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Classic Doctor Who, Season 5 Review
Despite having some episodes missing (albeit fewer than the previous two seasons), Season 5 was easily the strongest season so far. Normally there are a couple of serials I don't gel with for whatever reason, but I can say with confidence that I genuinely enjoyed every serial this season no matter where they ended up in my rankings. The series are available to watch via streaming on Britbox, while the rest are available as audio tracks from Audible.
Something I noticed is that, for the first time in a while, the show seems invested in exploring the actual characters of the Doctor and his companions rather than simply using them as story props. It's easy to see why the Troughton years, despite the high lost episode count, is highly regarded. As I liked every serial, ranking this season was extremely difficult and mostly arbitrary, with only a small gap separating my top choice from my bottom choice. As usual, here's a quick rundown of my thoughts.
The Characters
Patrick Troughton as The Second Doctor - Troughton was excellent as the Doctor the previous season as well, but now with further distance from Hartnell's portrayal he's really been able to claim the role as his own. This is partially due to the writing showing more interest in him as a character, but its also in large part to consistently clicking better with Jamie and Victoria this season than he did with any of the companion characters last season (including Jamie). His dual role in The Enemy of the World is simply the icing on the cake on what is a top-tier and engaging performance, making the Doctor much more of a contemporary protagonist and hero of the story than he was previously. The fact that the Doctor is much more light-hearted in general certainly doesn't hurt.
Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon - Until the last couple of serials last season, Jamie was barely a character. Most of his lines were ones originally written for Ben but transferred to him in order to give him something to do. Because of this, I was baffled by both the longevity and popularity of the character. This season is really where it becomes apparent why these are, with a less crowded TARDIS and writing more focused on character, Jamie really comes into his own as a compelling sidekick character. He's the least knowledgeable of the technical aspects but has the most heart, and fiercely comes to the defense of the Doctor and Victoria in nearly every serial this season. His origin as an 18th century Scot is also treated less as a schtick and more as a character beat.
Deborah Watling as Victoria Waterfield - Female companions in Doctor Who are consistently underestimated, and some are quiet and agreeable while others get mad as hell about it. Victoria forgoes both of his and settles in a realm of perpetual exasperation. Despite being from the 19th century, she is always thrown when someone doesn't recognize her for her worth, but ultimately doesn't give them the time of day and does what she pleases. Her character arc this season is also one of the most pleasing in recent memory, as she joined the TARDIS not by choice but because her dying father entrusted her to The Doctor and Jamie. As a result, her decision to leave felt grounded and nuanced in a way Doctor Who's character writing hasn't felt in a long time.
Wendy Padbury as Zoe Heriot - If Victoria was a departure from the character archetypes of previous companions, Zoe was a whole leap beyond that. A character type more comparable to the Doctor than any previous companion, she is easily the breakout element of the only serial she appears in this season, which sets her up nicely for the coming season.
The Serials
I've ranked the serials based off my own personal preference which is only tangentially related to how good they are on a critical level.
7) Serial 7, Episodes 35-40 - The Wheel in Space (Episodes 35-36, 38-39 as an Audio Play)
Ranking this at the bottom is very surreal for me, as I just came off of watching and listening to it and enjoyed it immensely. Beyond some core elements, however, this story is ultimately the weakest in a very strong season. It's biggest assets are it's characters: The Doctor and Jamie are as charasmatic and engaging as ever, and guest character Gemma is a very strong presence despite not being given a whole lot. Zoe Heriot is easily the strongest element of this serial, with a character archetype not seen before on the show and what might be the strongest introduction of any companion on the show thus far. It's when you look beyond these strengths that the serial begins to fail. The Wheel and the entire setup is a strong piece of worldbuilding that the story never seems to utilize to it's full potential. The conflict with the captain of the Wheel plays like a retread of one of the main arcs from the previous serial Fury from the Deep, only done poorly. The Cybermen also don't come across as menacing or even as much of a threat, and it honestly seems like they're barely in the serial at all. In the end, this serial boils down to a lot of build-up with little payoff. Well, aside from Zoe sneaking onto the TARDIS.
6) Serial 1, Episodes 1-4 - The Tomb of the Cybermen
As far as the first real outings for a new companion go, this is great one for Victoria, who is allowed to be a real character with thoughts and feelings after basically serving as a prop in her introductory serial. She is also the first companion to seriously question the Doctor about his motivations and how he thinks upon joining the TARDIS team. But she is only one element of a serial that has several moving parts and functions incredibly well, though seeing her triumph over the sexist attitudes of the ship crew remains satisfying in 2018. The Cybermen are actually menacing in this serial, and the premise for its time is genuinely creepy and suspenseful. The human villains are threatening even if their motivations are a bit weak (which is why this serial is ranked low).
5) Serial 3, Episodes 11-16 - The Ice Warriors (Episodes 12 and 13 as an Animated Reconstruction)
Honestly, I probably enjoyed the Ice Warriors less than the serials ranked below it, but the strength of it's story is too big to discount it. It's aged better than many of the other serials have, with the moral dilemmas it grapples with feeling much more at home in 2018 than 1967. What's really compelling about it is that technology is not portrayed as a sentient, malevolent entity like it often is in these types of stories today, but rather as a means of dependency. It's not a story of humans being overtaken by technology, but rather coming to rely on it too much. The Ice Warriors are intriguing as villains but ultimately don't serve much of a unique value to the story beyond a generic villain role.
4) Serial 6, Episodes 29-34 - Fury from the Deep (All 6 episodes as an Audio Play)
It's a shame that this serial is completely missing, but the strength of the writing makes it so it is still completely engaging even with only the audio. This is easily the best companion exit since Vicki three seasons ago, as it actually shows an active interest in the character that's leaving and their overall arc on the show. This episode isn't entirely about Victoria though, and sets up a tense and engaging struggle between the personnel of the gas refineries where the story takes place. The villains are essentially just a plot device, but that's essentially all they need to be as their used to highlight the tension and discord between all the characters, exacerbating existing fears and conflicts.
3) Serial 2, Episodes 5-10 - The Abominable Snowmen (Episodes 5, 7-10 as an Audio Play)
Doctor Who has danced around the mythos surrounding the Doctor before, most notably through the Monk, but this serial really feels like the first time we get a clearer picture of the Doctor's significance outside this self-contained adventures. The characters enter the story with the Doctor already having made contact with the monastery in the past, and coming to terms with his inadvertent role in the situation currently plaguing it as well as the mythologizing of his earlier visit. Everything in this serial, from the conflicts with the monks and Travers, the construction and narrative use of the Yeti, and the aesthetic, and the The Great Intelligence itself, is near-perfectly executed. It's easy to see why story threads from this stretch to serials nearly fifty years later, and its a shame that only one episode still exists in its entirety.
2) Serial 5, Episodes 23-28 - The Web of Fear (Episode 25 as an Audio Play)
The Web of Fear was and is one of the most sought after lost serials because it is the first appearance of Lethbridge-Stewart, one of the longest-running characters in the entire franchise. Beyond that though, it is a damn good story. Acting as a pretty clear-cut sequel to The Abominable Snowmen, its builds up the mythology of both the Yeti and the Great Intelligence has utilizes the returning Professor Travers in an interesting way. All the supporting characters are clearly defined are are among the most engaging of the series to date, and its a delight to see the Doctor deduce and scheme in real time with someone who knows what he's talking about (Anne Travers is great and its a shame this is her only appearance). This serial also has a sense of fun urgency and excitement that isn't always present in these early serials.
1) Serial 4, Episodes 17-22 - The Enemy of the World
The Enemy of the World is a real standout for Troughton and one of the best serials thus far. He pulls off the dual roles brilliantly, and the serial introduces new elements halfway through while still feeling cohesive. (x)
This serial takes a conceit from an earlier one (The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve), with the actor playing the Doctor playing another role in the same serial, but takes it to new heights. It's easy to see how much fun Troughton is having, playing both the Doctor and Salamander and the Doctor pretending to be Salamander. The idea of a fascist figure rising to power in a very public manner also feels very modern in a way I wish it didn't, and this story plays the gamut of political intrigue to conspiracy to an approximation of action movie set pieces. Jamie and Victoria have the least to do here than they do in any serial this season, but they make every second of screentime count. But this serial is Troughton's, and he carries the story in a way he didn't really have to considering the strength of its narrative and plot structure.
Final Thoughts
The fifth season of Doctor Who is easily the best so far, making it past the growing pains of the previous two seasons and relying more on its main characters than plot gimmicks to tell a story. That said, the "gimmicks" were executed a lot better than they have been before, and Troughton has been able to make the Doctor his own and distinguish him from Hartnell's portrayal. I have no major criticisms of this season, and I'm simply looking forward to season six with the hope that this streak continues.
Something I noticed is that, for the first time in a while, the show seems invested in exploring the actual characters of the Doctor and his companions rather than simply using them as story props. It's easy to see why the Troughton years, despite the high lost episode count, is highly regarded. As I liked every serial, ranking this season was extremely difficult and mostly arbitrary, with only a small gap separating my top choice from my bottom choice. As usual, here's a quick rundown of my thoughts.
The Characters
Patrick Troughton as The Second Doctor - Troughton was excellent as the Doctor the previous season as well, but now with further distance from Hartnell's portrayal he's really been able to claim the role as his own. This is partially due to the writing showing more interest in him as a character, but its also in large part to consistently clicking better with Jamie and Victoria this season than he did with any of the companion characters last season (including Jamie). His dual role in The Enemy of the World is simply the icing on the cake on what is a top-tier and engaging performance, making the Doctor much more of a contemporary protagonist and hero of the story than he was previously. The fact that the Doctor is much more light-hearted in general certainly doesn't hurt.
Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon - Until the last couple of serials last season, Jamie was barely a character. Most of his lines were ones originally written for Ben but transferred to him in order to give him something to do. Because of this, I was baffled by both the longevity and popularity of the character. This season is really where it becomes apparent why these are, with a less crowded TARDIS and writing more focused on character, Jamie really comes into his own as a compelling sidekick character. He's the least knowledgeable of the technical aspects but has the most heart, and fiercely comes to the defense of the Doctor and Victoria in nearly every serial this season. His origin as an 18th century Scot is also treated less as a schtick and more as a character beat.
Deborah Watling as Victoria Waterfield - Female companions in Doctor Who are consistently underestimated, and some are quiet and agreeable while others get mad as hell about it. Victoria forgoes both of his and settles in a realm of perpetual exasperation. Despite being from the 19th century, she is always thrown when someone doesn't recognize her for her worth, but ultimately doesn't give them the time of day and does what she pleases. Her character arc this season is also one of the most pleasing in recent memory, as she joined the TARDIS not by choice but because her dying father entrusted her to The Doctor and Jamie. As a result, her decision to leave felt grounded and nuanced in a way Doctor Who's character writing hasn't felt in a long time.
Wendy Padbury as Zoe Heriot - If Victoria was a departure from the character archetypes of previous companions, Zoe was a whole leap beyond that. A character type more comparable to the Doctor than any previous companion, she is easily the breakout element of the only serial she appears in this season, which sets her up nicely for the coming season.
The Serials
I've ranked the serials based off my own personal preference which is only tangentially related to how good they are on a critical level.
7) Serial 7, Episodes 35-40 - The Wheel in Space (Episodes 35-36, 38-39 as an Audio Play)
The Wheel in Space had some really great world building but just kind of meandered and never really seemed to go much of anywhere in terms of plot. The best parts of the serial focused on setting Zoe up as a character, and overall is one of the better companion introductions. (x)
Ranking this at the bottom is very surreal for me, as I just came off of watching and listening to it and enjoyed it immensely. Beyond some core elements, however, this story is ultimately the weakest in a very strong season. It's biggest assets are it's characters: The Doctor and Jamie are as charasmatic and engaging as ever, and guest character Gemma is a very strong presence despite not being given a whole lot. Zoe Heriot is easily the strongest element of this serial, with a character archetype not seen before on the show and what might be the strongest introduction of any companion on the show thus far. It's when you look beyond these strengths that the serial begins to fail. The Wheel and the entire setup is a strong piece of worldbuilding that the story never seems to utilize to it's full potential. The conflict with the captain of the Wheel plays like a retread of one of the main arcs from the previous serial Fury from the Deep, only done poorly. The Cybermen also don't come across as menacing or even as much of a threat, and it honestly seems like they're barely in the serial at all. In the end, this serial boils down to a lot of build-up with little payoff. Well, aside from Zoe sneaking onto the TARDIS.
6) Serial 1, Episodes 1-4 - The Tomb of the Cybermen
The Tomb of the Cybermen is a really fun serial that has a higher tension and a more straightforward solution than most serials have. I can see why some parents thought it was too scary for their kids. (x)
As far as the first real outings for a new companion go, this is great one for Victoria, who is allowed to be a real character with thoughts and feelings after basically serving as a prop in her introductory serial. She is also the first companion to seriously question the Doctor about his motivations and how he thinks upon joining the TARDIS team. But she is only one element of a serial that has several moving parts and functions incredibly well, though seeing her triumph over the sexist attitudes of the ship crew remains satisfying in 2018. The Cybermen are actually menacing in this serial, and the premise for its time is genuinely creepy and suspenseful. The human villains are threatening even if their motivations are a bit weak (which is why this serial is ranked low).
5) Serial 3, Episodes 11-16 - The Ice Warriors (Episodes 12 and 13 as an Animated Reconstruction)
The Ice Warriors has perhaps the best-aged aesop of any serial thus far. An over reliance on technology is a theme that advances past a lot of the future/past/alien civilization drama the show has often used to tell more philosophical stories, and all characters are well-rounded. (x)
Honestly, I probably enjoyed the Ice Warriors less than the serials ranked below it, but the strength of it's story is too big to discount it. It's aged better than many of the other serials have, with the moral dilemmas it grapples with feeling much more at home in 2018 than 1967. What's really compelling about it is that technology is not portrayed as a sentient, malevolent entity like it often is in these types of stories today, but rather as a means of dependency. It's not a story of humans being overtaken by technology, but rather coming to rely on it too much. The Ice Warriors are intriguing as villains but ultimately don't serve much of a unique value to the story beyond a generic villain role.
4) Serial 6, Episodes 29-34 - Fury from the Deep (All 6 episodes as an Audio Play)
Fury from the Deep is a very efficient and uncomplicated monster-of-the-week serial, and it really excels in making the personnel conflict actually interesting. It also serves as the best companion exit serial in ages, with Victoria getting the sendoff and fanfare she deserves. (x)
It's a shame that this serial is completely missing, but the strength of the writing makes it so it is still completely engaging even with only the audio. This is easily the best companion exit since Vicki three seasons ago, as it actually shows an active interest in the character that's leaving and their overall arc on the show. This episode isn't entirely about Victoria though, and sets up a tense and engaging struggle between the personnel of the gas refineries where the story takes place. The villains are essentially just a plot device, but that's essentially all they need to be as their used to highlight the tension and discord between all the characters, exacerbating existing fears and conflicts.
3) Serial 2, Episodes 5-10 - The Abominable Snowmen (Episodes 5, 7-10 as an Audio Play)
The Abominable Snowmen continues the strong streak that the show has been on, and is a rare early serial that embraces the mythos of the Doctor. It's interesting to see the Great Intelligence and how its portrayal originated vs what it is like in the revived show. (x)
Doctor Who has danced around the mythos surrounding the Doctor before, most notably through the Monk, but this serial really feels like the first time we get a clearer picture of the Doctor's significance outside this self-contained adventures. The characters enter the story with the Doctor already having made contact with the monastery in the past, and coming to terms with his inadvertent role in the situation currently plaguing it as well as the mythologizing of his earlier visit. Everything in this serial, from the conflicts with the monks and Travers, the construction and narrative use of the Yeti, and the aesthetic, and the The Great Intelligence itself, is near-perfectly executed. It's easy to see why story threads from this stretch to serials nearly fifty years later, and its a shame that only one episode still exists in its entirety.
2) Serial 5, Episodes 23-28 - The Web of Fear (Episode 25 as an Audio Play)
The Web of Fear is a very satisfying sequel to The Ice Warriors, and unknowingly serves as a good setup for the Great Intelligence's return decades later. The supporting characters were among the most engaging thus far, and serves as a great introduction to Lethbridge-Stewart. (x)
The Web of Fear was and is one of the most sought after lost serials because it is the first appearance of Lethbridge-Stewart, one of the longest-running characters in the entire franchise. Beyond that though, it is a damn good story. Acting as a pretty clear-cut sequel to The Abominable Snowmen, its builds up the mythology of both the Yeti and the Great Intelligence has utilizes the returning Professor Travers in an interesting way. All the supporting characters are clearly defined are are among the most engaging of the series to date, and its a delight to see the Doctor deduce and scheme in real time with someone who knows what he's talking about (Anne Travers is great and its a shame this is her only appearance). This serial also has a sense of fun urgency and excitement that isn't always present in these early serials.
1) Serial 4, Episodes 17-22 - The Enemy of the World
The Enemy of the World is a real standout for Troughton and one of the best serials thus far. He pulls off the dual roles brilliantly, and the serial introduces new elements halfway through while still feeling cohesive. (x)
This serial takes a conceit from an earlier one (The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve), with the actor playing the Doctor playing another role in the same serial, but takes it to new heights. It's easy to see how much fun Troughton is having, playing both the Doctor and Salamander and the Doctor pretending to be Salamander. The idea of a fascist figure rising to power in a very public manner also feels very modern in a way I wish it didn't, and this story plays the gamut of political intrigue to conspiracy to an approximation of action movie set pieces. Jamie and Victoria have the least to do here than they do in any serial this season, but they make every second of screentime count. But this serial is Troughton's, and he carries the story in a way he didn't really have to considering the strength of its narrative and plot structure.
Final Thoughts
The fifth season of Doctor Who is easily the best so far, making it past the growing pains of the previous two seasons and relying more on its main characters than plot gimmicks to tell a story. That said, the "gimmicks" were executed a lot better than they have been before, and Troughton has been able to make the Doctor his own and distinguish him from Hartnell's portrayal. I have no major criticisms of this season, and I'm simply looking forward to season six with the hope that this streak continues.