Logopolis
Previous: The Keeper of Traken
Logopolis
Oh cool! I didn't know Bidmead actually wrote a story.
Um, officer, I don't think that phone box is going to be sticking around much longer. You might want to finish up your call.
BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T THE MASTER WILL GET YOU.
Old temple? What...OH! This must be the cloister room!
"Look, whenever you see me in this part of the TARDIS pacing up and down like this, be a good chap and don't interrupt me, will you?"
Adric, I know you have a great tendency to ask a lot of questions, but I think EVERYTHING you've said so far has ended with a question mark.
Awww, the Doctor calls Earth his "home away from home"! So we get there and...HELLO TEGAN!
I take it they included the plane passing overhead to emphasize what Tegan's new job is supposed to be?
"Earth's the planet with all the oceans, isn't it?"
"That's the chap."
"Wet."
"Britain is. That's where we can find these blue boxes."
Okay guys, I know I said before that it's adorable to hear Adric asking about mundane Earth things, BUT NOT THIS MANY QUESTIONS AT ONCE.
There is is. The Cloister Bell. "TWO MINUTES TO BELGIUM!" (oh wait, wrong Doctor...)
Ah, Romana's room. She came back in the Big Finish audio I started today (Neverland, in case anyone was wondering).
Is it just me, or has the Doctor been INSPIRED by the Master to get the TARDIS's chameleon circuit fixed?
THERE ARE NOW TWO POLICE BOXES. And Four was right: his DOES look a tad smaller.
That was an interesting little dance, guys.
Wait the TARDIS is AROUND the other TARDIS now and OH GOD MY BRAIN.
Hello, mysterious Completely White Person! You must be the Watcher!
"We've got to measure it in every dimension!"
"But it can't have...37 dimensions!"
It's the TARDIS. It can have as many as it wants.
"Creating solid objects through pure mathematics?" Congratulations, Four. You've just given Adric the key to God Mode.
Okay. I think my mind just exploded. If you've seen this story, I think you can probably guess what just happened.
Tegan onboard! Also, HOW exactly does Adric's math badge double as a TARDIS key? Or is he just THAT good at picking locks?
No Tegan, that's not the crew, that's the cloister bell. Considering the current TARDIS-nesting-doll situation, that doesn't surprise me.
"How many more of these ARE there?" Best question you've asked all episode, Adric. This is getting a little ridiculous.
Wait that fourth TARDIS led to the outside of the first TARDIS and now he's outside again WHAT I REALLY SERIOUSLY DON'T EVEN
"...So he DID escape from Traken." Maybe you'd like to explain what exactly it was that you just saw?
Yes Tegan, I'll bet all these corridors look the same, don't they? And you haven't even mentioned that it's bigger on the inside yet.
Oh. THAT'S what you saw. Okay. Yeah. Creepy. o_O
Welcome to Earth, Adric! Unfortunately, this seems to be a bad time. Doc's in a bit of a tiff with the fuzz.
Oh wow. Either Four can read Adric's mind and knew he was there, or he has eyes in the back of his head.
Important Reason I Like Adric. He repeatedly fulfills one of my primary pieces of Good Companion criteria: be able to save the Doctor.
"...The box is gone!" ...So is your math badge!
"Adric...I'm going to jettison Romana's room."
"Are you sure?"
"This is life. Nothing's sure."
"I'm sorry, I just..."
"DO YOU WANT A QUICK DECISION OR A DEBATE?"
"SORRY!"
*flip switch* "Very simple. You see? There's no need to shout."
Unfortunately, if the excerpts I've read of Blue Box Boy are anything to go by, Tom Baker did a LOT of shouting around this time anyway.
Ah, THERE'S the badge.
TARDIS inside TARDIS...again...for a brief second I almost thought I was tearing up from the confusing.
Awwww, mention of a distress signal from Traken and the first thing Adric does is ask about Nyssa.
So after all those time Four had explain to Adric what was a figure of speech and what wasn't, "flush him out" gives him a legit idea. Nice.
"There'll be a slight jolt. Are you ready?"
"If you are."
"What? Well I'd feel more confident if you just said 'yes'!"
"Yes. :D"
Tegan, meet the Master's Evil Laugh. You might want to get used to going VERY FAR AWAY FROM IT when you hear it.
There's the Watcher again, and this time it seems to be beckoning to them...
Awww, Adric would rather go with Four back to Nyssa than stay in Mathland...I mean Logopolis.
Slightly-expected!Tegan! "I DEMAND TO SEE WHO EVER'S IN CHARGE OF THIS SHIP!"
(I almost mistyped "ship" as "show," which would make an equally appropriate war cry for some fans in various eras.)
Huh, everyone in Logopolis appears to carry around an abacus. And they seem to be expecting the TARDIS.
Those red streaks on the walls almost look like giant blood vessels, kinda like the city is made out of concrete skin.
"Do you really feel up for an explanation?"
"I'll try."
"Well...Adric, you explain."
Anyone else puzzled by the fact that a lot of things in that control room are partially covered in plastic wrap?
"What's a 'pharos,' Doctor?"
"Ancient Greek for 'lighthouse'."
"What's a 'lighthouse'?"
Does anyone else find this Monitor guy to be more than a little suspicious?
"Adric? Adric?"
"...NYSSA!!!"
COMPLETELY-UNEXPECTED!NYSSA TOO. Awwww, I've never seen Adric this happy before.
Wait a sec. This means that...TEAM FIVEY IS ASSEMBLED!
Uh oh, shrinking TARDIS is shrinking.
OH WOW HELLO MASTER. What, seriously? NOBODY noticed the mysterious cackling dude in black sitting in one of the counting holes?
Fish-eye lens close-ups of EVERYONE'S faces? Was that really necessary?
("The 'eye' of the TARDIS scanner is in the lamp on the police box roof.") AHA! I'd been wondering that for quite a while!
No, Nyssa! Stay with Adric! Don't listen to the creepy voice calling your name even though it sounds exactly like your father!
SEE. HE EVEN HAS DRAMATIC UP-LIGHTING. CREEPY.
"There does seem to be some...positive development." You mean the TARDIS returning to normal size? Yeah, I'd say that counts as "positive."
Giving Nyssa a large and painfully obvious tracer bracelet? Really not your smartest move, Master.
Well that answers my question: I'd been wondering if Four was too alien to give Tegan any comfort after informing her of her aunt's death.
Okay, so it didn't go beyond an "I'm sorry, Tegan. I'm so sorry" and a couple shoulder pats, but still a significant gesture.
Adric, you might not be so happy to see Nyssa again when you realize that she might've been about to strangle you. Because EVIL-BRACELET.
I never thought I'd say this but...the Master's near-constant cackling is starting to get kind of annoying.
Okay Monitor, I've been suspecting you of suspicious stuff for a while. Now we get to hear what you've been up to this whole time.
"You exaggerate, Monitor. Logopolis is not the universe."
"BUT IT IS! Logopolis is the keystone!"
Oh god Nyssa is strangling Adric and Tegan tried to attack the Master and why do I have a feeling things are going to get even MORE intense.
Interesting touch: when the Master switches off the silence device, the incidental music immediately starts back up again.
And in the midst of another failed strangling, we get another classic Tom Baker grin.
The Master is clearly having a major but mellow "NOT AS PLANNED" moment here.
"An alliance with you, Doctor?"
"In the circumstances, yes."
Seems to be a trend of regeneration stories: stuff gets EPIC and there's an evaluation of the Doctor's relationship with his companions.
In this case, the evaluation doesn't seem too positive. At least for now...
"I've NEVER chosen my own company! Nyssa, it was you who contacted me and BEGGED me to help you find your father! And Tegan, it was your own curiosity that got you into this...and Adric, a STOWAWAY!"
Shoo the companions off into the TARDIS and...
*brushes off sleeve* "Together?"
"...Our last hope."
*handshake*
You can tell that Four is NOT happy about this AT ALL. He wouldn't even LOOK at the Master during that handshake.
Well, here we go...Tom Baker's last episode of his 7-season run as the Doctor. Not sure why it hasn't really sunk in yet...
...maybe it's because, while just as epic, this story isn't quite as *dark* as Caves of Androzani.
Wait. I'm confused. Tegan says that Four is her ticket back to the airport, but says "have a nice trip," then the TARDIS takes off...
But wouldn't "have a nice trip" imply that she knew someone aboard could fly the TARDIS and get her home without the Doctor's help?
That looks like the same pillar-TARDIS the Master has in Time-Flight. Oh wait, Rocks Fall Everyone Dies (except he doesn't).
"What's happening?"
"We're being taken right out of time and space!"
As evidenced by the color inversion and MORE SUDDEN SHRINKING.
Ah, the original Pharos Project! Tegan must be even happier now.
Wow. Did the Doctor just give the Master an sincere apology? Best enemies indeed.
He might want to take that back now, too...
Nyssa looks (and sounds) strangely indignant that the Watcher wants to talk to Adric and not her.
"Wooly thinking, Doctor."
"Yes, and it's very comforting when worn next to the skin."
Unlike the unusually close proximity the Master has?
That's the whole universe? You'll forgive me if I say "it looks kinda small, actually."
Uh oh...there goes Traken. "The Master killed my stepmother, and then my father...and now the world that I grew up in. Blotted out forever."
"The Doctor calls it reiterated invitation to alien intelligences in deep space."
"And that's us!"
"So they'll be very pleased to see us!"
Wow. Nyssa, I think you might hold THE record for emotional recovery from seeing your ENTIRE HOME PLANET DISSOLVED INTO NOTHING.
The Pharos guards are almost running exactly in-sync. Kinda cool, but kinda weird.
"Nyssa and I have heard your message across the universe and have come to answer your call!"
"Now, who are you?"
"We are the alien beings!"
*gigglesnort* That. Yes. Adric. Nyssa. You kids. C'mere. Hug tiem nao.
The InfoText is saying that JNT meant the Master's new TCE to be shaped like "a torch." Make of that what you will.
Here we go, the "peoples of the universe" speech...(not sure yet why this is significant, but I guess I'm about to find out)
...wait...that wasn't even a speech. DAMMIT TV TROPES, YOU MADE ME THINK HE WAS GOING TO SAY SOMETHING IMPORTANT.
Okay Master, there's 5 minutes left for you to pull the rug out from everyone and, you being you, I KNOW you're going to do it.
WAIT A SECOND, HERE'S THE REAL SPEECH. AND THE GLOVES HAVE COME OFF. IN OTHER WORDS: REALLY. SERIOUS. BUSINESS. #reallyseriousbusiness
"Peoples of the universe, please attend carefully. The following message is of vital importance to the future of you all. The choice for you all is simple: a continued existence under my guidance, or total annihilation."
So THAT'S what they meant when they said the Master holds the ENTIRE UNIVERSE for ransom.
Oh. Wow. From that particular camera angle and that particular head position, it REALLY TRULY HONESTLY looked like they kissed.
I mean, I know they really didn't but...wow. WOW.
COME ON, FOUR! DON'T LET A SLOWLY TILTING SATELLITE STOP YOU FROM SAVING THE UNIVERSE!
And this time, he REALLY DID just save the ENTIRE universe.
COME ON, FOUR! DON'T LET A SILLY VILLAIN MONTAGE MAKE YOU LOSE YOUR GRIP!
And there he lays...the final resting place of the Fourth Doctor...
"It's the end...but the moment has been prepared for."
Aaaaaaaaaaaand...FIVEY!
Ladies and gentlemen, out from under the white crust, Peter Davison.
COME ON, FIVE! DON'T LET SEVEN YEARS OF YOUR PREDECESSOR SETTING THE BAR INSANELY HIGH KEEP YOU FROM BEING AN AWESOME DOCTOR!
So I guess I spoke too soon earlier. Team Fivey couldn't have been assembled yet, because it isn't Team Fivey without...well...Fivey.
I have to admit, that regeneration felt just a tad rushed. But regardless, heartstrings were tugged. Goodbye, Tom.
Next: Season 19: Castrovalva