I am pleased to report that this holds up five years later! The tension is on from just about the beginning of the episode, and it stays exciting throughout. The covering up of one of the most shocking plot twists ever with the Fugitive Doctor by waving Captain Jack at us is so smart. The Jack scenes aren't quite as good as the rest, but it does get the companions out of the way and Jodie Whittaker and Jo Martin have great chemistry together. The tension keeps building and building, and has quite a satisfying resolution with Gat getting killed. Also, we really need to talk more about the Fugitive Doctor being married!

The original series of Gallifrey comes to a close with another twisty tale of shifting loyalties. Romana is back in a seemingly restored Gallifrey...and then we learn the entirety of the last episode took place within the Matrix. But why? In an excellent twist, we learn the Daleks are not as dead as we thought, and come back to take over Gallifrey. Romana manages to stop them, but is seemingly trapped. Narvin, who has evolved so much from his first appearances, decides it is worth it to risk all of time and space to save her. Except she never needed saving in the first place. It's an ominous ending as Gallifrey is safe...for now.

Well this was a banger wasn't it? I knew for years that Juliet Landau played Romana III, what I was not expecting was the girlish almost slightly seductive but still deadly version of Romana. She is very much the villain of the set, though I don't think her aims are villainous outside of opposing the main characters and our Romana. They were several fun nods to classic lines in show history, that somehow felt fun and not forced. This did suffer from the few characters problem, but the interplay between the core four in this episode is just too delicious to ignore. I have no idea where we're going next, but the ever-shifting priorities never fail to make for a sparkling episode.

The Daleks invade New Gallifrey, and there's chaos in abundance. It was a great cliffhanger at the end of the previous season introducing a Dalek invasion, and we see them in all their glory. The core three characters all get great development, but Romana is the true standout. After the defeat of the Daleks, she discusses morality with a crippled Dalek and we see just how far she has come and evolved. Some of the side characters from this world get little last moments to say goodbye. The web of Gallifrey goes on, and I am very intrigued to see where to next.

It's a hard launch for the Seventh Doctor and Ray, who finally gets her crack at being a companion! I like the decision to make her in her 40s as opposed to fresh out of Delta and the Bannermen. This story must be listened to after the previous Krillitane story in the set, because it deals with where the fake Zoe has got to and her scheme in order to revive the Krillitanes. The Doctor is so excited to meet Zoe and catch up he never considers she could be evil until it's almost too late. It's a fun story, and the Scottish/Welsh TARDIS duo was good to listen to. Great continuity work too for us sickos, it's set before Zoe's President or fake Zoe would obviously be recognized and the Krillitanes have 'very long necks' which is how the Tenth Doctor said he looked last time he encountered them in School Reunion.

This story was Big Finish explaining how the Lupari got saddled with humanity, and comes up with a cool explanation. The idea of the 'Lupe/Loop' being their homeworld was a very clever idea as well. I think this suffered from a common Big Finish affliction where we're visiting a supposed band of Lupari...and only really hear from four of them. It was very amusing to have K9 treated as the lord and the Doctor and Leela his servants. Always good to give Leela another badass woman to fight too. A good story, but nothing special to me. Tom Baker was on quite good form though!

What a fun story to open the set that was! Michael Troughton's Second Doctor is always great, and builds up the intensity appropriately throughout the story of what the Krillitanes are possibly up to. Then the penny drops and it's a shock for everyone! A very killer and effective twist, and I'm excited to see what the presumed follow-up Seventh Doctor story will look like.

I liked this a lot better the second time. The Sutekh stuff: all dumb and silly and bad. The Ruby stuff (other than the her mom pointing reveal) is actually all extremely good and emotionally resonant. Two great performances from Gatwa and Gibson too. It's a shame at all the nonsense going on in the meantime and how dumb the Sutekh stuff ends up being. It's a fun story in a moment, but one of those the more you think on it the more it suffers.

When I re-watched this, it'a fun tense, dramatic part one to a story. The hints leading up toward Sutekh's reveal are generally unnerving, and it packs a hell of a punch. The sense of impending doom is spread through the story, but it never loses focus of the important part: Ruby's story. Also Sutekh week was a lot of fun, so plenty of positive memories.

A perfectly serviceable story to welcome Tom Baker to the role as Doctor. He gets given a classic Pertwee story off the bat with UNIT and evil scientists but deals with it with a completely different, breezy tone. Harry is fine here as an addition, and Sarah Jane gets some great journalist detective work early on. The idea of a robot struggling with emotions is a fine plot, but becomes obvious quick. The nuclear launch codes and the robot are both defeated with ease by the Doctor, so no great climax. A solid start all in all.