The Death of Peladon

"We can all live on past glories."

Writer: Mark Wright

Format: Audio

Released: January 2022

Series: Peladon 1.03

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Mel

Synopsis

The Sixth Doctor and Mel arrive on Peladon to discover a world on the brink of environmental disaster. Civil war looms and a dark plot brews in the shadows of the court. Unless they can help avert catastrophe, there seems to be little hope left for one of the Doctor's favourite planets.

Verdict

The Death of Peladon was a great story to continue the Peladon boxset! I’m really enjoying this gem of a series exploring Peladon and having the Doctor enter the scene for a full adventure was a real treat. We didn’t start there though as the scene was set pre-titles with Helais experiencing the death of her grandma. She confided in Aggedor which was a fun continuation of the religious nature of Peladon, and this was now a much changed planet to what the Doctor remembered on his last visit. The mines were empty now and Queen Minaris was angry with the situation. She was more concerned with her headache than the resources of her planet and that didn’t go down too well with her daughter Isabelda. She was a good character with an attitude and she didn’t think too highly of the Galactic Federation and their impending visit. I liked that the Doctor and Mel arrived in the mines and the realisation that the torches were lit despite them being in disuse was terrific. Finding a murder victim really set the scene for a dark tale. Alpha Centauri leading Federation’s delegation was great and I liked how she was in semi-retirement now. Isabelda didn’t give her the nicest of greetings which set strong tension. The Doctor realising early that the water was contaminated was good but he didn’t have long to ponder that after the discovery of a thermal detonator in the rocks! That was immediate excitement. Helais giving a speech to her fellow miners to fight up was fantastic and it seemed that she was responsible for the explosion. The impact of that on the village province was far-reaching with a sink hole causing hundreds to be dead and it seemed that Mel was amongst them. That wasn’t the case as she was brought before the Queen which was a fun dynamic. I loved that the Doctor recalled the events of The Bride of Peladon by mentioning Erimem and his reaction to finding that she was a queen was wonderful. Helais confirmed the stories told she was a good queen, but she was more concerned with the land being barren now. The situation on Peladon certainly seemed bleak. Alpha Centauri recognising Mel as a human being was good and they embarked on quite the relationship throughout the rest of the story. I was a big fan of their pairing. The Doctor having a reputation with Centauri as well as on Peladon as a figure throughout history was really good. The royal delegation heading to Mount Mageshra was good and it sparked a number of reunions with the Doctor’s reaction to Mel being warmly heartfelt. The revelation that trisilicate had been infecting water on Peladon for years was emotional as it explained why there was such a death problem, with people falling victim to poison like Helais’s grandmother. I loved the moment where she produced the seal of Aggedor and finding that she was a descendant of Hepesh was strong continuity going back to The Curse of Peladon. Her possession of energy weapons made me question why she waited so long, but it put Peladon in a tricky predicament. The Federation being the only ones to help was a fun prospect and bringing up that trouble comes with the Doctor’s presence is always amusing. Helais taking him as she led her rebellion was great and I also loved that Isabelda was sneaking around the cacophony of secret tunnels. Mel was revelling in the drama! Finding that the princess was in League with the Arcturan was decent and further fine continuity. Helais threatening to shoot Minaris was a good development and probably overdue but the Doctor was having none of it and threatened to blow up the whole temple to ensure Helais backed down. Of course, he was bluffing but it worked. Isabelda being the one to lay the explosives and the murderer wasn’t much of a surprise but it was good to get confirmation. The Doctor and Helais uniting for Aggedor against her was a terrific moment and whilst Centauri got injured in the melee, there was more drama to come. Isabelda being shot by Helais and falling seemingly to her doom after threatening to kill her mother was excellent and quite the emphatic conclusion, and it was a nice touch to have Helais as the new Chancellor. The twist at the end with Isabelda was great and I’m sure it’ll have some sort of significance on the finale. Overall though, a very strong adventure to continue the series! 

Rating: 8/10