Wednesday, March 23, 2022

The Trial of a Time Lord Part Ten


The one where something nasty breaks out of the hydroponics centre...

It's funny, but the reprise of part 9's stunning cliffhanger doesn't seem to work as well without the theme music flooding in. Here, it seems to end abruptly when Mel runs away, but we do get some added jeopardy when we see that something nasty has broken out of the cocoons. Something deadly, which looms over the guard and kills him! Director Chris Clough cleverly uses the creature's point of view, building tension and mystery, and by the end of the episode, we've still only glimpsed the odd leafy hand, or a murky visage peering through a grille. There's something nasty in the ventilation shaft!

In the courtroom, the Doctor seems oddly happy to press on, despite the fact he claims his evidence has been tampered with. "When I viewed the Matrix earlier, this isn't what happened," he insists. When asked if he wants to reconsider the evidence, the Doctor somewhat foolishly decides to carry on with it, despite his belief that it's been manipulated to make him look bad. On the one hand I'm fine with that because this is a cracking good yarn, but if the Doctor thinks this is merely incriminating him more, shouldn't he demand some kind of pause to proceedings?

Back aboard the Hyperion III, the Doctor is idly winding his pocketwatch when he is joined by flinty Professor Lasky, who finds it hard to believe he has a double pulse. "What are you, a comedian?" she asks, to which the Doctor replies: "No, more a sort of clown actually." Well, you certainly dress like one, Doctor! Soon, he is summoned to the bridge to find Commodore Travers cross-examining Mel, who is accused of killing poor Edwardes. It's great to see that Mel is more than capable of sticking up for herself, giving reasoned arguments rather than whiney protestations, as Peri would. Also, Mel is the one to hit the nail on the head when Travers asks what's going on. "The answer's simple enough," she says. "You've got a killer on board."

In the hydroponics centre, the mysterious Mogarian continues to skulk about, while Bruchner and Doland discover that all of the cocoons have hatched. "Don't you realise what's been unleashed?" a horrified Bruchner says, but it seems Doland is less bothered. Later, when the three are conversing in the gymnasium, Bruchner struggles to make Lasky and Doland recognise the gravity of the situation. Whatever it is they were experimenting on, and whatever it is that was in those cocoons, would seem to have severe consequences. Lasky is the latest in a string of "mad scientist" figures in the Sixth Doctor era found to be dabbling with things they shouldn't (Quillam, the Rani, Dastari, the Borad, Davros, Crozier...). 

Halfway through the episode things suddenly get all interactive, demanding a certain level of audience participation. The exchange involving the three Mogarians, where only two of them switch on their translators to speak, enables the viewers to "join in" at home with the Doctor's investigation. It's like Doctor Cluedo! At first the viewer might think it's a continuity clanger, but it transpires it's a vital piece of evidence to prove that the third Mogarian was not a man of Mogar at all, but actually Grenville in disguise! That's Grenville the mineralogist who was supposedly pulverised in part 9, but who was actually undercover aboard the Hyperion III to investigate Lasky's strange cargo.

The Doctor identifies Grenville as Hallett, confirming Mr Kimber's story of recognising him. Hallett decided to kill off his Grenville persona, and go undercover instead as a Mogarian to continue his investigations. But why don't the real Mogarians, Atza and Ortezo, wonder where this "Enzu" has popped up from suddenly? Maybe they've been paying too much attention to that retro Space Invaders video game?

The Doctor and Mel venture into the cargo hold to investigate the hydroponics centre, and it's a delight to watch Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford weave such a warm, believable dynamic between the Doctor and Mel. The relationship feels natural, like two people happy and comfortable in each other's company. We've not had such an organic relationship of equality in Doctor Who since Season 18's Fourth Doctor and Romana. There's been so much conflict and consternation between the Doctor and his friends in the intervening seasons... until now!

Whatever is stalking the ventilation shaft breaks into Cabin 8, where harmless old Mr Kimber is staying, and the leafy assailant stings the old dodderer as he gets undressed for bed. Amusingly, when Janet knocks with Mr Kimber's nightcap, the creature manages to turn on the shower, causing Janet to think the old man's seeing to his ablutions. It's a very clever monster that can learn how to operate a shower just minutes after having hatched out of its cocoon!

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Mel infiltrate the isolation room, from where a series of meals have been rejected rather messily (pity the ship's cook!). Donning face masks for protection, the dynamic duo discover some kind of incubation chamber, inside which they find a horribly mutated woman - half human, half vegetation! The mutant's eye snaps open, and Mel contributes her now legendary scream as the theme music floods in (this is becoming a habit). It's another wonderfully macabre, but not too graphic, cliffhanger in the spirit of The Seeds of Doom. Has Lasky - not just an agronomist, but a thremmatologist - been breeding Krynoid?

First broadcast: November 8th, 1986

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: The almost interactive section where the viewer can spot the deliberate mistake.
The Bad: Dear old Mr Kimber falls dead to the ground very gently, bless him!
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★★☆☆


at
Labels: , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Have you seen this episode? Let me know what you think!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)