Who Review #99 - the Ribos Operation

episode by episode, scene by scene

Season 16 is based on a story arc - fulfilling a mission for the White Guardian by locating all the segments which comprise the Key to Time. This story also introduces the Time Lady Romana (played in this season by the babelicious Mary Tamm).

Another Holmes delight. Iain Cuthbertson (Garron) and Nigel Plaskett (Unstoffe) are a wonderful duo of harmless crooks. Garron is also a comic figure, like when he recounts how he sold Sydney Harbour but stopped short at the Opera House because of his scruples. Binro is interesting in that he is Ribos's equivalent of Galileo - there is a great scene where he states how he is laughed at for speculating the lights in the sky are merely other suns and with their own worlds. There is a lot of science contra superstition in the story.

The Shrievenzale isn't the greatest of monsters ( it's obviously a guy in a costume crawling on the floor) which detracts from its intimated dangerous nature, although there is a great shot at the end of episode 1 where its jaws are covered in blood.

Ribos looks really good with a number of lovely sets, whilst the fake snow and the sound of wind work well - it really does look cold! The costumes remind me of the Tartars and look great.

All in all a fine story.
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