Doctor Who: Colony in Space

The story starts with the Time Lords discussing the Master looking for a doomsday weapon and how they better get the Doctor to help. Cut to the Brigadier and Jo teasing the Doctor about how his TARDIS doesn't work. The Doctor is still fiddling with the dematerialization circuit.

I love the look on the Brigadier's face.

The Brigadier is still looking for the Master, but the Doctor says he could be anywhere because his TARDIS actually works. I wonder if he will show up in this story?? The Doctor and Jo go inside the TARDIS, and the doors close and they take off. The Time Lords are controlling the TARDIS. They just send him off and don't tell him anything about it!

Someone's watching...

They end up at an Earth colony in 2400s. The colonists are having issues with their crops. Oh, and the planet's native inhabitants take the TARDIS when the Doctor and Jo leave it behind. They aren't baddies, though. They're friendly with the colonists.

Meeting the colonists

IMC, a mining company, is stirring up a lot of trouble because they want the planet's resources. They're cartoonishly evil in a boring way. This whole story drags, unfortunately. The Master doesn't even show up until halfway through. They call for an mediator to settle the dispute as to who gets the planet. Who turns up?

the Master

Yep, the Master is impersonating the mediator. Then these brain guys show up.

They live underground. They're the remnants of an ancient civilization, and they're the source of the doomsday weapon- but we won't find that out until episode five. Did you forget about that? The doomsday weapon? The reason the Master and the Doctor are there? Now here's the head brain guy.

oh my

The head brain guy lets the Doctor and Jo go and tells them not to come back on penalty of death. Do you think the Doctor goes back? Anyway, the Doctor returns to the colony and finds the Master there. Oops. What's going to happen? At this point in the story, I just don't care. It's too long and disjointed.

THE RUNDOWN

Doctor: Third
Companions: Jo Grant
Episode: #58, "Colony in Space," six parts
Adversary: IMC and the Master

Classic Lines: Jo, on entering the TARDIS: "It's bigger inside than out!"; the Doctor: "Yes, that's because the TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental."; Jo: "What does that mean?"; the Doctor: "It means that it's bigger inside than out."

Tuck This Away to Impress Your Friends: This story is the first time the 3rd Doctor leaves Earth and the first time Jo enters the TARDIS.
Next Up: "The Daemons"