Here we are again! I never expected to clear a season quite as fast as this one. It was a mixed bag in some ways, with some lower troughs than Season Four had, but it still had more than its fair share of excellent stories. Season Five has been characterized as a "monster season" over the years (what season isn't, exactly?) and is also often accused of representing a slew of "cookie cutter" base under siege stories. I don't think that this is a fair allegation. Although most of the stories do fall into that subgenre, and the commonalities between them crop up accordingly, I found most of this season's stories perfectly distinctive and not at all deserving of being accused of unoriginality. (Not you, Wheel in Space.)
Patrick Troughton is on his A-game as the Doctor in this season, showing off more and more of what makes his portrayal of the character so distinctive. For my money, his best performance of the season is during The Tomb of the Cybermen. He really shows his full range in that one, from sweet, to brave, to funny, and all while saving the universe.
He has the benefit of enjoying the company of two very able assistants in Jamie and Victoria, who have made for one of the best TARDIS teams to grace the show yet. There is a very familial dynamic between the three of them during this season, which makes it all the sadder to see them parted toward the end.
Since I forgot it last time, I will do the serial-by-serial recap here again to distill my thoughts.
We started this leg of the journey with The Tomb of the Cybermen, an old fan favorite which I've seen getting a bit of stick in recent years. I think the criticisms are mostly fair, and I can acknowledge that the Cybermen are badly underutilized except as scene dressing. Still, it's an entertaining watch and it never overstays its welcome. Pretty excellent overall.
Thereafter, it was a jaunt to Tibet to meet The Abominable Snowmen. Admittedly this one left me a little cold (and not just from the altitude), but it was by no means a bad story. As I said, this would have been a pretty good four-parter, but stretched out to this length, it just drags a bit.
Then came our first introduction to The Ice Warriors at Britannicus Base. A fairly average story of its type, all told, but with a cool setting and some memorable scenes. I'm somewhat more enticed by next season's pseudosequel, when it comes around; I certainly won't object to seeing these Martians again.
In the middle of the season was the odd duck, The Enemy of the World, in my studied opinion one of the finest stories which the program has put out up to this point. Despite some warts, Troughton's double act is incredibly entertaining, the story is tense and well written, with some very memorable guest parts. This will definitely end up being a regular rewatch of mine.
I was also impressed by The Web of Fear, given the chance to follow up on the Yeti and Great Intelligence thread and explore them more. I felt like this was sorely needed after The Abominable Snowmen, so even though it's a bit odd having a sequel like this so soon, it was definitely welcome. Very strong, very atmospheric.
The dark horse of the season was Fury from the Deep, which I definitely didn't expect to like as much as I did. A genuinely creepy story with just the right amount of sweetness and pathos mixed in, it had for my money the scariest monster of the season and some of the best side characters. This one is definitely high up on my "want to be found" list. I bet more folks would find a new favorite in this one if it was.
Finally, The Wheel in Space, which I just spent 600 words eviscerating. I don't care to do it again so soon, but I can safely say it's the lowlight of the season.
Here's the score breakdown:
The Tomb of the Cybermen - 8.00
Episode One - 9.00
Episode Two - 8.00
Episode Three - 8.00
Episode Four - 7.00
The Abominable Snowmen - 5.83
Episode One - 7.00
Episode Two - 7.00
Episode Three - 5.00
Episode Four - 6.00
Episode Five - 5.00
Episode Six - 5.00
The Ice Warriors - 6.83
Episode One - 8.00
Episode Two - 7.00
Episode Three - 7.00
Episode Four - 6.00
Episode Five - 6.00
Episode Six 7.00
The Enemy of the World - 9.33
Episode One - 10.00
Episode Two - 9.00
Episode Three - 9.00
Episode Four - 9.00
Episode Five - 9.00
Episode Six - 10.00
The Web of Fear - 8.50
Episode One - 10.00
Episode Two - 8.00
Episode Three - 8.00
Episode Four - 9.00
Episode Five - 8.00
Episode Six - 8.00
Fury from the Deep - 8.17
Episode One - 8.00
Episode Two - 9.00
Episode Three - 8.00
Episode Four - 8.00
Episode Five - 7.00
Episode Six - 9.00
The Wheel in Space - 4.83
Episode One - 6.00
Episode Two - 5.00
Episode Three - 5.00
Episode Four - 5.00
Episode Five - 4.00
Episode Six - 4.00
Best episode: The Enemy of the World, Episode One - 10.00
Runner-up: The Enemy of the World, Episode Six - 10.00
Worst episode: The Wheel in Space, Episode Five - 4.00
Season Five average: 7.33
Best guest performance: Jack Watling as Professor Travers (The Abominable Snowmen & The Web of Fear)
Best special effect: Patrick Troughton on-screen with Patrick Troughton (The Enemy of the World)
Best musical score: The Tomb of the Cybermen (various composers)
We'll start off Season Six very soon. Cheers.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 11 March 2021.)
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