I knew going into it that the Sixth Doctor era of the show was very polarizing for a lot of people, but I didn't really know why. Part of this is that I wanted to avoid *spoilers* (as much as one can be spoiled for Classic Who anyway) but also because I never really saw any kind of widely expressed consensus, only that the Big Finish Audios really allowed Colin Baker to flourish in the role. So coming off of last season's The Twin Dilemma, I was expecting something along the lines of the sillier antics of the Williams era. Instead, I got the exact opposite. If I had to use one word to describe this season, it would probably be "bleak". This doesn't mean I hated it though - there are definite bright spots that I would be more than happy to revisit - but overall this sudden dark tone with the campy production setup honestly reminds me of some of the more fatalistic tendencies of the current Thirteenth Doctor era. And while I do think the season managed to figure itself out by the end, I also understand why it put the show in real danger of cancellation.

I will make a bold declaration though: Just going off of the stories I've seen, Colin Baker is an excellent Doctor. While he's still loud and prone to fits of anger, by the end of this season his demeanor and relationship with Peri is markedly different than it was when he debuted, and this transformation felt well structured and very much earned. I'm honestly kind of bummed he only has one more season in the role, even if its in an arc that looms large in the history of the show. It only makes me more steadfast in my decision to listen to the audio adaptions of the season 23 that never was after this.

Like the previous twenty-one seasons, the serials are available to watch via streaming on Britbox. This season had six stories, and was... interesting to rank because there were a couple of stories where I couldn't really nail down whether I actually liked them or not.

( I killed him, and he forgave me. Why did he have to be so nice about it? )