This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: The Becoming

A fantastic way to finish off 5 and Turlough's solo adventures. A brilliant story full of action and tragedy. This story seems to take a lot of inspiration from the events of Chernobyl, especially the incompetent government in charge with little regard for human life. The bittersweet ending really hammers this home with both the Doctor and Turlough unable to truly save the planet.

Speaking of the Doctor, Peter Davison gives an all-time great performance here. Full of grief, disgust, anger and determination to do the right thing even if it could kill him. Mark Strickson was similarly great here. Turlough was forced to stop being a coward and start being a hero, and his upset that the award was handed to the wrong person was fantastic. This story was everything I could have wanted and an infuriatingly good allegory for politics taking precedence over saving lives.

Next Story: Planet of Fire