"It feels different this time..." - The new Doctor Who Thread

[Phantoon]

I don't think it
disintegrates the last one, they're supposed to wait in the Time Hotel. It needs the best access it can get to access all rooms, and as the Vilengard are behind it all of the hosts are surplus to requirements after they've located the right person. Possessing that person is the end game.

I liked that. The amount of bubbling anger over the way people were treated during COVID was refreshing, and the use of the Orient Express was pretty brilliant. And the Doctor's relationship with Anita, taking a year out to spend with the least important person in the story was a very Doctory thing to do.


Not the most Christmassy Moffatt episode, but I really liked it.

 

[Kazin]

The War Games in Colour spoilers:

Hearing the John Simm Master's musical theme when the War Chief and the Doctor recognize each other was both hilariously stupid and fantastic at the same time. I don't particularly care whether the War Chief is canonically the Master - I'm sure Gallifrey Base has been exploding for days now about it, but I'm far more interested in the Doctor's character than the Master. It's not like he grows over the show - by the time he becomes Michelle Gomez, the Master is still basically evil, whereas the damage the Chibnall era plotlines does to the Doctor bothers me far more.

Anyway, seeing the actual, honest-to-god Troughton era in colour is amazing. As I type this, I'm 42 minutes into the 1:29:58 edit of the War Games, and I think it's very, very well done so far. I highly recommend it - I don't think it's going to collapse as a story in the back half.

 

[Kazin]

Finished it. I adored it.

The editing was superb - I don't particularly miss what they cut, even if most of it was entertaining in it's own right, and still well worth watching. To be honest, I hope fans take the work done here and just colorize the rest of The War Games - I don't know how feasible that is (I assume that is a TON of work), but even if it never happens I'll enjoy what we have here. Even the goofy stuff - the retcon into the War Chief being the Master, and the Second Doctor being given the options to turn into his 12th, 10th, 13th, or 11th forms - was charming. The music was better mixed and less intrusive in this compared to last years The Daleks, though still very much "modern" in its approach. Seeing the domed city on Gallifrey during the endgame was a delight. Heck, they mostly cut out Pancho frickin Villa, who was played pretty much as a stereotype by a white guy (he really only has the one short scene, thankfully).

This, more than The Daleks, has convinced me these edits/colourizations are worthwhile - they don't "replace" the old versions, but are fun new ways to watch these serials. Will I watch the old 1969 version of The War Games again? Undoubtedly. But will I watch this again, too? Heck yes. That was a ton of fun.

 

[Kazin]

Apparently the actor who played Anita in Joy to the World had never done telly before. That surprised me - she was the heart of the episode for me. Great performance!

Behind the scenes video for Joy to the World:

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Apparently the actor who played Anita in Joy to the World had never done telly before. That surprised me - she was the heart of the episode for me. Great performance!

I think the performance was great and at times heart wrenching but this was the part of the episode I was less invested in.

To me it was a really good middle and an OK beginning and ending. But the Doctor just hanging out and living was the heart of the episode and it was the best stuff. The funny thing is the show has done this before. Heck, Moffat has done this before. I feel like at least a couple times during the run (The Lodger, The Power of Three). Still, the Doctor being forced to slow down and live is always something that works for me.

I also liked the sweet hotel worker. Had he stuck around, he could easily have been in the small company of characters known as the "interesting male companions".

 

[Kazin]

I think the performance was great and at times heart wrenching but this was the part of the episode I was less invested in.

To me it was a really good middle and an OK beginning and ending. But the Doctor just hanging out and living was the heart of the episode and it was the best stuff. The funny thing is the show has done this before. Heck, Moffat has done this before. I feel like at least a couple times during the run (The Lodger, The Power of Three). Still, the Doctor being forced to slow down and live is always something that works for me.

I also liked the sweet hotel worker. Had he stuck around, he could easily have been in the small company of characters known as the "interesting male companions".

Wait - I think we actually agree. Anita is the hotel worker, the one the Doctor befriends for a year. Joy is the eventual literal star.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

But while Anita was my favorite character of this special (such a sweet story thread) I meant the Time Hotel himbo dude would have made a good companion. That actor really gave a sweetness to him that made his death sadder.

 

[Kazin]

Ahhh, okay. He kinda bounced off me, not gonna lie.

 

[Phantoon]

The funny thing is the show has done this before.

Yes, but both times you mention were Eleven. We've never seen Fifteen do it. And all Doctors are different, so it's a worthy exercise.

Anita was great, I hope the episode gives her career a big kickstart

 

[Kazin]

I got the season 20 bluray set for Christmas and am ripping it now. I just rewatched Snakedance. It doesn't get much better than that. Martin Clunes is incredible in it, and the atmosphere is impeccable. God, the 80s could have been so good throughout, if they managed stuff this good consistently.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

The Second Doctor Retrospective

Looking back at the Second Doctor era, it's interesting that it both blazed new trails but also even more than the first Doctor seemed to fall into a pattern. The first Doctor had his share of alien invasion and alien siege stories (and sometimes both) but this is really where the series seems to decide "that's what we are" and even in some of the more adventurous Doctor runs, his heavily into THAT to this day. Don't get me wrong, I DO like formula. There's both comfort in it and at the same time there's always room to experiment. But unfortunately, for a show where the idea of GO ANYWHERE AND DO (within standards and practices) ANYTHING, it does feel a shame when we get to back to back alien stories.

I don't like coming in so harsh because there's a lot about the Second Doctor era that works and a lot that feels like the writing and directing is undercutting such a good performance and character. What I mean is when Troughton's Doctor first arrives, he's a real revelation, so much more off-kilter than the somewhat cheeky but mostly straightlaced first Doctor (I tend to think of the Doctor as a force of healing chaos against terrible systems) that it feels like we were shot straight into the iconic, nearly alien portrayal that Tom Baker did (watching clips of Baker recently and a lot of it is downright hypnotic, down to the unique way he says "jellybehbeh"). I was jazzed. And for early on, he's still there but simmering down a little bit (which I feel is common. Big entrance, then slow your role a bit to let the audience get comfortable with you), but a lot of episodes, especially in his second season (season 5) where it feels like too much is him sitting around doing the dirty work of exposition.

I feel to my memory of things, the trajectory is this; season four, the stranger, more fun Doctor, then in the next season, a bit a more of a conventional protagonist, then in his last season, have him actually more fearful and upsettable. I think this was probably a smart choice. In most TV shows, the hero becomes more confident and that's definitely true with subsequent Doctor actors until he's practically dancing between raindrops with a smile. Troughton's Doctor feels more vulnerable and despite initial weirdness, not quite the Willy Wonka he'd become. I feel like this must be because (this is purely conjecture) Troughton wanted to do stuff that wasn't quite so problem-solving-and-exposition, which I bet feels limiting to an actor. But even in latter seasons, sometimes his more interesting stuff (even just in terms of being "fun") feels like it is reserved for the introductions in the first episode of a serial and the climax and/or send-off of the end. But I feel like there's one character who makes it go smooth.

The Doctor had Polly and Ben, companions I found a bit dull, then Victoria, who never came into her own and Zoe, who I think is not badly served even in the weaker serials. But I feel like there's no better companion for this era than Jamie. So many companions feel like a generic point of view character, even when so many characters of this era come from the past and future (something they stopped doing a while ago) but Jamie really stood out. He has the brash personality a lot of companions have but there's also a really good chemistry between him and Troughton. It's a shame we didn't get the Jamie-Doctor-Zoe trio longer because it's a good chemistry. But I think Frazier Hines has a sense of fun to the character that feels like a great counter-point to the Doctor. It also helps that the Doctor is really good at portraying a rapport with any cast member so when the spark is there, it's powerful.

Overall, I feel like this was a good Doctor who only occasionally really gets let off the leash after season 4. The show had come into it's own but I feel like stories like the Mind Robber and War Games feel like the show was starting to try something else that I don't think it would get back to until later Doctors, a different kind of cosmic weirdness that set itself apart. And even with a more conventional invasion tale, the Invasion was the show making the old formula feel strong thanks to a strong leading villain. I think "three seasons per Doctor" is a completely reasonable ask but I also feel like one more Troughton season would have been interesting. I think the show was doing for a refresh but making the subsequent series "The Doctor fights an invasion" story with UNIT put the more interesting evolutions on the backburner.

I know I'm sounding a bit negative, despite my praise for Troughton. There's a lot of good stuff and I feel like the show is getting, for better or worse, more consistency in quality. But I feel like Troughton's best bits don't always appear for the whole episode and there's a lot of him in war rooms putting his fingers to his mouth, thinking and says "yes, Jamie". I think the show is in the process of codifying some of the best and worst stuff. Getting away from historicals was both understandable and costly. They were sometimes less exciting but they also really mixed things up. This is a show that works best embracing variety. The show worked best with shaking up the formula or just doing the old formula with real passion.

Also, so much foam, you guys. So much foam.

Best episodes:
The Power of the Daleks
The Evil of the Daleks
The Enemy of the World
The Mind Robber
The Invasion
The War Games

 

[Kazin]

Love that best episode list!

Agreed with you on how formulaic the Troughton era was in season 5 - The Enemy of the World is such a breath of fresh air in that run of nearly identical base under sieges. El Sandifer (take a shot, Kazin post readers, I mentioned her again) said it's basically Mad Libs: "You can create these stories with Mad Libs. Take a noun that is something people have, a verb ending in ing, a creature, and a location with people, and you too can write a story in which Noun-Verbing Creatures attack a Location. Last time was Mind, Controlling, Crabs, and Holiday Camp. Today we get Identity, Stealing, Humanoids, and Airport." Heck, that's from the Faceless Ones post, and that's still season 4!

I really wish more of season 4 existed. It clearly is Troughton's best season - you can tell even peering at it through the recons. What I wouldn't give for even a single episode of Power of the Daleks, my god.

Very interested in reading your take on the Pertwee era. To me, it's the most formulaic era in the show's history - but it generally executes the formula pretty well, even if it's not my favorite era.

 

[Voncaster]

I spend Christmas and New Years at my parents house a lot of the time. There home is a country home in Wisconsin with very little to do.

I have my PS3 over there. But realistically I'm not going to start up a game of Metal Gear Solid 4 or Final Fantasy XIII in the one or two night per year that I spend there.

They have basic cable, and one of the true joyfuld discoveries for me was finding Doctor Who on BBC America. Its the perfect show to watch after my parents go to be early and I want to be entertained for a few hours. Almost all the episodes I've watched are satisfactorily self contained. I'm sure there are rewarding character moments if you follow the show all the way through. But even without those I loved tuning into BBC America over the holidays and watching Doctor Who.

Matt Smith happens to be my favorite doctor, because that is who I randomly watched first. But I also think he is really good!

Anyway I was bummed when Doctor Who went to Disney Plus and I'm happy the show is returning to BBC America. Even if its only replays I suspect 90% of it will be new to me.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

·Spearhead from Space

"Smith. Doctor John Smith."

In this serial, the Doctor lands on contemporary Earth, worse for wear. He is eventually found and taken to a hospital where UNIT discovers where he is. The Brigadier, with new science recruit Liz Shaw in tow, rushes to see his old friend but finds the face of a stranger. The Doctor has regenerated. Eventually, The Doctor is nearly kidnapped by forces that the Brigadier has been investigating. The Doctor escapes (and is nearly killed by UNIT), is taken to the hospital where he escapes again to track down the TARDIS, taken by UNIT. While there, the Doctor promises to help the Brigadier in exchange for the key to the TARDIS.

The investigation leads to a plastics factory where a former worker is telling tales of a creepy dollfaced man who tried to kill him. In investigating, it is revealed that the now automated factory is being run by Autons, plastic golems controlled by an alien force called the Nestene Consciousness. The are looking to create plastic replicas of important leaders to take over the Earth. The Nestene creates a double of an army higher up to try to hinder investigations but the Doctor and Liz figure out the truth. Together, they create a device to turn off the Autons and eventually use it on a creature created to attack the Earth. The creature is defeated and the remaining Autons are deactivated. Stranded on Earth, the Doctor agrees to help UNIT for the time being as it's science expert in exchange for amenities and resources to work on the now trapped TARDIS. And also a car.

Spearhead from Space signifies a huge sea change for Doctor Who and a vision of the future. I'm not talking about UNIT or even Jon Pertwee. I mean the broader idea that the show itself can change greatly in format and still be recognizably it. Like plastic it can be malleable and shaped in bold, exciting new ways. As much as I'll miss the previous era, there is also something of this that is a breath of fresh air. The alien invasion plot itself is not too different than some we've seen before, even if a bit weirder, but I think the tone has changed a bit. There are lines and gags I can see Troughton doing but there's a whole different vibe to Pertwee. Despite being under unit, he feels more like an aristocrat. There was a certain arrogance to the previous two Doctors but Hartnell was more a harsh old man and Troughton definitely felt more free and easy.

This Doctor is more a noble robbed of resources, if not his title. Of course, said title doesn't mean much on Earth but it means a lot to him. He feels far more direct, in a lot of ways. And I think that goes with the "man of action" Doctor he is. This feels more like a response to the Avengers. I've never seen the show but from cultural osmosis, I get the vibe that there's a lot of Steed to Pertwee's performance. He's combining the Doctor's previous elements with a bit more of a Bond figure, though still allowing him to look silly (such as when the Doctor is being smothered by a plastic octopus monster). This Doctor talks but I feel he's also more quick to act to shut things down. I also think that's why at this stage, the Doctor has fewer male companions. Before the Doctor was frailer and it was up to Ian or Jamie or, God help us, Ben to be the intrepid one to move the plot along in the ways Hartnell or Troughton's characters wouldn't,

But I feel like I'm talking about what the serial does and not what it is. This is kind of a wonky serial but not a bad one. I actually was afraid it was going to be stretched out to six episodes so I was pleasantly surprised when it started ending at four (I had seen it before but not for many years). There's almost a remove between the Doctor and the threat until the end. He is talking about it but he's only engaged with it directly when he is kidnapped and when he solves the problem. Mostly it's him in labs or at a wax museum. The reason it manages to work somehow is because this is more about simply establishing the Doctor and the new status quo and that is interesting and watchable. The first two episodes alternate between the threat and seeing the Doctor being wacked out and silly. It's slightly odd in how the stories feel disconnected but it's still watchable TV. It's slightly weaker in episode three, while still being watchable. The final episode isn't perfect but it's quite breezy, even if I'm not a big fan of "I just made this machine" type solutions.

The Autons are interesting villains. They have more staying power than most and I think, ironically, while the Daleks and the Cybermen have rich metaphors (fascism and dehumanizing industrialization), somehow the Autons work by.... not having a lot. The echo the Cybermen (especially in this serial where a fully automated factory is a plot point), but like later monsters, they are also a very fluid sort of enemy where you can plug them into a different situation where they can represent different sorts of evil. But more than anything, there is a creepiness to them and the scene of Autons bursting out of shops to murder the populace. Don't get me wrong, in many ways they are underwritten but for the mechanics of the serial, it works pretty OK.

I will say, I don't have a handle on Liz Shaw. A very different companion; like Zoe, she's a smart young woman but she feels much more of a "woman" than a "girl" than most of the female companions to this point except Barbara. But I do like that she's pretty dismissive of the Brigadier but warms to the Doctor being similarly smart mouthed. I don't know if the chemistry is completely there in all it's forms yet but THAT moment felt natural that these two would feel some kinship. The Brigadier is basically the same but the only-slightly contentious power dynamic has changed. The Doctor is willing to help and to play ball but clearly doesn't like thinking of himself as being under Brigadier and the Brigadier clearly knows he only has as much power over the Doctor as the Doctor will let him have.

It's a different era for sure. The show feels more like the popular case-of-the-week spy shows of the previous decade but with aliens. The fact that it is the first episode of the new decade also feels telling. I can't imagine a show continuing with black and white into the 70s. I also think the whole episode is shot on film rather than video (I suspect this won't last) and while I wouldn't call the sets "vibrant", it doesn't feel quite like the black box theatre the show was or will be again. It's the point of no return. But, to some extent, isn't it always?

Best cliffhanger: Probably the Doctor getting shot on accident. That was a weird one.


Next time:

 

[Kazin]

This Doctor is more a noble robbed of resources, if not his title.

Some, such as future writer for the show Paul Cornell, would say the Third Doctor is a tory. (spoilers for the sequel story Terror of the Autons in that link)

He's combining the Doctor's previous elements with a bit more of a Bond figure, though still allowing him to look silly (such as when the Doctor is being smothered by a plastic octopus monster)

Get used to this. They have Pertwee do this ridiculous gurning several times a season, and it never gets better.

I also think the whole episode is shot on film rather than video (I suspect this won't last)

Due to industrial action, this entire serial was shot on film, yes, and as such it's the only classic series serial to be available in ridiculously high quality on bluray. Going from pristine Spearhead to janky Silurians is rough, it's very noticeably worse quality. And you're right, it won't last - the picture quality is all over the place in the Pertwee era, primarily because a lot of it had to be rescued from lower quality, often home recorded NTSC tapes to restore colour to black and white prints, which were in many cases all that remained or could be found. Some of the episodes had to be restored by using "chroma dot" data in the black and white image to extrapolate colour data and bring colour back, but this was sadly not available for some episodes, such as The Mind of Evil, which I first saw in black and white because that's all that was available until relatively recently (2013 or 2014, iirc). So while there are no more missing episodes, prepare yourself for wild image quality fluctuations throughout Pertwee's run, although they tend to get better as the series goes on. Part of the reason I'm so excited for the season 7 bluray is the image quality of both The Ambassadors of Death and Inferno is kind of crap, especially for the former (and both of those stories are, in my opinion, among Pertwee's best), and I'm excited to see if they've improved those two stories.

I don't hate the Third Doctor, though, far from it. Some of the writing of his serials is incredibly boring, and though he doesn't have Troughton's charm to pick up those really dull episodes, he is fun to watch. I particularly enjoy when he angrily shouts down some evil authority. He's very good at that.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Doctor Who and the Silurians

"My dear Miss Shaw, I never report myself anywhere, particularly not forthwith."

In this serial, an advanced new form of power plants is under attack. UNIT and the Doctor investigates, despite objections from the plant, and the Doctor learns that the attackers are lizard men, Silurians, who ruled the planet millions of years ago and where just woken up from a suspended animation. The Doctor suspects the creatures perceived themselves as being attacked and tries to convince the plant to approach the situation diplomatically but it becomes clear to him that UNITs militaristic attitude and the plant waffling between incredulous and disdainful that it's better to talk to the creatures. The Doctor meets the Silurian leader initially as a prisoner but convinces him that the planet can be shared and ideas and values can be exchanged. However, the Silurian leader's second-in-command objects and secretly releases a deadly virus. The leader objects and is killed with deadly force by his right hand man but not before handing the Doctor the virus to work on a cure. The Doctor develops one, so the Silurians kidnap the Doctor to help them use the power plant (it's grid shut down in response to the attacks) to power their final weapon. The Doctor turns the tables on them, convincing them he'll irradiate the area, which sends the Silurians feeling back to their hibernation chambers. The remaining Silurian is shot and the Doctor resets the chambers so they can be released one at a time and can be reasoned with one-on-one. The Brigadier has the spot blown up, much to the Doctor's disappointment and anger.

This is one with a strong, slow burn first half and a very wildly inconsistent second half. The set up with strong; we have seen good aliens before but rarely is it the case where the "monster" is misunderstood so. Second, most of the monsters are robots and aliens so having a creature that shares the planet with us and has always been here is a nice change of pace. I like that we have the Doctor trying to go and negotiate with two headstrong sides and it is a bit that gets done better later on down the road.

Where the serial fucks things up is giving the Silurians a resident Starcream. Heck, I'm going to say it starts going down hill once the Doctor starts talking to them in earnest and they feel kind of the same as a lot of the aliens we've met. But it's not just that the Silurians are taken over by the warhawks, it's that up till then there's a problem on both sides and for the most part it turns the entire Silurian army into just plain ol' villains. There was complexity and nuance but it felt like they couldn't handle an exciting resolution to peace talks and we just need a villain. I didn't even catch any names of the Silurians.

I will also say, the Silurians are silly. The costumes? Sure but that's Doctor Who. It's a feature, not a bug to me when the costumes of monsters are cheap. The whenever they talk, they are kind of jiggling. It reminds me of the terribly over the top portrayal of the Ferengi in earlier episodes of the Next Generation where they mince around and wield weird laser dildo whips. OK, it's not THAT bad but it's pretty bad. Even worse, they have the least dignified theme music for ANY Doctor Who antagonist, this kazoo being played by a concussed clown.

Weirdly, this bad change in plot also has the show completely switch gears. It basically turns into a good guys v bad guys story but even THAT is ignored for a weirdly grim epidemic story that feels like... well, I've never WATCHED Doomwatch but it's what I assume the show is like. The villains disappear and it's all about the scary disease. And it is sort of effective in a straight-laced thriller way but it really doesn't feel like Doctor Who and I say that with the belief that this show can be so many different kinds of shows. In fact, the generic "I don't believe this bunk" important business man character who I really didn't care for through the serial gets a surprisingly effective death scene.

I feel like my big problem is I like the note it ends on... but it doesn't earn it. It even takes the time to show the baddie dying again. Doesn't that show that it actually was a good decision practically? Which seems the opposite to the point. This ending would be so good if it was a dark ending to a sci-fi war story with no "good guys/bad guys"? That humanity didn't win because they were good and they chose fear? It's how the Christmas Invasion ends and even though in that one the villains are far, far worse, I think it works because humankind shoots a fleeing enemy in the back. In this case, I wish it worked to paint a grim picture of what humans can be and even the Doctor's friend The Brigadier. If everything leading up to it was two factions of just... people, not being able to make it work with a dark conclusion, it would have been earned.

Also, Liz is ever present but despite putting science stuff all around her and helping the Doctor, it kind of feels like she didn't do shit. This feels like a bad omen for how her character functions going forward.

Best cliffhanger: None stick out except the very goofy one where the Doctor is brain-murdered by a lizard man to goofy music.

Next episode:

 

[Kazin]

The soundtrack - if that is what you can fucking call it - to The Silurians is the worst in the entire series, so at least you're beyond that mess. I honestly don't know how that was allowed to be broadcast, it is that terrible. Kinda ruins what is otherwise a decent serial.

I first watched The Silurians in full in March of 2020, so those last few episodes were terrifying in a way I've not otherwise felt watching Doctor Who. The level of dread I felt as I would watch an episode of Silurians, get off the treadmill, then go downstairs and wash the fucking groceries because we didn't know at that point really how COVID-19 spread was unique in my history with the show.

Also "doesn't really feel like Doctor Who" is a feeling I suspect you will come back to often during the entire Pertwee era. It's not the whole thing - plenty of the UNIT era is very Doctor Who-y! It's just a lot of it is also some weirdo other show about basically the military. The Pertwee era is very, very strange.

Regarding the ending... One of the points Elizabeth Sandifer (take a shot) makes about The Silurians is that the Brigadier effectively commits genocide, and that that should be the line in the sand for the Doctor. That should be it for his cooperation with UNIT, or at least the Brigadier personally. And it's just... not. The Doctor tut tuts and goes right back to working with UNIT without blinking an eye. What should have followed is a serial about the Doctor ripping UNIT down for its evil, and that obviously never occurs. And like yeah, that was never going to happen - this is a programmatic show that is teetering on cancellation, they're just trying to not show the test card during Doctor Who's timeslot, to paraphrase Terrance Dicks. But still, it's such an odd choice.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Regarding the ending... One of the points Elizabeth Sandifer (take a shot) makes about The Silurians is that the Brigadier effectively commits genocide, and that that should be the line in the sand for the Doctor. That should be it for his cooperation with UNIT, or at least the Brigadier personally. And it's just... not. The Doctor tut tuts and goes right back to working with UNIT without blinking an eye. What should have followed is a serial about the Doctor ripping UNIT down for its evil, and that obviously never occurs. And like yeah, that was never going to happen - this is a programmatic show that is teetering on cancellation, they're just trying to not show the test card during Doctor Who's timeslot, to paraphrase Terrance Dicks. But still, it's such an odd choice.

Yeah, the next episode starts with some off-the-cuff snark about it by Pertwee but that's about it. I mean, I feel like at the very least it seems like Pertwee's characters would threaten to leave only to be drawn into the next case (at which point it becomes a little easier to hand-wave)

Oh, the sting is here.

 

[Kazin]

Season 7 Bluray trailer:

Cannot wait for "Looking for Mac" in particular, though also seeing how well they were able to do with The Silurians and Ambassadors of Death restorations. I've not looked at the DVD, but maybe an alternate soundtrack for Silurians would be nice? lmao

 

[Johnny Unusual]

The Ambassadors of Death

I'll have to attend to the matter myself. I'm sorry, Doctor, it's my moral duty.

In this serial, a missing Mars Probe is investigated and the three astronauts sent up are due to return but have not been communicating. It is soon clear a conspiracy is going on at the space centre and the Doctor helps investigate. When the probe returns, the inhabitants are kidnapped by elements of the conspiracy but the Doctor comes to realize the inhabitants are not the three astronauts but aliens wearing their suits. The aliens are manipulated into committing robberies and sabotage (killing those who get in their way with a deadly touch, due to their high radioactivity) and the people behind it are constantly trying to sabotage the Doctor. The also kidnap Liz Shaw, hoping he can help their scientist control the creatures better. The Doctor goes to the Mars Probe to investigate, despite a nearly deadly sabotage and learns that the three aliens are ambassadors. The head of the aliens threatens to destroy the Earth if they are not returned.

The Doctor pinpoints their location but is captured by the criminals and the head of the conspiracy, Carrington (a highly ranked soldier overseeing the mission). It turns out Carrington encountered the creatures once before and the death touch killed a friend. Though it was likely an accident, Carrington is convinced the aliens are evil and plans to convince the world of that by having them murder and do crimes. The Doctor is forced to build a communication device to better control the aliens but the Doctor uses the resources to send an SOS. Carrington takes control of the centre and tries to stop the Brigadier but he escapes and saves the Doctor. Working with the aliens, the Doctor and UNIT take back the space centre and prepare to send the aliens home.

The Ambassadors of Death is so incredibly important... because of this.

I love that sound. This is the arc that introduces it and it basically improves ANY cliffhanger, no matter how silly. And they seem to know it too because the show makes a big deal of separating the main title from the serial title to accentuate the power of the sting!

I guess I should talk about the actual content; this is decent. I think like Silurians, this probably could have been tightened up by making it 4-5 episodes but as it is, it's a really good lo-fi adventure. Yes, MOST Doctor Who of the era was lo-fi but I mean the serial, despite having aliens, is much more about conspiracy and paranoia. Not to say it's deeply thrilling in that respect but it's largely solid through-out, a decent adventure that still feels like Doctor Who despite going light on sci-fi (compared to other arcs). The main villain is a paranoid human who is ruined by fear. And this makes the end of the Silurians more of a missed opportunity. It feels like they should have ended it the same way and this is the Brigadier seeing what he could become and fighting for trust and unity (no pun intended) rather than snuffing out a potential enemy in a war crime.

But the message within this episode is obvious but solid. It does feel like a sister arc to the previous one and I think it makes similar mistakes; having the aliens threaten to murder a planet over this seems, like the Silurians, like it muddies the message a little. I don't mind a threat, and a big, perhaps even cosmic one, but as far as stakes, nearly murdering a ship of peaceful aliens is enough (though lets face it, if Carrington went through with his plan, the aliens would have won the war). The soundtrack is certainly better and I like it starting off like the Quatermass experiment before going in a different direction.

I like that the Ambassadors look very eerie. It's very simple; a space suit where you can't see the face. Heck, Moffat would use it in Silence in the Library and the entire Impossible Astronaut arc. It's much creepier than a monster we can see, certainly on this series budget and it works thematically because we can't see the face of the monster. I also think The Ambassadors of Death is a completely awesome title... but also it kind of gives away the reveal that doesn't happen until episode 6. Overall, in some ways, this is a very meat and potatoes story with a pretty uncomplicated straightforward message but little things like the Ambassadors make it work.

Best cliffhanger: Ambassador nearly touches the Doctor.

Next:

 

[Kazin]

I love Ambassadors of Death, and I'm glad you had a good time with it. Malcolm Hulke may have written most of the back half of it, but David Whittaker's vibes are still all over the thing, and the show isn't quite the same after this (despite some fantastic stuff to come, obviously). I can't wait to see if the visuals are vastly improved on the bluray... It'll probably be the first thing I do with that set, despite usually going straight to the special features.

Looking forward to what you think of Inferno. I love that serial as well, though it is weird as hell in many ways (not all of them good lol). Season 7 is Pertwee's best season, and also probably the least Doctor Who-y of the entire show. Weird time.

 

[Daikaiju]

Odd, I remember The Sting differently.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Inferno

"So, free will is not an illusion after all."

In this serial, The Doctor is taking advantage of a new project to experiment on getting the TARDIS up and running again. The project itself promises to dig into the Earth and utilize the power of the Earth's crust. But a strange green ooze is emerging from the equipment and turning people into mutant cavemen-like beings. As the Doctor investigates, he runs afoul the project's head Stahlman, an insecure, paranoid man obsessed with getting the project off the ground, as well as meeting consultant Sutton, Stahlman's assistant Petra and the project's executive director Keith Gold. The Doctor realizes there's something wrong with the project and tries to warn everyone. However, a mishap with the TARDIS console sends the Doctor to a parallel Earth where the same project is happening under a fascist regime.

The Doctor is captured and interrogated by the alternate versions of Liz Shaw and the Brigadier while the Doctor tries to warn them about the apocalyptic potential of the project. Eventually it is too late and the project starts a series of Earthquakes and eruptions that will destroy the Earth. The Doctor grimly announces the world is doomed but asks them to help save his world by allowing him to escape their world and warn them. Liz Shaw is willing but the alternate Lethbridge-Stewart wants to go to the other world to save himself, despite the Doctor's warning. With the help of the alternate Shaw, Sutton and Petra, the Doctor returns to his Earth before he is smothered in lava. The Doctor arrives comatose but manages to give warning to stop the project so their Earth lives. Stahlman refuses to listen and is also slowly being mutated after being exposed to the goo. Eventually Stahlman is subdued and the Doctor manages to stop the drill. The world is saved and the project is shut down.

I had heard initially that Inferno is one story that is interrupted by another story but I don't think that's true. Yes, in terms of plot, the alternate reality seems to come out of nowhere but it all fits in thematically. The fascistic world is an exaggeration of the problem the Doctor faces on his world; both have the Doctor embattled with unwittingly dangerous people who are either presumptive of their correctness or simply refusing to question anything. This is an era of more environmental awareness (a premise that returns with The Green Death, which features one of my favourite one-off villains in the series) and I think it hammers the idea if you ARE concerned for the environment, it must be frustrating and terrified by people who tell you to shut up and not worry and they happily plunge the world to death.

Inferno is mostly VERY good. I feel like it doesn't have a lot to say about fascism but is using fascism to say something about the flaws in our own systems, that may be held at the whims of selfish people. If anything, it's surprisingly relevant, a sense that we as individuals want to help the environment but the problem is something an individual can't solve. The system is too big and too terrifying. The mutants aren't the villains here, the problem is bigger and despite the Lovecraftian elements of the monsters, it's much more about human failure with the monsters just adding a bit of flavour and a little extra embodiment of the environmental threat.

My big problem is episode 7. I feel like it should feel like a REAL ticking clock with the audience biting their nails with what seems to be a battle against destiny itself, that this thing is going to happen because of the systems but also plain bad luck (like Stahlman trying to, uh, stahl, Sir Keith. It feels weird that they didn't kill him but it also feels weird that they seemed to). But it feels like suddenly the Doctor has time to breathe and even though we know generally what's coming, it should feel like a terrifying confluence rather than just waiting for the climax. Compared to that, episodes 5 and 6 are at a constant state of heightened tension. We know the Doctor won't save these people yet it's classic disaster movie stuff with the best way; it feels grim, shows us who these characters are (Liz is a believer in the shitty cause but is willing to do what's right while Lethbridge-Stewart is a pathetic bully. Those episodes are where I really loved the story and saw what it was doing.

This is also our goodbye to Liz. It's funny, the Liz character is not given enough in the series except evil Liz is, in my opinion. She's not a good guy by any stretch but I feel like she's had more nuance than classic Liz, who just didn't have time to come into her own. I like that she was a woman rather than a girl. It works because there's a lot in this season that feels more adult than before (much of this serial, the epidemic subplot from the Silurians). But regular Liz, is mostly exposition and being in charge of the Doctor's garage door opener.

And it is an interesting season because a lot of episodes have weirdly specific similarities, particularly three of the four have one really sucky human at the centre but more superficially, who are insane guys who will not listen to the Doctor because of their project to give infinate power to everyone but then their bodies are infected by something and these assholes die learning nothing (OK, Stahlman's technically not dead. Kind of weird, so many Doctor stories will actively kill monsters in modern day but there's this caveman dude probably living in some facility forever still). Overall, it's a series that feels like it is trying to be more mature than before and it works better in some places and less than in others. But I really liked Inferno, a story that turned out more cohesively than I expected.

Best Cliffhanger: LAVA!

Next Time:

 

[Kazin]

Inferno is great fun. Once you realize the alternate universe doesn't really teach the Doctor anything and is mostly padding since Stahlman just... conveniently wanders out of the locked room in monster form in the "real" world before things get unsalvageable, it's a bit hard to unsee. Still, the alternate universe episodes are entertaining, which is all that matters. Shoutout to Nicholas Courtney, who manages to make the Brigade Leader actually scary in a way the Brigadier could be, if he wanted to... He, in particular, is on fire in Inferno (pun not intended lol).

Season 7 is Pertwee's most consistently good season - there are highs to be found elsewhere, but you can't really go wrong with anything in the season you just watched, even if, in my opinion, nothing in it is of the quality of many Troughton or Tom Baker serials, the two eras sandwiching Pertwee (hell, I would say even Davison has a few higher highs, even if his era is of even more wildly up and down quality than even Pertwees).

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Terror of the Autons

"I am usually referred to as The Master!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Universally!"

In this serial, a mysterious figure named the Master, a Time Lord, arrives and begins to work with the Nestine Consciousness to invade the Earth. The Doctor is warned by the Time Lords of this, as the Doctor is aware of the Master's infamy. The Master's plan involves taking over a plastics factory to create special new forms of Autons for the Nestine to control and kills anyone who gets in his way. This includes controlling the mind of the Doctor's newest assistant Jo Grant. The Doctor continues to investigate, dodging several nasty traps set by the Master. Around this time, the Doctor also manages to swipe a dematerializer from the Master's TARDIS, hoping it will work with his. The Master's trail of death eventually leads the Doctor to discovering that his plot involves plastic daffodils. It turns out the daffodils are designed to shoot a plastic film in the face that kills people via suffocation. The Master decides to kill the Doctor in person but when Jo lets slip that UNIT is about to destroy the Auton invasion force, he takes the Doctor hostage. Eventually, the Doctor escapes and a fight breaks out between an Auton army and UNIT. During this time the Master uses a satellite dish to summon the Nestine but the Doctor convinces him the Nestine will not differentiate between the Master and all the human targets. The Master helps the Doctor but then escapes, with the Doctor excited about their next conflict.

This is an odd one. Objectively there is a lot to pick at in terms of story construction. There are few stories in this world that are completely airtight. That's fine. The trick is to weave an illusion over the audience so the flow of the story makes it so they don't notice. Terror of the Autons is NOT airtight. It's not incompetent in it's mistakes and they aren't big obvious things but they aren't deeply subtle either. And this in no way ruins the story, which is really fun. Granted, I feel like characters forget to do obvious things. Why did the Doctor leave Jo with a troll doll he KNOW is capable of murder and not lock it up? Why do we need to reiterate so many times "Nestine can control plastic" and then UNIT keeps forgetting (I know they are there to be less competant in the Doctor and do violence the story needs but it feels like they are babies if they need to be reminded so often)? Is the Doctor just so cavalier about a challenge that he's not terribly interested in the body count?

That last one is interesting to me. I actually could see a Doctor who is having fun in spite of his values. But I feel last season established Pertwee as not having a lot of patience for killing. OK, yes, he's willing to work with UNIT after they did a genocide of an ancient race but it feels like Pertwee's Doctor is a little different here. And part of that is the tone is different. Despite his bon mots, the last season was surprisingly sober at times, even with rubber headed lizard men bobbing their heads to the goofiest music imaginable. This, however, despite the body count, is pure Saturday morning stuff. The Master is a Moriarty figure but he's also straight up comic book villain with ridiculous number of plans and traps and methods for killing. There's also a bit of disjointedness between him killing a lot of people and the actual invasion (was the murder just killing time to do the big satellite thing?)

Again, there's so much to pick apart but... I'm having a blast. So much interesting stuff was happening from scene to scene, which is something a lot of even the better Doctor stories of the early era struggle with. The Master is a lot like the Joker, though not at first. He starts out being all business and he doesn't even seem to be terribly interested with his ridiculous chair based murder. But he tells us many times he's having a lot of fun with this one because of the Doctor and the Doctor happily admits it's a reciprocated feeling in the end. Which I like for a relationship but weird because as malleable as the Doctor is as a character and as much as many incarnations enjoy problem solving, he rarely seems to want to entertain murderers. I like the relationship but I also think it kind of doesn't make a lot of sense. It's more interesting in the new Who run where he is really upset that he's doing such evil plans but he can't "hate" him like he does the Daleks because there's a kindred spirit in him both being the last of their race and also having values that run counter to the time lords.

Obviously I'm getting ahead of myself, though. So let's look back. Episode two is the first episode I ever saw. Based on my memory, I was probably in preschool or kindergarten but it scared the shit out of me. The killer chair, the troll doll. It looks ridiculous now but kids don't have an irony filter. To me, it was weird, disturbing imagery. I watched it with my dad. I think I probably came down stairs not being able to sleep or something. It's interesting because my dad is a big sci-fi fan who got me into Star Wars yet as I know him when I grew older, he much preferred either hard sci-fi or at least ones that were less adventure based. Not usually into the usually Wars/Trek/DW stuff, at least later in life. But this meant a lot to me and as a kid it was a "scary show", But it also lived in my head and I was excited to watch it when it was airing on YTV (Canada's version of Nickelodeon). It started being in the afternoon but when it started airing only late at night... well, in grade five I started waking up at three AM and watching it. I even learned to set my VCR for it. So this episode was a big deal to me.

And it's still a good one. I think it establishes the tone for the season will be a bit more fun. Perhaps at a cost; last season was a little darker and more sober but I think it was largely decent. I like the comic book madness here but like losing the historicals, it feels like a bit of a loss. I am aware (assuming I'm not incorrect") that this is the Master season and every episode is the Master collaborating with a new invading force. The Master is interesting because he is Moriarty but I think every invasion ends with him going "uh-oh, got betrayed again" which makes him seem... kinda dumb. So by the end of the episode, he's also Team Rocket. He's the evil Doctor, which is an obvious decision and has already been done (re: The Monk, who I really do think needed a return episode as more a Harry Mudd figure) but it works because of how rarely the Doctor faces someone like himself. He fights fascistic invaders and tyrants, as well as delusional humans but rarely someone who is a clever agent of chaos who toys with systems. I think that's why his opening sternness threw me off but why it also works; both he and the Doctor are constantly short of patience with the humans they are working with and would just be happier if everyone just did things their way.

Oh, jeez, I almost forgot. Jo Grant is in this. Whew, I feel like she got the short end of the stick in a very different way than Liz. Liz is competent but mostly gets stuck relaying info to other characters. Jo is more in the classic companion mold (relatively young, trying to help) for better or worse but I feel like she might be getting the least respect from any other companion so far. Everyone flat out tells her to stay home and most of the time she gets involved she makes things worse. I guess she... stole a ring from the Master or something? In all honesty, I completely missed whatever the Doctor was thanking her for while he did a morse code message with the brake lights (seriously, this is pure Batman nonsense). Hopefully she might grow beyond a damsel but this era somehow seems worse for it's female characters.

Best cliffhanger: Though the resolution is rather dull (the Doctor calls for help, someone helps him), the killer telephone wire is pure Master; needlessly elaborate but also silly. Yet as effective is "come in with a gun and murder him" would have been, it's really all about saying "LOOK AT WHAT I CAN DO!"

Next time:

 

[Kazin]

My god, a Pertwee serial was your first serial? Wild. At least it's a decent one! Yeah, this one isn't the best showing for Jo, though I think she's arguably the best character of the Pertwee era (besides, of course, the Brig), despite pretty much all the writers defaulting to her being a peril monkey. Katy Manning does well with some questionable writing for her character (god, isn't this the case for nearly every female companion?), and when written for well, she excels (she's magnificent in The Curse of Peladon, imo).

The rest of this season is fascinating, and while sometimes for good reasons, certainly not always. Looking forward to your thoughts on it.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

The Mind of Evil

"Have I, Jo? He's got his Tardis back. He's free to come and go where he pleases, while I'm stuck here on Earth... with you, Brigadier!"

In this serial, the Doctor and Jo visit Stagmoor Prison which has a revolutionary new machine to rehabilitate criminals, the Keller Machine. The most resent public experiment demonstrates that it can literally take evil from a person's mind... but it leaves subject Barnham in a childlike state. The Doctor is dismissive of it and finds tampering with the human mind objectionable. The prison is prone to riots and people have been dying bizarre deaths because of them, seemingly just dropping dead with traces of things that shouldn't be there. Meanwhile, the Brigadier is preparing for a world peace conference and begins to see signs that something is happening he needs the Doctor's help for. In fact, the Chinese delegate Chin Lee is brainwashed by the Master, who is plotting to start World War III. It also is revealed he created the Keller Machine and is using it as part his plan by attacking the minds of those in his way.

The Master arrives in the prison in his guise of Emil Keller and makes a deal with the criminal Mailer; help him steal a missile and they can threaten the world to get wealth and power. Around this time, the Keller Machine starts killing more people and even the Doctor (who had returned from learning about the Master from Chin Lee) can't stop it. The Master feels the Doctor is his only hope to get the machine under control. The Doctor also realizes the "machine" is a dangerous living creature. Eventually, UNIT saves the Prison from a prisoner takeover and the Doctor must stop the Master, who now has the missile, by bargaining with the Master's dematerialization core. The Doctor outwits him by using Barnham, who has no evil to steal, to hold the machine and unleash it on the Master. The Master escapes but the machine is destroyed. Unfortunately, the Master got away with the core and can now wander time and space.

The Mind of Evil is a story with so much but so little. There's world war III threats, a machine that devours evil, a prison riot and the Master. OK, it's not THAT much but considering how little of it is actually explored, it seems like a big waste. It's not an awful serial, just a terribly superficial monster story. And there's so much RIGHT on the edge of exploring with the ideas. The closest it comes is examining the Doctor's fears and even telling us the dude has trauma from last season's finale. That's an interesting idea that kind of gets dropped and is more just a threat. Heck, the Keller Machine eventually stops exploiting fears and just kills people with making the image go negative.

But more than that, the Master is ostensibly preying on prisoners. That and the idea of "stealing evil" should make for a good conversation about how we view and treat criminals and the difference between real rehabilitation and brainwashing. But... all the prisoners except Barnham are generic baddies. The nature of the Keller Machine is mostly "this is an evil machine". We learn nothing and explore little. The Doctor is just trying to stop a mean box that's also an organism and even that is horribly vague. It's a story that feels like it should be about the labels we put on things and what it means to be good or evil and is so deeply not curious about any of that. We just need a threat.

And also one that ties in shockingly little to the Master's WWIII plan. He uses it maybe once but... why have it at the prison? Why involve the prison at all? You'd think the machine that causes hallucinations that become real the more you feel them would enter into this more, but no, not really. As for character stuff, this isn't bad. Jo still doesn't do a lot, though the chess scene is very cute. The Brigadier gets to be competent for once but it's not a terribly exciting caper. Pertwee and Delgado get to play off each other more and that works. While I question the Doctor "looking forward to facing the Master" in the face of so many deaths, I love the fluid nature of their relationship. They are always enemies but it is clear each finds the other worthy to an extent (even if the Master's plans constantly blow up in his face) and they often have to reluctantly team up before the Master inevitably betrays them. It's a fun dynamic where the Master is threatening, but also a bit of a fool, overestimating his intelligence and trying not to admit when things go bad. Overall, this is a servicable story but it's also so ridiculously hollow and simply not as fun or varied as the last one, even though it has two more episodes. Also... yeah, the Chinese embassy stuff ain't great. Not as bad as Marco Polo but, yeesh.

Best Cliffhanger; They do the same one twice pretty much but I'll go with the Doctor watching reruns of his enemies.

Next Time:

 

[Kazin]

I find myself with little to say about The Mind of Evil. It's alright, I suppose. I wonder if the bluray restoration is noticeably better than the DVD colourization, particularly for the first episode.

 

[Kazin]

We're getting some new writers (and also Pete McTighe, bleh) in Gatwa's second season: https://deadline.com/2025/01/juno-d...oom-pete-mctighe-russell-t-davies-1236269075/

 

[Johnny Unusual]

The Claws of Axos

"It's seems I'm some kind of galactic yo-yo."

In this serial, a spaceship lands on Earth and UNIT investigate. The aliens inside secretly capture people from Earth including American Filer who is working with UNIT. The Doctor and UNIT meet the creatures along with the insufferable Chinn, a government official with a Britain for the British stance the Doctor finds distasteful. Chinn is ready to destroy the aliens to the umbrage of the Doctor but both their tunes change when they meet the aliens, the Axos, in their living ship. The Axon people offer the Earth Axonite, an element of nearly unlimited power for the benefit of humanity. Chinn immediately sees this as a way for Britain to control the most important element in the universe but the Doctor is immediately suspicious, especially after Jo claims to have seen a terrifying monster on the ship. The Doctor studies the Axon and after a brief encounter with an evil clone of Filer (whom the real Filer helps destroy), the Doctor learns the terrifying truth; the aliens, the element and the ship are one big organic entity that is going to drain the world's energy.

Meanwhile, the Master has been revealed to be a prisoner of Axon, having been captured and giving them advice in exchange for his freedom. He convinces them to let him go to help but in fact is looking to escape aboard the Doctor's TARDIS. While the Doctor is captured and being interrogated by Axos (who want the secret to time travel), the Master helps unit stop Axos from destroying a... power plant or lab or something. It's all kind of the same in this series. Anyway, Jo and the Doctor escape and the Doctor convinces the Master to join forces to escape before Axos eats the planet using a now repaired TARDIS. The Doctor in fact takes them to Axos and promises to help Axos with time travel in exchange for their lives. In fact, the Doctor traps them in a time loop and manages to escape it himself, theorizing the Master probably didn't get away... probably... 90% certain... well, pretty certain.

The Claws of Axos has what must be the most viscerally repellent monster in the original series. The effect of watching a corpse turn into Axos flesh is effective and the fleshy monsters using whips to explode people is unnerving. There's a whole nastiness to this villain I respect. There's something about it that makes me thing this might be the most influential on the monsters of Davies run. Yes. Moffat loves monsters that turn you into itself but Davies seems interested in a mix of goofiness and genuinely unsettling and gross fates for characters. When Axos revealed what it was by the end of the second episode, it felt like the series was really getting into the cosmic horror monsters I associate with the series.

And the serial is pretty good. But a strong, memorable monster doesn't make the episode. There is nightmarish imagery that probably fucked a lot of kids up. There's this weird scene of some silly old dude on a bike and then we last see him screaming in terror and a dispassion voice implying he's to be absorbed. That's very... look, I'm running out of synonyms of unsettling. But it's all that. And I think the plan is insidious in itself, a gift that will kill everyone. Its a shame the limited budget means we are mostly with a small cast and told "yeah, the Axonite is spreading trust us." Axos is also a little less scary when explaining plans and stuff. It would be better if it only spoke when it felt it needed to do so and communication is just an "in". I almost don't want it to be a thinking being, just emulating thought. It's also weird they are talking about "draining energy" when it felt like up to that point they were going to straight up absorb everyone physically, which is much more disturbing.

As for the other characters, Filer feels like another Benton or Yates (really, why do we need both of these guys anyway). Chinn is a good "collaborator" in this one. He kind of falls to the wayside but he helps make this space monster story more about opportunistic political parasites who make promises but only care about their own benefit. It's an interesting beat for your killer invader story to start talking about how much he sucks for being paranoid about aliens when he was... right this time. But also, the alien also exploits his shittiness and it's about a guy turning a blind eye because he doesn't want to care about fallout from his actions (if anything, his story needed a nasty final fate, him learning a lesson or, more likely, a withering reveal that he learned the wrong lesson and is convinced he should have been more disdainful to aliens).

But as the serial went on, it kind of becomes the Master's show for a bit. He's always been witty but I feel like this is Delgado at his best, really taking command (I wish they did a story with no Doctor and the Master overcoming another villain in his own evil way. Like maybe a fun two-parter) and his chemistry with Pertwee is top notch in the last part. There's less of a face off and it becomes clear if it wasn't for EVERYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER, yeah, these guys would be catty, sniping friends. Overall, this is a pretty solid serial with some REALLY high points for me but loses me a bit with the Axos acting a big more like regular villains (so the monsters can whip people into explosions from 50 feet away but need to jump on a jeep to slowly clobber some dudes) and the mechanics of the "trapped them in a time loop" ending, which feels like it should have a cool visual for their fate but instead... isn't (the Doctor explaining how he escaped is even worse). So it's not perfect but the strong points do stick with me and it hums along at a good pace (again, four episodes is the perfect length for a serial).

Best Cliffhanger: The Doctor and friends surrounded by gross monsters. Though as usual, the resolution is never that clever, it's usually more "OK, we won't kill you, you are just a prisoner).

Next Time: