Today was a fun and productive day. I did my workout, did my yard work (I will never get used to the fact that in Florida you still have to mow your lawn in January), I finished some other projects around the house, and I got to spend a nice afternoon drive out with my wife. So, a good day all around. Even today's viewing was pretty dang good.

So let's talk about that.

Planet of Fire - Parts 3 & 4

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

In the back half of the story, we discover that the Master kind of screwed himself by trying to make improvements to his signature weapon, the Tissue Compression Eliminator. He got himself caught in the backsplash, and accidentally shrunk himself down to action figure size. This is why he needed the help of Kamelion, because he was stuck in an itty bitty body. His big plan is to use the unique energy from the volcanic gas on Sarn (the titular Planet of Fire) to heal himself.

We also discover that Turlough and his family were political dissidents, sentenced to prison for their crimes against the government. While Turlough was sent off to exile on Earth, his father and brother were both sent to Sarn. With the volcano about to erupt and destroy all of the natives, Turlough makes the tough decision to send a message to his home planet for rescue, knowing full well that he will wind up back in exile. So in the end, he turns out to be a decent guy.

Meanwhile, the Doctor does a Very Clever Thing that unfortunately results in the destruction of Kamelion, and also results in the apparent death of the Master. You can guess how well that plot point sticks.

In the end Turlough voluntarily agrees to go back to his homeworld, and then discovers that the political winds have changed and he is going to be a free man. A hero, even. So he says his heartfelt goodbyes, and the Doctor is left with Peri.

Sadly, I also learned yesterday that actor Peter Wyngarde, who played a major supporting role in this story, passed away this week at the age of 90. I think this is something like the third time in this crazy project where I have watched an episode only to discover that one of the key actors had very recently passed. The timing always feels creepy to me.

So at this point the decks have been completely cleared. The Fifth Doctor is on his way out with one last story, and then I get to the unfortunate Sixth Doctor era (unfortunate because of the actions of the BBC, and nothing to do with Colin Baker who seems to be a genuinely good guy).

STATS:

Doctor(s): Fifth
Companion(s): Turlough, Peri
Episode(s): Planet of Fire - Parts 3 & 4
Steps Walked: 7,401 today, 2,188,020 total
Distance Walked: 4.03 miles today, ,123.60 miles total
Weight: 244.92 lbs (five day moving average), net change -62.38 lbs