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Classic Doctor Who, Season 15 Review
It's May the 4th! (When I started this post, anyway.) And I'm casually writing this Doctor Who review over the course of the day as a way to help ease myself through a bunch of Star Wars material I've been putting off for months. It helps that I'm going into this with a pretty clear view of what I'm going to write, since this season was a very clear-cut mixed bag of good, meh, and, uh, bad serials. This isn't much of a complaint, since I thought the good and meh material was more than sufficient, but part of me wonders if this is the ratio I should be prepping myself for from here on out.
Also, on a technical note, I changed the icon on some of my review posts, as I originally planned to do those in 6 season groups but decided that 5 season groups would make more sense. It's the little things I guess. It's silly, but not as silly as parts of this season were. I was expecting a tonal change, but I wasn't quite prepared for it to feel as different as it did. While the contents are substantially different, each story (even Fang Rock) feels much lighter, and that can't all be chalked up to the introduction of robot assistant K-9. It'll be interested to see if they keep this tone or modify it even more over the next couple of seasons.
Like the previous fourteen seasons, the serials are available to watch via streaming on Britbox. This season had six stories, and was very easy to rank. Like, moments after I finished it I already had it solidified in my head, which has never happened before.
The Characters
Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor - I guess this is the real beginning of Tom Baker: character actor, since there seems to be a sudden abundance of acting choices made that don't have any clear reasoning as far as plot goes. It doesn't quite come across like a bit, Baker is too skilled for that, but it does make for some eccentricity for eccentricity's sake. His relationship with Leela has moved past the "getting to know you" phase of the previous season to falling into an affectionate rhythm that is laced with lots of sudden mood changes and impatience. While it's not as strong a performance as his previous seasons, it does show Baker has the versatility to adapt the Fourth Doctor to a wide variety of stories and situations and still have him feel like the same character.
Louise Jameson as Leela - I was hoping this season would have a stronger showcase for Leela, but Jameson does make the most of what she is given. There is a very real affection between her and K-9, and her relationship with the Doctor feels much stronger but still very different from his repartee with Sarah Jane. That said, while I enjoyed her final story, I did not particularly like her exit. While I'm glad they didn't kill her off like Jameson wanted, I wish they gave her a better reason to leave than falling in love with a guy she didn't have any real romantic tension with in the story itself. Overall though, I thought the character had a very good run as a companion, I just wish she'd been given more.
John Leeson as K9 Mark I - I was familiar with the K9 character from New Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures, but he was always used in small doses so I wasn't sure what having him as a regular companion would look like. I think he mostly works because the use of him was relatively restrained, keeping him out of the action entirely in Image of the Fendahl (I know its because he was added as a regular after the script was already written, but still) and a supporting role in most of the others. In some ways the character is almost overpowered, but I think they struck a good balance so he's not a band-aid solution to all the problems they face. I'm glad that, despite the insistence to the contrary, Leela being openly more affectionate toward him actually had an effect and swayed him to stay with her at the end of the season instead of going with the Doctor. It'll be interesting to see what differences, if any, Mark II will have, and how this version carries over to that odd spinoff show K9.
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.
6) Serial 5, Episodes 17-20 - Underworld
Listen, up until now I've at least enjoyed watching the Classic serials that ranked lower on my lists, but this may be the first story I just straight up disliked. It's just bad. After the first episode I essentially had no idea what was going on and instead of rewinding to try to regain my bearings I just immediately gave up. Everything about this story felt like a retread of something that'd been done better over the past couple of seasons, particularly last season's The Face of Evil. At least, that was what I took away from it, since, again, I largely couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on for most of this story, and the synopsis I read afterwards didn't feel like it resembled what I saw play out all that much. It's a shame, since this is a story that draws heavily on Greco-Roman mythology (which I love), and especially because it deals with a civilization with ties to the Time Lords.
I'd be remiss if I also didn't point out that this story looks bad. While a lot of the practical effects haven't looked great on Doctor Who before, it's always at it's worst when it relies on bluescreen, and a huge chunk of this serial utilizes it. It doesn't help that a lot of the settings involved cave halls and it seemed to mostly consist of people running frantically through them. The villain's henchmen dressed like knock-off Kylo Ren didn't seem to have any point to the actual story aside from being the most memorable visual.
5) Serial 2, Episodes 5-8 - The Invisible Enemy
There's actually a fair amount of this story that I think works, particularly regarding it's story format which doesn't really resemble anything the show has done before. Unfortunately it's the biggest swing - shrinking down temporary clones to battle the evil virus - that drags this story down as it feels too silly coming off of several seasons of darker and heavier material. I thought K9 was very well suited to this story and is utilized in the narrative appropriately, but his integration into the TARDIS team feels heavy-handed at times.
I do have to give it major credit in one regard, in that this is a story where Leela is very much driving large parts of the action as the Doctor spends part of this story out of commission. In a season that weirdly sidelined her at times, it was nice to see her take charge in a very overt way. This also allowed for her to get a large amount of screentime with K9 in his first story, establishing the bond that would carry them to their eventual exits.
4) Serial 6, Episodes 21-26 - The Invasion of Time
Borusa was an extremely compelling foil for the Doctor, and the setting and politics of the society feels much more deftly handled than it did in last season's The Deadly Assassin. It feels like a lot of the aspects I didn't care for in that story have an immediate purpose now, and adds some major elements to a mythology I suspect will become more central to the show over the next few seasons. I also enjoyed the Vardans (even though the special effects from them were among the worst I've ever seen for this show), and the Sontarans were a nice twist even though the last couple of episodes felt very extraneous. I did enjoy the tour through the Tardis, and it kind of makes me want to write a fanfic where they all have a pool party.
3) Serial 1, Episodes 1-4 - Horror of Fang Rock
I know it's in the upper part of this list, but part of me wishes I'd be able to rank this higher since I know it's well-liked. But parts of this serial didn't feel as cleverly constructed as I would've liked, and the method in which the Rutan was murdering people felt very obvious. At a certain point towards the end, the story also lacked stakes for me as the last remaining sympathetic guest character had died in episode 3, and the remaining guest cast were quickly dispatched, leaving the Doctor and Leela as the only survivors. It kinda felt like all of it was for naught as they were unable to save anyone, not even Adelaide who felt like one of the worst seige ensemble characters the show has produced in years. Especially when contrasted Leela, she just felt very regressive and insufferable, and I can't say I was upset when she was unceremoniously killed after doing nothing but whine and cry the whole story.
Okay, all that aside, I really did enjoy this story. It has an excellent setting with the lighthouse, and the Doctor and Leela really feel like they've come into their own as a duo. Leela in particular feels very confidently written and portrayed, and comes up with the solution to defeat the villain before the Doctor does. While not reaching the heights of some serials of the past couple of seasons, the atmosphere felt very well constructed and creepy. I also appreciated that we finally met the oft-mentioned Rutans, and I kind of hope the show is willing to revisit this aspect of it's lore onscreen someday.
2) Serial 4, Episodes 13-16 - The Sun Makers
I also thought all three of the leads had particularly strong outings here. K9 has his first post-introduction adventure, and shows an interesting interpretation for following directions at times. The Doctor both rallies and aggravates the people he's trying to help in equal measure, and defeats the villain with a conversation rather than combat. Leela, channeling some of her best and most violent impulses, helps drive the other characters to rise up against their oppressors. I also thought the villains, a mix of self-serving bureaucrats and an alien that feeds off of corporate success to sustain his larger form, getting flushed down a metaphorical toilet when he goes bankrupt. A fantastic realization of it's concepts.
1) Serial 3, Episodes 9-12 - Image of the Fendahl
Image of the Fendahl is tightly written with great pacing and is incredibly engaging from beginning to end. I really love the blending of occult superstition with scifi, and the whole ensemble popped much more than usual. That said, the K9 scene at the end felt too extraneous. (x)
This one absolutely hit the sweet spot for me of the occult mixed with scifi, much like The Dæmons did (and sort of like how Pyramids of Mars did, which is funny considering they were shot at the same location). So I was already all in from the start but it also helped that this serial is just straight up fantastic. All the characters feel like they have a purpose in the narrative that's fully utilized, and the guest cast is able to compellingly maneuver major parts of the plot without the involvement of the Doctor or Leela. Martha Tyler was a particularly fun archetype and performance to watch. I loved how it tied into human superstition and evoked a kind of spooky horror movie atmosphere. I actually didn't mind how the creatures in this ultimately looked, and the concern for showing violence onscreen leading them to have certain things take place just offscreen (like Stael shooting himself in the head) honestly just makes them more effective.
I will say, this was a particularly strong story for the Doctor and Leela. Leela in particular had a lot of great action set-pieces, and while her violent nature has been brought up in previous stories this is the first one that really highlights it. The scene where Leela reassures the Doctor that she'll protect him, much to his surprise, is a particular highlight. Overall, it felt like this is some of the best material this duo has been given. My only really quibble with this story is the bumper scenes with K9 feel out of place, and you can tell they were added as part of a hasty rewrite to explain his absence from the bulk of the story.
Final Thoughts
So I loved Leela and the time she spent in the TARDIS, but overall her tenure feels like a mixed bag of great stories and... uh... some not great stories. I kind of wish the attempts to have her pop up again in a later season of the show had panned out, since it probably would've given her a much stronger exit than she was granted here. I was surprised at how well K9 worked on the show (mostly because it felt like they didn't overuse him). With all the Gallifrey stuff bubbling to the surface over the last couple of seasons, I'm interested to see where the show goes with this, especially since next season I'm finally going to meet the classic companion I've seen a lot of (but know relatively little about aside from the fact that she's a timelady who regenerates once), Romana.
I am taking a short break from Classic Who, as it's the middle of a companion changeover which seems like a good place to hit pause. I've binged four seasons over the course of two months which isn't bad, and I've quite enjoyed it, but I'm worried I'll burn myself out on Doctor Who if I'm not careful. I may end up picking it up again as soon as next week or I may wait until June. I'm playing it by ear. Otherwise, I'm extremely excited for the next three seasons(!!!) of the Fourth Doctor's run.
Also, on a technical note, I changed the icon on some of my review posts, as I originally planned to do those in 6 season groups but decided that 5 season groups would make more sense. It's the little things I guess. It's silly, but not as silly as parts of this season were. I was expecting a tonal change, but I wasn't quite prepared for it to feel as different as it did. While the contents are substantially different, each story (even Fang Rock) feels much lighter, and that can't all be chalked up to the introduction of robot assistant K-9. It'll be interested to see if they keep this tone or modify it even more over the next couple of seasons.
Like the previous fourteen seasons, the serials are available to watch via streaming on Britbox. This season had six stories, and was very easy to rank. Like, moments after I finished it I already had it solidified in my head, which has never happened before.
The Characters
Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor - I guess this is the real beginning of Tom Baker: character actor, since there seems to be a sudden abundance of acting choices made that don't have any clear reasoning as far as plot goes. It doesn't quite come across like a bit, Baker is too skilled for that, but it does make for some eccentricity for eccentricity's sake. His relationship with Leela has moved past the "getting to know you" phase of the previous season to falling into an affectionate rhythm that is laced with lots of sudden mood changes and impatience. While it's not as strong a performance as his previous seasons, it does show Baker has the versatility to adapt the Fourth Doctor to a wide variety of stories and situations and still have him feel like the same character.
Louise Jameson as Leela - I was hoping this season would have a stronger showcase for Leela, but Jameson does make the most of what she is given. There is a very real affection between her and K-9, and her relationship with the Doctor feels much stronger but still very different from his repartee with Sarah Jane. That said, while I enjoyed her final story, I did not particularly like her exit. While I'm glad they didn't kill her off like Jameson wanted, I wish they gave her a better reason to leave than falling in love with a guy she didn't have any real romantic tension with in the story itself. Overall though, I thought the character had a very good run as a companion, I just wish she'd been given more.
John Leeson as K9 Mark I - I was familiar with the K9 character from New Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures, but he was always used in small doses so I wasn't sure what having him as a regular companion would look like. I think he mostly works because the use of him was relatively restrained, keeping him out of the action entirely in Image of the Fendahl (I know its because he was added as a regular after the script was already written, but still) and a supporting role in most of the others. In some ways the character is almost overpowered, but I think they struck a good balance so he's not a band-aid solution to all the problems they face. I'm glad that, despite the insistence to the contrary, Leela being openly more affectionate toward him actually had an effect and swayed him to stay with her at the end of the season instead of going with the Doctor. It'll be interesting to see what differences, if any, Mark II will have, and how this version carries over to that odd spinoff show K9.
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.
6) Serial 5, Episodes 17-20 - Underworld
Underworld... felt like a lot of recycled parts of much better stories cobbled together. I frequently had no idea what was going on, and it honestly didn't feel like much of anything happened aside from people running around and shooting lasers. A lot of wasted opportunities. (x)
Listen, up until now I've at least enjoyed watching the Classic serials that ranked lower on my lists, but this may be the first story I just straight up disliked. It's just bad. After the first episode I essentially had no idea what was going on and instead of rewinding to try to regain my bearings I just immediately gave up. Everything about this story felt like a retread of something that'd been done better over the past couple of seasons, particularly last season's The Face of Evil. At least, that was what I took away from it, since, again, I largely couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on for most of this story, and the synopsis I read afterwards didn't feel like it resembled what I saw play out all that much. It's a shame, since this is a story that draws heavily on Greco-Roman mythology (which I love), and especially because it deals with a civilization with ties to the Time Lords.
I'd be remiss if I also didn't point out that this story looks bad. While a lot of the practical effects haven't looked great on Doctor Who before, it's always at it's worst when it relies on bluescreen, and a huge chunk of this serial utilizes it. It doesn't help that a lot of the settings involved cave halls and it seemed to mostly consist of people running frantically through them. The villain's henchmen dressed like knock-off Kylo Ren didn't seem to have any point to the actual story aside from being the most memorable visual.
5) Serial 2, Episodes 5-8 - The Invisible Enemy
The Invisible Enemy went in a direction I very much wasn't expecting, and I appreciate how many big swings it was willing to take creatively. The Doctor and Leela have a much easier dynamic in this, and K9 fits into the story much better than I expected he would. (x)
There's actually a fair amount of this story that I think works, particularly regarding it's story format which doesn't really resemble anything the show has done before. Unfortunately it's the biggest swing - shrinking down temporary clones to battle the evil virus - that drags this story down as it feels too silly coming off of several seasons of darker and heavier material. I thought K9 was very well suited to this story and is utilized in the narrative appropriately, but his integration into the TARDIS team feels heavy-handed at times.
I do have to give it major credit in one regard, in that this is a story where Leela is very much driving large parts of the action as the Doctor spends part of this story out of commission. In a season that weirdly sidelined her at times, it was nice to see her take charge in a very overt way. This also allowed for her to get a large amount of screentime with K9 in his first story, establishing the bond that would carry them to their eventual exits.
4) Serial 6, Episodes 21-26 - The Invasion of Time
The Invasion of Time wasn't a great exit for Leela, but was a pretty solid story that builds on the foundation of The Deadly Assassin. It was fun seeing more of the TARDIS interior, as well as having the Doctor's true motivations slowly revealed over the course of the story. (x)
I actually quite liked this story, and I debated bumping it a spot higher, but ultimately I think it's failure to give Leela a satisfying exit leaves me with too much ill-will. It doesn't help that it didn't feel like she was an active part of this story's narrative, instead taking on the role of the audience surrogate whose unaware of the Doctor's ultimate plan. That aspect was probably the strongest, as the Doctor's actions became increasingly alarming as he continued to help the villains of the story and seemingly turned against Leela. The gradual reveal over the middle act of the story of why he did certain things was extremely satisfying, as was Leela managing to thrive on her own without his guidance. (I'd also be remiss that it feels strange the Doctor was able to bring Leela to Gallifrey while he wasn't able to bring Sarah Jane last season). As far as her exit goes... like, Andred is hot, but they had one meaningful scene together, and it feels reminiscent of previous companion exists where they fall in love with someone they met that story, which already felt contrived when they did it with Jo in season 10.Borusa was an extremely compelling foil for the Doctor, and the setting and politics of the society feels much more deftly handled than it did in last season's The Deadly Assassin. It feels like a lot of the aspects I didn't care for in that story have an immediate purpose now, and adds some major elements to a mythology I suspect will become more central to the show over the next few seasons. I also enjoyed the Vardans (even though the special effects from them were among the worst I've ever seen for this show), and the Sontarans were a nice twist even though the last couple of episodes felt very extraneous. I did enjoy the tour through the Tardis, and it kind of makes me want to write a fanfic where they all have a pool party.
3) Serial 1, Episodes 1-4 - Horror of Fang Rock
Horror of Fang Rock has a great setting and it's ultimate antagonist really fleshes out some of the lore of the series. The Doctor and Leela are great in this, but a lot of the supporting cast is lacking, particularly the passengers who crash onto the shore in the second episode. (x)
I know it's in the upper part of this list, but part of me wishes I'd be able to rank this higher since I know it's well-liked. But parts of this serial didn't feel as cleverly constructed as I would've liked, and the method in which the Rutan was murdering people felt very obvious. At a certain point towards the end, the story also lacked stakes for me as the last remaining sympathetic guest character had died in episode 3, and the remaining guest cast were quickly dispatched, leaving the Doctor and Leela as the only survivors. It kinda felt like all of it was for naught as they were unable to save anyone, not even Adelaide who felt like one of the worst seige ensemble characters the show has produced in years. Especially when contrasted Leela, she just felt very regressive and insufferable, and I can't say I was upset when she was unceremoniously killed after doing nothing but whine and cry the whole story.
Okay, all that aside, I really did enjoy this story. It has an excellent setting with the lighthouse, and the Doctor and Leela really feel like they've come into their own as a duo. Leela in particular feels very confidently written and portrayed, and comes up with the solution to defeat the villain before the Doctor does. While not reaching the heights of some serials of the past couple of seasons, the atmosphere felt very well constructed and creepy. I also appreciated that we finally met the oft-mentioned Rutans, and I kind of hope the show is willing to revisit this aspect of it's lore onscreen someday.
2) Serial 4, Episodes 13-16 - The Sun Makers
The Sun Makers feels like a imitation of early "oppressive civilization" serials, but bases its society around a company exploiting its workers which feels fresher and more relevant (especially now). The villain is well realized, but the citizens of the Undercity feel one note. (x)
To be honest, I'm not entirely sure this story would've ranked as high for me even a few months ago, but it felt so timely that it just really clicked with me. It also helps that thematically is where this story really shines. An oppressive government is something this show has tackled before in spades, but making the entity an oppressive corporation adds a different dynamic that especially resonates today with monopolies like Amazon (and in the modern day, feels like a strong rebuttal of the New Who story Kerblam!), and the taxation evoking reminders of massive debt like student loans. Basically everything about this story works to serve it's theme, from the worker attempting to commit suicide after being cooerced into inescapable death, to the citizens of the Undercity resigning themselves to surviving off the scraps of the society they're hiding from. Though in this regard they do feel very one note, it adds an extra layer of conflict to a story that feels very focused on who it's heroes and villains are.I also thought all three of the leads had particularly strong outings here. K9 has his first post-introduction adventure, and shows an interesting interpretation for following directions at times. The Doctor both rallies and aggravates the people he's trying to help in equal measure, and defeats the villain with a conversation rather than combat. Leela, channeling some of her best and most violent impulses, helps drive the other characters to rise up against their oppressors. I also thought the villains, a mix of self-serving bureaucrats and an alien that feeds off of corporate success to sustain his larger form, getting flushed down a metaphorical toilet when he goes bankrupt. A fantastic realization of it's concepts.
1) Serial 3, Episodes 9-12 - Image of the Fendahl
Image of the Fendahl is tightly written with great pacing and is incredibly engaging from beginning to end. I really love the blending of occult superstition with scifi, and the whole ensemble popped much more than usual. That said, the K9 scene at the end felt too extraneous. (x)
I will say, this was a particularly strong story for the Doctor and Leela. Leela in particular had a lot of great action set-pieces, and while her violent nature has been brought up in previous stories this is the first one that really highlights it. The scene where Leela reassures the Doctor that she'll protect him, much to his surprise, is a particular highlight. Overall, it felt like this is some of the best material this duo has been given. My only really quibble with this story is the bumper scenes with K9 feel out of place, and you can tell they were added as part of a hasty rewrite to explain his absence from the bulk of the story.
Final Thoughts
So I loved Leela and the time she spent in the TARDIS, but overall her tenure feels like a mixed bag of great stories and... uh... some not great stories. I kind of wish the attempts to have her pop up again in a later season of the show had panned out, since it probably would've given her a much stronger exit than she was granted here. I was surprised at how well K9 worked on the show (mostly because it felt like they didn't overuse him). With all the Gallifrey stuff bubbling to the surface over the last couple of seasons, I'm interested to see where the show goes with this, especially since next season I'm finally going to meet the classic companion I've seen a lot of (but know relatively little about aside from the fact that she's a timelady who regenerates once), Romana.
I am taking a short break from Classic Who, as it's the middle of a companion changeover which seems like a good place to hit pause. I've binged four seasons over the course of two months which isn't bad, and I've quite enjoyed it, but I'm worried I'll burn myself out on Doctor Who if I'm not careful. I may end up picking it up again as soon as next week or I may wait until June. I'm playing it by ear. Otherwise, I'm extremely excited for the next three seasons(!!!) of the Fourth Doctor's run.
no subject
(I realise Classic Who is enough of a marathon in itself, but once you do get to the end, given what you've enjoyed the most I can rec B7 to you without reservation. Given the writers and stories you've loved in this, I think you'd really enjoy it. (It was created by Terry Nation, script edited by Chris Boucher, produced by David Maloney, written for by Robert Holmes on a few occasions, and used DW's old props frequently.) And anyone who's made it through Classic Who is not going to be daunted by 1970s/80s SFX.
Poor Underworld! I kind of like episode 1, but, um, yeah. It was basically a production nightmare as they had to make it with CSO due to, as I said last post, the budget having been entirely used up already. They invented new methods of stuff to do it! Everyone forwent the usual rehearsal period to record the CSO stuff first. And... it's, like, it's Underworld and it's not great. What can you do? (Fast forward eps 2-3, basically, and enjoy the bits with Leela, personally.)