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

Previous Story: The Sinestran Kill

This one was better than the last, but not much better. I did like the concept of "Drashig World" essentially being space Jurassic Park. Beyond that, however, this was another mediocre action story.

I think Ann Kelso so far doesn't have much chemistry with the Doctor, I don't think it's a fault of the actors, moreso the writing and direction.

It's only better than the last story because I like the Drashigs as a monster.

Next Story: The Enchantress of Numbers

Jurassic Park meets Doctor Who! And Tom's staring into my soul on that cover...

When it comes to Drashigs, there's no joking matter. The Fourth Doctor is deadly serious, and a lot of that charm has been lost. He's never brash or short with anyone, nor is he playing the fool. It's great to see this different side to the character, and it seems that this new season is exploring the Fourth's personality in ways we haven't seen before - I like it! Unfortunately, though, it seems that the comic element that the era is famous for is ripped out from this story entirely, especially because Ann Kelso is so unbelievably dull. How did Big Finish make one of the coolest and funniest characters in the form of Lucie, and someone I just really don't give a damn about in the form of Ann? She's obsessed with K-9, someone she met two minutes ago - Why are you waiting for the robot dog? Save yourself! I mean, I don't mind because K-9 is just the best. In fact, I would love a season of the Fourth Doctor Adventures with just the Doctor and K-9. Unfortunately for this story, though, the dog is used extremely poorly, as a deus ex machina for most of the story, and when he's no longer needed for the plot, he shuts down. Not too impressive on the companion front.

I loved the way this story develops the lore of the Drashigs. The Drashigs wouldn't work as primary villains in the Classic TV run, but they definitely work here in a shorter story. I loved learning about their cultures and breeds, and they are totally scary. Whenever they're nearby, it's very tense and their hunting skills were great - Not even Leela would've been able to beat them! Vanessa's link with the Drashigs was a great inclusion, because it meant that we were able to understand these vicious monsters - It reminds me of Torchwood's Greeks Bearing Gifts (Something the Doctor actually says in this story) where Tosh looks into the Weevil's mind and sees only a yawning scream. It works in that case, and its improved upon here.

I wasn't sure - was DrashigWorld a swamp world? I couldn't tell, because there wasn't much focus on it - also, it doesn't make much sense if it is, due to the fact that K-9 wouldn't be able to navigate those swamplands.

The side characters were extremely reminiscent of the Vashta Nerada story I listened to a couple days back - the owner of the park or exhibition, an outside influence being the inspector or the pest control, and a psychic character. However, the characters from Night of the Vashta Nerada are far more interesting than the ones here.

Overall, this story is really good - tense, interesting and develops lore into one of the more underrated monsters of the show. However, what lets it down is the other characters meaning the episode drags itself on its feet when its not focused on the Drashigs.

Oh that’s a doctor who Jurassic park parody oh that’s perfect oh we stan