Oh, I loved it. Absolutely loved it. As a last episode it doesn't disappoint. Ian's showdown with Tegana is interrupted and the setting quickly moves to the Khan's Court at Peking for the thrilling denouement.
More beautiful sets and costumes, look at what Barbara and Susan are wearing, and the wonderful backcloth:
The TARDIS is set squarely in the throne room, at odds with all around it. Wonderfully symbolic, here is what everyone is after.
Something I really like about this episode is that all of the characters stay true to themselves and every single one of them does something heroic. It's as if the journey brought out the worst in everybody, as journeys often do, but now it is over.
The Khan turns out to be lovely, happily playing backgammon with the Doctor and sanguine about losing to him. He's even a little hen-pecked, hiding his gambling away from the Empress! But, in a brilliant scene with Tegana, he shows intelligence and steel and sees through the War Lord instantly:
"What have I that the Khan should fear?" Tegana asks.
"The power of persuasion," counters the Khan.
Brilliant stuff. Anyway, back to heroics. Marco confesses to the Khan that he should not have taken the TARDIS from the Doctor; Ping-Cho (good to see her as an important Lady of Court as opposed to just a child in a brutish caravan) nobly agrees to stay after the death of her never-seen fiance despite desperately wanting to return to Samarkand, and Tegana attempts to assassinate the Khan, his plan all along. Polo takes him on and they fight before the TARDIS.
Polo prevails, and Tegana takes his own life. Polo then, brilliantly, hands the Doctor the TARDIS key and our travellers make a run for the stars. At last! The last scene is enchanting with the Khan marvelling at the caravan that flies and Polo wondering where our travellers are next. There is a caption of them standing around the TARDIS console superimposed across a starfield background. This feels like the natural ending to the series had no further episodes been commissioned, and indeed is mirrored at the eventual end of the first series in 'A Reign of Terror'.
And so, dear reader, our journey is finally over. I realise, rather shamefully, that it has taken me a year to the day to complete this story. I can only promise somewhat swifter progress from now on.
Next episode: The Sea of Death
Article: Playing Polo
