Doctor Who, Season Thirteen

Well, I just spent a few sentences in the previous post talking about some of the things that bothered me about this season, so I might as well spend the actual Season Thirteen post extolling its virtues. There's a sense of confidence to this season that was missing from the previous, probably because Season Twelve was a transitional period, full of stories commissioned by the previous team. Philip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes are clearly doing their level best to scare the hell out of the kids watching at home, and to their credit, I can tell it worked like a charm.

With the exception of the fairly dull Android Invasion, every episode this season is a good one, continuing the good streak that's been (mostly) uninterrupted this decade. Here's hoping our eighth Seventies season will keep that going!

Here's the score breakdown:

Terror of the Zygons - 9.00
Part One - 9.00
Part Two - 10.00
Part Three - 9.00
Part Four - 8.00

Planet of Evil - 7.50
Part One - 8.00
Part Two - 7.00
Part Three - 7.00
Part Four - 8.00

Pyramids of Mars - 8.00
Part One - 9.00
Part Two - 8.00
Part Three - 8.00
Part Four - 7.00

The Android Invasion - 6.50
Part One - 8.00
Part Two - 7.00
Part Three - 6.00
Part Four - 5.00

The Brain of Morbius - 10.00
Part One - 10.00
Part Two - 10.00
Part Three - 10.00
Part Four - 10.00

The Seeds of Doom - 10.00
Part One - 10.00
Part Two - 10.00
Part Three - 10.00
Part Four - 10.00
Part Five - 10.00
Part Six - 10.00

Best episode: The Seeds of Doom, Part Two - 10.00
Runner-up: The Brain of Morbius, Part Four - 10.00
Worst episode: The Android Invasion, Part Four - 5.00

Season Thirteen average: 8.62

Best guest appearance: Gabriel Woolf as Sutekh (Pyramids of Mars)
Best special effect: The Zygon costumes (Terror of the Zygons)
Best musical score: Terror of the Zygons (Geoffrey Burgon)

That's all for now. Back again soon, once I've watched The Masque of Mandragora.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 27 April 2021.)