📝8/10

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

"Dragonfire: Ace's Arrival and the Seventh Doctor's Ascent"

Dragonfire marks a significant turning point in the Seventh Doctor era, and it feels like the show is finally starting to find its feet again. While the plot itself is whimsical, thin, and occasionally confusing, it thrives thanks to its tone, its atmosphere, and most importantly, its characters. This story delivers a fresh energy, introduces a fan-favorite companion in Ace, and allows Sylvester McCoy to settle into the role of the Doctor in a much more confident and enjoyable way.

The opening moments are a highlight, finally evoking a classic Doctor Who feel. There’s an engaging mix of mystery, intrigue, and charm that sets the stage beautifully. However, much of Part One focuses on introducing Ace and re-establishing Sabalom Glitz, leaving the main plot—centered around Kane and the dragon—relatively underdeveloped until Part Two. Kane's motives and backstory feel murky and underexplored, but Edward Peel brings enough menace to keep him a compelling villain.

The real heart of the story lies in the characters, particularly the Doctor, Ace, and Mel.

This is the first story where Sylvester McCoy truly feels like the Doctor. He blends the quirks, charm, and clownishness we’ve seen earlier with hints of the darker, more manipulative version of the character that will define his later seasons. He’s a Time Lord who schemes and strategizes rather than stumbling into solutions, which is a welcome shift.

Sophie Aldred makes an immediate impact as Ace, the “tomboy” teenage companion with explosives, attitude, and bravery to spare. She’s a breath of fresh air after Mel, embodying a more independent and proactive role. From the very first scenes, Ace feels like a fully formed character—fiery, adventurous, and grounded in a way that previous companions haven’t been. She steals every scene and promises exciting character growth moving forward.

Bonnie Langford gets a fine (if underwhelming) departure here. While her exit lacks emotional weight or grandeur, it’s handled respectfully. Mel’s scream-heavy persona never quite meshed with the new direction of the show, so this transition feels natural and well-timed.

Sabalom Glitz (Tony Selby) adds humor and familiarity to the story. While he doesn’t do much to drive the plot, his roguish charm remains fun to watch. Edward Peel’s Kane is suitably cold, creepy, and visually striking, especially in the chilling climax. Patricia Quinn is solid as Belazs, though her character feels underwritten.

The dragon is another highlight, with an impressive design that gives it a sense of power and mystery. Though its role in the story is ultimately straightforward, its presence adds a fantastical element that fits perfectly with the icy, hostile setting.

Speaking of the setting, Dragonfire features a unique and well-realized ice world, which somehow hadn’t been explored in Doctor Who before this story. The set design is simple but effective, conveying a sense of cold hostility that complements the narrative. The incidental music is another standout—dark, tense, and atmospheric, it finally feels like the McCoy era has nailed the tone.

Pacing is one of Dragonfire’s strongest assets. After a slower Part One, the story ramps up in its second half, delivering an explosive and fast-paced adventure with plenty of tense, high-stakes moments. The final episode, in particular, strikes a great balance between suspense, action, and emotional payoff. Kane’s gruesome death scene is one of the most memorable effects in Classic Who—gross, shocking, and impressively realized.

Of course, the story isn’t without its quirks. The infamous Part 1 cliffhanger, featuring the Doctor literally hanging off an ice ledge for no apparent reason, is both baffling and hilarious. It’s emblematic of the whimsical tone of the story and has become a piece of Doctor Who trivia that fans simultaneously cringe at and adore.

Dragonfire is a breath of fresh air after a shaky season. While the plot itself is thin and sometimes muddled, the strong character work, fast pacing, and effective atmosphere make it an enjoyable ride. It introduces Ace, one of the finest companions in Doctor Who history, and finally gives Sylvester McCoy a chance to shine as the Doctor. The story's mix of fun, tension, and warmth makes it an adventure worth revisiting multiple times.

Dragonfire proves that the Seventh Doctor era has potential, and it sets the stage for better things to come. A fun, fast-paced adventure with a heartwarming ending—it’s a story I’ll happily rewatch again and again!

Take away that silly cliffhanger in part 1 and I actually enjoy this. Classic type of Who story that manages to do a decent bit of world building and has some good character moments. Even in her first episode Ace is a good addition to the story when she's not saying her name. No buildup to Mel leaving at all though.

Watched the episode and then watched the ‘Behind the Sofa’ commentary. The funniest tidbit is that Sylvester says he prefers Delta and the Bannermen out of his first season because it was “much closer to his later stuff.” I find that so interesting because from a performance perspective, I would very much agree, though I will stress in overall tone of the episode I would definitely not. 7’s persona is a lot quieter and more sinister in that one, as opposed to the three other stories where he, ESPECIALLY in Dragonfire, adopt a much more naive persona? Part of what works brilliantly about 7 is that the fool is a facade for the chess master. In Dragonfire he gives a great performance in slapstick, but there is nothing behind those eyes. Delta and the Bannermen, and especially Remembrance of the Daleks were when they really settled on where to take this character. In spite of that, I cannot stress how great he is in Dragonfire. Edward Peel is also fantastic in this.

And jesus christ this episode looks ugly

Whilst I will admit to being biased - Dragonfire was my first Classic Who story - this is a really good end to the series. The writers have finally figured out the Seventh Doctor's character, we get the introduction of Ace, who I love dearly, and even if Mel's departure comes from out of the blue her + the Doctor's goodbye scene is very well done. (Kane's head melting was also a lot of fun)

The final story of season 24 marks by far the best of the season and the 7th Doctor’s run so far. We get a fantastic and relatable companion introduction that leaves you wanting to know much more about 26 year old newbie Ace who is going to be a wonderful lead opposite McCoy’s Doctor.

This is the best of the Sabalom Glitz trilogy too, with him caught up in debts on this colony spaceship at the beginning of the tale and forming a uneasy but ultimately good natured alliance with The Doctor. You can see that Glitz is a bastard who can’t be trusted, but he has such charisma that you want to route for him anyway. Great character.

Mel looks a little out of place in all this, we never got to understand her character or what really makes her tick. It makes sense then that apropos of nothing she decides she wants to shoot off with Glitz - they make a very odd team.

I didn’t mind though - because the spark between Ace and The Doctor is palpable and delivers a hit the show has been severely lacking since The 5th Doctor said goodbye to Peri - a perfect Doctor/ companion pairing allowing for inspiring, fizzing dialogue.

Other than the oddly set up, literal cliffhanger I enjoyed all of this story. I wasn’t quite sure why The Doctor had put himself in that situation on the cliff until the next episode when Mel and Ace went to traverse the same journey. You can tell RTD took queues from both the light shield and robotic spaceship tannoy voice when putting together The End of the World. The concept of cryogenically freezing anyone who cannot pay off their debts also gets revisited by Moffat in A Christmas Carol. So all in all it’s an influential story which seems to me to mark the start of a classic new era.