DOCTOR WHO: SEASON-BY-SEASON - SEASON TWENTY-FIVE

This is it. Classic Who is nearing its unfortunate end. It's clawing viciously at the coffin, but it still has very little time left. But, in its death throes, it does something beautiful. It makes the best content it ever created....

TRYING TO DO SOMETHING WITH THE SILVER ANNIVERSARY

JNT is becoming desperate. He can see the Writing on the Wall. Season Twenty-Four was a rocky one. It wasn't really anyone's fault, though. He had to pluck a new Script Editor and Doctor out of thin air and get them to hit the ground running. Indeed, that whole year was like trying to change a tire at 90 km/hr. 

Which caused a lot of backlash. The hit-and-miss of that season had consequences. Long-term fans have stopped watching. The casual viewer isn't very interested, either. Ratings have dropped abysmally. It seems obvious: Doctor Who is dying. 

But it's not going to go down without a fight. JNT is doing everything in his power to keep the show alive.  He takes advantage of the fact that the show has reached its 25th anniversary this year and is using that to garner whatever attention he can. In some ways, the gesture feels a bit cheap. It wasn't too long ago that it celebrated 20 years. Was it really necessary to try to create another atmosphere of commemoration? Probably not. But one can also respect what the man is attempting. Any little thing that he can grasp onto to help direct attention toward the show is going to be exploited. Essentially, he is doing what any good producer should do. 

While celebrating Who's 25th anniversary seemed unnecessary, it did bring us two stories that might not have been created had the decision not been made to take the season in this direction. One of those stories is quite enjoyable (for me, at least, others aren't always so happy about it!). The other is one of the best tales the show has ever created. For this reason, alone, I permit John Nathan-Turner his indulgence. Acknowledging the milestone when it didn't really need to be was worth it. 

But something else more important was happening.  During Season Twenty-Four, one must almost question the wisdom of JNT's decision to hire Andrew Cartmel as the script editor. Not only did he not seem quite experienced enough for the job, but he was thrust into the position with little or no time to really prepare himself. This is one of the key factors in that season's failings. But, in Twenty-Five, we witness how the Producer actually made the right choice. He saw Cartmel's potential and encouraged him to develop it. The producer's judgement call results in some of the most consistently high-quality content the show ever made.

As JNT worked the Publicity Machine for the 25th Anniversary, Cartmel sets his sights on delivering great scripts that the public will enjoy once their attention has been captured by the hype and they actually bother to tune into the show. Thus lining things up for what is probably the best anniversary season that we get in the entire history of the show.    

IS "REMEMBRANCE" ACTUALLY EVEN A WORD?!   

So much has been said, already, about this story elsewhere in this blog (Best Dalek Story: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2023/01/book-of-lists-top-five-dalek-stories.html. Second Best Story Ever: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-2.html). But, really, it deserves all the attention it's gotten. There's just so much to love, here. I have expressed that love quite a bit, already in other entries. But, with something this great, there's still plenty more I can say. 

The opening shot in the pre-titles tells us that we're about to get something special. Quite honestly, it. almost feels like Andrew Cartmel is speaking to us, directly through it.  

"Hey everybody." Cartmel seems to be saying, "I'm really sorry about the mess I made last year. I've had some time to sit down and think things over.  I've hammered out all the kinks. Things are going to be waaaayyyy better from hereon, in." 

In regards to the overall impact it has on the season, Remembrance of the Daleks was the absolute best way to kick things off. It sets a very clear tone: The stumbles of Twenty-Four are very-much over. From this point, onward, we're going to be experiencing something truly magical: The Vision of Andrew Cartmel. Or, as some folks like to call it, The Cartmel Masterplan. 

No doubt, I'll be deemed a heretic for saying this - but Cartmel really was the best Script Editor Classic Who ever had. I know most think that sort of title should go to either Terrance Dicks or Robert Holmes. But I think they were actually better writers than script editors. When Dicks treated other peoples' scripts, he tended to encourage paint-by-numbers story-telling. And I often felt that a lot of the material that was produced under Holmes' watch that wasn't composed by him needed a bit more polishing before it went to camera. Whereas Cartmel really cared about helping his writers to flesh out their ideas. You can even see that in his first season. He just didn't really have the time and resources to get things to work at the level he wanted to. But in Twenty-Five, he's got his A-Game on. Absolutely beautiful scripts are coming together so that when they are being filmed, we are getting masterpieces. 

And, of course, there's an over-arcing theme that gets introduced in Remembrance. There's more to the Doctor than meets the eye. His past runs deeper than we first expected. Oddly, when Cartmel worked with this idea, fans seemed to like it. When someone else in the far future attempts a similar storyline, it's not so well-received!    

It should be noted that Remembrance shows that it was not only Cartmel that took some time to think things through between seasons. Both Sylvester and Sophie come at their roles with a whole new style that creates the best onscreen chemistry we've ever seen between a Doctor and companion. Again, though, the writing really helps with this. Neither Peri nor Mel got the best treatment from the writers. But Cartmel refuses to allow this to happen to Ace. And Seven, himself, seems to have gotten quite a few extra layers added to him. We see this particularly clearly as we near the end of Part Four. Tricking Davros into destroying his own solar system is definitely one of the darkest things we've ever seen the Doctor do.  But it's also quite awesome. I still argue to this day that this might be the most powerful version of the Time Lord we ever see. 

Of course, there's also some really great stuff about the Daleks in this story. But if you want to read about that - just go to the links I posted!    

HAPPINESS WILL PREVAIL 

Easily, one of the most divisive stories in the history of the show. People tend to either love or hate Happiness Patrol. It is an even bigger Oddball Story than Paradise Towers could ever hope to be. Which means, of course, even more campiness. And yet, at the same time, Patrol takes itself far more seriously than Towers ever did. Sheila Hancock, for instance, plays Helen A far straighter than Richard Briers did the Chief Caretaker. It's more the visuals of Happiness Patrol that seem to upset the fans. Characters running around in bright wigs and clown white-face is just a bit too much for some. 

I, however, have no issue with it (might be because I worked as a professional clown for quite a few years of my youth so I'm accustomed to the aesthetics!). Which means, of course, that I absolutely love this story. It didn't quite make it into my Top Ten, but it came pretty damned close. 

It's all the layers to the plot that I think I enjoy the most. On the simplest of levels, it's the Doctor taking down yet another dictatorship. But the author understands that the Doctor's done this a lot and openly acknowledges the tropes. The Doctor, for instance, often topples corrupt empires within hours of arriving. So he speaks of changing the society in the span of one night. He also knows that the best way of gathering intel on his foes is to allow them to capture him for a while. So he purposely seeks out a way to become incarcerated. Because things are just a bit "meta", it makes an almost worn-out premise seem interesting again. 

But, of course, there's more to the story than just that. Happiness Patrol is a vicious satire on Thatcherism and conservative ideologies, in general. But, rather than trying to get into political specifics, the author frames the allegory under the ludicrous premise of a government that punishes you for appearing sad.  Taking this tact makes this particular underlying message more subtle. We still feel we're getting a Doctor Who story rather than being subjected to someone's agenda (like, say, a Producer who's Buddhist giving us a story all about Buddhism!).  

The final really big layer to Happiness Patrol is its general commentary on basic human nature. Its main message is the simple concept that happiness cannot exist without sadness beside it. That final confrontation between hero and villainess is beautiful as the Doctor makes the coin appear through sleight-of-hand and proclaims: "Two sides. One coin." Helen A's meltdown after discovering Fifi is the absolutely perfect fate for her. The story could have closed on that scene, of course. And it nearly did. But the coda ends up still working quite well. 

And then there's that other bit of controversy: the Candyman. Not only did he polarize fans even more over this story, but he almost led to a lawsuit for the BBC! Like the extremely literal Caretakers in Paradise Towers, Candyman does put a slight strain on our suspension of disbelief. Particularly since he can be immobilised by simply spraying lemonade on his feet!  

While some fans may hate him, I think the Candyman is one of the best one-time-only villains in the history of the show. He's absolutely wonderful to watch. Not just because he has those crazy spinning eyes, but he's also just so ridiculously fun. Just like the writers of The Discontinuity Guide, I even love the way he answers his phone!  

It's clear which camp I'm in when it comes to this story (see what I did there/?!) I think Happiness Patrol is brilliant on multiple levels. An absolute masterpiece in three short episodes. While Remembrance is the better of the two, this still constitutes a season that began with two excellent stories in a row . 

"TWAS A SLOW POISON...."   

Admittedly, the weakest link in the season. Which is ironic, of course.as it was trying to be its highlight. 

There is still a lot to like about Silver Nemeses. It's a very thrilling adventure that has one of the best action sequences in the whole history of the show (Ace fighting the Cybermen with gold coins). It is the story that delves deepest into the Cartmel Masterplan. Lots of hints get made in Part Three that there is more to the Doctor than we were originally led to believe. I found this whole arc that was starting to happen in the last two seasons to be fascinating. So I'm glad that there's some serious discussion about it, here. Other nods to this ongoing storyline are often ridiculously subtle. It needed the attention that it got in this particular tale. 

Fans do complain about the similarity Silver Nemesis bears to Remembrance of the Daleks. Once more, the Doctor is tricking one of his greatest enemies into using an ancient Gallifreyan weapon against themselves. Admittedly, this does feel a bit lazy. But I'm still amused by the complaint. If you're going to be upset about this, you should be foaming at the mouth over Season Eight. Every story is the same thing. Basically, the Master is meddling with something he thinks he can control but, ultimately, can't. Over and over. And yet, I seem to be the only one who ever seems to gripe about this. To me, it's another great example of: "If something stupid happens during the Golden Age, we ignore it. But if it occurs in 80s Who - we gripe about it endlessly and claim it ruined the whole show!"    

I actually think there's a sort of nice symmetry that Season Twenty-Five creates. To me, it's the Seventh Doctor flexing a bit. He's really starting to tap into deeper potentials and become an even more powerful force in the Universe. But he wants to test his abilities in as safe a way as possible. So he battles enemies that he knows well like Daleks and Cybermen. He's highly familiar with their strengths and weaknesses so it's a simpler fight. And he uses weapons that will take them out effectively. Once he's done this a few times, he knows he's ready to fight on a grander scale. This is how I get the two stories resembling each other to make sense. I even think that this was Production's genuine intention behind the duplication of plots. 

And then, of course, there are a few genuine problems with Nemesis. We actually have an  incident that vaguely resembles the "Guy Crawford Eye Patch Scenario" that I so love to bitch about. It is tough to believe that the Nazis wouldn't bother to check inside the case that the Validium bow is meant to be kept in. However, I would argue that there was a lot going on at the time. Maybe they would just assume it was there and safe. By no means is it as ridiculous as the "Eye Patch Situation",  But if I am going to complain about Android Invasion, then it's only fair that I bring this up too! 

A much bigger problem in the story is how it does feel just a bit too much like a collection of set pieces rather than an actual plot. But I do almost find myself ignoring the issue because we have yet another absolutely awesome villainess wandering through the story. The Girl Power (or should I say: "Evil Girl Power"?!) on display during the Seventh Doctor Era is one of its highlights. Lady Peinforte is as delightful as Helen A and the Rani. And this trend of strong female characters who are a legitimate threat to the Doctor will continue on into Season Twenty-Six.    

Sylvester and Sophie are also ridiculously fun to watch in this one. This just might be them at their best together. I love it when they chill on a hillside as they jam Cyber-airwaves with jazz. And them messing with the Cybermen inside the crypt while making chess references is one of the coolest things, ever!  Their chemistry during this one is Top Tier!    

So, yes, there are some flaws to Silver Nemesis. I can't deny it. But there's still quite a bit of really good stuff, too. 

YES, THE RAP IS BAD. BUT IT'S INTENTIONAL! 

And with the slight dip in Nemesis over, we go back to the extreme high-quality content that we've been getting from the rest of the season.

Greatest Show in the Galaxy is one of those stories that illustrates really well a certain style of writing that I deeply appreciate during these final two seasons. I call it: "Ambiguous Story-Telling". Exposition is kept to an absolute bare minimum and much of what is going on in the plot is left up to our own interpretation. Essentially, it's some of the most sophisticated television ever produced. We've seen hints of it in JNT's earlier days with stories like Warrior's Gate. But it starts to become really prevalent in this era. And I love that the show takes this kind of chance during such difficult times. They could have, easily, tried to pander for ratings. Instead, they chose to be artists. 

To this day, of course, I'm still not sure exactly how re-assembling a medallion and tossing it down a pit destroys three gods from Norse Mythology - but it works for me! I also love how the Doctor doing vaudeville somehow figures into their defeat!   

And this is the beauty of Greatest Show and the stories like it during this period. We don't always fully understand it, but it's still absolutely gorgeous to watch. I'd go so far to say that this is the best content the show ever made. In Classic or New Who.  The consistent standard of quality that we get during these two seasons is unbeatable. Not even the Great Hinchcliffe/Holmes era can touch this.  

The rest of this season doesn't really use Ambiguous Story-Telling so much. It all really kinda starts, here. Greatest Show is, most likely, considered an Oddball Story too. This new narrative style makes it earn the title all-the-more. But I'm quite fine with all of this. Doctor Who is an extremely weird show, in general. So let's make it weirder! 

SILVER CONCLUSION 

There's a bit of irony at play, here. Several attempts have been made throughout the course of the show to not just give us an Anniversary Special, but to create a whole season that commemorates the event. For the most part, the efforts are met with limited success. The seasons weren't terrible, but they also weren't as wonderful as the production team was hoping they would be. 

But then there's good 'ole Season Twenty-Five: An anniversary that I did not think was even worth celebrating. And yet, I'm glad they did. Finally, Doctor Who gets a nostalgic season right!

While Production still made a couple of adventures that were definitely fan-pleasing in nature, Twenty-Five shines so well because it has a much higher priority. It concentrates much harder at just building really awesome stories. And, for the most part, it succeeds quite well at it. The one tale that has a few significant flaws to it is still a very enjoyable watch. And then the rest of the season is just an absolute masterpiece. This is the kind of track record a season has that enables us to start bandying about terms like "Golden Age". I know Season Twenty-Five isn't dark and gothic. Nor does it "borrow" from a tonne of other sources. But it's still pretty damned awesome. Much worthier of the term than the actual era I'm sarcastically referencing!