Today, July 7th, would've been Jon Pertwee's 95th birthday. To mark the occasion Christopher Morley looks back at the 1972 Third Doctor adventure The Time Monster.
Is there such thing as a 'golden age' of
Doctor-Master battles? If so, the Third's encounters with his old foe
at the peak of his powers must be it. Following his introduction as
the main attraction of Season 8, he was used more sparingly in the
following run. But his appearances even then steal the show ( The
Sea Devils & The
Time Monster slotting easily
alongside the likes of The Daemons).
Prepare to dive as we head for Atlantis! Roger Delgado shines in his
penultimate appearance before his sad death, as the Master plots to
gain control of Kronos, the titular time beastie.
There's even a
cheap laugh to be had- the device he constructs under the guise of
Professor Thascalos ( an alias he's used before, if you count The
Nameless City) is named TOMTIT!
Stop giggling at the back. Outside of its use for toilet humour, it
stands for Transmission Of Matter Through Interstitial Time. Further
research will perhaps inevitably reveal that 'interstitial time'
doesn't even actually exist as a field of scientific research...no
matter though. Why let the facts get in the way of a good story? The
Doctor is at least sharp as ever, having had a dream of the Master
causing quite a stir with the help of a crystal...
Useful tools,
these prophetic dreams ( part of which re-uses that exploding volcano from Inferno).
The Master just so happens to be
hard at work at the Newton Institute, & he's got hold of exactly
the same lump of quartz Three saw in his slumber. There have been
reports of earthquakes in Greece, too- more specifically the Thera
islands ( modern day Santorini). Not insignificantly it's believed
that that particular part of the world was the location of the
mythical lost city of Atlantis, which explains the Master/Thascalos's
interest. His experiments with the help of Doctor Ruth Ingram &
Stuart Hyde are already beginning to cause disruptions to the normal
flow of time!
Not that
Institute director Charles Percival will mind. He's been hypnotised,
& so leaves them to it. The Doctor, Jo Grant & a UNIT
delegation aren't too far behind either- which is handy in the
circumstances. The beardy badass is far too interested in the
potential fruits of his research to be that bothered. He wants
Kronos- who he's convinced can be used as a tool of his own will.
Some never learn, do they? Besides, its only a bloke dressed as a
seagull surely? It doesn't take the Doctor long to work out what's
going on either. Someone really is mucking about with time, & '
Thascalos' is Greek for ' Master'...that's that sorted, then. An aged
Stuart, now looking a good few years older than when he'd left for
work that morning, will be relieved that little mystery's solved.
What did he see
while he was out for the count? Kronos! Turns out he was feared even
in Atlantis, & the crystal the Master's got is the original from
that time ( having been moved through 'interstitial time'). All this
fake science is confusing, we know. Have a cup of tea & a Jammie
Dodger perhaps to clear your head- excuse us while we fetch our resident Ironside
to do the honours. Thirsty work, this. But never fear, the Doctor can
explain everything as usual. Kronos is a Chronovore! In the simplest
terms that makes it rather frightful, especially since it eats time
for every meal. Yummy.
A development
which might explain the Master's decision to use the crystal to
summon the priest Krasis from his proper home in ancient Atlantis. He
wants the secret of how to properly control Kronos for himself &
won't rest until he gets it! After it's summoned once more it gobbles
up poor Percival, the greedy beggar- perhaps by way of disciplinary
action the Master sends it back into its crystal until it learns how
to greet company properly. Disrupting time in such a manner does have
its uses though, as a medieval knight, some Roundheads and a German
wartime bomb are used by the Master to destroy the UNIT convoy.
You didn't think
we wouldn't get to visit Atlantis, did you? Picking up the pace, both
our Time Lord protagonists arrive at the court of King Dalios. He's
understandably desperate to avoid his kingdom crumbling now that
Kronos is back, having long warned his people that the Chronovore is
bad news. His Queen, Galleia ( played by no less than Ingrid Pitt, of
Hammer Horror movie
fame) soon gets her head turned by the Master's promises of greater
power if she helps him overthrow her husband. Lateral-thinking
viewers might note that her utter ruthlessness in the role of Galleia
could have helped her become a great female Master in her own right
had things turned out differently, though of course she could still
have taken over from Roger Delgado had the higher-ups of the Who
backroom team really thought about it at the time.
After all, a
post-regenerative Romana chooses for her next form to be based upon
that of Princess Astra of Atrios in Destiny Of The Daleks,
so in theory nothing would stop the dying Master settling on
Galleia's appearance & hoping for some of her conniving nature to
remain for his own use instead of becoming that awful half-dead husk
of a man from The Deadly Assassin....alas,
such ideas are only theory now, though of course the Doctor has
previously regenerated into a chap who looks suspiciously like Arc Of Infinity' s Commander Maxil as well as The Fires Of Pompeii's Caecilius.
At least Dalios isn't taken in by the Master's attempts at
hypnotism! And to think, the crystal everyone's getting in a fuss
over isn't even the real one, which is guarded by a Minotaur- the
intrigue deepens, no?
The Master's coup
succeeds, to the shock of the Doctor- who in asking to see the king
was expecting to be taken to Dalios. Instead he finds his greatest
nemesis has now taken power. Galleia soon realises the folly of her
scheming when told by Jo that her husband is dead, & tries to
make amends by having her partner in crime seized. But it appears to
be too late, as the Master has Krasis summon up Kronos- whom he
orders to destroy Atlantis, History will record the place as a great
myth, but its residents here won't be too happy. As the city begins
its descent into ruin, a great battle between two very special
TARDISes is about to happen, by means of a time ram,
All good for the
winner, who'll get to go scot free. The loser will be ejected out
into the ravages of space, though. Not so good, we're sure you'd
agree! Both Type 40s appear to have lost, though, when they end up in
a great featureless void with nothing but a giant ominous female face
for company. She's Kronos, & she's grateful for her freedom. She
does, though, want to keep the Master as a plaything in revenge for
her torment at his hands- but the Doctor's nose for mercy offers a
lifeline which he makes the most of by escaping post-haste. Well, you
would wouldn't you?
He'll be back
though, in time for Frontier In Space
( Roger Delgado's Masterly curtain call).
Farewell, Master of Masters!