"Whereas yours is a simple case of sociopathy, Dibber, my malaise is much more complex. A deep-rooted maladjustment, my psychiatrist said, brought on by an infantile inability to come to terms with the more pertinent, concrete aspects of life."
Episode 143: The Mysterious Planet.
Companions: 6th Doctor and Peri.
Air Date: 6th to 27th September 1986.
The Doctor is on trial for his life. Plucked out of time and space by the Time Lords, he is charged with transgressing the First Law of Time. He must defend himself against the prosecution led by the sinister Valeyard. The trial begins as the Time Lords review an adventure from the Doctor's recent past. The setting is Ravolox, where the Doctor and Peri find themselves caught in the conflict between a warrior tribe, a pair of intergalactic con-men, and a god-like robot. But deep below the surface of the mysterious planet lie secrets that threaten the very fabric of the universe. And to protect them, drastic measures have been taken that will shock the Doctor to his very core.
After a year and a half hiatus the show comes back with another season long arc similar to the Key to Time. This time however the Doctor is plucked out of time and space by the Time Lords again and put on trial for violating the First Law of Time. The first case presented by the Valeyard is an adventure on the planet Ravolox. The opening sequence where the camera weaves its way across the surface of a space station is excellently done and sets up the trial atmosphere very well. The story then alternates between the court room and the adventure.
The court room scenes prove to be quite amusing as the Doctor relies on humour to poke fun at the Valeyard and the proceedings. Who is the Valeyard and why does he seem to have an aggressive desire to see the Doctor dead? All will be explained in time.
The actual adventure on Ravolox revolves around the mystery of why planet, in fact Earth, has been moved across space into a whole new galaxy and renamed. Even the computer records of the Time Lords have it listed as Ravolox. The planet is supposed to be dead, scoured clean by a fireball, but is actually alive and well, with survivors living a sort of Celtic existence on the surface, and others living underground under the rule of an "immortal" robot. Add to that a pair of immoral space pirate types, Sabalom and Dibber, who seek information hidden somewhere in the underground settlement and you have an interesting tale.
No comments:
Post a Comment