Episode #67 : Frontier in Space

"In a reminiscent mood are you, Doctor? Poor Miss Grant, you have my deepest sympathies."

Episode 67:   Frontier in Space.
Companions: 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:       Six episodes. 24th February to 31st March 1973.

The Doctor and Jo are caught in the escalating tension between planets Earth and Draconia, and discover that the Master is secretly working to provoke the two into all-out war.

Frontier in Space is a rather long winded and drawn out story that starts off as a tale of two empires on the verge of war, then moves to a prison tale before introducing the Master and the Daleks! It feels like there is just too much going on and it the pacing is far too slow because of it.

The story is basically about the Master trying to drive a wedge between humanity and the Draconian Empire, so that they go to war and then his "allies", the Daleks, can move in and mop up whatever or whoever remains. Other than an odd sense that he hates Earth because the Doctor likes the planet (and us) there seems to be no real reason for the Master to actually be doing any of this.

The end of the story seems alsmost as pointless. Having defeated the Master's plans by allying Earth and Draconia, he sends a telepathic transmission to the Time Lords and then passes out. Frontier in Space continues on, although unconnected really in the following story, Planet of the Daleks. I guess it must have been a time of slow ideas for the show.

Unfortunately this story is also the last time we see Roger Delgardo as the Master. In June of 1973 he was tragically killed in a motor accident while filming a movie in Turkey. Although Anthony Ainley would continue the role in later years and very well, it is Roger Delgardo who I think carried the character best.

Sadly Frontier in Space is really not a very well written story and other than it continues immediately into the next story it would be one I would suggest viewers avoid. In this instance I really feel that I have to give a thumbs down.