My Thoughts On Season 15 Of Classic Doctor Who
Season fifteen of Classic Doctor Who is over with. It was kind of a ho-hum season to me, but we got to see the debut of K-9. Yay K-9! Also we have another companion departure, which I'm sad about. Leela was definitely one my favorites. Not to mention, she's a babe :3 Let's get into the serials then.
First off we've got “The Horror of Fang Rock”, another story set in the past rather than in space. How about that? This was a good one too. A pink (I think it was pink) meteor streaks across the sky and lands in the ocean observed by some funny talking lighthouse keepers. Then an eerie fog surrounds the area. The lighthouse malfunctions, making it impossible for the ships to see. Meanwhile, The Doctor was wanting to take Leela to Brighton and I'm sure there was some joke there that was probably over my head, not being native to England. Fang Rock was where they wound up, or more like the TARDIS sent them there. Leela and The Doctor make themselves at home in the lighthouse and discover a dead body. Then a ship crashes and the crew takes shelter in the lighthouse and more bodies drop dead. What's going on? A lady from the ship is super annoying and I expect her to be killed, but as far as I remember, she was safe. Also Leela sees fit that if you give her anything, it can be turned into a weapon. Then the bodies start reanimating. Finally, we learn that the culprit is the Rutans. Oh, I've heard them being mentioned as enemies to the Sontarans, but I never thought I'd actually see them. Huh. Well, they look like bioluminescent jellyfish and like the Ice Warriors, they're weak against the heat. They plan on using earth for their base, which of course leaves the earth vulnerable to attacks and The Doctor won't have that. The Rutans plan to summon their mothership, but then The Doctor turns the lighthouse into a laser and zap! The Doctor then makes jokes to Leela about going blind from the blast. Not cool Doctor, not cool.
Next was “The Invisible Enemy,” which was er...different? AKA “Doctor Who and the Fantastic Voyage.” So, Leela and The Doctor land on a space station and The Doctor becomes infected with a virus, but it doesn't seem to affect Leela for some reason. Hmm. Also, new control room. The Doctor becomes the host for this alien virus, which wants to take over. Luckily there is some help from a doctor, who is as yet infection free, and we meet K-9. Yay! Leela takes a strong liking to K-9 and it is adorable. :) Now this is where it gets weird. Clones of Leela and The Doctor are created and shrunk down, and injected into The Doctor so they can travel to his brain to tackle the virus head on. Er...yeah really. The Doctor is inside the Doctor. Sounds like fanfiction fodder. Anyway, it doesn't exactly work and the virus gets out of the Doctor's brain and grows to a much larger size. It looks like a big prawn. Kind of ridiculous. The Doctor is now immune because of Leela being inside him (No, it's not what it sounds like. Damn innuendos). OK. Also it looked like K-9 got infected. Huh? K-9's not organic, so how does that work? The Doctor is able to come up with a vaccine and then blows up the alien virus as well as the station. K-9 joins The Doctor and Leela on the TARDIS for some new adventures.
Next is “The Image of the Fendahl”, which is another weird one I barely remember, but I'll try. It involves a crystal skull apparently and some scientists trying to meddle with it. The planet is in danger because of it. The Doctor and Leela also encounter an old woman with the last name Tyler. Is she related to Rose Tyler? My headcanon will say yes. Gosh I really don't remember this one, but the monster this time is the Fendahleen, which looks like a giant hell worm and it eats life energy, which is bad. There is a cult surrounding this creature and the cult members start turning into the creatures. Fortunately, the Fendahleen's weakness is salt. Oh, so they are snails or slugs then? The Doctor of course destroys them all. This serial had funny writing, at least that's what I wrote in my notes, but I guess it wasn't memorable enough if I can't remember the funny stuff.
“The Sun Makers” in comparison was actually pretty good, featuring a nasty villain whom isn't really outside the realm of possibility. Welcome to Pluto, a planet in which ye shall be taxed into oblivion. AKA California. I actually think Pluto is probably an appropriate setting for this society, considering that Pluto is the Roman god of the underworld. Also, cue “Taxman” by The Beatles. I think most people can probably relate to this. So how are people surviving on Pluto? Artificial suns. Duh. But they are really barely surviving as one man tries to take his life because of high bills he could never hope to pay. Did I mention how real this is? I can't help but feel like this serial was perhaps making a political statement at the time. But The Doctor and Leela stop the suicidal man. Of course what do you get with any dystopian society? Rebels. Underground rebels. They're not very nice to The Doctor and Leela though and make threats. Leela doesn't mind as she just plans to kill everyone before they can have the chance to kill her and I can actually believe that lol. When The Doctor goes off, he gets captured. Word gets back to the rebels and Leela and K-9 go to try to rescue The Doctor. This time Leela is captured and taken to the Collector, a cockroach of a man. He sends Leela to be steamed to death, but fortunately The Doctor comes to her rescue. The Doctor and the Collector have a discussion, which I think is a great moment in this classic series. Especially since The Collector seems to be about as smart as The Doctor is. The Collector is an alien who basically plans to go from planet to planet, draining the people via taxation, keeping all that money, and then eliminating all the inhabitants. A perfect plan. But The Doctor drains all his funds and The Collector returns to his natural state, and The Doctor seals him off. Couldn't there still be a way for him to come back though? Hmm.
Next came “Underworld,” not to be confused with Pluto. The Doctor and Leela encounter the Minyans, a race which the Time Lords had shared their technology with. They now have the ability to regenerate up to a thousand times. You've got to be kidding me. Even Time Lords can't regenerate a thousand times! The Minyans see the Time Lords as gods, and they're not exactly wrong. And well, the abuse of the Time Lord technology is what led the Time Lords to adopt a non-interventionist policy. I see. A war broke out between the Minyans and the Time Lords, but some Minyans survived and carry the race bank to be able to repopulate again on another planet. This is interesting enough, but once Leela, The Doctor, and K-9 arrive on a Minyan ship, rocks bombard it and they crash land into a planet. The Minyans have a phrase: “The quest is the quest.” Really? What else would it be? And I guess that quest is to find the race bank. So, this planet is a slave planet and the slaves are tortured by their masters, forced to mine rocks that can be turned into...things. The slaves are being controlled by a super computer called the Oracle and that computer has the race banks. After some difficulties, The Doctor gets a hold of the race banks and the slaves are saved too.
Finally, we return to Gallifrey in “The Invasion of Time.” I find I really enjoy the stories set on Gallifrey. But these Time Lords don't really seem to know The Doctor for some reason. Yet, The Doctor now demands to be the new president. They allow it and The Doctor goes through the ceremony. You can just call him President Doctor now. Things appear to go south from there as it seems like The Doctor turns on Leela and the Time Lords. But apparently it was all a ruse. I guess? At least I was hoping? The Doctor banishes Leela to the wastelands and another Time Lord named Rodan goes with her. Rodan, being an elite does not do well out there. Then she and Leela encounter rebel Time Lords and together they plan to take the citadel, while The Doctor does whatever he does, which includes destroying the barrier that protects Gallifrey. What??? The Doctor has also been playing pals with another race called the Vardans. They're basically cellophane creatures and The Doctor plans to help them take over Gallifrey. First rule though, The Doctor lies. He plans on defeating the Vardans instead. Phew, no dark Doctor this time. The Doctor does stop The Vardans, but then something else comes through and this was quite a surprise to me. It's the Sontarans. They want to take over Gallifrey too. The Doctor hides his fellow Time Lords in the TARDIS. They're supposed to be in the bathroom, but where is it? Funny to see even The Doctor can get lost inside his own ship, even if he won't admit it. Also cool we get to see more of the inside of the TARDIS, and Leela got to go for a swim in the pool. Was that in this episode? Then watch out, The Doctor has an existence erasing gun powered by the presidential key. In the early days, The Doctor had no problem using weapons. And he uses it against Stor, leader of the Sontarans, but The Doctor's memory gets wiped as well, and is quite surprised to hear he saved Gallifrey. Leela decided to stay behind on Gallifrey for love. Oh, we're doing that again are we? K-9 decides to stay behind too, and then I'm sad, but then my frown turns upside down when we see The Doctor has a new model of K-9. Still sad to see Leela go. She was fun.
I'm eager to see who the new companion will be. Will it be Romana this time? I also read that season sixteen has an overarching plot this time. Oooh, interesting. So more like New Who then, or at least Moffat's seasons. I leave you now with a screenshot from my favorite serial this season maybe only because it's set on Gallifrey, "The Invasion Of Time." You don't want to mess with The Doctor when he's loaded.
First off we've got “The Horror of Fang Rock”, another story set in the past rather than in space. How about that? This was a good one too. A pink (I think it was pink) meteor streaks across the sky and lands in the ocean observed by some funny talking lighthouse keepers. Then an eerie fog surrounds the area. The lighthouse malfunctions, making it impossible for the ships to see. Meanwhile, The Doctor was wanting to take Leela to Brighton and I'm sure there was some joke there that was probably over my head, not being native to England. Fang Rock was where they wound up, or more like the TARDIS sent them there. Leela and The Doctor make themselves at home in the lighthouse and discover a dead body. Then a ship crashes and the crew takes shelter in the lighthouse and more bodies drop dead. What's going on? A lady from the ship is super annoying and I expect her to be killed, but as far as I remember, she was safe. Also Leela sees fit that if you give her anything, it can be turned into a weapon. Then the bodies start reanimating. Finally, we learn that the culprit is the Rutans. Oh, I've heard them being mentioned as enemies to the Sontarans, but I never thought I'd actually see them. Huh. Well, they look like bioluminescent jellyfish and like the Ice Warriors, they're weak against the heat. They plan on using earth for their base, which of course leaves the earth vulnerable to attacks and The Doctor won't have that. The Rutans plan to summon their mothership, but then The Doctor turns the lighthouse into a laser and zap! The Doctor then makes jokes to Leela about going blind from the blast. Not cool Doctor, not cool.
Next was “The Invisible Enemy,” which was er...different? AKA “Doctor Who and the Fantastic Voyage.” So, Leela and The Doctor land on a space station and The Doctor becomes infected with a virus, but it doesn't seem to affect Leela for some reason. Hmm. Also, new control room. The Doctor becomes the host for this alien virus, which wants to take over. Luckily there is some help from a doctor, who is as yet infection free, and we meet K-9. Yay! Leela takes a strong liking to K-9 and it is adorable. :) Now this is where it gets weird. Clones of Leela and The Doctor are created and shrunk down, and injected into The Doctor so they can travel to his brain to tackle the virus head on. Er...yeah really. The Doctor is inside the Doctor. Sounds like fanfiction fodder. Anyway, it doesn't exactly work and the virus gets out of the Doctor's brain and grows to a much larger size. It looks like a big prawn. Kind of ridiculous. The Doctor is now immune because of Leela being inside him (No, it's not what it sounds like. Damn innuendos). OK. Also it looked like K-9 got infected. Huh? K-9's not organic, so how does that work? The Doctor is able to come up with a vaccine and then blows up the alien virus as well as the station. K-9 joins The Doctor and Leela on the TARDIS for some new adventures.
Next is “The Image of the Fendahl”, which is another weird one I barely remember, but I'll try. It involves a crystal skull apparently and some scientists trying to meddle with it. The planet is in danger because of it. The Doctor and Leela also encounter an old woman with the last name Tyler. Is she related to Rose Tyler? My headcanon will say yes. Gosh I really don't remember this one, but the monster this time is the Fendahleen, which looks like a giant hell worm and it eats life energy, which is bad. There is a cult surrounding this creature and the cult members start turning into the creatures. Fortunately, the Fendahleen's weakness is salt. Oh, so they are snails or slugs then? The Doctor of course destroys them all. This serial had funny writing, at least that's what I wrote in my notes, but I guess it wasn't memorable enough if I can't remember the funny stuff.
“The Sun Makers” in comparison was actually pretty good, featuring a nasty villain whom isn't really outside the realm of possibility. Welcome to Pluto, a planet in which ye shall be taxed into oblivion. AKA California. I actually think Pluto is probably an appropriate setting for this society, considering that Pluto is the Roman god of the underworld. Also, cue “Taxman” by The Beatles. I think most people can probably relate to this. So how are people surviving on Pluto? Artificial suns. Duh. But they are really barely surviving as one man tries to take his life because of high bills he could never hope to pay. Did I mention how real this is? I can't help but feel like this serial was perhaps making a political statement at the time. But The Doctor and Leela stop the suicidal man. Of course what do you get with any dystopian society? Rebels. Underground rebels. They're not very nice to The Doctor and Leela though and make threats. Leela doesn't mind as she just plans to kill everyone before they can have the chance to kill her and I can actually believe that lol. When The Doctor goes off, he gets captured. Word gets back to the rebels and Leela and K-9 go to try to rescue The Doctor. This time Leela is captured and taken to the Collector, a cockroach of a man. He sends Leela to be steamed to death, but fortunately The Doctor comes to her rescue. The Doctor and the Collector have a discussion, which I think is a great moment in this classic series. Especially since The Collector seems to be about as smart as The Doctor is. The Collector is an alien who basically plans to go from planet to planet, draining the people via taxation, keeping all that money, and then eliminating all the inhabitants. A perfect plan. But The Doctor drains all his funds and The Collector returns to his natural state, and The Doctor seals him off. Couldn't there still be a way for him to come back though? Hmm.
Next came “Underworld,” not to be confused with Pluto. The Doctor and Leela encounter the Minyans, a race which the Time Lords had shared their technology with. They now have the ability to regenerate up to a thousand times. You've got to be kidding me. Even Time Lords can't regenerate a thousand times! The Minyans see the Time Lords as gods, and they're not exactly wrong. And well, the abuse of the Time Lord technology is what led the Time Lords to adopt a non-interventionist policy. I see. A war broke out between the Minyans and the Time Lords, but some Minyans survived and carry the race bank to be able to repopulate again on another planet. This is interesting enough, but once Leela, The Doctor, and K-9 arrive on a Minyan ship, rocks bombard it and they crash land into a planet. The Minyans have a phrase: “The quest is the quest.” Really? What else would it be? And I guess that quest is to find the race bank. So, this planet is a slave planet and the slaves are tortured by their masters, forced to mine rocks that can be turned into...things. The slaves are being controlled by a super computer called the Oracle and that computer has the race banks. After some difficulties, The Doctor gets a hold of the race banks and the slaves are saved too.
Finally, we return to Gallifrey in “The Invasion of Time.” I find I really enjoy the stories set on Gallifrey. But these Time Lords don't really seem to know The Doctor for some reason. Yet, The Doctor now demands to be the new president. They allow it and The Doctor goes through the ceremony. You can just call him President Doctor now. Things appear to go south from there as it seems like The Doctor turns on Leela and the Time Lords. But apparently it was all a ruse. I guess? At least I was hoping? The Doctor banishes Leela to the wastelands and another Time Lord named Rodan goes with her. Rodan, being an elite does not do well out there. Then she and Leela encounter rebel Time Lords and together they plan to take the citadel, while The Doctor does whatever he does, which includes destroying the barrier that protects Gallifrey. What??? The Doctor has also been playing pals with another race called the Vardans. They're basically cellophane creatures and The Doctor plans to help them take over Gallifrey. First rule though, The Doctor lies. He plans on defeating the Vardans instead. Phew, no dark Doctor this time. The Doctor does stop The Vardans, but then something else comes through and this was quite a surprise to me. It's the Sontarans. They want to take over Gallifrey too. The Doctor hides his fellow Time Lords in the TARDIS. They're supposed to be in the bathroom, but where is it? Funny to see even The Doctor can get lost inside his own ship, even if he won't admit it. Also cool we get to see more of the inside of the TARDIS, and Leela got to go for a swim in the pool. Was that in this episode? Then watch out, The Doctor has an existence erasing gun powered by the presidential key. In the early days, The Doctor had no problem using weapons. And he uses it against Stor, leader of the Sontarans, but The Doctor's memory gets wiped as well, and is quite surprised to hear he saved Gallifrey. Leela decided to stay behind on Gallifrey for love. Oh, we're doing that again are we? K-9 decides to stay behind too, and then I'm sad, but then my frown turns upside down when we see The Doctor has a new model of K-9. Still sad to see Leela go. She was fun.
I'm eager to see who the new companion will be. Will it be Romana this time? I also read that season sixteen has an overarching plot this time. Oooh, interesting. So more like New Who then, or at least Moffat's seasons. I leave you now with a screenshot from my favorite serial this season maybe only because it's set on Gallifrey, "The Invasion Of Time." You don't want to mess with The Doctor when he's loaded.