Planet of Fire by Peter Grimwade
23 February - 2 March 1984
After a momentary diversion in the Time Vortex, we arrive back in the 1980s with Planet of Fire.
I had a little giggle when the first episode began with the Doctor
ranting about the Daleks. This is clearly supposed to follow right after
Resurrection, but I prefer to think we just happened to catch
him at a moment where he was randomly going on about how he hates the
little bastards. ("Okay, grandpa, let's get you to bed...")
My immediate impression once we arrive on the Canaries (swanky!) and
meet Peri and her stepfather is that the dialogue in this story is a
bit... iffy at times. This didn't really surprise me, as Grimwade's
other scripts also have some pretty hit or miss dialogue. Here I think
of "You will come with me or you will remain in the TARDIS... DEAD!" and "How positively effervescent you've become..." But, that being said, I do really like "So what? I'm Perpugilliam Brown and I can shout just as loud as you can!"
The gradually unfolding story of Sarn and its connection to Turlough's
troubled past is generally quite interesting, and the aspects of Sarn's
religion that are ultimately based on Trion technology call to mind the
same concepts that The Face of Evil once played with. It has to be said that Planet of Fire
doesn't have quite the same deft touch as that earlier story, so it
doesn't land with quite the same effect. Not to say it's bad, just
nothing special.
... Oh, and Kamelion is in this one. I totally understand why the robot prop didn't appear in any of the other stories since The King's Demons,
but isn't there a benefit to him being a shapeshifting robot? They
could have easily had him just appear in a human guise to at least let
him be part of the TARDIS crew instead of the weird, tacked-on thing
that he is. As it is, his sacrifice at the end of this story feels
utterly meaningless, and the Doctor being the one to pull the trigger is
especially heartless, especially when you consider how he doesn't even
really look sad afterward.
Our first real look at Peri gives us a little bit to work with. She
seems sassy and resourceful, at least, which are good qualities for a
prospective companion. The performance is fine, though she pitches some
lines a bit incorrectly and her accent can be a little distracting, but
I'll reserve further judgement for when she's settled into the role a
bit more.
This is not the Master's prouder appearance, though I feel like he has
already taken more embarrassing L's than this one. It has to be said
that seeing Peri try to swat a shrunken Master with her shoe like he's a
cockroach is pretty hilarious.
All in all, a decent story but nothing to really sink my teeth into,
except to bid farewell to Turlough, who really has been a delight. We
wish Ms. Brown the best of luck in her travels to come.
The journey continues with Circular Time, next.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 5 May 2024.)
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