Mixed feelings towards the Invasion of Time. It's one of those Doctor Who stories that I kind of adore in spite of its very obvious flaws, but it is hard to overlook some of the shortcomings going on here.

Leela is often referred to or dismissed as little more than eye candy in her initial appearances, which is a shame because as a character she's simply bursting with potential. She's just so unique in the time period she represents compared to other companions, so her abrupt and unceremonious departure is not only awkward as hell but feels particularly insulting.

For someone who often bristles at the Time Lords being demystified, I didn't hate that part of the story, and since it's a big part of Invasion of Time, I do have mostly positive feelings towards the episode. Some of the effects are downright laughable and even some of the sets and costumes are not much better, but there's a fun story here where the Doctor gets to play chess master long before that became a major thing for someone like the Seventh Doctor. It's refreshing to see here and Tom Baker really gets to show off how much he can carry a scene even if sometimes the acting gets a little big.

The Sontaran reveal was a bit disappointing. Them almost taking Gallifrey is a cool as hell achievement for these aliens, but it feels undercut by their appearance being quite brief and very late into the story. It's a severe drawback and I yet another thing that holds back The Invasion of Time.

All told, these episodes are good and worth watching especially as a part of Doctor Who continuity since it is essential for Leela's story, but there are flaws, and the reviews here are far from wrong in pointing them out.