| Production Code: 6E
First Transmitted Cast
Plot Outline from Wikipedia The Renegade is shielded in this attempt by the Arc of Infinity, a curious curve between the dimensions containing quad radiation which can shield anti-matter. The Doctor decides to head to Gallifrey to track down the supplier of his bio-data, conscious that unless the creature trying to cross universes is stopped that its incursion could cause a fatal chain reaction to our universe. The High Council of the Time Lords is also taking the matter seriously and has decreed that the Doctor’s TARDIS should be recalled for the same reason. The Chancellery Guard under the over-zealous Commander Maxil seizes the Doctor and Nyssa. He stuns the Doctor to ensure his delivery to the High Council. When the Doctor is brought before the High Council the new Lord President, Borusa, is inscrutable while Chancellor Thalia and Cardinal Zorac are openly hostile; only his old friend Councillor Hedin seems pleased to see him. The President stresses the gravity of the situation since the Renegade poses such a threat to the Universe, and the High Council has had no alternative but to issue a Warrant of Termination on the Doctor to ensure the Renegade can no longer bond with him. The Doctor is taken away protesting, sure his bio-data has been compromised and stolen from within the High Council. Fortunately an old friend, Damon, who is another technician in the records section, provides him with the proof he needs that a member of the High Council did indeed steal his bio-data extract. The Doctor is soon taken for execution, despite Nyssa’s attempts to save him, and placed in a dispersal chamber. Sentence is carried out. The supposed death of the Doctor, however, has not solved the situation. Unbeknownst to the High Council, his mind has been taken into the Time Lord living repository of knowledge, the Matrix, while his body is hidden behind a force shield in the termination cubicle. The Renegade, who demands an opportunity to return to the Universe it once inhabited, contacts him. The truth of the aborted execution is discovered by the wily Castellan, who tells first Nyssa and Damon that the Doctor is alive; and then the High Council. Meanwhile in Amsterdam, Netherlands the Doctor’s former companion Tegan Jovanka arrives looking for her cousin Robin Stuart. She is greeted by his friend Colin Frazer who explains that Robin has disappeared while they were crashing in the crypt of the Frankendael mansion. When neither of them can persuade the police to take an interest they decide to investigate the crypt themselves. They find a hypnotised Colin working for a curious birdlike creature which is armed with a deadly weapon. They are rendered unconscious and their minds scanned, revealing to the Renegade, who has established its base in a TARDIS hidden at the Frankendael, that Tegan knows the Doctor. The Renegade uses Tegan as bait to force the Doctor to obey him, also releasing Colin from his slavery as a reward. The Doctor is returned to normal space on Gallifrey where he makes for the High Council Chamber. Lord President Borusa has fallen under suspicion of being a traitor because the Castellan reveals it was his codes that were used to transmit the bio-data. The truth, however, is that Councillor Hedin is the Time Lord in league with the Renegade. He is in awe of his master - the mighty Omega, first of the Time Lords and pioneer of time travel (see The Three Doctors). Hedin wishes to release Omega from his exile in a universe of anti-matter, not realising the great Time Lord has been driven mad by his years of solitary confinement. The Castellan kills Hedin, but this does not prevent Omega using the Arc of Infinity to seize total control of the Matrix and, therefore, the organisation of Gallifrey. Fortunately the Doctor and Nyssa manage to slip away and return to the TARDIS. They use scant knowledge provided by Tegan to determine that Omega has established its base in Amsterdam on Earth, and head there immediately, desperately trying to find the Frankendael crypt she described. After a lengthy hunt they find the lair defended by the birdlike creature, the Ergon, and Nyssa disposes of it with its own matter-converter gun. They reach Omega’s TARDIS at the point at which both the ship is destroyed and Omega makes full transference to Earth using the arc of infinity. When he peels his decayed mask away he reveals the features of the Doctor. Omega heads off into Amsterdam with the Doctor and Nyssa in hot pursuit. Within a short time the Doctor’s prediction of an unstable transfer begins to come true: Omega’s flesh decays and it his clear his new body is not permanent. When the Doctor and Nyssa catch up with him it is a painful task for the Doctor to use the Ergon’s anti-matter converter on Omega, expelling him back to his own universe of anti-matter. The Time Lord High Council on Gallifrey detects the end of the threat. Once Tegan has checked on her cousin’s progress in hospital, she decides to rejoin the TARDIS crew. This time it is as a willing traveller. The Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa depart Amsterdam.
Analysis by Cuisle The execution scene in Arc of infinity is one I find hard to watch. For me, Doctor Who is about The Doctor, not the guest monster or enemy of the week, and to see him accept a dreadful fate so calmly and with such dignity as he did was heartbreaking. Of course, logic dictates that The Doctor is not going to die in the first episode of a new series. But even so, the scene is so well played that you almost believe he is dead until the truth is learnt. This was much more harrowing of course, the first time around as a cliffhanger. But it still has impact when watched as an all in one episode in retrospect. And that is just one well crafted scene in a great introduction to the new series that DIDN’T for once involve The Master. The baddie in this case was Omega, trying once again to get back to reality from his anti-matter universe he was last seen in during The Three Doctors in the Pertwee era. And despite his treachery, Hedin has a point about Omega. He was badly done by. The Time Lords DID abandon him to his fate and enjoyed the fruits of his work. But Omega has let his bitterness fester for too long, FAR too long. He has lost all reason. Hedin’s treachery against his fellow Time Lords is less easy to understand. As much as nepotism and favouritism seem to count in Gallifreyan politics, loyalty and honour still count highly, too. What would induce any Time Lord to do such a thing is hard to understand. But having betrayed them, he does at least have his come-uppance. This episode is watched avidly by fans retrospectively for the character of Maxil, commander of the Chancellery Guard, played by none other than Colin Baker, who would in two seasons time become The Doctor himself. Those who dislike Baker enjoy the sight of him in an outfit even sillier than his Doctor costume. The rest enjoy the retrospective on his acting ability. In the original showing, of course, nobody knew what the future held, including Colin Baker, and his appearance as Maxil was fairly unremarkable except as a contrast to the much more likeable Andred. Gallifrey looked a more impressive place in this episode, at least. It was looking very shoddy the last time we saw it, in Invasion of Time. And it is nice to see that the planet that seemed to have invented the word misogyny has some senior Time Lords who are ladies. Meanwhile, to the Earth setting. And some critics complained about the necessity of using Amsterdam. True, there isn’t MUCH justification, unlike the setting of City of Death in Paris in a plot surrounding the Louvre. And there is NO excuse for the street organ rendition of Tulips from Amsterdam that went with the establishing shots. That was too corny for words. The two back-packers, one of which is related to Tegan, clearly have the worst luck of any two teenage travellers. First they lose a passport, then they can’t get into the hostel, and then the crypt where they spend the night turns out to be the place Omega has chosen to begin his operation. Ok, a lot of coincidence there, but after all, where would Doctor Who be without the odd coincidental arrival of the right people in the wrong time. Omega, disguised as The Doctor, wandering through Amsterdam as his
new body – The Doctor’s double – falls apart –
was a good sequence, but with two complaints. It went on FAR too long
and with Tulips from Amsterdam getting in on the act again, it was
too much a travelogue for the city. The running around Paris scenes
in City of Death seemed much less obviously staged than these ones.
But just so somebody has a happy ending, Tegan’s cousin is doing fine in hospital and she is delighted to come back on board with The Doctor. A BIT of a Brady Bunch happy ending scenario, but after all viewers would want to KNOW that Colin survived. And there needed to be a way back into the story for Tegan.
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