Episode #73 : The Monster of Peladon

"There's nothing "only" about being a girl."

Episode 73:   The Monster of Peladon.
Companions: 3rd Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 23rd March to 27th April 1974.

The Doctor returns to Peladon fifty years after his last visit, to find Queen Thalira, daughter of the late King Peladon, on the throne. A tense labour dispute between Pel nobility and miners is worsened when apparitions of their deity Aggedor attack and kill several miners. The Galactic Federation desperately needs trisilicate for its war against Galaxy 5 and sends in brutal Ice Warrior troopers to ensure production. The Doctor discovers a devious plot at the heart of Aggedor's appearances.

The Monster of Peladon is a sequel to The Curse of Peladon story but sadly it plays out as just a rehash of that earlier story just with a couple twists. The Travellers arrive and are captured as unwanted aliens, there is a high priest who distrusts outsiders, Alpha Centauri returns as do the Ice Warriors. The only real differences here are that we find Queen Thalira on the throne, and this time the Ice Warriors are behind it all!

The previous story on Peladon was a play on Great Britain's entry into the EU. This story deals with a version of the miner's strikes that plagued the country in the early 1970's, and it is easy to see the similarities if you remember those times (and I only just do).

Sarah Jane gets to put on her feminist trousers in this story. She spends a fair bit of time trying to turn Queen Thalira from a figure head (female) ruler into a strong woman willing to stand up to the men around her who try and direct her actions. It is nice to see Sarah Jane getting some character development here but it soon gets in the nerves.

On a continuity level this story has as it's background a conflict with Galaxy 5, who were the villains of The Daleks Master Plan way back in the day for the 1st Doctor. It really is nice to see these references coming up now and again.

Episode #61 : The Curse of Peladon

"I don't understand you! One minute you're condemning the Doctor to death

and the next you're proposing to me!"

Episode 61:     The Curse of Peladon.
Companions:   The 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:         Four episodes. 29th January to 19th February 1972.

The Doctor and Jo make a test flight in the TARDIS and arrive on the planet Peladon. Seeking shelter, they enter the citadel of the soon-to-be-crowned King Peladon, where the Doctor is mistaken for a human dignitary summoned to act as Chairman of a committee assessing an application by the planet to join the Galactic Federation.

The Curse of Peladon is another excellent story from the Jon Pertwee era. It has an excellent plot full of action, mystery and intrigue. The story deals with an attempt to thwart the planet Peladon from entering the Galactic Federation so that an other civilisation (and Federation member) can strip mine it for the vast natural resources that it holds. With three other Federation delegates attending, including the Ice Warriors, it can only be one of them despite an undercurrent of dissatisfaction from some elements of the Peladon rulership. All of which is skillfully woven together into a great storyline. Supposedly the story is based on the events of the time with the United Kingdom about to enter the EC at the time.

As mentioned, this story sees the return of the Ice Warriors as Federation delegates from Mars. They seem to have given up on their violent ways since last the Doctor encountered them though I still wouldn't trust them. There is no mention of their inability to handle heat so I guess castle Peladon is rather a cold place.

Both the Doctor and Jo get plenty of limelight in this story even though the Doctor seems overly harsh towards her at times. Jo gets some good screen time with King Peladon (played by David Troughton, son of second Doctor Patrick Troughton) and the Ice Warriors.

One question remains unanswered, even unasked in the story itself, if the Time Lords have removed the Doctor's knowledge of how to operate the TARDIS how did he and Jo get to Peladon? Did the Time Lords interfere to ensure that Peladon gets admitted to the Galactic Federation? Who knows? Yes, pun intended.

The events of this story continue, somewhat, in an upcoming sequel, The Monster of Peladon.