21. The Keys of Marinus, Part I: The Sea of Death

I watched this story at least a few times as a kid, and I remember liking it more than most stories of the era. The Key to Time-style “mini-story” aspect of it was appealing.

The setup in the first episode was pretty good. The model work seemed above average for the time period, and the music is evocative. The name “Terry Nation” appearing on the screen certainly indicates a good time will be had by all viewers. And the totally invisible barrier around the TARDIS is a good way to save on your special effects budget!

The characters seemed surprisingly enthusiastic to visit a strange alien city, considering their fateful visit to the Dalek city on Skaro happened only a few stories ago. I would certainly avoid a strange alien city if I knew I was a character in a story written by Terry Nation.

I’m still getting used to the cliffhangers that include the name of the following episode. Because I grew up watching PBS “omnibus” versions of each story, I never knew the names of individual episodes back when each episode had its own name. “The Velvet Web” is a good name for Part 2, and I’m looking forward to it!

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