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Classic Doctor Who, Season 21 Review
I'm starting to write this review at 3AM on New Year's Day because I'm still buzzing from the residual energy of watching Revolution of the Daleks. Different eras, I know, but I've made a point to schedule my Classic Who binge so that New Who falls in between Doctors. And this season has the weird distinction of ending a Doctor's tenure one story before the end. So, as of this part in my review I have yet to watch The Twin Dilemma, as I wanted to start out by reflecting on the Fifth Doctor's run this season before the entrance of the Sixth Doctor dominates my attention. Last season, I was wondering if the show would be able to maintain the momentum it gained and I guess I got my answer. Like season 19, it was a decidedly mixed bag, but its stronger stories felt more reminiscent of how good Season 20 was. And I feel satisfied about that, especially considering the ones that really stuck the landing were the ones most important to the characters and the storyline of the show.
The Fifth Doctor's era was one defined by its characters in conflict. The TARDIS took the baggage from previous adventures over to the new ones, which is something that was done far less frequently with previous Doctors. Tegan's exit is abrupt, and the only reason it manages to work at all is because that character's been built up so much that her reasoning carries that extra weight. The Fifth Doctor dies saving a companion he's just met, rather than the numerous friends he's traveled with for so long and had so much history with. It reminds me of the end of the Fourth Doctor's era, when the show began letting go of what made his era what it was and began embracing what it would become. In that way, I get why they structured this season they way they did. They put the payoff of that transition at the very end: A swansong to the Doctor and the show that was, followed immediately by the Doctor and the show that will be.
And now comes the part of the review I had to rewrite because I lost my initial draft at some point in a month-long haze of depression. Which, if I go by some accounts, is the perfect mindset to tackle the Sixth Doctor's era with. And, especially considering how the Fifth Doctor's run ended, this definitely feels like a new era of the show moreso than the entrances of the last couple of Doctors did. I'm interested to see how I feel about this stretch of the show as I wade further into it, and I'm certainly not dreading it. I just kind of wished I could balance my final thoughts for one era without having to analyze a new one at the same time.
Like the previous twenty seasons, the serials are available to watch via streaming on Britbox. This season had seven stories, and mostly feels straight-forward ranking-wise. There just might be a tad too much distance between when I watched them and when I'm writing parts of this review.
Characters
Peter Davison as The Fifth Doctor - In The Twin Dilemma, Peri describes the Fifth Doctor as "Sweet". I wouldn't necessarily go that far, but I see why she had that impression. He'd spent most of his tenure butting heads with his companions, and the one in his final two stories seemed to be the only one he didn't. And this tension didn't always work out for the better. While Nyssa and Turlough parted from the Doctor better and stronger than they'd been before, one could argue that Tegan ended up worse for having traveled with the Doctor. And Adric and Kamelion died. It's why I think, when it all came down to it, he was willing to go to great lengths in his final story to make sure Peri lived even if he wouldn't. I'm not sure if he would have gone to such lengths earlier in his tenure, and is a high point coming off a season where he basically commits genocide twice. I think what I'll remember most about this Doctor is how he wore his emotions on his sleeve, both good and bad, in a way that's every emblematic of his youthful appearance and demeanor. That, or maybe he just needed the Tardis to be a little less crowded.
Colin Baker as The Sixth Doctor - I recall Tom Baker mentioning that he played into the alien aspect of the Doctor in his portrayal, and it's clear Colin is taking the same approach... just in the complete opposite way. I've experienced prickly Doctors before, but this one manifests it in a way completely different from the First and Twelfth. And I don't dislike it by any means. One aspect of Classic Who that's taken some getting used to is the more leisurely, understated pace a lot of the stories take - mostly owing to their length, structure, and how television was written at the time. The Sixth Doctor injects a level of energy that demands attention every time he's onscreen in his first story. It's a sensation that feels very similar to the New Who Doctors, and it really feels like a growth moment for the character and the show, even though the storyline (and fan reception) suggests that this is all the result of an unfortunate accident. No matter what my ultimate feelings on this Doctor are, I feel like one thing I'll never be is complacent.
Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka - Tegan has a strong case for being the definitive Fifth Doctor companion, first and foremost that she is the longest serving of them, starring in all but his final two stories. Its why I kind of wish she got a flashier exit that showcased the character more, rather than the one we got, which I still liked but is kind of a bummer way to end her relationship with the Doctor. Horrified by the events of Resurrection of the Daleks, and the Doctor's role in ending it, she makes the decision to leave. The drive for adventure that drew her back to the Tardis at the beginning of season 20 is gone, and while she hasn't by any means regressed to the person she was in Logopolis, this serves more as a moment of growth for the Doctor than it does for her.
Mark Strickson as Vislor Turlough - Turlough may have had one of the strongest arcs for a companion in all of Classic Who, though I am bummed by how relatively short his run ended up being. Unlike Tegan, I felt like I could love his exit without any reservations aside from wanting to see more of him. Plot threads from his first story are finally addressed, and he is given numerous opportunities to take the coward's way out but instead chooses to do the right thing. Save Peri from drowning, help the brother he never knew, face his people even if it might mean his own death. And it all pays off for him in spades. He's going home, no longer an outcast, with family he never knew he had. It's an exit he wouldn't have been able to attain for himself at the beginning of his run, and makes his arc feel worthwhile. At the end, he doesn't want to part with the Doctor, but knows he has to, and I'm happy I'll get to "see" a bit more of his story in Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma.
Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown - Peri really gets the Clara treatment on steroids, doesn't she? No speech from a lizard woman about how the Doctor isn't your boyfriend, despite how youthful and charming you used to be. No, only the cold shoulder and an attempted murder. That said, her honeymoon phase with the Doctor had her repeatedly getting kidnapped and having to fight off bad guys without the Doctor's help, so it's not like she was coasting either. Bryant's American accent may be hit-or-miss, but I'm really enjoying her character so far. Especially when paired with the Sixth Doctor, she feels like an odd mashup of a 60's companion with a more modern companion like Tegan, which allows her a kind of range that could make her run on the show very, very interesting.
Gerald Flood as Kamelion - I'm glad I went out of my way to watch the deleted scene in The Awakening where he appears, because it helped a lot to establish a sense of who this character was, since he spends the entirety of Planet of Fire battling for autonomy with the Master. It's actually a bummer that they couldn't make full use of the prop because I do think the character had a lot of potential. But it seems like, in the end, everyone - himself, the Doctor, and even the show itself - gave up on him. He dies so the Master can't use him again, and he's another companion from the Fifth Doctor's era whose run is punctuated by a sense of futility. At least now we'll always have the open mic night vocal impressions.
Anthony Ainley as The Master - Ainley's performance isn't one note by any means, but I still feel like I've run out of things to say about him. His sole appearance this season was definitely some of the better material he's gotten in the Fifth Doctor's run, but for every scene he has an intense stand off with the Doctor or Peri, he's stuck doing some weird comedy routine that's demanded by the plot. I didn't hate the whole "the Master is tiny" thing, but I feel like it did uncut some of the emotion that would've helped his ultimate "death scene" at the end land better. And on paper it works very well! Like in The Keeper of Traken, he's motivated not by fucking with the Doctor, but by looking to extend his own life. Only this time he doesn't get a lucky break. He burns, as the Doctor stands and watches. Now I know this isn't his last appearance, but I'm glad they attempted something full circle with his part in this era of the show, since they let so many other opportunities (Nyssa) pass them by.
I'd also like to give a special mention to Terry Malloy as Davros and Maurice Colbourne as Lytton, though I don't have much to say about them as characters or performances that isn't directly tied to their sole story this season. I also appeciated that they went out of their way to bring back Matthew Waterhouse as Adric and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa... even if I couldn't make out any of what they were saying during that regeneration.
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 1, Episodes 1-4 - Warriors of the Deep
I'd heard some unfavorable rumblings about this story going into this season, but I was totally unprepared for how much I disliked this. Aside from their first story, I'd always kind of found the Silurians kind of tedious, and it doesn't help that I gave up trying to keep track of what was happening with all the characters and side plots since none of it seemed to matter. There are previous stories, like Underworld and Warriors' Gate, where I lost track of the plot but I could definitely tell there was an interesting story buried underneath that I was just not connecting with. This was such an obvious an blatant allegory for the Cold War that I could actively zone out and ignore several chunks of the story and entire characters and the ending still make total sense. It was all about the destination, and everything else was just cheap, weirdly lit filler to get there. The scene where Turlough is immediately convinced the Doctor has drowned is pretty funny I guess. I totally get why this is the story that convinced Peter Davison and Janet Fielding to call it quits. I can't believe this was written by the same guy who did The Keeper of Traken and Arc of Infinity. What a low note to go out on.
6) Serial 2, Episodes 5-6 - The Awakening
I actually really liked this story, but the main reason I ranked it so low is because they wasted so much of it's limited runtime on the one-off character of Will. It feels like they could've told a much better version of the story with his role slimmed down, like if they had him actually be an aberration that disappeared once Malus was defeated. Instead we get this kind of awkward resolution that is very obviously leftover from when they were considering adding him as a companion. Now, I enjoy the varied companions Classic Who has given us, but that was definitely the right call, especially since in this serial they cut out the scenes of one of the current companions (Kamelion) to make room for him. Not to mention that, for how present he is in this story, he didn't leave much of an impression on me. Instead, I wanted to see more of this town driven mad and compelled to do historical reinactments. It's an interesting setup that they could've done more with, but what's here is delightful. I liked the schoolteacher, and the fact that they tied in another element of Tegan's contemporary life (her grandfather) into the story. More than anything though, I'm a sucker for the costuming and set design. Malus looked cool, and historical reenactments are such a perfect topic for a show like this.
5) Serial 7, Episodes 21-24 - The Twin Dilemma
The Twin Dilemma wasn't as bad as its reputation indicated it would be, but the new characterization for the Doctor is still very jarring and the titular twins feel inconsequential to the plot. Should've been called "Peri Brown and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." (x)
I don't get why this of all stories is considered to be the worst of all time. Well, actually, I guess I can see how that happened. It came immediately after one of the best regarded stories of the show's entire run, and delivers something that's completely different tonally that has a new, erratic Doctor that couldn't be more different from the last one. It's a big swing, I get it, but I wouldn't really consider it a miss. Really, the thing that dragged this story down for me was the weird plot point about changing a planet's orbit, and the creatures that just come across like knock-offs of the ones from Frontios. But those elements weren't present in the story all that much. I actually enjoyed the scenes of the Doctor and Peri puttering about the Tardis, abrasive as they might have been. (I suspect getting spoiled for the whole choking scene probably helped my viewing experience). Peri in particular really popped in this story for me as a character, and I'm so fascinated by Colin Baker's take on the Doctor I couldn't look away from the screen. Even the twins are only annoying in the way that child actors are low budget shows kind of inherently are, and I honestly thought they did a good job. I also liked how the Doctor essentially turned off a character that, in any other era would've probably ended up a companion. I'm treating this as an appetizer for what's to come with this new era of the show, and I'm definitely still looking forward to the entrée.
4) Serial 4, Episodes 11-12 - Resurrection of the Daleks
While all that's really strong, the constant barrage of death and violence does hurt my enjoyment of this, even if it does work on a thematic level. Lytton is the only actual character to survive, after killing his enemies, his allies, and even bystanders. He and the two creepy police officers have such a foreboding presence, and the fact that they very pointedly left standing at the end seems to indicate they'll be back at some point, which I definitely hadn't expected going into this. As far as Davros goes, Terry Malloy did a good job but he's the one aspect that feels like a retread. I know he comes back, so I feel like his character would've been better served if they hadn't bothered with the death fake-out since it doesn't really add anything to the story, and kind of undermines the momentum the character does have in his scenes manipulating his creations.
3) Serial 3, Episodes 7-10 - Frontios
This is a really weird example of the parts of a story being stronger than it's sum, and that's mostly because this story is kind of a mess structurally. Major character and plot threads, like the Tractators and Turlough's history with them, come out of nowhere halfway through the story. But somehow it just kind of works, and I think a lot of that is thanks to both to the way Strickson is basically catatonic for the rest of the story and because the motivations of the Tractators just meshes so well with the conflict in the colony. The citizens of Frontios don't know what's causing people to disappear, but instead of trying to figure it out they try to carry on by ignoring it, while the problem only continues to fester underneath their feet. And the villain isn't really defeated by them overcoming this, but rather the villain's own greed and hunger for power. It's not the most subtle allegory, but it's one the show trusts the intelligence of it's audience to follow. It also helps further inform Turlough as a character, as he'd largely been on the back-burner since The Black Guardian Trilogy ended. His fear feels very different from his cowardice, as do the mistakes he makes as a result.
I really liked the characters in this story, both the regular and the guest cast. The Doctor and Tegan get a lot of good material together and are very active participants in the story, and I thought Norna was extremely likeable and meshed well with all of them. I liked her father quite a bit as well, even if he didn't leave as much of an impression, and the colony they lived in felt lived in. I was also pleasantly surprised by Plantagenet, who I had expected to be a one-note antagonistic character but ended up having some growth of his own, even if his father was basically a non-entity. All in all, this story had really good bones, and that helped elevate it a lot for me.
2) Serial 5, Episodes 13-16 - Planet of Fire
I almost ranked his story at the top. In fact, if I had written the bulk of this review sooner I probably would have. But having more time to sit with this season and mull it over I started noticing the cracks in this a bit more. Namely, that the plot thread of the Master needing to take over Kamelion because he is... tiny... is so dumb. When I watched it I guess I was just vibing because it didn't really bother me, but looking back it's suddenly obvious how out of left field it was and how unnecessary it was to the rest of the story. The Master could've been incapacitated any number of ways, and it would've been stronger if it had been more directly related to why he needed the energy on the planet. It also saddles Peri in a skit for a whole episode of her debut story. His other scenes in this story, both as himself and as Kamelion, aren't as strong as they could've been because of it.
That gripe aside, I thought they balanced every other aspect of this story really well. They had to write off both companions and introduce a new one, and on top of that they closed out the Master's arc in this era of the show. I was surprised by how effective Peri's debut was, and the way she ended up on the Tardis was such a production but it just kind of worked. It's also kind of hilarious that she ended up being the companion with the strongest connection to Kamelion. His new forms were borne out of logistics, but it ended up being what made his scenes with Peri work, since she first knows him not as a creepy robot or an enemy, but as someone adopting the features of someone she already cares about. The fact that Kamelion dies without the audience or the other characters really getting the chance to know him just makes it all the more tragic.
The real standout of this story, though, is Turlough. In the sea of characters battling for attention, his exit ends up being the strongest and most satisfying element. He leaves the Tardis a much better person than he was coming in, and his growth feels earned. And while we don't actually get to see his home planet, finally getting to see aspects of it depicted onscreen is a satisfying payoff after only oblique hints for the past two seasons. It helps provide a complete understanding of why he was the way he was, and the character he is now is so compelling that I didn't want him to leave either. There were a lot of other elements I liked about this story too, like the fact that they had another "shoot on location just for the hell of it" serial, but nothing could top Turlough, who I personally think had the best companion exit since Sarah Jane Smith.
1) Serial 6, Episodes 17-20 - The Caves of Androzani
Something I was struck by in this story is how it doesn't gloss over the stakes. Peri is repeatedly despondent about the prospect of dying, which is not a tact companions usually take in this situation. Usually, it's melodramatics, anger, or defiance. But here she's just... sad. It's honestly kind of jarring, and you can tell even the Doctor is thrown by it. It goes a long way in setting the mood, and also helps you completely buy why the Doctor would be willing to go so far for a companion he's only just met. Not that he wouldn't, but after an era where he frequently failed his companions, the fact that he went out heroically saving the one who's view of him hadn't been clouded has a nice kind of poetry to it.
Final Thoughts
It took me almost a month to write this review, partially because I lost part of my draft (which is what I get for relying on Dreamwidth's autosave I guess) but also because, at the same time I was watching The Twin Dilemma the insurrection at the capital was happening and I suddenly found it hard to train my analytical eye on any kind of fiction. But it was the past week that was very rough for me mentally, and sitting down to finish this has actually helped my mental health a lot in spades, and I can already feel my endorphins rising at the thought of starting the next season as soon as I hit that submit button. It's also really dawning on me how close I am to the end of this nearly four year long journey I've been on.
Aside from being aware of the triumphant return of the Second Doctor and Jamie, I don't actually know anything about next season. All my "spoiler" knowledge of what happens in the Sixth Doctor era is from the Trial of the Time Lord storyline, so I have no real idea what to expect aside from 45 minute episodes. But I'm very intrigued by the Sixth Doctor, and I've grown to really like Peri, so I feel like I'll be in for a good time regardless of the ultimate story quality. I didn't adore Season 21 the way I did Season 20, but it still left a really good impression on me and I feel really good about the direction of the show moving forward.
The Fifth Doctor's era was one defined by its characters in conflict. The TARDIS took the baggage from previous adventures over to the new ones, which is something that was done far less frequently with previous Doctors. Tegan's exit is abrupt, and the only reason it manages to work at all is because that character's been built up so much that her reasoning carries that extra weight. The Fifth Doctor dies saving a companion he's just met, rather than the numerous friends he's traveled with for so long and had so much history with. It reminds me of the end of the Fourth Doctor's era, when the show began letting go of what made his era what it was and began embracing what it would become. In that way, I get why they structured this season they way they did. They put the payoff of that transition at the very end: A swansong to the Doctor and the show that was, followed immediately by the Doctor and the show that will be.
And now comes the part of the review I had to rewrite because I lost my initial draft at some point in a month-long haze of depression. Which, if I go by some accounts, is the perfect mindset to tackle the Sixth Doctor's era with. And, especially considering how the Fifth Doctor's run ended, this definitely feels like a new era of the show moreso than the entrances of the last couple of Doctors did. I'm interested to see how I feel about this stretch of the show as I wade further into it, and I'm certainly not dreading it. I just kind of wished I could balance my final thoughts for one era without having to analyze a new one at the same time.
Like the previous twenty seasons, the serials are available to watch via streaming on Britbox. This season had seven stories, and mostly feels straight-forward ranking-wise. There just might be a tad too much distance between when I watched them and when I'm writing parts of this review.
Characters
Peter Davison as The Fifth Doctor - In The Twin Dilemma, Peri describes the Fifth Doctor as "Sweet". I wouldn't necessarily go that far, but I see why she had that impression. He'd spent most of his tenure butting heads with his companions, and the one in his final two stories seemed to be the only one he didn't. And this tension didn't always work out for the better. While Nyssa and Turlough parted from the Doctor better and stronger than they'd been before, one could argue that Tegan ended up worse for having traveled with the Doctor. And Adric and Kamelion died. It's why I think, when it all came down to it, he was willing to go to great lengths in his final story to make sure Peri lived even if he wouldn't. I'm not sure if he would have gone to such lengths earlier in his tenure, and is a high point coming off a season where he basically commits genocide twice. I think what I'll remember most about this Doctor is how he wore his emotions on his sleeve, both good and bad, in a way that's every emblematic of his youthful appearance and demeanor. That, or maybe he just needed the Tardis to be a little less crowded.
Colin Baker as The Sixth Doctor - I recall Tom Baker mentioning that he played into the alien aspect of the Doctor in his portrayal, and it's clear Colin is taking the same approach... just in the complete opposite way. I've experienced prickly Doctors before, but this one manifests it in a way completely different from the First and Twelfth. And I don't dislike it by any means. One aspect of Classic Who that's taken some getting used to is the more leisurely, understated pace a lot of the stories take - mostly owing to their length, structure, and how television was written at the time. The Sixth Doctor injects a level of energy that demands attention every time he's onscreen in his first story. It's a sensation that feels very similar to the New Who Doctors, and it really feels like a growth moment for the character and the show, even though the storyline (and fan reception) suggests that this is all the result of an unfortunate accident. No matter what my ultimate feelings on this Doctor are, I feel like one thing I'll never be is complacent.
Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka - Tegan has a strong case for being the definitive Fifth Doctor companion, first and foremost that she is the longest serving of them, starring in all but his final two stories. Its why I kind of wish she got a flashier exit that showcased the character more, rather than the one we got, which I still liked but is kind of a bummer way to end her relationship with the Doctor. Horrified by the events of Resurrection of the Daleks, and the Doctor's role in ending it, she makes the decision to leave. The drive for adventure that drew her back to the Tardis at the beginning of season 20 is gone, and while she hasn't by any means regressed to the person she was in Logopolis, this serves more as a moment of growth for the Doctor than it does for her.
Mark Strickson as Vislor Turlough - Turlough may have had one of the strongest arcs for a companion in all of Classic Who, though I am bummed by how relatively short his run ended up being. Unlike Tegan, I felt like I could love his exit without any reservations aside from wanting to see more of him. Plot threads from his first story are finally addressed, and he is given numerous opportunities to take the coward's way out but instead chooses to do the right thing. Save Peri from drowning, help the brother he never knew, face his people even if it might mean his own death. And it all pays off for him in spades. He's going home, no longer an outcast, with family he never knew he had. It's an exit he wouldn't have been able to attain for himself at the beginning of his run, and makes his arc feel worthwhile. At the end, he doesn't want to part with the Doctor, but knows he has to, and I'm happy I'll get to "see" a bit more of his story in Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma.
Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown - Peri really gets the Clara treatment on steroids, doesn't she? No speech from a lizard woman about how the Doctor isn't your boyfriend, despite how youthful and charming you used to be. No, only the cold shoulder and an attempted murder. That said, her honeymoon phase with the Doctor had her repeatedly getting kidnapped and having to fight off bad guys without the Doctor's help, so it's not like she was coasting either. Bryant's American accent may be hit-or-miss, but I'm really enjoying her character so far. Especially when paired with the Sixth Doctor, she feels like an odd mashup of a 60's companion with a more modern companion like Tegan, which allows her a kind of range that could make her run on the show very, very interesting.
Gerald Flood as Kamelion - I'm glad I went out of my way to watch the deleted scene in The Awakening where he appears, because it helped a lot to establish a sense of who this character was, since he spends the entirety of Planet of Fire battling for autonomy with the Master. It's actually a bummer that they couldn't make full use of the prop because I do think the character had a lot of potential. But it seems like, in the end, everyone - himself, the Doctor, and even the show itself - gave up on him. He dies so the Master can't use him again, and he's another companion from the Fifth Doctor's era whose run is punctuated by a sense of futility. At least now we'll always have the open mic night vocal impressions.
Anthony Ainley as The Master - Ainley's performance isn't one note by any means, but I still feel like I've run out of things to say about him. His sole appearance this season was definitely some of the better material he's gotten in the Fifth Doctor's run, but for every scene he has an intense stand off with the Doctor or Peri, he's stuck doing some weird comedy routine that's demanded by the plot. I didn't hate the whole "the Master is tiny" thing, but I feel like it did uncut some of the emotion that would've helped his ultimate "death scene" at the end land better. And on paper it works very well! Like in The Keeper of Traken, he's motivated not by fucking with the Doctor, but by looking to extend his own life. Only this time he doesn't get a lucky break. He burns, as the Doctor stands and watches. Now I know this isn't his last appearance, but I'm glad they attempted something full circle with his part in this era of the show, since they let so many other opportunities (Nyssa) pass them by.
I'd also like to give a special mention to Terry Malloy as Davros and Maurice Colbourne as Lytton, though I don't have much to say about them as characters or performances that isn't directly tied to their sole story this season. I also appeciated that they went out of their way to bring back Matthew Waterhouse as Adric and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa... even if I couldn't make out any of what they were saying during that regeneration.
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 1, Episodes 1-4 - Warriors of the Deep
Warriors of the Deep feels a lot like a retread of previous Silurian stories, but with worse special effects, a cast that's way too big, and too many side plots. I gave up trying to keep track of all the moving pieces halfway through, which lessened the impact of the ending. (x)
I'd heard some unfavorable rumblings about this story going into this season, but I was totally unprepared for how much I disliked this. Aside from their first story, I'd always kind of found the Silurians kind of tedious, and it doesn't help that I gave up trying to keep track of what was happening with all the characters and side plots since none of it seemed to matter. There are previous stories, like Underworld and Warriors' Gate, where I lost track of the plot but I could definitely tell there was an interesting story buried underneath that I was just not connecting with. This was such an obvious an blatant allegory for the Cold War that I could actively zone out and ignore several chunks of the story and entire characters and the ending still make total sense. It was all about the destination, and everything else was just cheap, weirdly lit filler to get there. The scene where Turlough is immediately convinced the Doctor has drowned is pretty funny I guess. I totally get why this is the story that convinced Peter Davison and Janet Fielding to call it quits. I can't believe this was written by the same guy who did The Keeper of Traken and Arc of Infinity. What a low note to go out on.
6) Serial 2, Episodes 5-6 - The Awakening
The Awakening delivers on an interesting concept it probably could've done more with. The costuming and set design is really nice, and I really liked the look of the Malus. The resolution for the Will character felt a bit odd and abrupt. (x)
I actually really liked this story, but the main reason I ranked it so low is because they wasted so much of it's limited runtime on the one-off character of Will. It feels like they could've told a much better version of the story with his role slimmed down, like if they had him actually be an aberration that disappeared once Malus was defeated. Instead we get this kind of awkward resolution that is very obviously leftover from when they were considering adding him as a companion. Now, I enjoy the varied companions Classic Who has given us, but that was definitely the right call, especially since in this serial they cut out the scenes of one of the current companions (Kamelion) to make room for him. Not to mention that, for how present he is in this story, he didn't leave much of an impression on me. Instead, I wanted to see more of this town driven mad and compelled to do historical reinactments. It's an interesting setup that they could've done more with, but what's here is delightful. I liked the schoolteacher, and the fact that they tied in another element of Tegan's contemporary life (her grandfather) into the story. More than anything though, I'm a sucker for the costuming and set design. Malus looked cool, and historical reenactments are such a perfect topic for a show like this.
5) Serial 7, Episodes 21-24 - The Twin Dilemma
The Twin Dilemma wasn't as bad as its reputation indicated it would be, but the new characterization for the Doctor is still very jarring and the titular twins feel inconsequential to the plot. Should've been called "Peri Brown and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." (x)
4) Serial 4, Episodes 11-12 - Resurrection of the Daleks
Resurrection of the Daleks provides an interesting contrast to Genesis of the Daleks, and paints a much more grim picture of the Doctor as a character. In that regard, Tegan's exit works really well as it shows tangible consequences for his actions, but weakens her character arc. (x)
This one fell in the middle of the pack and I hadn't really expected it to. In a lot of ways I think it's a much stronger story than Frontios, but I just didn't enjoy it as much. This story is very clearly a spiritual successor to Season 12's Genesis of the Daleks, and in a lot of ways it serves as a deconstruction of that story thematically. Unlike in the first story, here the Doctor lets his better demons win. He concludes that not committing genocide was the wrong call, and ends this story indiscriminately killing all of them. It's a very bleak story with an insanely high body count that only comes together with how it ends: Tegan, horrified, leaves the Doctor and the Tardis behind. The Doctor's actions cost him what was arguably the most meaningful relationship this incarnation ever had, and makes tangible the doubts the Fourth Doctor expressed back in Genesis. The Doctor vows to change his ways, and the specter of this story does hang over the last two in his tenure.While all that's really strong, the constant barrage of death and violence does hurt my enjoyment of this, even if it does work on a thematic level. Lytton is the only actual character to survive, after killing his enemies, his allies, and even bystanders. He and the two creepy police officers have such a foreboding presence, and the fact that they very pointedly left standing at the end seems to indicate they'll be back at some point, which I definitely hadn't expected going into this. As far as Davros goes, Terry Malloy did a good job but he's the one aspect that feels like a retread. I know he comes back, so I feel like his character would've been better served if they hadn't bothered with the death fake-out since it doesn't really add anything to the story, and kind of undermines the momentum the character does have in his scenes manipulating his creations.
3) Serial 3, Episodes 7-10 - Frontios
Frontios is a story comprised of a lot of really great elements organized in a very strange way. Turlough's sudden breakdown halfway through ends up adding a lot to the story and the character, and Tegan and the Doctor end up having a lot of fun scenes running through hallways. (x)
This is a really weird example of the parts of a story being stronger than it's sum, and that's mostly because this story is kind of a mess structurally. Major character and plot threads, like the Tractators and Turlough's history with them, come out of nowhere halfway through the story. But somehow it just kind of works, and I think a lot of that is thanks to both to the way Strickson is basically catatonic for the rest of the story and because the motivations of the Tractators just meshes so well with the conflict in the colony. The citizens of Frontios don't know what's causing people to disappear, but instead of trying to figure it out they try to carry on by ignoring it, while the problem only continues to fester underneath their feet. And the villain isn't really defeated by them overcoming this, but rather the villain's own greed and hunger for power. It's not the most subtle allegory, but it's one the show trusts the intelligence of it's audience to follow. It also helps further inform Turlough as a character, as he'd largely been on the back-burner since The Black Guardian Trilogy ended. His fear feels very different from his cowardice, as do the mistakes he makes as a result.
I really liked the characters in this story, both the regular and the guest cast. The Doctor and Tegan get a lot of good material together and are very active participants in the story, and I thought Norna was extremely likeable and meshed well with all of them. I liked her father quite a bit as well, even if he didn't leave as much of an impression, and the colony they lived in felt lived in. I was also pleasantly surprised by Plantagenet, who I had expected to be a one-note antagonistic character but ended up having some growth of his own, even if his father was basically a non-entity. All in all, this story had really good bones, and that helped elevate it a lot for me.
2) Serial 5, Episodes 13-16 - Planet of Fire
Planet of Fire juggles a lot of story elements and character entrances and exits within a relatively short runtime, and mostly manages to pull it off. It kind of feels like they gave up on Kamelion though. Turlough gets a satisfying send-off, albeit one that feels open-ended. (x)
I almost ranked his story at the top. In fact, if I had written the bulk of this review sooner I probably would have. But having more time to sit with this season and mull it over I started noticing the cracks in this a bit more. Namely, that the plot thread of the Master needing to take over Kamelion because he is... tiny... is so dumb. When I watched it I guess I was just vibing because it didn't really bother me, but looking back it's suddenly obvious how out of left field it was and how unnecessary it was to the rest of the story. The Master could've been incapacitated any number of ways, and it would've been stronger if it had been more directly related to why he needed the energy on the planet. It also saddles Peri in a skit for a whole episode of her debut story. His other scenes in this story, both as himself and as Kamelion, aren't as strong as they could've been because of it.
That gripe aside, I thought they balanced every other aspect of this story really well. They had to write off both companions and introduce a new one, and on top of that they closed out the Master's arc in this era of the show. I was surprised by how effective Peri's debut was, and the way she ended up on the Tardis was such a production but it just kind of worked. It's also kind of hilarious that she ended up being the companion with the strongest connection to Kamelion. His new forms were borne out of logistics, but it ended up being what made his scenes with Peri work, since she first knows him not as a creepy robot or an enemy, but as someone adopting the features of someone she already cares about. The fact that Kamelion dies without the audience or the other characters really getting the chance to know him just makes it all the more tragic.
The real standout of this story, though, is Turlough. In the sea of characters battling for attention, his exit ends up being the strongest and most satisfying element. He leaves the Tardis a much better person than he was coming in, and his growth feels earned. And while we don't actually get to see his home planet, finally getting to see aspects of it depicted onscreen is a satisfying payoff after only oblique hints for the past two seasons. It helps provide a complete understanding of why he was the way he was, and the character he is now is so compelling that I didn't want him to leave either. There were a lot of other elements I liked about this story too, like the fact that they had another "shoot on location just for the hell of it" serial, but nothing could top Turlough, who I personally think had the best companion exit since Sarah Jane Smith.
1) Serial 6, Episodes 17-20 - The Caves of Androzani
The Caves of Androzani has political intrigue, androids, slow-acting poison and the Phantom of the Opera. It's real strength, however, is that it makes the Doctor and Peri the focus of a story that's not really about them, and allows for a great final outing for the Fifth Doctor. (x)
I was very skeptical going into this story, and even after I finished watching it I kind of thought it was over-hyped. The best Doctor Who story... ever?! But the more time I've had to think about it the more impressed I am with this story. Now I don't think it's the best story ever (I don't even think it's the best Fifth Doctor story). But it's the best story this season and it definitely deserves a lot of the praise that's heaped onto it. Planet of Fire may have belong to every other character on the show, but this story belongs to the Fifth Doctor, and that's a very good thing considering that this is his send-off. Not that the story is necessarily about him though. If anything, this story is very much about all the guest characters, particularly Sharaz Jek, a thinly veiled homage to the Phantom of the Opera who is set on revenge for the wrongs inflicted upon him while becoming fixated on Peri. The writing is there, but what really sells it is the performance. Morgus is also a standout for bringing a level of political intrigue that the show doesn't often pull off, and I really liked that they kept in his spoken asides. The non-presence of the monsters is a tad disappointing but thinking back to Warriors of the Deep, it's probably to the story's benefit that they went with a "less is more" approach.Something I was struck by in this story is how it doesn't gloss over the stakes. Peri is repeatedly despondent about the prospect of dying, which is not a tact companions usually take in this situation. Usually, it's melodramatics, anger, or defiance. But here she's just... sad. It's honestly kind of jarring, and you can tell even the Doctor is thrown by it. It goes a long way in setting the mood, and also helps you completely buy why the Doctor would be willing to go so far for a companion he's only just met. Not that he wouldn't, but after an era where he frequently failed his companions, the fact that he went out heroically saving the one who's view of him hadn't been clouded has a nice kind of poetry to it.
Final Thoughts
It took me almost a month to write this review, partially because I lost part of my draft (which is what I get for relying on Dreamwidth's autosave I guess) but also because, at the same time I was watching The Twin Dilemma the insurrection at the capital was happening and I suddenly found it hard to train my analytical eye on any kind of fiction. But it was the past week that was very rough for me mentally, and sitting down to finish this has actually helped my mental health a lot in spades, and I can already feel my endorphins rising at the thought of starting the next season as soon as I hit that submit button. It's also really dawning on me how close I am to the end of this nearly four year long journey I've been on.
Aside from being aware of the triumphant return of the Second Doctor and Jamie, I don't actually know anything about next season. All my "spoiler" knowledge of what happens in the Sixth Doctor era is from the Trial of the Time Lord storyline, so I have no real idea what to expect aside from 45 minute episodes. But I'm very intrigued by the Sixth Doctor, and I've grown to really like Peri, so I feel like I'll be in for a good time regardless of the ultimate story quality. I didn't adore Season 21 the way I did Season 20, but it still left a really good impression on me and I feel really good about the direction of the show moving forward.