Match of the Day

The Doctor and Leela arrive on a world where the rules are simple. Sort of. Everyone is a killer, and you can challenge anyone to a duel to the death. And no-one can decline, otherwise it is against the law. Leela creates a stir and then becomes a celebrity when she fights a man but refuses to kill him when she has clearly defeated him. The Doctor becomes her agent while investigating the fate of another agent and his star client, who is on the run, and Leela finds herself in danger from all sides as the powers that be attempt to have her kill ... or be killed.

The society that worships and praises combat was hinted at in Chris Boucher's earlier Last Man Running and as with Corpse Marker takes the Doctor and Leela into the midst of it. Funny thing is the planet itself is never named. The paralells between this place and Kaldor City are there, although there are no robots here, just the odd assassin android, and there are some filthy rich people operating behind the scenes making things go the way they want them. It gets a bit tedious though with the Doctor's constant assertations that this is a "sick" society. He's never been that judgemental before. Leela is perplexed by the bloodlust that is exhibited left and right; as a warrior she only kills when her life is in danger, or to protect someone else. Being forced to kill goes against everything she learned as a warrior, and certainly everything the Doctor has taught her.

I was left feeling though that the whole drama of Match of the Day was a big runaround, like Boucher got so caught up in his own world that the actual story lacked something. It wasn't boring or anything, and the writing style was well thought out but... I suppose the big letdown was the climax. All that for... well, effectively, nothing.

Booooo I say.

NEXT EPISODE : THE TALONS OF WENG CHIANG