Written by David Whitaker | Directed by Douglas Camfield | Produced by Verity Lambert | Original air date 04/17/65
This one is strange. There are a few loose ends we don't see tied up on screen - whatever Richard's fate, it's hinted at by the Doctor, but he bids them leave and we never see him again. Saladin and Sapahadin do not appear in this episode, so we never find out what happens with William des Preaux. We do see what happens to El Akir, and while his fate is satisfying, it's odd that his plot is the only one resolved. I wish we could have seen more of Joanna as well (she doesn't appear in this episode, either). Yes, history records what happened to most of these people, I'm sure, but for a children's show, not giving us some sort of ending is unsatisfying.
Still, it's a fun episode - Ian gets tortured with ants (by a vaguely racist caricature with an almost comedy Indian accent), Barbara helps free El Akir's harem (at least, I assume - this is another missing episode, and the captions don't say anything about their fate). Haroun's plot strand comes to a satisfying end when he kills El Akir and rescues his daughter. Ian gets to be clever and tricks the Earl of Leicester into thinking he's a real knight with a grievance against the Doctor, which lets them all get away in the TARDIS.
I think this episode got away from Whitaker. It actually feels like it should have gone on longer - odd for a four parter in the 1960s, but there it is. It feels rushed at the end because of the loose plot threads. It's still well made TV, but it's a noticeable drop in quality compared to the first three episodes, sadly. Still, The Crusade is a good serial and is worth watching, and it's a shame half of it is missing.
"Doctor Who" puns so far: 2 | Tomorrow: "The Space Museum"
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