Doctor Who, Season Four

 

This will be a season long remembered. It has seen the death of the historical, and it will soon see the death of the Daleks... Hmm, wait, no, that one's Season Eleven.

From Atlantis to the terminals of Gatwick Airport, from Skaro to the Antarctic, from Cornwall to Vulcan, we were treated to both a variety of locales and types of story. The dying gasps of the Hartnell historicals were seen here alongside some of the first bases under siege, plus... whatever The Underwater Menace was. Ballet?

It has been nothing short of exceptionally entertaining from start to finish. And while this season marked the end of the Hartnell era, this is very much Troughton's season. Although it took a couple of serials for his version of the Doctor to solidify, I am very keen on the type of Doctor that has taken shape as of the last episode here. I'm definitely aching for more chances to see him in motion, however, as only three episodes out of the last seventeen have actually survived. The loss of all these episodes undoubtedly hurt this season a bit, but just the same, my average rating was actually the highest so far.

Here come the numbers:

The Smugglers - 5.75
Episode One - 6.00
Episode Two - 5.00
Episode Three - 6.00
Episode Four - 6.00

The Tenth Planet - 7.75
Episode One - 9.00
Episode Two - 8.00
Episode Three - 7.00
Episode Four - 7.00

The Power of the Daleks - 9.50
Episode One - 10.00
Episode Two - 10.00
Episode Three - 9.00
Episode Four - 9.00
Episode Five - 9.00
Episode Six - 10.00

The Highlanders - 6.50
Episode One - 7.00
Episode Two - 6.00
Episode Three - 6.00
Episode Four - 7.00

The Underwater Menace - 7.00
Episode One - 6.00
Episode Two - 7.00
Episode Three - 8.00
Episode Four - 7.00

The Moonbase - 8.00
Episode One - 9.00
Episode Two - 8.00
Episode Three - 7.00
Episode Four - 8.00

The Macra Terror - 8.75
Episode One - 9.00
Episode Two - 10.00
Episode Three - 8.00
Episode Four - 8.00

The Faceless Ones - 6.33
Episode One - 7.00
Episode Two - 6.00
Episode Three - 6.00
Episode Four - 5.00
Episode Five - 6.00
Episode Six - 8.00

The Evil of the Daleks - 8.71
Episode One - 10.00
Episode Two - 9.00
Episode Three - 8.00
Episode Four - 7.00
Episode Five - 9.00
Episode Six - 8.00
Episode Seven - 10.00

Best episode: The Power of the Daleks, Episode Six - 10.00
Runner-up: The Evil of the Daleks, Episode One - 10.00
Worst episode: The Smugglers, Episode Two - 5.00

Season Four average: 7.70

Best guest performance: John Bailey as Edward Waterfield (The Evil of the Daleks)
Best special effect: The first regeneration (The Tenth Planet)
Best musical score: The Evil of the Daleks (Dudley Simpson)

Join me again soon for The Tomb of the Cybermen.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 5 March 2021.)