DW STORY #114 – WARRIORS’ GATE [FOURTH DOCTOR]: The fifth story of the eighteenth season was a four-part adventure broadcast over four Saturdays from January 3rd to January 24th, 1981. PLOT: Attempting to leave E-Space, the TARDIS gets stuck in a “null void” between the two universes. Also stuck there is a slave vessel that uses Tharils (a lion-like race) to navigate through time. Unfortunately, the null void is shrinking and the crews of both ships are running out of time to find a way out. However, since the Doctor and Romana are willing to help free the Tharils from their enslavement, the Tharils are willing to help the TARDIS escape the null void and re-enter N-Space (“normal space”). However, Romana decides to remain with the Tharils in E-Space. She feels for their plight and she still doesn’t want to go back to Gallifrey. The Doctor decides to leave K-9 with her. In the end, only Adric and the Doctor make the journey to N-Space. REMARKS: Okay, first of all, this is a very confusing story. Writing the plot summary above was probably the first time I have EVER figured out what happened in the story. Moreover, the story is – both visually and plot-wise – BORING! It makes “The Leisure Hive” seem like a fun, playful romp! I have only seen the story three times – twice on PBS when it aired in the ‘80s and then once again about a year ago. My opinion all three times was the same: SLEEP FEST! Unfortunately, you can’t just tell everyone to skip the story because there are several notable developments – specifically, the departure of Romana and K-9 and the TARDIS’s arrival back in N-Space. Part of what made this story suffer so much was its very limited budget – smaller than those of the eighteenth season’s other stories – and it shows. The sets are all very limited and sparse, the exterior shots are all set in a plain white haze, and many of the scenes from the original script had to be cut to save money (although, apparently, they are all included in the novelization). The story itself is actually a pretty good one, but this is a case of its production/realization ruining it. (Did I mention I don’t like JNT? I just think I should mention that every now and again – even when it isn’t relevant.) COMPANIONS IN THIS STORY: K-9 Mark II, Romana II, Adric (Romana and K-9 both remain in E-Space) Up next: “The Keeper of Traken” … ~ CL
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 23:57:26 +0000
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