The Gathering

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

Previous Story: The Helliax Rift

When I saw Tegan would be returning in this story, I expected a lighthearted adventure full of banter between the Doctor and Tegan. And then I was hit with the harshness of reality. It's not fun, it's not some fairy tale where everyone lives happily ever after. Tegan has a tumour, she's dying, she has no real friends and she's stuck managing a stock feed company with employees who don't really care about her. It's so bleak and yet so oddly fitting, a reminder that not everybody gets to be Sarah Jane or Jo Grant when the Doctor leaves them.

Being the return of Tegan, this was also Janet Fielding's return to the role after 20 years and it's like she never left. I genuinely think this might be one of her best performances. Peter Davison similarly gives it his all, and that moment where he finds out about Tegan's condition was heartbreaking.

This is the first story where I noticed the death that the Doctor leaves in his wake. Don't get me wrong, it's something that's been spoken about plenty of times in Doctor Who, hell it's why Tegan left in the first place. But for some reason, in this story it just felt so real. Tegan had already lived her life and suddenly the Doctor appears and people start dying again, there's something about that that's a hundred times more impactful than usual.

Overall, this is a heartbreaking story and quite possibly Janet Fielding's best.

Next Story: Son of the Dragon