On a sadder note, but still on topic, it has come to my attention that Elisabeth Sladen, the actress that played Sarah Jane Smith passed away in April. It seems like Doctor Who actors are dropping off one by one, seeing as how Nicolas Courtney (Brigadier) passed away earlier this year as well. At the bottom of this blog, in memory of her passing, you can see Mrs. Sladen first moments on the show in The Time Warrior, where she is introduced as Sarah Jane Smith and her first encounter with the Doctor. Also, please add comments at the bottom reminiscing about your favorite Sarah Jane Smith moment. Requiescat in pace, Sarah Jane.
As for The Time Warrior itself, the first thing I noted was the new intro. I thought it was very classy, and pretty unique for an early 70’s TV show. I was very impressed with it, and I like how you were shown a full body shot of the Doctor, arms crossed, before he fades into the background of the time-space vortex.
Moving to the other side of the spectrum, I was not particularly impressed with the Irongron’s soldiers. I guess people must have just been dumber in the Middle Ages. There are countless scenes were they were less than admirable in their duties; they are awful at besieging castles, they couldn’t hit an intoxicated cow with Link’s “new weapons”, and in general are just plain useless. No wonder they weren’t recruited by the king going to war. They must be the second string warriors.
The real unsung heroes of this story, however, are Reubish and the unnamed archer. Both are responsible for saving the day in different parts of the story; Reubish knocks out Link (not to mention he is able to resist Link’s hypnotizing tactics and being able to get around without spectacles), and the archer winds up killing him in the end, by perfectly shooting him through the back of the neck, while the door to his spacecraft was closing and he was making his escape. This is a rare episode where the Doctor was greatly helped rather than hindered by his supporting cast. Sarah Jane also makes a meaningful impact by throwing her weight around, so to speak, as well as showing initiative. Initially, she believes the Doctor to be behind the Irongron’s evil, but she soon learns this is not the case. I’m sure that as soon as she learns to trust the Doctor and rely on his advice, she will be able to be even of more help. As a side note, I believe this is also the first time that the Doctor’s home planet of Gallifrey is mentioned.
Our next episode coming up Invasion of the Dinosaurs, which looks like it will be a cracker, and I am especially looking forward to some cheesy dinosaur special effects. As soon as I have some spare time, I will also put the Sontarans up on the Enemies Page, seeing as how this was their first of many appearances. It will all come in good time. Please leave a comment and enjoy your stay at Sci-Fi Reflections.