Now, this is a fantastic episode! Firking and Hodge are turning into a
proper comedy duo, supporting Ian, who gets some character moments and
some action after being in the background last time. It's Maureen
O'Brien who now has the lightest acting burden, while the Doctor carries
on with his scheming - never quite in the centre of the action but a
palpable presence. And that mention of O'Brien was a genuine slip which I
decided to keep; can you tell I thought this was properly televisual?
So. What we have here is a mess of twists and turns, in the best sense.
And there are a couple of gamechanging scenes: the moment when the
Doctor confronts Cecil about his misunderstanding of the plot, and
Fawkes in the cellar. I think I'm going to be right in my guess
regarding a substitution, though for entirely the wrong reason!
There are other, lesser twists which are still delightful: the
discussion in which the Doctor and Cecil both think the other is hiding
Vicki, and turn from enemies to reluctant allies as things become clear;
Ian hearing Catesby's name and remembering his history; the fate of the
TARDIS; the identity of the Spaniard. It's a rich stew indeed! Once
again there's too little of Barbara, and I hope the final episode
rectifies that (this is a historical, after all!), but that's
appropriate to the series at the time too.
At last! One of the promised bite-sized reviews actually is bite-sized...
Rating:
10/10.
Next Time:
Explaining the Plot.
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