I'm quite astonished at how good this story is. Let's face it; season
two doesn't exactly grip you, does it? Planet of
Giants is entertaining but hugely flawed, The Dalek
Invasion of Earth is dull and cliched, The Rescue
is a good but slight character piece, The Romans is a
comedy romp, The Web Planet is an ambitious but odd
tale that strays a bit too far, The Space Museum is
completely flat, The Chase is so bad it's brilliant,
and The Time Meddler is a pleasant runaround. So
season two is missing a substantial tale. The Crusade is it.
All aspects of production are first class. Dudley Simpson's music is
cultured and calm, Douglas Camfield's direction is controlled and
dramatic, all of the guest performances are polished. But the best thing
is David Whitaker's incredible script. It is pure poetry, powerful and
precise yet also sparkling with wit and intrigue.
The TARDIS crew in this story are all excellently portrayed: The Doctor
is at his best here, delighting in stealing the clothes from Ben Daheer's
stall, winding up the Chamberlain, advising Richard and doing his best to
stay out of trouble, but not succeeding. Ian gets a smaller role than
usual, but gets to show his heroic side after King Richard knights him,
and overcoming all obstacles to rescue Barbara. Barbara gets the largest
role, dragged through hell and back as the evil El Akir kidnaps her.
Unfortunately, Vicki is again sidelined but has fun as the Doctor's ward.
The guest cast are extraordinary. Julian Glover gives an incredible
performance as Richard, and paints a picture of a complex man that often
lets his heart rule his head as he struggles to find peace. On the other
side is the fascinating Saladin. Soft-spoken but with a subtle hint of
menace, he is by no means the villain of the piece. Bernard Kay plays him
as cultured and calm, and his affection for Barbara marks him out as a
noble man who believes his actions are right, just like Richard. He is
markedly different from his blustering brother, Saphadin. Jean Marsh also
does a good job as Joanna, a compassionate woman placed into a difficult
situation.
The real villain here is Saladin's Emir, El Akir. He's prepared to
throw away his position in Saladin's court because Barbara has embarrassed
him, and he seeks revenge. He is cruel and callous, incredibly inadequate
and he makes it his aim to find Barbara to get payback for a minor
incident. How pathetic. When his end does come, it is justified.
There are some wonderful touches of high drama, such as when Haroun
explains his family's plight to Barbara, and he tells her to kill his
daughter and herself if they are found. The third episode, in particular,
sees the most dramatic events, involving a ferocious argument between The
Doctor and the Earl of Leicester, played to perfection by William Hartnell
and John Bay. The scene between Richard and Joanna also crackles with
intensity. But mixed in with this are the wonderful comedy touches,
usually involving the Doctor and Vicki at court. Vicki's disguise causes
the courtiers some confusion, as does the delightful predicament involving
Ben Daheer and the Doctor.
The Crusade is wonderful, an example of how highly the series
can reach when it puts its mind to it, and a shining example of the
historicals at their best.
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