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The Time Warrior Format Reviewed: DVD Review The fifth and final season of the Jon Pertwee era of Doctor Who commences with The Time Warrior. There are several familiar elements here for the fans, notably the surrounds of the UNIT team, while Sarah Jane Smith and The Sontarans are both introduced here and go on to become synonomous with the series. New titles and a logo that also became one of the most popular versions are also introduced in this story, so The Time Warrior can really be shown to have advanced the show from the previous season. In medieval times, a spaceship crash lands in a forest. Linx, a Sontaran, emerges and recruits the locals Irongron and Bloodaxe to help repair his ship in return for weapons, but their technology is primitive so Linx seeks alternative sources of scientific expertise. In 20th century Earth, UNIT are investigating the disappearance of some scientists, who have been 'timenapped' by Linx. Local gentry, Edward of Wessex is concerned about Irongron, and hopes to enlist the help of other local gentry to mass against him. The messenger, his squire, is caputerd by Irongron however and the plans are revealed. The Doctor meanwhile has discovered where the scientists are being taken to, and travels there with Sarah Jane Smith accidentally on board the TARDIS too. Sarah and Hal the Archer, who has been hired to kill Irongron are then unlickily captured and interrogated by Linx, but manage to escape soon afterwards. The Doctor then finds Linx's laboratory, but is stunned by Linx. He is then released by one of the timenapped scientists who has escaped the Sontaran hypnotism as he cannot see. They are then captured by a raid led by Sarah and Hal, who believe The Doctor is helping Irongron, but then The Doctor helps defend Edward of Wessex's castle from an Irongron assault. They then manage to infiltrate Irongron's castle, getting a sleeping potion into the food while The Doctor challenghes Linx, stunning him. They manage to get out eventually, before Irongron wakes, and shoots Linx with an arrow in the probic vent killing him and activating the take off of his ship, causing a massive explosion that destroys Irongron's castle. The Time Warrior can really be seen as the start of a clearing of the decks ready for the changeover of The Doctor. Gone is Jo Grant, and incoming is Sarah Jane Smith, who would go on to become synonamous with Tom Baker's portrayal of The Doctor, rather than Pertwee's. It is also obvious from this series that the production crew are starting to become a little more adventurous again, and they really start to get away from the UNIT, Master and Earth Bound stories, although it is only the time that changes here, and UNIT do feature, albeit briefly. It is good to see the variety creeping back into Doctor Who, as it had started to become a little formulaic. It is also good to have some fresh blood in the lead roles, as seeing the same people for years on end can become samey in itself. The Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee is joined for the first time by Sarah Jane Smith, portrayed by Elizabeth Sladen. Her quality and potential as a companion for The Doctor is immediately apparant to me here, hopefully not too coloured by her future marvellous performances. There is great interaction between Pertwee and Sladen, and this bodes very well for the future. The guest cast here is really very strong too, lead by Kevin Lindsay as Linx, and David Draker as Irongron. Both give very good powerful performances, with Lindsay in particular giving the performance that hence forth defined the Sontarans. Of the rest of the cast, notable mentions should go to Donald Pelmear and Jeremy Bulloch, whose performances as Professor Rubeish and Hal respectively were both good in their own ways. What sets The Time Warrior out as a great story for the era is several things. Firstly, you have the introduction of a great new adversary for The Doctor, the Sontarans, which provide something very different to other big foes such as the Daleks, Cybermen or Silurians. The Sontarans have almost a fanatical devotion to the single purspose of their race, and little emotion outside of that. Secondly, this story has a believable setting in the middle-ages. One thing we can generally cope with for sets in this country is the middle ages, and this is represented well here, although I think the scale of the armies involved would have been much bigger in real life, as Irongron and Edward of Wessex only seem to have a handful of men between them. Finally, the plot is believable and well realised. When the viewer can really get into the reality of a story in science fiction, it has the effect of grabbing the attention dramtically and not releasing it until the end credits. This is something that the story wins on. Overall, The Time Warrior is a very good story for the time. We have the introductions of the Sontarans and Sarah Jane Smith, and you do get the feeling that this is the beginning of the end for Jon Pertwee's Doctor, and that he is now rapidly approaching the time where his style of Doctor is a little too young for him, and time was ripe for a change. His final season does kick off in style though with this story. Rating:  |