Far shorter than the space between my Season One and Season Two roundups, we arrive at our next big milestone. Season Three was a difficult season in many ways, with the large volume of missing episodes making it difficult to assess at times. It also seemed to have more peaks and troughs than the previous season, with higher highs and lower lows making for a less consistent viewing experience. Just the same, those highs were among the best of this era so far, and looking out for them made this season an enjoyable experience overall.
From this vantage, it's starting to become easier to scope out what shape the program will take over the coming years, with a lot of the awkward experimentation of the Verity Lambert seasons fading into a pattern which perhaps has less vibrancy and curiosity, but certainly more confidence. Whether this trade-off is going to be a good thing in the long run is still unclear, but it was always clear that Verity would be irreplaceable in many ways, even though John Wiles and Innes Lloyd have both proved to have their own qualities of production worth admiring.
The revolving door of companions this season has also proved difficult, with the relative stability of the first two seasons being very much a thing of the past. This has hurt the show in some ways, but the leading man is going strong as ever. Although it's often said that cracks in Hartnell's performance show in Season Three, I honestly haven't noticed any, and knowing what he was going through behind the scenes makes the effort he puts in all the more admirable.
Galaxy 4 kicked the season off, like the last, with an apparent holdover from the previous production block that as a result felt much more like part of Season Two. It is unique as one of only three adventures where we see the First Doctor/Vicki/Steven TARDIS team together, though Vicki is far better served by the script, as Peter Purves has been vocal about in the past. Though not a bad story, I found the central moral heavy-handed and the last episode fairly dull, so I can't find it in me to give it either a particularly high or a particularly low score.
It is only out of deference to convention that I mark Mission to the Unknown separately, as my instincts compel me to consider it a part of The Daleks' Master Plan both on account of it not having a proper production code, and on its clear status as a prequel to that serial. That being said, I'll note it's a capable episode that starts that story off strong, but only grudgingly rank it among the full serials of this season.
I was much enamored with The Myth Makers and would happily praise it as one of my favorite historicals in the history of the program. Although entirely missing, the dialogue still handily carries this four-part farce and keeps things entertaining all the way through. Only the sudden tone shift at the end breaks the flow a bit, but this is still a classic Hartnell story in my estimation.
The Daleks' Master Plan is the 700 lb gorilla of Season Three, with its considerable size and epic scope making it dominate the season by sheer quantity alone. It's to the story's credit that it has merits in both quantity and quality. It would almost be a classic, if it weren't so very long, though its high points are easily some of the highest of this era.
Continuing the apocalyptic theme of the last serial, The Massacre joins The Myth Makers as a strong historical serial, though it is a little too serious to hit all the right notes for me. The slow pace of most of the serial gives way to the bizarre whiplash at the end, with the Doctor's heartbreaking soliloquy interrupted rather jarringly by Dodo's arrival in the TARDIS. Peculiarities and tonal issues aside, I do feel like this one would rate even higher if it weren't missing.
I had fewer issues with The Ark than some might, but my remarks that it has a far stronger front half still stand. It is most interesting for its examination of what happens after the Doctor helps and then leaves, with the fairly dull villains in the latter half bringing my total estimation down a bit.
The Celestial Toymaker handily claims bottom place out of this particular season. I feel a little guilty judging a story that leaned so heavy on its visuals when almost none of them have survived, though I sense that even were the story complete it would still be a little bit boring. With a concept like the Toymaker it should really be more interesting, so it comes across as a letdown.
Although the weakest of this season's three historical stories, The Gunfighters is still a fun experience and fairly good overall. As much as I didn't enjoy the shift in focus away from the main characters for the latter two episodes, I do find it hard to believe this was ever considered a "worst ever" story by fandom.
The Savages surprised and impressed me, its strong message and many entertaining moments ensuring that I had a good experience despite its missing status. I'd love if this one got a little more attention among the fanbase, so if anyone would like to join me in calling for a Savages renaissance, then please be my guest...
Finally, The War Machines ended this season on a high note, giving us an exciting technological thriller with plenty of action and some great moments for both the Doctor and his two new companions. The clumsiness of Dodo's departure is the one bad note and it isn't enough to bring it down for me.
It's unbelievable how far I've come. We're very nearly at the end of Hartnell's tenure suddenly, but even though its last full season is done, it's far from being all over... until we have a look at a certain pair of films, anyway. Lest we forget that 1966 was a year of three Doctors.
Here's the score breakdown:
Galaxy 4 - 6.00
Four Hundred Dawns - 6.00
Trap of Steel - 6.00
Air Lock - 7.00
The Exploding Planet - 5.00
Mission to the Unknown - 8.00
The Myth Makers - 9.75
Temple of Secrets - 10.00
Small Prophet, Quick Return - 10.00
Death of a Spy - 10.00
Horse of Destruction - 9.00
The Daleks' Master Plan - 8.08
The Nightmare Begins - 10.00
Day of Armageddon - 9.00
Devil's Planet - 7.00
The Traitors - 7.00
Counter Plot - 8.00
Coronas of the Sun - 7.00
The Feast of Steven - 7.00
Volcano - 8.00
Golden Death - 6.00
Escape Switch - 8.00
The Abandoned Planet - 10.00
The Destruction of Time - 10.00
The Massacre - 8.75
War of God - 9.00
The Sea Beggar - 8.00
Priest of Death - 9.00
Bell of Doom - 9.00
The Ark - 6.00
The Steel Sky - 7.00
The Plague - 7.00
The Return - 6.00
The Bomb - 4.00
The Celestial Toymaker - 4.25
The Celestial Toyroom - 4.00
The Hall of Dolls - 4.00
The Dancing Floor - 3.00
The Final Test - 6.00
The Gunfighters - 7.00
A Holiday for the Doctor - 8.00
Don't Shoot the Pianist - 7.00
Johnny Ringo - 6.00
The O.K. Corral - 7.00
The Savages - 8.75
Episode One - 9.00
Episode Two - 9.00
Episode Three - 8.00
Episode Four - 9.00
The War Machines - 9.00
Episode One - 10.00
Episode Two - 8.00
Episode Three - 9.00
Episode Four - 9.00
Best episode: The Destruction of Time (The Daleks' Master Plan, Episode Twelve) - 10.00
Runner-up: The War Machines, Episode One - 10.00
Worst episode: The Dancing Floor (The Celestial Toymaker, Episode Three) - 3.00
Season Three average: 7.62
Best guest performance: Kevin Stoney as Mavic Chen (The Daleks' Master Plan)
Best special effect: The Dalek pyro-flames (The Daleks' Master Plan)
Best musical score: The Gunfighters (Tristram Cary)
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 6 May 2020.)
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