As a countdown to the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who I and my wife will be watching an episode a day until we are caught up to whatever the Beeb has planned. This is a record of my initial reaction to each day's episode published with minimal editing and crappy synopsis.
"Does the lamb conceal the wolf or the wolf the lamb?"
Finding the guard dead, Ian correctly assumes that the camp will soon be under attack by bandits. They could continue with their plan (get the TARDIS key and arrive on Marinus a couple episodes early,) but they feel compelled to warn Polo of the coming attack.
The fact that the Doctor doesn't put his foot down about saving Polo isn't evidence that the Doctor is mellowing. The show at this point has a very narrow view of how time travel should work. History can't be rewritten, not one line. The Doctor has interfered just by being there. A consequence of that interference is the bandit attack on Polo. Tegana wants the Doctor's "caravan" so he orchestrated the assault. If Polo died instead of returning to Venice, then the Doctor would be responsible for paradox. Paradox is impossible. So Polo has to live. So the Doctor can't leave him to his death.
Polo accepts Ian's story. It doesn't hurt that Ian is brutally honest about the whole thing, including a blow by blow of the plan to get the key from Polo. I know that you're a hero Ian, but that doesn't mean giving everything up on the first date.
Just saying.
Polo prepares the defenses. Which pretty much means giving Ian and the Doctor swords and saying a silent farewell to the three porters who's lack of dialog probably doesn't mean anything.
They don't even consider arming the women and the women don't call them on it. 60's sexism or an attempt to be true to the sexism of 13th century Cathay? You decide.
The attack is soon on. The women scream from the tent which elicited a groan from Ang. I second that emotion. The narration by Bill Russell says that the Doctor and Ian do well for themselves.
Tegana singles out the leader of the bandits who, unknown to the others, is Tegana's ally. In a magnificent bastard moment Tegana kills his ally to insure his silence.
The Doctor noticed the look of recognition that passed between Tegana and the bandit leader. Barbara recognized the bandit leader as one of the men who rolled dice to see who would get to kill her. They can't do anything about it, but at least they are certain that Tegana is a dick.
And apparently bamboo, when heated, makes a sound that scares the living hell out of bandits.
Things warm between Polo and the travelers. They still aren't given their full freedom, but they aren't full on prisoners either. Susan and Ping-Cho's friendship develops. Barbara has a mad love affair with Ki Xiang a stocky porter with a lusty smile and bedroom eyes.
Ok so that bit about Barbara getting sweaty with some random Mongol didn't actually happen. I'm just checking to see if you're paying attention.
After a bit of travel the group is met by a messenger from the great Khan. Kublai Khan had special dispatch riders who switched horses every few miles. Supposedly they were able to ride 300 miles in a day. I call bullshit, but a quick google check confirms that the real Marco Polo claimed that the dispatch riders could do it. I therefore call bullshit on Marco Polo. Somebody call Mythbusters.
The great Kahn wants Marco back ASAP. The caravan will have to get to the nearest town and transfer to horse. The materials in the caravan, including the TARDIS, will have to be sent with the next shipment of goods.
There's an innkeeper named Wang Lo who simply oozes toadiness. The Doctor mocks him in what is probably one of his funnier turns in the series.
Tegana describes the TARDIS as a warlord's tomb. He's definitely getting the lion's share of good lines.
Susan's friendship to Ping-Cho pays off; Ping-Cho delivers a copy of the TARDIS key to Susan.
That should have been it. The travelers make it to the TARDIS. They should have been on their way. Except that Susan stayed back to say goodbye to Ping-Cho. A scene so touching, so moving, so heart wrenching that they didn't bother to write or film it.
Suffice it to say that Susan gets captured. *sigh*
Next up: Mighty Kublai Khan.
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