Horror of Fang Rock

I quite like Horror of Fang Rock overall, with a fun sense of characters in a distinct setting, and a very strong sense of atmosphere.  I'd rate it higher but it really feels like we are giving similar plot beats to another season premiere story, Terror of the Zygons, and I much prefer the earlier version with Sarah and Harry over Leela.  I don't have anything against Louise Jameson or her character, she just feels a little more awkward here compared to most other Fourth Doctor companions.  I find the whole bit around changing her eye colours weirdly distracting for something so trivial.  I don't know.  I enjoyed this one overall but can see how this was a start of a bit of a weird season in Doctor Who history.

Horror of Fang Rock is an excellent serial with lots of tension and some genuinely scary moments. The plot completely engorossed me throughout, and I feel that the characters are really strong and well-put-together: the dislikable characters are really dislikable and all characters seem well-motivated. Yes, some of the special effects are dated (although there is a version with updated special effects on the The Collection - Season 15 Blu-ray boxset) but, if you can overlook that, there's a really solid story here.

This story still very much has the feel of the Hinchcliffe era, with a terrific claustrophobic atmosphere throughout as an alien force begins picking through the cast by one on one, and Tom Baker and Louise Jameson are on top form. Only thing that lets it down slightly is I think the Rutan is a slight anti-climax, mainly because the design is a bit too silly for my tastes. Definitely a great way to open the season though.

This episode was fantastically tense. I expected at least one of the side characters to get out alive, and each time another died I was surprised.

Speaking of the side characters, they were expertly written to cover the entire spectrum of likeability and garnered drastically different reactions when each one of them eventually died. I've never seen such a fantastic set of characters, from the lighthouse keeper who all clearly care for each other despite their differences, to a greedy capitalist doing whatever it take to get ahead, to a man just trying to save face.

I especially enjoyed how done Leela was with Adelaide's antics and how even the Doctor smiled when she threatened Palmerdale. I really like Leela so far.

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: The Ghost of Margaret

Wow, what a start to a season.

It starts slow, mysterious and delightfully gothic, the isolated setting of a lighthouse in the early 1900s really makes you feel quite trapped and makes it fairly scary until you actually see the Rutan.

The supporting cast are all fun to watch and the Doctor and Leela feel in their element throughout, I do think some of their deaths felt forced but it makes for an interesting ending knowing that nobody will have a clue what happened. The Doctor turns up to a place, everyone gets killed, he saves the world and leaves and nobody ever knows he was there.

The Rutans as a villain feel like they should be interesting but their main ability (shapeshifting) is only shown once and doesn't really trick anyone, leaving them as sort of basic. Similarly their voices are just slightly softer-spoken Daleks, the only thing they really have going for them is their design and connection with the Sontarans, the latter basically just being a namedrop.

Despite having a fairly slow pace, I was hooked throughout the entire thing, it really is a story that lives up to the hype.

Next Story: The Foe from the Future

If I have seen any of season 15 before, it will have been this story, at least 11 years ago. I immediately recognised the Rutan in part 4, though knowing my memory I could have picked this up from a DVD extra for another story.

This is a brilliant way to kick off the Graham Williams era, continuing the extraordinary run the show has seen since The Deadly Assassin. Like many of my favourites it is set in the recent past, where life is recognisable but different enough to be interesting. The world building is top notch, I loved seeing the different generational attitudes towards electricity for example. The story felt claustrophobic and frightening, inventively set on four sets all seemingly one story above another - it really felt like I was in that lighthouse, it felt real.

The acting of the younger lighthouse worker was not all that great in part one, but for some reason it dramatically improved when the cast grew in part two, with the introduction of the shipwrecked citizens. Otherwise there were flawless performances all round from the well balanced ensemble of actors. It is shocking that every single character other than The Doctor and Leela die, especially given how well developed they were.

This story carries on the Gothic darkness I associate with the Hinchcliffe era (not exactly considered Williams' trademark by fan consensus). It will be interesting to see if and when this is dropped. This was also Terrance Dicks' best effort since The War Games, 8 years before. I have everything crossed hoping this run of form will continue.