by Hal Erickson
synopsis
In the conclusion of the two-part story "Vengeance on Varos," the Doctor (Colin Baker) and Peri (Nicola Bryant) are trapped on the former prison planet Varos, where the population is held in mental slavery by a network of video screens, which offer a 24-hour diet of televised tortures (shades of the "video nasties" which were briefly popular in England during this period). The instigator of this outrage is a slug-like monstrosity called Sil (Nabil Shaban), the greedy representative of a despotic mining company. Written by Philip Martin, the "Vengeance on Varos" was originally telecast on January 19 and January 26, 1985; the two 45-minute episodes have since been recut into a four-part cliffhanger for American television.
