Fifth Doctor Revisited: The Mawdryn Undead

Speeding our way through the Fifth Doctor era, TJ and I had to slow down until we finish our Fourth Doctor podcast episodes. That being said, I have thought (ramblings random musings) about the Peter Davison stories I’ve watched so far.

I’ll start out my ramblings with the return of the Brigadier. He starts out with the mysterious lack of memories concerning the Doctor. When he finally remembers, naturally he gets caught up in some timey-wimey shenanigans that simultaneously save the Doctor and cause the amnesia. Wibbly-wobbly.

The idea of the Doctor giving up his regenerations isn’t a foreign concept to modern Doctor Who fans. After all, he used regeneration energy to heal River Song. The interesting part is that, if we assume the Doctor is the Timeless Child, the Doctor has had unlimited regeneration energy available to him. If the Brigadier hadn’t interfered, perhaps the infinite regenerations would have been catastrophic.

This episode also marks the return of the Black Guardian. He tricks Turlough into a deal with the devil to destroy the Doctor. Despite the all-powerful-seeming nature of the Black Guardian to manipulate events, he doesn’t seem to be any more successful in destroying the Doctor than Doofenschmirtz is at defeating Perry the Platypus. After a whole season manipulating the Doctor and Romana into assembling the Key to Time, you would think he’d be better at this game.

It's interesting to me that Mawdryn and his people attempted to regenerate. It's an interesting idea. Kind of reminded me of the Sisterhood of Karn. In fact with how they're dressed I thought Mawdryn might've been part of that clan. Their attempted regenerations gave me some insights about the spiritual implications of immortality. Perpetual living (or perpetual regeneration in Mawdryn's case) isn't worth living. Stories like Tuck Everlasting and The Good Place have addressed this idea and its pitfalls. From a gospel perspective, we believe in immortality. But we also believe that we can progress and develop to become like our Heavenly Father. In the grand scheme of things, we know very little about what that entails. But that purpose gives meaning to living forever. 

Friday Creature Feature - Mara

Why is it that snakes often appear as villainous creatures? As Christians, we could take it back to the Garden of Eden. Maybe that's why ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) is among the most common phobias (right behind spiders). So it was no coincidence that the Fifth Doctor faced off against the Mara twice.

Though the physical appearance of the Mara was campy by today's standards, the evil snake was a chilling villain of Peter Davison's tenure. In modern Doctor Who, Sutekh's harbinger cited the Mara as the God of Beasts in the Pantheon of Discord. In addition, Captain Jack called fairies part Mara during the events of Torchwood.

After Tegan Jovanka fell asleep on Kinda, the Mara entered her mind and began possessing her. Though it shortly changed its host to Aris and defeated by a circle of mirrors, Tegan was affected for a long time by the demonic snake. Eventually, the Mara influenced Tegan to guide its return to a physical form. However, an old mystic taught the Doctor who to defeat the Mara by finding the "still point" and he defeated the serpent at the moment of its resurrection. 

Poor Tegan was still tormented by dreams of the Mara. The Doctor said it was her way of processing the trauma (though pseudo-canon featured more appearances of the snake afterwards). It was during the events of "Snakedance" that the nature of the villain really struck me. And what the real villain was: fear.

Behind the scenes sources on the TARDIS Wiki call the Mara a manifestation of temptation. I think you could also call it a manifestation of evil or anxiety. It was the concept of the "still point" that convinced me it could be anxiety or fear. Both on-screen appearances of the Mara play into this idea. During the events of "Kinda", the circle of mirrors turned the snake against itself. Maybe you could apply this to turning fear on its head. Logic doesn't necessarily always help with anxiety, but I have to admit that when I can turn the anxiety (or temptation) around and realize how ridiculous it is. At times, it's so ridiculous that I have to laugh. "Really, Satan, that's how you're going to present this?"

Later, during the events of "Snakedance", the Doctor learned that the only way to get the upper hand on the Mara was to find the still point. Applying that to fear, anxiety, or temptation in real life is a bit trickier for me. It comes down to mindfulness, meditation, and other forms of calming the body and soul. Mindfulness is a hard concept for me when my mind and heart are reeling. It's too abstract for me when I'm in the middle of everything. Life doesn't exactly quiet down amidst a busy schedule and hyperactive children. That being said, the Holy Ghost has taught me a little bit about slowing down. Call it self-care or something else, but I've said many times that you can take care of yourself or God can make you take care of yourself (I told my office manager that after she was out sick for a week after working about a million hours per week).

"Beside Still Waters" by Simon Dewey

"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10) isn't just a religious platitude. It's an invitation (or maybe even commandment) for me to slow down and trust that Heavenly Father will take care of me and my family. It's hardly ever in the way I expect, but things have always worked out for my family, often even better than I planned. Modern scripture uses that phrase similarly "Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God." (D&C 101:16) I could work to "let" my hear be comforted--Not a shock to anyone who knows me. But Heavenly Father is in control. I take comfort in the phrase from Preach My Gospel: "All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." And it will. Sooner or later. 

Take time to be still. Work to trust God. Practice self-care. That's what I need to work on at least. I trust it'll help keep the Mara at bay, even if it can't ever be destroyed.

"This is, here and now. The dance goes on. It is all the dance, everywhere and always. So, find the still point. Only then can the Mara be defeated.... the still point is within yourself, nowhere else. To destroy the Mara you must find the still point." --Dojjen ("Snakedance")

Fifth Doctor Revisited: "Castrovalva"

I'm finally moving my way into Fifth Doctor era. Though I love Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor, a new Doctor was a breath of fresh air. I want to say that Peter Davison is among my favorite Doctors, but I'll leave that discussion for when TJ and I discuss his era on the podcast. In the meantime, I'll just share some of my musings/ramblings from watching the Fifth Doctor's first story: Castrovalva.

It's rare to get a Doctor Who story that's a direct sequel to the story prior. The closest I can think of is the Fourth Doctor's season with Sarah Jane and Harry. But I couldn't think of another regeneration episode that's a direct follow up/sequel to the previous Doctor's finale. This story leads right off the heels from Logopolis, still dealing with the effects of the Master and his plot. Sure, the Fifth Doctor was incapacitated most of the time, but the plot went almost seamlessly from one episode to the next.

Goodbye, iconic scarf

Speaking of the Doctor being incapacitated, the Third Doctor could have really used the Zero Room. Instead he was in UNIT's sick bay. It's too bad the Fifth Doctor jettisoned the Zero Room. A few future Doctors could have really used it... Specifically the Seventh, Eighth, Tenth and Twelfth Doctors didn’t have it. Could have helped. That's all.

I'm sad to say that I was tricked by Castrovalva; I thought the Master was the good guy. And I definitely didn't see the flaws in the fake paradise. And that's with having watched it before (granted, it's been like ten years). You'd think I'd see it coming even just with all my experience with the different Masters over the years. Well played, Master. Well played.

Do the costumes on Castrovalva remind anyone else of Monty Python?

Though many people complain about Adric (and occasionally I'm one of them) I loved how the TARDIS team worked together in this story. Each had a purpose in the Doctor's plans, even when the Master had Adric trapped. This is why I like a good well-rounded TARDIS team. The last time we had a true TARDIS team was Sarah Jane and Harry. After this team, we wouldn't get another until Rose and Captain Jack (unless you count Turlough... but he was a double agent part of the time).

I'm excited to see where we go from here. A fresh face. A new Doctor. And a decorative vegetable. Even having watched all these stories before, there are so many that it feels like a new experience each time.

Who is Susan Foreman?

At first when watching "Dalek Invasion of Earth", I thought I’d like to do a “Doctor Revisited” post about it, but in the end the serial didn’t catch my interest enough. That being said, not only was this episode the last to feature Susan as a regular companion, it was the first time any companion left the TARDIS. Add to it the fact that it was involuntary and she’s the Doctor’s granddaughter. Regardless of how I feel about Susan, I’d feel remiss if I didn’t spotlight her here after her departure. So now the title question: Who is Susan Foreman?

Disclaimer: For simplicity, I’m only going to reference on-screen material, no books or audio dramas.

Heritage on Gallifrey

We don’t know the circumstances surrounding Susan’s childhood on Gallifrey and her heritage on her home planet. Some sources have alluded to the Doctor not technically being her grandfather, just a fatherly figure. That might not seem like much until you realize what makes being a “Time Lord” different from being Gallifreyan. Especially in light of the Timeless Child, we don’t know for certain that all Gallifreyans are able to regenerate. If Susan is biologically the Doctor’s granddaughter, she could theoretically have some of that Timeless Child in her–though the Time Lords could have engineered that out of her I suppose. If she is only the Doctor’s granddaughter by bond and not by blood, then all bets are off if she can regenerate even once.

Leaving in a Stolen TARDIS

Despite all the uncertainties surrounding Susan’s past, what we know is that she decides to leave the Time Lords along with the First Doctor (shown on-screen in a flashback of a Clara splinter). Early adventures included visits to Dido (featured in “The Rescue”) and Akhaten (featured in “Rings of Akhaten”).

Susan takes a liking to modern-day Earth in the 1960s, despite the Doctor’s hesitation staying there. While living in London, she attended Coal Hill School, where she gave Ian and Barbara a run for their money. Unfortunately for her (and more so for the Doctor), her quirks caught the attention of her two teachers and they followed her back to the TARDIS…

Traveling with the TARDIS Team

After Ian and Barbara became unwitting TARDIS companions in “An Unearthly Child”, they traveled with the Doctor and Susan for a long while before returning to present-day London. Adventures with her grandfather and her teachers involved settings as broad as Skaro in the (relatively) early days of the Daleks, the Aztec Empire, and the Sense Sphere.

Susan ended up leaving the TARDIS well before Ian and Barbara (well, the Doctor left her behind). She fell in love with a young man named David in the 22nd Century and her grandfather made the decision to have her plant her roots in that post-Dalek world. The Doctor promised he’d come back for her someday. So maybe someday I’ll get my wish to see her again properly. If you’re unfamiliar with it, here’s his iconic speech.

“One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine. Goodbye, Susan. Goodbye, my dear.”

Reuniting with the Doctor(s)

At an indeterminate time after being left behind by the Doctor, Susan was whisked away in a time scoop and taken to the Death Zone to aid the First Doctor. We don’t know when or where exactly Susan was taken from, presumably Earth in the 22nd Century (though 23rd Century is plausible, depending on how fast Susan ages). Along with the First Doctor, she helped the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, and Turlough to navigate the Death Zone. Along with two other incarnations, the Doctors stopped Borusa and the First Doctor returned Susan home.

Returning for Susan?

While she technically reunited with the Doctor(s) in The Five Doctors, I don’t think that’s the kind of reunion he’d planned on when he gave his famous speech. We know he never forgot about her, as the Twelfth Doctor had her picture on his university desk. So I hold onto the idea that Susan might return. Only time will tell. But as of writing this post, Carole Ann Ford is still alive. So even if they don’t have her regenerate, we could have Susan return. But in the meantime, I’ll echo the Doctor: “No regrets, no tears, no anxieties.”

Unpopular Opinions: Doctor Who

With Flux finally on HBO Max, I’ve taken the opportunity to begin rewatching the Thirteenth Doctor’s run in preparation for the Centenary Special and her regeneration. Like with the other Doctors, I’ll be writing a post about Thirteen’s adventures. In the meantime, I’ve pulled together some of my potentially unpopular opinions regarding the Doctor Who franchise, classic and modern. For simplicity, I’m going to use female pronouns for the Doctor (unless I'm talking about a specific regeneration), in keeping with her current regeneration. 

I don’t want to know the Doctor’s name

Over the years she has been known as the Doctor, Dr. Who, and John Smith. However, we’ve yet to learn her name. During the Eleventh Doctor era, we were led to believe we’d learn the Doctor’s name, only to find his darkest secret was a regeneration he’d buried deep down. As enticing as the Doctor’s name is, I think it’s better left a mystery. If we learned anything with the Timeless Child arc, it’s that the Whovian fandom will not agree on anything. Better to leave it a mystery.

Timeless Child is just fine

Speaking of the Timeless Child, let’s get into that. I took a long time to watch the Timeless Child arc, as I waited until it was on HBO Max. By then I’d seen rumors and spoilers about the Timeless Child and who they were. Also saw so many complaints about the writing team breaking Who canon… let’s be clear guys… there’s nothing in the Timeless Child that breaks canon. The Doctor Who canon and mythos is constantly evolving. Easy example: Regeneration wasn’t even thought of until William Hartnell got sick and needed to leave the show. So to add infinite regenerations before Hartnell and infinite regenerations afterwards, not really a problem for me. That being said, I didn’t like how it was revealed. It was a lot of exposition and the Master talking, instead of giving us pieces bit by bit until the Doctor puts it all together, which feels more Doctor Who.

Amy is overrated and lasted too long

For a long while, it seemed like all Doctor Who fans would know was the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond. So when she and Rory left, Clara was judged. In addition, these viewers who disregarded the previous Doctors (even the modern ones) created oodles of memes that made it seem like Matt Smith was the only Doctor. So while Amy Pond may be the favorite of many, she’s not my favorite. I didn’t like her throwing herself at the Doctor, while engaged and married to Rory. He deserved better. But you can read more about my opinions on Amy if you check out my Eleventh Doctor post.

Stop shipping the Doctor

It started with the Eighth Doctor kissing Grace, but then in modern Doctor Who it got out of control. Rose and Martha fell in love with Ten, Amy tried to jump Eleven, and now we’ve got Thirteen and Yaz. Thankfully that’s not even half the modern companions, but it’s enough that it’s become a stereotype. Every once in a while was one thing, but it happened so often between Ten and Eleven that it’s almost expected in the modern era.

Five, Seven, and Eight are underrated

When you talk to someone about classic Doctor Who, they’ll likely think of William Hartnell or Tom Baker, the first Doctor and the longest Doctor respectively. But they aren’t my favorite classic Doctors. My favorite would be between Peter Davison, Sylverster McCoy, or (if you include him in the classic era) Paul McGann. “Earthshock,” “Arc of Infinity,” “The Happiness Patrol,” “Remembrance of the Daleks,” and the TV movie among my favorites. So if you’re checking out classic Who, don’t limit yourself to just the Fourth Doctor (as cool as he is) and give the others a shot too.

What are your unpopular opinions of the Doctor Who franchise? Any overrated companions and Doctors? An episode you love that no one else does? Drop it in the comments and wait for someone to argue. In the meantime, I’m going to continue my re-watch of the Thirteenth Doctor (next up, “The Tsuranga Conundrum”).

Sarah Jane Smith Binge List

This month would have marked the 76th birthday of Elizabeth Sladen, who played fan-favorite Sarah Jane Smith alongside seven different Doctors and got her own spin-off Sarah Jane Adventures (SJA) during the early years of Modern Who. In honor of her birthday, I wanted to highlight some of her best stories that I want to rewatch someday soon.

Third Doctor Era (Season 11)

The Time Warrior - Naturally you need to start with her first appearance. She snuck into UNIT and teamed up with the Third Doctor, almost by accident.

Invasion of the Dinosaurs - This was my favorite of Sarah Jane’s early stories. To say the special effects are dated would be an understatement, but the story is solid

Planet of the Spiders - Sarah Jane’s first experience with the Doctor regenerating (also the first time “regeneration” was a canon term). It also gave us the only TV appearance of the Hermit.

Fourth Doctor Era (Seasons 12-14)

Robot - Can’t talk about Sarah Jane without addressing the beginning of the Fourth Doctor and the introduction of Harry Sullivan.

Genesis of the Daleks - One of Sarah Jane’s iconic stories, featuring Davros for the first time and the backstory of the Daleks.

The Android Invasion - In some ways, this one was freakier than Blink. But that’s just one Whovian's opinion.

The Hand of Fear - After her final adventure with the Fourth Doctor, it was sad to leave Sarah Jane behind, especially since she was left in the wrong place.

A Girl’s Best Friend - It was supposed to be a pilot for a spin-off series, but Sarah Jane wouldn’t get that spin-off until the modern era. But this Christmas special did get Sarah Jane her K-9, who would keep on reappearing.

Fifth Doctor Era (20th Anniversary)

The Five Doctors - Sarah Jane only had one appearance during Peter Davison’s run. She teamed up with the Third Doctor in the Death Zone, before returning to her home again. She would not be seen again in the Classic era.

Tenth Doctor Era (Series 2-4, SJA Series 1-3)

School Reunion - The Tenth Doctor, Rose, and Mickey teamed up with Sarah Jane and K-9. I would love more episodes like this, bringing Classic companions back for one-off stories.

SJA Series 1 - The first installment of the Sarah Jane Adventures introduced Luke, Maria, and Clyde. If you were to only watch a couple stories from this season I’d recommend  “Invasion of the Bane”, “Revenge of the Slitheen”, and “Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?”

The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End - Sarah Jane and Luke guest star in this epic Doctor Who crossover, along with the companions of the main series and the team from Torchwood. 

SJA Series 2 - This season said goodbye to Maria and hello to Rani. Some of the must-sees from this period include “The Last Sontaran”, “The Day of the Clown”, and “The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith” (which explains why she was raised by her aunt).

SJA Series 3 - This season took place during the year of Tenth Doctor specials. Without a companion, he showed up in the Sarah Jane Adventures. “The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith” saw him team up with Sarah Jane and her friends.

The End of Time - Sarah Jane and Luke only briefly show up during the Tenth Doctor’s farewell tour, but this heartbreaking scene is still worth watching.

Eleventh Doctor Era (SJA Series 4-5)

SJA Series 4 - With Luke off for early admission at Oxford, Sarah Jane had a smaller team. But that didn’t stop her from facing off against her alien foes. Highlights for this season are “The Nightmare Man”, “The Empty Planet”, and of course “Death of the Doctor”, which featured the return of Jo Grant and the appearance of the Eleventh Doctor.

SJA Series 5 - This season was cut short, due to Elizabeth Sladen’s passing. In “Sky” she adopted a little alien girl (named “Sky”) and “The Man Who Never Was” gave her a loving tribute at the end.

Sometime after this, Sarah Jane Smith reportedly died. We don’t know how she died, but some speculated she had been taken by the Doctor again. Her funeral was attended by many of the Doctor’s companions and her team. Her funeral was described in a webcast in 2020. A beautiful goodbye to a beautiful companion. We miss you, Sarah Jane. We miss you, Elizabeth Sladen.

5 Times the Doctor Directly Influenced History

The Doctor has been traveling through time and space (and our TVs) for 55 years now. Not counting spin-off material, that gives us 284 adventures that we know about (as of today). He's gone to the creation of the Earth ("The Runaway Bride") to the end of the universe ("Utopia") and he's influenced history (both in the past and future history), but there's only a handful of times that he's influenced historical Real World events.

Man's Discovery of Fire ("An Unearthly Child")
After accidentally traveling to the Stone Age, the First Doctor, his daughter, and their unwilling companions (Ian and Barbara) get caught in the middle of a tribal feud. In order to gain their trust, Ian makes fire for them. Teaching the tribe to make fire wins them enough points that they're able to leave in the TARDIS (even though it takes them a while to actually return to present-day London).

The Destruction of the Dinosaurs ("Earthshock")
The Fifth Doctor and his TARDIS team (Adric, Tegan, and Nyssa) end up in the middle of a 26th Century Cyberman plan, which includes an explosive freighter crashing into Earth, to prevent an anti-Cyberman alliance. The Doctor's team manages to change the freighter's course... into the past. Before Adric can stop it, it crashes into the Earth, killing him and (as they've travelled millions of years into the past) the dinosaurs as well.

Mount Vesuvius ("The Fires of Pompeii")
In an attempt to show Ancient Rome to Donna, the Tenth Doctor ends up taking her to Pompeii, the day before its destruction. They got flipped around, due to some oracles and a missing TARDIS, they ended up in the middle of an alien plot. In order to stop the Pyroviles from conquering the world, but the Doctor has to cause Vesuvius's eruption, sacrificing Pompeii to save the world.

Vincent van Gogh's Paintings ("Vincent and the Doctor")
Following a possible alien to the 1890s, the Eleventh Doctor and Amy meet Vincent. As they befriend Vincent, they track down the alien. Along the way, they learn of Vincent's depression (which will eventually lead to his suicide) and they drop hints along the way of paintings that Vincent will do. These paintings may have very well happened without the Doctor and Amy's interference, but in this version of events the Doctor and Amy lead Vincent to the sunflowers ("Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers") and the church ("The Church at Auvers").

Rosa Parks ("Rosa")
SPOILER ALERT FOR CURRENT SEASON
Trying to get her brand new TARDIS team back to 2018, the Thirteenth Doctor ends up in 1955 Alabama right before Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat. A time traveling racist comes back from Stormcage Containment Facility (same place River Song was imprisoned, FYI) and tries to rewrite history to stop the end of segregation and all the progression that came since. However, as they stop the time racist, the Doctor and her companions realize that (by taking up seats on the bus) they helped make history happen.

What did I miss guys? What historical figures and events did you enjoy from the Doctor's adventures? What events would you like to see?

The Fifth Doctor

Just recently I finished the Fifth Doctor’s last story. I’m a little apprehensive about continuing with the Sixth Doctor, but I’m determined to do it. But first, I really enjoyed the Fifth Doctor. In a way he’s a bit of a legend in his own right, with his daughter playing the Doctor’s daughter and his future son-in-law playing the Tenth Doctor, but we’ll probably touch on that more later.

Season 19

The Doctor finally returned Tegan to
her job, only for her to return later.

Top Story: Time-Flight

I had low expectations of this story, since Peter Davision had said on his panel at SLC Comic Con last year that he would have redone this one. All the same, this story had a very fresh take on time travel, which I enjoyed. Kind of like how “The Day of the Doctor” used the rifts in time, instead of the TARDIS, to get the three Doctors together.

Flop Story: Four to Doomsday

The worst part of this story was just how slow it started. I almost picked “Castrovalva”. The premise is interesting, having figures from multiple eras on Earth all put together. However, I spent a long time on this story waiting for something to happen. The mystery of the story was satisfying, but the new Doctor spent a long time standing around.

The Cybermen returned in "Earthshock"

Honorable Mention: Earthshock

Despite how much modern Doctor Who fans talk about the companions always dying, it’s not that common. It took almost 20 years for a regular companion to die (Katarina died with the First Doctor, but she wasn’t around that long… it’d be like if Adam had died on Satellite 5). Amy and Rory lived out their lives in the past, Clara was pulled out of time, Donna was mind-wiped, and so on. However, it’s uncommon for a companion to straight up die. That’s what happened to Adric. So even though I didn’t care for him, it was a tragic episode for the Doctor to lose a friend.

Season 20

Tegan and the Doctor get captured by Omega.

Top Story: Arc of Infinity

I enjoyed the fresh take on time travel. Like Time-Flight it was refreshing to see something new. This episode also saw the return of Omega, who was last seen and defeated in ”The Three Doctors”. It was also nice to see Tegan return. Despite her annoying whining when she was first taken by accident, she grew on me. But more on that later.

Flop Story: The King’s Demons

The return of the Master and the introduction of Kamelion. Again, interesting premise, but the use of Kamelion was too complex. Kind of over-complicated the story, in my opinion. In the end it was just one of those stories that I had a hard time getting into.

The Brigadier returned, but with amnesia

Honorable Mention: Mawdryn Undead

We got Turlough introduced here. Not my favorite companion, but not my least favorite. More importantly in my mind is that this was the return of the Brigadier (first appearance since “Terror of the Zygons” seven years before) and the Black Guardian (first appearance since “The Armageddon Factor”). I didn’t particularly care for the trilogy of Black Guardian stories, but it was great to have these characters return.

Season 21

Turlough tricked everyone into thinking
a coat rack was a weapon.

Top Story: Frontios

This story had the kind of feel that I like in modern Doctor Who; the TARDIS is gone, the natives are suspicious of the Doctor and companions, and some alien mystery starts unfolding. I liked the way the story unfolded, built up, and then resolved itself. Nice and clean.

Flop Story: Warriors of the Deep

I don’t know what it is, but I guess I just don’t like Silurian stories. I’ve said it before, but the Silurian stories all feel the same. Again, maybe I’d feel differently if I hadn’t seen the Eleventh Doctor Silurian story, but still. Madame Vastra though, I’ll take her any day.

A crack in time. Deja vu.....

Honorable Mention: The Awakening

The story overall was kinda meh, but I’m giving this one honorable mention for one reason alone: the crack in time and space. It functioned differently than the crack in the Eleventh Doctor era, but I’d be cool if it was also crack caused by the TARDIS exploding.

Four Doctors defeat Rasillon in the Death Zone

Special Episode: The Five Doctors

The 20^th Anniversary called for a return from the five doctors and five companions. It would have been wonderful if Tom Baker had agreed to return, with Sarah Jane as his companion. However, it was clever of them to use leftover footage from an unfinished story to include the Fourth Doctor and Romana anyway. If I had to change any of them companions, I’d have put Jamie or Zoe with the Second Doctor instead of the Brigadier and I’d have put Jo with the Third Doctor. All the same, just look at how many companions returned, even just as hallucinations. I’m also glad they could tastefully have another actor play the First Doctor. That paved the way for another actor to play him this Christmas.

COMPANIONS:

Adric                      (4th Doctor) - Earthshock

Nyssa                    (4th Doctor) - Terminus

Tegan                    (4th Doctor) - Resurrection of the Daleks

Turlough              Mawdryn Undead - Planet of Fire

Peri                        Planet of Fire - (6th Doctor)

I like companions who can give
equal support and sass

Favorite Companion: She annoyed me at first, but I really grew to like Tegan Jovanka. She had some definite character development. She went from being an annoying, whiny brat to becoming a loyal, sassy friend for the Fifth Doctor. My biggest complaint is that her exit was so abrupt. I could kind of see them taking the Doctor in a darker direction, but Tegan’s reaction seemed to come about suddenly. However, as of 2010 the character is still alive (as noted in the Sarah Jane Adventures) and the actress Janet Fielding is still alive, so it’s not unreasonable to think that she could reappear at some point. Fingers crossed.

Solid ending for a mediocre character

Least Favorite Companion: I mentioned last time that Adric was my least favorite of the Fourth Doctor companions. It was all because of Fifth Doctor stories I’d seen. He ends up as this annoying, arrogant teenager who constantly defies the Doctor and oversteps him. Not only that but on multiple occasions he selfishly aids the enemy of a given story because he’s being an angsty, prideful teenager. However, I enjoyed his resolution. He died a hero and his death was satisfying (and not even because I didn’t like him). I would love to see more companion exits like that (minus the death part).

Any favorite Fifth Doctor moments? Any companions you'd like to see back? I'd be up for Tegan and Nyssa at least.

The Fifth Doctor returned in the Tenth Doctor era for a
charity short with his future son-in-law.

Check out our other Doctor Who features:

• First Doctor
• Second Doctor
• Third Doctor
• Fourth Doctor Part 1 and Part 2
• Sixth Doctor
• Seventh Doctor
• Eighth Doctor
• Ninth Doctor
• Tenth Doctor
• Eleventh Doctor
• Twelfth Doctor