23x1. The Mysterious Planet
Writer: Robert Holmes
Director: Nicholas Mallett
Script Editor: Eric Saward
Producer: John Nathan-Turner
Synopsis: The
Doctor is summoned to Time Lord space station where he faces an
investigation - which soon becomes a trial - over his alleged habit of
interfering in the business of other species, with a Time Lord known
only as the Valeyard serving as prosecutor. The first piece of evidence
concerns a recent trip to Ravalox, where he and Peri encounter a small
group of humans undegrround under the rule of the robot Drathro and
another above-ground living a relatively primitive existence - and
discover that Ravalox is actually Earth.
Review: The twenty-third season of Doctor Who,
aired entirely under the title of "The Trial of a Time Lord," seems to
have a checkered reputation, but it actually gets off to a solid start
with "The Mysterious Planet" (for clarity's sake, I'm going to be
referring to each set of episodes by their informal titles). After the
somewhat labored setup of many a Season 22 serial, we get some creative
worldbuilding here, with the underground humans believing that the
surface is still dangerous and honoring three randomly preserved texts
as sacred scriptures, while treating Drathro as an "Immortal." The
mercenaries Sabalom Glitz and his somewhat simple-minded accomplice
Dibber add an element of danger and unpredictability to the
proceedings, their presence also hinting that the serial's events are
part of some larger conspiracy that the Valeyard does not want
discussed in court. Meanwhile, the creative team have mercifully toned
down the bickering that characterized much of last season's
interactions between the Doctor and Peri, with the Doctor himself
playing a more conventionally heroic role. (The script also turns
cleverly self-referential when the Inquisitor asks the Valeyard if it's
necessary to see the more violent scenes in court, and the whole notion
of the Doctor standing trial dovetails with the fact that Doctor Who was
itself on thin ice with the BBC at the time.) If there's one drawback,
it's that the Doctor's courtroom outbursts and namecalling towards the
Valeyard (whom he calls "Barnyard" and "Scrapyard," among other things)
do start to seem a bit childish and petulant after a while. But
overall, this is a nice return to form after a flawed and uneven
preceding season.
Rating: *** (out of four)
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