LEGION OF IMPOSSIBILITIES

Saturday 30th May 1964 - Doctor Who - The Warriors of Death

"Your heart is young too, Doctor."

Essentially

The Doctor warns Barbara she can't alter time. Susan learns how to be a good Aztec housewife. Ian fights Ixta.

Thoughts and Reactions

We're straight into the Doctor berating Barbara for her "meddling". For the Doctor, it is more than changing history on a grand scale; the Doctor wants Barbara to see the person effect of her attempts to alter the Aztec culture ("Don't you realise he wanted to be offered to the gods? It made him feel one.").

Most of the episode continues with the situations established last time. Tlotoxl doesn't believe that Barbara is a god and directly challenges her authority. Ian challenges the warrior, Ixta. The Doctor schemes in order to work out a way of re-entering the temple - mainly by flirtng with Cameca, the Aztec widow. Susan is in a seminary learning the Code of the Good Housewife which gives her the opportunity of resisting the idea of an arranged marriage (we've been here before).

The drama of the episode comes from the Doctor being fooled into making a poison by Ixta which is then used to drug Ian. Presumably this is supposed to be a comedy of misunderstanding - especially when, close to the end, Doctor interrupts Ian and Ixta's fight saying "Don't let him scratch you!" which gives Ixta the opportunty to scratch Ian. 

Ian has been pretty stoic in this adventure and has little dialogue. He humiliates Ixta by rendering him unconscious with his thumb before having to fight for his life in a weakened state at the end.

Despite the Doctor's warnings to Barbara about meddling, she continues to try and influence Autloc (the Doctor actually told her to set Autloc against Tlotoxl):

BARBARA: Famine, drought and disaster will come, and more and more sacrifices will be made. I see a time when ten thousand will die in one day.
AUTLOC: Where will it end, Yetaxa?
BARBARA: In total destruction. Your civilisation will pass forever from the land.
AUTLOC: You prophesy our doom.
BARBARA: Yes.
AUTLOC: Let me think upon these words, Great Spirit.

My only gripe about this episode is the rather strange scene where a character called the Perfect Victim and a Captain are introduced for no apparent reason than to have an exchange with Tlotoxl and Ixta and then they leave.

Again we end with Tlotoxl meanacing. He taunts Barbara to save Ian if she is really a god.

After All Is Said and Done

It's an episode for watching out for the detail of sets and costumes and soaking up the Aztec culture on screen. Knowing how limited the funds for making the show in 1964 were, it's remarkable how quickly I forgot this was all being filmed in a tv studio. It's also delightful to see how the Doctor delights in his scheming and the look of horror on his face when things don't go how he planned. Enjoyable episode.

Next episode: The Bride of Sacrifice.