4 episodes Running Time: Approx. 111 minutes. Written by: Andy Lane. Directed by: Nicholas Briggs. Produced by: David Richardson.
THE PLOT:
Harmony Station exists in neutral territory and serves a bridge for intergalactic rivals: humanity's powerful Teklarn Corporation and the warrior-like Chalnoth Alliance. These two powerful entities have been at each other's throats for years, animosity that's been of great benefit to others. Now a treaty has been signed, guided by the steady hand of respected diplomat Janos Pirell. It's an agreement that will be sealed in the Chalnoth way, through the marriage of Teklarn's Director, Tina Andresson (Lucy Briggs-Owen), and Regent Tharler (Hywel Morgan), Chalnoth's leader.
As a prelude to the ceremony, the Earth Empire sends security consultant Alex Filton to inspect the station. He arrives just as the TARDIS materializes. The Doctor has agreed to take Jo and Mike Yates on a quick trip to the past. Instead, the three find themselves staring down the barrel of Filton's gun - a situation Mike rectifies by knocking the man out with a cricket ball, with him and the Doctor securing him in a cupboard.
Because Jo is roughly the same size as the unconscious man, she dons his uniform and passes herself off as "Alex Filton," with the Doctor and Mike as her assistants. The plan is to stall until they can get back to the TARDIS. But the more they learn about the upcoming nuptials, the clearer it becomes how strong the opposition is to the ceremony even taking place.
With the wedding drawing near, Janos Pirell finally arrives on the station. But no sooner has his ship landed than an explosion tears through the docking bay - killing Pirell and leaving Jo in charge of the investigation into his murder!
CHARACTERS:
The Doctor: When Mike and Jo state that they should all get back to the TARDIS and go, he agrees... verbally. It's clear, however, that he wants to investigate what has happened, fulfilling Jo's prediction that he won't be able to stop himself from getting involved. He seems nonplussed when Jo insists on impersonating the security consultant instead of him, though he can't argue with Filton's uniform fitting her. When the Chalnoth express skepticism about Jo, he responds by expressing confidence in her ability to get the job done.
Jo Grant: This story is a fine showcase for Katy Manning's Jo. Thanks to the impersonation, she takes the lead on the investigation. When she questions the Teklarn and Chalnoth executive officers, she asks some very good questions... though she quickly steers the conversation away from taking too close a look at security recordings, which would reveal her deception. Her inherent compassion serves her well when she befriends the station's AI (Helen Goldwyn), which helps her and the Doctor to stop a disaster in the final episode.
Mike Yates: He's eager to travel in the TARDIS... but he has a different preferred destination than Jo, preferring the prospect of seeing the final cricket match of the great W. G. Grace over her desire to visit the 1960s to see the Beatles. Mike even brings a cricket ball along, to get the man's autograph, which comes in handy for resolving their close encounter with the real Alex Filton. When the Doctor chides him for the act of violence, Mike makes no apology, pointing out that Filton was pointing a gun at them. Jo argues that the Doctor could have talked them out of trouble, but Mike is firm that he wasn't willing to take that chance. For the record, I'm on Mike's side on this one.
THOUGHTS:
The Havoc of Empires is the second of the two stories included in The Third Doctor Adventures, Vol. 1. As with Prisoners of the Lake, it's authentic to its era. The Doctor and Jo get involved with tensions and diplomacy among alien governments in a story that mixes a pinch of The Curse of Peladon with a dash of Frontier in Space.
A quick perusal of contemporary online reaction tells me that I'm in the minority in finding this to be the better of the two stories. Prisoners started strong, but I thought it became less interesting as it went. The Havoc of Empires keeps me engaged thoughout, Andy Lane's script introducing complications at regular intervals to keep the pace alive.
I enjoyed the character interactions. Jo pretending to be in charge, even giving orders to the Doctor as part of the act, makes for some amusing moments. The scenes between Regent Tharler and his executive officer, Lady Gurlen (Joanna Bacon) make me believe that these two truly do have a long history. The actual conflict between the Chalnoth and the Teklarn Incorporation is weakly defined, but there are several well-written interactions between Tharler and Tina Andresson that help the two leaders to feel reasonably well-realized.
There are flaws. Given Janos Pirell's importance to the story, I can't help but think there should have been at least one significant scene with him early on. It would have helped his murder to matter a bit more, as opposed to simply being an excuse for the plot to happen. The solution to the mystery also suffers, with the resolution relying heavily on a character who has barely had a role up to that point. As a result, the ending ends up being the weakest part of a generally entertaining story.
OVERALL:
I liked The Havoc of Empires. There's some solid character writing and just enough incident to keep things moving through all four episodes. As with Prisoners of the Lake, I'm left with the impression that fidelity to the Pertwee era was prioritized above telling a story that was truly memorable in itself - but this one managed to keep me entertained.
Taken as a whole, I think Volume I was a solid launch to the range. Tim Treloar is quite good as the 3rd Doctor, conveying quite a bit of Jon Pertwee while also giving a good performance in his own right. Though I might have wished for more narrative ambition, the two stories do a fine job showcasing both him and the companions to good effect.
I hope that some of the later entries are a bit more substantial. Still, judged as a foundation, Volume I shows promise and leaves me wanting to hear more.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
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Next Television Story: Frontier in Space
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