Doctor Who “Frontier In Space Part 6”

There was a plan for the Master.  As often as he appears during the Third Doctor’s tenure, he doesn’t reappear after this serial for a very good reason.  The plan was for the Master to redeem himself in the Third Doctor’s final story.  But then, actor Roger Degado, who originated the role of the Master, died in a car accident.  That resulted in the Master going away for a time until the series eventually recast the role.  He is a Time Lord.  Regeneration happens.

Plus, this is the last appearance of the Draconians.  That’s kind of a shame since I like the look those guys have.  That’s actually a pretty good mask they made for those actors.

OK, so, good news:  Jo actually worked up an immunity to all of the Master’s mind control tricks.  What she didn’t  do right was warn everybody because the Master did do one thing right.  Putting Jo in a cell with a dirt floor and serving her a bowl of soup with a large spoon doesn’t seem smart when she can dig her way out and send a radio message to all points.  But the Master actually planned for that, and the communicator is only good for short range messages.

And who could hear her?  Only the Doctor, coming in with General Williams and the Draconian prince to check out the Ogrons’ homeworld, and the Master has Ogrons waiting to ambush them.

The Doctor is smart enough to know that getting the coordinates is far too convenient.

Well, good news for the Doctor.  Though a couple of Williams’ redshirts (with their very puffy sleeves) are killed, the Ogrons are scared off by quick thinking and the sudden appearance of…something.  Apparently, the Ogrons share their world with some kind of yellow blob monster.

But hold on…the Master said he was working for someone this time.  And then those someones show up.

Yeah, the Daleks where behind it all.

It seems the Daleks wanted Earth and Draconia to go to war, weakening both empires enough for the Daleks to easily sweep in and take over.  Williams and the prince know this now, so maybe they can stop the war brewing on both sides.  As for the Doctor, he’s caught, but the Master manages to talk the Daleks out of exterminating the Doctor so he can see the galaxy fall.  That works, and so, the Master and some Ogrons are planning to do stuff to the Doctor when he and Jo manage to sneak back to the outside of the TARDIS.

Oh, and Jo grabbed the fear machine, turning it on to freak out the Ogrons who suddenly see Daleks everywhere.  Stun guns go off.  A blast hits the Doctor, but he and Jo manage to stumble into the TARDIS.  They manage to get away before he loses consciousness.  He just had to send out an SOS to the Time Lords because, well, despite this being the last part in the serial, it looks like it might be closer to saying this is the midway point for a twelve-parter.

Yeah, someone has to deal with the Daleks again.