Companions: Tegan Jovanka, Vislor Turlough, Kamelion, Peri Brown
Cracks start to show in twenty years of Doctor Who in Season 21, where we get a full cast change from episode one to twenty-four.
The Review
Here’s the scores for the stories
The Caves of Androzani: 10/10
Warriors of the Deep: 9/10
Planet of Fire: 8.6/10
Frontios: 7.75/10
The Awakening: 7/10
The Twin Dilemma: 6.75/10
Resurrection of the Daleks: 6/10
The highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. The Caves of Androzani lived up to the hype with a spectacular final story for the Fifth Doctor with the kind of directorial skill that was far ahead of its time. Though not as good, Warriors of the Deep was a serious story about the useless of war. On the flip side, in the season finale where we now have Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, The Twin Dilemma is a mess that almost succeeds as a parody of itself. Still, the worst for my mind is the very disappointing departure story for Tegan, Resurrection of the Daleks, just a soulless mess of insane amounts of violence hurt even more by being broadcast as two forty-five minute episodes. The only bright spot as the great Davison era falls away has been Nicola Bryant as Peri, brave, pretty, and willing to stand up for herself. The next season will need it.
7.871/10 A disappointing step-down at least gives Davison the farewell he deserved
Story 134, Episodes 615-618, Season 21 Episodes 13-16
Doctor: The Fifth Doctor
Companions: Vislor Turlough, Kamelion, Peri Brown
The penultimate Fifth Doctor story ushers in a regime change while having another face-off with the Master.
The Review
You say you dislike humans Turlough, but come on now
After the dreadfulness of the previous story, this story is a welcome to return to form. It starts with some gorgeous on location filming in Spain, and continues to the planet Sarn which is…still gorgeously filmed in Spain. It’s always a treat to see the classic series expand its boundaries. We meet Peri Brown early on, an American college student visiting her stepfather’s archeological dig who wants to travel in Morocco for a few months. She acts a bit too much like a child, but I like her energy (telling the Master she can yell just as loud as he can ruled). Certainly she’s completely different than Tegan, and the difference is immediate. We also see Kamelion again, and he is quickly taken over by the Master to force all of them to the planet Sarn which has a connection to Turlough. The Master doesn’t join the main cast in summer wear, which looks good on everyone but Turlough’s short shorts. I particularly like the Doctor’s question mark suspenders.
Turlough finally has to be brave, and pulls through
Sarn is supposedly the home of the fire spirit Logar, and a lot of the conflict is between Timanov, a zealot, and other ‘heretics’. Anthony Ainley is in excellent form as the Master, even making his miniaturized self seem threatening. The climax sees Turlough finally risk returning to his home world of Trion by calling them in to save those on Sarn, and learning he is welcome back now. The Doctor has to make some tough calls yet again, Kamelion begs for death after being controlled by the Master and the Doctor grimly obliges. The Doctor then simply watches as the Master seemingly burns to death in the flames of the planet. For the Fifth Doctor starting off so cheery, it’s been a depressing last season for him. He agrees to have Peri travel with him, but with no connections to Tegan, I think he just doesn’t feel himself.
Turlough gets to leave on a high note ‘as a hero’, we are introduced to a spunky new companion, and the Doctor feels sad at the end. Thanks to the unique setting and location filming, plus some great music, the story gets elevated.
8.6/10 Extra points for Davison’s look after seeing the Master burn
Story 133, Episodes 613-614, Season 21 Episodes 11-12
Doctor: The Fifth Doctor
Companions: Tegan Jovanka, Vislor Turlough
A nearly incomprehensible episode is essentially a whole lot of nothing, and a whole lot of death for no real reason.
The Review
Davros on ice
I wonder if my constant Doctor Who watching is starting to burn me out, or this really just wasn’t interesting. I was excited for the Daleks, Davros, and the experimental switch to two forty-five minute episodes. Sadly, none of these paned out. What even is the plot of Resurrection of the Daleks? Well, if you can remember several seasons ago the Daleks were in a war with the Movellans, they lost hard and now need Davros’ intelligence and that of the Doctor’s to find a cure to this virus. To that end, they need to make a duplicate of the Doctor, so they construct this very elaborate scheme placing a time corridor in an abandoned building near Tower Bridge in 1984, drag the TARDIS there, trick the Doctor through going in, etc. I honestly think the normal four-episode structure could’ve done wonders here.
Tegan leaves after the disastrous story
There is constant gunfire and yelling and screaming, and Davros is basically unintelligible at the height of his rants. The Daleks’ plan gets nowhere so fast that outside of a whole lot of shooting, I’m not sure really anything actually happens other than loud gunfire and apoplectic yelling. The story is just an honest mess of meaningless action, that just bores me. Some people say it ‘flew by’, I say it couldn’t get on with it fast enough. If this is what is to come, it’s going to be a very rough patch. The highlight comes at the very end with Tegan’s departure, who after witnessing the carnage says it just wasn’t fun anymore. Janet Fielding will be missed immensely, but seeing a companion horrified at the bloodbath choosing to leave just makes sense.
This is one I am not looking forward to re-watching, but maybe it will make a tiny bit of sense by then. The violence is senseless, and the plot is wasteful.
6/10 Never has Daleks exterminating people been so dull
Story 132, Episodes 609-612, Season 21 Episodes 7-10
Doctor: The Fifth Doctor
Companions: Tegan Jovanka, Vislor Turlough
On a refugee colony millions of years in the future, a mystery is afoot…
The Review
Plantagenet and friends
I’d never really heard Frontios discussed one way or another over the years, and I can see why. It’s a pretty generic story, though not a bad one. The TARDIS is pulled to the planet Frontios and seemingly is destroyed. There we find a barely surviving human colony fighting a war against someone raining missiles down overhead. The ruler is a young man named Plantagenet, who is serving as leader after his father died a few years ago. All the sets are well-constructed, as well as the sense that this is truly a doomed colony. Despite some occasional disagreements, everyone on Frontios is essentially a good person, no secret hidden spies or anything. It’s a good cast of characters.
The colony founder (maybe a racist, they were all white)
The enemy is a group of large cockroach type creatures called Tractators, which is a sort of silly name. I do appreciate the extremely alien design, it’s always boring when aliens look exactly like humans. Controlled by the Gravis, their leader, their goal is…I don’t know, make a bunch of tunnels I think? They’re gravity engineers, and drew people to Frontios to mess with them. Their goal is pretty ill-defined, but the menace is clear so it works out alright. The Doctor tricks the Gravis into re-assembling the TARDIS, laying him dormant. For some reason the Doctor is really concerned about the Time Lords figuring out this specific story because of how far in the future it is. Ah well. Not much to say, your standard successful story.
When watching Frontios, it’s a fine experience, but there is absolutely nothing memorable about it. Just giant cockroaches for me I think. Maybe some of Turlough’s weird ancestral memory, can we learn his origin already?
Story 131, Episodes 607-608, Season 21 Episodes 5-6
Doctor: The Fifth Doctor
Companions: Tegan Jovanka, Vislor Turlough
The last two-part Fifth Doctor story is the least memorable, though I do like the giant head prop.
The Review
The Doctor gets arrested
Right from the start, you could kind of tell this story is going to be forgettable. Firstly, I think The Awakening might be the worst and most generic title in show history. At least with Planet of Evil you know what you’re in for. Things awaken pretty much every story. The crew is going to visit Tegan’s grandfather, who apparently lives in a small village in England. They get there and it’s all gone pear-shaped as troops of people cosplaying as soldiers from the English Civil War are doing ‘war games’ that are a bit too intense. This story kind of feels like they came up with this ‘it’s like a historical but actually it’s people reenacting the battle in present day’ and didn’t get much further than that.
Malus in the TARDIS
The thing that works the best is the Malus is genuinely creepy. I wish I could explain what exactly the Malus is, but the Doctor even struggles to do so. It is some evil devilish creature that runs on pure psychic energy and is deployed by unknown aliens before they an invade a planet. Somehow it’s gotten kind of stuck between 1643 and 1984. I like the big face behind the church wall, and the version of the Malus scaling a pillar in the TARDIS console room was unsettling. Really, this story just comes down to being far too forgettable for me to have much more to say.
This story awakened nothing in me, and feels like rather a waste honestly.
Story 130, Episodes 603-606, Season 21 Episodes 1-4
Doctor: The Fifth Doctor
Companions: Tegan Jovanka, Vislor Turlough
In a surprisingly dramatic and action-filled story, the Silurians launch another attempt to destroy humanity in a 21st century paranoia filled world.
The Review
The Mykra
From the start, you can tell that Season 21 is going to have an explosive beginning with tensions running high in an underwater sea base in the year 2084. There are some of the crew operating on their own agenda, and paranoia only increases when the TARDIS team is found. The energy never lets up in Warriors of the Deep, we see the Silurians reviving the Sea Devils before any of the characters know about it, and then the Silurians lead their attack on the base. They bring with them a giant shambling Mykra, and honestly, I didn’t find the prop used for it all that bad. I can’t really compare to the effects you’d see on other shows in 1984, and I may be giving the classic series far too much credit. The two spies for the ‘rival power bloc’ in the base turn out just to be a B-plot, but it carries enough menace and keeps us aware that there are two large factions of humanity fighting it out again. All the actors playing the Sea Base crew are diligently focused on their task.
The Sea Base crew
The main cast do their jobs, Davison is engaging and active as the Fifth Doctor with Tegan being her usual brave self and wearing a bright patterned dress. Turlough’s oddball nature continues, he bravely saves the Doctor and Tegan’s life but when he thinks it’s a lost cause almost doesn’t go with to try and follow them. It is quite funny to have a companion who is kind of a slimy POS a lot of the time, and I enjoy Turlough’s slinking around at the edge of plots. The resolution is effective, but remains one of the grimmest in show history. The Doctor barely prevents the missiles from firing, but when it’s all over everybody except the TARDIS crew has died: humans and Silurians alike. All the Doctor can do in despair is proclaim ‘there should have been another way’. The Silurians are so effective because of the moral dilemma they provide, and the despair that’s always there when they’re beaten.
Bringing the Silurians and Sea Devils together, this well-plotted action-packed story was a great way to start a new year of the show.
Companions: The Brigadier, Nyssa, Tegan Jovanka, Visor Turlough, Kamelion
Season 20 is where we fully settle into the Fifth Doctor era, and celebrate 20 years of the show with The Five Doctors
The Review
Here’s the scores for the stories
The Five Doctors: 9.25/10
Enlightenment: 9/10
Mawdryn Undead: 8.9/10
The King’s Demons: 8.25/10
Snakedance: 8.25/10
Terminus: 8/10
Arc of Infinity: 7.9/10
The best story wasn’t technically part of the season, but The Five Doctors is the class of this group of stories, a delightful anniversary special. Behind that, most stories were good but not great, though avoiding any complete disasters. The best story from the season proper was the moody and inspired Enlightenment, while the biggest miss was Arc of Infinity because of its over-reliance on Gallifrey and lore, something that The Five Doctors deftly avoided despite it’s characters.
8.543/10 Season 20 celebrates 20 years of Doctor Who with a classically good season
Doctor: The First Doctor, The Second Doctor, The Third Doctor, The Fourth Doctor, The Fifth Doctor
Companions: Susan Foreman, The Brigadier, Sarah Jane Smith, K9, Romana II, Tegan Jovanka, Vislor Turlough
Doctor Who celebrates its 20th Anniversary in style, bringing back classic Doctors and probing deeper into Gallifreyan history.
The Review
The First Doctor and Susan meet the current team
Anniversary specials are a funny thing. We all want to see our favorite characters from the show return, but also don’t want something that is dumb and stupid. It would be exceedingly difficult to bring as many characters back as The Five Doctors does and come up with some killer emotional story, so it doesn’t really try. For the big reveals we return to Gallifrey and finally meet Rassilon, who for a decade has been spoken of as the legendary founder of the Time Lords. That at least makes the story feel special rather than tossing in characters. First off, we see shots from the unfinished Shada representing the Fourth Doctor and Romana, who we are told are ‘stuck the vortex’. It’s a shame Tom Baker didn’t return, as seeing him and Lalla Ward again was genuinely heart-warming. With William Hartnell having passed, Richard Hurndall is cast as the First Doctor, and he cuts a warmer figure than Hartnell. Susan is also back as a woman now, curiously the Fifth Doctor doesn’t seem too happy to see her. She then twists her ankle, which is honestly a cruel joke played on Carole Ann Ford.
The Third Doctor and Sarah Jane reunited
The Five Doctors smartly gives us some character pairings we haven’t seen in a while starting with the Second Doctor meeting the Brigadier, and the Third Doctor meeting Sarah Jane. Troughton is delightfully and completely himself, and despite his hair having gone completely white Pertwee still has his sharp edge. Sarah Jane doesn’t get as much to do as she deserves, there’s no really interactions with the Fifth Doctor and she falls down a hill. Turlough gets stuck in the TARDIS for most of it, but Tegan does get to hang around with the First Doctor which is quite a fun crossover. As for the Fifth Doctor he gets some time on Gallifrey taking to Lord President Borusa and other members of the high council, trying to figure out who brought them all here. It’s a good narrative structure to have all these pairings and bring them together at the end.
Rassilon makes an appearance at last
We of course get some villains, the Daleks are only represented by a lone entry while we get a lot of the Master and the Cybermen. The Master is tasked with rescuing the Doctor from the ‘Death Zone’ on Gallifrey, where Rassilon’s tomb is, but once again Ainley doesn’t get to do much despite putting in a good acting performance. I don’t know who expected a lot of the Cybermen in this story, but it is fun to see their silver suits out in the foggy Welsh highlands of the Death Zone. Certainly would take them over lots of EXTERMINATE! In the end, President Borusa turns out to the the villain, desiring Rassilon’s immortality, and he gets it as others before him, immortality as stone on Rassilon’s tomb. The First Doctor gets the pivotal line goading Borusa into it, a good decision by the script. As they all leave, the Fifth Doctor is appointed President of Gallifrey, so he jumps in the TARDIS and flees. After all, that’s how it started. Listen, The Five Doctors is just pure fun. We even get illusions of Liz, Yates, Jamie, Zoe to round it out. Classic characters, a good plot, and an ending ensuring the show continues.
It opens with William Hartnell’s monologue to Susan from The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and ends with the Peter Davison Doctor running away from Gallifrey. All told, it’s good fun. I just wish the companions other than the Brigadier got more to do.
9.25/10 A great template for future anniversary specials. Give us characters!
A quick two-part story wraps up Season 20 with some good location filming and Master shenanigans.
The Review
The King and his subjects
The past two seasons have done a historical two-parter to reach 22 episodes, and I will say I find them more agreeable than messing around with a padded out six part story. There’s fun to be had in this tale of a 13th century castle, complete with excellent on location shooting. A highlight is Gerald Flood’s performance as King John, perfectly dripping with over the top relish. The TARDIS is dropped into 1215, a few months before the signing of the Magna Carta, and are befuddled when King John isn’t too unnerved by three people appearing out of thin air. There is little for Tegan and Turlough in this story, Tegan is just following around the Doctor while Turlough is always on the edge of being executed. The Doctor is the first to suspect that King John might not really be King John at all, and decides to sword-fight the weird French guy that serves as the King’s champion. Naturally: he’s the Master in disguise.
The Master and Doctor sword fight for the second time in the show
The Master is here to put an end to parliamentary democracy, showing that he has changed his usual methods of partner with an alien race to take over the planet and see it blow up in his face. By never having King John sign the Magna Carta, it would created devastating ripple effects. I think the weakest part of this story is how easily he is outwitted. King John is revealed to be an incredible facsimile, Kamelion, that the Master has picked up and plans to use to dominate worlds. Kamelion is a complex prop which just looks kind of weird, but is invited to the TARDIS team. The Doctor simply breaks Kamelion out of the Master’s spell and whisks away. Overall, not too many complaints, but the story is pretty disposable, and compared to Black Orchid does not have a seen where Tegan does the Charleston.
Highlighted by Gerald Flood and Anthony Ainley’s performances, The King’s Demons is a breezy way to wrap Season 20.
8.25/10 Makes me remember that The Witchfinders is probably a highlight of the 13th Doctor era
Story 127, Episodes 596-599, Season 20 Episodes 17-20
Doctor: The Fifth Doctor
Companions: Tegan Jovanka, Vislor Turlough
One of the best ideas for a setting in show history gives us a memorable tale with a pitch-perfect ending.
The Review
A boat race through the solar system
The TARDIS gets a faint message from the White Guardian, and coordinates to land on an Edwardian sailing ship. Only, it turns out to not be a ship sailing through the solar system with ‘boats’ from other times in human history. The setting is rendered well, especially when Turlough jumps overboard and is chillingly falling in the void of space. It is a competition between Eternals, immortal beings who nevertheless are quite boring: they have no ideas of their own and need ‘Ephermals’ for entertainment. The crew of the first ship, Striker and Marriner, are creepily stoic and unsettling. The evil captain of a pirate ship, Wrax, is over-the-top evil, a perfect contrast of styles. The race is for Enlightenment, which will supposedly open the minds of the Eternals. As the ships sail, propelled by solar winds, the Doctor knows he has to stop someone from winning the race, but who? The whole time, Tegan is pursued by Marriner, who can’t get enough of her mind, a very creepy thing indeed.
The Guardians meet at last
Turlough goes through the most in this story, and it ultimately turns out to be about him. The Black Guardian curses him to ‘never leave the Eternal ship’ saying he’s failed to kill the Doctor, and with the revelation that the Guardians created the race it seems his whole motivation was to ensure that evil Wrax would win. Turlough pretends to be on Wrax’s side, but she sees ‘only greed’ in his mind. Still, when asked to choose her or the Doctor, it’s Wrax who is sent tumbling into space. As he and the Doctor technically win, they both are offered ‘enlightenment’. The Doctor quickly turns it down, but Turlough is tempted one last time by the Black Guardian.
Enlightenment like the story beforehand succeeds in atmosphere, but to an even greater extent. The depravity of the Eternals is unnerving, and a race on boats through space to reach a magical power? Now you’re speaking my language.
Reviewing Doctor Who from Start to Finish 