The Traitors (The Daleks' Master Plan Episode 4)

The one where two key characters get killed in the space of 25 minutes...

I've discussed my dislike of the character of Katarina before (and touched upon the poor performance given by Adrienne Hill), but that doesn't mean that the death of the Trojan handmaiden in The Traitors is any less affecting. Viewers had barely been given a chance to get to know Katarina, let alone come to like her, but her early dispatch in episode 4 of The Daleks' Master Plan - only her fifth episode in all - still smarts. At the very least she was a naive innocent thrust into a world she did not ask for or understand, so for her journey to end this suddenly is quite brutal.

It's the first time that a "companion" dies in Doctor Who, and it's treated with due value by writer Terry Nation, director Douglas Camfield and the cast. William Hartnell pulls one of his scorchingly well-delivered emotive speeches out of the hat in honour of Katarina: "I hope she's reached her Place of Perfection. She didn't understand; she couldn't understand. She wanted to save our lives. And perhaps the lives of all the other beings of the Solar System. I hope she's found her Perfection. Oh, how I shall always remember her as one of the Daughters of the Gods. Yes, as one of the Daughters of the Gods..."

Excuse me, I know I was no fan of Katarina's but I do think I have something in my eye. Her death is violent and unnecessary, and Camfield's direction is perfect. There's a stunned silence after she's sucked out into space, and every single time I hear Peter Purves scream "Katarinaaaaaaa!", the hairs go up on the back of my neck. In fact, they're doing it now just thinking about it. It's good that we can actually watch this scene, thanks again to Blue Peter, which used the clip in a 1973 edition (but frustratingly lost the mastertape!). And then there's that long ethereal silence on the soundtrack where the bodies of Katarina and Kirksen are apparently seen floating in space. How that was achieved I don't know, but it's beautifully done.

The other major loss in this episode, of course, is Bret Vyon, who is gunned down by ruthless Space Security Agent Sara Kingdom at the climax of the episode. It comes as a shock because Bret has played such a prime and vital role in the story so far, thanks to a confident performance from Nicholas Courtney, but it underlines how much Terry Nation means business with this grittier style of storytelling. The death toll in just the first four episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan is relatively high - Kert Gantry, Zephon, Katarina, Kirksen, Daxtar and Bret Vyon - almost all of them major players. The death of Katarina, then Vyon, tells us that anything can happen in this story. Nobody is safe and all is to play for. It makes you worry for Steven's safety too...

The final scenes set on Earth, when the Doctor, Steven and Bret go to confide in Daxtar, is a little odd because all that really happens is Daxtar is uncovered as Chen's ally and murdered by old pal Bret. I'm sure Nation intended for Daxtar's betrayal to be real, but the vociferous way in which Roger Avon delivers his lines does introduce an element of doubt. The viewer has no reason to believe he is a traitor - he certainly sounds honest in his protestations of innocence - and we're only told by the Doctor that he didn't tell him about the taranium core. Knowing this doesn't necessarily make him evil however, and his execution is needless. As the Doctor reprimands trigger-happy Bret: "You brainless idiot! How many times have I told you about taking lives? We have other ways and means of dealing with evil doers." Ironically, minutes later, Bret Vyon is murdered by another of his friends...

A quick mention for Kevin Stoney's slippery Mavic Chen (or "Maaaaavic Chen" as the Daleks say it). Chen dreams of conquest over the whole universe, side by side with the Daleks, and discounts the influence of Representative Trantis because the Daleks "don't like him". It's all so disturbingly childish, but Chen's megalomania cannot be underestimated. He even has a sneering right-hand man, played with zeal by Maurice Browning, who insists he will be right there behind Chen, obviously harbouring his own ambitions. The relationship between Chen and Karlton instantly reminded me of Francis Urquhart and his underling Tim Stamper in the BBC's adaptation of Michael Dobbs' House of Cards trilogy.

First broadcast: December 4th, 1965

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: The death of Katarina is surprisingly affecting. As for Peter Purves' heartfelt refrain: "Katarinaaaaaaa!" Brrrrr....
The Bad: I don't understand the need for Daxtar. You could cut his entire involvement out and not miss a beat.
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

NEXT TIME: Counter Plot...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Mission to the Unknown (prelude); The Nightmare Begins (episode 1); Day of Armageddon (episode 2); Devil's Planet (episode 3); Counter Plot (episode 5); Coronas of the Sun (episode 6); The Feast of Steven (episode 7); Volcano (episode 8); Golden Death (episode 9); Escape Switch (episode 10); The Abandoned Planet (episode 11); Destruction of Time (episode 12)

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: http://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/mission-to-unknown-aka-dalek-cutaway.html

The soundtrack to The Daleks' Master Plan is available on CD. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-original-television-soundtrack/dp/0563494174