Marco Polo

Doctor Who
Marco Polo episode 1
The Roof of the World


Ok, who lost the episodes down the back of a sofa? Own up. So this is being done by Loose Cannon reconstruction. We are lucky to have the audios, and in many cases the telesnaps and even censor clips from many of the missing stories, but then there's pauses in the audio, where you just know one of the regulars has done something amazing and non-verbal which is lost forever.

First odd thing - this reconstruction is in COLOUR. I forgot that. I remember borrowing Aidan Brack's copy of this on VHS at uni about 16 years ago.






Last time the TARDIS team landed on a mountain covered in snow. What planet could it be? Its the Himalayas. The Doctor sounds wonderfully grumpy and tired, and complains about the lack of oxygen. And the TARDIS has taken one look at the weather and given up on the heating, water and energy. Well, that's useful.

The photos suggest Ian and Barbara walk around an impressive mountain set, and Barbara seems to be shivering, before Barbara problematically thinks a local in furs is an animal.

The crew escape through a blizzard (missing footage) to find a group of soldiers lead by Tegana. He calls them evil spirits and he should know about demons, given how his career pretty much ended in the 70s. Not to worry, Mark Eden shows up, but because there's no trams nearby, he's in a friendly mood.

Barbara gets to work out the time period, and their host, through her knowledge of history. It's Marco Polo in case you were wondering. The Doctor is more forthright and out right asks our very first Historical Celebrity of the Week what year they are in.

Susan immediately makes friends with a young Chinese girl, played by Zienia Merton later of Space 1999 fame. She was from Burma (now Myanmar) so its up to folk there if that's better casting than John Bennett or not. Luckily, the elephants in the room of Talons and Four to Doomsday are a while off yet. Derren Nesbitt on the other hand is about as Mongolian as I am, which is solely by however many genes Genghis has left in the general public gene pool.

Marco Polo and Tegana find the TARDIS and Tegana plays the case for it being evil spirits. Surely someone would have been slightly suspicious that, when sending someone on a message of peace, whoever it was sent Warlord Tegana, of the mustache twirling variety.

Marco Polo tells the Doctor he wont allow the Doctor to get in the TARDIS.

IIRC the animated map describing the journey were actually in the original episodes in some way. Would have been nice to see.

DOCTOR - This is your problem not mine.
MARCO - I have just made it yours.

They have arrived at Lop, only to find that Marco Polo has double crossed them. He thinks the TARDIS will be the gift that finally allows him permission to return home to Italy. He did actually make it home to Venice in 1295, was swiftly captured by the Genoas and imprisoned for 4 years, before spending the rest of his days in the famous island city. The Doctor responds to Marco Polo's trick by... laughing himself hysterical for about 30 seconds. That's on my list of most wanted missing scenes to see.

And it turns out Tegana is an antagonist, who'd have guessed? He works for Nogai Khan, the real life great-great grandson of Genghis Khan. He lead the invasion of the Eastern Roman Empire and Bulgaria, and while he was never the Mongolian leader, he had a wide respect across much of the known world on his skills as a military leader and he was one of the most powerful man in Europe at time this was set. He had also converted to Islam in 1271, one of the early major converts to that faith. By 1288 he had suffered a bad defeat in trying to invade Poland and the 1290s would see his battle for the leadership of the Mongol Empire end in his own death while surrendering after a battle defeat with rival Toqta in 1300.

Tegana plans to poison the only water supply on their route, so as to kill everyone else and take the TARDIS to Nogai Khan. So this gives added subtext to Tegana's mission, as he is trying to help getting a fierce but waning leader back on his feet. He's not in the in crowd in Mongolia, but one of the groups who hope to gain power. An outsider in both worlds, who wants to be somebody. Hope thats of interest.

Its very difficult to comment on a story without the images but we'll try our best here.



 Doctor Who
Marco Polo (episode 2)
The Singing Sands




The Singing Sands are the real life Khongoryn Els sand dunes, a famous landmark in the Gobi Desert.

Marco Polo moans about how the Doctor is being a moody bastard for the last three days. I laughed.

TEGANA: The bones of many men who thought they had enough [water] lie bleached in the desert sand.

He's a wonderful cynic. Marco and Ian go to play chess, and John Lucarotti sneaks in the etymology of check mate (shah mat) and uses it as an analogy for the entire plot. Its such a clever piece of writing that I'll forgive Tegana getting the punchline wrong. It doesn't mean the King is Dead, it means the King is unable to respond and thus has to surrender (hence chess as metaphor for war). However when the phrase came from Persia to Europe, it was translated through Arabic directly, and that's where the kill/defeat/helpless confusion arises as the words were very similar. We also have many of these issues with the Bible translations, and some of those translation errors might have become part of the faith.

Susan says the Doctor will not come out of his tent as he is in a huff. I can't mind if this is a Hartnell Holiday Episode, but I sort of hope it is, as that's a brilliant excuse for it.

POLO: Don't be deceived by it, Miss Wright, the desert is always dangerous.
IAN: Like my Queen. Check.
TEGANA: Marco, can you save your King?
POLO: I think so, Tegana. Check.

More foreshadowing. Although return to it any more and we might have Derren Nesbitt go "look out, its a gun, they tend to go off!" Actually that did happen in the Goes Wrong Show and nobody saw it coming, least of all the poor actors.

Barbara doesn't trust Tegana at all, and takes Marco Polo as he is, because she's been written by a good writer who treats his characters as intelligent people this week. Susan is also suspicious, is seemingly getting good material, and is good good friends with Ping-Cho already. Naturally the best Susan is written all season and its missing...

Susan and Ping-Cho go after Tegana only to get caught up in a sandstorm. Which probably looked great. Not that we can see it. In fact the telesnaps seem to suggest this was very well done indeed. And it was directed by Warris Hussein too so you have to assume it's top notch stuff.

IAN: Don't be afraid, Barbara. It's a sandstorm. It sounds as if all the devils in hell were laughing.
POLO: It's the wind shifting the sand.
BARBARA: It's terrifying!
POLO: Not always, Barbara. Sometimes, it sounds like musical instruments being played. The clashing of drums and cymbals. I've heard it sound like a great many people talking as they trekked across the desert. It can also be like a familiar voice calling your name. You're not the only one to be afraid. Travellers of the Gobi Desert have good reason to fear the singing sands, Barbara.
IAN: It's fantastic that the doctor's still asleep.

Hehehe, the Doctor is still huffing.

I can't stress it enough. The dialogue in this thing SINGS.

Panic over Susan missing, and the danger of the storm. Again, we can't see it. But the soundscape make its seem horrendous. The girls stumble into Tegana and he... saves their lives, thereby ingratiating himself to the rest. Smarter than your average Villain of the Week.

BARBARA: But surely one day can't make all that much difference?
POLO: One day without progress is one day's water wasted, And in the Gobi Desert that could mean the difference between life and death.

It's all...drama by super realism. I like it. Meanwhile Tegana still has the poison...

The telesnaps - which I found a low quality version of - confirm the animated maps to Marco Polo's narration ARE in the missing episodes. Sigh...

Tegana raises his word to Marco Polo who stops writing to hold firm. Its all part of their alpha male thing. At least, Tegana is disguising it as that. Tegana then sneaks round and sabotages every one of the water carriers, an act which makes this psychosomatic writer very thirsty.

Now the team have to ration the water, think they are surrounded by bandits, and are making less and less progress by the day as they get thirstier. The writer has really put a lot of thought into this story and it shows.

Lots of quiet scenes which we can't see and then with 20 mins in the Doctor shows up, so he had a nice long grump in the tent, possibly enough for a weeks rest.

Tegana rides out to the oasis of water believed to be nearby, ostensible to help. Instead he happily drinks it and then mocks Marco Polo who is still with the rest of the group, by pouring water on the desert sand.

I've always struggled to get into Marco Polo, but listening and watching as carefully as an attention deficit chap can, I can get why folk love it. The bits we have suggest this was a great episode. But...the bits we have forever speak to all the bits we can never see. Without the moving images, the story can only ever be half told at best.


Now don't mind me, I'm suddenly in desperate need of a drink.


 Marco Polo (part 3)
500 Eyes




Marco bemoans the absence of Tegana, as the only speaking role who hasn't twigged he's a bad guy (relatively speaking) yet.

And poor old Mark Eden and William Russell sound knackered. You can hear the thirst in their voices. Which reminds me to keep a drink close to hand.

Meanwhile, the Doctor is woken up by dripping water, thanks to the condensation on in the inside of the TARDIS. Marco thinks this is a trick, but Ian teaches the kids watching about how water forms in temperature differences.

Tegana returns and makes an excuse about hiding from bandits. Gotta beware those imaginary bandits when you are crossing the Gobi Desert. Although as soon as Tegana shows up doubting the TARDIS crew, Polo is back on their side again. Polo takes the TARDIS key back and the Doctor gets grumpy again. Although not that grumpy as he has created a second TARDIS key.

POLO: Yes. Have you heard of the cave of the Five Hundred Eyes?
BARBARA: No, I haven't.
PING-CHO: I do not know that one either, Messer Marco.
BARBARA: I'm intrigued by this cave, Marco. Why is it called Five Hundred Eyes?
POLO: On the walls are painted the faces of two hundred and fifty evil men who once lived there. They were the Hashashins.
SUSAN: Hashashins?
POLO: Yes, and they were so called because they used a drug, hashish.
SUSAN: Are there still Hashashins in the cave?
POLO: No, Susan. They were put to the sword twenty years ago by a great Mongol conqueror called Hulagu.

Barbara has some suspicions about Tegana but first we go into a long recital of a poem about the Hashashins from Ping-Cho. Presumably in 1964, the camera lingered around the cast and you got to see reactions, complete with some Ace Lucarotti Foreshadowing, but in 2010, the audio and a picture shall need to suffice.

In case you didn't twig, Ian tells us that hashashins became the word assassin. Not The Ace Mr Lucarotti's finest education aside so far.

Meanwhile, Tegana enters what looks to have been an interesting set (the aforementioned cave) and meets one of his underlings. Tegana wants to know more news on Noghai - man, if he's pissed off now, wait till he hears about the Siege of Poland! Tegana announces his plans to steal the TARDIS for his branch of the Mongol Empire, and orders everyone on the Polo Express to be bumped off.

Meanwhile Barbara has walked directly into this conspiracy without even a warning. Not her smartest moment.

POLO: This is the most dangerous thing she could have done! What kind of country do you come from where a woman can wander alone through the streets at night?

Sorry to say Marco that not much has changed in that way in the next 800 years...

The Doctor and crew struggle to find Barbara. He's also a bit jealous of Susan's new best friend. Meanwhile Barbara is held captive by Tegana's hoodlums, and Susan thinks the eyes of one of the rock sculptures moves.



 Doctor Who
Marco Polo (part 4)
The Wall of Lies





So, yes, Susan and The Doctor were looking for Barbara (held hostage) only for Susan to scream at a carved face on a cave wall. Marco Polo is a bit fed up with tourists not listening to him about how dangerous the local crime rate is.

TEGANA: In the passageway. It is not wise to remain in these caves. They are possessed with evil spirits.
DOCTOR: I'm not afraid of ghosts.
TEGANA: Oh, yes, I forgot. You're the magician, aren't you?

Luckily Ian shows up as the fastest man in the world to help save Barbara. And then Ian notices the face Susan saw moving is actually a Norman Bates style peephole through to a secret cave room where Barbara is. Barbara reveals the bandits played dice to see who got to kill her, which is rather nasty.

"Why not let them go?" says Tegana of the TARDIS crew to Marco Polo, not thinking about his own want for the TARDIS there.

TEGANA: Only a fool defends his enemies. Be warned, Marco. They will set us at each other's throats by lies and deceit, and then, when they have divided us, then they will destroy us one by one.
POLO: They are harmless, Tegana.
TEGANA: Harmless? They possess a caravan that flies.
POLO: What power they have is locked inside it, and I have the key.
TEGANA: This very evening, Marco, when we were out looking for this Barbara, Chenchu thought the old man was in his room and he was not. Marco, he was out there with his caravan.
POLO: What are you saying?
TEGANA: I'm saying, does a magician need a key to open a door?

Tegana machinations put the Doctor in hot water with Marco. Barbara outright accuses Tegana of treachery but Marco Polo basically saves "watch your step" to Tegana and that's it. Then because hes in a huff, Marco tries to end the Susan/Ping-Cho bromance.

As Mark Eden narrates more journey, I can't help but notice this story takes a long period of time. Arguably the Doctor spends more time with Marco Polo than he ever did with Dodo. The Doctor also thinks Ping-cho is a spy for Tegana (well, that's one way of looking at it). Meanwhile, the two girls mope about being cut off from each other. However, Tegana is listening to the two young girls outside the door - creepy, him? - and learns about the second TARDIS key by eavesdropping.

PING-CHO: Messer Marco, do you remember Tegana's reply when Miss Wright said she had followed him to the Cave of Five Hundred Eyes?
POLO: Yes, he said he'd never been there before.
PING-CHO: He lied, Messer Marco.
POLO: You bring a very serious charge, Ping-Cho. I hope you have proof.
PING-CHO: When he came into the cave, Susan's grandfather showed him Miss Wright's handkerchief, saying we had found it over there, and the old lord pointed to a dark corner of the cave. And do you remember what he said? He asked if we had found it in the passageway.
POLO: Well?
PING-CHO: If he had never been to the cave before, how could he know that the dark corner was a passageway?
SUSAN: Yes.
POLO: This is your proof? You call this evidence?
PING-CHO: Yes, Messer Marco.
POLO: And on these grounds you dare to call the War Lord Tegana a liar? You foolish child, how dare you make such a reckless accusation. Believe me, it will take much more than this to shake my confidence in Tegana.

Marco Polo. He's not exactly Columbo, is he? And I thought he was meant to have an idea of Tegana's nature a few scenes earlier too.

Meanwhile Tegana drinks a calm mug of tea and plans a massacre in a bamboo forest. He's going to set pandas on the caravan. Or bandit. Bandit pandas?

"How will you kill the magician?" says the bandit.
"With a stake through the heart" says Tegana Van Helsing.

Telesnaps show The Doctor and Barbara smiling at each other. Thawing already. The Doctor is fixing the TARDIS, while Ian and Marco have an argument over Tegana's trust. Marco has fallen out with the entire TARDIS crew and Ping-Cho because he trusts Tegana more. But then Tegana catches the Doctor in the TARDIS, convincing Marco Polo that Tegana is the only trustworthy member of his team. Tegana grabs the second key off the Doctor, who is starting to get pissed off.

DOCTOR: Put that key in the lock, Polo, and you will destroy the ship. Then where will your precious Khan be, hmmm? You need more than a key to enter my ship. You need knowledge. Knowledge you will never possess.
POLO: Tell me.
DOCTOR: No, understand? No! I'd let you wreck it first!
POLO: Bear witness. I wear the gold seal of Kublai Khan, and by the authority it invests in me, I do hereby seize and hold your caravan in his name. Be warned. Any resistance to this decree is instantly punishable by death.
DOCTOR: You poor, pathetic, stupid savage.

Both are really ¤¤¤¤ed off with the other now, and Tegana feels a bit triumphant.

The TARDIS crew attempt to escape the tent they are kept prisoners in, only to find the guard on the tent has been murdered.

This episode is really all about Tegana's ascendancy, although much of the peril would have been over if Marco Polo wasn't portrayed as a stubborn stick in the mud who would rather take rank as evidence over multiple testimonies and actual evidence.




 Marco Polo (part 5)
Rider from Shang-tu




Ian immediately wakes up Marco Polo to warn him of the impending attack. Tegana doesnt give his signal for attack assuming he can play off Ian as a trickster, only he got his men from the Henchmen Poundshop, and they attack anyway. The Doctor even offers to hide Marco Polo in the TARDIS, a line that reminds me of the Doctors bit to Rose, in Rose, about how the combined forces of Genghis Khan couldn't get through the TARDIS doors, and had tried.

Meanwhile Ian shows his intelligence by using bamboo to scare away the bandits. So they weren't pandas after all. The leader addresses Tegana who keeps his cover by murdering the guy. See, this is why you shop for Red Grant and not Mr Stamper.

POLO: Tell me, Ian, what were you going to do to me?
IAN: Take the key from you, and use you as a hostage until we were safely at the Tardis.
POLO: Then, I shall have to be more careful in future.
IAN: Marco, I wish I could explain to you how important the Tardis is to us.
POLO: And I wish I could explain to you, Ian, how important it is to me.

The actual battle lasts about 20 seconds, 10 minutes in, and reminds me of Age of Empires, when you'd get the "2 hours till Mongol hordes arrive" warning, fix up your army and defence, and then 2 pixel characters would arrive and be quickly overcome...

DOCTOR: No, it wasn't the devils in the fire. Their leader was killed. That's why they broke up and ran.
TEGANA: Well, in battle all men face death.
DOCTOR: And few expect to meet it, hmm?

See the Doctor knows the score. But alas, Tegana's facial reaction to this is missing.

Marco celebrates the near escape by allowing Susan and Ping-cho to enjoy each others company again. I think its meant to be a bit more innocent than that, Marco.

The Doctor, Ian and Barbara are all on the same page for the first time in the series and vow to keep a careful eye on Tegana.

IAN: When did you leave Shang-Tu?
LING-TAU: Yesterday, my lord.
IAN: Yesterday!
BARBARA: What?
DOCTOR: But that's three hundred miles away, isn't it?
LING-TAU: We change horses every league my lord.
IAN: Every league.
LING-TAU: That's the reason we wear these, my lord (bells around his waist) To warn the post-house of our arrival. And when we get there a fresh horse is saddled and waiting, ready for the next three miles.
BARBARA: And you ride without rest until you reach your destination?
LING-TAU: Yes, my lady.
DOCTOR: I would have thought it was a physical impossibility.
LING-TAU: Our bodies would be shaken to pieces, my lord, were it not for these. Bound tight, like this one, on my head.
IAN: Tell me, are there many men who can ride such long distances without a break?
LING-TAU: We are few, my lord.

Just a nice moment of a bit part character showing up to explore the incredible feats some could achieve in the days before mass transport. The Discontinuity Guide suggested this took place over at least a month, probably more, but little bits like that really show the distance traveled too.

DOCTOR: I could hardly have it placed in the hanging garden, now could I? What does he think it is? A potting shed, or something.

Hahahahahaha Grumpy First Doctor is great.

Tegana plots with Kuiji to steal the TARDIS. Poor Tutte Lemkow is in 3 Doctor Who stories, and every second of his time on screen is currently missing!

Ping-cho steals the TARDIS key off Marco, and gives it to Susan, but then Susan delays the teams departure by going to say goodbye to her friend, and gets captured by Tegana instead.

It's like they're deliberately screwing up so they can stick around to stop Tegana by this point.




Marco Polo (episode 6)
Might Kublai Khan




I wonder if they are meeting anyone of historical note this week!

So, yes, Susan dithered saying bye to her pal and got caught by Tegana. So Marco Polo gets the TARDIS key back, Polo refuses to let Tegana kill them, and in return Ian claims to have nicked the key to save Ping-cho.

Ian and Barbara joke about how badly the Doctor took to the horse ride off screen. Ian tries to get the TARDIS key back and then we have the first scene of one of the crew letting a historical figure know about time travel.

IAN: All right, I'll tell you why. And I'll tell you the truth. I don't suppose you'll believe it, but still. As I told you, I come from England. Barbara as well.
POLO: Well, I grant you England's a long way, but the journey's not impossible, Ian. The Crusaders did it.
IAN: The Crusaders? Oh, Marco. To me, the Crusaders lived seven hundred years ago.
POLO: What are you talking about, Ian? The Crusaders were in the Holy Land twenty five years ago.
IAN: I come from another time. Our caravan, it not only covers distance, it can cross time.
POLO: Travel into the past and the future?
IAN: Yes. I know it's difficult to believe, but it's the truth.
POLO: On my travels to Cathay, Ian, I have come to believe many things which I previously doubted. For instance, when I was a boy in Venice, they told me that in Cathay there was a stone which burned. I did not believe them, but there is such a stone. I have seen it.
IAN: It's black, isn't it.
POLO: Yes.
IAN: Coal.
POLO: In Cathay, we call it the burning stone. And if a stone burns, why not a caravan that flies? Birds fly. I have even seen fish that fly. You are asking me to believe that your caravan can defy the passage of the sun? Move not merely from one place to another, but from today into tomorrow, today into yesterday? No, Ian. That I cannot accept.

A magical scene, which seems to allow Mark Eden lots of time to show his chops off, from the audio. Marco then manages to deduce Ian was covering for Ping-cho and says that if Ian can lie once...

"If I believed (you came from another time) I would give you the key" says Marco. All he needs is to distrust Tegana now and hes getting belated character depth.

Ping-Cho runs away, overhearing this conversation. Ian goes to find her, and there's a pause between Marco Polo being skeptical of this and apologizing, suggesting some sort of filthy look from William Russell.

Kuiji and his monkey try to steal the TARDIS, but Ping-cho shows up and equal opportunity bandit Kuiji nicks her money instead. Ian then shows up and realises Kuiji has nicked the TARDIS. So far he's been smarter than your average Tegana henchman.

Tegana and Marco Polo argue. Apparently Tegana not showing up at Court could cause war with Nogai. This is what happens when you don't have twitter, world news comes slow to Marco. Polo then sends Tegana off to find Ian as he thinks Ian has snuck off in the TARDIS. He's also easily upset about Barbara's views on forced marriages with 80 year old men. Again, the only man he trusts is the guy who casually murders folk.

Marco Polo has finally reached the Kublai Khan's summer palace.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Bill, the grumpy doctor, ran
Through sands measureless to man
Down to a missing episode.

I knew it, the missing episodes are the fault of a person from Porlock!

Grumpy Doctor, 5 days on a dodgy horse, has a wonderful bit of tetchiness towards authority:

DOCTOR: Pray then, what am I supposed to do, sir?
VIZIER: Kow-tow. Kneel upon the ground and touch your forehead upon the floor three times.
DOCTOR: I shall do no such thing!
VIZIER: Kublai Khan is the mightiest man the world has ever seen. Not to pay him homage will cost you your head.
DOCTOR: Well, if it breaks my back, then he can take all of me. So why waste time on small items?

Everyone bows except the Doctor who yelps in pain. Then the mighty mythical Kublai Khan hobbles painfully into the room. At which point, the two old men exchange back pain stories and I laughed lots.

Also Lord Nogai is in Karakorum (then the capital of the Mongol Empire), and not in Samarkand in modern day Uzbekistan. In actual fact, he was involved in a bit of intrigue that involved double crossing Talabuga Khan (who had been with Nogai in the Black Sea when they were defeated by heavy snow in 1289) in favour of his future arch enemy Tokhta. After which, Nogai himself won possession of all the money won off the Crimean wars. More double crosses among the hierarchy in that empire than in an entire series of Breaking Bad!

Anyhow, as Tegana is MIA, and his masters troops are close by, even Marco Polo might start to suspect a trap.

Also, the Doctor seems to enjoy winding up the Khan's assistant.

Meanwhile Ian and Ping-cho find Kuiji and the TARDIS. Ian wins a quick fight and gets Kuiji to admit who stole the TARDIS: Tegana! Its always the person you least suspect. Tegana then shows up as if by teleportation to grab Ping-cho. Ian grabs Kuiji and threatens to kill him, but Tegana merely says "Kill him then" and points his sword at Ian in triumph.

Ian's been bemoaning a lack of twitter AND the monkey man this week.

This episode moves at a fair pace and can be enjoyed on the audio alone, although the audio keeps pointing out the good bits we're missing.



 Marco Polo (episode 7)
Assassin at Peking




Sounds ominous!

So last time Tegana came out of his shell to Ian, and folk began to suspect something amiss at Court. Tegana threatens Ian with a sword, but luckily Really Fast Man on Horse from Episode 5 shows up with a militia of men. They also immediately kill Kuiji as he wasn't credited for another episode.

Ling-tau's men take Tegana, Ian and Ping-cho to the main Khan's court at Peking. Where the Doctor is playing backgammon, and winning.

KHAN: You're too good for us at backgammon. Tea?
DOCTOR: Please.
KHAN: Oh, that is our reckoning?
DOCTOR: Ah, yes it is, sire, yes.
KHAN: What do we owe?
DOCTOR: Er, thirty-five elephants with ceremonial bridles, trappings, brocades and pavilions. Four thousand white stallions, and twenty-five tigers.
KHAN: That's not too bad, so far.
DOCTOR: And the sacred tooth of Buddha which Polo brought over from India.
KHAN: Oh, that? What else? What more?
DOCTOR: I'm very much afraid all the commerce from Burma for one year, sire.

Unfortunately the Doctor falls for the big mistake rookie gamblers do, assuming their luck is talent, and swiftly loses the TARDIS in a game. Oh, that Doctor! Susan looks so disapprovingly at her grandfather.

The Kublai Khan had defeated China in battle in the 1270s and become Emperor of China as well as ruling large parts of the Mongol Empire. Marco Polo announces Tegana arrival in Peking but Kublai Khan says he'll see him later. KK asks Doctor if he remembers Genghis. Genghis had been dead for over 60 years by this point so he clearly thinks the Doctor is bloody ancient.

Tegana has Ian under locked guard for "trying to steal the TARDIS" so he can get away with a bit of murder. Ping-cho is excused because she is to be married to a rich old pervert in the morning.

Kublai Khan loves the look of the TARDIS, and Tegana shows us a new side by sucking up to the Khan. He clearly got on well in Empire by knowing where the bread is buttered. Although I'm beginning to think he's an expy for Nogai as you can't well have him die at the end of Episode 7.

Marco Polo then tries to make a last minute turn to the good side from plain old antagonist by admitting he had taken the TARDIS in vanity to try and win his freedom.

TEGANA: You wear the Khan's gold seal. It gives you your authority to take what you will.
POLO: When the cause is just. This was not.
KHAN: What was it then?
POLO: Selfish.
KHAN: What did you hope to gain?
TEGANA: He wanted to force you to let him return to Venice.
KHAN: You wanted to bribe us, Marco?
POLO: I'd hoped you would allow me to return home, my lord.
KHAN: Your gift has failed. It is ours because we won the right to keep it in a game of chance. Where is the key?
POLO: In my quarters, my lord.
KHAN: Bring it to us after the banquet, and then we'll examine our prize.
POLO: My lord, you do me a great wrong.
KHAN: We are distressed and angered by your conduct, Marco. Please think about it. You'll also attend us after the banquet, Lord Tegana. We'll discuss the terms of our settlement with Noghai. But we be on guard against you.
TEGANA: What have I that the Khan should fear?
KHAN: The power of persuasion.

As I said before, the dialogue sings in this thing.

This is swiftly followed by this hilarious bit of banter:

KHAN: Oh, here you are, my child. Come, we have something to tell you. A tragedy has occurred at the table tonight.
PING-CHO: Tragedy, my lord?
KHAN: Your beloved husband-to-be, so anxious to be worthy of your love, drank a potion of quicksilver and sulphur, the elixir of life and eternal youth, and expired.
EMPRESS: Come into my arms, child. Let me share your grief.
KHAN: You're overdoing it, my dear, the child is dry-eyed.
EMPRESS: Oh, ungrateful wretch! Do you not weep for your lost love?
PING-CHO: My lady, I grieve an old man's death as all would do. But how can I weep for a love I have never known?

The Empress only has a few scenes but is very funny. Anyhow, Ping-cho is saved by Off Screen Death, and decides to stay in Peking as a favourite of the Khan. Khan then announces that if Marco Polo doesn't do something amazingly incredible and brave and soon, he's going to take away all his presents and banish him into the wilderness of bandits. Beware that huffy old man, he's the most powerful man alive.

Marco leaves to see Tegana and feels defeated. "I underestimated you, Tegana" says the defeated Polo, and in a good bit of outright villainy, Tegana replies "you overestimated yourself!" He's about to have a good old stab at diplomacy with the Khan. Doctor calls Tegana a two-faced villain, which is a bit unfair, he's worn his villainy face openly since Episode 1.

The Doctor realises Tegana is going to murder the Khan for Nogai, and they get round the guard by... tripping him up with a walking stick. Hah.

Ian tries to warn Marco Polo but he's still being stubborn, until luckily Faster Rider Ling-Tau shows up in the nick of time to announce the Noghai's army are moving on Peking. For a horse riding exposition piece that guy sure knows how to turn up just in time.

Finally aware that Tegana means treachery, Polo rushes to the Khan's rooms. Polo gets there just in time to save the Khan, but not the Vizier, who really wasn't having the best week in the world.

Polo and Tegana fight, Polo wins what seemed to be a very good sword fight, and Tegana kills himself rather than be executed by Kublai Khan. In that moment, Marco Polo slips the TARDIS key to the Doctor, the TARDIS crew escape into the TARDIS via saying farewell to Ping-cho.

POLO: I'm sorry, my lord. I had to give them back their flying caravan.
KHAN: If you hadn't, the old man would have won it at backgammon. And it is true. A flying caravan. There's something for you to tell your friends in Venice.
POLO: No, my lord. They would not believe half the things that I have seen in Cathay. But what is the truth? I wonder where they are now? The past or the future?

Well, Marco Polo had just saved the Khan's life. Anything less would be a bit rude.

Marco Polo did make it back to Venice in time for more uprisings, but he lived another 30 years and wrote a lot of travel books. As you might expect given he's still a famous name 700 years on.

Marco Polo the Dr Who story struggles without the visuals. But even without you can tell that, even when it sits in place for an episode, there is a lot to appreciate about the story. The lack of visuals really struggles though. This final episode was a good fashioned old sprint to the finish, with Tegana looking ever more in control until the hail Mary pass arrived.