As many times as I’ve seen it, part four still has an intense, edge-of-the-seat desperation, as everyone’s plans fail, they all die, and the Doctor barely gets out alive.

The TARDIS has never seemed more like a beacon of hope as he staggers towards it carrying Peri. #DoctorWho

<FOOM!>

“You were expecting someone else?”

😀

#DoctorWho

The Twin Dilemma: NEXT!

#DoctorWho

Attack Of The Cyb… oh alright, I’d better say something about The Twin Dilemma then. 😬

Never been as much of a contrast between two successive stories as Androzani and this, and never as much of a contrast between Doctors either. #DoctorWho

The budget seems to have drastically run out at the end of the season. Everything looks cheap - the sets, the props, the alien designs.

And oh god, the “acting” from the twins. Come back Adric, all is forgiven! 🫣 #DoctorWho

Poor Colin, getting lumbered with this as his debut, with the Doctor being written as completely deranged for most of it. JNT always seemed to want regenerations to go wrong somehow.

By the time he’s strangling Peri even the most loyal fan’s patience was being tested. #DoctorWho

Who are Lytton’s fake cops anyway? Hired human mercenaries, or aliens like himself? We never find out.

And since they barely even saw each other in Resurrection Of The Daleks, why does the Doctor act like he knows Lytton well? #DoctorWho

The second half is where it all starts to unravel. A pointless continuity-fest designed to please members of DWAS who read Doctor Who Bulletin or other 1980s fanzines.

And the sub-plot with Bates and Stratton goes nowhere as they just get killed in the end. #DoctorWho

These twitchy, gesticulating Cybermen are more expressive than ever before.

Also a *hell* of a lot of them are blown up, decapitated, shot, etc. As if there’s an influence of 80s “video nasties” starting to creep in, which leads neatly into the next story… #DoctorWho

Vengeance On Varos: finally, a decent story for Colin, although not without its flaws.

Sil is one of the best original monster creations of the decade. He has that ‘kids-imitating-his-voice-in-the-school-playground’ factor not seen since the Daleks. #DoctorWho

Like many stories of this period, the TARDIS takes just too bloody long to get there and get the Doctor involved in the action.

And while he’s calmed down a lot, there’s still the issue of how he treats Peri. Why the hell does she want to keep travelling with him? #DoctorWho

Is the Doctor too violent here? You could argue the laser that kills the guard was set up as a warning, and he didn’t intend to kill him. And the infamous acid bath scene is clearly an accident.

But he then blatantly kills the bad guys at the end with poison vines…🤷🏻‍♂️ #DoctorWho

So the story is kind of trying to have its cake and eat it with the subject of violence. Criticising the idea of people watching it while simultaneously indulging in it.

The meta-commentary by Arak and Etta is a highlight of the story though. #DoctorWho

So the Master dresses as a scarecrow and stands in a field like a twat, just to wait for the Doctor so he can gawp at him as he goes past?

He’s not quite right in the head, is he? #DoctorWho

I like how the Rani is basically just annoyed at being caught up in the Doctor and the Master’s feud and sees them both as irritating idiots.

And her kneeing the Master in the bollocks will never not be one of the funniest things ever to happen in #DoctorWho

*record scratch*
*freeze frame*

“Yup, that's me. You're probably wondering how I ended up in this situation.” #DoctorWho

Plenty of violent deaths in this story, but Shockeye murdering Oscar seems the most misjudged.

And to make things worse, after their initial reaction the extras playing customers in the restaurant go back to acting like nothing has happened. #DoctorWho

Timelash: oh dear. 😬 Okay… maybe not quite as bad as it’s reputation, but still the worst of this season. Lots of clunky dialogue and painfully obvious exposition.

And the Doctor and Peri’s relationship has taken a backward step to Twin Dilemma levels of snappiness. #DoctorWho

Paul Darrow gives one of the most preposterous performances in the entire history of #DoctorWho. Equal parts appalling and hilarious. Really needs a hunchback or a cape or an eyepatch as the finishing touch.

Still, at least he’s having fun. I’m glad someone is!

The makeup for the Borad is one of the few positive elements, which still stands up against anything you’d see today.

And they show great restraint in holding back the full reveal for as long as they do. #DoctorWho

The ending’s bloody awful though. After the total cop-out of “I’ll explain one day” as to how they survived the missile, the Doctor then lambasts the Borad for his “grotesque, ugly excuse for a body”. (Lovely message to send the kids who are watching, Doctor. 😐 )

And then he says that if Peri doesn’t scream when she sees the Borad’s face, he’ll consent to their marriage (!?!)

Jesus Christ, was this written in the 1950s?? Right, we need the Daleks as a palate cleanser after that! #DoctorWho