The Keys of Marinus

Warning: all reviews contain some spoilers

Season 1: episode 5

Having retrieved two keys on my quest to free Marinus from the evil Voord, I find myself in yet another dark dungeon staring at a dead-end. The Dungeon Master asks me to roll a d20. I pick up the die and give it a spin. Success! I spot a trap hidden in the idol at the end of the hall. I trip its wire and reveal a hidden door...

The plot to Keys of Marinus runs like an old D&D module, or maybe a computer RPG. I'm sure you're familiar with the old formula: "Quest for X number of Y to defeat Z" Where Y can be the One Ring, or a Staff broken into 7 parts, or a sword shattered in three, or 9 components of a magic spell. Each piece hidden in a different location, guarded by a different 'boss' monster. The plot of Marinus could have been ripped directly from one of the old DnD Gold Box games. Come to think of it, writer Terry Nation was also responsible for the Lord of the Rings rip off Dalek story. Maybe this guy is an old fantasy nerd.

The format wasn't a draw back for me. Moving from location to location kept things moving and varied -- though I still found it difficult to watch more than a couple parts in a row. Rather than drawing out a single concept until it grows dull, Nation puts the heroes up against a variety of dangers. It's possible this story is just as bad as all the rest I've seen up to this point and my judgment is simply clouded by watching the Edge of Destruction. Watching baby seals clubbed would seem enjoyable after that debacle.

The effects in Marinus are a bit weak in places, but that's to be expected. I can forgive low-budget effects from the 60's... even when an alien falling down a well looks like someone dropped a GI Joe into a glass of water. Some of the FX are actually amazingly effective. The overlords of the false Utopia are brains under a bell jar, two eye stalks protruding high -- Sufficiently creepy to cause a chill, even in a jaded and CGI tainted audience.

The other similarity between Marinus and Terry Nation's Dalek story is the near unimportance of the Doctor. He has little to do and actually disappears for a full episode. Ian and Barbara take center stage instead, probably to tackle the more 'physical' threats. When the Doctor does return, its for an awkward courtroom drama, simplistic and cliche. He 'tricks' the real killer into revealing himself as in every Mattlock, Ironsides, and Perry Mason episode to date. The Doctor neither comes off as a likable secondary character rather than the eponym of the series. He's playing Grampa to Ian's Herman Muenster.

Overall, I give the episode a thumbs up but desperately hope that future episodes will have a bit more substance to them.