, but Kyle is also dead. Tegan is taken to the bridge. The Cyberleader shows he's in control by pretending he's going to kill Tegan, causing The Doctor to interfere, showing his weakness in emotion. Scott goes back out to the ship. On deck the Cybermen are leaving the humans behind with 2 Cybermen to observe, but taking The Doctor and Tegan only, refusing to take Adric. Adric tells them to go. He shakes The Doctor's hand and says goodbye. He calls out to Tegan "see you soon". The Cyberleader goes of to the TARDIS. Adric ponders knocking the ship off a degree or two to miss the Earth, but the guards are there.

As The Doctor enters the TARDIS with the Cyberleader plus one, Scott was defeating the guards on the bridge. Adric says solving the 3 logic codes on the Cyberman device will disarm it. Cybermen are walking towards the bridge, though. Tegan is upset about having to watch Earth destroyed and tries to mess with the controls, throwing everything wonky. The Doctor scolds her. Scott shoots a Cyberman. Adric cracks a logic code. In the TARDIS they see the ship begin to disappear, jumping time warps, going back in time. The Cyberleader demands The Doctor follow. The Doctor says the ship is still locked on Earth, so the Cyberleader is still pleased. A damaged Cyberman gets close to the bridge as Adric cracks the 2nd logic code, bringing the ship out of warp drive.

The captain is evacuating, Scott has to drag Adric to the elevator? But he slipped out at the last second, convinced he can crack that 3rd code. The TARDIS group see the escape pod leave. The Doctor says they've traveled back 65 million years and they realize it's the ship that collides with Earth, wiping out the dinosaurs, so the Cybermen lose. Scott calls The Doctor and tells him Adric is still on board. In his hand The Doctor looks at Adric's badge. The Cyberleader aims at The Doctor, but Tegan jumps him from behind. When he turns, The Doctor scrapes the star badge over the Cyberleaders ventilator, causing gasping and wheezing until The Doctor shoots him with his own gun. Nyssa kills the other.  The console is damaged, and they can't get to the ship.

Adric is trying to figure it out, feeling he's forgotten something. Then, "Of course, that's it" and he starts pressing buttons, but he's kind of hesitant because Matthew Waterhouse knew it was about to explode from the gunshot of that damaged Cyberman that finally got to the bridge. He looks out the screen and says "Now I'll never know if I was right". In the TARDIS they see the ship start to glow. Nyssa calls out Adric's name. We see Adric standing on deck holding close the cord of rope that belonged to his dead brother. The ship explodes. Tegan doesn't want to believe it and Adric's 3 friends stand in stunned silence in the TARDIS. When the credits run there is no music. The only time this has happened to my knowledge, and against a black background they showed the crumbled star badge that saved Adric's friends.