Doctor Who (TV Series) Warriors' Gate: Part One (1981) User Reviews

Quite an intricate episode, but pretty satisfying

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 14 August 2015]

I've not seen this for a long time, so reviewing this with fresh eyes. The E-trilogy has seen us go from the pretty good Full Circle, to the sublime State of Decay on to this the finale. An interesting fact is that the Warrior's Gate story saw a big hike in viewing figures, Series 18 had suffered very badly, but Warrior's Gate saw a big gain.

The Doctor, Romana and K-9 are still trapped in E-Space, with new junior companion 'Adric.' The TARDIS heads into a time rift and is set adrift, in search of escape from E-Space. Biroc, a Tharil, a strange lion like human breaks into the TARDIS, which ends up at zero co-ordinates a kind of nothingness, seemingly the gateway between E and N space. The Doctor follows Biroc out of the TARDIS into a small stone building, like the front of a Castle, inside is a wonderful Banquet table which is covered in cobwebs and filthy. Biroc disappears behind a mirror. Ornamental guards come to life intent on killing The Doctor.....

I've paid very little attention to Warrior's Gate over the years, but I really enjoyed the first part, what a different script, it's very good. They really tried to make something different, it feels very new. The cliffhanger for episode 1 is brilliant, great use of imagery with the guards coming to life, also the Banquet table and set looks fantastic. Romana looks very good here too, great outfit, but her and Tom can barely look at one another, it's so noticeable.

Gate out of E-Space

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 8/10 · 13 April 2020]

Review of all 4 parts:

I think this story deserves the reputation it has for being weird and confusing but also for being a good, interesting adventure.

It is a story with symbolism, deeper meanings and philosophical thought which is admirable but I do not feel it was all properly able to be thought through and presented properly. It is somewhat muddled and lacking in clarity. That is what holds it back from greatness, along with bits of dialogue and acting which could have been better but it is still a very strong story which gets stronger as it goes along until the final part which is equally good apart from the disappointing scene towards the end where Romana and K-9 unceremoniously and inexplicably leave the TARDIS to remain in E-Space. Yes there is a reason given for K-9 but it all feels rather unsatisfactory and overly sudden. I did not like that scene, particularly feeling K-9 does not get sufficient care or reaction from the Doctor to mark his departure (probably due to some dislike of the character - not the actor - behind the scenes). Overall though that episode was solid and the rest of the episodes were full of fascinating aspects and enjoyable moments.

It is never a top classic level story but as the Doctor, Romana, K-9 and Adric try to escape E-Space and encounter weird events it provides plenty to keep my interest.

My ratings: Part 1 - 8/10, Part 2 - 8.5/10, Part 3 - 9/10, Part 4 - 7.5/10. Overall 8.25/10.

One Of The Most Bizarre Stories The Programma Has Given Us

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 21 January 2014]

Refers To All Four Episodes . Spoilers

Still trapped in E-Space the Tardis materialises in a white void . Leaving to investigate the Tardis crew come across a strange humanoid called Biroth who tells them he was a navigator on a slave ship which he has escaped from . . The slavers may pose a danger to the Tardis crew and being stuck in E-Space human slavers are not the only danger they face

Every once in a while DOCTOR WHO throws up a story that goes beyond boundaries . The Mind Robber from 1968 is a case in point and Warriors Gate goes even further . It is one of the strangest and most enigmatic the show has ever produced . Everything from the design work that shifts from the minimalist to the surreal is attention grabbing and what might have been laughable on paper such as the hirsute design of the Tharils ends up being sublime in its realisation . The production team do deserve great credit in doing something a little bit different . No strike that because it's something a big bit different

If there's a problem to this it's that Warriors Gate is a story that's much more easier to admire than to get involved in . The old cliché of style over substance is ready made for this pretentious hard SF tale . You get the feeling that writer Stephen Gallagher ( Who had a very successful career as a novelist in the 1980s ) started writing a stand alone story and shoe horned the Tardis crew in to the narrative . Sometimes you think while watching that the TV has switched channels all by itself

Elaborating on the style over substance comment , again it's easy to admire aspects of this story . . Director Paul Joyce clashed with producer John Nathan Turner over the production and Graeme Harper who was brought in to direct certain scenes . Harper would later go on to direct a couple of stories himself in the mid 1980s an is unanimously considered the greatest director on the show in the 1980s and some of the camera work seen here is superlative and is almost certainly down to Harper . There's also some breath taking imagery which adds a lot to the story but then you quickly become conscious that the imagery is in fact the story

One other noticeable aspect seen here is JNT's convention of casting well known actors with total unknowns . Kenneth Cope best known for RANDALL AND HOPKIRK makes an appearance in a pivotal role as does Clifford Rose as the villain Rorvik Rose is something of a disappointment but this is in comparison to his legendary role as Kessler in SECRET ARMY which was one of the greatest dramas British television has ever produced and much of the series brilliance was simply down to Rose's multi-layered performance as Kessler

Warriors Gate ends with with the Tardis escaping E-Space with Romana staying behind to help the Tharil race . Like the rest of the story there's a jarring quality to all this almost as if it's an afterthought on the production team as the Doctor effectively says " Oh okay then here's K9 goodbye and good luck " Compare this to the gnashing of teeth and an manipulative orchestra that goes on for 20 minutes in NuWho and the difference is almost shocking. In fact shockingly different is a good way to describe Warriors Gate but it doesn't necessarily make it a great story

The Lion Thing...

[Xstal · 6/10 · 19 July 2022]

Lost in E-Space, nowhere to go, when a humanoid lion pops into the throw, where he fiddles around with the console controls, then exits stage left, to an entrance of old.