Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start...
Day 524: The Armageddon Factor, Episode Four
Dear diary,
I really can’t make up my mind about K9 in this story. On the one hand, he’s being absolutely indispensable to the Doctor, seemingly making up for his lack of involvement during The Power of Kroll by helping the Doctor escape from danger, holding off enemies, scanning for radiation and other signals, being the conduit through which out heroes can communicate with alien battle computers and more…
…While on the other hand, he’s really, really, stupid. He’s always been resolutely logical - that’s where a lot of the humour comes from - but when he’s trying to identify the alien signal which is used to lure him into the teleport, he’s just being plain ignorant. Relying on the ‘logic’ that he must receive an answer from the device, instead of simply giving up and going to find the Doctor, which might well be a more sensible solution. On the plus side, it looks lil we’re going to be getting a bit of ‘evil K9’ action in the next episode, so I’m sure that will swing me firmly back into the ‘I love K9’ camp once again.
Today is also our first proper look at Lalla Ward. She’s appeared in the other three episodes to greater or lesser extents, but today feels like the first time she’s actually been able to get out there and show us some acting, instead of simply being where the story demands her to be for whatever plot reason. She’s certainly making a good impression so far, and while it’s hard to watch it without the knowledge that she’ll be around for the next season-and-two-thirds, I can see why the production team were impressed with her - she’s doing a good job so far!
I’m also really glad to see that the Key to Time has become an integral part of the story, with the Doctor and Romana needing to use it in order to save themselves from certain death in this episode. I’d started to worry that the Key would simply come into play during the final few scenes of the serial, to tie up the entire season, and then that would be it. I rather fear that the full 26 episodes may have felt like something of a write off had that been the case, so it’s great to see that this story really does focus on the object.
It’s also interesting to watch the Doctor work out where - and what - the sixth segment is. I’ve no doubt that he already knows it’s Astra herself (it very much fits the way he’s been characterised this season to be one step ahead of the game: I’d not be surprised if he’s known since the moment he first laid eyes on her up on the screen in Episode Two), so it’s interesting to see him pussyfooting around her, trying to see how much she knows about it all. I’m less keen on the idea that he can simply knock up a makeshift sixth segment when the story requires him to do so, though. Lots is made about the fact that it’s far from perfect, and that it only works because they have the other 5/6 segments of the device, but it almost feels as though it somehow cheapens the immense power of the Key. If it’s supposed to be this mighty object which can give people the power of Gods across the entire universe, I’m not sure I like the idea that the Doctor can knock up spare parts in the back room of the TARDIS between scenes!
