Episode #114 : The Keeper of Traken

"If I knew everything that was going to happen, where would the fun be?"

Episode 114: The Keeper of Traken.
Companions: 4th Doctor and Adric.
Air Date:       31st January to 21st February 1981.

The Doctor and Adric learn from the wizened Keeper of Traken that a great evil has come to his planet in the form of a Melkur - a calcified statue. The Keeper is nearing the end of his reign and seeks the Doctor's help in preventing the evil from taking control of the bioelectronic Source that is the keystone of the Traken Union's civilisation. The Melkur, via various deceptions, becomes the next Keeper. It is then, however, revealed to be the Master's TARDIS. Its owner, still blackened and emaciated, hopes to use the Source's power to regenerate himself. The Doctor manages to expel him and install a new Keeper in his place, but in a last minute ploy the Master traps one of the Traken Consuls, Tremas, and merges with his body before fleeing the planet.

Tom Baker's lengthy era on the show begins to come to an end with the excellent The Keeper of Traken. The story is a very well written plot superbly acted by the cast, both regular and guest stars. The set designs are likewise well dressed though the "outdoor" set of the garden is obviously still within a television studio. It does seem that in preperation for the 4th Doctors departure that the production staff and writers have upped their game once again.

The villain of the piece is revealed towards the end not to be the Melkur but is in fact the Master still with the (but less well realised) corpse visage from The Deadly Assassin. This time his ultimate goal is to steal the power of the Keeper and use it to steal a physical body for himself, which he does in the form of Tremas. For once it seems, the Master is successful in his evil plans. Anthony Ainley will always be the Master in my mind. He plays Tremas and then the Master in this tale and will continue to play the Master throughout the rest of the classic era.

We also get the introduction of Nyssa, daughter of Tremas, who will soon become a regular companion for the Doctor. When I was a kid I had a huge crush on Nyssa.

The Keeper of Traken is an excellently put together and entertaining to watch. It leads directly into the next and final story for Tom Baker.