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
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