Doctor Who Twitch Watch: recommendations of the day 07/10

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC.)

The Fifth Doctor plays cricket, goes to a marvelous party and meets the Cybermen, as his first season on Twitch concludes!

Peter Davison’s first season of Doctor Who got off to a strong start on Twitch yesterday. Particularly with Kinda, a creepy, strange and at times, even funny story.

What can we expect today? Can we expect more laughs? Or will he be facing darker events this time?

The Visitation

More from Winter is Coming

The Visitation is the first pseudo-historical we’ve had since Horror of Fang Rock. And that’s really surprising to think about. Considering how well the BBC does historical drama generally, waiting so long to tell even one historical story with a strong sci-fi element in Doctor Who feels like a wasted opportunity.

Fortunately, The Visitation is a very enjoyable story to watch. Rather straight-forward, in some ways, particularly with the monsters of the piece. But the historical setting is well realized, and the Terileptils look distinctive, at least. Simply put, it’s a great return to the pseudo-historical genre, and it makes you wonder why it didn’t return there sooner.

I don’t think even Peter Davison knew what was going on with this story.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC.)

Black Orchid

First, we have our first pseudo-historical in several years. Then, straight afterwards, we have our first pure historical in far, far longer!

Before Black Orchid, the last pure historical we had was The Highlanders, back in 1966. Which was only the second story of Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor. That’s how long it had been since the last pure historical. Sadly, Black Orchid was also the very last.

Black Orchid is a real oddity of a Doctor Who story. Perhaps because of its short length, it’s far from your typical historical, which usually explores the society and the difficulties of the time. Instead, it uses the Twenties setting to tell a rather light murder mystery.

Well, I say “mystery”. It’s actually pretty easy to guess who the murderer is in this story. It’s just their motivation that we’re initially unclear on. But that’s not what Black Orchid is really about.

No, Black Orchid is really a story of the TARDIS crew enjoying themselves. Whether it’s at a party or, far more importantly, playing cricket (yes, the Fifth Doctor finally plays cricket in this one!), the TARDIS crew get a chance to have fun. Which is great for them. Because events are soon about to get nasty…

The Cybermen return for the first time in seven years in Earthshock.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC.)

Earthshock

Earthshock is an absolutely huge story. The first reason why is who it brings back: the Cybermen. For the first time in seven years, these major enemies finally return to the show. And in a story far more satisfying than their previous story Revenge of the Cybermen.

Earthshock is an incredibly dark and gritty story. From the very first episode, the body count is high. There’s a strong sense of claustrophobia in the initial cave setting, as well as an even stronger sense of dread. This is heightened with one survivor of a previous massacre present, who recognizes all the signs before the next one begins.

In the second half, things are shifted to a space-ship, and the story moves from claustrophobic horror to sci-fi action. We see a large scale invasion of the Cybermen, and the whole story has a feeling of incredibly high stakes.

The Cybermen are brilliantly realized in this story. They come across as a very strong, powerful threat. Perhaps slightly more emotional than they originally were. But ultimately, still a convincingly dangerous enemy. And their design from this story onwards is absolutely iconic.

The other reason this story is so huge? Well, if you don’t know why, then I won’t spoil that particular surprise. Just know that it really does live up to its name.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC.)

Time-Flight

Time-Flight is one of those stories that gets a bad reputation, makes you wonder why, and then gives you a clear answer.

The first episode of the story is fantastic to watch. Not simply because the Doctor has finally got Tegan home, like she wanted all season. (For some reason. Seriously, Tegan, you’re eager to see the world, but not the universe?)

But more because when he arrives, there’s a great, intriguing mystery happening at the airport. Planes have been disappearing, and no one has any idea why.

The first episode is particularly well-done, and overall comes across as a great introduction to a strong, contemporary story. But then the rest of the story kicks in. Specifically, a story that required a lot of money when there was no money left.

There are many interesting ideas in Time-Flight, but there was no way that the production budget could effectively realize them. The sets and the monsters all look incredibly unconvincing. It’s a real shame too, as up to this point, this had been a very strong season. But Time-Flight sadly was a rather weak story to end it on.

It also has the dumbest reason for a disguise ever. Mainly because there’s no clear reason for it. You’ll see what I mean.

Overall recommendation of the day: Earthshock

The Fifth Doctor’s opening season is, all things considered, a rather strong one. While the closing story is disappointing, the stories generally are of a pretty good quality. It’s what the audience really needed, after the departure of Tom Baker.

But the highlight of this season has to be Earthshock. Violent, dark and gritty, it brought back the Cybermen as a huge threat. It also has (at least) one of the most memorable and shocking moments in Doctor Who history. An excellent Fifth Doctor story.

Next: Overview: Doom Coalition (Eighth Doctor series)

Do you have a particular favorite from today? What are your memories of these four stories? Or are you excited to watch these stories for the first time? Let us know in the comments below.

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