Finally finished the Fourth Doctor stories on Britbox. That
means it’s time for another classic Doctor Who post. This time it’s the second
half of the most iconic Doctor.
Season 16
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| "Mr Fibuli!" .... That's all. |
Top Story: The Pirate
Planet
One reason I like this story so much is how silly it is. I
can’t get over how the Captain yells “Mr. Fibuli!” Also every time the Captain
makes an announcement to his people, there’s only four or five people. Not much
of a crowd or a cheer. All of the silly production notes aside, I liked the
idea of the piece of the Key to Time being the core of the planet that the pirates
had taken over. So silliness aside, it was a solid story idea and a solid plot.
Flop Story: The Ribos
Operation
It started off the Key to Time saga and it introduced Romana
(the first Time Lady companion, aside from Susan) and K9 Mark II. The problem I
had with this story was that it was so hard to follow. I watched it twice
because I got lost during the first time and I still struggled to understand
this crime story.
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| Romana and the future Romana's face |
Honorable Mention:
The Armageddon Factor
The finale to the Key to Time included quite a twist in my
opinion. I didn’t expect a person to be the segment of the Key. It also ended
up being the final appearance of Romana in her initial regeneration (when she
appears in Season 17, she has already regenerated) and it’s the first
appearance of the Black Guardian, who would not to be seen again until the
Fifth Doctor era.
Season 17
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| Fake Mona Lisa's everywhere |
Top Story: The City
of Death
The Doctor and Romana get stuck in a time loop. It was a
unique way of doing time travel. I also liked the splintered aspect of Scaroth,
scattered across time, like we would later see with Clara Oswald, except that
Scaroth is away of the split. Interesting notion and scheme that he’s trying to
put himself back together.
Flop Story: The Horns
of Nimon
This season was solid, so I had a tough time picking a least
favorite. The Nimon’s con and plot to take over was intriguing. The plot twists
were unexpected and kept me engaged. However, compared to other stories from
this season it was slow and hard to get into.
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| The newly regenerated Romana |
Honorable Mention:
Destiny of the Daleks
The first and (so far) only regeneration of a companion. We
get a new version of Romana (though I would have preferred to see some sort of
regeneration on screen, even if it only used a stunt double). It leaves
questions about regeneration, like if Time Lords can regenerate at will,
instead of just at death. This story was also the return of Davros and Skaro,
which hadn’t been seen since “Genesis of the Daleks”. It led to more
recurrences of Davros appearing.
Season 18
 |
| Romana and K-9 stay behind in the E-Space |
Top Story: Warriors’
Gate
This one took a little work for me to get into, but I enjoyed
it. They had been hinting for a couple stories about Romana not wanting to
return to Gallifrey, so I felt this was a fitting exit for her. Most of the
classic companions just leave suddenly, so this one was different. Also an
interesting twist of the realm shrinking over time. I didn’t see that coming.
Flop Story: The
Leisure Hive
This one may not have been my least favorite. However, it is
what it is. While this story was good and interesting, it was slow to start.
I’m used to Doctor Who pulling me in quickly, but that wasn’t the case here. Oh
well.
 |
| The end of the Fourth approaches |
Honorable Mention: Logopolis
Facing off against the Master and accidentally kidnapping a
new companion, this story was all over the place and it kept me going. I am
kind of disappointed that the Doctor’s death and regeneration as caused by a
fall. As far as his deaths, its lameness is up there with the First, Sixth,
Seventh, and War Doctor’s deaths. Oh well. At least the First was old age.
Special Episode: A Girl’s
Best Friend
While not technically in this season or even a “Doctor Who”
story to begin with, this Sarah Jane Christmas special was nice. Little
Earth-contained mystery that kept Sarah Jane’s story going. It was supposed to
be the pilot for a spin-off show, but didn’t get picked up. Oh well, it set up
for Sarah Jane’s appearance in “The Five Doctors” and her return in the Tenth
Doctor era when she got a proper spin-off.
COMPANIONS:
K-9 (4th Doctor, Part 1) - Warriors' Gate
Romana The Ribos Operation - Warriors' Gate
Adric Full Circle - (5th Doctor)
Nyssa Logopolis - (5th Doctor)
Tegan Logopolis - (5th Doctor)
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| Romanadvoratrelundar.... or Fred |
Favorite Companion:
Romana was easily my favorite, particularly in her second iteration. Witty,
smart, and a match for the Doctor. The wonderful thing about her being a Time
Lady is that we could somehow see her again in the modern series. PLEASE please
please BBC. Let’s have a regenerated Romanadvoratrelundar team up with the new
female Doctor.
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| More on Adric when we address the Fifth Doctor. |
Least Favorite
Companion: Adric is my least favorite companion. Not for any reasons of his
appearances with the Fourth Doctor, but because of how he was with the Fifth
Doctor. But I guess I can get into that when I write about the Fifth Doctor. In
case he doesn’t end up being my least favorite there, I just didn’t like his
obnoxious teenage attitude, overstepping the Doctor all the time.
What were some of your favorite Fourth Doctor stories,
either this half or the first half? What did you think of Romanadvoratrelundar
and Adric?
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| Tom Baker later returned to Doctor Who as "the Curator". Could this be another iteration of the Doctor or this just a rather odd coincidence? Maybe we'll learn someday. |
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