The Crusades

Dear Gary—

The Crusades finds the Doctor lamenting how they seem to go from one trouble to another. How true. To quote Barbara from a previous story (The Romans), “I’ve got a friend who specializes in trouble.” The trouble with the Doctor’s trouble in The Crusades, however, is that it isn’t very imaginative. Previous stories have found our travelers embroiled in history to much greater effect (namely The Aztecs, The Reign of Terror, and The Romans). Granted, two of the four episodes for The Crusades are missing so it might not be fair to judge.

While the story is interesting and well acted, it is acted by all of the guest stars. Our regulars don’t really have much to do with the plot, in particular the Doctor and Vicki. Barbara gets herself kidnapped again, which serves to keep them there, but her story of escape and recapture and escape again are independent of the main storyline featuring a perpetually petulant King Richard and his angry sister Joanna.

Ian gets knighted and goes off to rescue Barbara and gets involved in his own little adventure, again independent of the story, while the Doctor and Vicki kind of hang out around court and observe the bickering siblings.  “I might get entangled in court intrigue,” the Doctor warns, but at least in the two surviving episodes he doesn’t really. He is nothing more than an idle bystander.

The Doctor does have an extended exchange with the Lord of Lester regarding the merits of diplomacy over violence: “You stupid butcher; can you think of nothing else but killing?” But I don’t know, I can’t help but agree with Lester that marrying Joanna off against her will is not the best route to peace.  “I admire bravery and loyalty, sir,” the Doctor continues. “You have both of these. But unfortunately you haven’t any brain at all. I hate fools.” It’s a fine speech, but again I can’t help feeling that it is misplaced.

This forced marriage plotline—“a last appeal for peace from a weary man”—is interesting enough, and the scenes with the Saracen brothers Saladin and Saphadin are compelling, but for a story called The Crusades, there is no crusading going on. It seems there is much more missing than just two episodes.  It almost feels like the Doctor and company fell into the middle of a play or Masterpiece Theater production and quickly donned costumes to blend in until they could make their way off the stage.

Speaking of those costumes, Gary, the Doctor decides when they first land that if they are going to stay they will need to go into town to find suitable clothes. Why didn’t they at least first check the TARDIS wardrobe? Instead the Doctor turns thief, justifying his act by the fact that they are hot goods to begin with. “Having been stolen once they can be stolen again . . . or perhaps borrowed shall we say?”

Despite this touch of larceny in his heart(s), the Doctor still inspires trust in those he meets. Joanna: “There is something new in you and yet something older than the sky itself. I sense that I can trust you.” Vicki, too, had this instant sympathy for the Doctor, and now, as she tells him, “Your ship’s the only home I’ve got now.”

Thankfully it only takes them four episodes to find their way back to that home. Since my first writing, Gary, I have found the two reconstructed episodes that are missing. They do serve to flesh out the Barbara and Ian storylines, but overall The Crusades still doesn’t do much for me.

Sorry, Gary. I don’t have any more to say on this story.