The Keeper of Traken Part Three

The one where Melkur seizes control of the Source...

Looking at it a second time, the reprise is a bit of a shambles. First of all you've got one of those awful instances where someone (usually a companion) says "Doctor, look!" and points before there's anything there to look at, ie Adric points out that the TARDIS has returned before the TARDIS returns. Then you've got Anthony Ainley's rather confused performance as he waits on tenterhooks for the right moment to embrace Sheila Ruskin (Shall I? Shan't I? Shall I? Shan't I?), and then when he does seize her, he stares into Kassia's clearly painted-on eyes before they zap him. I wouldn't normally be bothered by painted-on eyes (I was fine with it in Image of the Fendahl), but when seen as part of this series of mini-missteps, it just seems a bit primary school.

This third episode definitely suffers from Part Three Syndrome, in that there's an awful lot of running about achieving very little. It's that bit of narrative between halfway and finale that gets in the way for a writer who hasn't paced his script properly. Basically, you don't need part 3 of The Keeper of Traken, except for the cliffhanger which moves the plot towards the end game.

The Doctor, Tremas and Adric are thrown into Traken's little-used prison, but it's not long before they're broken out by a gun-toting Nyssa, who uses an ion bonder to knock out however many fosters get in her way (including money-grabber Proctor Neman). This shows Nyssa, who so far has proven wholly forgettable, to be capable of much more when pushed to it. Her father is in danger, and she determines to defend and protect him. This is about as much evidence of a father-daughter bond you get in The Keeper of Traken, but at least it's something.

And that cobweb hanging off the end of Tom Baker's nose in the rescue scene is magnificently distracting. Why didn't they go for another, bogey-less take?

Now that Melkur has complete control of Kassia, his plan is clear: get Kassia installed as the new Keeper of Traken, and seize control of the Source for himself. The Consuls have a chat about who the next Keeper should be (they don't have a debating chamber so much as a bunch of chairs pushed together in a room), but it's clear to me that they're fast running out of Consuls. Now that Seron is dead, and Tremas discredited, I reckon they need more people stepping up to share governance. It's obvious who the next Keeper should be: Katura's too old, Luvic's living on his nerves, so it must be Kassia. She's not proven herself to be the most stable of candidates, but needs must when there's so little choice! Traken might be a much more entertaining place with Kate Bush at the helm.

Kassia's first order as Keeper Nominate is to have the Doctor and Adric killed (so much for harmony), and the rest of the episode mainly consists of the goodies running away from the baddies. Random use of Nyssa's ion bonder as a ray gun abounds, and there's plenty of scenes of Tom Baker, Anthony Ainley, Matthew Waterhouse and Sarah Sutton running up and down beautifully designed corridors. It starts to take on the feel of kids playing Doctor Who in the school playground, as our heroes dive into the shadows after hearing somebody approaching round a corner. There's even a reprise of Tom Baker clasping his hand over a companion's mouth (this time Nyssa's).

Amid the running and hiding, the Doctor convinces Tremas to show him the blueprints for the Source Manipulator, so that he can blow it up if required. It's as good a time as any to mention Anthony Ainley's wonderfully understated and sensitive performance as Tremas, a man of conscience and honour as well as intellect and intelligence. Ainley wasn't an actor known for great subtlety (especially in later years), but here he gives a beautifully real and empathetic performance, especially when Tremas is torn between his personal honour, and the greater good. It's a shame some of this thoughtfulness didn't stay with Ainley in his turns throughout the 1980s (although it did return with flying colours in Survival).

Also, I love the moment where Tremas is told he must choose between his own honour or the future of Traken, and Nyssa agrees with the Doctor. There's a tiny moment where Tom Baker glances at Sarah Sutton and gives her the tiniest nod of approval, as if the Doctor is telling Nyssa she did the right thing, and thank you. It's a nice little exchange between two actors, perhaps missed by most.

As the end of the episode nears, the Keeper of Traken passes away, and nature reverts to destructive chaos. Well, that's nature for you guys! Fire, flood, famine and disease, and in the case of Traken, an almighty thunderstorm which makes it hard for actors to stand up straight. Margot Van der Burgh manages some marvellous 'wind acting', while the Doctor's crew are reduced to a shabby heap on the ground. After spending two episodes desperately trying to "get back to the TARDIS", the moment he could actually open the door and go in, he doesn't bother. Evidence of more padding.

As Kassia takes her rightful place as the new Keeper of Traken, the viewer is afforded a revealing glimpse inside Melkur. The menace is a cowled, charred creature, and as the camera gently pans out, we see he is sitting inside a TARDIS with its roundelled walls painted black. Black walls means this bloke's a baddie (infinite evil?), and although we're not explicitly told as much, it's a pretty good guess that this is The Master! So, after five years, he escaped falling into the chasm beneath the Panopticon on Gallifrey! He might look slightly different, and he's played by a different actor, but this is a corking revelation for the fans.

But we don't know it's the Master for sure, not yet, although the clues are there, as Kassia ebbs away from her place as Keeper, to be replaced by Melkur, appearing on the throne to the familiar sound of a materialising TARDIS... Well, that's my spine thoroughly tingled!

First broadcast: February 14th, 1981

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: The moment when the bad guy turns round and... it's the Master!
The Bad: Too much running, hiding and escaping.
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

"Would you like a jelly baby?" tally: 24

NEXT TIME: Part Four...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Part One; Part Two; Part Four

Find out birth/death dates, career information, and facts and trivia about this story's cast and crew at the Doctor Who Cast & Crew site: https://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-keeper-of-traken.html

The Keeper of Traken is available on BBC DVD as part of the New Beginnings box set. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Beginnings-Logopolis-Castrovalva/dp/B000LE1HLQ/