161. (1.1) Rose

He's back and it's about time. Again.

After 9 years since the Television Movie and 16 years since the last televised classic episode Survival, Doctor Who returns! Season 27 or Season 1 launched with 'Rose' and introduced Doctor Who to a whole new generation. I think Executive Producer Russell T Davies looked at the TV movie as a cautionary tale if what not to do when trying to relaunch the series. Very absent from this first episode are any references to the past, to Gallifrey, to regeneration, to Daleks, to pretty much anything. We are first introduced to Billie Piper's Rose and are immediately shown her point of view, This echo's back to the first Doctor Who story The Unearthly Child, where we are first introduced to Ian and Barbara and are given their point of view on the mysterious Doctor. So through Rose's eyes, we meet this mysterious new Doctor and are drawn into his world. The Autons return to plague the Doctor, much like the first episode of Jon Pertwee's premiere episode, but no reference is made to their joint history other than a reference to a "Time War". 

Christopher Eccleston is brilliant as the new Doctor. You can tell he has issues and you get the sense he is a war veteran. The reference to his ears is a cute nod to what we assume was a recent regeneration. He is very different from any of the previous Doctor's but brings the First Doctor's crankiness to the surface. His initial resistance to bringing Rose into his life is quite endearing. And the two together are actually a classic combination. Rose is a great foil for this Doctor. It's interesting to look back at the story arc around Ace's character and how that has carried over to Rose with the exploration of her family, her mum Jackie Tyler and boyfriend Mickey Smith. Never has a companion quite gotten such a fleshed out family life and seen their home before departing in the TARDIS.

And speaking of the TARDIS, I must say that the new Console Room is AMAZING! While I did like the TV Movies gothic console room, this new one is SO different and brilliant. From the appearance of the exterior door as the actual inside of a police box, to the round 6 sided console, to the floor to ceiling rotor column, to the alien lighting iminating from everywhere, it's just an amazing redesign. And having had the opportunity to actually stand inside this console room, it's more breathtaking in person.

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

160. Doctor Who - The Television Movie

He's back and it's about time!

1996 was a great year. After a 7 absence from the airwaves, Doctor Who returned for one night only. A co-production between the BBC and FOX, the ratings in America were horrible because it aired against the final episode Roseanne. But that didn't matter. We were getting brand new Doctor Who!

We pick up with the 7th Doctor, a little older, a little more work, in a huge new TARDIS transporting the remains of the Master back to Gallifrey from being executed on Skaro by the Daleks. Yes I know, it all sounds a bit contrived. But they were checking off the boxes and hit just about everything in the process. 

So the Doctor crash lands in San Francisco December 31, 1999, Millennium Eve. This was because the Master escaped his container and forced the TARDIS down. The Master takes over Eric Roberts body. The Doctor get shot, flat lines on the operating table, meets Grace, and regenerates. Adventure ensures. 

The symbolism of the resurrection of Christ is spread on pretty thick throughout the story. From crowns of thorns, to death shrouds, to crucifixion poses, the Doctor is Jesus. But I don't care. It's wonderful to see Sylvester McCoy back as the Doctor and he get a proper regeneration, as opposed to his predecessor. Paul McGann is amazing as the Doctor and really sums up what the Doctor is for the 20th century. It's like the new TARDIS console room is made for him- gothic and gorgeous. He simply owns the role. Grace is an okay companion for the story, especially since she caused the Doctor to regenerate. We do actually get the Doctor's first kiss, with Grace. And Chang Lee is pretty much a waste of a good character, partly from the writing and partly from poor acting. But if the show got picked up for series, he probably would have gotten better as part of a TARDIS trio. 

It's fitting that the Master was the last enemy the Doctor faced in the classic series and it is the Master that he fights on his return to television. Eric Robert plays the Master WAY over the top and WAY over dressed. Rule to remember, always cast someone from the UK to play the Doctor AND the Master. And the Master wants to steal the Doctor's remaining regenerations via the Eye of Harmony. Again, checking the boxes. 

At the end of the day, this is a cherished gem as the only outing for the 8th Doctor. For only 84 minutes, he made a very lasting impression. For more than a decade, Paul McGann has performed as the 8th Doctor on audios for Big Finish and fleshed out the character to new levels. My only hope is that he makes a return to the screen in the 50th anniversary special. Long live the 8th Doctor!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who_(film)

159. Survival

The end is here but the moment has been prepared for.

After 26 consecutive seasons, we reach the end of the classic series. To add insult to injury, season 26 was probably the best season certainly in the McCoy era but possibly in the past 5 years. What started  in contemporary England, ends in contemporary England. And for the Doctor's final adversary it is his best adversary- The Master. 

After the recent Ace story arc, the Doctor finally takes her home to Perivale for a visit to discover people have been mysteriously disappearing. Queue the Master and the Cheetah people. Obviously survival the fittest is a recurring theme, which is a sad statement at the time because Doctor Who was dying (for the moment).

For this finale, the Doctor emerges to the forefront again. His scenes with the Master are classic and this is probably one of the best Master stories in a long time. The climactic battle at the finale is worthy of song and praise. And the last scene of the Doctor and Ace walking into the sunset is a magic moment that will live forever. 

The Doctor [the final lines of the original series]: There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, and the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream; people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, and somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on, Ace. We've got work to do.

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

158. The Curse of Fenric

Hungry like the Wolves... of Fenric!

The penultimate chapter of the last season of classic Doctor Who is a piece de resistance. We finally find out how and why Ace appeared on Iceworld and came into the company of the Doctor. We learn that the various chess boards that have been appearing throughout the 7th Doctor era was not random but that the Doctor was actually playing Fenric throughout time and space. We learn the power of faith and that crosses don't automatically repel vampires. We also meet Ace's mum and grandmum, although she doesn't know this until the end of the story. 

The Doctor's "education" of Ace reaches a fundamental level in this story with her learning to love the mother she's hated for so long. By story's end, the literally emerges from the water a new woman. I feel we as an audience really see her as a woman now and no longer the girl we met on Iceworld. Once again Ace owns this story and makes The Curse of Fenric and all time classic!

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

157. Ghostlight

Ace is burnin' down the house!

For the only studio bound story of the season and what could be considered the "odd ball" story, Ghost Light succeeds in spaces. Dark, creepy, Victorian horror is just dripping from this story and the Doctor and Ace are perfectly suited for the story. Continuing the darker side of the Doctor's nature, he takes Ace to a house she burned down as a teenager to confront her sins. Sophie Aldred owns this story and this really kicks off an Ace trilogy that will wrap up the series. 

Chocked full of great guest stars, Control, Light, Nimrod, Josiah Smith and Redvers Fenn Cooper. This is an almost perfectly paced 3 part story, the production team having learned how to handle a 3 part story properly. Also the creepy insect/human husks are a nice touch. The educational aspect of the story about evolution is a nice return to the shows original premise of teaching the audience. 

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

156. Battlefield

The Brig is back in town!!

After the somewhat confusing end to season 25, season 26 (and what turns out to be the final season of the classic series) starts with a bang! The writer of last season's Remembrance of the Daleks returns  for Arthurian romp in the near future with the return of the Brigadier. Jean Marsh also returns for her third time playing Morgaine the evil sorceress of the legends of King Arthur. Of course we're supposed to believe that the Doctor will become Merlin in a future/sideways timeline. Ace turns out to be the Lady of the Lake. We get a new lady Brigadier with a slightly more modern, more international and slightly larger UNIT. Mordred is dirty and on the downlow. Ancelyn is hysterical and a good fit for Bambera. 

We immediately get a sense things are going darker, most noticeably in the Doctor's state of dress. Gone is the cream color coat and in its place a dark brown one. Ace is dressing more like a lady and less like a teenager. She even gets a gal pal for the story to hang around with. And it's always a joy to see Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier, making his final appearance on the show. It's good to see the old soldier settled down with Doris and enjoying his retirement. 

This is my favorite Sylvester McCoy season and Battlefield is a fantastic start to a great season.

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

155. The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

Send in the clowns!

Season 25 comes to a close with a real bizarre one. After the great beginning with the Daleks, the odd ball Patrol, the flashy Nemesis, the finale is pretty sub par. It's not that it's even bad, it just doesn't make any sense and they spread it over 4 episodes. Killer clowns, whiz kids, wolf girls, gypsies, and Gods of Ragnorok. This list goes on and on with the Doctor and Ace getting lost in the narrative. While I don't think the producers needed to be a slave to continuity, especially for this anniversary season, they could have made it slightly more traditional (or better yet just more coherent). One oddball story in a season, when you only have 4 stories, is more than enough. But having two, especially when one of them is a four part story, is way too much. I'm surprised the BBC didn't cancel the show after the final episode of season 25 based solely on the muddled mess of this story. It's shame though because there was so much potential for this whole season that more often than not fell flat. 

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