Image of the Fendahl

An enjoyable episode but nothing groundbreaking. I think the "small English town with a superstitious old witch and a cult that are secretly worshipping what is actually an alien" trope was done better in The Dæmons, and at least that one had a fun villain.

I like the design of the Fendahl - I almost want to cosplay her - and Fendahleens, even if it was very similar to the design of the Drashigs.

Leela's new dress didn't fit her properly at all, and the bun wasn't a great look either. I'm glad they seemed to reset back to her old look at the end.

As is the nature of any long-running show, there were plenty of things I felt other episode of Doctor Who had done both better and worse than this one. Nothing is truly original, but it's amazing to see the same plots and tropes repeat on the same show to such varied results.

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

Previous Story: The Invisible Enemy

More strange happenings in a small English town.  It's a trope that feels a bit overdone, however this story still manages to feel fresh.

The Fendahl is certainly a creepy villain, but not much explanation is given to their motivations and the Doctor's fear doesn't match the villains supposed abilities.

Still, the location filming looks really great and the supporting cast are quite entertaining.

Unfortunately, K9 is absent in the actual story as John Lesson hadn't actually been recruited for the series at that point.

Next Story: The Sun Makers

This story starts poorly. The on location direction is far superior than the stuff done in the studio. I understand the benefits of being on film, but the director (George Spenton-Foster) feels totally out of their comfort zone, arriving at awkward performances. I’m all for more “stage theatre” inspired acting, but at points in this production I have absolutely no idea why certain actors are facing in certain directions, often completely away from the people they are supposed to be talking to.

Although we've been told about what the Fendahl is all about and what it wants, we're not given much of a reason to care. The drama feels detached from any of the character's experiences. They manage to build to a terrifically tense (if a little unearned) cliffhanger which is then totally let down by the resolution for the doctor being completely flat at the beginning of episode two when he ambles away from the apparent threat.

Leela and The Doctor are easily the best thing about this story, I particularly like the "tea and fruit cake" scene. I know it’s a minor point, but Leela’s classic look is really off in this one too, the bun does nothing for her, which probably accounts for why her look is completely reset at the end of the story.

Having said all this, there is enough plot and intrigue to keep the show moving along at a fair pace. It's a small cut above The Invisible Enemy if nothing else.