The Time Monster Episode Six

The one where Kronos destroys Atlantis...

So why did director Paul Bernard leave the shot of the Minotaur out of the episode 5 cliffhanger? Surely such a reveal would have been more powerful (and scarier?) than simply zooming in on Jo's terrified face? A similar cliffhanger boob happened with The Sea Devils episode 4, when just leaving it a few seconds longer would have made it so much better.

The Minotaur (played by a pre-Star Wars David Prowse) isn't so bad a design either, certainly not as poor as the one seen in The Mind Robber (which looked more like a troll than a bull). Prowse's power and strength are used to the full as he charges around smashing into things, at one point lifting Hippias above his head and hurling him through a sheet of Bacofoil. The silver foil is actually supposed to be a pane of glass (not sure why) and, surprisingly, kills Hippias. The Doctor joins the scene and, in typical Jon Pertwee style, uses his red cape to taunt the Minotaur, as if bullfighting. Finally, and somewhat inexplicably, the Minotaur charges into a wall and smashes it down, seemingly killing itself into the bargain, but also revealing the true crystal of Kronos. The Minotaur is all over in less than three minutes!

Despite all this happening in a matter of moments, meanwhile the Master has overthrown King Dalios and taken control of Atlantis, although his expectation that feisty Queen Galleia will just fall into line is amusingly dashed when she reminds him of her privilege. Ingrid Pitt only appears in The Time Monster for an episode and a half but makes quite an impact while on screen. Apart from her memorable physical appearance, she manages to give Galleia the fire and the heart required. Galleia is a woman with the best interests of Atlantis at heart. She sees the Master as a much more effective ruler than her beloved husband Dalios (do Pitt and Cormack actually exchange words in this story?), but does not wish her king to be harmed.

When she learns that Dalios has died in a dungeon, Galleia turns on the Master and has him arrested, but it's all too little too late as Krasis "throws the switch" and releases Kronos from the crystal to wreak havoc on Atlantis. The destruction of Atlantis is directed well by Bernard, with falling masonry, screaming extras and a feeling of panic and chaos as the Master tries to escape with the crystal in his TARDIS. Amusingly, Jo flings herself on his back in an effort to stop him, and is whisked away in the Master's TARDIS as a result. Our final shot of Atlantis is Queen Galleia bowing her head (in shame? sorrow?) as the corpses of her people surround her and the squawking Chronovore flaps laughably overhead.

And let's not forget the scene of the Doctor and Jo imprisoned in the dungeon and this season's finest "moment of charm" for Pertwee when he gets to tell the tale of the "daisiest daisy" of them all. It's easy to scoff at this scene, but it's played beautifully by Katy Manning and particularly Pertwee, and interestingly sets up the appearance in Planet of the Spiders of the hermit monk K'anpo Rimpoche (played, in a strange coincidence, by Dalios actor George Cormack!). The death of Dalios is poorly executed, with Cormack rather camply making to strike the burly guard ("Out of my way, slave!") and the guard pushing his trident gently in the general direction of his face, resulting in bruising, concussion, and finally death! Dalios's demise is rather sad, but actually essential to the story in breaking Galleia's faith in the Master.

Back in their TARDISes, the rival Time Lords start bickering and mock-threatening each other once again. The Master threatens the life of Jo Grant, the Doctor threatens to time ram the Master, but neither do anything they say. It is Jo's latent suicidal selflessness which brings matters to a head as she forces the TARDISes into time ram, sending them to a mysterious nowhere place made purely of CSO ("groovy, isn't it?").

The Colour Separation Overlay effect for the void is predictably poor, with Katy Manning almost completely vanishing as she passes from one side of the screen to the other. Kronos, last seen as a squawking, directionless, time-eating monster on Kirby wires, now manifests as a giant female face in gold eye shadow. Kronos says: "I can be all things. A destroyer, a healer, a creator. I'm beyond Good and Evil as you know it." Foreshadowings of the validium statue of Nemesis, perhaps?

Kronos wishes to condemn the Master to an eternity of torment in the void, but the Doctor rather predictably (and oh so worthily) pleads for his freedom, so that he can be dealt with and punished by him. The last time the Doctor tried to punish the Master he put him in a maximum security prison with his own gym, his own library, and a copy of The Clangers, so what's his plan this time? Well, we'll never find out because the Master escapes (very easily indeed), and Kronos lets him go. And that's that. Nobody seems all that bothered, so why should I be?

Back in Cambridge, Dr Ingram and Stuart are still trying to close the gap in time created by TOMTIT, while also feeding baby Benton cold tea and sandwiches. The Doctor arrives just as the Brigadier and his UNIT troops are released from the hiatus and baby Benton is brought back to his usual strapping self... but completely starkers. Everybody laughs warmly, and that's the end of the story, indeed the entire season.

Thank Kronos it's over.

The Time Monster is really poorly written, paced and plotted. There's nowhere near enough material to fill six episodes, as demonstrated by the almost total lack of progress in episodes 3 and 4, and is littered with cringe-worthy dialogue. It's a shame, because its ideas about time, and the trip to Atlantis, are quite fun, but none of it hangs together well at all. The titular time monster looks ridiculous (and poses very little actual threat), and many of the characters are superfluous (Dr Cook, Proctor, Lakis, Critus, Miseus). The character of Krasis in particular is pointless, becoming redundant mere seconds after appearing in episode 3 (cut the character out completely by having the Master steal the high priest's seal from a museum, just as he stole the Nestene meteorite in Terror of the Autons).

In short, it's a mess. Fans of the story argue it's a fun mess, an entertaining mess, but when it comes down to it, it's also very poor Doctor Who, and for that reason can never be counted as a classic. It currently stands as my joint worst Doctor Who story (tied with The Dominators).

Doctor Who was off the air for the next six months while it prepared to enter its landmark tenth year. In its place, BBC1 showed sporting events such as Wimbledon, golf, showjumping, the British Grand Prix and the Munich Olympics. There was also a repeat run of the 1971 adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and a Christmas special celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Gang Show. But the Doctor would be back before New Year's Day... three of him, in fact!

First broadcast: June 24th, 1972

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: The destruction of Atlantis is done well. Economically, but effectively.
The Bad: The cast chuckling their way into the end credits.
Overall score for episode: ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆ (story average: 4.0 out of 10)

"Now listen to me" tally: 20
Neck-rub tally: 10 - the Doctor rubs his neck at 19m 06s when he admits he's not sure where the TARDIS has landed.

NEXT TIME: The Three Doctors...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Episode One; Episode Two; Episode Three; Episode Four; Episode Five

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.com/2014/05/the-time-monster.html

The Time Monster is available on BBC DVD as part of the Myths and Legends box set. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Legends-Monster-Underworld/dp/B002SZQC98