5 minute read
Previews
The Secret of Kembel
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Transmission - 20:00, Sunday 5 June 2022
The Doctor and Sara return to Kembel in order to search for Marc Cory’s original transmission in an effort to help Raleigh take down Mavic Chen, once and for all.
The Secret of Kembel takes us unsurprisingly back to Kembel, and back to Production Block 2. Yes, Production Block 2, directed by Rachel Talalay, mainly at CBS Studios in Canada, mainly filming on the Pixomondo AR Wall, which brought Kembel’s jungle to life, in a way that Douglas Camfield could’ve only dreamed of.
While this episode doesn’t entirely conclude the story of the original 1965/66 serial, it does bring it pretty close to its end, so that Episode 6 can spend most of its run time wrapping up some more of the original elements to the 2022 version.
If you want a reference point for the original serial, most of this episode adapts the story from Episodes 11 & 12 of The Daleks’ Master Plan, whereupon the characters all converge back on Kembel. Things go a little differently in this version, than the original, but the general line of the story is the same... not through the Monk’s lack of trying, though!
Speaking of the Monk, although we’ve now reached the point in the original serial, where the Monk leaves the story, our new Jo Brand Monk continues to feature throughout these last two episodes, heavily. She has a lot to do in this one, and we begin to unravel more and more of the mystery and just what her motives actually are.
Raleigh features less in this episode, than the previous one, as most of the action takes place on Kembel, but we do still get a few scenes with her. Her role in this serial is to take down Mavic Chen, and that’s exactly what she’s going to try and do!
With a return to Kembel, and to Rachel Talalay, and to Ronald D. Moore, this episode is unsurprisingly the most like Episode 1 out of them all. Expect the same sort of creepy atmosphere and intrigue, as the story ramps up to its inevitable conclusion.
The Mutation of Time
Transmission - 20:00, Sunday 12 June 2022
As the Doctor begins to understand the realities of the Restoration, he truly begins to realise just how significant the Daleks’ Time Destructor is to the fabric of the universe...
Finally, we reach the end of the road; the end of this six-episode epic and Ronald D. Moore’s last stand (well, if you don’t count The Time Meddlers’ Pilot). The Mutation of Time is the big conclusion to it all. Will it live up to the promise of what’s come before? Well, that’s for you to see... I’m sure you’ll all have an opinion.
I can’t say too much about this episode, as I’d give away things about Episode 5, as a result, so I’ll say as much as I can. This episode keeps most of its focus on the original “Moore” elements of the story, with most of the original story already wrapped up in Episode 5. Jean Marsh is in this one, so fans of her can rejoice! We do also go backwards, slightly, in the original story of The Daleks’ Master Plan, as we tell a bit of story that this 2022 version skipped over, in the first five episodes.
Raleigh is in this one a lot, so fans of her can rejoice, and everyone else can wonder when her last actual episode will be. Well, I can inform you, as far as plans go, this episode, yes, this episode is her final appearance in Doctor Who. Obviously, several years down the line, things might change, but this is supposed to be her last ever appearance. So, let’s all enjoy a proper send off for Raleigh, that doesn’t include the Doctor teleporting her into the vacuum of space, or Pete stranding her in a Netflix-funded spinoff series.
As for the Restoration, I hope this episode gives you the answers you’ve been waiting for, and the closure you’ve been waiting for. I can say, so far, I have not seen a single person guess correctly what the Restoration actually is, so I think some of you will be surprised, but when you think back to what the Intendant said in Season 55, you’ll realise it makes sense. Obviously, as is clear as day, the original “Adrian Hodges plan” for the Restoration was something to do with Gallifrey returning, but Moore was the guy who got rid of Gallifrey, so he isn’t likely to go through with that.
Similarly, there’s been a lot of talk of Phaedra’s presence having to do with some sort of New Renegade style Vex masterplan. For the sake of my sanity, I can confirm that Phaedra’s presence is entirely to do with the fact that she (much like the Intendant) is an evolution of the Doctor, and not because she’s a Vex. The Vex aren’t involved.
The feel you can expect from this episode is one of intense emotion. The Doctor has to make some big decisions here, and they aren’t necessarily easy, and they aren’t necessarily the right ones, in the grand scheme of things, but they are fundamentally the decisions that the Doctor, any Doctor (well maybe not early-15) would take. It’s been a wild ride, but in two weeks, it comes to a close.
