9/10

Greatly enjoyed this one. I always get a kick out of the way Marc Platt writes Ace and Seven and their particular patter. Ace get's to be smart and richly characterized, and the Doctor gets to be tricky while still keeping his heart(s).

This story has a very pleasing amount of Stuff in it to me. McCoy's era of the TV series has a tendency to have a ton of different ideas and plotlines that all interlace, which can sometimes be very fun and entertaining, and sometimes get overwhelming (Platt's debut Ghost Light being a pretty good example here by most standards). I thought this one managed to keep the balance very well, with just enough Stuff to hit the entertainingly eccentric feel while keeping the conceptual clutter out of the way of the plot. Feels very pleasingly like watching an actual serial. Such a shame this one never got made, it could have been a wonderful departure for Ace.

(Although I think I still prefer their continued off-screen adventures)