Doctor Who — The Crusade Episode 4 — The Warlords — A Review

10th February, 2023: The Warlord.

Right … it’s now Friday.

And I feel vaguely happy.

My YouTube channel seems to have gained an extra channel: it’s now on one thousand, one hundred and seventy subscribers.

Thank you, whoever you are!

You’ve just made my afternoon!

~≈💊≈~

Making my afternoon is one thing. 

Making dinner, though?

Is something else: and something I’m going now.

Fish is in that oven, home made chips are getting burnt … and vegetables being boiled.

And … ?

As soon as I’ve scrapped the burnt bits off, and eaten it, I’ll be watching The Warlords: the last episode of classic Dr Who series, The Crusade.

I’ll have my written — and video — review of it up, tomorrow night.

I’ll see you then.

~≈💊≈~

11th February, 2023.

Episode 4 — The Warlords — recaps* last weeks episode: reminding us that Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) has been taken captive by El Akir (Walter Randall).

Kidnapped, threatened with a slow death … until she manages to briefly escape.

Only to end up in El Akir’s harem!

Fortunately?   Fortunately, whilst there, she meets Maimuna (Sandra Hampton), daughter of Haroun.   Maimuna is grateful to Barbara: for as the latter manages to tell the former her family have survived.

And, in return?   Maimuna offers to help Barbara get out of El Akir’s palace.

Ian, meanwhile … ?

Ian (William Russell) had been on his way to El Akir’s palace: to try and rescue Barbara.

But … ?

Has been captured by bandits: and held hostage by the villainous Ibrahim^.

Ibrahim will be happy to let Ian go: for a large ransom.

And Ibrahim isn’t convinced by Ian’s protestations of poverty.

Given that?   And given Ibrahim has Ian covered in honey, and tied down near a nest of poisonous ants?

Ian is feels justified in trying to escape!

Back at Richard’s fort … ?

Back at Richard’s fort, the Doctor and Vicki have had an unfortunate encounter with the Earl of Leicester (John Bay): the man in charge of King Richard’s troops, and the man who’s just accursed the pair of deceiving the King.

Something the King (Julian Glover) isn’t convinced about: after he’s order the Earl to ready the troops, he quietly apologises to the Doctor and Vicki.

It turns out the Earl was responsible for telling Joanna about the wedding plans.

The Doctor … ?   Thinks it’s time the pair should be discretely getting out of town … 

~≈💊≈~

Now … what did I make of The Warlords?

And The Crusade as a whole?

And the Season Two box set it rode in on … ?

The episode, itself, is something I can’t actually complain about.

The main cast perform well, the story is finished off nicely.

It’s a fun episode: and ties things off well.

The fact The Warlords is a telesnaps reconstruction?

I have to confess that episode two of The Crusade, the Knight of Jaffa, the other reconstructed episode in the series?

Didn’t impress me.

As far as I could see, there weren’t a large enough variety of photos to use, reconstructing the episode.

That wasn’t an issue for The Warlords: in every scene except the climactic fight between Haroun and El Akir, there were enough photos to make following the action easy.

I suspect the only thing that could have solved that?

Would be an audio description track: of the kind used by the blind.

Which isn’t something I found on the blu-ray.

Bar that fight, though?   The Warlord makes better use of the telesnaps than does The Knight of Jaffa.

I would rather see animated reconstructions of this story: of the kind done for The Reign of Terror, and Invasion†‡.

To be honest, I’d rather see the complete series — all four broadcast episodes.   Given the age of this story and the fact that — to the best of my knowledge — it wasn’t sold to the Middle East, I think that’s unlikely.

There’s less material to be recovered.

As things stand, though?

This is a well done version of an entertaining story.

~≈💊≈~

As for the box-set, itself … ?

It has to be said, the collected Season Two box-set is another good collection.

At least, I felt so.

I get the impression there’s been some fuss about some extras.

Ones originally on the DVD version of the stories in the set, are now dropped or moved: off hand, there was an interview with Carole Ann Ford called Suddenly Susan that came with the DVD version of Planet of Giants, and is now part of The Dalek Invasion of Earth extras.

Why that is?   I don’t know.

I assuming the moved extras — like that Carole Ann Ford interview — have been moved to a more relevant story.

And can only assume that the BBC hasn’t been able to re-license the contents.

Or, more likely because the BBC has chosen not to re-license them: on grounds of cost.

I’m very aware that there’s a lot of stories in this season: nine stories over nine discs and 39 episodes, with no bonus discs.

Compared to (say) season eight: with five stories over twenty-five episodes, over a total of eight discs.

Or to season eighteen: Baker’s last season had seven stories, over 28 episodes, and seven discs, and one bonus disc.   Again, for a total of eight discs.

It strikes me that eight to nine disks per set, and only so many extra features, is all that the BBC are prepared to pay for.

That?   Makes sense at least three glaring omissions.

Season two consists of: 

• Planet of Giants
• The Dalek Invasion of Earth
• The Rescue
• The Romans
• The Web Planet
• The Crusade
• The Space Museum
• The Chase
• The Time Meddler.

And, in earlier box sets?

Each story would be accompanied by plenty of extras: and by a Gogglebox-style watch-along called Behind the Sofa, with cast and crew of the classic series replacing the members of the public in the Channel Four show.

They’re educational, informative … and incredibly funny.

Janet Fielding, in particular, is hysterical: Season Two’s lineup of her, Sarah Sutton and Wendy Padbury makes this box set worth the money.

But?

In earlier sets, every story had a corresponding Behind the Sofa.

Except three stories on this box set — Planet of Giants, The Crusade and The Space Museum — didn’t.

Why they didn’t, I don’t know: but again, I’m assuming the cost of production for nine of these things — hiring the cast, hiring the studio and cameras, hell, even the electricity — was a major factor.

But … ?

In an otherwise great box set, missing out three specific extras seems incredibly miserly.

~≈💊≈~

Now … 

With that all said?

With all that said: yes, I have enjoyed The Crusade.

And The Warlords.

And yes: I’ll be watching the Anniversary specials when they air in November.

But, for now?

The next few things I watch will be something of a change in direction.

Tomorrow is Sunday night: you’d guessed that!

And?

As I caught the first episode, last week?

I’ll be catching Game Changer, episode two of For All Mankind’s third season: and will have my review of it — written and video — up by Monday, 13th February, 2023.

Hopefully?

I’ll see you then.

The Warlords.

★★★☆

The Crusade.   (Average per episode)

The Lion        ★★★☆

The Knight Of Jaffa        ★★☆☆

The Wheel of Fortune        ★★★☆

The Warlords        ★★★☆

Average: ★★¾☆

*        A big ‘Thank You’ goes to @RadiDaddy, on Mastodon, there!   He knows why!

†        As I’ve said, I’d’ve rather seen an animated version of this story: on the lines of Invasion or The Reign of Terror, or the 1970s era Shada.   In other words, with the missing episodes — just the missing episodes — replaced by animated ones: and feel the BBC should have released that as a DVD/blu-ray.   Then — much as they did with Season Seventeen’s Shada — re-released it with the relevant season box set.   I don’t know if there’s a good business case for that: but that would be my preference.

‡        I have one doubt about those animations: and it’s something I mentioned in my review of episode one.

        As with some British shows, back then, The Crusade features a few white actors in black-face, when playing people of colour.   It’s very noticeable in The Lion, the first episode: especially as it has black extras playing assorted spear carriers.   Would that be done, today?   Especially when the UK has a comparatively more diverse acting pool?   I bloody well hope not.

        But I’m also aware that the animators of The Abominable Snowmen — which I reviewed recently — drew the Tibetan characters as if they were played by East Asian actors.   Yes: I feel that represents what the BBC would do, were they casting the show, today.   But must also ask: is turning a bunch of white actors into animated Asian characters … just another version of black face?   We’re damned if we do, and damned if we don’t.

^        Just as a point of total trivia?   Ibrahim is played by Tutte Lemkow.   In other words, by the chap that played the fiddler on the roof … in Fiddler on the Roof.   Go check that film out!