Following the strong serial Kinda, The Visitation was always going to struggle a bit for me, and in a way it probably helps it that it is a bit of a throwback to the old black and white days of Doctor Who. At least, it feels that way at first because it often seemed back then that every other serial was raiding the BBC historical drama department for costumes and actors - and this has that same air to it. The androids and lizard creatures sort of change that up a bit, but it doesn't matter because generally the serial feels like a bit of relaxed fun, playing to Who standards, and not rocking the boat too much with big ideas.
The plot is straightforward, but has some nice historical context built into it (eg the link to the plague), but ultimately it goes from point-to-point in a very easy to follow way. Often these serials can have lots of padding in them, but it wasn't the case here and mostly things feel to be moving forward rather than looking for ways to fill time or create moments for the sake of it. It doesn't make it a great serial or hugely memorable, but it is quite enjoyable for the various aspects. Performances are solid; the companions are kept busy but not overly used, although Waterhouse still managed to nark me. Davidson is good but I noticed that in a few moments his Doctor has an impatience to him that I'm not sure works (one moment in particular where he snaps at Tegan's dig at the Terileptils not leaving a forwarding address). He does enjoy himself alongside Robbins though - and the latter gets the balance right of making a colourful character but not making him too silly or out of place. The Terileptils are rubbery of course, but they are pretty decent villains, and the androids are imposing in a sluggish-but-unstoppable sort of way.
A bit basic and 'by the book' but it still works well as a solid enough serial, with a handful of effective elements making it rise above its structure.
The plot is straightforward, but has some nice historical context built into it (eg the link to the plague), but ultimately it goes from point-to-point in a very easy to follow way. Often these serials can have lots of padding in them, but it wasn't the case here and mostly things feel to be moving forward rather than looking for ways to fill time or create moments for the sake of it. It doesn't make it a great serial or hugely memorable, but it is quite enjoyable for the various aspects. Performances are solid; the companions are kept busy but not overly used, although Waterhouse still managed to nark me. Davidson is good but I noticed that in a few moments his Doctor has an impatience to him that I'm not sure works (one moment in particular where he snaps at Tegan's dig at the Terileptils not leaving a forwarding address). He does enjoy himself alongside Robbins though - and the latter gets the balance right of making a colourful character but not making him too silly or out of place. The Terileptils are rubbery of course, but they are pretty decent villains, and the androids are imposing in a sluggish-but-unstoppable sort of way.
A bit basic and 'by the book' but it still works well as a solid enough serial, with a handful of effective elements making it rise above its structure.