We’re back on TV! With some of the best setwork the show has had up till now.

We start of with a faulty materialization of the Tardis to get us back in the traveling mood. I started out a bit worried, as the doctor sounds rather stern and yell-y. Have we gone back on the character development? Turns out that worry was misplaced, after his anger, he immediately apologizes and shows us that we’re still in good hands.

The faulty landing leads to the party being shrunk down in size. As said, the set design for this is wonderful! All kinds of objects are displayed in massive sizes. When we go exploring, the cast feels very confident. It’s clear their curiosity and wanderlust has grown, which feels completely natural after all the previous adventures. It gets you in the mood to join them.

The gist of the story is that, while exploring this gigantic world, the doctor and company try to catch a murderer and stop the production of an insecticide that could poison humans as well.  In general this plot is a good idea. Sadly, the way they interfere with the evil plan is pretty minimal and does not feel important to the actual resolution. It’s mostly dealing with small consequences of the poison, which is less interesting. I feel like it could get a bit more creative in the way it put the pressure on the party.

The cast is as strong as ever. Ian and Susan show some action. Barbara still has her pragmatic intelligence and the doctor has become a bit more involved and action-oriented than before. It’s good stuff. A highlight is the moment where the Doctor and Susan both realize that they’ve shrunk. It makes them look like equals and strengthens the familial theme a little.

This episode is an interesting novelty. There's not really any time- or spacetravel. Instead, we get a new twist on the everyday. Which is nice. That said, how successful this episode is overall, will depend entirely on how much you enjoy the novelty of the shrunken cast. The main story is on the weaker side, but if you like the party interacting with a massive world, you’ll still have a good time. Otherwise, it doesn’t stand out that much, but isn’t necessarily weak either.