Doctor Who “Castrovalva Part 3”

Well, the Doctor is still confused following a bad regeneration, but that seems par for the course since the Master is just out there causing problems.  You know, like that dick always does.

But the Doctor may be able to recover in the fabled castle city of Castrovalva.  You know, if Nyssa and Tegan can find him after he disappeared.  Then again, those two appear to be trying to do some rock climbing in high heals, so maybe they aren’t the sort of salvation the Doctor needs right now.

Fortunately, someone does find him.  And these guys seem to be primitive hunters, only they seem to be wearing what look like oversized motorcycle helmets.  And they might want to eat the Doctor.  He’s still a bit out of it and doesn’t quite seem to remember his own name.  That can’t be good.

Nyssa and Tegan then arrive just in time to see the hunters take the Doctor into a cave that closes up behind them.  Turns out they took the Doctor to Castrovalva, and they don’t want to eat the Doctor.  They have a librarian who seems to be in charge.  These people are civilized.  They even take the Doctor to a room where he can get some rest.

Heck, they let Tegan and Nyssa in later when the pair get stuck rock climbing in inappropriate shoes again.  Evil cannibals typically do not offer potential meals ladders.

Oh, and Adric is there.  Or he isn’t.  The Master has a copy of him running around and causing trouble.  Doesn’t much matter though.  The Doctor doesn’t remember his name right away, and though the women do and remind him, he then can’t remember Adric’s name.  That’s potentially symbolic of how many classic Doctor Who fans want to feel about Adric, but here we are.

The Doctor even meets a helpful old man called the Portreeve.  But there’s something not quite right about this place, particularly a tapestry that shows stuff going on outside the city.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact the Doctor’s Zero Cabinet seems to disappear.  And when the Doctor finally remembers Adric, he and the women decide to leave Castravalva and figure out what’s really going on.

Small problem there;  every time they try to leave, they end up inside the main courtyard.  It doesn’t matter what exit they use in what is, quite frankly, a rather impressive set for this show and its budget.

And then the Doctor realizes why his Cabinet disappeared.  It wasn’t stolen.  Castravalva is collapsing in on itself in something called a recursive occulation.  And yes, that could be a made up term, but the area outside the Doctor’s room looks like am MC Escher painting, so this is probably a lot more dangerous than I would have thought before.

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