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Classic Doctor Who, Season 10 Review
Haha wow I'm really glad I didn't get too too far writing this post the first time, because Dreamwidth just fucking ATE IT. But anyway, I didn't meet my goal of watching Seasons 10 and 11 before my trip last week, but I did make it most of the way through this season before I left, and I intentionally saved all of The Green Death for after so I wouldn't accidentally parcel out my viewing of it.
This season was the first since Season 6 to not have the mandated earth-restriction by the Time Lords (and the powers that be), and to be honest, it felt a lot weaker than the Third Doctor's other seasons. Though, to be fair, I think this may have more to do with the two particularly weak stories in the middle of the season and some other baffling decisions rather than that change in format. At least the resolution of Jo's character arc and her subsequent exit were handled with some measure of grace.
Like the previous nine seasons, the serials are available to watch via streaming on Britbox. This season had five stories, but unlike the last few seasons I had a pretty easy time ranking them from best to worst.
The Characters
Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor - This season had some particularly strong material for Pertwee, and the majority of it was opposite Manning. I have to applaud the subtle transformation of his character from one that wanted to leave earth and never look back to one who's formed strong emotional attachments with the people he works with. During the last two serials in particular, it's clear how much Jo has come to mean to him and how much their inevitable separation hurts him.
Katy Manning as Jo Grant - I will preface this by saying I'm glad there's additional material for Jo now years later, but I though the culmination of her arc was done extremely well. Not only did the emotional beats land, but she's had possibly the best growth and progression of any companion to appear thus far. I was annoyed that they fell into the "Fourth Date Marriage" trope with her and Cliff, but aside from that I thought the execution of their relationship was extremely well done (especially with the parallels of Cliff and the Doctor). I will say her relationships with the major characters aside from the Doctor were short-changed this season, but considering the format change it was to be expected.
Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - The Brigadier doesn't have a ton of screen time this season but he makes the most of it. His turn in The Three Doctors was easily one of the highlights of the serial (and the season) and really credits him with the appropriate amount of weight considering how important he's become to the show. I also enjoyed how, by The Green Death, he works much more agreeably and in sync with The Doctor and Jo.
John Levene as Sergeant Benton - Benton probably had his biggest role to date in The Three Doctors, seemingly by accident when they couldn't get an old companion back, but I'm really thrilled this happened because he was great in it. He really got to show off the unique relationship he's formed with The Doctor and Jo and how it's markedly different from The Brigadier's and Mike Yates'. It's a bummer it comes towards the end of the earth-bound arc of stories, but the showcase is so strong it's hard to nitpick it.
Roger Delgado as The Master - In a season of characters getting their due, The Master was certainly not one of them. It's all the more painful as his sole appearance ended up being Delgado's final time playing the character before his death. While he gets some good sparring in with Pertwee and Manning in the middle of his serial, his role in the story is extremely erratic and ends with a poorly edited gunfight and the Master just spontaneously disappearing from the scene and from the narrative.
Richard Franklin as Mike Yates - Like The Master, he only shows up in one serial this season. However, he showed up in one of the better ones, and one that had him do stunt work, slapstick, suspense, and in general a lot of fun and cool bits. I also appreciated a quiet moment towards the end of the serial where Mike finds out about Jo's engagement and looks momentarily disappointed before congratulating them, a callback to a courtship that I guess just wasn't meant to be.
I'd also be remiss not to mention that Patrick Troughton reprising his role as The Second Doctor was absolutely sublime, and it was nice to see William Hartnell step into the shoes of The First Doctor one last time even if his role was severely limited.
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 3, Episodes 9-14 - Frontier in Space
So, uh, yeah. This might be one of my least favorite serials of the entire show because nothing that happens in it ultimately goes anywhere or matters at all. The first half of this serial sets up an intricate and volatile political landscape between the Humans and the Draconians after a hard-won peace, with the added twist that the Earth government also imprisoned political dissidents on the moon for life. A very interesting premise that is almost entirely abandoned once the master shows up. The main conflict of the story is ultimately boiled down to lipservice at the end, which veers off the deep end with the last minute revelation that The Daleks - who hadn't been mentioned once up to this point - were actually the ones who wanted to wage war and now they're here! For some reason! The reason obviously being to connect it to the next serial but it doesn't. Oh also the Ogrons live on a planet with an ugly flesh monster they fear as a god that may??????? have showed up at the end?????????? but is never shown onscreen because the editing (for what ended up being Delgado's final scene) was hot garbage and nothing about that sequence made any sense. Like the Doctor got shot but it didn't really mean anything?
Anyway, I thought the scene where Jo is able to resist The Master's mind control because she intentionally taught herself to resist it was neat.
4) Serial 4, Episodes 15-20 - Planet of the Daleks
This story is better than Frontier in Space in that it actually follows through on the story it sets up. That story does not connect whatsoever to any of the events in the previous story, but I digress. It had a similar problem where it soon became more interested in expediting the plot to hit certain milestones than paying off all the well done character work it explored early on. One of the Thals asking Jo to stay with them came seemingly out of nowhere (and if it had been foreshadowed it was so unremarkable that it became moot). I've seen critics compare the story to the original Dalek serial, and they're not wrong, but I think overall this story is an improvement because it meanders a lot less and there's a feeling that everything actually matters to the story. But the real strength here lies in the Third Doctor and Jo Grant's performances. The beginning stretch where each thought the other was dead or dying was brilliantly done and the actors sold the hell out of it, which made their reunion halfway through all the more poignant.
3) Serial 2, Episodes 5-8 - Carnival of Monsters
2) Serial 1, Episodes 1-4 - The Three Doctors
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this serial also ended the Doctor's exile on Earth. While I really enjoyed this era of the show, I'm glad that they're continuing to move the story arc of the show forward.
1) Serial 5, Episodes 20-26 - The Green Death
Final Thoughts
I never expected to fall in love with Jo Grant the way I did, so to go out with the character on a high note was great. However, the two preceding serials were such a let down that it makes me mildly concerned about the direction of the show now that it's free of it's restriction to Earth stories. Luckily, I know UNIT sticks around in some capacity for a while longer, and I've finally reached the long-awaited arrival of Sarah Jane Smith, a character I already love from the modern era. To say I'm excited to watch the next season is a vast understatement, though I've grown very fond of the Third Doctor and I'll be very sad to see him leave.
Monster-wise, the Power of the Daleks was probably the best Dalek-focused story in a while despite my issues with it. The Draconians were very interesting albeit under-served greatly. The Ogrons I think fell short due to executive meddling with that whole story, and the larva from The Green Death didn't have much personality but felt fresh and effective. The Drashigs made me laugh (in a good way).
I can see why this is considered the golden age of Classic Doctor Who. I've only just waded my toe in, but the show seems more willing to take bigger swings and there's much fewer allowances I need to give it for the time in which it was made. It's still clearly a fifty year old show, but the wrinkles are starting to show much less.
This season was the first since Season 6 to not have the mandated earth-restriction by the Time Lords (and the powers that be), and to be honest, it felt a lot weaker than the Third Doctor's other seasons. Though, to be fair, I think this may have more to do with the two particularly weak stories in the middle of the season and some other baffling decisions rather than that change in format. At least the resolution of Jo's character arc and her subsequent exit were handled with some measure of grace.
Like the previous nine seasons, the serials are available to watch via streaming on Britbox. This season had five stories, but unlike the last few seasons I had a pretty easy time ranking them from best to worst.
The Characters
Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor - This season had some particularly strong material for Pertwee, and the majority of it was opposite Manning. I have to applaud the subtle transformation of his character from one that wanted to leave earth and never look back to one who's formed strong emotional attachments with the people he works with. During the last two serials in particular, it's clear how much Jo has come to mean to him and how much their inevitable separation hurts him.
Katy Manning as Jo Grant - I will preface this by saying I'm glad there's additional material for Jo now years later, but I though the culmination of her arc was done extremely well. Not only did the emotional beats land, but she's had possibly the best growth and progression of any companion to appear thus far. I was annoyed that they fell into the "Fourth Date Marriage" trope with her and Cliff, but aside from that I thought the execution of their relationship was extremely well done (especially with the parallels of Cliff and the Doctor). I will say her relationships with the major characters aside from the Doctor were short-changed this season, but considering the format change it was to be expected.
Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - The Brigadier doesn't have a ton of screen time this season but he makes the most of it. His turn in The Three Doctors was easily one of the highlights of the serial (and the season) and really credits him with the appropriate amount of weight considering how important he's become to the show. I also enjoyed how, by The Green Death, he works much more agreeably and in sync with The Doctor and Jo.
John Levene as Sergeant Benton - Benton probably had his biggest role to date in The Three Doctors, seemingly by accident when they couldn't get an old companion back, but I'm really thrilled this happened because he was great in it. He really got to show off the unique relationship he's formed with The Doctor and Jo and how it's markedly different from The Brigadier's and Mike Yates'. It's a bummer it comes towards the end of the earth-bound arc of stories, but the showcase is so strong it's hard to nitpick it.
Roger Delgado as The Master - In a season of characters getting their due, The Master was certainly not one of them. It's all the more painful as his sole appearance ended up being Delgado's final time playing the character before his death. While he gets some good sparring in with Pertwee and Manning in the middle of his serial, his role in the story is extremely erratic and ends with a poorly edited gunfight and the Master just spontaneously disappearing from the scene and from the narrative.
Richard Franklin as Mike Yates - Like The Master, he only shows up in one serial this season. However, he showed up in one of the better ones, and one that had him do stunt work, slapstick, suspense, and in general a lot of fun and cool bits. I also appreciated a quiet moment towards the end of the serial where Mike finds out about Jo's engagement and looks momentarily disappointed before congratulating them, a callback to a courtship that I guess just wasn't meant to be.
I'd also be remiss not to mention that Patrick Troughton reprising his role as The Second Doctor was absolutely sublime, and it was nice to see William Hartnell step into the shoes of The First Doctor one last time even if his role was severely limited.
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 3, Episodes 9-14 - Frontier in Space
Frontier in Space has an interesting story that is weighed down by unnecessary padding and subplots that go nowhere. The shooting scene at the end was edited badly, and the serial seemed more concerned with transitioning to the next serial than finishing the story it was telling. (x)
So, uh, yeah. This might be one of my least favorite serials of the entire show because nothing that happens in it ultimately goes anywhere or matters at all. The first half of this serial sets up an intricate and volatile political landscape between the Humans and the Draconians after a hard-won peace, with the added twist that the Earth government also imprisoned political dissidents on the moon for life. A very interesting premise that is almost entirely abandoned once the master shows up. The main conflict of the story is ultimately boiled down to lipservice at the end, which veers off the deep end with the last minute revelation that The Daleks - who hadn't been mentioned once up to this point - were actually the ones who wanted to wage war and now they're here! For some reason! The reason obviously being to connect it to the next serial but it doesn't. Oh also the Ogrons live on a planet with an ugly flesh monster they fear as a god that may??????? have showed up at the end?????????? but is never shown onscreen because the editing (for what ended up being Delgado's final scene) was hot garbage and nothing about that sequence made any sense. Like the Doctor got shot but it didn't really mean anything?
Anyway, I thought the scene where Jo is able to resist The Master's mind control because she intentionally taught herself to resist it was neat.
4) Serial 4, Episodes 15-20 - Planet of the Daleks
Planet of the Daleks makes much better use of Dalek lore than their past few stories, but still squanders some interesting setup for the sake of expediting it's plot. The Doctor and Jo each get great material both separate and together which makes up for that a great deal though. (x)
This story is better than Frontier in Space in that it actually follows through on the story it sets up. That story does not connect whatsoever to any of the events in the previous story, but I digress. It had a similar problem where it soon became more interested in expediting the plot to hit certain milestones than paying off all the well done character work it explored early on. One of the Thals asking Jo to stay with them came seemingly out of nowhere (and if it had been foreshadowed it was so unremarkable that it became moot). I've seen critics compare the story to the original Dalek serial, and they're not wrong, but I think overall this story is an improvement because it meanders a lot less and there's a feeling that everything actually matters to the story. But the real strength here lies in the Third Doctor and Jo Grant's performances. The beginning stretch where each thought the other was dead or dying was brilliantly done and the actors sold the hell out of it, which made their reunion halfway through all the more poignant.
3) Serial 2, Episodes 5-8 - Carnival of Monsters
Carnival of Monsters has a really fresh and original concept that I wish they had explored more in depth. What they do with it here though is really fun and I really enjoyed this first official outing with the Third Doctor and Jo. The guest cast was particularly charming. (x)
I'm honestly surprised this serial ranked as low as it did, and it ultimately came down to the fact that the internal conflict with the Inter Minor tribunal was never really resolved. Aside from that, though, this story is incredibly solid and uniquely original for a Doctor Who story in the best possible way, and it serves as an excellent first "official outing" for Jo Grant on the TARDIS. I was also impressed by the guest cast and how the story took them seriously while also giving the story itself it's proper due - a balance the show doesn't always achieve (see Frontier in Space and Planet of the Daleks). Part of me wishes they had gone bigger with the story and explored more of the compartments in the Miniscope, but what they did offer was so well done and served specific purpose that to add more would feel like padding.2) Serial 1, Episodes 1-4 - The Three Doctors
The Three Doctors is a relatively straightforward story that's mostly fun for the interactions between the Second Doctor and the current cast. Omega was a really great villain though, and I'm glad they decided to spotlight Benton and the Brigadier in particular. (x)
This story is probably less well-rounded than Carnival of Monsters, but I had to elevate it higher because of the sheer strength of it's character work, both with the regular cast and the villain Omega. And in the end, a very character-based outing is what I wanted from a tenth anniversary special, as well as call backs to the show's history in the forms of the Second Doctor and, to a lesser degree, the First Doctor. Seeing Troughton and Pertwee play off of each other was a delight, as was seeing Troughton reunite with Courtney and interact with Manning for the first time. I know Jamie was originally slated to appear in this serial, but I'm honestly thrilled that they decided to beef up Benton's role instead considering his time on the show. I have to say, this was easily one of Courtney's best performances as The Brigadier, which is saying something considering how much they gave everyone to do in this story.I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this serial also ended the Doctor's exile on Earth. While I really enjoyed this era of the show, I'm glad that they're continuing to move the story arc of the show forward.
1) Serial 5, Episodes 20-26 - The Green Death
The Green Death was a bit rough around the edges production-wise but (mostly) nailed the end of Jo Grant's character arc and exit from the show. I also liked how all of the supporting players got something to do as well, and the narrative felt very streamlined and cohesive. (x)
There's a lot to be said about the strength of a good script. The Green Death definitely didn't land at the top of my list because of it's special effects. If anything, this serial might have some of the worst effects in the entire show. But this exit story for Jo Grant was just so well done and was so satisfying in almost every other regard that it more than makes up for it. The story uses some familiar tropes but in a way that feels fresh, and the story's villain - BOSS - feels so unlike any other computer villain which are essentially rip-offs of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I also rather enjoyed a very animated subplot for Mike Yates, who was otherwise missing from this season. What really sold this serial were Pertwee and Manning's performances, as they both slowly realize that Jo has outgrown the Doctor while finding comparability with someone (Professor Cliff Jones) who embodies so many of his qualities while being accessible in ways the Doctor can never be. Their goodbye scene was perfect, and perhaps the most emotional exit the show has had since Jamie and Zoe, or maybe even Susan. All in all, Jo Grant got the exit she, and the audience, deserved.Final Thoughts
I never expected to fall in love with Jo Grant the way I did, so to go out with the character on a high note was great. However, the two preceding serials were such a let down that it makes me mildly concerned about the direction of the show now that it's free of it's restriction to Earth stories. Luckily, I know UNIT sticks around in some capacity for a while longer, and I've finally reached the long-awaited arrival of Sarah Jane Smith, a character I already love from the modern era. To say I'm excited to watch the next season is a vast understatement, though I've grown very fond of the Third Doctor and I'll be very sad to see him leave.
Monster-wise, the Power of the Daleks was probably the best Dalek-focused story in a while despite my issues with it. The Draconians were very interesting albeit under-served greatly. The Ogrons I think fell short due to executive meddling with that whole story, and the larva from The Green Death didn't have much personality but felt fresh and effective. The Drashigs made me laugh (in a good way).
I can see why this is considered the golden age of Classic Doctor Who. I've only just waded my toe in, but the show seems more willing to take bigger swings and there's much fewer allowances I need to give it for the time in which it was made. It's still clearly a fifty year old show, but the wrinkles are starting to show much less.
no subject
Yes, I seem to recall that actually that was due to some production issues - I forget, though. It's been a while since my dedicated DWM-reading days! But I have a vague feeling that they had to reshoot something and Delgado wasn't available at that point? And of course, it didn't matter too much then anyway, because they were going to write a big leaving serial for him.
It's really funny because I only have a vague impression about what the 4-7th doctors are like because I only have vague impressions from what I've read and easter eggs in the revival (which was true of Two and Three as well and I don't think either of them came across quite exactly how I expected).
Aw, I think it's really cool to be able to come in without much knowledge! I've been seeing a few people watch it for the first time recently & it's always fun because everyone has such completely different takes on everything. (WHich is one of the reasons I'm amused at talk of fandom consensus in relation to DW, because my understanding is that we've never actually been able to reach one and we've been fighting hard since at least the formation of the DWAS in the late 70s and probably before that wherever two or more fans gathered together, and no doubt will continue to never agree as long as anyone's watching DW anywhere in any format for as long as it goes on! :-D)