Doctor Who: The Smugglers

This serial is the first one of Season Four of Doctor Who. It is also missing, so I'll be watching another reconstruction. This serial is the second-to-last serial with William Hartnell as the Doctor. I shall cry many tears when that happens... if it is well-done. This serial was initially broadcast in four weekly parts between September 10 and October 1, 1966. This serial is also a purely historical serial with new companions Ben and Polly who we met at the end of last season. According to Wikipedia, producers felt that viewers were getting bored with the historical episodes so they began to gradually phase them out starting with this season.

That sucks.

Two Hours Later...

Well, this episode picks up right where the last episode left off. The Doctor enters his TARDIS after getting a message from Polly and Ben that Dodo won't be joining him in his travels. Polly and Ben follow the Doctor into the TARDIS. The Doctor sets the TARDIS for take-off, turns around and realizes he's not quite so alone as he thought he was. In fact, he seems very cross at first when he sees Ben and Polly in the TARDIS with him... again.

Of course, then he has to explain to them that they're traveling in space and time, but, again, his new companions don't believe him one bit.

... and then in a twist of fate we land on the coast of England again... just like we did with Steven's first trip. Does the TARDIS like bathing in seawater at high tide? Or does she just like making herself inaccessible at times?

It does make me wonder...

Anyway, Ben and Polly don't believe they're in the past and Ben is in a tizzy because he has to be back in the barracks or whatever in an hour and it's going to take him much more than an hour to get from Cornwall to London... Little does he know it'll take him several hundred years from where he is in space and time. I'd feel sorry for Ben, but he's about to spend the whole episode as a negative nancy so I'm just going to ignore him for now.

Well, turns out they're in Cornwall in the 1600s and they're surrounded by smugglers, pirates, former pirates, and 17th century IRS agents.

Yeah...

Well, they go to a church to ask for directions to the nearest bus (because Ben and Polly are sane people who don't believe in time travel) and find a church warden who is afraid of "Avery's boys" turns out the church warden is a former pirate who happens to have the pirate, Captain Avery's gold stashed somewhere AND he's hiding from pirates who also want the gold that may or may not be cursed.

Well, the pirates show up led by Captain Pike and they want the money and they use the local smuggling ring to scope out the island pretending to be smugglers as well. Well, the smugglers figure out what's going on. The Doctor is the only one with any clue where the treasure is. Ben and Polly are mixed up in things too. Oh, and the local villagers who are part of the smuggling ring, but fear Captain Pike just want to get out of the whole thing alive.

There's also a guy named Blake who is investigating the smuggling ring for the King. He ends up killing everybody with the help of the Doctor, Polly, and Ben. The village is saved. The gold goes to... well whoever isn't dead I guess. The Doctor, Polly and Ben sneak off to the TARDIS and further adventures. The Doctor is very tired at the end of this one though and I'm very worried that he may regenerate soon... like next serial.

Next Episode: The Tenth Planet.