Jaws of Orthrus (TV story)

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Jaws of Orthrus was the eighth episode of Series 1 of K9.

Synopsis

Inspector Drake is attacked by K9, or so it seems. June Turner and the Department have orders to capture K9 and detain him., but Starkey discover Drake has plans to capture K9 and have him dismantled. Whilst watching a video playback of the alleged attack, Jorjie wonders why Drake had a smug smile on his face and June investigates Project Orthrus.

Plot

June speaks to protesters on the introduction of Department microchips. She insists they are for their own good. When they start throwing fruit, Drake orders the CCPCs to arrest the protesters. K9 arrives and opens fire on the Department banners and balloons, then shoots Drake. June wonders why K9 has done this. At Jorjie's house, she tells Jorjie of K9's attempt on Drake's life. They go to Gryffen's, where they show Starkey, Gryffen and K9 footage of him shooting Drake. K9 says that he has no memory of it. June tells him to hand himself over. Gryffen tells K9 to download his memory of the morning, but K9 says he erased an alarm. Half an hour was wiped.

Darius and Starkey argue over K9's innocence. K9 insists that he must turn himself in. Later, when Darius is cleaning Mariah, Jorjie is appalled he could accuse K9 of attacking Drake. Darius says he's just a machine and Jorjie asks if that's the same way he feels about Mariah. Jorjie talks to Starkey about K9 and speculates that K9 malfunctioned or another robot dog from the 50th century came through the STM. Starkey tells Jorjie about the time Drake threatened Starkey and K9 offered to "take him out". Jorjie voices her concerns about Starkey to Gryffen, concerned he may put himself in danger.

Darius is apprehended by CCPCs and sent to Drake. He says Darius isn't someone who picks the losing team and offers to join Darius. Jorjie wonders why Drake had a smug smile on the recording. Starkey wonders if Darius has a point about K9. At Jorjie's house, June tells her that she will make sure Drake deals with K9 "by the book". K9 is fitted with a device to find him if he goes "walkabout" during the night. K9 says he would like to know himself. Gryffen adds a transmitter to K9's tail.

Later that night, K9 attacks Mariah. At Department HQ, June sees Drake's smug smile in the recording and finds his warrant for K9's arrest under Operation Orthrus. When she tries to look into the matter, access is denied. She meets Drake and asks why she hasn't been informed of Orthrus. He says it's classified. She asks why, before he was shot, he smiled while everyone else ducked for cover.

At the mansion Darius goes to wash Mariah. He finds her a wreck, with the words, "K9 woz ere", on her window. As Darius furiously tells Starkey about K9, K9 destroys the device Gryffen put on his tail. When the team watches the recording, Starkey insists K9 has been framed to distract them. K9 insists that he must surrender himself. When CCPCs arrive at the door, Starkey tells K9 to prepare his photon cannon, but K9 refuses. When Drake and two CCPCs arrive to arrest K9, Jorjie demands to see the warrant. One of the CCPCs grabs her arm, but Darius puts a bucket on its head and Gryffen uses the same device he modified K9 with to disrupt the other CCPC's circuitry and make it start dancing.

As the kids leave, Drake stops Gryffen's control over the CCPC. As the CCPCs pursue K9 and the others, they are split up and Darius is alone with K9. K9 arms his photon cannon and fires at Darius, but misses. Darius runs to Starkey and Jorjie and tells them that K9 tried to kill him. They don't believe him, but K9 arrives and arms his cannon at Jorjie. Starkey stands in front of her to protect her. As K9 prepares to fire, he is shot by a second K9, the true K9. When the fake prepares to fire again, K9 disables it. Drake arrives to arrest K9 but is stopped by June who reveals that Project Orthrus is not approved by the Department.

Cast

Production crew

References

  • Drake gets a warrant to arrest K9 from the Public Safety Council, a rare example of apparent constitutional constraints on the power of the Department.
  • Starkey fiddles with a Rubik's cube in his room.
  • When modifying K9's tail, Professor Gryffen "reverses the polarity", a phrase famously used by the Third Doctor.
  • When Darius is chased by a CCPC, he tells Darius, "Resistance is futile". This is the catchphrase of the Borg from the Star Trek franchise.
  • When K9 has his dogfight with Orthrus, K9 says, "You call that a cannon? This is a cannon!", a variation of a line associated with Crocodile Dundee.

Story notes

Ratings

to be added

Myths

to be added

Filming locations

to be added

Production errors

  • When K9 asks "Friend of yours?" after blasting Orthrus, the image is flipped (and the "K•9" logo on K9's flank is reversed).

Continuity

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

to be added

Home video releases

This episode is featured in the following DVD sets:

  • Complete Boxset (Region 4, Australia)

    Complete Boxset
    (Region 4, Australia)

  • Alien Avatar (Region 4, Australia)

    Alien Avatar
    (Region 4, Australia)

  • Series 1, Volume 1 (Region 0, sold in UK and US)

    Series 1, Volume 1
    (Region 0, sold in UK and US)

  • "Ultimate Collectors Edition" (Region 2, UK)

    "Ultimate Collectors Edition"
    (Region 2, UK)

External links

v • e
K9 television stories
Series 1
Stories listed here are only those that have been officially licensed by Metal Mutt Productions.
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