21x5. Planet of Fire
Writer: Peter Grimwade
Director: Fiona Cumming
Script Editor: Eric Saward
Producer: John Nathan-Turner
Synopsis: In pursuing a strange signal and dealing with an
erratically functioning Kamelion, the Doctor and Turlough are drawn
first to Earth and then to the planet Sarn, where the Master -
who has accidentally shrunken himself - is exploiting the local
religion in order to gain access to the volcanic gases that he believes
can heal his condition.
Review: In (mini-)reviewing "Planet of Fire," I am reminded of just how strange a show Doctor Who
is compared to most other television sci-fi dramas. After the violent
outcomes of "Warriors of the Deep" and "Resurrection of the Daleks,"
the latter of which concluded with the Doctor pledging to "mend his
ways," what are we to make of the fact that he still destroys Kamelion
(at the android's request) and declines to save the Master's life in
this serial when his enemy (and perhaps something else?) is trapped in
a beam of fire? Well...I'm not sure. If this were almost any other
show, I'd probably interpret it as the story of a man trying to avoid
the use of violence but finding himself once again unable to resolve a
crisis without participating in destruction and death, then go on to
comment about the overproliferation of anti-heroes in modern culture.
But this is Doctor Who,
and the protagonist is a hyperintelligent centuries-old alien whose
portrayal hasn't always followed the traditional rules of character
development and who isn't given to voicing his inner thoughts very
often. As a result, just what is going on inside the mind of this
generally idealistic but fallible Fifth Doctor is left somewhat
unclear, and the hint that the Doctor and the Master share something
more than just shared enmity doesn't do much for me given that I know
that the original series, at least, never folllowed up on it.
Fortunately, there's enough other material to chew on to make this a
worthwhile serial: Turlough, arguably the most amoral and deceptive of
companions, redeems his past behavior (including his callousness
towards Kamelion earlier) by contacting the Trionians who had once
banished him, Peri makes for a promising addition to the TARDIS crew,
and the background of a religion arising from the Sarn natives'
observation of the Trionian science experiments is strong sci-fi
worldbuilding.
Rating: *** (out of four)
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