I was hesitant when I heard that the entire 9DA run was companionless, but without companions, the characters of the week get a lot more focus. We wouldn't have characters like Fred, who I absolutely ADORED here.

A+.

One of the more exceptional of the Ninth Doctor Adventures in my opinion.  I think this story does everything right, from having interesting anti-corporate political values, to having a great sci-fi premise as the Doctor spends nearly a hundred years on this adventure after he is imprisoned.  I love his relationship with Fred and that character in general, as he has a great relationship with his AI captor.

It's just a neat story overall, with tons of memorable moments.  I like the big opening as it really spells out why the Incorporation returning is a problem for the universe's well-being, or Fred shaving the captive Doctor as an indication for just how long he was truly imprisoned for while the Incorporation tried to use his body for their own purposes.  It all feels very Doctor Who to me.  The Incorporation is perfectly willing to take everything from the Doctor because they'd be willing to do that to any being if it suited their purposes.  That's so real it is sad to think about.

This is a great example of a story that really puts the Doctor through a ringer and truly challenges the character on the level of something like Heaven Sent.  It's not as good as that episode, but it definitely represents a similar experience, where the Doctor feels like he has to go through hell and back just to survive this one.  It really stuck with me as a story in a positive way, and is going to go down as one of my favourite Ninth Doctor stories for a reason.

17.09.2021

Better. The Incorporation is a great villain that I would love to see utilized properly, their whole core just screams Doctor Who and they are a great opponent to the Doctor. I maybe didn't like the third act due to it being action without much in it, but I really enjoyed the first half. 3.5/5 feels fair.