Kiss of Death

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: Heroes of Sontar

This is a very promising story, Turlough is one of the most unique companions in all of Doctor Who so a story all about him and his past is bound to be good, right? It's not that this story is bad, it's just that it gets so muddled with all the ideas going on. The kidnap plot was decently interesting but it was followed up by the most predictable betrayal ever. It barely had any consequences either as Turlough couldn't care less.

There's a strange alien called the Morass, which I would have been a lot more invested in if it weren't for the really annoying voice. Otherwise, I enjoyed the cast's performances. Peter Davison and Mark Strickson especially put a lot of effort in here. I can't even bring myself to write more about this story because it's just such a nothing-story.

Next Story: Rat Trap

Doctor Who – The Monthly Adventures

#147. Kiss of Death ~ 10/10

◆ An Introduction

Turlough has always been one of my favourite companions, but the writers never really knew what to do with him: it’s why he spent a huge chunk of his time being imprisoned. BigFinish have given us some amazing stories that showcase his time travelling with just the Doctor, and he gets so much to do (‘Singularity’ is the best story with Turlough by a long shot). But now it’s time for a story that most people consider to be mediocre, and I couldn’t disagree more.

The trap has been set, the bait has been laid… and Turlough’s past is about to catch up with him!

◆ Publisher’s Summary

The TARDIS travellers take a break on the beach world of Vektris. Hot sun, cold drinks and all the time in the worlds. What could possibly go wrong?

A kidnapping, a spaceship heist and a desperate chase to a distant galaxy later, Turlough finds himself in a strange winter palace… along with a face from his past. The Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa, meanwhile, fight to escape its frozen catacombs, guarded over by a vast and deadly alien, The Morass.

But what connects Turlough to the ancient treasure hidden somewhere in the palace? And how far will he go to acquire it?

◆ The Fifth Doctor

Given what a complete dumpster fire the previous adventure was, I was over the moon to hear our regulars back on top form for ‘Kiss of Death’. Peter Davison does a brilliant job with this script.

The Doctor tries to make the Morass realise that he is not an invader, but a visitor from space. There was no bombardment, his ship crash landed by accident. He came to this planet to find his friend.

◆ Tegan Jovanka

‘Kiss of Death’ sees a return to form for Janet Fielding, who gets a sizeable portion of the action here.

Tegan thinks you sort of get used to the TARDIS humming in your ears. She thinks the idea of charging a line of Nyssa clones is crazy, and nearly ends up knocking out the real thing! She’s just as strong as Turlough, but a great deal louder, so is forced to hang back and sound the alarm if trouble comes their way. Tegan tells Deela that hiding away from the world just makes it that much harder to go back, and you do have to go back. Life goes on, you make what you can of it. When it stops being fun, make something else of it (very good advice, actually).

◆ Vislor Turlough

‘Kiss of Death’ features a brilliant performance from Mark Strickson, which is understandable, given that this story focuses so closely on his character.

Turlough is not interested in roasting himself in artificial sunlight. His jaw practically drops the minute he sees Deela, and it’s clearly quite the shock to be confronted with his childhood sweetheart after all this time. Nobody calls him “Vis” any more. He keeps his uniform from Brendon because it reminds him he’s an outsider, that he can’t be too close to anyone. Turlough has been trying to get home, fooling himself that he could be happy if he could only make it back, if he could belong. His world went to war with itself, and he was forced to participate in that war – his mother was killed, his father and brother were forced to run who knows where. He actually thinks he was the lucky one, as an exile on a backward planet. Turlough is rightfully horrified when he realises Deela has double-crossed him, realises that she is in fact engaged to Rennol! But when his former lover is shot in the chest, he becomes much more sombre and caring… knowing that she only has minutes left to live.

◆ “Older” Nyssa

‘Kiss of Death’ thankfully has Sarah Sutton deliver a great performance (after fading into the background in the last story).

Nyssa never imagined she’d hear the TARDIS again after she left. To see her face in the mirror in their room; Tegan looking just the same but her being much older. She feels just the same – back in the old situations, the fear, the wonder, the love of it – so she supposes some emotions don’t change with the years.

◆ Story Recap

The TARDIS crew have been basking in the baking hot artificial suns of Vektris, when there is a knock at the door of their rented villa. Turlough is shocked to see his childhood sweetheart standing before him, but Deela is nothing more than bait in an elaborate kidnapping scheme.

With the TARDIS currently in for repairs, the Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan steal a dead man’s spaceship in the hopes of pursuing their friend’s kidnappers.

The Winter Palace was once a holiday home for the disgustingly wealthy members of Trion, until the war came and it fell into a state of disrepair. Now the self-proclaimed business-man and entrepreneur, Rennol, is squatting there… and he knows that Turlough and Deela are the keys to unlocking its secrets!

◆ The Trion Civil War

‘Kiss of Death’ genuinely could have went either way for me, simply because I’ve had mixed opinions on Stephen Cole’s work before. I’m sure some of you will remember my review of his Dalek adventure, where I claimed that I’d rather be held prisoner by Somalian pirates than have to listen to it again! Thankfully, this turned out to be a really damn good release. I’ve already mentioned in the introduction to this review about how much I adore the character of Turlough, so any script which decides to delve into his complicated past will automatically garner my attention.

The Trion Civil War erupted some time during the 1970s, due to the disillusionment of the public with the ruling Imperial Clans and their regime, causing division. Turlough and his family belonged to one of the Imperial Clans, and he found himself forbidden from seeing his lover Deela, due to them being on opposing sides of the conflict. That’s not the only hardship our shifty TARDIS traveller had to endure though; his mother was killed during the war, whilst his father and brother were forced to run who knows where.

Rehctaht and his revolutionaries emerged as the victors of the Trion Civil War. In the wake of the conflict, all surviving Clansmen were exiled to Trion colonies, or in Turlough’s case, less developed planets such as Earth. With that bit of historical context in mind, it definitely helps me understand Turlough much more – and I can’t really blame him for accepting the Black Guardian’s offer. He had the opportunity to end his exile, return home and possibly be reunited with his surviving family members. It’s no wonder he was prepared to dispatch the Doctor to get back to the people he cared about, to get back home.

◆ The Cruellest Betrayal

‘Kiss of Death’ sees Turlough reunited with his lover, only to discover that she is acting on orders from her new fiancé. Rennol and Deela want to break into the vault beneath the Winter Palace because they think it will contain riches beyond their wildest dreams… and certainly enough money to pay for a fancy wedding.

Turlough has been used, again, but I think that this betrayal likely stings more than anything he went through whilst under the Black Guardian’s control. To have a former lover, a friend since childhood, basically stab him in the back… I’m honestly shocked he didn’t go ballistic!

◆ Sound Design

A run-down palace; a holiday home for the rich and bountiful of Trion… abandoned before the war, and now home to Rennol and his goons. I’ve got to say that Steve Foxon does a really good job with the sound design, with plenty of action set-pieces dotted about the story.

Loud chirping noises come from crickets in the warm night air of Vektris. A distorted voice, as someone communicates with Rennol via an encrypted transmission. Seagulls squawking at the beach, whilst revellers panic… as Hoss and Kanch fire into the crowd. The Vektris Spaceport goes into lockdown, alarms blaring. The mercenary’s spaceship takes off, its engines igniting, blasting into space with some force. Kanch fires what is essentially an RPG at the Doctor’s spacecraft, sending it hurtling towards the Winter Palace! The echoing voice of the Morass, deep in the catacombs beneath the palace. An army of gelatinous Nyssa clones begin attacking Tegan, Turlough and Deela in the catacombs, before the mercenaries try to dispatch the clones with energy weapons (it doesn’t work).

◆ Music

Steve Foxon is also handling the score for ‘Kiss of Death’. This is a relatively bare-bones piece of music, based on the small amount of instruments being used, but it is highly effective at building on the tense action of Cole’s script. The ever escalating violins are paired with a snare drum to create a frankly gorgeous score.

◆ Conclusion

“I never imagined the two of us would ever be alone together again…”

Turlough is reunited with his childhood sweetheart, only to find out that she has moved on. Now Deela and Rennol want to ransack one of the old Trion Winter Palaces, in the hopes of using its treasures to fund their expensive wedding!

‘Kiss of Death’ shines the spotlight on Turlough and his background, and I am truly grateful for that. The character development he is afforded in this story alone is more than what he ever got on screen.

Mark Strickson and Lucy Adams worked marvellously with each other too, and you could genuinely believe that Deela was Turlough’s long lost beloved… which just makes the ending all the more heart-breaking. Don’t let anyone tell you this story is filler. ‘Kiss of Death’ might just be my favourite script from Stephen Cole.