Dr Who The Androids of Tara
And here the Key to Time story starts to go off the rails just a bit.
What started off as an intense search to restore order and balance to the universe has become an after-thought to the overall story of swashbucking and swords, double-crosses and fuedal politics that we see on screen here. Had it not been forced into the Key to Time season, "Androids of Tara" might be better remembered and more beloved. However, slotted in as the fourth story of a arc-story season and it kind of stands out like a sore thumb.
Of all the Key stories, the quest for the fourth segment has the most tenous connection to the story. The segment is found within the first ten minutes of episode one, leading to the Doctor and Romana getting caught up in the politics of Tara. The fact that Romana happens to look like the Princess on the planet is a bit of a stretch of the imigination. Also, the concept that society would be in fuedal castles while having the technology to create life-like androids is extremely incongongrious. It's almost as if some small bit of explanation is missing on this. Perhaps this could have worked better as a sequel of sorts of "Android Invasion" but then again, maybe not.
The story feels like an excuse to have Tom Baker sword-fight and Mary Tamm wear a pretty dress. Other than that, it's the typical Who story, where there's good, bad and the Doctor in the middle trying to sort it all out. It should have been more fun than it was and it should have tied in better to the quest for the Key. Easily the most disappointing story of season sixteen.
What started off as an intense search to restore order and balance to the universe has become an after-thought to the overall story of swashbucking and swords, double-crosses and fuedal politics that we see on screen here. Had it not been forced into the Key to Time season, "Androids of Tara" might be better remembered and more beloved. However, slotted in as the fourth story of a arc-story season and it kind of stands out like a sore thumb.
Of all the Key stories, the quest for the fourth segment has the most tenous connection to the story. The segment is found within the first ten minutes of episode one, leading to the Doctor and Romana getting caught up in the politics of Tara. The fact that Romana happens to look like the Princess on the planet is a bit of a stretch of the imigination. Also, the concept that society would be in fuedal castles while having the technology to create life-like androids is extremely incongongrious. It's almost as if some small bit of explanation is missing on this. Perhaps this could have worked better as a sequel of sorts of "Android Invasion" but then again, maybe not.
The story feels like an excuse to have Tom Baker sword-fight and Mary Tamm wear a pretty dress. Other than that, it's the typical Who story, where there's good, bad and the Doctor in the middle trying to sort it all out. It should have been more fun than it was and it should have tied in better to the quest for the Key. Easily the most disappointing story of season sixteen.