DOCTOR WHO: SEASON-BY-SEASON - SEASON NINETEEN

Tom Baker has left the show. That's it. Kaput. No more. Tommy be gone. 

Clearly, his successor has big shoes to fill. I may not have been the biggest Doctor Four Fan, but lots of folks were.They will have a hard time accepting the New Guy. It doesn't help that Baker stayed in the role for so long that some of the kids watching the show didn't even know that the Doctor could change. For them, he had always been their Doctor and the shock was enormous when he left the role. 

In terms of my own personal appreciation, there was a very different obstacle the show needed to overcome. I had absolutely adored Season Eighteen. In my opinion, it's the best season the show ever made. It also happens to be the first season JNT produced. So now I've got some big expectations. Everything that follows Eighteen needs to hold itself to a certain standard. I don't, necessarily, expect it to take my breath away quite as much - but it still needs to really impress me. 

So this becomes the Great Question to pose to ourselves as we embark upon Season Nineteen. Does it maintain the same level of quality that we get from our first year with JNT?    

Let's go through story-by-story to find the answer....

ONE MORE GIFT FROM BIDMEAD

Nineteen begins with a brief reprise of the final moments of the previous season (edited slightly so that we no longer see the costume inconsistency). It's a good way to start, really. So much has changed over the last year that getting things to feel as interconnected as possible is vital. This is such a different show from what he had been witnessing. The audience needs reminding that this is still the same programme that they've been getting for the last nineteen years. There's a couple nice little touches throughout the season to help with this. The Doctor, for instance, quotes K-9 in Kinda. Or he mentions how he wishes he still had his scarf in Time Flight. A serious attempt is being made to maintain a general sense of continuity in this new era. 

The most significant effort of this nature. however, is when Five goes through a whole series of flashbacks shortly after he regenerates. Peter Davison does some incredible impressions of previous incarnations. I, pretty much, fall in love with him, right here. In order to do such great portrayals, he must have some degree of serious raw talent. On top of this, though, he keeps making fun little continuity references throughout the entire story. He talks of  Daleks and Ogrons to the Portreeve. He mistakes Nyssa and Tegan for Vicki and Jo. All these little fan nods help to re-assure us that JNT might be giving us a very different version of Doctor Who - but it's still Doctor Who. It's a bit reminiscent of the talk Four and Romana have in the Time Lady's bedroom at the beginning of Full Circle. Their summary of the Doctor's experiences with Time Lords throughout the course of the show was another nice way to establish to everyone that this wasn't some kind of hard-reboot going on. 

Castrovalva, of course,  needs to be more than just fun continuity references. It needs to tell an engaging story, too. It does this remarkably well. Christopher H. Bidmead wrote us a beautiful farewell to Tom Baker in the previous season. But, apparently, that wasn't enough. He also wanted to make sure that Peter Davison was given a great welcome. This is another 80s tale with a beautiful aesthetic to it. The city of Castrovalva is meant to emulate the famous paintings by Escher. It does so magnificently. But the Doctor stumbling around in the TARDIS looks equally great. As does the location shooting with poor Nyssa and Tegan trying to transport the weakened Time Lord. The various careful choices made by the director almost cause us to feel like he's revealing his sensitive side to us. As if the whole story is one long delicately-written poem. 

The Master is also quite excellent in this story (Castrovalva comes in second place in my Top Five Master Stories https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/11/book-of-lists-top-five-master-stories_22.html). It's such a refreshing twist to see him just trying to kill the Doctor for a whole story. No evil plans for domination, he just wants to take out his worst enemy once and for all. We would continue to see stories of this nature for this incarnation. And I love that. The Doctor just foiling the Master's latest plan to take over the world and/or Universe had gotten tiresome. It was nice to see different plots being used for this character. Anthony Ainley also does an excellent job of fooling us as the Portreeve. Easily, one of the Master's best disguises ever. And I always love what happens shortly after that Big Reveal. Shardovan proclaiming: "You created us, man of evil. But we are free!" still gives me the shivers to this day. A really gorgeous moment. 

I'm not entirely sure why I don't quite hold Castrovalva in the same regard as I do Logopolis. One story is just as good as the other. They're both incredible works of art. But, for some reason, I just don't get as excited about Davison's Debut as I do for Baker's Farewell. 

Nonetheless, Castrovalva starts off the season excellently. 

"BRO, HAVE YOU EVEN SEEN DOCTOR WHO?!!"   

One of my favorite non-fiction Doctor Who books ever written is The Discontinuity Guide. It, basically, picks through every story from the Classic Series with a fine-toothed comb and reviews them in a very fun way. As it gets to Four to Doomsday, it makes an observation about it that I always felt best sums it up: 

"It almost feels like the writer has never actually watched the show!"

It is true: The whole tale does feel very odd and even a bit out-of-place. The pacing and overall vibe feels extremely different from anything else we've ever seen on the show. We won't really get anything like this afterwards, either. In many ways, Four to Doomsday is very unique. 

It is the first story of the season where Production is attempting to "strip down" the show. They're taking a premise that Doctor Who has frequently explored and telling it in its simplest and purest form. It was an effort to get "back to basics". Which was a very smart move. Season Eighteen did have some pretty complex stuff going on in it. It was a good idea to re-assure the audience that it was still possible to tell less complicated tales. In some ways, it felt like a celebration of Who's core values. 

Four to Doomsday, of course, is a stripped down version of the standard invasion plot. Another attempt is being made by evil aliens to colonise the Earth. We get to watch it just before it's all about to happen. In fact, it's actually nipped in the bud before it can even occur. You can't really strip down an invasion story any more than that! 

Keeping the plot so simple means you have to populate it with a couple of really interesting characters. Bigon is certainly one of them. He is this idealistic tortured rebel who is both well-written and well-portrayed. Enlightenment and Persuasion are a sort of macabre double-act who look quite adorable in their green outfits. But Monarch truly steals the show, here. A great villain with a rich plummy voice. He appears quite courteous most of the time. He only bares his teeth when he truly needs to. He's great fun to watch. But the performer never goes over-the-top with the character. Always a great thing to experience after several seasons of actors taking a role like this and going way too far with the mustache-twirling. 

Peter Davison is just a tad tricky to watch in certain parts of this tale. Production did the same trick with him as they would do with Matt Smith. They filmed his stories out of order so that he can be more confident in his choices when he finally performs in his first adventure. In some ways, this technique works great. But it does wrong-foot things just a bit when you get to the story that was filmed first. The Doctor's character suddenly feels a lot "rawer" and less-developed. In the case of Davison, his hair even suddenly looks a lot shorter than it did in Castrovalva! 

Having said that, however, Davison is still doing some great things with the character. The Doctor was quite erratic for a bit after this regeneration but he's definitely settled in, now. What we start seeing in Doomsday is the Doctor we're going to be getting for the next little while. His character traits are now "real" and not the result of him trying to recover from a somewhat traumatic biological process. 

After so many years of a Doctor that constantly seemed in control of everything, it was nice to see him so uncertain of himself, again. Not since Troughton had we watched our protagonist lose arguments or even get bullied. It was refreshing to see the Doctor not always be in complete authority at all times. This is exactly what the character needed. It's also quite fun to watch a Doctor that gets so easily flustered or even become neurotic, at times. Davison's interpretation is extremely well-executed. You can see how each little fidgety gesture is done with great thought and consideration.    

The other thing I really adore about this story is that neat little space walk in Part Four. Not, necessarily, some awesome special effects going on, here. But it's still a great time! Especially the way in which the Doctor uses basic physics to save the day.

For all its strangeness, Four to Doomsday turns out to be quite solid in its construction. 

THE FIRST TRUE CLASSIC 

Again, I must go back to my weird stance on Castrovalva for a bit. I consider it to be just as good as Logopolis. I do feel that Baker's swansong was, most definitely, a Classic. It's in my Top Ten for goodness sake! And yet, for some odd reason, Davison's first adventure doesn't have that same status for me. It's still amazing, but I don't see it as being quite on that level. 

Kinda, on the other hand, is undeniably a Classic. It also made it into my Top Ten (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2015/12/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-6.html). I was quite young the first time I saw it (only, about, 13 years old) and I was blown away by the whole thing. I loved all the weird imagery of Tegan's nightmare and how the Mara used her to enter our dimension. The whole nature of the relationship the Kinda have with this creature of evil was also fascinating. The way the Mara keeps ripping down what they build up on a regular basis was portrayed in such a brilliant manner. Again, some great imagery as the Doctor and Todd experience that vision at the end of Part Three that conveys all this. All those ticking clocks... 

And then, of course, there's Hindle. His whole mental disintegration was magnificently disturbing. Absolutely incredible to watch every time. Probably one of my favorite performances by a guest actor in the whole history of the show. How the Mara is even using Hindle's madness to his advantage so he can "keep the wheel turning" is just another great layer to the story. 

I remember watching this for the first time and thinking: "This is what I'm looking for in Science Fiction. Spaceship battles and laser gun fights are all fine and dandy, but I'd rather get this. Something really sophisticated that works on a whole bunch of levels. This is great sci fi!" 

It's at this point that we should point out an important fact about JNT's version of Doctor Who. It's really quite intelligent. Particularly in its earliest days. Stories like Warrior's Gate and Kinda were years ahead of their time. There were some pretty smart tales before JNT, of course. This is the same show that once did an entire four episodes that were a satire on the British taxation system. But there was also a pretty high level of content in those days that relied heavily on just creating some thrill factor rather than, maybe, going for some heavier character exploration or examining a theme more deeply. With the arrival of JNT, the show almost seems to be doing its best to avoid those baser elements of sci fi. It really endeavours to give us something sophisticated. And that, quite frankly, is a beautiful thing. 

As beautiful as watching a race of innocent telepaths fight off a psychic creature of pure evil.    

STRIPPIN' DOWN SOME MORE - THE PSEUDO-HISTORICAL 

Once more, the show decides to "go back to basics" with a theme they've explored countless times. The Visitation's central premise of an alien crashing on Earth and being stranded there is not only common to Who, but to sci-fi, in general. 

On top of this, however, is another important formula that has been frequently used in the show. All of this takes place in the past. Which earns it the label of being a Pseudo-Historical. This is a term fans have come up with for any story that takes place in history but involves other advanced technology besides the TARDIS, itself. A story like The Time Warrior, for example, is an archetypal pseudo-historical that is quite similar to Visitation. It also features an alien marooned on Earth during a more primitive time. On the other hand, a story like The Crusades is not a pseudo-historical. It would, instead, be considered a pure historical (or just a historical). It has no other sci-fi elements to it except the TARDIS and its crew. It deals only with getting caught up in certain intrigues from a period in Earth's past. 

The Visitation is, essentially, working with several "stripped down" versions of popular storylines that Doctor Who has engaged in over the years. And it does them all quite well. Pseudo-Historicals had become so complicated that it's actually a bit difficult to define them. The War Games, for instance, involves human history being influenced by alien technology. But it doesn't truly take place on Earth. So does it still count? Some fans also seem to feel that a pseudo-historical has to involve aliens. Do we include Talons of Weng Chiang, then? It's about a human who comes from the future rather than a being from another planet. 

Getting back to just telling a basic story about some Terrileptils stranded in history is actually quite pleasant. The earnestness and straightforwardness of the tale is delightfully refreshing. The actual aliens interfering with primitive Earth culture are quite interesting and totally merit a return appearance on the show. We, sort of, got that in Mindwarp when they re-used the mask on a much shorter artiste. But that doesn't properly count, of course (I'm assuming the creature was a sort of cousin to the Terrileptils). And we, at least, get a namecheck in Time of the Doctor, too (or was it The Pandorica Opens? Or both? They're mentioned somewhere!). So that's nice. But I'd still like to see them properly in action for a second time - not just as an illusion thrown up near the end of Part Two of Time Flight! 

There are a few nice "twists" thrown into the plot to ensure that it doesn't just feel like a boring old re-tread. The family that's under attack was a great way to start the tale. Generally, if an actor gets hired to be in Doctor Who it's for a few episodes. So it's always great when you just get a set of characters for only a handful of minutes and then they're written out (usually by being killed). We hadn't really seen this device being used since those two unfortunate campers in Stones of Blood. It was nice to have it back. It makes the beginning of the story feel special. 

And then, of course, there's the fun little revelation in the final shot. The Pudding Lane sign goes up in flames and we realize the Doctor is responsible for yet another Great Disaster. A second great twist! 

All in all, The Visitation is a solid little four-parter that accomplishes its task of stripping down the "alien marooned in a pseudo-historical" premise magnificently. 

Season Nineteen, at this point, is still going strong. It really has the potential to be just as enjoyable as its predecessor. 

STRIPPIN' DOWN SOME MORE - THE HISTORICAL

As if to balance things out, Season Nineteen goes on to do the same thing for a True Historical that it did for the Pseudo. 

The first time I saw Black Orchid, I was not aware that it was a throwback to a style of adventure that was actually quite common in the 60s. All that I'd seen of Doctor Who, thus far, always involved aliens and spaceships and other cool things of this nature. I completely loved that Orchid was suddenly devoid of all that. That it was just about the TARDIS crew going into the past and discovering a dark secret about the Cranleigh Family. Even when I did discover that this was not an entirely new type of story for the show, Orchid still remained cool because it was the first time in over a decade that a pure historical had been made. I loved that they were willing to bring it back after such a long rest. In fact, I wish they had done more.

It was also quite enjoyable to see everyone aboard the TARDIS having some legitimate fun for a bit. The Doctor has a great game of cricket. Nyssa and Tegan have a good time at a masquerade party. Adric eats like a pig! And then some bad stuff happens. But the fact that things are pleasant  for everyone beforehand was an interesting way to pitch the story! 

Black Orchid also does this strangely amazing job of showing the genuine excitement of being a time traveller. Tegan learns about the history of a dance style in school and then goes back to a time where the actual moves she was taught are currently in fashion. It's a genuinely magical moment when she rushes out on the dance floor as the Charleston starts to play. Matthew Waterhouse's goofy look as he watches her even manages to enhance that moment!    

It was very smart to make the tale only two parts long. As fun as historicals might be, there just wasn't enough plot to sustain any more episodes than that. Not to mention that there are a lot six-parters out there that I'm not particularly fond of. I'd rather episodes be distributed in this manner. Which the Fifth Doctor Era will go on to do every season. 

Black Orchid, like Visitation, is an extremely simple adventure. But that just makes it all-the-more charming.    

THE SECOND TRUE CLASSIC 

I've said much about Earthshock in this blog, already. Like Kinda, it's in my Top Ten (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2015/12/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-4.html). It's also my all-time favorite Cybermen story (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2022/01/book-of-lists-top-five-cybermen-stories.html). I even consider Part One to be one of the best episodes of Doctor Who ever (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/01/book-of-lists-top-six-best-episodes.html). I'm not sure if there's any new forms of high praise that I can bestow upon it. I'll try, though. 

Within the context of Season Nineteen, Earthshock almost seems to speak to us. 

"Okay, fanboys and fangirls." it says, "You've been good little brainiacs for this whole season and the last. You've let us do all kinds of weird, high-concept stuff with time travelling lions and evil psychic snakes. For four episodes, we are going to pile on the action!" 

And yet, Earthshock is far from being mere spectacle. Especially when you consider that most folks consider the highest point of the story to be a debate about the usefulness of emotions. Clearly, the writer put in a few more layers than just nasty laser gun fights if he's able to get us to appreciate that scene so much. 

But the story also lets us know that, from time-to-time, we're going to be able to give our brain-box just a bit of a rest to enjoy some nice gritty violence. This type of story will pop up now and again in amongst all the smart stuff. Which is a nice counterpoint to occasionally weave into a season. 

Since this will be my last chance to discuss it, I should probably address a certain Elephant in the Room: 

Adric.

 As far as companions go, he's not exactly a fan favorite! Some like to claim that Matthew Waterhouse is a terrible actor. I would say he did a decent job. Particularly since he was still fairly young and inexperienced. Others just find the character to be thoroughly annoying. In the same way that the average Trek fan feels Wesley Crusher was genuinely detestable in STNG. 

There is an interesting theory that has been put forward about why geeks find socially-awkward highly intelligent boys so unlikable when they show up in a franchise. Apparently, we hate them because they remind us too much of how flawed we were when we were their age. That there really isn't anything inherently wrong with the character besides the fact that the portrayal hits a little too close to home. It's an interesting theory. One that I can even find myself believing in quite a bit. Particularly since I did actually think Adric was okay. Maybe not the greatest companion in the history of the show but he was more-than-passable. So I wasn't, necessarily, happy to see him die in Earthshock like some fans were. But I did adore the incredibly intense exit that he made. I even like the fact that, unlike a lot of other characters that get killed off in sci-fi, he has actually stayed dead. The Doctor will forever regret not being able to save Adric. And I love that this story has that sort of impact. 

I should also quickly mention that I don't think he needed to be written out because the TARDIS was getting too crowded. I actually felt that the three companion dynamic was working quite well. I even loved how much they argued! You can get a more detailed version of this opinion here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/04/analytical-threes-company-what-makes_13.html  (Good God, Rob! You are posting a buttload of links in this one!).     

SO CLOSE....

Thus far, Season Nineteen is going great. Several stories are Classics and the rest are really quite good. It's genuinely looking like we might be getting another Season Eighteen. 

But then, unfortunately, we come to Time Flight. 

We were so close in so  many ways to another season as good as Eighteen. Not only had we made it through nearly the entire year before the turd dropped on us, but Time Flight, itself, comes perilously close to actually being a fairly decent story. When I did my Countdown of Favorite Guilty Pleasures, this story came in First Place (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-of-lists-guilty-pleasure-1.html).  As I explained when I was discussing Horns of Nimon a few entries back, I may enjoy a story that I consider a guilty pleasure, but I also recognize that it's still quite bad. Time Flight, however, ranks as high as it does because parts of it are still very enjoyable. It has just enough flaws, however, to make it more bad than good. But only just enough. If even one problem had been corrected before it was broadcast, I'd actually consider it tolerable.

Most of the problems with Time Flight lie with how the Master is handled. It is great to see his triumphant return at the end of Part Two. But you very quickly see some inconsistencies rear their ugly heads as the third episode begins. Why was he disguised the whole time when there were several scenes where he was completely alone? Why would he conceal his identity if there's no one around? How did he actually escape from Castrovalva? No explanation is given. 

His actual plan is very strangely contrived, too. It's great to see we're getting another alternative to: "The Master is trying to take over the World/Universe again" premise. But this plot plays out a bit oddly. He kidnaps all these people from the future to use as a labor force to penetrate the Inner Sanctum. But then, suddenly, he just loops a big wire around it and gets what he wants anyway. Why not just do the Induction Loop to begin with?!    

My other major complaint would be that this is the one time where Ainley seems to go a little too over-the-top during certain points of his performance. The Master does feel just a tad too Panto  in certain places. 

Admittedly, it's a bit weird to get the two best Master stories in a row and then, only a short while later, the worst one comes along. But still, as I said, Time Flight comes so close to being decent. Unfortunately, however, it ruins Season Nineteen's winning streak. Because of Time Flight, Ninteeen doesn't quite "tie" Eighteen. But it comes pretty damn close. It is still a very awesome season. 

So, to answer the Big Question: As far ac I'm concerned, JNT is maintaining that amazing standard I was so concerned about. Even if there was just the slightest dip in his second season. Nonetheless, this is some excellently-produced Doctor Who. 

ADMITTING ANOTHER BIAS

When I discussed Destiny of the Daleks in my Review of Season Seventeen, I confessed that it might be difficult for me to remain objective about this tale. It was the first Doctor Who story I watched in its entirety. Clearly, nostalgia can cloud my judgement a bit as I pick it apart.    

Something quite similar happens with me as I analyse Season Nineteen. I first discovered the show while Season Sixteen was playing on a local TV station. For that season and the next, I only tuned in now and again. Oftentimes, only catching parts of a story. My viewing habits became more consistent during Season Eighteen. I did manage to watch several stories in their entirety. But, admittedly, there were a few times where I ducked out for a bit and missed quite a few episodes. 

As Season Nineteen started, I said to myself: "Okay. This is it. I'm sitting down and watching this show consistently for a whole season!".  I'm not sure how I'd found out (the internet was virtually non-existent at the time) but I knew that Time Flight was the last story of the season. While I was a bit disappointed with how things finished off, I had still fallen madly in love with this show. The PBS channel would start showing Season Twenty in a matter of days and I couldn't wait!     

From Season Nineteen onwards, I was catching every episode that came out. I had officially become a fan. It's for this reason that I actually consider Peter Davison to be my Doctor. Sure, I'd watched a bit of Tommy Boy here and there. He was, technically, the incarnation I initially discovered. But Five was the first Doctor that I genuinely followed.  And he won me over because his first season was such a delight. 

Regardless my own personal affection, Nineteen gives us two adventures that are in my Top Ten, one dud and then a bunch of excellent stories. Castrovalva is even a twisted version of a "Fake Classic". This actually puts it on par with Season Fourteen (by my standards, at least - I know many of you probably consider anything from Hinchcliffe to be leagues ahead of  JNT's output). I did consider Fourteen to be a pretty amazing season so I think it's safe to say that I feel the same about this one. 

More importantly, though, it caused a curious 13-year-old Canadian boy to fall madly in love with a strange British curiosity for the rest of his life. That, more than anything, makes it a pretty amazing season.