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.
"Ah yes, I forgot. You're a magician aren't you?"
I can't help but think that, had this serial survived intact, that Tegana would be considered one of the series better villains on par with Tobias Vaughn. He really shines in this episode; butter wouldn't melt in his mouth he lies so well and he's given some wonderfully wicked lines that are delivered beautifully.
Polo and Ian follow the trail to the cave of 500 eyes. Given the number of people in the cave at this point that trail couldn't have been too hard to find.
Tegana goes to great length to warn the "spirits of the hashashins to depart this place" after Ian discovers a hidden door. Before the crowd can figure out how to get it open, out pops a mongol warrior brandishing a sword at a bound Barbara.
Polo quickly dispatches the would-be killer and Barbara is freed. She's, understandably, disturbed. Considering the fact that she's a high school history teacher who's come within spitting distance of being gruesomely murdered over 750 years before her birth, she holds up pretty well.
Tegana manages to drive a wedge between the travelers and Polo. And it's done plausibly. Tegana does the work, lying and spying. Ian tries to get Polo to see his side, but Polo points out the fact that Tegana is a respected figure on a diplomatic mission while Ian and company are strangers from an unknown land. If Ian were in Polo's place, who would he trust?
Even Ian doesn't seem to buy his "keep an open mind" response.
Tegana reveals that the Doctor has been making covert trips to his caravan in defiance of Polo's orders. The shit hits the fan then. Polo declares that the caravan is now the property of Kublai Kahn and that the travelers are now prisoners. The Doctor claims that just putting the key into the TARDIS lock will destroy it.
This may be a reference to the defense mechanism that Susan spoke about back in the Dalek cell.
Ian and Barbara try reason, but the Doctor scuttles any chances of diplomacy by calling the already pissed off Polo a poor, pathetic, stupid, savage.
A few days later the travelers are getting restless. The TARDIS has been repaired, but they don't have access to the Ship. Ian starts getting a little stir crazy and decides that the best thing to do is force the key from Polo. He escapes, goes to wrestle the guard and discovers that the guard is dead.
Next up : Rider from Shang Tu
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