Part 2: The Mystery Planet
Part 2 of The Mysterious Planet begins where Part 1 ends. The episode originally airs September 13, 1986 (1) As the story begins, the Doctor is smiling and patting himself on the back. Of course, the Valeyard takes his words and turns them against him. It is at this point the Valeyard wants to change the inquiry into a trial. Because of the Doctor’s attitude, the Valeyard ask the Timelords to change their inquisition into a trial.
I love the Doctor’s reaction in all of the preceding. Colin Baker plays the part very well, as does Michael Jayston as the Valeyard. The back and forth communication is great and the expressions from both men are spot on. It is the acting of these two as well as the rest of the cast which makes this story great to me. The writing was great and we can thank Robert Holmes for that. (2)
The Valeyard takes back to Ravolox to continue his case against the Doctor. There points where what they are watching does not seem to help prove his case and even the Doctor protest about what has played. The Inquisitor even ask the Valeyard how the scenes apply to his case.
The back forth between the Timelord space station and scenes on Ravalox make the story work. The plot and scheme of the Valeyard work well. The primitives and the people in the underground work very well. We see Doctor captured and taken to the immortal as he is called. He is actually an L3 robot there to maintain a colony under the surface of the planet until is safe for life to return to the surface. His two assistants crack me up. They seem so intelligent, but at the same time are rather incompetent. They are always getting on Drathro’s nerves. This is the name of the L3 robot.
The guards capture the Doctor and take him to Drathro. Who he believes he has been waiting for a long time. He forces the Doctor to work for him and try to repair the black light system which keeps him running. The Doctor begins to help him but finds that the problem does not lie in the equipment where they are. He tells Drathro this and says he needs to go to the surface and check out the converter. Drathro will not let him go so the Doctor ticks him and the two boys and escapes.
While the Doctor is escaping, Peri, Sabalom Glitz, and Dibber make an escape from the tribe. Peri has been told she was going to have many husbands but does not like the idea. They are put into somewhat of a jail cell but will escape. Glits and Peri go one way to draw the primitives away while Dibber blows up the light converter. This is all questioned by the Doctor as to why it is relevant to the case before them.
The Doctor will eventually meet up with Peri and Sabalom Glitz. They scurry back into the subway tunnel and find themselves trapped. It is at this point this part of the story ends. Part 2 is more lies on the part of the Valeyard as he works for the Doctor’s convicts. He even told what his desire is in the beginning when he wants the Doctor’s life terminated. This whole ordeal comes down to the Timelords and the Valeyard desiring the death of the Doctor.
