The Bad Catholic has been watching more classic Doctor Who. This two disc set released in 2009 contains "The Rescue" and its follow up serial "The Romans" originally broadcast in January and February of 1965.
This two episode story is intended to introduce the Doctor's new companion, Vicki, played by Maureen O'Brien. The Tardis lands on the planet Dido and discovers a crash landed earth ship (more particularly a British space ship with the Union Jack on the tail fin). It turns out that Bennett, one of the survivors, has killed off the native population of Dido and the remaining members of his crew other than the teenage Vicki (presumably because she looks good in mini-skirts).
Bennett keeps Vicki in line and scares off any visitors by dressing up as Koquillion, a native to Dido and pretending to hold Vicki and Bennett hostage. The Doctor figures it all out and unmasks Bennett and the real Didoans come out at the end and finish Bennett off.
Barbara goes nuts with a ray gun and kills Vicki's pet sand beast thinking it is a hostile alien. (shoot first and ask questions later). Then, with nothing better to do, Vicki decides to ship out on the Tardis to replace Susan who got left on earth in the last episode to marry her human boyfriend.
The Rescue ends with a cliff-hanger (literally) of the Tardis falling off a cliff. The next episode opens with the Doctor, Vicki, Barbara and Ian hanging around an abandoned Roman villa in the first century (the owner was apparently campaigning in Gaul and took all his family and servants with him). We learn that the crew has been here for months just hanging out and drinking wine.
The Doctor and Vicki decide to go visit Rome. After the Doctor and Vicki leave, Ian and Barbara are captured by slave traders. Ian becomes a galley slave and then a gladiator and Barbara is bought to serve the Empress Pompea in the Imperial Palace in Rome where Nero takes a shine to her and chases her around the palace.
The Doctor discovers a murdered musician and takes his place and he and Vicki also wind up in Nero's court. The Doctor gives Nero the idea to burn Rome to the ground so that he can have urban renewal. Rome burns while the crew gets back to the Tardis and takes off for their next adventure.
Vickie and Koquillion
Like all of these BBC discs, this set is chock full of extras. The audio commentaries with William Russell who played Ian, director Christopher Barry and set designer Raymond Cusick are excellent as are the documentaries, including Girls! Girls! Girls! a retrospective on the Doctor's female companions of the 1960s.
Five out of five Jelly Babies.
