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Doctor
Who:
The Key To Time
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Review
by
Brian Lindsey
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7
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9 |
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DVD
score is for entire set |
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The
longest running science fiction series in TV history, the BBC's
Doctor Who lasted an incredible 26 seasons (1963-1989).
In episodic fashion it chronicled the adventures of a centuries-old
Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, known only as the Doctor
a genial, fantastically brilliant alien with a special fondness
for Earth and all things English. A champion of Good, the Doctor
confronted evil across the length and breadth of the space-time
continuum, facing all sorts of wicked baddies in defense of
the innocent and oppressed. In his various guises (7 actors
eventually played the role), the Doctor saved Earth and humanity
not to mention a host of other planets and races more times
than Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers and the crew of the Enterprise
combined. In his ingenious interdimensional vehicle, the TARDIS
(permanently 'disguised' as an English police call box), the
Doctor could travel instantaneously to any place or time in
the Universe. This concept opened up a virtually limitless stage
on which to enact some rather hoary melodramas episodes ended
on old-fashioned cliffhangers, after all though cleverly written
and cheekily performed. Even the Ed Wood-style special effects,
pitiful as they were, couldn't damper the fun.
Changing the actors was smartly explained by having the
Doctor "regenerate" into a new character when mortally
wounded. By far the most popular actor to play the Doctor was
Tom Baker (The Golden Voyage
of Sinbad), who headlined the series from 1974 to 1981.
Gangly and gregarious, his Doctor was the ultimate genius smartass
with a heart of gold Mr. Spock possessed by the spirit of
Groucho Marx. (With that hair, perhaps Harpo...) It was the
broadcast of these episodes in America, mostly on PBS stations,
that first introduced Doctor Who to his friends across the Pond.
The 1978-79 season (its 16th) broke from tradition and consisted
of a single overarching plot connecting each of the multi-part
stories. Called The Key To Time, it's a 10½ hour
adventure sending the Doctor on an intergalactic quest of cosmic
proportions. Warner Home Video brings this entire season of
the series to Region 1 DVD in a special 6-disc box set. (Each
DVD is also sold separately.)
DISC 1 The
Ribos Operation The first installment sees the Doctor
tasked with recovering the widely scattered segments of the
Key, an artifact of immense power, by the mysterious White Guardian.
To aid in his search the Doctor is paired with a fellow Time
Lord, Romana (Mary Tamm), certainly one of the comeliest of
his many female companions during the show's long run. This
new assistant is dubious of the Doctor's abilities, certainly
rubbed the wrong way by his flippant, devil-may-care attitude.
They track the first segment of the Key to the medieval ice
world of Ribos, where they become embroiled in the scheme of
two con men to dupe a dispossessed space warlord into buying
the planet a planet not theirs to sell. A middling episode
of the series, the narrative is limited to just a few castle
sets and suffers mightily from the atrocious overacting of Paul
Seed as the Graff Vynda-K, the power-mad warlord who doesn't
take kindly to being played the fool. DISC
2 The Pirate Planet
The second adventure was scripted by Douglas Adams, author of
the popular Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy. It's quite
funny, brimming with whimsical dialog and fantastical sci-fi
concepts. Any attempt to explain the deliciously fanciful manner
in which the bad guys plunder defenseless planets of their natural
resources (and exactly why it's being done) is simply
impossible for me in such limited space. Suffice it that Who
fans will have a great time with this one. Again, unfortunately,
a way over-the-top performance by the villain (this time
Bruce Purchase, playing "The Captain") proves detrimental.
It's also rather distracting that Baker sports what looks like
huge cold sores on his mouth that makeup can't hide and which
are rather lamely 'explained' throughout all four chapters.
DISC 3 The
Stones of Blood My favorite story of the six. A sinister
druidic cult in modern-day Britain worships a goddess who's
really an alien criminal, but it's the Doctor who ends up on
trial when he tries to stop her. Tight plotting and cool sci-fi
concepts triumph over the thrift shop special effects. There's
even a surprising slasher movie-type moment when two innocent
campers are killed by the Ogri living rock creatures that
absorb blood for nourishment. (This deft blend of science fiction
and horror was the Doctor's 100th adventure.) DISC
4 The Androids of Tara
The least of the Key to Time stories. (Fortunately for
you there isn't room here for any Scarlett O'Hara jokes.) It's
a really silly takeoff on ye olde Prisoner of Zenda routine,
complete with miraculous doppelgänger and climactic swordfight.
(Romana looks exactly like a royal princess of Tara; the Doctor
goes blade to blade with the evil Count Grendel.) The costumes
are even sillier than the plot. DISC
5 The Power of Kroll Series
fans tend to pooh-pooh this one as too cheesy but I like it.
An evil corporate type plots to ethnically cleanse a swamp-covered
moon of its primitive green-skinned inhabitants. But the "Swampies"
(as they're derisively called by the whites) are being shipped
modern weapons for nefarious reasons. The lake god of the natives,
Kroll, is actually a humongous squid-like creature a mile long.
It starts eating cast members so the Doctor must intervene.
Though K9, the Doctor's faithful robotic dog, is sorely missed
here (he's not built for marshy terrain), the story is fast-paced,
loopy fun. Besides, I enjoy ridiculous giant monsters. The green-painted
extras running in place, continuously chanting "KROLL!",
are especially goofy. DISC 6
The Armageddon Factor In the concluding
Key To Time story, the Doctor, Romana and K9 are caught
in the crossfire of an interplanetary nuclear war, a conflict
arranged by the evil Shadow (William Squire) to further his
own sinister agenda. The longest of the six, this one tends
to drag in spots; frankly, the Shadow is a laughably clichιd
villain more suitable for The Bugaloos. But the Doctor's
jury-rigged "Time Loop" is interesting and lovable ol' K9 gets
to play a prominent role. The Black Guardian, a formidable nemesis
whom the Doctor would again face in future stories, is first
introduced here.
Originally a kiddie show, Doctor Who expanded its
boundaries to become an 'all ages' entertainment, a fanciful
throwback to the serials of the 1930s and '40s. It's certainly
something the whole family can enjoy together though I'd think
much of the dialog and many of the convoluted plot devices to
be way over most kids' heads. Also, though they're never bloody,
for a 'kid-friendly' program a lot of characters meet
violent deaths. (Something you certainly wouldn't see today.)
As fun as the show can be, however, it isn't likely to impress
first-time viewers nowadays. The sets, costumes and special
effects are generally quite poor by today's standards; heck,
they were pretty laughable 25 years ago! Doctor Who is
a show that requires the viewer to engage his/her own imagination
in order to fully appreciate it.
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Warner,
in collaboration with the BBC, has done a terrific job with its
line of R1 Doctor Who DVDs. In the case of these 25-year old Key
To Time adventures the programs look and sound like they were
shot yesterday. Though loaded with the kind of extras that'll
doubtless thrill dedicated Whovians (see below), to me the best
thing about the discs is the option to view each story in its
separate cliffhanging chapters rather than as a single, unbroken
tale. The show is best absorbed in small doses, I think; watching
only one or two chapters a day/week should keep you coming back
for more.
Tom
Baker participates in audio commentaries to three of the six DVDs
The
Ribos Operation (joined by Mary Tamm), The Androids of
Tara (with Tamm and director Michael Hayes), and The Power
of Kroll (with John Leeson, the voice of K9). Tamm is joined
by director Darrol Blake on The Stones of Blood and by
director Michael Hayes and actor John Woodvine on The Armageddon
Factor, while The Pirate Planet offers commentary by
director Pennant Roberts and actor Bruce Purchase. Aside from
each disc's audio commentary, an optional text-only 'commentary'
track provides a wealth of production notes on each serial in
the form of periodic subtitles. Each disc also features individual
episode and scene access as well as a photo gallery and cast bios.
The only other notable extra is some extraneous outdoor footage
from The Pirate Planet. Each serial is presented fullframe
(4:3), in digital mono.
1/09/03 |
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