The Time Monster

 

"No on rules Kronos!"

Writer: Robert Sloman

Format: TV

Broadcast: 20 May - 24 June 1972

Season: 9.05

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

The Master is back! Assuming the alias of Professor Thascales at the Newton Research Unit at Cambridge University, he harbours his latest deadly plot to seize control of time itself. Can the Doctor and Jo thwart his terrible plan?

What secrets does the mysterious trident-shaped crystal hold? Why is the ancient city of Atlantis central to the Master's plan? And what mythical terror lies at the heart of the Maze? With time literally against them, the odds might just be too great for the time travellers...

Verdict

The Time Monster was a decent season finale and serial as a whole, but it certainly isn't without its flaws. It has been over eight years since my first and only viewing of this serial and it is safe to say that I enjoyed it much more back then than I did today, not that I didn't enjoy it! It was a very intriguing little watch and my main criticism is that it just went too long. I don't think it had the longevity required for six parts which was a shame as I felt the first three in particular were pretty strong for the most part. Another scene that I will mention here as one I didn't enjoy was the time slippage moments with UNIT being attacked by different armies or peoples of the past in the form of knights in shining armour and bombs from above. However in saying that, the impact of the part three cliffhanger where it seemed that Yates and his team were gone was very good. The passage as a whole just seemed to drag. I loved how the story started with the Doctor having a dream and vision of the Master and the links from there to bring us to Atlantis were fantastic. I thought Jo had a decent story as companion and it's nice to see her so established in the role by this point. Her relationship with the Doctor is great. I thought the Brigadier was pretty good too although for a top military person, his disregard to science and things he cannot comprehend is a little frustrating in all honesty. The Master taking the disguise of Thascales was wonderful and I really enjoyed the Doctor's reaction to hearing that name. He knew his old enemy was up to no tricks. Whilst the story as a whole is good, there are some production errors that are just so blaring they really do have an impact on the serial. Firstly, it's really unforgivable that the Master isn't recognised by the Brigadier when he's in the hazmat suit as pretty much his whole face can be seen! I also wasn't a fan of the makeshift nature of the time flow analog that the Doctor finished with tea leaves. That whole sequence was quite boring. There was definitely too much sitting around in this one which is a consequence of the six part format. Another production issue is the costume design of Kronos as the white flapping creature we see just isn't threatening or scary in the slightest. I think it could easily have been worked around with creative camerawork to disguise the nature of Kronos until the overseeing woman we saw at the end after Jo initiated the time ram. I liked that sequence a lot and it was good to see a different form of Kronos, but the way the Master escapes so easily is a little cheap as the Doctor surely wouldn't let him off that easily. I thought the Atlantis setting and target worked really well and it's fun to have Doctor Who's take on the myth. Of course, it's not the only one but it's probably the closest we'll get to the place. Benton was a great deal of fun in this serial and him being the one to understand the matter transference was delightful. It was also good to have him revert to his baby self and then return fully grown and naked. Quite the closing image for a season! Ingram and Hyde were very good scientific characters and I liked how they went for a trial run against the Master's instruction. The use of the crystal in the story worked well and I also liked having Krasis in modern day and almost worshipping the Master but not downgrading Kronos in any way. The costume design and the set for Atlantis were really impressive and I liked how the Master brought about the lost city's downfall. Overall, this was a decent story with a good plot at its heart but it probably went a little long with a couple too many big production errors. Still, a very enjoyable watch!

Rating: 7/10