Gavin Wintersđ˘
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Overall season 18 remains a curious beast, an odd transitional year as JNT remoulds the show to suit himself. Thereâs lots of good material, but I just wish they hadnât felt the need to cut so much of what made the show fun and accessible over the previous six years.
However the themes of death, decay and entropy, leading eventually to renewal and rebirth are worked through the season brilliantly. This probably has the most unique identity of any season of #DoctorWho, Classic or New.
Castrovalva: once more Bidmead gives us a story with great concepts but hampered by technobabble, with no attempt to give the companions natural sounding dialogue.
And just like Logopolis, weâre TARDIS-bound for almost two episodes before we get to the titular planet. #DoctorWho
I think this story more than any other cemented fansâ idea of how the TARDIS interior should look. The location filming in Invasion Of Time didnât really cut it, but here we finally get lots of rooms and corridors with the same roundel pattern as the console room. #DoctorWho
Tomâs boots magically regenerate into shoes for Peter. Hmm, clothes that regenerate with the Doctor⌠what a crazy idea, eh?
And Tomâs scarf gets unravelled - heresy! Oh, but itâs just the burgundy version, so who cares? đ #DoctorWho
Davison is of course immediately great, but then he would be since they filmed this fourth in order.
Couldâve done with a little less of the fan-pleasing impersonations of old Doctors. This was a particular JNT obsession - the idea of a regeneration âfailingâ somehow. #DoctorWho
Winner of the All-Time Silliest Hat In #DoctorWho award.
(He had to go one better than Samantha BriggsâŚ)
Everyone involved in this gamely tries to get across the whole notion of Castrovalva and space folding in on itself using the sets and visual FX available at the time, but itâs one of those ideas you watch now and think: Oh, just imagine how they could do this today⌠#DoctorWho
Four To Doomsday: I think they were aiming for a Hartnell-style opening episode for this, with just the crew exploring a strange new environment, but it ends up more like one of those stories youâd find in the #DoctorWho annuals. Thereâs nothing very substantial to it at all.
Thereâs a TARDIS scene with the companions early on thatâs pure padding, and just allows Adric to spout some outrageous sexist bollocks to Tegan and Nyssa.
Come, Cybermen, comeâŚ
I presume the âhumansâ (androids) on Monarchâs ship have some built in defence in their software to prevent boredom, otherwise having to endure those same entertainments of dancing and wrestling and Chinese dragons for thousands of years would have driven them all mad. #DoctorWho
The problem with this one is that itâs mostly about just wallowing in sci-fi ideas, while forgetting to tell anything resembling an entertaining story that the audience can latch on to.
Particularly with the episode endings - The aliens can change form! Bigonâs a robot! Er, yes⌠and? đ¤ˇđťââď¸
Only part three ends with a traditional âDoctor-in-perilâ cliffhanger. #DoctorWho
Kinda: now this is more like it, a clever and poetic script, with one of the most well-thought-out attempts in #DoctorWho to depict a truly alien and unfathomable culture, even if they do look like humans.
The jungle set has been much maligned over the years, but looking at it now from this distance, itâs not *that* bad. Once you suspend your disbelief and accept the studio-bound VT nature of how it looks, itâs perfectly fine. #DoctorWho
Hindleâs descent into madness is undoubtedly done very well, but itâs hardly the Oscar-worthy performance that some fans would have you believe. #DoctorWho
Adric falls into his usual plot groove of siding (either deliberately or as a ruse) with this weekâs nutcase.
Meanwhile Davisonâs scenes with Todd show how his Doctor would really work better with a single, relatively normal and down-to-earth companion. #DoctorWho
If for no other reason, this story holds a special place in the annals of #DoctorWho history for providing fans with the term âNot-Weâ. đ
If you know, youâre a âWeâ.
If you donât, youâre a âNot-Weâ.
The Visitation: this has a very 1970s-style opening, with characters in a historical setting witnessing the light show caused by a spaceship descending through the atmosphere, like The Time Warrior or Horror Of Fang Rock. #DoctorWho
Nyssa is checking the Radio Times listings to make sure sheâs fully in it this week. #DoctorWho
The Doctorâs taking Tegan back to Heathrow just after she left, so there âwonât be any awkward questions about where sheâs been.â
Er, apart from the small matter of your Aunt being murdered and miniaturised Tegan. The police might have a few questions about that! #DoctorWho
The Terileptils claim to be a sophisticated and cultured race, but they stretch the 4:3 image on their TV into 16:9, so clearly theyâre a bunch of heathens. #DoctorWho
Richard Mace is a well-written and entertaining character, but then itâs hardly surprising since heâs Sawardâs own personal creation, that heâd been writing for years in other productions. #DoctorWho
The early animatronic effects in the Terileptil mask are simple but effective. Just that slight curl of the lip when heâs speaking works wonders to add a bit of realism. #DoctorWho
Headcanon: when the Fifth Doctor and crew leave at the end, the Fourth Doctor arrives seconds later, which is why he was blamed for starting the Great Fire of London (and why the Fifth knew he had to get out of there sharpish). #DoctorWho
Black Orchid: as an attempt to revive the âpureâ historical, this is only partially successful. Could do with a bigger threat or villain.
Someone once said that 80s fans liked this one because itâs â#DoctorWho you can show your mumâ and I think thereâs a grain of truth in that.
To be honest, Iâm just as mystified as Adric and Nyssa during the cricket bits. Oh, for a Dalek or something to come in and start blasting everything⌠#DoctorWho
I love how the butler makes sure to carefully put down what heâs carrying before coming to Annâs assistance as sheâs strangled. Someoneâs being murdered, but we mustnât show a lack of decorum! đ
#DoctorWho
Bit lazy of the Doctor to just start showing people the inside of the TARDIS as a way of getting out of trouble. Though I always laugh at the constable who enters and exclaims âStrike me pink! #DoctorWho
Earthshock: this storyâs reputation is predicated almost entirely on the two big surprises - the Cybermenâs return and the death of Adric. Watching it now outside of that context, it does slightly lose something, but it remains one of the best stories of this season. #DoctorWho
Adricâs argument with the Doctor in Part One. #DoctorWho
A lengthy conversation about the fate of the dinosaurs. I wonder if that will be relevant later onâŚđ¤
And you can see why Davison struggled to keep a straight face with the overly macho acting of Lieutenant Scott. #DoctorWho
Ah, here we go with JNTâs bizarre stunt casting in the form of Beryl ReidâŚ
Itâs all very well wanting to cast big names in #DoctorWho, the new series does it all the time, but surely it canât be that difficult to put them in suitable roles? Rather than âOh, this is available!â
The return of the Cybermen brings with it the return of the âidiot who thinks he can ally himself with themâ. What exactly is Ringwayâs plan? Do we ever find out? His reveal as a traitor is followed by his death minutes later. Erm⌠okay, that was a bit pointless then. #DoctorWho
Fair play - Iâve taken the piss out of the little twerp but his death scene is still remarkably well done, and remains a hugely significant moment in the history of #DoctorWho
(Canât help but still snigger a bit at the imposed solemnity of the silent credits though! đ¤)
Time-Flight: I alway say about this one that the opening episode is at least pretty decent, with a good mystery of the disappearing Concorde. Plus all the location filming at Heathrow looks great. Itâs only once we go back in time that it all starts to fall apart. #DoctorWho
Itâs almost comical - the indecent haste with which they get over Adricâs death. âOh he wouldnât want us to mourn! Letâs go do something fun!â đ #DoctorWho
Oh god⌠the Masterâs âArabianâ disguise⌠đŤŁ
Itâs bad enough that he pointlessly does this anyway (just for an âAha! It was me all along!â reveal) but why does he remain in character even when thereâs no one else about?? #DoctorWho
The tiny, cramped set, with its fake sky that looks about two feet away and itâs forced perspective view of the model citadel recalls The Keys of Marinus, nearly two decades earlier.
Add the tiny Concordes and this really stretches credulity beyond breaking point. #DoctorWho
At times it seems like every second word of Professor Hayterâs dialogue is âhallucination!â
Elsewhere we get a lot of rushed, garbled technobabble (and some genuine instances of âIâll explain later!â, made famous in The Curse Of Fatal Death!)
Oh boy. Next please! #DoctorWho
Arc Of Infinity: season 20 begins with JNTâs penchant for fan-pleasing continuity now in full flow, with a Time Lord story full of mentions of Romana, E-space, Leela, Bio-data extracts, the Matrix, etc.
Unfortunately Gallifreyâs never looked so dull and beige⌠đŤ¤#DoctorWho
I like how the Time Lord have random sofas in corridors. Perhaps they occasionally need a lie down due to being overcome with the boredom of all the beigeness. #DoctorWho
While the Gallifrey sequences are a bit of a chore, at least all the Amsterdam stuff is more interesting. Itâs a bit of a cosmic coincidence how Tegan gets involved and ultimately ends up back in the Doctorâs life, but weâll let that pass. #DoctorWho
Colin Baker inadvertently livens the whole thing up, not just due to the amusement of seeing the future Sixth Doctor here, but also because of the general pompous nature of his character.
And his stupid hat. #DoctorWho
Tegan is very trusting of Robin, when you look at it objectively:
âHello, Iâm someone youâve never met, telling you your cousin has mysteriously disappeared in this foreign country. Now if youâd just like to follow me into this creepy crypt where he was last seenâŚâ
We get a handwave explanation from the Doctor of why this all occurs in Amsterdam: âOf course! The Arc of Infinity had to be below sea level to, er, maintain pressure for fusion conversion, or something⌠therefore completely justifying JNT having a little holiday!â #DoctorWho
Overall not the greatest Time Lord story, and too reliant on expecting the viewers to know the lore about Omega and so on, but it has its moments.
Plus the final shot is hilarious - the look on the Doctorâs face as he realises heâs stuck with Tegan again⌠đ#DoctorWho
Snakedance: This is an excellent sequel to Kinda, just as good as the original but told in a much more accessible way.
I always get the impression this is a bit underrated in fan-opinion. A shame, as for me itâs one of Davisonâs best. #DoctorWho
Nyssa finally gets a full change of clothes after two years (she must have stunk!) leading to a funny bit where the Doctor spectacularly fails to notice, despite her repeated attempts to show him. #DoctorWho
In his first TV role, Martin Clunes is great as the spoiled, arrogant Prince. Not really a villain, just misguided and taken over, but with an eminently punchable face. đ #DoctorWho
Ambril really must be particularly thick not to get the whole âsix faces of delusionâ thing and need the Doctor to explain it to him. #DoctorWho
The Doctor spends the whole of episode 3 locked up, with no sonic screwdriver to free him (even mentioned in the dialogue)
RTD must have had moments like this in mind when he decided to bring the sonic back, to stop the Doctorâs role in proceedings slowing to a halt. #DoctorWho
For the final ceremony, Lon wears the 1980s BBC weather map. Just off camera Michael Fish is reassuring the Manussans not to worry, there isnât a hurricane on the way⌠#DoctorWho
Mawdryn Undead: the Brig! Two Brigs even! They did a good job making the younger Brig look just how he did when we last saw him.
This is where the Brigadier starts to be seen as a legendary, iconic character, rather than just âone of the castâ when he was a regular. #DoctorWho
And hello, UNIT dating conundrum! As the previous, vague, âoh, they take place somewhere in the near-futureâ idea gets totally buggered up by the 1977\1983 setting, giving fans headaches for the next 40 years as they try to make it all make sense. đ #DoctorWho
The Brigâs comment about Ibbotsonâs fitness and âdisgustingâ body is something that has⌠not aged well⌠đŹ
Quite apart from the fact the actor is clearly not the Billy Bunter type the character is written as, itâs a terrible attitude to give the Brig anyway. #DoctorWho
A big welcome to Turlough, whoâs brilliant at being sneaky and devious in these early stories. And Strickson is 1000 times the actor Waterhouse was. (Admittedly not difficult!)
Youâd be forgiven for missing the brief hints at the characterâs alien origins though. #DoctorWho
Another of this eraâs lengthy flashback sequences, which actually works well in context to remind the viewers of the Brigadierâs previous appearances.
Although having Davison later say âreverse the polarity of the neutron flowâ is particularly gratuitous and silly. #DoctorWho
The timey-wimey nature of the plot, with the two time zones intertwined via the Brigadier recalling to the Doctor what he did six years previously, is well thought out. I bet young Steven Moffat loved this. #DoctorWho
âWho is that person?â asks Nyssa, as the Brig enters the TARDIS.
âBrigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of course!â replies Tegan.
Yeah Nyssa! I mean, come on, arenât you a paid-up, card-carrying member of the DWAS, like the audience is expected to be? Honestly! #DoctorWho
Terminus: hard to muster up much enthusiasm for this one, itâs all a bit grey and dull. Only the regulars manage to keep things somewhat interesting.
The first appearance of the Lazars hints at the exciting prospect of a zombie apocalypse story, but no such luck. #DoctorWho
Why does Turlough think Adricâs old room âlooks like a kidâs roomâ, when itâs full of leatherbound books and scientific equipment? Must be pretty advanced kids where he comes from.
And given the size of the TARDIS, why re-use an old bedroom for him anyway? #DoctorWho
Neil Corry@gavinwinters The curtains they wear are VERY heavy.