Fourth Doctor Revisited: "City of Death"

Welcome to 2026! How did we get here already? Wibbly wobbly timey wimey, of course. 

Thanks to some unfortunate insomnia, I've had some time to finally work my way through more Classic Doctor Who. Though I'd rather sleep, maybe it's Heavenly Father's way to forcing me to take some self-care time (I'd rather self-care with sleep, but He knows better than me). Recently I watched "City of Death" and had some more random thoughts about it (even more random than usual).

The "time slip" was an interesting mechanic. I kind of wish it had been used more throughout this story. Or maybe a story centered around it, a la Groundhog Day. With how the humans didn't seem affected by it, maybe this is the explanation of human Deja vu?

A plot to steal (and replace) artwork. Talk about a long con! One of the tools used in the heist made me chuckle. They used a "sonic knife" and all I could think about was Captain Jack Harkness, commenting on the Ninth Doctor's screwdriver: "This [knife] could be a little more sonic." Would've loved for the Doctor to commandeer it. Just because.

As if it weren't convoluted enough that Da Vinci painted about half a dozen copies of the Mona Lisa, modern viewers of Sarah Jane Adventures will remember when she came for revenge. Connecting the two stories, I have to wonder if all seven portraits used oils from sentient meteorite or if it was just the one that Sarah Jane's crew would encounter. Seven vengeful portraits is significantly more intense than the single.

Just like Clara Oswald in the modern series, Scaroth was splintered across time and space. Unlike Clara, the consciousness of his splinters were still telepathically connected and conscious of each other. Makes a long con like this easier over the centuries. Since the Doctor would eventually stop him, I can't complain too much about his meddling, since he apparently gave us some of our technological advances. 

I enjoyed Duggan tagging along with the Doctor and Romana. I kind of wish he'd become a companion to the Doctor. I don't know that we've had a detective on the TARDIS team before. Plus can you imagine the Doctor scolding Duggan across time and space for his impulsive fists. Though maybe after Duggan threw the most important punch in history, maybe the Doctor would've allowed it--kind of like how he would allow Ace's explosives (even though he'd say she couldn't have them).

There's still one question I need answered though: Why was it called "City of Death"? Of course there was death--it is Doctor Who after all--but it wasn't like all of Paris was dying. Was there a different plan for how the episode was supposed to go and the name never changed? Not important. Just curious, as I move towards the end of the Fourth Doctor.

This episode is also the origin of this iconic Fourth Doctor meme template.

Who is the Brigadier?

Once upon a time when Doctor Who was barely on the air for a few years, they introduced a character that was probably meant to be a one-off. But he appeared again the next season. Was the Brigadier meant to be more? Or did the writers think they’d forget about him? One thing is sure, Doctor Who wouldn’t be the same without Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart.

Before UNIT and before he was a brigadier, Alistar was a lieutenant-colonel in the British Army. During this time period, he met the Second Doctor and encountered the Great Intelligence and its yeti (and they made it seem for a moment like the would-be brigadier was the bad guy). By the time he encountered the Doctor again, he was formally a brigadier with UNIT, facing off against the Cybermen.

After these two encounters with the Doctor, the Brigadier probably thought he was done with the Doctor (and maybe hoping he was done with him). But after the Doctor’s forced regeneration, the Third Doctor pretty much dropped on his doorstep. While the Doctor was exiled to Earth, he worked for/with the Brigadier as scientific advisor and I can’t express enough how much I appreciate Lethbridge-Stewart’s exasperation with the Doctor–even better when there were multiple Doctors in play during “The Three Doctors”.

TJ and I discussed it on the podcast recently, but I’ll reiterate it here: There was something great about having a consistent human character for the Doctor to come back to, even after leaving UNIT. Year after year and face after face, the Doctor came back to the Brigadier. The trust and rapport between the man and the Time Lord was amazing. And each Doctor portrayed that same on-screen chemistry so well with him.

In later years, though sent off to South America, the Brigadier still held such respect for the Doctor, wishing only for a return salute (according to his daughter). There were a couple times with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor that that friendly (albeit skeptical) face would have helped. He was certainly a sight for sore eyes when he teamed up with Sarah Jane and her friends to get into the Black Archive. I’m glad that Nicholas Courtney was able to appear that last time in modern Who before his passing. News of the character’s passing was relayed to Eleventh Doctor during “The Wedding of River Song” happened with such reverence, solemnity, and simplicity that I couldn’t have hoped for a better send off. 

And almost just as simply, the torch was passed to his daughter Kate Stewart in “The Power of Three” and Jemma Redgrave has portrayed her with such grace and honor that could only fit the Brigadier’s daughter. I love that, despite the passing of Nicholas Courtney, the legacy of the Brigadier has lived on into Doctor Who. In some ways it makes sense to pass the torch along within UNIT but it makes it even better that his daughter took the mantle of authority, skepticism, and loyalty.

Looking back on the Brigadier, I wonder what the writers originally intended for him alongside the Second Doctor. There’s no way they could have predicted his impact on the Third Doctor era when he first appeared. I love that strong, loyal men and fathers have been portrayed throughout the 60+ years of Doctor Who. Though we never saw Kate Stewart on screen with her father (unless you count the Cyber-Brig), the impact he had is obvious with each appearance she makes. And that makes me want to be even more intentional day by day with my daughters.

So here’s a salute to the Brigadier!

Friday Creature Feature - Sontarans

"And if I'm ever in the need of advice from a psychotic potato dwarf, you'll certainly be the first to know."
--Eleventh Doctor ("The Snowmen")

With over sixty years of content and upgrades in special effects, much has changed about Doctor Who. What once was cardboard backgrounds (see "Keys of Marinus" where you can clearly tell Ian and Barbara are walking in place) is now CGI and cinematic quality. Even the villains have changed drastically (see Silurians and Cybermen). Besides the Daleks (who think they're perfect already), one of the few who hasn't changed much is the Sontarans.

What are Sontarans?

These walking potatoes are a clone race built solely for battle. They're prideful and would rather die honorable in battle than to surrender. Their planet, Sontar, is dense with strong gravitational pull, resulting in their stocky troll-like build. They breathe through a probic vent in the back of their neck (if you can call that a neck). That vent is their big weakness, as a quick whack to it can temporarily incapacitate the baked potato.

A recurring gag ever since their conception in the 1970s is their inability to perceive differences in gender; notable examples are when Sarah Jane meets them in "The Time Warrior" and when multiple versions of Clara interact with Strax in the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor eras. The Doctor brashly chalked this up to being a clone race and "Two genders is a bit further than he can count."

They're described as the finest soldiers of the galaxy, which makes sense since that's what they're bred to do. Their mortal enemy is Rutan Host, but they've been at war so long (50 000+ years) that no one even knows why they're fighting anymore. 

The Doctor and the Sontarans

On-screen the Doctor's first encounter with the Sontarans was when the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane ended up in the Middle Ages and thwarted the plans of Commander Lynx. The Doctor would later meet the Sontarans sporadically through the almost fifty years of television, encountering seven other incarnations of the Doctor, and Sarah Jane would even meet a lone Sontaran after her time in the TARDIS during The Sarah Jane Adventures.

One notable recurring Sontaran is fan-favorite Strax (TJ and I love him at least). Indebted to the Doctor and later companion of Vastra and Jenny, Strax assisted the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors on occasion. While I don't know if you could say Strax was a "good guy" he's probably the most civil Sontaran to have existed--though he did like to go to Scotland get in fights, while living in Victorian England. His temperamental and violent nature still shined through his butler facade frequently, which made for plenty of comical moments. Vastra, Jenny, the Doctor, and Clara tended to keep him in line, but how much can you really reform a Sontaran?

It's been a few regenerations since we last saw Strax, but I think it would be worth having him and his friends back again. It's only been a couple years since we last saw other Sontarans, but Strax and his grenades will always have a special place in my heart. As such, I'll leave you with another great Strax-related quote.

"I'm the clever one, you're the potato one."
--Eleventh Doctor ("The Snowmen")

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.

Sarah Jane Adventures Retrospective

"I've seen amazing things out there in space, but strange things can happen wherever you are. I have learned that life on Earth can be an adventure too. In all the universe, I never expected to find a family." Sarah Jane Smith ("The Man Who Never Was")

This post is dedicated to the late Elizabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith, companion of the Third and Fourth Doctors and friend of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. Beloved by classic and modern Doctor Who fans, she tragically passed away from cancer ten years ago this April. In my opinion, her spin-off series, Sarah Jane Adventures, is the pinnacle of Doctor Who spin-offs. So here’s to Sarah Jane.

I’d watched Sarah Jane Adventures on Hulu a few years back and loved it. And then during my current Doctor Who rewatch, I decided to throw in Sarah Jane Adventures with it (thank you, HBO Max for having this wonderful series available). Watching it in conjunction with Doctor Who didn’t necessarily add anything to the Doctor Who episodes, but it made me appreciate Sarah Jane and her Bannerman Road crew even more.

Season one features the beginning of Sarah Jane’s crew. It’s set some time after “School Reunion” and Sarah Jane is the recluse she’s been for years since the Fourth Doctor left her behind. With Maria’s help, she meets a human clone created by the Bane. This clone becomes her adopted son Luke. Maria and Luke become friends with Clyde, who joins Sarah Jane’s team. A big highlight of this season was the introduction of the Trickster, who became an arch-foe of sorts to Sarah Jane. For Doctor Who fans who haven’t seen the series, he was referenced in “Turn Left” after Donna sets the timeline straight again. Also, speaking of "Turn Left", note that Sarah Jane and her friends were referenced as saving the hospital from the Judoon in Donna's alternate timeline.

Early on in Season 2, Maria and her dad move away and only return to the show for one more special appearance. She’s replaced by Rani on Sarah Jane’s team shortly after, as they continue fighting alien invaders. Highlights from this season include the return of the Trickster (as he tries to change Sarah Jane’s past) and the last televised appearance of the Brigadier before Nicholas Courtney passed away three years later. He appeared as a Cyberman to the Twelfth Doctor, but this was his last time with his own face.

The third season was one of my favorites. K9 returned from guarding a black hole and we got a special guest appearance from the Tenth Doctor, during his time companionless before his regeneration. It was cool to see the Doctor facing off against the Trickster at Sarah Jane’s wedding. It marked the last appearance of the Trickster, though I’d love to see him back in Doctor Who. Also, I first watched this episode years after the Tenth Doctor had regenerated, so it was beautiful to see one final Tenth Doctor episode after all that time.

Season four was the last full season and it marked Luke’s departure to college, leaving Sarah Jane an empty nester. If you’re only going to watch one story from this season, it has to be “Death of the Doctor” where the Doctor teams up with Sarah Jane Smith and Jo Grant Jones. The Eleventh Doctor being with Jo for the first time in nine regenerations made me so happy, even before I’d watched Classic Who. It also established that before the Tenth Doctor regenerated, he visited all his companions. Not just the ones seem in "The End of Time". All that being said, I think the last story of this season “Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith” was my favorite because of how it tugged so hard at my heart strings.

The final season of Sarah Jane’s adventures was cut short due to her passing. As sad as that makes it, I’m grateful for the last season. We got to see Sarah Jane be a mom again as she adopted Sky and the best part of the season was seeing Luke and Sky meet for the first time as brother and sister. There were rumors that Jo Grant, the Trickster, and even Ace would have returned later in the season. But we’ll never know now.

For years I’ve wanted Sarah Jane’s gang to return in Doctor Who to give her a proper goodbye on the show. No such luck. However, this year during quarantine, we did get a little bit of something. We got a short little audio story of Sarah Jane’s funeral, featuring mentions of countless previous companions. Besides Sarah Jane’s gang, it also featured live appearances from Jo, Gita, and Ace.

Overall, I love the Sarah Jane Adventures. It’s Doctor Who that I’d be comfortable with my daughter watching as she grows up. Torchwood was made for adults, Class was made for teenagers, and Doctor Who has aliens that might be too freaky for little kids. But Sarah Jane and her gang keep it clean and try to avoid violence. Family friendly alien fun to be enjoyed for years to come. And I’m sure I’ll watch it again before too long.

"And the story goes on.... forever"

Friday Creature Feature - K9

Over almost 60 years, Doctor Who has featured plenty of iconic companions. Most fans of the modern era of Doctor Who will probably think of Rose, Amy, or Donna. But there are only a couple who bridge the gap between classic and modern Who. One of them is K9. 

He’s more than just a robot dog. Always polite and friendly, he calls all of the Doctor’s associates “master” or “mistress” (except Mr. Smith). He’s got ears like satellites, a nose with a blaster, and an adorably wagging metal tail. He’s shown himself to be capable of interfacing with any other piece of technology, even at a distance. 

There have been four versions of K9 in Doctor Who (not counting spin-off material). Like the Doctor, each version of K9 have some differences, but they share the common features mentioned above. 

K9 Mark I - This original version was created by Dr. Marius in the distant future. After the Fourth Doctor defeated the Swarm, he and Leela were gifted K9. He stayed with the Doctor until she decided to stay on Gallifrey after the Sontaran attack. 

K9 Mark II - The Doctor claimed you have built this K9 while Mark I was still around. He traveled with the Doctor and Romana as they searched for the Key to Time. His travels continued as the Doctor and Romana got stuck in E-Space. He finally opted to stay behind with Romana when the Doctor left E-Space. 

K9 Mark III - This model of K9 was sent to Sarah Jane Smith after she’d left the TARDIS. So in December 1978 she met him and he stayed around for her adventures for decades. He showed up in “The Five Doctors” living at her place. He ended up sacrificing himself in 2007 so that he could save Sarah Jane, the Doctor, Rose, and Mickey. 

K9 Mark IV - The latest K9 (as far as we know) was left with Sarah Jane after Mark III was destroyed. He joined her on her adventures with Maria, Luke, Clyde, and Rani. He stabilized a black hole and helped the Doctor find the lost Earth. Eventually he moved away to university with Luke, where he stayed until the end of the Sarah Jane Adventures.

Not much is known about what happened to the last K9 after the end of Sarah Jane's spin-off. Earlier this year during lockdown, it was revealed that he went with Ace after Sarah Jane’s funeral. Maybe someday we’ll see K9 again. As far as we know, Mark I, Mark II, and Mark IV are still around. So anything is possible. Maybe K9’s return will bring us the return of Leela, Romana, and/or Ace. I suppose anything is possible when you’re working with this good dog.

Father/Daughter Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day! I could spend this post talking about more awesome TV couples, but I’m gonna take a twist on it. While growing up, my wife loved that her parents made Valentine’s Day about more than just romantic love. This continued through college and then into her professional life, as her elementary school students give her cute little Valentines. And now that we have our little girl Lucy, I definitely have more on my mind than just my wife (make no mistake, I’m still getting my wife something for Valentine’s Day). So with Valentine’s Day today and Lucy’s baby blessing this Sunday at church, I’ve got father/daughter relationships on my mind. So in no specific order, here are some of my favorite father/daughter relationships in fandom.

Pete and Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)
The original Pete died when Rose was just a baby, as seen in Father’s Day. When the Ninth Doctor and Rose traveled back in time to see him, she ended up saving him and messing up the timeline. But then Pete made the greatest sacrifice a father can, literally giving his life for his daughter’s life. Later on when an AU Pete arrived, he saved Rose from oblivion and basically adopted her as his daughter in his universe.

Alan and Maria Jackson (Sarah Jane Adventures)
This Doctor Who spin-off had an interesting take on a father/daughter relationship. In the first episode, Maria and her dad moved in across from Sara Jane Smith after an interesting divorce. Throughout Season 1, Maria dealt with her mom, who is a bit of a narcissist. Her dad supports her and loves her throughout the whole ordeal, even after he discovers that Maria has been running around with Sarah Jane fighting aliens. He even helped a bit, all the way up until they moved to America. It was refreshing to see a good dad during a messy divorce, just trying to do his best.

Noah and Claire Bennet (Heroes)
“The Company” may have coerced Noah into the adoption in the first place, but Noah became an ideal father for Claire over the years. There were definitely times that their relationship was strained, usually when Noah started lying to his family again and again. But Claire and Noah always reconciled. When it came down to it, Noah’s priority was definitely his family, even to the point of going on the run from “The Company” to keep Claire safe.

Emma and Charming (Once Upon a Time)
Being the same age post-curse, Charming didn’t exactly have a lot of opportunities for traditional parenting. That being said, he definitely made those moments happen still. Typically it came out when it pertained to Emma’s romantic life (especially with Hook) and her grief (losing Henry or Neal’s death, but some of my favorite father/daughter moments with Charming and Emma were when she was hurting and her father was the one who rushed to comfort her. Also, let’s just talk for a second about how awesome it was to see Charming fight to save newborn Emma.

Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyme (Ant-Man)
After the death of her mother, Hope’s relationship with her father was immediately strained and it never really recovered until after he told her the truth during the events of Ant-Man. Between the events of that film and its sequel, Hank and Hope obviously reconciled and pooled their intelligence to rescue Janet from the Quantum Realm. Seeing them work together so flawlessly in Ant-Man and the Wasp was a beautiful sight. I love that movie in general, but the father/daughter relationship was definitely a highlight among the rest of it.

Phil Coulson and Daisy Johnson (Agents of SHIELD)
From the very beginning, Coulson had a special relationship with Skye/Daisy. As things progressed, especially in Season 2 as Daisy met her parents, Coulson definitely became a pseudo-father to her. With how Jekyll/Hyde her birth father was, it only made Daisy cling harder to Coulson. After letting her father go, she didn’t have a father anymore per se, except for Coulson. So it was natural that when Daisy needed guidance, she ran to Coulson. Unfortunately, that also meant that Daisy was the most heartbroken (except maybe for Agent May) when Coulson was dying.

Wilf Mott and Donna Noble (Doctor Who)
Donna had a great father growing up, from what we know. However, after her father, Geoff Noble, died, her grandfather Wilf really stepped up and became the prime father figure to her. Despite her mother’s taunting and criticism, Grandpa Wilf never ceased to encourage Donna to follow her dreams and her passions, even when it meant that she traveled with the Doctor to potentially life-threatening worlds. It was also Wilf who was there for her after the Doctor wiped her memory, watching out for her since the Doctor couldn’t.

Quentin Lance and Laurel Lance-2 (Arrow)
Two years after the death of his daughter Laurel on Earth-1, Quentin was “reunited” with a version of her from Earth-2. This alternate-universe Laurel was a villainous lackey when we first met her. However, over time with her new “father” she changed. Even after Quentin’s death, Laurel-2 continued to honor his memory by fighting the bad guys and continuing to change, even when the world thought she was a lost cause. Her new father’s encouragement changed her for the better and made her into a new hero Laurel.

Shawn Hunter and Maya Hart (Girl Meets World)
When we left off Shawn Hunter at the end of Boy Meets World, he was single and living life. When Girl Meets World picked up, Shawn was nowhere to be seen, but when he came back into Cory and Topanga’s life, she quickly took a liking for their daughter Riley’s best friend Maya. At first it was just a matter of affection, as Maya’s family life reminded Shawn of his own. Later on, as Shawn got to know Maya and her mom, it became about family, as Shawn married Maya’s mom. As a pseudo-father or a step-father, Shawn was amazing with Maya, treating her as though she were his daughter. Eventually that happened, as he adopted Maya in the series finale.

Honorable Mentions:
There are so many other father/daughter combos that I wish I could include. This post would be forever long if I included them all. But here are a few honorable mentions. Cory and Riley, Rory and River, Joe and Iris, Jack and Monica, Tony and Morgan, Scott and Cassie

I hope you have a great Valentine's Day, however you spend it. Personally, I have an 8-week old date that I can't wait to snuggle.