![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Classic Doctor Who, Season 9 Review
So I feel like I'm finally getting back into a decent groove of watching this show. The self-imposed time limit probably had some effect, but what I think really helped is that there are a few stories from the last couple of seasons I really adored (even if critics didn't always).
I think this season mostly solved the problem the show was started to fall into where it didn't want to tell earth-bound stories by leaning into the story element from Colony in Space where the Time Lords assigned The Doctor to perform tasks for them. I'm looking forward to the show becoming untethered again next season, but that compromise has given this season a distinct flavor. In general, I feel like the seasons of the Third Doctor's tenure have done a pretty good job leaving a unique impression, whereas the First and Second Doctor seasons all functioned similarly but were defined more by cast changes.
Like the previous seven seasons, the serials are available to watch via streaming on Britbox. This season had five stories, and I waffled a lot between ranking my top two stories and ultimately had to go with my gut.
The Characters
Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor - All the characters are fairly in line with how they were last season, but the Third Doctor has really embraced his circumstances as an agent of UNIT and the Time Lords. The stories this season have also steered more into the "science" aspects of the show so Pertwee's gotten to show off more in that regard. Overall he just seems more comfortable and less combative.
Katy Manning as Jo Grant - This season still has the "Jo is an airhead" gag in full effect, but the rest of the writing doesn't support this (bad) premise. Jo is much more resourceful and shows great aptitude for understanding everything the Doctor throws at her and even coming up with solutions to problems. She's also made much less of a damsel, and it's easy to tell Manning is enjoying this material much more.
Roger Delgado as The Master - The Master only shows up in two stories but his presence is very felt. It's a change from last season as the character seems more on the defensive than the offensive, and tries to avoid dealing with the Doctor rather than challenge him head-on. Dealing with his imprisonment (and how it contrasts with his imprisonment later in the revival) and his fear of being ultimately punished for his crimes has made him a much richer character, and Delgado is always a fun screen presence even when he has to navigate through otherwise drab scenes.
Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - One of the bigger disappointments this season was much much UNIT faded into the background this season after their strong showing in season 8, so while the Brigadier was fun in the two serials he appeared in, his role was relatively minor and not notably different from his demeanor last season. I only hope to enjoy more of his appearances in the future.
John Levene as Sergeant Benton - Same issue as with the Brigadier, but Benton probably fared the best of the UNIT characters as his appearances usually were marked by a humorous moment like being temporarily turned into a baby or getting tricked out of a snack by Mike Yates.
Richard Franklin as Mike Yates - Appeared even less than the Brigadier and Benton, but both his appearances were more action oriented as he hunted for The Doctor and Jo in one serial and survived a bombing in the other. Hoping to see more of him next season, particularly in scenes with Jo.
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.
5) Serial 5, Episodes 21-26 - The Time Monster
I'm really sad I have to rank this last because I really, really enjoyed the first half of this serial. I found the premise of a scientific study at a Cambridge institute intriguing and the execution of it inexplicably fun to watch. It helped that the researchers banter with the Master and later the Doctor was extremely engaging, and the concept of human experiments creating Time Anomalies was an interesting premise. However, the moment the Master brings that priest from Atlantis forward into the future the story begins to nosedive, and the final two episodes in Atlantis were painful to get through. I appreciated how good the sets looked, but I found the whole premise with the Queen being horny for the Master to be such a massive step down story-wise, and the way it played out was either extremely boring or extremely confusing (like when Jo was trapped with a Minotaur????). That setting is quickly abandoned in order to deal with the fallout for The Master specifically - which was the right call since that was the only interesting aspect left - but the journey back in time felt like a waste. The scenes with the Master, Jo, and the Doctor battling it out in the TARDIS should have been the sole focus at the end to be honest, though the gag at the end with Benton aging back without clothes was amusing.
4) Serial 3, Episodes 9-14 - The Sea Devils
Aside from the Master's imprisonment, this serial felt like a rehash of previously used story beats but with a much bigger budget. That's nothing to sneeze at though - all the location shots looked great and I was really impressed they were able to execute something like this using all those ships and personnel. That said, the main story was essentially a weaker retelling of The Silurians from season 7, and in revisiting that plot I was very annoyed that the Brigadier did not appear in this story to deal with the repercussions of his decision. To be honest, the storyline with the Master's imprisonment probably benefited from the Revival's Series 10 storyline where Missy is imprisoned by the Doctor and her reaction to it. It retroactively gives this story more weight and depth than it really was intended to have. That said, Delgado was great in this, and it was nice to see the show readdress past story beats for once.
3) Serial 1, Episodes 1-4 - Day of the Daleks
Honestly I'm surprised I've ranked this story as high as I have, because my biggest complaint with it was that it felt rushed. This is one of the rare stories I thought would have benefited being a couple of episodes longer. The story with the Controller in particular was fascinating but felt like it was cut short, and his death scene seemed to hint at something to come which never actually occurred. The final scene also felt rather immediate and the story ended immediately after the Daleks died in the exploding building, which no scenes of reflection or any explicit wrap-up. That said, this story was very tightly paced and felt thrilling to watch, and none of the scenes felt like dead weight or like they weren't explicitly serving a purpose. This is good though as it doesn't linger too much on the logistics of the Daleks' return and simply revels in the fact that they are, indeed, back and just as menacing as ever.
2) Serial 2, Episodes 5-8 - The Curse of Peladon
1) Serial 4, Episodes 15-20 - The Mutants
I really debated about whether I should rank this number one or number two, but I ultimately went with my gut and ranked it on top because this serial completely engaged me in a way that few Doctor Who serials - even ones I really like! - have managed to. I'm not sure what it is about this story, but it just seemed to click with me on a very fundamental level. There are some unfortunate elements (The first major black guest star on the show is playing a character named... Cotton) but it's one that has a good (and sadly timely) message and moves at a very pleasant and engaging pace. Every day player feels like they play a unique and vital role in the story, and the Doctor and Jo managed to each play an active role in every scene they were in. Hell, I even felt sad when one of the supporting players died in the penultimate episode! The ending itself is completely ridiculous, I absolutely loved it and it made it instantly memorable.
Final Thoughts
This season really embraced a sense of fun and a willingness to take creative risks, and built smartly off elements introduced or resolved in the previous season. That said, I'm saddened by the diminished roles of the Brigadier, Benton, and Mike Yates as I rather enjoyed the ensemble feel of last season quite a lot. Jo's growth as a character and a companion definitely offsets this though, as was the more restrained use of The Master and a willingness to bend some of the series' (current) rules.
Monster-wise, I really felt like the Daleks - despite their grand return - really took a backseat to really strong showings by the Ice Warriors and the intriguing premise of the Mutants. I wish the Sea Devils had been differentiated more from the Silurians, and Kronos was probably the most creative element to come out of the poorly executed Atlantis storyline. Next season sees the Doctor fully unleashed from his exile, so I'm excited to see the show really push the limits of what it's allowed to do.
... Not to mention the tenth anniversary special. I'm REALLY looking forward to that!
I think this season mostly solved the problem the show was started to fall into where it didn't want to tell earth-bound stories by leaning into the story element from Colony in Space where the Time Lords assigned The Doctor to perform tasks for them. I'm looking forward to the show becoming untethered again next season, but that compromise has given this season a distinct flavor. In general, I feel like the seasons of the Third Doctor's tenure have done a pretty good job leaving a unique impression, whereas the First and Second Doctor seasons all functioned similarly but were defined more by cast changes.
Like the previous seven seasons, the serials are available to watch via streaming on Britbox. This season had five stories, and I waffled a lot between ranking my top two stories and ultimately had to go with my gut.
The Characters
Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor - All the characters are fairly in line with how they were last season, but the Third Doctor has really embraced his circumstances as an agent of UNIT and the Time Lords. The stories this season have also steered more into the "science" aspects of the show so Pertwee's gotten to show off more in that regard. Overall he just seems more comfortable and less combative.
Katy Manning as Jo Grant - This season still has the "Jo is an airhead" gag in full effect, but the rest of the writing doesn't support this (bad) premise. Jo is much more resourceful and shows great aptitude for understanding everything the Doctor throws at her and even coming up with solutions to problems. She's also made much less of a damsel, and it's easy to tell Manning is enjoying this material much more.
Roger Delgado as The Master - The Master only shows up in two stories but his presence is very felt. It's a change from last season as the character seems more on the defensive than the offensive, and tries to avoid dealing with the Doctor rather than challenge him head-on. Dealing with his imprisonment (and how it contrasts with his imprisonment later in the revival) and his fear of being ultimately punished for his crimes has made him a much richer character, and Delgado is always a fun screen presence even when he has to navigate through otherwise drab scenes.
Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - One of the bigger disappointments this season was much much UNIT faded into the background this season after their strong showing in season 8, so while the Brigadier was fun in the two serials he appeared in, his role was relatively minor and not notably different from his demeanor last season. I only hope to enjoy more of his appearances in the future.
John Levene as Sergeant Benton - Same issue as with the Brigadier, but Benton probably fared the best of the UNIT characters as his appearances usually were marked by a humorous moment like being temporarily turned into a baby or getting tricked out of a snack by Mike Yates.
Richard Franklin as Mike Yates - Appeared even less than the Brigadier and Benton, but both his appearances were more action oriented as he hunted for The Doctor and Jo in one serial and survived a bombing in the other. Hoping to see more of him next season, particularly in scenes with Jo.
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.
5) Serial 5, Episodes 21-26 - The Time Monster
The Time Monster is an interesting story that begins as a fun scientific field trip to Cambridge but then rapidly loses momentum as characters from Atlantis are introduced, and then screeches to a halt in the final two episodes. I enjoyed the researchers quite a bit though. (x)
I'm really sad I have to rank this last because I really, really enjoyed the first half of this serial. I found the premise of a scientific study at a Cambridge institute intriguing and the execution of it inexplicably fun to watch. It helped that the researchers banter with the Master and later the Doctor was extremely engaging, and the concept of human experiments creating Time Anomalies was an interesting premise. However, the moment the Master brings that priest from Atlantis forward into the future the story begins to nosedive, and the final two episodes in Atlantis were painful to get through. I appreciated how good the sets looked, but I found the whole premise with the Queen being horny for the Master to be such a massive step down story-wise, and the way it played out was either extremely boring or extremely confusing (like when Jo was trapped with a Minotaur????). That setting is quickly abandoned in order to deal with the fallout for The Master specifically - which was the right call since that was the only interesting aspect left - but the journey back in time felt like a waste. The scenes with the Master, Jo, and the Doctor battling it out in the TARDIS should have been the sole focus at the end to be honest, though the gag at the end with Benton aging back without clothes was amusing.
4) Serial 3, Episodes 9-14 - The Sea Devils
The Sea Devils is in many ways a retread of story beats from earlier in the Third Doctor's tenure playing off each other. The Master's return was probably the strongest element of this serial, though I was impressed by the scope of all the location shots on military vessels. (x)
Aside from the Master's imprisonment, this serial felt like a rehash of previously used story beats but with a much bigger budget. That's nothing to sneeze at though - all the location shots looked great and I was really impressed they were able to execute something like this using all those ships and personnel. That said, the main story was essentially a weaker retelling of The Silurians from season 7, and in revisiting that plot I was very annoyed that the Brigadier did not appear in this story to deal with the repercussions of his decision. To be honest, the storyline with the Master's imprisonment probably benefited from the Revival's Series 10 storyline where Missy is imprisoned by the Doctor and her reaction to it. It retroactively gives this story more weight and depth than it really was intended to have. That said, Delgado was great in this, and it was nice to see the show readdress past story beats for once.
3) Serial 1, Episodes 1-4 - Day of the Daleks
Day of the Daleks is perhaps too tightly paced for it's own good, but never feels like it's dragging and remains pretty consistently engaging and thematically complex. The Controller's story in the future setting was particularly compelling and (unfortunately) timely. (x)
Honestly I'm surprised I've ranked this story as high as I have, because my biggest complaint with it was that it felt rushed. This is one of the rare stories I thought would have benefited being a couple of episodes longer. The story with the Controller in particular was fascinating but felt like it was cut short, and his death scene seemed to hint at something to come which never actually occurred. The final scene also felt rather immediate and the story ended immediately after the Daleks died in the exploding building, which no scenes of reflection or any explicit wrap-up. That said, this story was very tightly paced and felt thrilling to watch, and none of the scenes felt like dead weight or like they weren't explicitly serving a purpose. This is good though as it doesn't linger too much on the logistics of the Daleks' return and simply revels in the fact that they are, indeed, back and just as menacing as ever.
2) Serial 2, Episodes 5-8 - The Curse of Peladon
The Curse of Peladon was much more effective than it had any right to be. The storyline was intriguing and the use of the Ice Warriors in particular was inspired. I also loved how ridiculous Alpha Centauri was and how much they stuck out. Great set and wardrobe design all around. (x)
The premise of this serial relied on a lot of world-building and the abilities of its actors and frankly should not have worked as well as it did. The story was incredibly easy to watch and digest and I really enjoyed how it subverted expectations by making the Ice Warriors the good guys and allies of the Doctor. It was weirdly comforting and felt earned, with the lore of this story feeling natural and extremely well-constructed. The Alpha Centauri costume was ridiculously but completely charming, and the villain's plan was fairly obvious but still managed to surprise with some minor twists. The set design also felt much grander than it really was, and the director made excellent use of the space as the characters actions made it feel very real and navigable. Overall, Peladon came to life in a way I wasn't really expecting, and I'm really looking forward to a return visit in a few seasons.1) Serial 4, Episodes 15-20 - The Mutants
The Mutants is an incredibly well-executed story that starts out very strong and never loses momentum. The Doctor and Jo were great and the one-off characters were equally effective. The central conflicts were extremely compelling, even though the ending looked kind of silly. (x)
I really debated about whether I should rank this number one or number two, but I ultimately went with my gut and ranked it on top because this serial completely engaged me in a way that few Doctor Who serials - even ones I really like! - have managed to. I'm not sure what it is about this story, but it just seemed to click with me on a very fundamental level. There are some unfortunate elements (The first major black guest star on the show is playing a character named... Cotton) but it's one that has a good (and sadly timely) message and moves at a very pleasant and engaging pace. Every day player feels like they play a unique and vital role in the story, and the Doctor and Jo managed to each play an active role in every scene they were in. Hell, I even felt sad when one of the supporting players died in the penultimate episode! The ending itself is completely ridiculous, I absolutely loved it and it made it instantly memorable.
Final Thoughts
This season really embraced a sense of fun and a willingness to take creative risks, and built smartly off elements introduced or resolved in the previous season. That said, I'm saddened by the diminished roles of the Brigadier, Benton, and Mike Yates as I rather enjoyed the ensemble feel of last season quite a lot. Jo's growth as a character and a companion definitely offsets this though, as was the more restrained use of The Master and a willingness to bend some of the series' (current) rules.
Monster-wise, I really felt like the Daleks - despite their grand return - really took a backseat to really strong showings by the Ice Warriors and the intriguing premise of the Mutants. I wish the Sea Devils had been differentiated more from the Silurians, and Kronos was probably the most creative element to come out of the poorly executed Atlantis storyline. Next season sees the Doctor fully unleashed from his exile, so I'm excited to see the show really push the limits of what it's allowed to do.
... Not to mention the tenth anniversary special. I'm REALLY looking forward to that!