A story that's fast-paced, and still somewhat nice. That being said, it has not aged well. Between the deus-ex-machina of Tegan speaking the exact language that Kurkutji spoke, and the slightly racist undertones, it probably wouldn't be made today, but it was a very nice story nonetheless. The resolution did feel a bit rushed, and it was a tad convenient that the Doctor happened to have the poison needed and Monarch happened to be at least partially organic. In all honesty, I enjoyed the character dynamics in at least the first and last TARDIS scenes. Overall, a story that's still nice to have, but maybe not one of the earliest to watch.

Almost as soon as his adventures start, Cole's ends. This story was entirely okay, with the Master utilising a plot point from the previous story, but there's one slight nitpick I have with this story. If Earth was time-locked (as shown in the Shoreditch Intervention) how could the Master have made it through? I am aware that this is a slight nitpick, and you can get through Time Locks, but I thought it'd be more difficult. However, the Master was pleasantly evil in this story, and he's slowly becoming one of my most favorite incarnations. I'm not sure about this story, but I'm leaving it as entirely adequate to finish off this box set, and leads into the events of Utopia, with one small sidestep on the way.

This story was a masterpiece. I can find no faults with this story, the Master manipulating Cole to create a paradox to play into the next story is genius, and the War Master is one that I have no issue visualising sitting down in the TARDIS gardens with a glass of wine. I also enjoy how there's a large gap during this story, where the War Master can duck off and do whatever. The rise of a new kind of Cybermen was such a gut-drop moment, especially the moment when Cole activates Elidh's emotional inhibitor. This story feels relevant now more than ever, with the recent political events.

This story was alright. It works as a Part One to the next story, and Delgado was fun to have again. Pertwee and Manning were excellent together as usual, but this story did feel a bit bland, at least compared to the other six-parters. Overall, it's a fun story that could do with a bit more fleshing out regarding the Ogrons, but I do enjoy the impending feeling of war. This story links into the next one, so off to the Planet of the Daleks.

Okay, this one was a bit odd. I know it leads on from the events of 'The Devil you Know' but I kinda felt like this one was a step down. By no means was it bad, but it was just alright. I can't particularly remember most of this story, but I still didn't mind it. The introduction of Cole as a companion for the Master was a nice one, though.

I may be slightly biased, due to my love of this story. But I believe this story is exactly how the Time War should be. A compact, fast-paced story, with the Daleks lurking in the background. The whole story is based around the Master trying to get his TARDIS back. The War Master is on point here, and perfectly demonstrates why he's not even close to the Doctor, or whatever he called himself during the Time War. I like to imagine the Daleks in this story are of the same style as the ones in 'Jonah' (I'll get to that one eventually) but I still enjoy even the supporting cast, who are still in my memory. Which is no mean feat, considering how often supporting casts leave my mind.

Desperate Measures is a perfect title for this story, given the outcome. This story is a return to 'Gallifrey' traditions, being more based around politics, rather than wartime efforts. While I haven't touched much of the Gallifrey range, I still enjoyed the political aspects of this story, and found it a fitting end to a boxset that I found worth the price. That being said, I would've preferred they explicitly refer to Valerian as 'Rassilon' after the takeover. It was a perfect surprise, though, even seven years on.

This story was absolutely great. All six episodes were quick, and a very good watch. Pertwee was absolutely spectacular, with the Brigadier back to his blowing-up days. I'm somewhat unsurprised, but the main drawing point for this story was Jo's departure. It definitely tugged at my heartstrings, but I didn't like how the Doctor didn't at least say goodbye. It makes sense, though, since we've never seen the 3rd Doctor actually say goodbye. Liz left off-screen, and Sarah stuck around until after he regenerated. Canon be damned, I like the idea that 3 turned up at Jo's wedding.

I have to admit, this story was one that had a bit of an odd premise. Leela and the Master go to interrogate Finnian Valentine, whose timeline has been split in half. I have to admit that they were a nice pair, and I adore the War Master, he's such a unique brand of evil. That being said, none of this was expected, even if the weapon being false did create the question of what made the two Valentines. Overall, I really enjoyed this story, almost as much as the second one in this box set.

Holy. Cow. This one was amazing. Braxiatel was exactly like 7 here, which works thematically. I do admit there could've been more done here with the Daleks, but I still enjoyed this story. I was not expecting Braxiatel to do what he did, and I can't actually remember what the secret weapon was. That being said, this was a great proper start to the Time War, and I liked how there was an actual explanation of how Ace escaped the Time War.