I actually really enjoyed myself with this one. The Sensorites are unique amongst the “monsters” we’ve seen, since they’re not really monsters at all! Their society is well thought out and there’s good and bad people amongst them, and the same goes for the humans. It strikes a really nice balance that I’ve always wanted modern who to have more often! Science fiction is in its very essence left-leaning, but at the same time it often presents whole groups or races as ‘the evil ones’. It is odd that this is something the modern series can struggle with, when it’s done so well here (although I’m not entirely convinced the concept will stick around).

This story is, however, the most interesting in its first 2 episodes, and dwindles a bit in its last 2. The addition of the extra human plot drags quite a bit and feels unnecessary, even if it is a nice contrast against the good and bad Sensorites. Still, when it is focused, it is very high quality. Props especially go to the portrayal of John, a role of so little note that he does not even have his own page on the Tardis Wiki. He is the one most effected by the mental attacks, and shows a combination of fear and craziness that establishes the threat of the Sensorites before they’ve ever been on screen. His job makes their powers and threat much clearer early on, even if they don’t intend to use it all that much.

As for the regular cast, Barbara gets shoved to the sideline a bit this episode. I assume Jacqueline Hill was on vacation. It is fine however, since she just had the last story, where the focus was completely on her. The rest of the cast shines as brightly as usual for me. Ian has to show more restraint than usual, which proves troublesome in the first few episodes, since this is a foe they actually shouldn’t attack. It makes sense after the last few adventures to take an offensive stance at the unknown, but it is dealt with in a nice way. Susan shows off some standoffishness, which I don’t really find either appealing or distracting for her character. It doesn’t really add much in the grand scheme of things, but it does fit her character. It is fine. Meanwhile the doctor seems to show a bit more stubbornness and grumpiness than he had in the last few stories, which is less appealing, since he had started to soften a bit more than this, but it isn’t too distracting.

The Gallifreyan mind powers also come into play for the first time, with both the doctor and Susan showing them off a bit. They’re neat I suppose. Not that interesting in the grand scheme of things.

Overall this is one of the better episodes. It is not the best story ever, but it has an interesting opponent which leads to nice interactions and an understandable conflict. It’s a good time.