Friday, November 22, 2013

The Reign of Terror

In his haste to return Ian and Barbara back to their original time and planet the Doctor ends up setting the TARDIS down just outside of Paris during the French Revolution, which just happens to be his favorite era of human history. After a brief period of exploration in the French countryside Ian, Barbara and Susan are all arrested and taken to jail while the Doctor gets knocked unconscious and left behind in a burning building. From there it's a series of schemes and prison breaks as our heros try to avoid a date with the guillotine. The Doctor provides some good comic relief with his impersonation of a French public official while his companions are mostly left alone to contemplate the ethics of participating in historical events while knowing they are ultimately unable to alter the course of history. Two of the serial's six episodes are missing but have been reconstructed for home video in various forms, including animated versions using the original production audio.

Rating: I'm rather tired of your insuations that I am not master of this craft%

(Image from starburstmagazine.com)