I had actually been recommended Paradise Towers rather warmly by a few that disagree with the more common sentiment around these episodes, and I have to say, after finally seeing these myself after putting it off for some time, yeah, this was just alright. I can see how it is a bit polarizing in the ratings and the story definitely stretches credulity and even the patience of viewers, but I had fun with this for what it is.

This is a very goofy series of adventures, but I found the quirky cast really live up to the nature of the setting and was never really put off by anything. The effects weren't great but you can tell that people were having fun making this. It's interesting that JNT was apparently unhappy with Richard Briers' performance, but I would argue that it is a good example of the actor kind of understanding this material didn't work taken seriously. The cannibal ladies were a riot but they are never going to be a serious menace, so you might as well have fun with something like Paradise Towers and yeah, I think they more or less achieved just that.

I could have done without the girl gangs though, and little decisions in the production along with some pretty clear budget issues very much hold back what could have been McCoy's first great story. The monster was clearly tacked on and it is a shame because the story could have been more original and distinct without the rather underwhelming cleaners. You can definitely tell, especially with how they talk about things behind the scenes, that the crew was quickly adapting to the Seventh Doctor, which would lead to the greatness to come with this character; for that reason, I do struggle to fully fault Paradise Towers. It's one of those things worth watching at least once and it does have its moments. There's a clear and obvious sense of improvement over Time and the Rani.