This is certainly an explosive way to round out the first season of the new era. I'm impressed that a story in a period that's ostensibly TARDIS-less still managed to give us one of our most creative uses of time travel in the series so far. The parallel world visited by the Doctor is chillingly realistic (down to the creepy posters, and the fact that most of the RSF soldiers' titles are direct translations of SS ranks), and its presence as a part of the narrative enables a somewhat more sophisticated take on what might otherwise have been a fairly ordinary "mad scientist" story.
It goes without saying that it's well directed; It's Douglas Camfield after all, even if he was incapacitated for part of the project. This seven-parter manages to justify its length with its tense plotting and constant sense of progression.
I was interested to note that Pertwee is far more action-oriented in this serial than the previous three. We get the first mention of Venusian karate and see him grapple with guards in both worlds. I don't recall from my previous reading whether this direction was initiated by Pertwee himself, or by Letts and Dicks, but it will certainly be interesting to watch for the next few seasons. The Doctor is also on a roll dialog-wise, from his snark at Stahlman ("You talk about [that computer] as if it were your maiden aunt.") to his rude remarks to the RSF personnel. ("You are giving us a great deal of trouble." "I am delighted!") It's clear Houghton had a good deal of fun writing this character.
Caroline John is absolutely on fire in this one, especially as Section Leader Shaw in the alternate world. You can tell that she relished the chance to dig into a different version of her character, and she does a fantastic job of bringing this bizarro version of Liz to life. Nicholas Courtney does the same with his Brigade Leader, doing a lot to distinguish the bullying coward from the increasingly more and more likable Brigadier he plays in the "real" world. To be honest, I've barely noticed Benton so far, but John Levene also puts a convincing amount of bile and impotent anger into his Platoon Under Leader.
As far as the side characters go, I was especially taken with Petra Williams and Sutton. Although they got off to a bumpy start (their first interaction in Episode One made me grimace, honestly) the connection that they grow into in both worlds over the course of the serial is actually very touching. Derek Newark puts a lot of energy into his role; I particularly liked his angry ranting at the Brigade Leader in the other world. I was surprised to discover after the fact that he was Za, all the way back in An Unearthly Child. He really looks rather different without that grime on his face. Stahlman is also performed well, but he's a rather limiting character, so there's really only so much Olaf Pooley can do with it.
The worst I can say about the story is that the way the final episode wraps things up is a tad abrupt, but after watching the slow and horrifying demise of the parallel world, it seems justified. Either way, I came away with the impression of an incredibly strong addition to the Who canon. What a nice season this has been. Time to wrap it up already? They certainly don't make production blocks like they used to.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 22 March 2021.)
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