Rating: 
Summary: Tom Baker, you've done it again!
Review: "Doctor Who" US DVD releases have been sporadic to date, averaging about two every four months. That's why the recent "Key to Time" season box set, encompassing six full episodes, is such a pleasant surprise. The first disc, "The Ribos Operation", is a story I didn't have much time for when I was younger, so I was quite pleased to learn that, not only is the DVD presentation remarkably good, but the story has improved with age, too."Ribos" is a light-hearted story, once the introduction to the season-linking Key to Time concept is rapidly explained (and set aside). Boisterous con-man (played to operatic high comedy by Iain Cuthbertson) attempt to swindle deposed Emperor, The Graff Vynda-K, by selling him a primitive ice planet suggestive of Czarist Russia. This went well and truly over my head when I was 12, and you wouldn't think Paul Seed's Shakespearian reading of a forged real estate contract would ever interest anyone, but it's quite captivating now. How many other DVDs do you own which contain the word "suzerainty"? But, more seriously, it's a Robert Holmes script, and Holmes' DW stories always stood out for their attention to detail. Ribos may be populated by just three British character actors, but so much of the planet's culture is explained in 90 minutes that it's surprising DW never went back there again. I like the fact that the story devotes quite a bit of time to "Binro the Heretic", the discredited astronomer who's banished for proving the world is round, but at the same time the local witch is shown to be not a fraud, but rather 100% accurate. The DVD includes, as always, text and audio commentary tracks. The pop-up production notes are written by a new researcher, and are much more enlightening here than many of the previous releases. Lots of attention is paid to cuts made from Holmes' (lengthy) original script, and much fun is had at the expense of the dated 1978 production: most notably Mary (Romana) Tamm's efforts to push a styrofoam rock, and the K-9 prop's inability to roll over a raised doorway. The audio commentary, by Tamm and Tom (The Doctor) Baker, is hilariously irrelevant. Baker hasn't seen the story, well... ever, and Tamm admits defeat trying to follow the plot before episode three has even begun. In the meantime, the two trade lots of double entendres, and Tamm has to explain to Baker twice which actor plays Unstoffe. They have great chemistry together, which is impressive considering that Tamm worked on "Doctor Who" just the one year and shouldn't have to recite as many details about the episode as she does (I expect she read the pop-up notes too). The Who's Who is a useful guide to have (Americans may remember Cuthbertson from his brief role in "Gorillas in the Mist", and Tamm played Jon Voight's wife in "The Odessa File"). The Photo Gallery is a bit unusual in that the first three pictures are not actually from "The Ribos Operation". The remaining pictures are mostly stills from the episode, although there are appealing shots of the gorgeous Tamm posing in her extravagant white gown. The only mystery unexplained on the entire DVD is just why Tamm's eyebrows look so fake...
Rating: 
Summary: "I can't figure out the plot, and I was in it!"
Review: "Doctor Who" US DVD releases have been sporadic to date, averaging about two every four months. That's why the recent "Key to Time" season box set, encompassing six full episodes, is such a pleasant surprise. The first disc, "The Ribos Operation", is a story I didn't have much time for when I was younger, so I was quite pleased to learn that, not only is the DVD presentation remarkably good, but the story has improved with age, too. "Ribos" is a light-hearted story, once the introduction to the season-linking Key to Time concept is rapidly explained (and set aside). Boisterous con-man (played to operatic high comedy by Iain Cuthbertson) attempt to swindle deposed Emperor, The Graff Vynda-K, by selling him a primitive ice planet suggestive of Czarist Russia. This went well and truly over my head when I was 12, and you wouldn't think Paul Seed's Shakespearian reading of a forged real estate contract would ever interest anyone, but it's quite captivating now. How many other DVDs do you own which contain the word "suzerainty"? But, more seriously, it's a Robert Holmes script, and Holmes' DW stories always stood out for their attention to detail. Ribos may be populated by just three British character actors, but so much of the planet's culture is explained in 90 minutes that it's surprising DW never went back there again. I like the fact that the story devotes quite a bit of time to "Binro the Heretic", the discredited astronomer who's banished for proving the world is round, but at the same time the local witch is shown to be not a fraud, but rather 100% accurate. The DVD includes, as always, text and audio commentary tracks. The pop-up production notes are written by a new researcher, and are much more enlightening here than many of the previous releases. Lots of attention is paid to cuts made from Holmes' (lengthy) original script, and much fun is had at the expense of the dated 1978 production: most notably Mary (Romana) Tamm's efforts to push a styrofoam rock, and the K-9 prop's inability to roll over a raised doorway. The audio commentary, by Tamm and Tom (The Doctor) Baker, is hilariously irrelevant. Baker hasn't seen the story, well... ever, and Tamm admits defeat trying to follow the plot before episode three has even begun. In the meantime, the two trade lots of double entendres, and Tamm has to explain to Baker twice which actor plays Unstoffe. They have great chemistry together, which is impressive considering that Tamm worked on "Doctor Who" just the one year and shouldn't have to recite as many details about the episode as she does (I expect she read the pop-up notes too). The Who's Who is a useful guide to have (Americans may remember Cuthbertson from his brief role in "Gorillas in the Mist", and Tamm played Jon Voight's wife in "The Odessa File"). The Photo Gallery is a bit unusual in that the first three pictures are not actually from "The Ribos Operation". The remaining pictures are mostly stills from the episode, although there are appealing shots of the gorgeous Tamm posing in her extravagant white gown. The only mystery unexplained on the entire DVD is just why Tamm's eyebrows look so fake...
Rating:
Summary: Oh arr...that be what we call scringe-stone..
Review: Along with Stones of Blood, Ribos Operation is the best from the Key to Time Season/series. An all-round enjoyable story with a constantly shouting bad guy, two unorthodox con-men who adopt strange northern accents, and the good Doctor and his new companion Romana. Although the story is not especially original, the script is fairly tight, and everything seems to work. Perhaps by the fourth episode it seems slightly padded, but there's always enough going on to keep you interested. Most valuable player in this story must go jointly to the two conmen, who are of the old-school, honorable type. In other words, they'll switch the precious stone from the doctor for a piece of rock, but when he switches it back and they find out, they are appalled!! It's good fun.
Rating:
Summary: A good storyline with strong characters and a real punch.
Review: I can't say much really apart from I enjoyed watching and reading it. It introduced the companion, Romana well and also the Key to Time with good grace. A great work by the BBC.
Rating:
Summary: A Key Start!
Review: I think this is good start to the key of time saga. We see a new assistant Romana for short. Also the apparnce of the White Guardain. The reason I just gave it 4 stars is that Romanas encounter with the monster (Shrievenzale) is not too much of an encounter by the way I saw it. Tom Bakers performace was still very great in this adventure. I would recmoned this one to all that are just starting out there collection!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Key Start!
Review: I think this is good start to the key of time saga. We see a new assistant Romana for short. Also the apparnce of the White Guardain. The reason I just gave it 4 stars is that Romanas encounter with the monster (Shrievenzale) is not too much of an encounter by the way I saw it. Tom Bakers performace was still very great in this adventure. I would recmoned this one to all that are just starting out there collection!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Precious as a jethryk
Review: Low budget, but precious nonetheless. Once again, Robert Holmes writes a great script with his usual dynamic duo of non-regulars, this time a couple of intergalactic swindlers.
Rating:
Summary: "All but one of us doomed to die..."
Review: The Doctor has been drafted by the White Guardian to find the Key to Time, an awesomely powerful object that maintains the equillibrium of time itself. A great way to start off the season, witha wonderful script by Robert Holmes. Romanna and the Doctor have some great tense scenes trying to get along, "It's better than scraping by with only 51% at the second attempt!" Garon and Unstoffe are great double-play as the try to rip-off the Graff Vynda-K, played OTT by Paul Seed. The production and design are pretty impressive for the Graham Williams era. A very funny and enjoyable romp, improves with every viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent tale.
Review: The Doctor is given a new assistant and sent on a mission to find the fragments of the Key To Time. Despite sounding like something out of a computer game, this idea provided some interesting insights into the Time Lords in that there is a higher power with two opposing sides (good and evil) holding the universe together. This first Key To Time story is a well-written and entertaining one with plenty of strong characters and nice little touches of humour and irony. The only let-down in the silly monster, which seems to be the slightly-altered creature from the Hartnell story 'The Rescue'. So much for progress. That minor gripe aside, however, this is a story which belongs in everybody's Dr Who collection.
Rating: 
Summary: The key to time is a great season opener, like this one!
Review: The entire of Season 15 dwelt around the Key Of Time. Of the six stories (26 episodes) comprising this conceptual season, "The Ribos Operation" is the best of the sextet. The White Guardian of Space and Time gives the Doctor a mission to recover the six segments of the Key To Time, a powerful device which in the hands of the user, allows them to let time stand still. The White Guardian wants it to restore the balance in the universe, while his opposite number, the Black Guardian wants it to spread chaos and disorder. To this end, the Doctor is given a tracer which when inserted in the TARDIS, takes it to where a segment is located, and much to his chagrin, a new assistant, one of his own kind, to be exact. Her name is Romanadvoratrelundar. Meanwhile, Garron and Unstoffe, two conmen, have landed on the planet Ribos, where by planting a lump of jethryk, an extremely rare and blue mineral that could power an entire starfleet, they intend to con the Graff Vynda-K, a deposed tyrant, into thinking the planet has the valuable mineral, and sell him a planet they don't own(!!) It's the old lost gold mine or tract of land with oil trick done on a much larger scale. The Doctor and Romana also arrive at Ribos, because the tracer has located the Key's first segment there. Garron and his sidekick Unstoffe have the best scenes and rapport in this story. Unstoffe, disguised as a Shrieve, tells the Graff and his right-hand man Sholakh in a thick North England accent, complete with "Oh arr" ("yes"), "that be what we call scringe-stone... You hangs a bit o' that around your neck and you won't never suffer from the scringes no matter how cold it be." All this time, Garron, worried that he'll blow their cover, is trying to get him to shut up, even stepping on his foot until he does, to no avail. Unstoffe's role as a simple, hayseed fools the Graff and Sholakh, for the moment, and Nigel Plaskitt deserves praise for his role as Unstoffe. There's a funny exchange between the Doctor and Romana concerning the truncation of the latter's name. Romana: "I don't like Romana."
Doctor: "It's either Romana or Fred."
Romana: "All right. Call me Fred."
Doctor: "Good. Come on, Romana." And when they are trying to break into the relic room, the Doctor flippantly tells Romana to keep an eye on the sentry because "sleeping on duty is a serious offense. If anyone comes you can wake him up." A real heartwarming scene is between Unstoffe and Binro, a local and former astrologer who was forced to recant his heresy, had his hands broken, and lives in poverty-ridden hovel in the Concourse. The heresy in question was that Ribos circles the sun, and that was the reason for the two seasons, Sun Time and Ice Time, not the battle between the Sun and Ice Gods. When Unstoffe tells Binro that he is right, the old man is tearfully joyful. He later tells Unstoffe, "For years I was reviled and jeered at, until I even began to doubt myself, But you came and told me I was right. Just to know that for certain is worth a life." Binro and his plight is clearly lifted from Galileo's persecution by the Catholic church. There's something surreal about the Doctor meeting the White Guardian, happening as it does in a rocky desert area. The White Guardian, dressed in a white suit with a carnation pinned on his left pocket, and wearing a straw hat, sips at a green drink while sitting in a large chair, a large umbrella shading him. The black furry Russian/Tatar-style hats worn by the Ribosians are striking, as is their quaint ritual of giving thanks to the dawn of the new day. Iain Cuthbertson really hams it up as Garron, and this is one story where he actually outshines Tom Baker and Mary Tamm. His hearty booming voice is a welcome addition. He got his start trying to con an Arab into buying Sydney Harbor for $50,000,000 but refused to throw in the Opera House. "One must have some scruples." He and the Doctor both laugh on that remembrance, must to the chagrin to Romana. Pity--a repeat meeting between the Doctor and Garron would have been swell. Mary Tamm does a competent job as Romana, and her logical, reserved, and scheduled personality complement the Doctor's expressive, whimsical approach well. She has been called an ice goddess, but she does have a Classical sort of beauty and is somewhat warm-hearted. A pity she didn't choose to go for a few more seasons--she would have worked out. And as for the Key To Time, "only five more [segments] to go."
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