It's that idea these four stories exploit as we see Peladon at various points in its history, between the two television stories, then at three other undated points in its future history with River Song, then Sixy and Doctor Number Eigth making gradual then huge inroads in turning the planet from an absolute monarchy towards socialism, with the various Time Lords gradually becoming wary of the Royal chamber and more interested in what's happening on the fringes of Pel society, the parts which largely go undepicted in the Curse and the Monster.
Of the first three stories, The Poison of Peladon is probably the easily consumed due to the stunning decision to give River and Alpha Centuri the on-audio pairing we didn't know we needed but should now be very pleased that we have. Alpha's a far stronger character here than on screen, and River becomes very protective of her during this hour, rightly correcting others on their pronouns. The Ordeal of Peladon is perhaps an attempt at what a Peladon series might look like without a Time Lord present and The Death of Peladon shows how far the Doctor has shifted from the man who bowed to royalty on TV.
The Truth of Peladon
But it's the final episode which makes the boxed set essential, with an Eighth Doctor classic by Tim Foley. The Doctor introduces himself to the seamstress, Arla Decanto, who will be making the cloak for an upcoming coronation, wins her confidence, shatters it, then wins it back using a Dickensian approach of showing the three tiers of Peladon society we've already witnessed in the previous three stories which are also subtly part of her own past, present and potential future. Meera Syal's multi-layered performance as Decanto also takes us on a journey through the various layers of apathy and self-delusion through which the seamstress has justified her own actions or indeed inactions.
The big narrative swing is that Eighth comes and goes in her story. We're offered hints of the Time Lord's wider plans along the way, with behaviour not unlike the Scottish manipulator who came before. He has friends and collaborators but their participation is largely only hinted at. It's refreshing to "see" what it's like when the Doctor liberates a people from the point of view of someone who's right at the heart of the problem and part of the solution. This is aided by Jason Watkins as the villainous Peladonian Chancellor, a man fooled into thinking he can gain his planet's independence by inviting another in as an "ally" who just wants to take control.
Placement: The cover suggests that this story takes place during the “Dark Eyes” era of the Eighth Doctor, but there is no clear gap for it. Since Time Lord Victorious has him in his Time War outfit, I’m placing this just before Echoes of Extinction, assuming that there are other stories in between that explain his change of appearance.
