Of the three stories that make up the body of Trial Of A Time Lord, this is the one that is most hurt by having to fit with that format. The interstitial court scenes fulfil a certain 'parlour room' function for the murder mystery plot, but they just end up serving as roadblocks for the story's pacing.

The production choices only serve to make this more of a slog to get through. The twee sense of humour combined with the soundtrack, like the wah-wah horn on the carrot juice line, is really grating, and I say that as someone who can usually vibe with the show's more pantomime moments. Mel's introduction isn't great either; her screaming for two separate cliffhangers only just manages to not be the most annoying sound here.

The only thing I can look back on with fondness is the design of the Vervoids, and that's only because I keep imagining someone going to a Georgia O'Keeffe art exhibit under the influence of some powerful Vraxoin, coming back to the office and presenting these as potential new monsters. I applaud the audacity, and in the greater annals of Doctor Who creature design, they are certainly one of the more memorable one-offs.