We continue the Doctor regeneration stories in the lead up to the 13th Doctor’s regeneration with the 4th Doctor’s final serial in “Logopolis.” This is a story that suffers from a bit of a cluttered cast and a bit too much tell over show but is still an enjoyable sendup to Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor. This one is worth checking out, especially once the story takes off.
The serial was directed by Peter Grimwade and written by Christoper H. Bidmead.
The Doctor and Master must form a temporary truce when the Master’s plot on Logopolis leads to the universe unraveling and must be stopped.
SPOILERS ahead
The Pros:
Saving the Universe – When we finally get to the Master’s plot and him showing up the story takes off as we have the Doctor, Master and Tegan as one team and Nyssa and Adric on the other team as they must work to save the universe’s destruction. It keeps the tension going and gives actions for all the characters.
The Master – Anthony Ainley does a great job as the Master as he seeks to save the universe after he nearly caused the end of the universe but also seeks to blackmail the universe and control it. He never stops being a villain so it creates another problem the Doctor must face through the serial.
The Doctor – Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor is one of my favorite Doctors and in this we see him seeking to protect his companions and save the universe while still keeping distance between his companions as he knows his death and regeneration is coming. Tom Baker gives such amazing pathos and his remembering all his companions before regenerating is a powerful scene as his last act saves the universe and stops the Master’s takeover plot.
The Doctor’s Good-bye – Adric, Nyssa and Tegan all call out the Doctor’s name as he recalls Romana, Sarah Jane Smith, K-9 and all past companions over his run. There is sadness in it but it is touching soon as he remembers those closest to him before he regenerates into the 5th Doctor.
Okay:
Logopolis – You have a civilization of white haired humanoids who compute through language and keep the universe going. They don’t get much depth than this though and mostly exist as an interesting idea. With more development the planet and people could have been a pro.
The Companions – Nyssa’s father was killed and body possessed by the Master and the Master killed Tegan’s Aunt. We get moments of sadness but not time to mourn as like Adric they are largely plot devices driving the plot. This is the problem with 3 companions as no one gets development. Still all the performances are good they just deserved time to be better explored as characters, especially Tegan as this was her introduction story.
The Cons:
The Setup and Pacing – The first 2 of 4 episodes lack focus and because of it have really slow pacing. All of it is meant to be setup of the Master causing the accidental unraveling of the universe but not enough is done to focus on that coming up or to explore Tegan and Adric as characters.
Tell Over Show – We are told what Logopolis. We are told Tegan is an airline stewardess and that is it. So much of the first 2 episodes are tell over show and it keeps the story from ever reaching the levels of good.
This was an enjoyable serial that with a bit more development could have been good or great. With less companions the story could have been more focused and with it Logopolis as a planet and people could have been better explored too. Still this was an enjoyable regeneration episode that I do recommend.
Final Score: 7.5 / 10 Boosted by the Doctor’s good-bye and seeing his past companions before regenerating.
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