3.20: The Time Warrior

In which Robert Holmes introduces two long-running elements of Doctor Who.

Broadcast: December 1973-January 1974.

Watched: May 2020

The Time Warrior, Part One

Blimey, new title sequence. That’s oddly striking after four seasons. Also: the diamond logo finally arrives! [It’ll be with us for the next seven seasons, before vanishing until being everywhere during the wilderness years and then reappearing for RTD2.]

As with Peladon, it’s a weird shock to the system when the story starts somewhere that looks vaguely historic. This time we’re in Game of Thrones. Seeing an alien land in a village and immediately start making allies is interesting. Not sure we’ve seen that before. Lynx is the same height as everyone else. When did the idea that Sontarans are short set in? 

There’s no mystery whatsoever about what’s happening – we cut from Lynx saying he just take expertise from someone else to the Brig saying “it weird that all these scientists are going missing, isn’t it?” Interesting storytelling choice.

The moment when the Doctor first meets Sarah feels oddly loaded – probably just the director saying, “NEW COMPANION, LOOK!” but it does now read a bit like the series is saying, “MASSIVELY IMPORTANT NEW CHARACTER WHO YOU’LL STILL BE FOLLOWING IN DECADES!”

LOVE the scientist who’s delighted to find he doesn’t have to live with his wife and children for a bit.

Sarah clearly hides once she sneaks into the TARDIS, which is slightly bizarre behaviour. The bit where the archer fails to kill Irongron because she distracts him is hilarious.

The cliffhanger is just “LYNX IS AN ALIEN!” which is weird because we already know that from the words he says with his mouth.

The Time Warrior, Part Two

It is funny-slash-potentially-problematic that, the first time the show introduces an avowed feminist, it immediately throws her into the 12th century in a “You think you have it hard, love? Lucky you don’t live in SAUDI ARABIA” kind of a way. But Sarah trying to give Irongron what for is funny in a “What’s that police box doing in a junkyard” kind of way. Also, I like the way she finds out the Doctor has a time machine and immediately assumes he’s the kidnapper; she doesn’t just immediately understand she’s a Doctor Who companion.

ISTR being confused as a child by the fact Irongron has just taken a castle and is now pissing off the local aristos, but the thought occurs that this is actually a pretty reasonable depiction of life in medieval Europe. 

PERTWEE WITH A CROSSBOW!

Why do bars on windows on TV always come as part of a single unit you can conveniently remove at will? Makes no sense as a security measure.

The Doctor recognises the Sontarans, and shows off about it by dropping the name “Sontaran” every third sentence this episode. You can see why they’re still in the series, though – even before RTD realised they could be funny, the eternal war is an interesting concept and, despite being a clone, Lynx is actually a character not a monster.

There’s a scene in which Pertwee runs around a lot which is filmed from so far away that I assume it must be because it’s not Pertwee, it’s his stunt guy, but it’s very odd as at no point does he do anything dangerous.

The Time Warrior, Part Three

So this story has a sort of dual threat: 1) Irongron might massacre the nice, but wet, locals; 2) Lynx might fuck up human history. The former feels small, the latter too abstract. But it works as a romp, as the old people say. 

Sarah gets turned around on the question of whether or not the Doctor is evil. He just tells her he’s a goodie and she accepts it. 

I had forgotten all about the Doctor dressing up as a friar. Why he drops the disguise once he’s through the castle gate is a bit of a mystery.

The Time Warrior, Part Four

Sarah saving the Doctor, twice, then pretending to be a starving peasant and trying to introduce the wenches to feminism... this story is primarily about introducing her isn’t it? Everything else is just furniture. It’s like Rose or The Rescue. The second time she saves him, chucking the chandelier to him, is all but repeated in Rose isn’t it? Anyway, it feels like Holmes was given a ticklist. 

Linx thinks the Time Lords have an egalitarian philosophy. That feels like a bigger change than I’m expecting from The Deadly Assassin.

Pertwee is hilarious as the robot. 

What are we meant to deduce about Irongron from his use of the phrase “Norman ninny”? Is he actually a Saxon working class hero rebelling against the ruling class?

I like the way that Lynx advises Irongron to leave his doomed castle. He never turns on Irongron – though Irongron turns on him – but he doesn’t actually care. Nice to have an alien with personality.

Feels like there’s an alternative version if this season where Hal the archer stays on as a companion. Oh! Sarah and Hal. Nobody tell Big Finish.