"That's the trouble with regeneration. You never quite know what you're going to get."
It seems that post-regeneration stories never really hit the mark in the Classic Series, which is strange for me seeing that I've come from the New Series which has pretty much perfected the 'Doctor's First Story'. Unlike "Robot", which introduced Tom Baker by putting him in a situation perfect for his previous incarnation, this story introduces Peter Davison by having him sleep and act out of his mind. While the plot and mystery surrounding the location of Castrovalva is engaging to a point, its answer is almost too easy to guess from Anthony Ainley's theatrical disguise and the first half of the episodes's only location being the TARDIS corridors makes it seem padded for time. Sadly, while it definitely leaves me interested in seeing more, what it doesn't do is give me any sort of idea of The Fifth Doctor's character, leaving it to be some sort of failure.
Part One/Two - January 6th Part Three - January 8th Part Four - January 17th
It seems that post-regeneration stories never really hit the mark in the Classic Series, which is strange for me seeing that I've come from the New Series which has pretty much perfected the 'Doctor's First Story'. Unlike "Robot", which introduced Tom Baker by putting him in a situation perfect for his previous incarnation, this story introduces Peter Davison by having him sleep and act out of his mind. While the plot and mystery surrounding the location of Castrovalva is engaging to a point, its answer is almost too easy to guess from Anthony Ainley's theatrical disguise and the first half of the episodes's only location being the TARDIS corridors makes it seem padded for time. Sadly, while it definitely leaves me interested in seeing more, what it doesn't do is give me any sort of idea of The Fifth Doctor's character, leaving it to be some sort of failure.
Part One/Two - January 6th Part Three - January 8th Part Four - January 17th