“Idol of Death” is episode twenty-one of season one of The Time Tunnel.
At the end of the previous episode, “The Walls of Jericho”, Doug and Tony had arrived in what they thought was South or Central America, just in time to see what looked like a Spanish conquistador kill one of the locals. The twelfth, apparently; enough to send a message. They realised that they had arrived at the time of Cortez’s invasion.
They headed to a clearing where some more conquistadores had three locals tied toa tree. The captain, Alvarado, was trying to get the man, the chief, to reveal something by threatening to torture his wife. Doug rushed in to stop it, followed by Tony and, as should be expected given how many soldiers there were, were captured.
Before anything else can be done, Hernando Cortez himself arrives. He tells Alvarado to offer the hospitality of the camp to the governor’s spies and has them tied to trees, too. Cortez speaks to the captain; he wants the golden mask to give him legitimacy. He also says that Alvarado picked the wrong person. Cortez tells the wife that she, her husband and son will be allowed to flee if she gives up the mask’s location. And tortures the chief until she agrees.
Tony tells Cortez that they are there by accident, but Doug says Cortez won’t believe them. Cortez agrees; he says he knows the truth. Alvarado has got the information on the mask’s location; Cortez tells him to kill the chief and his wife. A promise to them means nothing. The two are killed. If Doug and Tony cooperate, they may be given a reasonable death.
Cortez is discussing the location of the cave where the mask is with the captain as Tik-Toc watches. Ray says it’s about 1st October, 1519. He doesn’t know the place. Ann has looked up Cortez on the computer; they are probably in the vicinity of Veracruz. General Kirk wants the Mexican embassy contacted to see if they know of someone who knows the area.
Neither Doug nor Tony know who the governor Cortez keeps mentioning is. Tony is taken by Cortez who wants to know which ship he came on. Tony didn’t come on a ship, nor does he know who the governor is. The governor of Cuba. Cortez thinks Tony’s performance is good, but wasted on him. Alvarado comes to report on unrest in the troops. Tony takes the chance to take a sword and hold Cortez hostage. He wants Doug and the boy freed. This doesn’t work and Tony is taken once more. Cortez plans to execute him tomorrow to quell ideas of mutiny.
Cortez is discussing with Alvarado where to meet after the captain has recovered the mask. With it in Cortez’s possession, the natives will either become slaves or die. Cortez leaves and Doug remembers that Cortez burns his ships. An older local frees the local as Cortez and his men watch the fleet burn. With Doug and Tony freed, Doug starts spreading gunpowder around. He uses this to threaten Cortez when he returns. Cortez offers to let them join his force. The other three leave and Doug calls Cortez a butcher. He may not be able to stop destiny, but he can stop Cortez now. Cortez will not find the mask; they will.
The man who freed them thinks Doug and Tony are gods. No, and neither are the Spanish. They need to find the mask. The chief’s son is his third. The first two were taught things, but they are dead. He was taught nothing. But he knows where the sign to find the mask is. Ray thinks Doug and Tony are being foolish, planning to sight the Spaniards. Kirk asks Ray if he’d do the same thing. Yes, but that doesn’t make it any less foolish.
They find the ruins and Doug and Tony test the gunpowder. It’s not powerful enough. The young chief has found the marker; Doug notices some potassium nitrate which he and Tony will use to increase the power of the gunpowder.
The young chief was woefully unprepared to be chief and this shows. The expert that Tik-Toc had brought in was sent through without a full security check. This was a mistake.