Rate "The Ribos Operation"

Hear Ye!  Hear Ye!  Universal balance is now threatened by the forces of darkness and evil.  And only a Guardian of White can restore this balance.  But it will require assembly of very special key to essentially pause time long enough for the balance to be restored.  That job of assembling of that key has been assigned to the Doctor, who must collect all six fragments and put them together, and in the process beware of White Guardian's opposite number from the dark side.  To help him, the Doctor not only has K9 Mark II, but a new Time Lady travelling companion, Romadvoratrelundar.  You can call her Romana if you like.

The quest for the first segment to the Key To Time will see our Time Lord pair arrive at the quaint planet of Ribos, in all it's medieval charm.  It seems a slippery confidence man named Garron is involved in a complicated bit of fraud to convince the megalomaniacal Graff Vynda-K to buy the planet.  Unfortunately for Garron, his treachery is eventually revealed to the Graff Vynda-K, Fearing for his life, Garron's assistant in this con job, Unstoffe, flees into the monster infested catacombs below the city.  This presents the Doctor and Romana with a little dilemma, because it just so happens that Unstoffe unknowingly happens to have the first segment to the Key To Time in his possession.

So what did you think of the story that launched the story arc for all of Season 16?  A garden party with the White Guardian?  Or a jail sentance with Garron?  Let's be hearing from you!

Ribos is good. Some great characters, including of course Binro, and Ian Cuthbertson chewing up the scenery. 4/5.

I love this story to bits. Brilliant set up for the entirety of Season 16, marvelous introduction of a new companion (and I love how Mary and Tom seem to be competing for control of every scene), and, while I hate to admit it, I agree with the C=O about how much fun it was to watch Cuthbertson. 4/5 from me as well, only because I don't think this one topped "Pirate Planet." But it was darn close.