This one pulls away from the experimentation of the prior two serials. This was a huge relief after the drug trip that was Vortis and the (intentional) farce that was Nero's Rome.
We begin in a woods outside of Jaffa. Richard the Third has taken a hunting party out of the city in order to clear his head and get a change of scenery. Some of his men are returning through to camp when we discover that they are being covertly followed by a small group of Saracens led by El Akir.
El Akir suggests that one of the men that they follow might be Malek Ric, the Saracen name for Richard the Lionheart. They should follow and listen to what is said.
The TARDIS materializes.
Back in the camp Richard is practicing his falconry and chatting with his comrades. One of them is trying to fix the clasp on Richard's belt. The mood is playful and light, tinged by a touch of weariness over what he is trying to forget in Jaffa. Then William Des Preaux enters the camp and warns the king that he senses Saracen ambushes being laid about them. He suggests returning to Jaffa soon. That doesn't go over very well with Richard.
The travelers leave the ship and are almost instantly hit upon by the Saracens. Ian and the Doctor quickly deal with one, but that leaves an opening where Barbara is captured.
The kingsman with the belt is taken down by a Saracen arrow. The Doctor an Vicki pull him into cover. Ian gets pulled into a sword fight with one Saracen that ends with the science teacher punching out his lights. While Ian is occupied, the Doctor has his own sword fight. The Doctor is holding his own, but not being as successful as Ian. The wounded knight sees that he's getting help from an unknown quarter and throws his sword full strength at the Doctor's opponent. It hits the Saracen full in the chest, killing him on the spot.
William convinces El Akir that he is Richard. Interested in securing this valuable prisoner, El Akir inadvertently lets the real Richard slip through his grasp.
The travelers spend some time mending the injured knight while Ian looks for Barbara. Giving up hope that she is somewhere still in the forest the three decide to return the knight (and Richard's belt) to the English encampment.
The Doctor decides to take Vicki and get some suitable clothes first.
They travel into the city of Jaffa and come across a clothing/cloth merchant. While doing business with the Doctor the trader is approached by a loud man whose selling stolen clothing. The Doctor decides that if the clothing was stolen in the first place then it can be stolen again, or borrowed.
He hides in the shop, creates a diversion by covertly knocking over a table and then throws bundles of clothes to Vicki who is just outside the shop.
Barbara wakes to find herself in the same tent as Sir William. He makes the claim that he is Richard the Third and she, being both a history teacher and awesome, says that Richard has red hair.
William is uncertain about who Barbara is and why she's wearing the strange clothing that she does. They eventually decide to pretend that she is Joanna, sister to Richard and highest in his esteem and affection. El Akir is pleased to hear that he has two valuable prizes for Saladin.
El Akir presents his prizes to Saphadin, Saladin's brother. Saphadin instantly sees through Barbara's story. The impression is that Saphadin has the hots for Joanna. Saladin, who was listening behind a screen, enters the room and sees through William's forgery as well.
Saladin decides to treat William as a respected prisoner of war then turns his attentions to Barbara. She describes her recent travels (skipping the side trip to Dido) and he decides that she must be part of a traveling band of actors. Saphadin doesn't know why Saladin is spending so much time deciding the fate of someone so insignificant. Saladin will not dispense life and death lightly. He's also made it clear that he finds Barbara quiet fetching (my turn of phrase, not his) and that may enter into it although it isn't explicit in the dialog.
She will entertain Saladin at dinner that evening and he will decide her fate. Like Scheherazade.
The Doctor and company have returned the wounded knight to Richard's camp. Richard is in a terrible mood, having lost friends in the fighting. He vents about the situation that he finds himself in both in the Holy Lands and back at home where his brother is seeking to usurp him. It's some very nicely delivered exposition that doesn't come off clunky.
Ian asks to be taken to Saladin to negotiate for the return of Barbara and William. Richard is insistent that he will not trade with the men who killed his people.
This was great. You have a beautiful script by former script editor David Whittaker. Excellent acting from the series regulars as well as an excellent guest cast that includes Julian Glover as Richard. Barbara has two excellent scenes. One with William as she gets her bearings and one with Saladin when he decides her fate. The Doctor and Vicki's thievery is clever. The script also skipped over the parts that we didn't need to see such as Barbara being taken to the Saracen camp or the others bringing the wounded knight through the forest back to Richard's.
There is the usual question of race. Aside from a few black actors getting cast as extras, the Saracens were played by WASPs. I wish that it wasn't so, but there's nothing that can be done about it now. The BBC did have the sensitivity to not sell this serial to the Middle East.
El Akir was definitely presented as the villain of the piece and their is a great menace that surrounds Saladin, but the performances (and script) didn't go into the caricature that one normally associates with white actors playing other ethnicities. Saladin comes off as intelligent and pragmatic. If anything the English come off as being hot headed and stubborn.
It's been many years since the last time that I watched this serial. It's possible that this racial issue becomes more prominent as the story unfolds. It's also probable that there are things that I'M missing because I'm blind to it myself.
Bernard Kay puts in an excellent performance as Saladin. Kay previously played Tyler in the Dalek Invasion of Earth and later came back to play opposite Pertwee in Colony in Space.
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| Bernard Kay as Saladin. |
Next up: The Knight of Jaffa
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