Right OK so I thought I would do another review on yet another Doctor Who story and this one will be on another Jon Pertwee story: The Time Warrior, which introduced one of the Doctor's most memorable villains: the Sontarans not to mention companions in Sarah Jane Smith. And with that let's give this un a look......
So the story begins with the Doctor (Pertwee) who investigates the disappearance of several scientists along with the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) from a top secret scientific research centre. The missing scientists in question as it turns out are in fact being stolen by an alien named Linx (Kevin Lindsay) a Sontaran warrior, who was forced to land his ship in the Middle ages on Earth. Linx used a device called an Osmic projector to project himself forward into the 20th century to steal the scientists. The Doctor while he is at the centre meets an eccentric scientist, Professor Ruebish (Donald Pelmear) and also a young jouranlist, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) who is posing as her aunt Lavinia in order to infiltrate the complex and get a story. When Linx uses the projector again, the Doctor discovers that Ruebish has gone missing and he uses the data recorded from one of his own devices to track down the source of the projector. The Doctor then programs the data into the TARDIS and travels back in time to the Middle ages, unbeknownst to him though Sarah Jane has sneak onboard the TARDIS as a stowaway.
And in the middle ages Linx is found to be working with a bandit named Irongron (David Daker) who Linx has promised many great weapons in return for using his castle to store his ship and give him shelter. It turns out that Irongron has also stolen the castle he occupies from an absent nobleman and he also faces resistance from his neighbours. And one of his neighbours, Lord Edward of Wessex (Alan Rowe) is provoked into forming an alliance against Irongron and sends one of his archers, Hal (Jeremy Bulloch) to kill Irongron but he is unsuccessful who is captured. The Doctor soon discovers that Linx has kidnapped the scientists and confronts him for his actions as he has created futurisitic weapons for Irongron (rifles) as well as built a robotic knight for him. And it is up to the Doctor to try and stop Linx from his amoral activities and from interfering with human evolution.....
The Time Warrior is a very enjoyable opener to what was Jon Pertwee's last season in the role which saw the introduction also of one of the show's most memorable companions, the headstrong and plucky Sarah Jane Smith. The story is also notable because it is the first one that introduced the name of the Doctor's home planet: Gallifrey, which the Doctor tells Linx who asks where he was originally from. And another first introduced into the story was the inclusion of the new title credits for the show which included the famous diamond "Doctor Who" logo, which would go on to be used throughout most of the Tom Baker era.
Performance wise The Time Warrior is pretty good and Jon Pertwee once again is great in his part as the Doctor and he plays him with the usual mix of seriousness and fun. And Jon has some good scenes that include the scene where the Doctor first meets with Sarah Jane Smith and as he rumbles her for not being her Aunt he tells her he won't give her away and say "You can make yourself useful. We need someone around here to make the coffee!". And as Sarah, who is a real bolshy feminist protests the Doctor then goes into his TARDIS and Sarah angrily says "What are you going to do in there?!" and the Doctor says "Make MYSELF a cup of coffee. Good day!". And then there is the scene where the Doctor tells Sarah a little about the Time Lords "My people are very keen to stamp out unlicenced time travel. You can look upon them as galactic ticket inspectors if you like!". Then there is the scene where Linx holds the Doctor captive at the castle and the Doctor warns him "You are interfering with human evolution, Linx. Don't you realise the damage you will do to them?!". And as the Doctor sees Linx has breech loading rifles for Irongron he says to him "You give them breech loading guns now, they'll have atomic weapons by the seventeenth century! They'll have the capability to destroy their own planet before they're civilised enough to handle it!". Another good scene comes where the Doctor is about to follow Linx's trail in the first episode and the Brigadier warns him how the Doctor had gotten lost in the TARDIS before. And the Doctor says to the Brig "Brigadier a straight line maybe the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting! Goodbye old chap!". And last of all there is the moment where the Doctor faces Linx for the first time and he tells him the name of his home planet "Gallifrey! I am a Time Lord!".
Elisabeth Sladen is also great in her debut as Sarah Jane Smith and already she has a good understanding of her character and how to play her and was the first effectively headstrong companion in the show (although you could argue Lis Shaw was also and Jo later became more so). Lis has some good moments in the story also such as the scene where after having stowed away in the TARDIS and Sarah finds herself in the Middle Ages and she is captured by Irongron's men who take her to him. And Sarah who clearly has no idea she has travelled through time insults Irongron and his men by saying "Why don't you take off that ridiculous gear and go home to your butcher's shop! I warn you, anymore of this and I'm going straight to the police!". Another good moment comes when Sarah and Hal come for the Doctor who evades Irongron's men and he says to her "Thank you very much, Miss Smith. A most timely rescue" and Sarah says "This isn't a rescue, Doctor, its a capture!". And at the end of the story as Hal calls the Doctor a magician and the Doctor says "I'm not a magician at all" Sarah quietly says to herself "I'm not so sure about that!".
Kevin Linsday probably however gives the story's standout performance as he is great in his part as the Sontaran warrior, Linx, who uses Irongron and the captured scientists to repair his ship so he escape back to his war. Lindsay also has some highlights in the story such as the scene where Linx first meets Irongron and asks for his help and for things to repair his ship. And as Irongron says "We have no such things of which you speak" Linx says "Then I must take them from those who have!". Another good scene comes when Linx has removed his helmet as he toils in his workshop within Irongron's castle and Irongron and angrily barges in and sees Linx's wide alien potato head for the first time. And Linx says to him "Did I not warn you, you might not find my features pleasing!" and Irongron says "Not a truer word spoken. Are they all so fair a face beyond the stars?" and Linx angrily says "The variety of sentient lifeforms is infinite. Do you think your primitive features are pleasing to me?!". Then there is the scene where the Doctor first meets Linx and Linx asks where the Doctor originates and the Doctor tells him "Gallifrey!" and Linx says "Ah yes. A race of great technological achievement, but lacking the morale to withstand a determined assault!". And last of all there is the scene where Linx argues with Irongron and Linx warns him "Threaten me once more and I will destroy you!" and as Irongron goes to hit him, Linx easily knocks him aside and shouts "Primitives! Childish, squabbling primitives! It is well I do not need to spend much more time among you!". Lindsay's mask for Linx is also very worthy of note as its excellent and was once again the work of the ever creative and brilliant visual effects designer, John Friedlander.
David Daker is also excellent in his role as the hotheaded Irongron who shelters Linx in his castle but squabbles often with him while other times tries to extend his friendship to him. Daker also has some good moments such as the scene where Linx travels with Irongron as he attempts to assault Edwards' castle. And as Linx advises Irongron to use the rivals to shoot the guards, Irongron laughs and says "On my oath, Linx, when I am king, you shall be my champion!" and he pats a bemused Linx firmly on the back!. Daker also has some amusing lines that describe Linx such as the scene where Irongron having already seen Linx's face, Linx enters with a box full of weapons and Linx tells him "These are the weapons I promised you" and Irongron says "Oh my thanks, good toadface. Er, good Linx! More weapons from the stars!". Daker also has a good description line for the Doctor as well as Irongron says to Linx of the Doctor "Is this Doctor a long shank rascal with a mighty nose?!". And lastly there is the scene where Irongron argues with Linx after his men are forced to retreat after the Doctor's thwarts Irongron's attack on Edward's castle. And in the scene Irongron threatens Linx by saying "Taunt me not, little toadface, or by the stars I'll see if the colour of your blood is red like mortal man's!".
And lastly Donald Pelmear it has to be said while he is quite good in his role as Professor Ruebish his character is the weak link in the chain as he is morely just a rather annoying eccentric old fart than anything else. Still Pelmear does provide the odd bit of amusement such as the scene where Ruebish having been captured and sent to the Middle ages soon catches up with the Doctor who asks him "Do you want to get back to the twentieth century?" and Ruebish sighs "Steak and mushrooms, lobster, chocolate truffles. Oh dear me, yes!". Pelmear as Ruebish also get's the pleasure of knocking out Linx in the scene where the Doctor tellingly reveals Linx's only weakness "That probic vent in the back of your neck!" which Ruebish along with the help of a small magnifying class and a piece of wood knocks Linx out by striking him in the back of the neck. And last last of all Jeremy Bulloch is not too bad in his role as Hal, the archer who serves Edward of Wessex. And Bulloch has a good line near the end of the story where he grabs one of Irongron's men who has been drugged by the Doctor just before Linx's ship is about to take off and he says "Listen dog! In minutes now this castle will be destroyed by sorcery! If you'd save your miserable skins, then you get you gone!".
As for the story's director, Alan Bromly, he does a fine job in keeping a solid mix of drama and fun and the overall tone of the story is quite light and pleasant for the most part. Bromly I think never actually directed another Doctor Who story so for his one off story he managed his duties with aplomb (not a plumb!). And finally I will get to the show's regular composer back then Dudley Simpson who provides another plesant score for the story.
So onto the flaws section of the review..... has The Time Warrior got any???? Hmmmmm well one of the things that kind of bugged me was if Linx had the ability to project himself forward into the future then why didn't he just stay in the 20th century and set a base of operations there and then? Not unless of course his Osmic projector is only effective for short periods of time in that case well that makes sense. Ultimately Linx's ship is trapped back in the Middle ages so he couldn't move that forward in time with himself I guess (so perhaps ignore that niggle!). But this does bring one thing to mind and that is just how did Linx actually end up IN the Middle ages in the first place???? It seems funny how if he is fighting a futuristic space battle against the Rutans (the sworn enemy of the Sontaran race) then how could he find himself on a historical period in Earth??? This obviously means that Linx's craft must have had time travel capability but again this is not clearly explained in the story if this is so, so you just have to take it on faith.
Another thing is that the Middle ages characters such as Edward of Wessex and Lady Eleanor (played by June Brown who later would become Dot Cotton on Eastenders!) are pretty poorly written and not very interestingly presented. The story is also a bit guilty of sexism which is pretty typical of the period in the 1970s and has such lines from the Doctor saying "you could make us all some coffee" to Sarah who takes offence who is very much a feminist character. Also the inclusion of Ruebish is a but superflous to the story as he is a pretty annoying character and there for just a bit of comic relief but in the end he is not that funny. But these are niggles which don't really prevent you from enjoying the story.
And that's it for my look at the Time Warrior which is still one of Jon Pertwee's most enjoyable stories and still worth a watch.
So with that I shall say to yeee goodnight!
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