This is a good episode with a nice balance of silly and intense moments. I'm pretty sure it's the first appearance of a clear precursor to the mind probe. I appreciate that among the (human) bad guys, morality is less clear than it seems at first—as is blame. Jo's innocent belief that anyone who treats her well must be in the right is sweet and believable. The Doctor's implied-torture scene is excellent. The timing of cut-aways is used to great effect. Yates and Benton are fantastic. There are great silly moments, like Ogrons chasing a fourwheeler, interspersed with more serious and intense ones. All around, a solid and enjoyable episode with good pacing.

One of my all-time favorite episodes! First off, it's hilarious that it managed to accidentally be one of the best anti-capitalist episodes in a show full of purposeful anti-capitalist episodes. It's meant to be anti-tax, but the way taxes are treated is more just using a different word for fees and the cost of living. The biggest problem is exploitation by the company that runs the planet, has a monopoly on goods and jobs, and pumps the air full of drugs to keep the populace nervous and easily exploited. At one point they actually explicitly go on strike.

Leela gets a chance to be a leader in her own right, which I always appreciate, and there are some excellent moments with her and K-9. It's also funny to see that the company is aware of the Time Lords but remains unconcerned about them because they aren't monetarily exploitable.

This is such a good episode for the Doctor being autistic! And for building the fam’s relationship! It’s generally sweet and wholesome and I really enjoyed it.

My only real issue is that there’s no wrap up about Robertson, either making a Thing about his escape or giving him some justice for what he did. They just kind of stop the spiders and move on.

The thing is that this is not a middling story. I just can’t decide if I love it or hate it.

The plot itself is all over the place and hard to follow. I don’t care much for Alice in Wonderland themes, or some of the implications of the story, or its treatment of Leela. Charley is cool but I have a few issues with her. And it relies heavily on recognizing voices, which is not my strong suit.

But oh my Rassilon, the lore. There is SO much here about Gallifrey’s history, and Rassilon, and that bit is great. It also has some fantastic Doctor moments and did give us Romana writing fanfiction.

So basically, this three stars is me giving it both 1 and 5 stars simultaneously.

There are some fantastic moments in this serial. The checkers scene where both the Doctor and Jo shush the Master, the moment when the Master panics because he thinks he killed the Doctor for real, Jo getting to be brave and clever in her own right, the overacted fight scenes are fun, and both Benton and Yates are great.

However. The plot has FAR too many aspects so that they all sort of get lost: the dangerous effects of the machine, the hostage situation in the prison, the peace conference being hijacked by a hypnotized Chin Lee (who also doesn't get enough on-screen time post hypnosis), the stolen missile used to threaten a third world war, and Barnham wandering around all innocent because he no longer has his evil impulses. It's just too much, making it almost easy to miss that some of it doesn't make sense: the machine takes out "evil impulses" but then the mind grown from that causes people to see their worst fear and then, somehow, literally die from that fear (not the fear itself but whatever is the cause of the fear, ie actually drowning). At first it seems the evil impulses have just imbued the machine with sentience, but then it turns out that somehow a nearly-impossible-to-kill living creature has grown from them. The Master's entire plan is "start a war that decimates the Earth," which on its own would be amusing and I wouldn't mark down, but with everything together it's one more thing that isn't fleshed out.

The story doesn't even have TIME to get into the problematic and eugenicist issues with choosing to (or even having the ability to) remove evil/criminal impulses from a person, beyond a couple throwaway lines at the beginning.

Two built-in AUs in the same three-part story! I love this one even more! It loses half a star for the Doctor being more of a bastard than necessary in testing Bill and then laughing about her terror and hopelessness. But everything else is great! Bill's imaginary friend of a mum saves the world! It's very sweet!

I love this episode! I love the end of the world being not only something other than war, but an accident through a series of small happenings. I love the Generals attempting a peaceful solution to save the world. I love the scene of Bill doing anything to save the Doctor. I love the creepiness of the monks. The solution of love doesn't make a lot of sense, when (1) Bill loves the Doctor, not the monks, and (2) the fear and strategy were also surely bound up with love for their family and world. But that doesn't matter too much when the story is good. My only real issue with it is un-disabling the Doctor before his regeneration.

I love this episode! I am a big fan of shows building in their own AUs, and the thought of people realizing their entire existence is a lie is so delightfully creepy. The Catholic Church isn't my favorite setting for it, but the acting and eeriness make up for it. I also appreciate the Doctor's disability actually disabling him.

I don’t know why so many people don’t like this one; it’s sweet. Tragic but light. I enjoy the focus on characters that aren’t the Doctor or companions. On the way ordinary people’s lives are disrupted. And yeah the monster wasn’t that interesting, but in this case the point of the story was the relationships more than the monster.

Also, the look into Jackie being lonely was nice. I like the thought of her calling Rose about it and Rose insisting they immediately track this guy down.

This episode has a very classic feel, and honestly I think more of Thirteen's era should have been like this. She does best when in filler-type episodes, just running around having adventures with the fam. Though technically the stakes include the entire world, they feel small and localized, which I prefer. I like that the Sea Devils (unfortunately named, but that was established long before this) more or less maintain their classic appearance. The pirates (TWO different eras of Chinese pirates!) are great fun. The entire thing maintains the random yet earnest feel that made classic who so charming, only with impressive special effects.

And, of course, the relationship conversation was expertly handled. The Doctor in an ordinary romance would never have worked, and this was a great way to discuss that.

It's not great, but it is good. I like the motive of holding onto a metal monopoly (even if the scale makes little sense and tools can be made from other materials—this is, after all, still Doctor Who). I also enjoy the way it's set up to be a typical creature feature with a looming people-eating monster, and then turns the assumptions necessary for that upside down. Despite its...unfortunate design, the creature is otherwise a very interesting concept.

Also amusing is the way every single character thinks that they're the main character of this story, and most of them are wrong. The bandits in particular spend the entire story running around trying to make themselves relevant, but they never are. Romana and the Doctor (and K-9) are great as always.

There are definitely some issues with the portrayals of the Aboriginal, Chinese, and Maya characters in relation to the Greek one, and parts of the first half drag on a bit, but it is a good story. Adric's characterization is a little sudden but good for his character, I think: he's been through so much and feels picked on and neglected, so it makes sense that he would fall for the premise of a perfect future with someone taking care of everyone. It illustrates the temptation of such a system. Tegan's characterization is really good, too: she's stuck being the only responsible adult on the tardis, her concerns and valid fears are brushed off as silly, and unlike the others she has a home and normality she still wants to get back to. It makes perfect sense that she freaks out and tries to take it into her own hands and just tries to leave in the tardis. And she actually sort of succeeds through determination and reading the manual!

I like the general message of anti-eugenics, of "perfecting" humanity being both unethical and incorrect as an ideal. And the ending where the dictator was shown to allow himself the same thing (fleshtime) that he convinced his followers they were better for no longer having was a good show of hypocrisy.

Also I enjoy the Doctor using a cricket ball to propel himself through space.

This story is all-around beautiful. The connection between capitalism and the cycles of violence in war is beautiful. The acting is beautiful, especially with how much goes into the facial expressions. The pointlessness of all three deaths is beautiful in its tragedy: all of them could have lived. There was no reason for them to be in danger at all, unlike the usual type of self-sacrifice done to protect someone in this show. And yes, obviously Ruby doesn't stay dead, but I still think her death matters here. It was unexpected and random and unnecessary, and reminds the Doctor just how much of the universe is like that.

It also feels very classic of this episode to take place (almost) entirely in one spot. An entire story takes place and the Doctor is maybe 20 feet from the tardis. (Maybe the least running he's ever done tbh). And the contrast of that with the gorgeous space effects just add to the beauty of this episode.

A fun and silly story about the Doctor being old and sad, speaking baby, and relearning hope. And also the cybermen are there. I do like the shop setting as a backdrop for both humor and turning the everyday creepy. The cybermat is appropriately goofy for something that first appeared as a tube with googly eyes. I don't even particularly mind the Doctor-taken-for-gay jokes because he is equally confused about and oblivious to all romantic implications.

It's nothing mind-blowingly impressive, just a light story, which is fine. I don't like Amy being a famous model, though. If they had to do that an author would tie in better later, but they didn't have to do it at all.

My favorite characterization of Leela ever! Not only does she get to be smart and capable as well as strong and violent, she gets to know the basics of technology she’s previously encountered (it’s a low bar, yes, but this one does it well). She learns quickly, notices vital information, and plays an active role in the plans. The Doctor even respects her opinion and thoughts!

I really enjoyed the glimpse into Time Lord culture and politics. The bird people were fun. But, most especially, I liked the characterization is Nyssa!

This is one of my favorite historical episodes, and the closest Doctor Who has come in a very long time to a pure historical. Yes, there are aliens present, but other than serving as a red herring they have no effect whatsoever on the events of the story. And yet their presence is beautiful, observing and honoring people who otherwise would have no one to do it. (It's so small compared to the themes here I almost forgot to mention it, but I also enjoy it when scary-looking aliens aren't actually the bad guys)

I love the way the romance, personal feelings, and daily life coexist with the large historical events that are taking place. I love the personal connection to Yaz and her tangible feelings on the matter. All the characters feel real and deep and meaningful. It explains exactly why her family lives in Sheffield now in a very sweet moment.

The whole story is so tragic and lovely I cry every time I watch it, especially at the end when we see Umbreen again in the present day with the added context of her life, but she still hasn't lived a bad life. She's still been happy and loved. This is my ideal serious Doctor Who episode, honestly.

I love this story! It's funny and the tone is goofy, but the intrigue is also interesting enough to keep you curious and concerned. The side characters are great—Borusa and the politicians are suitably aloof and uncaring, Andred is delightfully chaotic, and Rodan is believably clever yet sheltered. Leela gets to be a leader. a few small things bother me, like the Doctor's hypocritical use of a horrifying gun and the ridiculous set design that looks like a cross between a claustrophobic basement and a preschool, but they're mostly easy to overlook.

My only big issues—and the reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5—are the Sontarans and Leela's exit. This is an incredibly clever plot to take over Gallifrey, but it's also an extremely out of character one for the straight-forward soldiers that Sontarans usually are. And, of course, Leela deserved better than to be thrown at the first man who didn't insult her. I'm a huge Gallifrey fan so glad she lived to return, but killing her off would have been more in character. Even having her just leave in a huff over the Doctor not taking her seriously would have been better.

One of the funniest stories in the entire series! It's cheesy, but in the best possible way (as with most Douglas Adams work). I laugh every time K-9 says Romana should make contact because "She is prettier than you are, Master" and when she offers the locals jelly babies, which she got "From the same place you do—your pocket." The trappings of traditional piracy add a wonderful layer of extra silliness (there's a literal plank to walk!), as do the Captain's wonderful costume and incredibly appropriate overacting.

The plot itself has more elements than it strictly needs—a hollow planet that crushes and mines smaller planets is very clever, as is a dying ancient monarch using said planets to rejuvenate herself, and even the overdramatic puppet Captain secretly creating a mechanism with which to destroy her, but by the time you get to the naturally psychic resistance cult who've lost their powers it's getting to be a bit much—but it's such a fun ride it hardly matters.

I love Romana's clever and self-important characterization, and the contrast with the Doctor highlighted when she doesn't hesitate to pick up a gun and shoot a guard. My favorite bit, though, has to be the main fight sequence, which is between Avitron the robot bird and K-9 the robot dog, culminating in K-9 depositing the "dead" bird proudly in the Doctor's hand. This is the best of the show's ridiculousness.