TV Club, Doctor Who, Warriors’ Gate
Warriors Gate (season 18, episodes 17-20. Originally aired Jan 3-24, 1981)
As the title implies, Warriors Gate is about transitions. The gate in question is a doorway between dimensions that all the characters want to pass throughwell, almost all of them, and thats the emotional key to the story. Gates present you with a choice: this side or that side, this life or that life, out or in. And for the Doctors companion Romana, this gate offers her whats probably the most difficult choice of her life.
More than most Doctor Who serials, Warriors Gate is not easy to just dive right into. For one thing, the story is a little complicated, stranding the Doctor and friends in a strange non-place that exists outside of everythingtwo everythings, in factanchored by a key sequence that, like a waking dream, puts two sets of characters in the same place but at different points in time, kind of sort of simultaneously. Its a story that rewards some thought, even a second viewing, before whats happening becomes clear. Neither is Warriors Gate very self-contained. The entirety of season 18, in fact, ties together into a broader storyline, and basically assumes youve been following along in sequencewhich is, I have to admit, probably the best way to watch this particular season, much as I prefer skipping around between eras of the show. This was a season of tumultuous change, both on and off screen, so before I get into the story at hand, lets set the stage.
Originally published Jan. 20, 2013 on avclub.com. Read the complete article.