Review: Doctor Who Classic: The Invasion of Time

1978. This six-part serial is widely considered one of the worst in Tom Baker's seven year tenure. Bad acting, bad writing, complete misunderstandings of characters, and villians less threatening than a wet rag. Hell, even the co-writers Graham Williams and Anthony Read didn't want to be part of this, instead using the infamous pseudonym David Agnew. In this Bad Sci-Fi review, I take a look at the "sequel" to The Deadly Assassin, The Invasion of Time.
   Episode One is composed of The Doctor consulting with an alien race and signing and agreement that will let him control Galifrey. As the Tardis arrives, a warrant is ill-informly given for The Doctor's arrest and he claims his right as the President, seeing as in his last visit he was running, and there has been no-one else in what, the past MONTH?! Anyway, he gets pally with Chancellor Borusa (who's regenerated since TDA, and now played by John Arnatt)  Well. He acts like a complete and total arse, out of character to the highest degree. He orders that his quarters is redecorated with thick metal gears. The induction ceremony involves him getting access to the Symbols, and to be connected the The Matrix. When he is exposed to the Matrix in the ceremony, he collapses down in pain.
   So, our first episode has The Doctor acting ridiculously out of character, badly acted roles (Baker is Ok but the aliens are monotone and Leela is an embarrisment) and aliens that sit in big egg-shaped chairs and sound like they're from upper Belfast.
   The next episode, The Doctor recovers in his chambers, and then banishes Leela, to die in the wastelands. He sneaks back to the Tardis and discusses his plans with K9, while Leela is running across the Capital trying to escape. K9 is helping him with success in allowing a full invasion. Meanwhile, Leela comes across a force-fielded Time Lady called Rodan, who's the space traffic controller. Rodan lets past an alien ship, thinking it will do them no harm, but K9 has been ordered to go and destroy the forcefield. The Doctor calls a meeting of the council and the Vardans appear, shimmering bits of tin foil.
   Slightly better than the first, but there are plot holes the size of belgium and not in an acceptable way, either. The Doctor is slightly more temperate and cunning here, if still seemingly to be a little bit of a dick. Heading into Ep. Three, and The Doctor chats with Borusa in private, in his now lead-lined office. The Vardans leader has a monotone voice that get gratingly annoying after a short while.
   Leela and Rodan meanwhile decide to head off into the wastelands anyway, so as to gather forces to kill the Vardans. Back in The Doctor's room he explains to Borusa that his entire act has been a falsity, and that he is trying to destroy the Vardans. The lead-lined rooms are to make sure that the Vardans can't pick up their brain readings. Meanwhile, Castellan Kelner, a weaselly fellow who reminds me facially of Norman Lovett, is getting pally with the Vardans and is banishing people left right and centre. The two ladies find a tribe of outsiders who have chosen to live outside the city. They go on a bit.
  Borusa is put under house-arrest, and the Vardans tell The Doctor to destroy the forcefield seperating Galifrey from the rest of time. Meanwhile, there is a gathering amongst the guards against the invaders and the outsiders get ready to fight. The head guard breaks into the Tardis and sentences him to Death in the name of liberty.
   Finally we lose the masqurade, and the whole episode is better for it. The villians are on the whole pityfully unconvincing, and everything is still wooden. Episode Four starts by K9 stunning the head guard. Yet another group of henchmen remove the rebels and he walks safely out into the main room. He then helps the head guard with a lead-lined helmet, so as to make sure he isn't affected by the Vardans. They find out that something's wrong, and he needs the Vardans to materialise in their true forms as soon as possible. To do this, he decides to destroy the quantum field.
   He disables the field, and then asks the Vardans to disable their covers. They do so, revealing three HILARIOUS (seriously, it is) looking people. They're just shorties in green costume! Anyway, the outsiders break into the capital. The Doctor meets up with Andred and K9 in the President's office. The Vardans give Kelner the power and order the Doctor's execution. K9 has broken into the Matrix and the Outsiders get into his office. K9, on the Doctor's order, sends all of the Vardans back to their home planet and then locks them there. We all cheer as we hope the story is over.
   Well, that wasn't too bad overall...OH MY GOD NO. The cliffhanger of this episode has a Sontaren suddenly appear. Another alien race, just appear. I wanted this to be over, but no, we have to have two more episodes. So basically, the Sontarens were following the Vardans and have broken through the hole that The Doctor made before. Since there only seem to be ABOUT 3 TIME LORDS, it seems pretty easy.
   Episode Five and for some reason the Sontarens have cockney accents. The leader is Commandor Stor. They go off, trying to find "Doctor," The Doctor introducing himself as Lord President. He gives an aural key to Borusa, who manages to set off an alarm that stuns the Sontarens. All of the good guys get away. Leela kills a Sontaren. Kelner is pally with the Sontarens.
    In essence, The Doctor goes to Borusa, who asks him to finally reveal the location of the fabled Key of Rassilon, which activates the De-Mat Gun, the most powerful weapon in the Universe. He gives him the Key and they all go back to the TARDIS, where Rodan gets to work on using the Tardis to fix the forcefield. Kelner however activates a machine to throw the Tardis into a black hole.
   Episode Six, and they fix the machine remotely. They then go on a wild-goose chase through the Tardis, running through room after room in search of the gun. When The Doctor gets the gun, Stor makes orders to blow up the Eye of Harmony, but he is shot by The Doctor. Then, the gun erases itself and erases his memories. The Doctor gets ready to go and Leela decides to stay behind on Galifrey with the Head Guard and K9.
   So. So. The more watchable episodes are the middle two, as the last two are tacked on and the first two are truely, utterly bad. Why didn't they elect another president? Why would The Doctor, when faced with the Vardan threat, decide to endanger not only his homeworld but the whole of time in a stupid plot? Why would he use the gun? This episode is just rife with madness, and really puts shame on the greatness that was The Deadly Assassin.

Thanks.