The Androids of Tara

"You can't crown a dead prince."

Writer: David Fisher

Format: TV

Broadcast: 25 November-16 December 1978

Season: 16.04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana I, K9

Synopsis

It seems that the search for the fourth segment of the Key to Time will prove simple when Romana locates it on the planet Tara. But in a land where nothing is as it first appears, the Doctor and his companion quickly find themselves embroiled in a deadly game of kidnap, deceit and counterplot. 

It is not long before the Doctor himself is locking swords with the dastardly Count Grendel of Gracht, the finest beadsman in the kingdom, who has sinister plans for Romana...

Verdict

The Androids of Tara was a great serial! I really enjoyed this story to continue my sporadic way through the Key to Time season from the Classic era and I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to. I don't think it's wrong to say that this doesn't have the greatest reputation among fans and can be something close to being forgettable, but I thoroughly enjoyed what was presented here. Starting any story with the Fourth Doctor and K9 playing chess is always a great thing from where I'm standing and the humour that comes with it is magnificent. Hearing how K9 and Romana were discussing how long it was until mate for the Doctor was terrific. K9 brings such a fun dynamic to the Doctor and Romana, even if I'm not a huge fan of her first incarnation. I liked how much she was on the ball here with the hunt for the fourth segment of the Key to Time whilst the Doctor was content with chilling for a bit as they already had half! It was nice and refreshing to have Romana locate the segment almost immediately after the TARDIS arrived on Tara, and then have the segment get taken away from her for a questionable registration. It was good that the whole serial wasn't all about that search. The society of Tara was something I really enjoyed and the political scheming that was occurring was fantastic. How that mixed with the number of androids on the planet was really intriguing and I just really liked the setting. It looked historical as far as Earth was concerned and I just thought it was fashionable. Romana I fitted in perfectly and she certainly dressed for the part. I'm not sure what to make of Romana being a lookalike to the Princess Strella. I did like how she was examined at the start and almost lost her head because of a swollen ankle when it was assumed she was an android, but that of course turned out to be far from the case. The image of the android inner workings is freaky and much the same to the famous Sarah Jane cliffhanger in The Android Invasion. It really is quite the image. K9 had such a fun role in the story and just the idea of him on a canoe is wonderful. The comedic way to finish with him just floating around after all was resolved was excellent. The power struggle between Reynart and Grendel was brilliant and I really liked the technicalities of law and the Doctor and co rushing to get the android prince on to ensure that the Kinghood would not be passed on. The sword fight that came in part four was really impressive and I liked the challenge of the Doctor taking on Tara's most famed swordsman. He relished the challenge! I thought Tom Baker was actually on top form throughout. The Taran Wood Beast at the start of the first episode is something left to be desired as it really did look laughably bad! I really was waiting for someone to unmask as it didn't look like it could be taken seriously as a creature. Thankfully, what followed was a really enjoyable serial and a great continuation of the season!

Rating: 8/10