Day: May 15, 1981

A violent storm strikes London, and Starkey and Jorjie are marooned at Professor Gryffen’s house. When the power goes out, Darius, Jorjie and Starkey spot two children in the house – Darius recognizes them as Gryffen’s children, who disappeared with their mother during one of Gryffen’s space-time experiments. Gryffen’s wife appears as well, though she seems to be focused on forcing Gryffen to forget his friends. K-9 is unable to repel the advance of Gryffen’s family, but they’re more than capable of putting him out of commission. Have they really returned, or have bloodthirsty aliens taken their place… and either way, can Gryffen bring himself to stop them?

written by Shayne Armstrong & S.P. Krause
directed by Daneil Nettheim
music by Christopher Elves

Guest Cast: Robyn Moore (Inspector June Turner), Connor Van Vuuren (Drake), Sarah McIntosh (Eleanor Gryffen), Rachael Everett (Mina Gryffen), Joshua McIvor (Jacob Gryffen)

Notes: Starkey reads from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”, while the episode plays off of the title of Poe’s “Fall Of The House Of Usher”. When K-9, Starkey and Jorjie first see the children, the scene is very reminiscent of the appearance of the twins in the classic horror movie The Shining. Scheduled by the producers to be shown seventh in the season, The Fall Of The House Of Gryffen was the third episode shot – and, to date, hasn’t aired in the UK at all. (The airdate for this episode guide entry reflects the Australian premiere date.)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Jorjie uses VR glasses to access a virtual encyclopedia during a storm – at exactly the same time that Professor Gryffen is attempting another time-space experiment. Jorjie finds herself in the same place – the site of Gryffen’s lab used to be a London police station – but in a different time, namely 1963. At the height of cold war tensions, Jorjie finds herself in the company of Bill Pike – a dead ringer for his great-grandson, Darius – who is being accused of spying for the Russians. But history doesn’t record his arrest or imprisonment until now, at the same moment that Bill Pike’s future changes, Darius begins to vanish. Now it’s up to K-9 and Starkey to take a very risky trip into the past to free Jorjie and restore the history of Darius’ family.

written by Jason Bourque
directed by Mark DeFriest
music by Christopher Elves

Guest Cast: Robyn Moore (Inspector June Turner), Jared Robinson (Agent Barker), Daniel Murphy (Burley Constable), Corey Robinson (Myles)

Notes: In a sly nod to the origins of the series that spawned K-9, William Pike is shown in a photo to have been booked by police on November 23rd, 1963 – the date of the premiere of Doctor Who. Considering that a Dalek incursion was taking place in and around Shoreditch at the same time, the clumsiness of the MI6 detail assigned to finding and interrogating Bill Pike is understandable; this activity may also explain the lack of immediate official concern about the disappearance of schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright. Coincidentally, 1963’s Agent Barker bears a striking resemblance to new Department boss Inspector Thorne (both are played by Jared Robinsen).

LogBook entry by Earl Green