Lovely, lovely, lovely serial. I wouldn’t change a single thing. It really has it all: the maggots are disgusting and frightening, the main villain is silly, but menacing, and all side characters are great. Amazing moments for my dear Mike Yates, a couple of funny moments for Benton as well, and the Brig is a delight, as usual.

I already miss Jo. I liked her immediately, much like everyone else that interacted with her on screen since her first appearance. She folded the Doctor like origami with her immense charm and earnestness, and this serial really shows just how much he came to care for her. We can tell from episode 1 that she’s ready to move on, but the ending is still so bittersweet. She’s happy, Cliff Jones is a good man, but ouch, the look on the Doctor’s face at end… I was very glad he never came across as adversarial towards Cliff, even though we could see he was jealous. Jo knows it’s time to move on with her life, and she’s never been one of the “let’s see the universe and the future and the past” type of companion. The Doctor can see that, but still has a hard time accepting it, because he just enjoys her company so much. Sigh. What a simple but powerful companion exit.

I love you, Jo, and I’ll miss you forever. Thank God I already know the next companion will not disappoint.