Series 1 Episode 26: The Keys of Marinus

Serial: The Keys of Marinus
Episode: 6 (The Keys of Marinus)
Doctor: William Hartnell
Companions: Barbara, Ian, and Susan

Writer: Terry Nation
Director: John Gorrie
Producer: Verity Lambert
Original Air Date: 16/05/1964

DOCTOR WHODUNNIT (and other stories)

In which Team Babs heads a Detective Show subplot, Susan gets her Space Family back, a potentially problematic plot-twist occurs, and the the leader of the Voord(s) is really shit at disguises.

So Susan’s been kidnapped and is in danger of being murdered in the near future. Sabetha is all for running to tell the Doctor, but Babs – rather ruthlessly, actually – insists that they find Susan themselves so the Doctor can keep his mind on getting Ian off his murder charge. Now that’s interesting: Barbara was complicit in a ‘let’s not tell the Doctor his granddaughter is missing presumed imperilled’ situation during a sandstorm in Marco Polo, but this is far more calculating, and much more like that time towards the end of The Edge of Destruction where the Doctor deliberately kept Barbara and Susan out of the loop so they wouldn’t have a womanly freakout over the fact that they only had five minutes to live. For all her protectiveness towards Susan, it seems Babs is prioritising Ian. Apparently she’s learning from the Doctor as much as he’s learning from her.

Meanwhile, Ian has ‘until the point reaches the star’ to live. And will not be allowed to see his friends before he dies. Bummer.

Back in the corridors, Babs has had a brainwave: go and pay Kala a visit and ask her about anyone her husband was meeting frequently in the hopes that it will lead them to Aydan’s accomplice in the murder, who is also probably the kidnapper. Altos thinks it’s a great idea, seeing as wives who get knocked about by their husbands are always happy to help put away their murderers; Sabetha isn’t so sure.

Anyway, Team Babs goes to Kala’s apartment to ask her a few questions, but Kala pleads ignorance and insists tearfully that they leave her to the memory of her husband’s crimes. Barbara tries playing the ‘you’re our only help’ card, but Kala is now sobbing, and it would appear that Barbara’s newfound willingness to risk the emotional wellbeing of others for the sake of her friends has its limits. Kala appreciates they must’ve been sick with worry since Susan called but refuses flat out to help, and a crestfallen Babs leads her team out of the apartment. As she does, she pauses beside Kala and reaches out as if to comfort her but only succeeds in brushing her arm, apologising again and telling her ‘we had to try’.

It’s a really interesting moment, because of course Barbara heard Aydan hitting Kala whilst listening at the door last episode, so her apology is only half an ‘I’m sorry your husband got murdered’ kind of apology. Indeed, it’s also an ‘I’m sorry I heard you getting smacked and didn’t do anything about it’ kind of apology. And is pretty inadequate, actually.

But OH WHAT’S THIS!? Kala’s sobbing has become EVIL SMIRKING! AND she’s doing…THE EVIL VOICE!

Well this is a twist! Turns out it woz the battered wife wot dunnit. She slides open a side door to reveal poor Susan, bound and gagged and…DEFINITELY within earshot of the other room. There’s no way she wouldn’t have heard Team Babs come a-calling, and there’s no way they wouldn’t have heard her scream. But that’s just a budget thing, I suppose. Anyway, Kala gloats a bit at how Team Babs is ‘like all the rest of them – stupid’, before the phone starts to ring. It’s Eyesen, and he’s on speakerphone:

EYESEN: The trial has just ended. Chesterton is to be executed at the beginning of the next zenith.
KALA: Good. The old man didn't say where the key was hidden?
EYESEN: No. I'm certain he doesn't know. I'll get it later then come for you. Be ready.
KALA: I will. What about the child?
EYESEN: She's no more use. Now she can identify you, now. Kill her.

SHIT.

Ok, now that all has been revealed, I’m going to talk a bit about the domestic violence subplot. On the one hand, I find it rather disturbing that the fact that Aydan hits Kala is used as a means of facilitating a plot twist. We’re meant to feel sorry for her and see her primarily as a victim, so that when eventually she is revealed to be a murderer and a kidnapper and in league with Eyesen (and does her Evil Voice), it’s more of a big reveal. On the other hand, it makes Kala a far more complex character, insofar as we can understand how she might have found herself embroiled in the plot to steal the micro-key and willing to murder her own husband not purely out of greed but also as an act of revenge for having been made to suffer at Aydan’s hands. It doesn’t excuse her threatening to kill Susan and hanging the rest of Team Tardis out to dry, but it does mean that, as one of the baddies, she’s far from a cardboard cutout. Of course the real villain of the piece is Eyesen, who has clearly taken advantage of a woman who has no qualms about sacrificing her bellend of a husband for a new life with a new man and untold riches.

Back out in the corridors, a dejected Babs is regretting not having told the Doctor in the first place, and what’s more will never forgive herself if anything happens to Susan. Sabetha tells Babs it was a terrible choice (to have been forced to make, I assume), especially as Susan sounded so afraid and all. Rub it in, Sabetha. But then - HOLY MORSE!!

It seems Sabetha’s done a Lewis and her throwaway comment has caused Barbara ‘Endeavour’ Wright to have a lightbulb moment: Kala couldn’t have known about Susan’s phonecall, so how was she able to commiserate with Team Babs over how worried they must have been since they spoke to Susan? Truly Barbara is shaping up to be an excellent TV Detective. They zoom off back to Kala’s place, looking delighted with themselves.

And not a moment too soon! For Kala is about to shoot Susan with that potato blaster. As she gloats over her intended victim, Team Babs sneaks up behind her and grabs her; Altos and Sabetha drag her away while Babs unties Susan. Cuddles are needed. Obv.

Meanwhile, outside the courtroom, the Doctor is sitting on a bench looking crestfallen. Eyesen shakes his hand and displays a little faux magnanimity while the Security Desk Guy locks the exhibits from the trial (including the mace) in a cupboard. Tarron tells the Doctor he needs to leave; the Doctor, however, says he can’t leave and must gather new evidence. That he’s got to a stage in his relationship with the two humans where he’s putting Ian’s life ahead of his desire to get the hell out of dodge shows real character development on his part, and it’s lovely. As we saw from the happy reunion of Team Tardis in the previous episode, they’re starting to feel like a family now, and there’s no longer any question of anyone (or at least anyone in the Original Four) being left behind.

The phone rings, and it’s Barbara wanting to speak to Tarron. She tells him Kala dunnit and why doesn’t he come and get her? Barbara out.

Later, Babs is explaining how they knew it was Kala wot dunnit, and Susan is way too excited about the way Team Babs jumped Kala from behind considering she was a witness to the slapping incident. One day I will compile a list of Susan’s likes/dislikes, and among the likes will be ‘flaming skulls’, ‘playing dead’, and ‘a good stealth attack’.

Babs apologises to the Doctor and says she had no right to risk Susan’s life like that. ‘Perhaps not,’ says the Doctor, but ‘the child is safe and well’ at any rate. And anyway, he’s more worried about Ian right now. Wonders will never cease.

Also, bad news on the Ian front: Kala’s named Ian as her accomplice! LIES! Even Tarron is beginning to think something’s not right here, though mostly he thinks Kala is ‘a vicious, dangerous woman’. Ugh.

Anyway, they’ve still got no proof, but Susan has some useful info: there was definitely a third party involved seeing as how she heard Eyesen (whose voice she doesn’t recognise) telling Kala to kill her, and what’s more he’s picking up the key tonight. The Doctor starts cackling like a madman – they can catch him red-handed and RELEASE HIS NEW SPACE BRO! MANIACAL LAUGHTER!

After a brief interlude in which Ian watches the clock a bit, we find ourselves back at the Security Desk at night. A cloaked figure takes the mace from the cupboard, and is immediately apprehended by the other guards. The Doctor flicks the light on and Scooby Doos Eyesen’s hood off.

And now Ian’s out of jail! And for an encore, the Doctor is opening up the mace to reveal the micro-key hidden inside it! Kala and Eyesen have fessed up, and Tarron now realises Ian happened to walk into the middle of the robbery by accident, only he looked so guilty Tarron never doubted that Ian dunnit. The Doctor sasses him with some Greek philosophy and claims to have met Pyrrho into the bargain. Such a namedropper.

Susan is on a high and actually yells WHOOPEEEEE as she gives Barbara a victory cuddle. I have to say these two have been generally adorable for this whole serial.

Anyway, Susan’s space family is back together, and they’re all off to join Altos and Sabetha, who have gone ahead to Arbitan’s gaff. The Doctor gets authorisation to take the final key back to Arbitan, and Ian gets his travel dial back. Team Tardis takes great delight in trolling Tarron and Larn as they turn their travel dials; the Doctor in particular takes great delight in telling the guards ‘goodbye, my friends’, before popping into the ether by way of a mic-drop. The guards agree to keep the crazy to themselves.

Back at the pyramid, Altos is being interrogated by Yartek, the leader of the Voord (Voords?), who is wearing Arbitan’s robes. Altos just wants to know where Sabetha is. When Sabetha is brought in, she tells Yartek to let Altos go as he’s only a servant and she’s defo not in love with him or anything. Yartek calls her bluff, and of course she stays his hand; advantage Yartek. The pesky Voord tells Sabetha he reckons Altos is defo in love with her and will totes tell him where the final key is; Sabetha says the man who loves her will never betray her; Yartek threatens to kill Sabetha; Altos tells Yartek the Doctor has the key. Fucksake, Altos. Also, when exactly are they supposed to have fallen in love?

Meanwhile, there’s some comedy gold from the Doctor and Ian who bump into each other in a corridor. Susan and Babs are amused. Apparently Arbitan kept his promise and lifted the forcefield from around the Tardis…as he lay dying!? I dunno. I don’t care. They have a ride home, anyway. Then this happens:

(Gifs by cleowho.)

DARLINGS.

Anyway, they’re all a bit worried about Sabetha and Altos, and with good reason, because they’ve been put in a cell somewhere. Yartek puts four keys into the machine.

ONE DAY MORE…

Back in the corridors, Team Tardis hears something a-stirring. Ian goes on ahead while the Doctor gets ready to bludgeon whatever it is with his walking stick. Sure enough a sneaky Voord creeps up and is about to stick the business end of a dagger into Ian’s back when the Doctor strikes. Well done, team.

They all chuckle at how great they are and the Doctor suggests that a pyramid full of stabby scuba-divers is a sure sign that they should all really be getting the fuck out of here. Babs points out that Sabetha and Altos are still missing, and Susan backs her up; the Doctor pulls a ‘being a better person is HARD’ face, and Ian resignedly suggests they split up. He and Susan go to find Arbitan, with strict instructions from the Doctor not to hand over the final key unless everything is transparently OK, while the Doctor and Babs go in search of Sabetha and Altos. Barbara picks up the Voord’s dagger, suggesting she and the Doctor ought to take it with them just in case; the Doctor fervently agrees. Bonding over mutual pragmatism for the win.

Meanwhile, Sabetha and Altos are being filmed poorly through the bars of their cells. And they’re in love. Nobody cares.

Back in the conscience room, Ian and Susan have found ‘Arbitan’, who is very obviously Yartek wearing a hood. Then this happens.

DYING.

Ludicrously, it’s only when Yartek, in a bid to be more convincing, fakes fatherly concern for Sabetha asks Ian whether Altos is good enough for his daughter that they begin to smell a rat, seeing as how the real Arbitan knew Altos pretty well. Ian seems pretty happy to hand over the key, however, though Susan clearly wonders what the hell he’s doing seeing as how that’s clearly not the real Arbitan. Be more assertive, Susan! Anyway, they go off to find the Doctor, and Yartek, alone at last, removes his hood with a flourish…or at least tries to but is impeded by the shape of his own head.

Back in the corridor, Susan wants to know why Ian gave the key to the obvious impostor. Before he can answer, however, Babs drags them away to where Altos and Sabetha are. They’ve updated the Doctor and Babs on the Arbitan-is-dead situation, and the Doctor is pretty agitated about the fact that if all the keys end up in the machine, Yartek’s power will be ‘absolute’ and the machine will wipe out any impulse they have to leave in the Tardis.

The Doctor is also pretty pissed off at Ian for having given Yartek the key, and it’s only at this moment that Mr. Smuggity Smugpants McSmug Chesterton chooses to reveal that he actually gave Yartek the fake key they found on the idol in the jungle a few episodes back. Keep it to yourself, why don’t you, Ian.

The Doctor is delighted at his tricksy Space Bro’s tricksiness, but Sabetha looks alarmed and tells them they all need to get out of the building PRONTO because the false key will cause the machine to blow up. Altos can’t even get to the end of his sentence (or maybe Billy was just too keen with his lines) before the Doctor is yelling for them to get the hell out of there.

As they try to find the door, a very excellent Voord shadow appears at the end of the corridor. Said Voord, rather than stabbing everyone, reports back to Yartek, who reckons there’s no point chasing after them seeing as the machine will be controlling everyone soon anyway. He puts the final key in the machine…AND IT BLOWS UP! The explosion seems to trigger the swivelly door and Team Tassles is out of there.

Back at the Tardis, it seems everything is in working order. The Doctor takes Sabetha aside, tells her he’s sorry about her dad being dead and everything, and also that machines that control people are a really shit idea so maybe steer clear of that sort of thing when carrying on Arbitan’s research. Intriguingly, the Doctor claims to know how Sabetha felt when her father died, which Sabetha interprets as knowing how it feels to have one’s life’s work destroyed. Either way, interesting. Also I cannot BELIEVE they had a serial with a machine that removes free will in it and they just tacked on a bit at the end where the Doctor goes ‘nah that’s problematic’ and leaves.

Susan asks Sabetha and Altos what their plans are; they’re going to start over in Millennius; the Doctor calls Susan in to stop her being a massive cockblock and she hugs them and bids them farewell. Then it’s kisses from Babs and handshakes from Ian. Also the Doctor gets to keep the micro-key, so that’s presumably still in the Tardis somewhere. Barbara tells Altos to take care of her girl Sabetha and the two of them walk off holding hands. Babs looks after them wistfully. Then this happens.

Well aren’t you two just the cutest. Also it’s interesting that this is the first time Barbara says she’ll miss a one-serial character, and it's not just because she, Altos, and Sabetha were quite the team back on Millennius. Remember, she and Ganatus had a bit of a thing on Skaro, but back then Barbara hadn't even begun to think about what it really means to be a wanderer in the fourth dimension. Certainly on Skaro she was still living the extended nightmare of having been kidnapped by aliens. This time, however, it would appear that Barbara has begun to accept her new lifestyle for what it is, and like Susan is having to deal with the reality of saying goodbye to people she knows in her heart of hearts she will never see again. It's a major bit of character development but done with the lightest of touches. And when Ian says 'come on, Barbara', he really means 'let's go home'. And as Barbara says in Marco Polo, 'the Tardis is the only home we have at the moment'. Lovely stuff.

The two teachers disappear inside their strange new home from home, and the teeny toy Tardis dematerialises.

AND THAT’S THE LAST WE’LL EVER SEE OF MARINUS! WHERE WILL TEAM TARDIS BE TAKEN NEXT? WILL THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO DO THEIR LAUNDRY? HOW IS IAN NOT RIPE AS HELL HAVING NOT CHANGED OUT OF THAT SILK JACKET SINCE THE LATE THIRTEENTH CENTURY? IS THERE ANY WAY THE UPCOMING SERIAL ABOUT THE AZTECS WILL NOT MAKE ME WANT TO BLUDGEON MYSELF TO DEATH WITH A BOOK ON POSTCOLONIALISM?

Summary (as applicable to this episode)

Does it pass the Bechdel test? Yup.

Is the gaze problematic? Nope.

Is/are the woman companion(s) dressed 'for the Dads'? No. Altos, on the other hand...

Does a woman fall over/twist her ankle (whilst running from peril)? No.

Does a woman wander off alone for the sole dramatic purpose of getting into trouble so she can be rescued later? No.

Is/are the woman companion(s) captured? Yup. Sabetha. But so is Altos. Also Susan is still captured at the beginning of this.

Does the Doctor/a man companion/any other man have to rescue the woman companion(s) from peril? TEAM BABS TO THE RESCUE.

Is a woman placed under threat of actual bodily harm? Yes.

Is/are the woman companion's/s' first/only reaction(s) to peril gratuitous screaming? No.

Does a woman companion go into hysterics over something reasonably minor? No.

Is a woman 'spared' the ordeal of having to do/witness something unpleasant by a man who makes a decision on her behalf/keeps her deliberately ignorant? In a surprising turn of events, it's Babs keeping the Doctor in the dark this week.

Does a man automatically disbelieve or belittle something a woman (companion) says happened to her? No.

Does a man talk over a woman or talk about a woman as though she isn't there? Not as far as I can recall.

Does the woman companion have to be calmed/comforted by the Doctor/a man companion/a man? Barbara is still on cuddlewatch.

Is a woman the first/only person to be (most gratuitously) menaced by the episode's antagonist(s)? Ian and Susan are both in danger of being murdered.

Is a man shamed into doing/not doing something because the alternative is a woman doing/not doing something? No.

Does the woman companion come up with a plan? Babs has a few brainwaves but it's Ian with the key plan.

Does the woman companion do something stupid/banal/weird which inspires a man to be a Man with a Plan? Sabetha inspires Babs.

Does a woman come up with a theory and is it ridiculed by the Doctor/a man? Yes and no.

Does a woman call the Doctor out on his bullshit? Nope.

Does a woman get to be a badass? I think Babs's detective work is pretty badass.

Is the young, strong, straight, white male lead the person most often in control of the situation? Not as such, but Ian starts running the show once he's out of jail.

Is there past/future/alien sexism? A bit.

Does a 'present'-day character call anybody out on past/future/alien sexism? Not so much.

Does an past/future/alien person have the hots for a woman companion and is it reciprocated? Wasn't feeling the Security Desk Guy thing this week.

Did a woman write/direct/produce this episode? No/No/Yes.

Verdict

Well, that was a bit of a romp. Excellent character development from the Doctor again, and lovely to see Team Tardis in full Dysfunctional Space Family Mode. Susan and Babs in particular warmed the cockles of my heart, and obviously any time Susan displays unguarded affection towards her human space parents, it's ludicrously poignant. She must have been the loneliest child for the longest time. Or there's a horrible, horrible parent-related backstory in which her parents (one of whom is also the Doctor's son/daughter) are dead and she's basically Harry Potter...IN SPAAAAAAAAACE. Thinking about Susan's possible backstory always ends in Sad Thoughts. Speaking of Susan, she gets the shit end of the stick as far as being captured goes, but gets some lovely moments when she's not being kidnapped. Team Babs (Barbara + Sabetha + Altos) was wonderful, and it was interesting to see some reversals on the 'keeping people out of the loop' and 'that throwaway comment has given me an idea' tropes. Ian didn't have much to do this week except watch the clock, but he made up for it by being insufferably smug about the whole fake key thing. The Doctor was glorious. Sabetha and Altos didn't really need the random falling-for-each-other plot, but they're mostly inoffensive, and it was interesting to see the moment when Barbara's new lifestyle caught up with her and she realised she'd probably never see them again. The domestic violence subplot was, as I said, a tricky one to navigate, as on the one hand it seemed like an effort to subvert our natural sympathies towards victims of domestic abuse (which is gross) but on the other hand seemed calculated to make Kala less of a straight-up villian and more of a troubled woman who channels her suffering into viciousness towards others in a vicious circle of violence. Put simply, it's complicated. On a lighter note, Yartek trying to maintain his disguise by inventing a contagious disease is the funniest thing I've seen all week, apart from the Doctor and Ian having a spat in a corridor that is. Overall, good to see Team Tardis becoming more of a family. This serial was a mixed bag, and I'd have cut 'The Snows of Terror' altogether or given the serial more room to explore the interesting stuff like a machine that removes free will in the name of justice, but that's just me. On with The Aztecs!