The Androids of Tara

Dear Gary—

I do believe that I used to like The Androids of Tara more than I do now, but it is still a solid enough story to keep me entertained. This is the fourth installment in the Key to Time season, and I like the fact that the fourth segment is located almost immediately rather than the story revolving around the search.

“Look, I’m going to get that fourth segment and I’ll be back here in under an hour. You be ready to leave.”

While the Doctor goes fishing (“after a journey of 400 years and 12 parsecs, I’m allowed a rest of 50 years”) Romana follows the tracer to a rather crude and ancient statue, a portion of which transforms into the fourth segment.

With the segment found and out of the way we can now just sit back and enjoy this swashbuckling tale straight out of The Prisoner of Zenda.

“Well, we can’t have her running around the kingdom. Disassemble her.”Romana has been captured by Count Grendel of Gracht, believing her to be an android made in the image of the Princess Strella. Grendel already has the princess locked up and has his own look-alike android on hand for his nefarious scheme to wrest control of the throne. He can’t have yet another Strella roaming about interfering with his plans.

“Do you mind not standing on my chest? My hat’s on fire.” Meanwhile the Doctor is taken by Zadek and Farrah at sword point to Prince Reynart and conscripted into repairing their own android double of the prince.

It is a pleasant little story and a simple little plot. Reynart is to be crowned king; Strella is next in line for the throne; Grendel seeks to marry and kill his way to power. Duplicate androids are employed when the originals are uncooperative or endangered.

“I’ve got better things to do than meddle in the politics of your piffling little planet.” But the Doctor, with Farrah’s too eager sword pointed at his throat, becomes embroiled in this court intrigue.

And Romana, spitting image of the Princess Strella, of whom Grendel says, “Tara’s most eligible spinster, shortly to become, in rapid succession, my fiancé, my bride, and then deceased,” finds herself smack in the middle of this fairy tale.

“Count, far be it for me to query this lady’s competency as a doctor, but where I come from you don’t cut off the patient’s head if you wish to cure their ankle.” In the nick of time Romana convinces Grendel that she is not an android but flesh and blood. Even better for Grendel’s plans, and he tosses her in the dungeon along with the newly captured and wounded Prince Reynart.

It does seem as though Grendel holds all the cards. He has the real Strella, the real Reynart, the real Romana (twice over), plus an android duplicate of both Strella and Romana (although each of these is quickly seen through and disposed of). He has even managed to take out the duplicate Reynart (but not before he is crowned king). What Grendel does not have is the Doctor (or K9). And that is all it takes.

“Do hurry up. A hamster with a blunt penknife would do it quicker,” the Doctor admonishes K9 as they sneak into Grendel’s castle to break up the forced wedding ceremony between Reynart and Romana posing as Strella.

One fantastic sword fight later (between the Doctor and Grendel), plus a Romana/Strella one-two against Grendel’s henchman, and it’s all over.

“Next time, I shall not be so lenient!”

But you know, Gary, it's Doctor Who. You can’t just wrap it up in one nice neat package like that and say it’s all over.  Watching The Androids of Tara as I just have over and over, having memories of loving it in viewings past and then more recently tempering my praise, and now analyzing and thinking about it more than I ever have, I am coming back around to loving it again.

Because this is more than just a mere retelling of a classic. This is more than a fairy tale redux. This is Doctor Who. This is Tom Baker Doctor Who. This is Romana Mark I Doctor Who. And this is a simple story that lets the actors shine without a complex of plot complications to get in the way.

I’ll start with Mary Tamm playing not one but four parts in this charming little yarn. The meatiest role is of course Romana, and she takes command from the first TARDIS scene in which she navigates their materialization, casually looks over the Doctor’s shoulder to recognize his precarious position in his game of chess against K9, and then picks out her outfit from the wardrobe to blend in with their destination of Tara. All business, she goes in search of the segment on her own after having put up with the Doctor’s childishness long enough (“Frightens the fish . . . “).

Confronted with Grendel and his surgeon/engineer Lamia, Romana remains calm and defiant, deflecting questions and giving as little cooperation as possible. Her lack of horse experience lends some quietly charming and comic moments as well:

Romana: “What’s that? Is it yours?”

Grendel: “My favorite charger; strong as a tree and swift as the wind.”

Romana: “Well, how does it go? What makes it work?”

Grendel: “Good heavens, I don’t know, my dear.”

Romana: “You don’t?”

Grendel: “I’m a knight, not a farrier.”

And later when she is stealing that favorite charger, “Go, charger. Start. Start! Go, you stupid creature, go!”

It is the blend of no-nonsense confidence, bravery, and naiveté that makes Romana Mark I stand out for me.

Mary Tamm doesn’t have much to do in the three other personas, although her android death scene is great, and Strella is sufficiently regal for the brief screen time she is given.

Then there is the Doctor in the Prince’s camp. I love the evolution of his relationship with Farrah. From their rocky beginning (“If you don’t stop burning my scarf, you’re going to have to kill me”) they slowly develop a respectful working rapport. And his bargaining down from 1000 gold pieces to 500 for his services is classic Tom Baker. Throughout The Androids of Tara Tom Baker is at the top of his game, whether playing chess with K9, fishing, tending to androids, or dueling with Grendel.

The hints of Taran society are interesting as well, especially as they are fleshed out by the supporting cast. We learn that the peasants of Tara are more intelligent than the ruling class, they are the technicians. (“Don’t you sometimes wish, Zadek, that our fathers had permitted us to learn peasant skills?” “No, your highness. If we’d have meant to have been peasants, we’d have been born peasants.”) Indeed, when the Doctor makes the android prince more intelligent than the original (“Of course he is; I programmed him.”) Zadek protests.

But it is the technician peasant side of Taran society that is most fascinating, especially as portrayed by Madam Lamia. “I’m a peasant; I leave politics to my betters,” she tells Grendel, but there is much hidden meaning behind her words. Lamia, the peasant surgeon/engineer employed by Grendel, is clearly the better of the two and there are depths of bitterness and disappointment hidden beneath her calm exterior. Patiently destroying two diamond drill bits in her examination of the Key to Time segment, she has all of the curiosity and intelligence of an advanced mind, but she is kept in her place.

“What should I do without you,” Grendel asks, to which she replies, “Find another peasant who understands androids, no doubt.”

This pent up frustration comes out subtly, like when she slyly consents to return the segment to Romana only to go back on her word at the last second.

Lamia, with all of the repressed discontent over her unfair position in life, maintaining small measures of control.

Romana: “What have you got to lose?”

Lamia: “Grendel.”

Romana: “Well, you haven’t exactly got him now, have you? All he’s doing is using you.”

Lamia: “I know. But that is better than nothing.”

Lamia, better than Grendel and knows it, but she has her all invested in him. I don’t know that I would call it love. She is not starry eyed; she is possessive. As long as she can call him her own she has something she can hang onto. Romana notices her jealousy from the start. “Just because I once showed her a certain courtesy,” Grendel explains.

Grendel for his part treats her with disdain (“That’s the trouble with peasants these days; they don’t know their place anymore.”) yet the one moment of true feeling we see from him is when Madam Lamia is accidently shot down by his guards. It is a complex relationship told in the briefest of lines, gestures, and looks.

Beyond his relationship with Lamia, Grendel is one of those dastardly Doctor Who villains one loves to hate. My favorite Grendel moment is when the Doctor manages to slip through his trap at the Pavilion of the Summer Winds. His frustrated reaction cracks me up every time.

I do believe I have come full circle, Gary, and I have to say that I like The Androids of Tara immensely.

It ends on a nice, playful note as the Doctor mischievously kids along Romana who is in desperate search of the missing segment Lamia had taken from her but which the Doctor has secretly put in his pocket. I like to see this element of warmth entering the Doctor/Romana relationship.

“Do you know, I’ll be quite sorry to leave Tara.”

I agree with Romana. I am sorry to leave The Androids of Tara behind.

“What? Sorry to leave Tara? I didn’t even catch one fish. Not one! Come on!”

But as long as the Doctor is ready to venture on, so too am I. And so I send this out, Gary, hoping to find you somewhere out there . . .