109. Shada

shah-DAH! shah-DAH! shah-DAH!

Shada was supposed to be the season finale of Season 17 but due to industrial strike, it was never finished and has remained the great lost story of Doctor Who. Written by the infamous Douglas Adams, it saw the Doctor and Romana return to modern day Earth to visit an old Time Lord friend at Cambridge. An over the top villain escapes confinement and proceeds to battle wits with the Doctor. Hilarity ensues. 

Although never broadcast, some of the video was used in the Five Doctors when Tom Baker was unable or unwilling to star in it. All the existing material was released on VHS and DVD with linking narration of the missing scenes by Tom Baker. And Big Finish restaged with story in audio and animation starring 8th Doctor Paul McGann and Lalla Ward as Romana, which creates its own continuity paradox in itself.

Based upon viewing the extant material of the story, Shada would have been a fantastic ending to an otherwise boring season. After the last few stinkers of Season 17, Shada would have been a return to form and shown classic Douglas Adams wit and intelligence. And while I adore Horns of Nimon, it doesn't suit as a season finale and Shada would have been a fitting end to the season, to Graham Williams reign as Producer and to the 1970's. 

As we will see in the next season beginning with the Leisure Hive, Shada would have been a glorious end of era with the last use of the classic Tom Baker diamond logo and time tunnel opening, the classic theme music, the classic scarf, the classic randomizer, and the aesthetic look that has blanketed the series for the last half decade. Starting next season, everything old is new again...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shada

108. The Horns of Nimon

Lord NIMON! It is I, SolDEED!

I adore the Horns of Nimon. It is so campy and over the top that you can't take it seriously. Soldeed looks at the camera several times and is crazy as a loon. The Georgian State Dancers as the Nimon are hysterical, while not the prettiest things that have great legs. While the Doctor is sidelined for quite a bit of the story, Romana steps up and takes the lead. And I have to say, I think this is her best outfit yet- so English and highbred yet feminine and classy. Romana even builds her own sonic screwdriver! The character of Seth seems a very proto-Adric, and quite cute. All in all, a jolly romp after the last few duds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Horns_of_Nimon

107. Nightmare of Eden

Time for the Nightmare of Barbara Eden...

I don't know which one I dislike more- the Creature from the Pit or the Nightmare of Eden. They're both wretched. While I can appreciate the idea of a story about drug trafficking, this story doesn't do it justice. The bad looking monsters of the week, the Mandrels, are not scary or threatening and are slow! The fact that they decompose into drugs is just awful and makes no sense. It feels like Tom Baker is just phoning it in for this one. While Romana is good in the story, her outfit is horrible. And who ever is playing Professor Tryst, he accent is so bad and distracting, it ruins every scene he's in. At the end of the day, this is probably a story worth skipping.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmare_of_Eden

106. The Creature from the Pit

More like the Creature from the Arm Pit!

What can I say about the Creature from the Pit other than it ties for the worst story of the season and one of the least memorable stories ever. It's just boring. We have another over the top villainess. We have killer tumbleweeds. And there is a giant blob that keeps inadvertently killing people. And Romana looks like a 70's porn star. All in all, a real snooze fest. The only bright spot of the story is Geoffrey Balydon , who was one of the original candidates for the 1st Doctor and has subsequently appeared in some Big Finish audios as a 1st Doctor like character. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Creature_from_the_Pit

105. City of Death

Doctor Who in Paris! J'adore!

The Doctor and Romana take a jaunt to Paris for a holiday! Little do they know that the last surviving member of the Jagaroth in the guise of Count Scarlioni is trying to steal the Mona Lisa from the Louvre so he can sell it and 6 copies to make money to fund his time travel experiment to get back to the beginning of the human race and avert the destruction of his space craft. Hilarity ensues.

After a hasty regeneration last story, the Doctor and Romana II seem to have settled into a comfortable new relationship. Romana is actually quite adorable in her school girl outfit. Tom as the Doctor drinks up the Parisian culture like a fine table wine. Julian Glover as Scarlioni/ Scaroth is a James Bond level villain that relishes every line he delivers. In the annals of Doctor Who history, I must say that Glover is far and away one of the best villains ever. The banter between him and Baker is classic. I have to give a special shout out to Catherine Schell who portrayed the Countess. Her performance was sublime and delicious yet vulnerable and conflicted as she realized what her husband really was. Of course the script having been written for the most part by Douglas Adams shines through and through. For so many reasons, the City of Death is a perfect storm of a classic story that has aged so well like a fine wine. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Death

104. Destiny of the Daleks

Destiny of the Daleks kicked off season 17, Tom Baker's 6 as the Doctor, with the introduction of Lalla Ward as a newly regenerated Romana. No reason is given as to why Mary Tamm departs, no scene of one regenerating into another, no accident or cause for the regeneration. Lalla just saunters into the TARDIS console room and after a comical wardrobe change of bodies, Romana settles on a body and an outfit frighteningly similar to the Doctors.

Since the Doctor seemingly can control the TARDIS now, he installs a Randomizer to help him wander time and space aimlessly. Of course where does it take the TARDIS first- Skaro! And what are the Daleks doing there? Digging up Davros! And what's Davros want to do? Regain control of the Daleks! Insane! Of course it's because of the Doctor that Davros is in his cryo sleep and who's the first one he see's when he wakes up- The Doctor!

Unfortunately Michael Wisher wasn't available to reprise his role as Davros, so it fell to David Gooderson to fill the mask, a mask specifically made for Michael that fits David horribly. David just couldn't live up to the over the top characterization Michael brought to the character. Instead of a triumphant return of a great character, its the meager side show of a mediocre characterization. 

Lalla does a fine job taking over the reigns of Romana and starts sketching out her own version of the character who obviously has her own panache for fashion in a very different way than her predecessor. From the get go, you definitely see the on-screen chemistry between Tom and Lalla which will play out over the next almost two years. Ah love is in the air!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destiny_of_the_Daleks

103. The Armageddon Factor

Armageddon it!

Season 16 comes to a culmination with the procurement of the final segment of the Key to Time. Little did we know that the sixth segment was Tom Baker's future wife! The story is a tale as old as time, two sides pitted in war with a 3rd party encouraging ongoing hostilities. Of course the 3rd party is the Black Guardian and his minion the Shadow who are manipulating events. 

There is some great morality play in this story with Princess Astra being the final segment of the Key to Time and her fate if left in that state. Lalla Ward does a wonderful turn as the Princess and inadvertently auditions for a few future roles. There is also a great moment of the Doctor acting drunk with power. 

Throughout the story though, Mary Tamm's Romana shines like a beacon in her flowing white dress. Her character development of the season has been wonderful and her relationship with the Doctor has been a refreshing change from Leela's and even Sarah Jane's. While this story isn't "marketed" as Mary's final story, it's sad knowing that it is. While her successor does a wonderful job in her version of the character, Mary's season as Romana was a joy and I wished she had stayed for another season. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Armageddon_Factor

102. The Power of Kroll

Oh my darling Swampy!

After a pretty good run of stories this season, we had to get to one that's a bit less than fantastic. I have to say that The Power of Kroll is my least favorite story of the season and probably one of my least favorite of the Tom Baker era. While the swamp monster is a bit rubbish and the CSO is a bit shabby, the swampies make-up a bit shoddy, and the acting slightly one dimensional, its not any one of these things that detracts from the story but rather the sum of its parts. I do have to say there is a lot of great location work for this story and they look like they're in a real swamp. But it's another allegory for imperial Britain occupying a 3rd work country and trying to control the native species. Its been done before better. But the strength of the season can carry one through the next episodes finale. And of course Mary Tamm looks lovely throughout her swampy romp!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Kroll

101. The Androids of Tara

Two Romana's for the price of one!

In another great episode for Mary Tamm, she plays two characters and pretty much runs the story. She finds the 4th segment of the Key to Time in the first five minutes without the aid of the Doctor, pilots the TARDIS, gets into culturally accurate costume, all in all does exactly what she needs to and accomplishes the mission in record time. And if it wasn't for the rubbish beast, she would have return to the TARDIS and been off by the end of episode one.

Of course, what are the chances that they would land on a planet where their Princess Strella and that a power play was in process and that they could use Romana as a double to steal the throne? What are the chances! It's an interested world that technologically advanced but wrapped in a very feudal society. I love the wardrobe with all the satins and velvets. Very stylish. And of course Romana looks divine in her Taran outfit. Even Strella's gown looks very luxe with lots of detail work and brocades. Special mention of the character Madame Lamia, a delicious villainess!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Androids_of_Tara

100. The Stones of Blood

Doctor Who reaches its 100th episode!

The Stones of Blood is probably my favorite story of this Key to Time season. It sees the Doctor and Romana return to Earth for a scary romp in the home counties with killer stone monoliths. But it's the character of Professor Amelia Rumford who steals the show! She is a gem of a character and a great actress. It would have been a joy to see her travel in the TARDIS with the Doctor. 

The villainess of the piece, Vivien Fey, is deliciously evil. I see a lot of her in the character that becomes know as the Rani. And it's nice to have a female villain, although this is now the second in a row. Interestingly enough, you get a sense that Vivien might actually be flirting with Romana! And lovely Amelia doesn't seem to have a man around for miles. Curiouser and curiouser!

And again, Romana has two great outfits in this story. From a button down blouse with a nice pair of slacks, a smart cap and open toe heels to a flowy dress with a puffy blouse and boots. Impeccable!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stones_of_Blood

99. The Pirate Planet

Doctor Who gets the Douglas Adams touch!

As the Doctor and Romana move on to the second piece of the Key to Time, the stumble upon a pirate... planet. Not a planet of pirates but a planet that can materialize itself around other planets and deplete and plunder its resources while killing it's inhabitants. The death of all these people releases tremendous mental energy thus empowering the Mentiads, the psychic rebellion of the planet against its Pirate Captain. 

As we have come to know the tropes and hallmarks of a Douglas Adams story, one can observe many great Adam-isms in this story. There are more than a few absurd moments riddled throughout. The killer robot parrot is a great touch. The twist with the Queen is a nice layer too. 

It's actually quite fun seeing the Doctor and Romana's partnership grow and develop while Romana is becoming more assertive and seasoned. And the woman knows how to dress! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pirate_Planet

98. The Ribos Operation

Everything old is new again. 

Season 16, the fifth for Tom Baker, kicks off the programs first "umbrella" season with a linking storyline for the entire 6 stories. Entitled "The Key to Time", the Doctor is given by the White Guardian to search time and space for the 6 pieces of the Key to Time. And he's given a new assistant to help him in this mission.

Enter Mary Tamm. Portraying the Time Lady Romanadvoratrelundar a/k/a Romana, the second Time Lady we've seen on screen (3 if you count Susan), she is a delicious ice princess. Having just graduated from the Academy at the top of her class, she lacks any real world experience. She is very by-the-book, a bit aristocrat, quite no-nonsense, and very elegant. A complete contrast to Leela. 

Of course put Romana and the Doctor in the same room, and we have another dynamic relationship. And the Ribos Operation really kicks off their pairing to great success. The story is also filled with other memorable characters/pairings. As this was written by Robert Holmes, a genius of a writer, who previously gave us Jago & Litefoot, now gives us Garron and Unstoffe a pair of hilarious thieves. 

After some of the sleeper stories of last season, this story appears to be a return to form and an injection of new blood and energy. Brava!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ribos_Operation

97. The Invasion of Time

After the last few disappointing stories of season 15, the season finale The Invasion of Time ends on a high note with a return to strong plot lines, intrigue, and an outstanding performance by Tom Baker. We also get another 11th hour departure for Leela and K-9, who conveniently falls in love with Andred. 

Of course this picks up where The Deadly Assassin left off, delving deeper into Time Lord politics and hierarchy. Somehow the Doctor claims his right to be the Lord President of the Supreme Council. This allows him to open Gallifrey up for invasion by the Vardans, which turns out to be a ruse to trap them in a time loop. But unbeknownst to the Doctor, the Sontarans were riding the Vardans coat tails for their own back down invasion. And we actually see more than one Sontaran at a time. We also see more of the interior of the TARDIS than we ever have before, albeit a really rubbish set of interiors. 

The other "ground breaking" feature of this story is the inclusion of the first female Time Lord, Rodan (if you don't include the Doctor's granddaughter Susan). Rodan is cold, logical, and and a glorified traffic monitor. Of course this was a test run for the Doctor's next companion. 

This season was a little uneven with some pretty boring stories falling here. Tom's performance seems routine at times and while Louise is always consistent, it felt like her story had run its course. And since Tom was the star, it was time for Leela to depart the TARDIS, and I can't say I was going to miss her. While the last few companion departures have been quite emotional (Sarah Jane and Jo), this one was quite welcomed. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invasion_of_Time

96. Underworld

Decades before George Lucas decided the make the three prequel Star Wars movies and produce it with so much green screen and digital animation that almost nothing was real in the movies, we had Underworld (not to be confused with the Kate Beckinsale series). The story has so much green screen effects, it's ridiculous. It's a very flimsy story that barely pretends to be based on Greek mythology. This is probably one of my least favorite stories ever. It's unmemorable. It's unremarkable. It's uninteresting. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underworld_(Doctor_Who)

95. The Sun Makers

Death and Taxes come to Doctor Who!

This is a strange story, relatively speaking in comparison to other Doctor Who stories, in that it's actually about death and taxes. More accurately, about over working and being over taxed. The Doctor does incite another rebellion to overthrow the ruling regime. The Collector is played quite over the top with extreme effectiveness. And Leela almost gets steamed to death. I think this story is meant to be a statement of the time like Vengeance on Varos and Gridlock of their times. All in all, one of the more lack luster stories of the season.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_Makers

94. Image of the Fendahl

The early bird get the worm. Or at least the Fendahl and the Fendahleen. The Doctor and Leela return to modern day England in the home counties to battle an ancient evil that's taking over the place. Mad scientists, German doctors, female possession, skulls with a star in its skull, this show has it all. The pentagram and hooded men makes you think it's another run of the mill demonic possession devil worship story. But there's a Doctor Who twist as usual.

This is one of those early episodes that I remember from childhood as scaring me a bit. The Fendhal were very creepy to me as a kid but I loved it. Great atmosphere, great monster execution. interesting supporting characters, and a good time was had by all.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_of_the_Fendahl

93. The Invisible Enemy

Doctor Who finally goes to the dogs! The Invisible Enemy introduces the most divisive character in the shows history- K-9. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Doctor gets a pet. He travels in the TARDIS for a good 3 seasons before departing the ship but continues on with Sarah Jane and reappears in the new show. He even gets his own kids TV spin-off with a new redesign. 

We also get to go inside the Doctor's head with tiny closes of himself and Leela to fight a parasitic organism that looks like a giant prawn. We also get a new old TARDIS console room. Gleaming white and shiny'n'new, we go back to the original white walled, larger 6 sided console. It's a nice return to form. 

At the end of the adventure, the Doctor is given K-9 with the famous last line "I hope he's TARDIS trained!". 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invisible_Enemy_(Doctor_Who)

92. Horror of Fang Rock

Season 15 kicks off with a nice historical base under siege tale. We also get to meet the Sontaran's mortal enemies The Rutans, giant green slimy balls. It's a very quiet, little story where all the supporting cast members actually die during the course. While the last story was pre-turn of the century, this story  is about a decade later firmly in the early 20th century. 

The other memorable moment of the story is Leela's eyes turning from brown to blue. After 3 stories wearing very uncomfortable brown contacts, Louise Jameson requested to get rid of them for the forth coming season. So one explosion in the sky, Leela stairs into it, and boom- turn your brown eyes blue!

This also marks the last story for a long time that does not include K9. See next story. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_of_Fang_Rock

91. The Talons of Weng-Chiang

Season 14 comes to a close with an all-time classic story. The Talons of Weng-Chiang is regarded as one of the best stories of the 4th Doctor era and of the entire series overall. After having taken Leela to the future, he now takes her to turn of the 20th century London to battle a foe from the future. The BBC always did historical drama best and this story was right up their alley. The Doctor in his Sherlock Holmes deerstalker outfit. Leela in knickers then in a lovely gown is a well dressed fish out of water. The theme of her being an Eliza Dolittle character gets pushed over the top here. But you begin to see the 4th Doctor and Leela starting to really gel in this story.

The re-creation of turn of the century London is lovely and done so well. From the foggy streets, to the murky Thames, to the worn Palace theatre, the whole story is firmly wrapped in great locations. This story also has the honor of introducing two of the most memorable and beloved characters in Doctor Who history- Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot. An odd couple to the Nth degree, their meeting and eventual friendship of television magic. It is surprising that they never returned to television in either the classic series or even the new series. But thank the gods for Big Finish, who so wonderfully brought these characters back to life in their own audio series to success. They have even been reunited with the 4th Doctor and Leela, on separate occasions. 

The rest of the cast of antagonists form a delicious trio of evil. Magnus Greel d/b/a Weng-Chiang, Li H'sen Chang, and Mr. Sin. Magnus is so OTT is funny. Chang actually turns out to be a sympathetic character just being controlled and used by Magnus. And Mr Sin is just evil. From beginning to end, this story is packed with such great characters it is no wonder this is an all-time classic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Talons_of_Weng-Chiang

90. The Robots of Death

After picking up Leela in the far flung future savage land, the TARDIS lands in a not too far future luxury sand miner with lots of robots... of death. Capitalizing on the extreme fish out of water aspect of Leela's character in various settings, the "future" is first up. While the Doctor usually explains everything to the companion, we now have the Doctor explaining even more to the simple savage. From dimensional transcendentalism to robots, the Doctor keeps lobbing concepts at Leela to digest. 

This story is one that sticks out in my memory from childhood for a number of reasons. First, the idea of killer robots kind of scared me as a kid. But they looked so cool! Which leads to my second reason- the production design on this story was so fantastic from costumes to the robots to the bridge of the sand miner. Overall it's a great murder mystery in the great tradition of the Murder on the Orient Express.

The other fun anecdote of the story is the actress Pamela Salem who plays Toos. Pamela returns to Doctor Who in 1988 in Remembrance of the Daleks playing Professor Rachel Jensen. In my mind with the help of Russell T. Davies, I can imagine the Rachel Jensen is the ancestor of Toos. Thank you RTD!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Robots_of_Death

89. The Face of Evil

Welcome to the Savage Garden! A new era begins as the 4th Doctor meets Leela, warrior of the Sevateem tribe. Dressed in shamy leather and armed with knives and poisonous Janus thorns, Leela is a complete opposite to our dear Sarah Jane Smith. Possessing a killer instinct but a simple intellect, the Doctor seemingly becomes a mentor to teach the savage the way of the universe. And fun ensues.

The antagonist of the story is none other than the Doctor, or at least an imprint of his psyche. Apparently at some point since his regeneration, the Doctor popped of planet, met this computer, imprinted his brain on it, and created a megalomaniac. Of course it's never clearly stated when this happened for the Doctor although it's assumed it was immediately after his regeneration when his brain was a few eggs short of a dozen. 

The Face of Evil does present an interesting situation of changes that occur generationally. How the Survey Team becomes the Sevateem and the Technicians become the Tesh along with the mental and physical differences that occur. Good start to a new chapter in Doctor Who.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Face_of_Evil

88. The Deadly Assassin

I am the Master and you will obey me! Or so they say. After the tragic death of Roger Delgado and a 3 year absence of the character, the Master returns to not only threaten the Doctor, but the Time Lords, Gallifrey and all of time and space. Now a desiccated corpse with sunny-side-up eggs for eyes, this Master is a mere skeleton to the Delgado Master. Even Peter Pratt's voice sounds like it's coming from behind a mask. But on a visual level, the character's appearance matches the stage at which we meet the Master, at the end of his life, fighting to survive, and deteriorating quickly.

This story also kicks open the doors of Time Lord society and the politics of Gallifrey. Previously shown as almost omnipotent god-like people, whose judgments were sacrosanct; we now are show a race of corrupt, flawed, manipulative, men who are more concerned about maintaining and preserving their image than finding out the truth. We see that the Master isn't the only Time Lord with less than perfect morals. Placing the Doctor back in his home planet surrounded by his people illustrates quite well the reasons why he left in the first place. While the Doctor never quite fit in with his UNIT family, there was a sense of companionship and comradery. Amongst his own people, he is even more of an outsider. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Deadly_Assassin

87. The Hand of Fear

With The Hand of Fear, we reach the end of an era. After 3 and 1/2 years, Elizabeth Sladen departed Doctor Who and Sarah Jane Smith walked out of the TARDIS forever (almost). After a pretty good story, the final 5 minutes are the best. The Doctor receives a call from Gallifrey and has to leave Sarah Jane behind on Earth. And as quickly as the Doctor has scooped her up through time and space, he drops her back into her old life in South Croyden. After Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, regeneration, giant spiders, giant robots, dinosaurs,  the lock ness monster, mummies, Peladon, Karn, Nerva Beacon, and so much more, the Doctor returned her to the day after day of existence. It is truly the end of an era for the program as Tom and Liz's chemistry on-screen was magic. No companion has ever been so perfect for their Doctor. Sarah Jane was never reunited with her Doctor but did run in to the 3rd Doctor, met the 5th Doctor (briefly), had several adventures with the 10th Doctor and 11th Doctor. Her spin-off show The Sarah Jane Adventures was amazing, clever and delightful. And when Elizabeth Sladen passed away suddenly, it was a tragic loss to Doctor Who and fans around the world. So these classic episodes are pure joy and precious memories. We love you Sarah Jane!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hand_of_Fear

86. The Masque of Mandragora

The Masque of Mandragora kicked off season 14 of Doctor Who with the introduction of a "brand new" console room. Magically the TARDIS has a secondary console room, an alternate to the white gleaming model we've seen for the previous 13 years, that's wood paneled, dusty and steam-punk feeling. This version of the console room probably influenced the console room seen in the Paul McGann television movie.

The story is a fun romp in renaissance Italy and we find out how the Doctor and companions can speak and understand every language they happen across in their travels in time and space (the TARDIS translates it for them). The other amusing facet of the story is Duke Giuliano's companion Marco, a ginger haired hotty that's always with the Duke. While presented as a seemingly platonic friend, I've always read between the lines that they were more than just friends. They just couldn't talk about at the time but in the best traditions of Leonardo da Vinci, they supported each other. 

This also marks Sarah Jane's penultimate appearance as a regular companion. Season 14 will be another season of change for Doctor Who and for the Doctor. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Masque_of_Mandragora

85. The Seeds of Doom

And now time to get to the root of the problem!

Seeds of Doom marked the season finale of Series 13 of Doctor Who. After a whole season of great monsters, the biggest one yet emerges. Two seed pods are discovered in the Antarctic and turn out to be Krynoids, that are able to pollinate inside a human host, consume and transmute the body, and turn into a giantKrynoid. As a child, the body transformation was frightening and was forever burned into my memory.

But the more memorable feature of the story is the piece's arch villain Harrison Chase. In the vein of a classic James Bond villain in a neat 3 piece suit, black leather gloves, a large mansion and henchmen, Chase would play his giant organ in his "green" cathedral to his beloved plants. The thing that struck me most was that he was obviously gay, while they never said so in the story. His demise at the end of the story is still one of the most memorable in Doctor Who history. 

After season 12 treated us to a cavalcade of returning villains and monsters, season 13 delighted us to a whole slew of stories with new monsters and threats both home grown and extra terrestrial. This truly was a golden age of Doctor Who and one of my most beloved era's of the show. But things would soon be changing...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seeds_of_Doom