What’s this? Of course it’s a story about the futility of war using a mad marshall leading a losing side, a battle computer and ‘The Shadow’. Overall, this is the weakest Key to Time story, but not so bad that it spoils an otherwise excellent season. One wonders if the Randomiser is necessary though, given that the Doctor never seems to know where he is going anyway! There are some clever moments to the story, including the way the Doctor works out that the ‘White Guardian’ is an imposter, the Shadow’s strategy of finding one segment and then waiting for the Doctor to come to him, and the creation of the Randomiser. The Shadow is an over the top pantomime villain (boo hiss), but that’s not unusual for Classic Who. Drax is not as witty as Garron from The Ribos Operation, but adds some much-needed humour to an otherwise dark and depressing story. I like Shapp, but the scene where he is shot, freezes, and then falls backwards is a bit (okay, a LOT) cringeworthy. The Marshal is well-cast and convincing as a general who wants victory at any cost.
It’s a shame Mary Tamm doesn’t continue beyond this story as I think she’s fantastic as Romana. The regulars are on good form though, and the relationship between the Doctor and Romana has moved from antagonism to mutual respect. This story rates a half skull on the outside, 4.4Īs the final story, one hoped for the Armageddon Factor to end the Key to Time arc with a bang, but it ends up being more of a whimper. It’s got tremendous re-watch value and it’s nice to finally get some good writing for K-9. Segment 1 – A whole lot of jethrik going on in the doctor’s storeroom.Īnyway, It’s a beautifully produced story that will probably make a ton more sense once I get around to listening to the Big Finish sequel. Segment 2 – A dead planet just appeared, throwing Zanak into tidal Armageddon
Segment 3 – is again a necklace around a recently executed Cessair of Diplos. Segment 4 – turns into a Grendel family statue on the now defunct estate grounds Segment 5 – magically re-appears in the carcass of a dead squid Logically, let’s track where the others go… Second, since Romana actually placed the temporary segment, why does the key listen to the Doctor? Third, why are Drax, and Romana still unfrozen once the real segment is in place? Finally, when the key is broken, Astra comes back to life and goes home. Since the white guardian never gets the key, did he really get to fix the vagueness that was plaguing the universe? I know there’s one line about, “you don’t actually need to hold it to fix it”, but it just doesn’t fly. It does have a few plot holes however, not the least of which is the one that’s plagued me for years. It’s the perfect serious drama to conclude the overall arc. Will even their high morals be able to withstand the power of the dark side or will they be Jedi mind tricked into doing its evil biddings?
Did we forget to mention that? Oh, yes, there’s a Royal House, or a Space Princess, at least, appropriately named Astra, and she and her Not-a-Time-Lord-but-still-a-Doctor boyfriend might be agents of the opposition. The tricky situation surrounding this piece is that the planets are on the brink of annihilating each other! With the warmongering Marshal on one side, a nihilistic computer on the other, and a small army of shadowy figures stalking a mystical third planet, locating the sixth piece might be complicated.įortunately, Romana is staying focused this time and they pinpoint its location as somewhere in the royal house of Atrios. The twin planets of Atrios and Zeos have eluded Doc’s travel plans up until now but that’s all about to change as Atrios is the location of the sixth, and final, piece of the Key to Time.
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