REVIEW OVERVIEW: WHICH IS THE BEST UMBRELLA SEASON? - PART ONE: THE INTRO....

As March wraps up and we enter into April, it's time to embark upon a big REVIEW OVERVIEW adventure. Having looked at Major Trilogies and Dalek Sagas and other concepts that span over several episodes and/or stories, it's time to look at Umbrella Seasons and try to determine which one was the best. 

DEFINING AN UMBRELLA SEASON

Most of you probably know what the term means. You probably even know which seasons qualify as being one. But let's just make sure we're all on the same page. 

An Umbrella Season is a single season that tells one long, sprawling story. It may even be broken down into subsections - smaller adventures that make up a whole. But, in the end, a greater tale is being told that takes an entire season to accomplish. 

It should be noted that many seasons of New Who resemble Umbrella Seasons since they do tend have a theme running through them of some sort. Series 10, for instance, tells the story of the Hybrid. Or Series 3 reveals the identity of Harold Saxon. And so on... But I do feel that these ongoing themes are loose enough that we don't quite get an Umbrella Season, here. Just a season-long arc. Although I will admit that Series 1 does come perilously close to being an Umbrella rather than an arc. It's a tight enough ongoing theme that it does almost feel like we're being told one long story. I'm not talking so much about the Bad Wolf stuff, either. But, rather, the character growth we see in both Rose and Nine. The way Rose evolves into someone who wants to actively fight for what's right and good and the way the Ninth Doctor overcomes his survival guilt really do feel like one long, ongoing plot. However, I'll still say that Series 1 does not qualify as an Umbrella Season and exclude it from this essay topic. 

Just so we're clear, then, here are the Three Great Umbrellas Seasons of Doctor Who:   

Classic Who - 

Season 16 - The Key to Time

Season 23 - Trial of a Time Lord 

New Who - 

Series 13 - Flux 

I think we can all, universally, agree that these three seasons properly fit the definition. 

POINTS OF CRITERIA

As is always the case with a REVIEW OVERVIEW essay, we have to establish what our rating system is. We'll go through each point of criteria and give a bit of an explanation of what it represents: 

1. The Foundation 

Depending on how the Umbrella is structured, the Foundation represents either the first episode or the first story of the whole season. That first episode or story establishes the central premise of the whole ongoing adventure. A good Foundation will not only reveal that central theme, however, it will also demonstrate how that one great plot will be executed throughout the course of the season. Basically, it will display a sort of structure that all the other installments will roughly adhere to.  

2. Momentum

Quite possibly, the most crucial element of any good Umbrella Season. When you're pushing one big storyline through so many episodes, pacing is very important. The overall flow of the whole season needs to receive crucial attention or the audience will lose interest.  

3. Conclusion

Of course, how the whole season resolves is as important as the Foundation. This can be extra tricky to execute. The audience has been strung along for quite some time and have developed some fairly high  expectations. So the ending needs to be satisfying. It can even have some fun subverting those expectations. But it does have to feel like the story is truly complete. 

4. Coherency

As is the case with any tale that stretches over several adventures, everything needs to link together nicely. The bigger story that's being told has to flow coherently through all the smaller ones. Otherwise, the overall plot can really start feeling disjointed and the whole thing falls apart a bit. You can even have a really well-told sub-story, but if it doesn't tie in well with the rest of what's going on, then it can do more damage than good. 

5. The Actual Central Premise

This one, I feel, moves a bit more into a subjective realm. The first four points have more to do with structure and, therefore, can be analysed with more concrete evidence to back up opinion. This one is definitely more about personal taste. Basically, what did I think of the actual central conceit of it all? Was it worth spending an entire season on it? 

6. Quality of the Stories 

And now we get even more subjective. Generally, with a REVIEW OVERVIEW essay, I leave some room for me to just express my opinion. To, essentially, say how much I liked something. In this instance, I will state how much I enjoyed each smaller story in the Umbrella Season. I will, then, deliver a "Final Verdict" on the ultimate story that they came together to tell. 

INTRO COMPLETE

A definition has been set and the Points of Criteria clarified. From here, we can move on to analysing the actual seasons in question. Spending a small entry on establishing the Ground Rules seemed the most sensible way to tackle this REVIEW OVERVIEW. Now that we've done that, we can start examining the content....

We will be reviewing the Umbrella Seasons in chronological order. Up first: the Key to Time. 

See you soon!