Episode #101 : The Androids of Tara

"I shall have to go alone of course. It's funny. They always want you to go alone

when you're walking into a trap. Have you noticed that?"

Episode 101:   The Stones of Blood.
Companions:   4th Doctor, K9 and Romana.
Air Date:         Four episodes. 25th November to 16th December 1978.

The tracer brings the TARDIS to the planet Tara. Romana finds the fourth segment disguised as part of a statue but is then taken prisoner by Count Grendel of Gracht. Grendel is plotting to seize the Taran throne from the rightful heir, Prince Reynart, and has mistaken Romana for an android duplicate of the Prince's betrothed, Princess Strella, to whom she bears a remarkable resemblance. The Doctor is meanwhile captured by Prince Reynart's men Zadek and Farrah and taken to his hunting lodge, where he is forced to repair an android double of the Prince to act as a decoy for potential assassins.

The fourth instalment of the Key to Time story arc brings us to another world that couples medieval society with some futuristic technology. In this case the nobility live in big stone castles but use electrically charged swords, the guards wield crossbows that fire lasers, and the peasants are the only people allowed to work on androids.

The story is somewhat different to what has gone before as it plays out more like a historical romance of sorts than a science fiction tale. When the Doctor decides that he is going to ignore the Key segment and go fishing, it is left to Romana to locate the Key. This she does right at the start of the story but then gets captured as she is a perfectly replica of the captured princess Strella.  The Doctor then has to assist her love, Prince Reynart, in securing the throne and rescuing both Romana and Strella.

The villain, Count Grendal, is cut from the moustache-twirling scheme informing mould and as such is a little two dimensional. He even has to have the last word before escaping right at the end of the adventure. At least the Doctor gets to dust off his fencing skills that he showed during his third incarnation, defeating the evil Count and showing him up sufficiently.

As stories go The Androids of Tara isn't bad but there is nothing special about it either.