Logopolis

At the beginning of this story, the Doctor is in a bit of a pensive mood. Even though he’s been trying to get back to Gallifrey since his time on Tigella, the Doctor decides that it’s time he made some long overdue repairs to the TARDIS. After making a stop on Earth to do some research, the Doctor accidentally picks up two passengers: an airline stewardess named Tegan Jovanka and the Master. After leaving Earth, the Doctor heads to Logopolis to meet with the Monitor, who’s prowess in block-transfer computations will help the Doctor make the necessary repairs to the TARDIS. Once on Logopolis, the Doctor and Adric are reunited with Nyssa, who claims she was brought there by a friend of the Doctor. Having kept his presence hidden up to that point, the Master begins to search for the secret behind the Logopolitans’ powerful mathematics. The Master’s plot winds up putting the fate of the entire universe at risk. The situation gets bad enough that the Doctor is forced to team up with the Master. And while their short-lived partnership ultimately saves most of the universe, it ends up costing the Doctor one of his lives. The final story of the Fourth Doctor era is, honestly, a bit of a disappointment. All the timey-wimey mumbo jumbo about block-transfer computations and all-powerful mathematics is pretty boring. And the Master’s brief face turn towards the end of the story feels like it was lifted directly from Terror of the Autons.

Rating: Back in two shakes%

Destiny of the Daleks

Destiny of the Daleks begins with a bit of housekeeping. First we find out that K9 has laryngitis, which is both meant to excuse his absence from the rest of the serial and explain away the fact that a different actor will be performing his lines. Then we find out that Romana has regenerated. Mary Tamm, who had portrayed Romana during the Key to Time season, had chosen not to continue on with the show and was replaced by Lalla Ward. Lalla had played Princess Astra during The Armageddon Factor, which required a little bit of business up front to explain why Romana had changed and why she looked like someone we'd already seen elsewhere. And finally, we get a reminder that the Doctor installed a randomizer in the TARDIS at the end of the Key to Time season, so that he could avoid being followed by the Black Guardian. The randomizer is a fun return to form for the show as the first two Doctors never knew where they were going. The Fourth Doctor and his newly regenerated companion end up on Skaro, the Dalek homeworld. They soon encounter a group of robots called the Movellans, sworn enemies of the Daleks. Together, though for different reasons, the Doctor, Romana and the Movellans try to stop the Daleks from finding and reviving Davros, the creator of the Daleks.

Rating: My condolences to you%

Genesis of the Daleks

The Time Lords transport the Doctor and his companions to the planet Skaro. There, the war between the Kaleds and the Thals rages on, as it has for centuries. At the same time, deep in an underground bunker, the Kaled scientist Davros unveils his newest creation, the Daleks. The Doctor is tasked with stopping the Daleks at this early stage of their development. With enemies on all sides, it will prove to be a difficult, if not impossible, task. Genesis of the Daleks is an excellent serial. Great story, great characters, great stunts, great sets, and on and on. Davros is both a highlight of the story and a great addition to the Daleks mythos.

Rating: Harry, I'm standing on a land mine%