Doctor Who: The Trial of a Time Lord REVISITED (Parts 5

After the rather slow and disappointing first story of ‘The Trial of a Time Lord’, things really do improve in its second, which is sometimes given the title of ‘Mindwarp’.

The return of Sil from ‘Vengeance on Varos’ is a great start. Sil has always stuck out from other Doctor Who villains in that he’s not obsessed with taking over the universe or killing everyone. In fact, Sil is very much a villain of the 80s – his only concern is profit. If it’s to be made from the suffering or deaths of innocent lives, he won’t care one bit, so long as it’s made. In some ways, he almost seems like a natural precursor to the Slitheen, except with a much more repulsive laugh and without as many fart jokes.

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In this story however, he has another concern – the deterioting health of his Lord Kiv (notably played by Christopher Ryan, who would later go on to play General Staal in the David Tennant story ‘The Sontaran Stratagem’). It’s interesting watching their relationship – whereas normally you’d expect someone like Sil to be using every opportunity to obtain more power, he’s actually all too happy for Kiv to go on living. Really happy, actually. Really, really happy. It not only shows a whole new side to Sil, it also allows for a great deal of humour from his constant praising of Kiv.

Also contributing to the humour is King Yrcanos, as portrayed by Brian Blessed. To anyone who’s seen anything Brian Blessed’s been in, yes, it’s exactly as you’d expect: loud, without (much) subtlety, and absolutely hilarious. Which is exactly how a character like Yrcanos should be played. Watching him in the role is very entertaining throughout.

Despite all the humour though, this is easily the darkest story of the season. There’s torture, mind control, and a general feeling of claustrophobia as so much of the story takes place underground, which compared to the underground environment seen in ‘The Mysterious Planet’ is thankfully low-lit. It makes for very atmospheric viewing at times.

Even the trial scenes are greatly improved. For once, the scenes are not just reduced to a shouting match between the Doctor and the Valeyard. In fact, the Valeyard actually comes across as a threatening and dangerous opponent this time, as he makes more and more points about how dangerous the Doctor can be that actually feel awfully accurate. (My favourite point especially is how often the Doctor’s companions are in danger, especially compared to him. It’s quite an uncomfortable truth, and a great moment of foreshadowing.)

The trial scenes even help to add to the overall atmosphere of doom, as moments where the Valeyard is practically pleased with himself are great indicators when something truly awful is about to happen.

However, the story isn’t without its flaws. One crucial element of the story is that we’re not sure if the Doctor’s mind has been altered by Sil and his mad scientist Crozier, and therefore has truly become cowardly and villainous, or if it’s all an act and he’s doing everything he can to protect Peri. This kind of story would usually be great on its own, but another element has been added to the mix – as the story goes on and the Doctor starts to see things that don’t match up to what little he can remember, we don’t know if what we’re seeing even happened in the first place! As a result, it comes across as rather convoluted and feels like a bit of a mess, and I think it’s a clear instance where an arc comes close to ruining a perfectly decent story on its own. There are other elements that aren’t up to scratch, like a young band of freedom fighters that are never quite convincing, but these don’t detract from what is otherwise a pretty solid Doctor Who adventure.

But its the final few minutes of the story that make it really stand out, not just compared to the rest of the season, but even compared to the rest of Doctor Who. The ending is shocking, daring, gut-wrenching and, dare I say, one of the best moments in the show’s history. It not only cruelly subverts expectations, but makes you look at the beginning of ‘Trial’ in a whole new way. It’s a shame that it’s almost completely undone by the very end of the season, but before all of that, it’s still brilliant television. With a moving performance by Colin Baker, as part 8 finishes, you’ll ask yourself one more question:

Why on Earth is the Sixth Doctor always ranked so low?

Next: 5 Ways Doctor Who Can Make it to its 60th Anniversary

Doctor Who: The Trial of a Time Lord REVISITED (Parts 5 – 8)

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