There are multiple little things with this story that makes me feel like, despite the wonderful portrayal of Liz Shaw by the late Caroline John, despite the Third Doctor's first substantial meeting with the Cybermen, "The Blue Tooth" is unfortunately nowhere near essential.

You can tell (negatively) that this is an early entry into the range, the way it squeezes four parts into such a short span feels almost comedic. As soon as I got nicely settled and interested something, suddenly the episode would end. The attempt is noble, don't get me wrong, it just doesn't end up working, actively putting me off the story. Having to hear the theme tune a grand total of eight times in just over an hour is at least excessive, if not entirely aggravating like it was for me. I acknowledge that I could have skipped it, yes, but that doesn't defeat the fact that it kept entirely disengaging me from the narrative as whole.

Sad that Liz herself has little to engagement with the actual resolution of the situation. It's confusing, for a story that seems to center itself so deep to the character, there is actually very little done with her. What we do receive of her more personal side is lovely, definitely something there that begs to be tapped into, some nice, weighty substance, yet the story seems content to gallivant around more of the Doctor's shenanigans.

In succeeding to feel like a story of Season Seven, it repeats that season's biggest flaw: the misuse of Liz Shaw.