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Along with the simultaneously-published Doomcloud, Perils of Paris has an equal claim on being the comic book debut of Sarah Jane Smith. It was also the first Doctor Who story since TV: The Gunfighters to be set in the 19th century American southwest, and the first story in franchise history to prominently feature Native Americans, and the only one to feature Apaches, specifically.
Plot
Tiring of the 20th century, the Third Doctor decides to take Sarah-Jane on holiday to 19th century Paris. The TARDIS lands instead in the Arizona desert near Paris, New Mexico. They step out of the TARDIS into the midst of a wagon train, driving hard. One of the settlers offers the duo a hand up and they are soon whiled off.
When the Doctor finally gets a handle on the situation, he discovers they're panicking because of a nearby party of Apaches, led by their chief, War Eagle. The Doctor says that he can help, but only if they take him back to the TARDIS, now a considerable distance to the wagon train's rear.
Reluctantly, the settlers agree, and the Doctor and Sarah make it back into the TARDIS. The only problem is that the Doctor doesn't really know what he's going to do to solve the settlers. Fortunately, the solution presents itself: War Eagle has entered the TARDIS, too.
Thinking fast, the Doctor materialises the Ship, determined to make it to the real Paris. Not only does this put the Doctor back onto his original course, but he reasons that it will solve the settlers' problems. Since the Apache tribe are now mysteriously leaderless, they'll be too concerned with their own problems to care about the wagon train.
When the time travellers arrive in Paris, War Eagle angrily exits, determined to kill every white person he sees. He is soon soothed, though, when he meets up with his old friend, Buffalo Bill Cody. Cody's been trying to get War Eagle to join his touring Wild West exhibition for years. He wonders how the Doctor finally got him to agree to come to Europe. Revealing nothing, the Time Lord and his companion return to the TARDIS and set course for a nice, quiet picnic in 1974 England.
Plot
to be added
Characters
References
- The Brigadier and Benton are mentioned but not seen.
Production errors
- Sarah is referred to as "Liz" in one caption. It would appear the writer got confused between the character of Sarah and the actress Elisabeth Sladen.
Continuity
- In keeping with some eras of Doctor Who, Sarah-Jane is shown to use the TARDIS wardrobe to slip into something that's period-appropriate for 19th century Paris. Indeed, the scene is reminiscent of Rose Tyler's first trip into the past. Just as in The Unquiet Dead, the companion gets dressed into an elaborate period costume, only to have the Doctor inform her that his wardrobe is timeless.
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