The Curse of Peladon

"Death shall walk in the land of Peladon."

Writer: Brian Hayles
Format: TV
Broadcast:
Season: 9.02

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis

Taking a test flight in the TARDIS, the Doctor and Jo make an inelegant landing on the planet Peladon. Mistaken for representatives from Earth, the Doctor soon finds himself chairing the committee of alien delegates assessing Peladon's petition to join the Galactic Federation. When one of the King's advisers is killed, the High Priest fears the the ancient Curse of Aggedor is at work, but the Doctor suspects his old enemies the Ice Warriors are to blame. Can the Doctor and Jo uncover the identity of the saboteurs before a major diplomatic incident plunges them into war?

Verdict

The Curse of Peladon was a very good serial! It saw the Third Doctor in a rare visit to another planet during his exile which must have been quite refreshing for viewers at the time and it also saw the return of the Ice Warriors for the first time since the series colourisation. That must have been quite a treat at the time but the Martian natives were acting a little differently to the two times they had appeared previously with the Second Doctor. Now, the first time I watched this story around six years ago, I wasn't a fan of the Ice Lord and Warrior not having evil intentions. But since then, I have garnered quite a few Ice Warrior stories under my belt and have come to accept that not all of the species are evil. So I didn't mind at all in this story and actually found it quite an interesting dynamic. The Galactic Federation is a terrific idea and I thought the delegates on Peladon for this adventure were great. Izlyr and Ssorg were fantastic and I liked how the past of their species presented a threat, especially once death occurred on Peladon. I thought King Peladon himself was fantastic throughout and I liked how he was ushering in a new era on the planet. The relationship he shared with Jo was wonderful and it must have been quite difficult for him to have her decline his requests of marriage and to stay once Hepesh had been dealt with. He made an interesting enemy and whilst his stubbornness in sticking to the historical principles of Peladon made him a prime candidate for not wanting the planet to join the Galactic Federation, it never quite seemed likely that he was the culprit. I really liked the arrival of the Doctor and Jo and the way they quickly took on the role of the Earth ambassadors was very good. The scene at the story's close with the real delegate arriving was very humorous. The Doctor's referencing of The Seeds of Death was delightful but I loved how the resolution to part one's cliffhanger saw him save the life of an Ice Lord. How things can change. Aggedor was an intriguing legend but once we met the actual beast, he didn't seem so frightening at the mercy of the Doctor's lullaby. The trial by combat was an exciting affair but unfortunately it was so obvious that the actor in the scenes from above was a stunt double. Still, the way it led to the true intentions of Hepesh was very good. Alpha Centauri was as great as remembered and I loved how she was almost forced into making the decision unanimous and support King Peladon. Grun was another good character and I liked how the Doctor was nice to him. The realisation at the story's conclusion that it was probably the doing of the Time Lords for the TARDIS to have come to Peladon in the first place was fantastic and just typical of this era. Overall, a great adventure!

Rating: 8/10