 | Doctor Who and the Androids of Tara |
Doctor Who - The Key to Time Part Four
Story 101
25 November - 16 December 1978
On the planet Tara, the Doctor and Romana easily find the fourth segment of the Key to Time but become pawns in a feud over the crown. A scheme involving androids and lookalikes threatens not only the time travelers' lives but the control of the planet. A wicked villain named Count Grendel gives the Doctor a worthy challenge in a battle of wits and of swords as a kingdom hangs in the balance.
A last minute filler to replace a story called 'The Dopplegangers' or 'The Shield of Zarak,' David Fisher returned in the eleventh hour to deliver an homage to a beloved fantasy tale, Prisoner of Zenda. Filmed on location at Leeds Castle, the program has a wild fantastic air that hints of period drama and children's entertainment. Many fans claim that Androids of Tara is a deviation from the series-long linking story, but in all honesty, aside from the opening and closing adventures, each of the six parts has little to do with each other and the quest for the key is a flimsy device at best to connects them.
That's not to say that the year-long concept is a poor one. I actually think that the Key to Time story gives just enough of an impetus to the six tales while allowing for different styles of adventure to play through the 16th series. Try to find a series of the classic Doctor Who that has as much variation in genre and tone and you may agree. It's not a roaring success, but series sixteen's Key to Time is unique.
Fisher's previous script, Stones of Blood, in my opinion has some of the same strengths and weaknesses found in Androids of Tara. Both are terribly uneven. They have remarkable locations, excellent guest actors and a wondrous tone... but whereas Stones of Blood has a strong opening that falls apart in the end, Androids of Tara is a run around with a wafer-thin plot that has an exciting conclusion.
UK Gold trailer
Rather than placing Romana and the Doctor as working together, Fisher's script separates the pair so that they each have solo adventures. While many point out that it gives Mary Tamm an opportunity to stretch as an actress, it also wastes the chemistry that the two actors have. Tamm, a charming and glamorous woman, plays off of Peter Jeffrey who positively steals the show as Count Grendel, a villain so evil that even Fisher planned a follow-up story.
The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm)
One of the positive impacts that the Key to Time quest has is a sense of urgency.
A cosmic being calling himself the White Guardian has enlisted the Doctor to assemble the parts of a device so powerful that it can stop all of time everywhere. Warned that the Black Guardian is operating against him, the Doctor has very little time to complete his mission... so when he decides to go fishing instead of searching for the fourth segment, I wonder what they were thinking. It's a silly idea and a rather lame joke that also manages to kill the tension and drama is lost entirely. Additionally, we are treated to another chess sequence where the Doctor yells at K-9 who easily beats him at the match. It's a poor way to open the adventure that gets worse when Romana ventures out to find the segment on her own and comes face to face with the goofiest monster ever seen in Doctor Who.
The goofiest Doctor Who monster ever
Honestly, I was not sure at first if I was meant to be a real monster or a guy in a suit. I waited for the reveal and when it became plain that this actually was supposed to be a gorilla/bear/thing... I was very disappointed that the story had already met its first impediment.
Fisher had reportedly intended that Tara would be a mixture of fantasy and science fiction in which mythical creatures (such as gnomes and unicorns) would appear as robotic creations. The only left over of this concept is that the inhabitants have the technology to create androids but live in a simple feudal manner. Romana bears an uncanny (and convenient) likeness to the Princess Strella who is promised to the noble Prince Reynart. Grendel plans to use Romana to steal the throne from Reynart, no matter what the cost. Meanwhile the Doctor is asked to repair an android based on Reynart that is malfunctioning.
Reynart is captured and the plot kind of stalls right there for about three episodes.
The android is crowned in public. Romana is captured, escapes, and is then captured again. Count Grendel states his intentions to steal the throne several times and no one seems to be able to just stop him, despite numerous opportunities. K-9 burns through things and is regaled as a solution to all of their problems even though the prop could barely make it across the room. Tom Baker hams it up and laughs off Grendel's threat, further removing any real drama or threat. Combined with the cyclical plot that can't seem to get out of a rut, it's only the breathtaking locations and guest cast that can save this one until finally the Doctor and Grendel face off.
The Doctor and Count Grendel duel
Despite a silly opening in which he plays the drama as gag, Tom Baker finally comes to his senses in the final part as he sword fights against Peter Jeffrey. The Doctor is reported to have had a 'gentleman's education,' hinting that he is a gifted swordsman. We have seen his skill at swordplay in Sea Devils and would again in the King's Demons. Each fight sequence is rather good, but given the fantasy elements already in place, it works especially here.
An adventure with atmosphere and character, Androids of Tara could have been much better given more attention. Androids of Tara is hampered by several problems that can't be helped. As a replacement story, it is rather good and a welcome facet to the many sided Key to Time saga. As it was based on Prisoner of Zenda, it is unfortunate that it seems to be restricted to re-telling the same story rather than branching off into its own tale. Tom Baker's ego is also in full effect here and he seems to randomly decide to play humor into any situation, especially when it is ironically inappropriate. However, Fisher's second outing as a Doctor Who writer has charm and style and neither of those things should be taken for granted.
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