Episode #5 : The Keys of Marinus

 

"I don't believe that man was made to be controlled by machines. Machines can make laws, but they can not preserve justice. Only human beings can do that."

Episode 5:      The Keys of Marinus.

Companions: The 1st Doctor, Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.

Air Date:        Six episodes. 11th April to 16th May 1964.

 

The TARDIS arrives on the planet Marinus on an island of glass surrounded by a sea of acid. The travellers are forced by the elderly Arbitan to retrieve four of the five operating keys to a machine called the Conscience of Marinus, of which he is the keeper. These have been hidden in different locations around the planet to prevent them falling into the hands of the evil Yartek and his Voord warriors, who plan to seize the machine and use its originally benevolent mind-influencing power for their own sinister purposes.

 

The Keys of Marinus is a really good story for the era. The story is well written and I think still holds up now though six parts might turn modern viewers off from watching it. One of the reasons why I think it works so well is not just the writing, but that each part takes place somewhere completely different thus preventing the viewer from getting bored of the same studio backdrop. Watching all these episodes of the show has proven to me that a constantly changing back drop does do a lot to keep each story interesting.

 

The story does have something of a flaw for me and that is in it's world continuity. To start with we are introduced to an island surrounded by a vast sea of extremely unpleasant acid but it is never explained how or why. Secondly we seem to be introduced to a culture that is reasonably advanced technologically, having invented a machine to prevent criminal or violent thoughts across the planet and prevents it being invaded by the warlike Voord. But as the story unfolds we find that the planet seems to have a simple 20th century style civilisation as well as medieval knights which are never explained. However I find that it does not detract from the enjoyment of the story.

 

The Keys of Marinus is certainly a story I would recommend to a modern viewer interested in watching the better stories of classic Doctor Who. Not just because of the entertainment factor but because again we have excellent interaction and communication between our characters. We have reached a point where the agitation and distrust that they started out with has gone and though they are trying to get back to 20th century Earth, the companions are enjoying their adventures through time and space.