'Underworld' has a very bad reputation. Indeed, there are fans who consider this to be the nadir of the Tom Baker era, although personally I'd much rather watch this than 'Revenge of the Cybermen', 'The Android Invasion' of 'The Invisible Enemy'. In fact, in my opinion 'Underworld' is nowhere near as bad as some fans claim, but this is damning with faint praise; the fact remains that it still isn't very good. 

The basic premise of 'Underworld' - ancient travellers on a quest for a lost artefact - is basically sound, but then once you start plagiarizing Greek mythology you're probably in pretty safe territory. Unfortunately, 'Underworld' plays it too safely and rather than drawing on mythology for its inspiration, it simply embarks on a straight retelling of Jason and the Argonauts, which results in a story that feels mind-numbingly unoriginal. I suppose Baker and Martin deserve credit for at least acknowledging their sources, but the final scene in which the Doctor tells Leela about Jason and hypothesizes that legends of the past are actually prophesizes of the future is so glib as to be thoroughly irritating. Frustratingly, many Tom Baker era Doctor Who stories actually work best when their roots are showing, but 'Underworld' is an exception to this. This is particularly disappointing considering that Episode One does have some promise; the revelations about Time Lord intervention in Minyan history are potentially interesting, but this aspect of the story is swept under the carpet very speedily, after the Doctor cheerfully announces that he is a Time Lord and offers to help Jackson and his crew. There is some minor disgruntlement initially, but soon the Doctor is pitching in to the Quest with enthusiasm. 

The unoriginality of 'Underworld' is compounded by the fact that it seems to plagiarize not only Greek mythology, but also recent Doctor Who. On a minor note, 'Underworld' is the second story in a row in which the Doctor arrives in an established society and engineers its complete upheaval (and in this case actual disintegration) within mere hours. This is a trivial and probably coincidental issue, but is rather noticeable when watching the series (or even just the season) in order. More significantly, a large part of the story contains a race of people that is descended from a spaceship full of colonists, has degenerated into specific antagonistic groups, has forgotten its origins, and worships the insane and megalomaniac ship's computer. And only a year after 'The Face of Evil', too. I'd like to think that this too is mere coincidence, but unintentional or not, it makes 'Underworld' seem even more derivative. To add insult to injury, having plagiarized the generally very good 'The Face of Evil', 'Underoworld' doesn't even manage to repeat its success. The Doctor has virtually no difficulty in helping the Minyans to obtain the race banks, outwitting the Oracle and its Seers with ease and failing to get into any memorably danger along the way. This is arguably also true of 'The Sun Makers', but that was carried along by a witty script and decent characterisation. 'Underworld' is just boring. There is considerable padding throughout, as demonstrated by the cliffhangers to Episodes Two and Three; the Episode Two cliffhanger is pathetic, since the Doctor spends about five minutes wandering around in the gas-filled tunnels whilst tinkering with the fumigation apparatus, announcing that he intends to reverse the flow of gas. Consequently, when this is what happens at the start of Episode Three, it scarcely comes as a surprise. The Episode Three cliffhanger is not as dull, but is very contrived; the idea of entering the P7E via the crusher is briefly introduced just long enough to provide the cliffhanger, before being instantly aborted at the start of Episode Four when a convenient ventilation duct is located instead. 

Part of the reason that 'Underworld' is so boring is that totally lacks any kind of memorable villain. Back when I reviewed 'The War Machines' I claimed that I do not like megalomaniac computers as villains. I was later forced to back-pedal when I reviewed 'The Green Death' and 'The Face of Evil', but my argument regains lost ground with 'Underworld', since the Oracle (and its attendant Seers) are thoroughly uninteresting. Even the script seems to admit this, with the Doctor dismissing it as "another insane object, another self-aggrandising artefact!" Well-acted and interesting supporting characters might break such colossal tedium, but this is alas not the case. Alan Lake's bombastic Herrack is rather entertaining, and James Maxwell manages to convey the conflicting weariness and dedication of Jackson very well, but Jonathon Newth and Imogen Bickford-Smith get very little to do as Orfe and Tala, respectively. The Trogs are so apathetic and boring that it is difficult to care about them and the Guards are stock thugs. So given all this criticism, why do I think that 'Underworld' is better than its reputation?

There are several reasons. Firstly, the plot of 'Underworld' is dull, but solid. There are no real plot-holes, although as usual for a Baker and Martin script there is some very bad science on display, most notably the lack of gravity at the centre of the planet and the idea that the Trogs and Guards can survive on processed rock (although they probably don't suffer from any iron or mineral deficiencies…). In addition, the concept of transporting large numbers of people for several centuries in a small spacecraft is so ludicrous that it falls apart under any amount of scrutiny. Nevertheless, the story largely progresses from start to finish in a logical fashion. Secondly, amidst everything else, the regulars put in good performances. This might come as no surprise, but bear in mind that Tom Baker seemed very bored with Baker and Martin's last script for the series, whereas here he puts in a rather manic and enthusiastic performance. Louise Jameson also gets plenty to do as Leela pitches in to the various battles with her usual relish, and I also like her pacification and subsequent recovery in Episode One. K9 also plays a significant role, as he takes control of the Minyan spaceship, guiding it through the last stages of its quest to find the P7E. 

The final reason that 'Underworld' is not as bad as some claim is the production. The model work is very good, as are the sets of the Minyan spaceship and the P7E. Most notably however, the notoriously bad CSO actually works quite well. The main drawback it displays is the lack of the depth of field, but the fuzzy line that plagued the technique during the Pertwee era is mercifully absent. Nevertheless, whilst I can find positive aspects in 'Underworld', these are not enough to salvage it. It isn't the worst Tom Baker story, it isn't even the worst story of Season Fifteen, but as a cure for insomnia it is unrivalled.

'The Power of Kroll' has a rather strange status. It is a rather mediocre affair, but the relatively simple plot is essentially sound; it's main failing lies in the fact that, written as it is by Robert Holmes, it should have been much, much better. 

The plot of 'The Power of Kroll' concerns the conflict between the Swampies of Delta Three, displaced once from their home by colonial humans and under threat a second time as their new home is discovered to be ripe for exploitation. Opposing them are the aforementioned colonists who crew the methane refinery on the planet and whose belligerent leader Thawn is keen to remove them from the equation. To this end, he has secretly arranged for them to be armed, ostensibly by the Sons of Earth, a sympathetic terrorist organisation that believes that humanity should abandon its colonies and return to its ancestral home. Having armed them with guns that he knows to be useless, he then has an excuse to wipe them out should they use these weapons to attack the refinery. Added to this mix is the largest monster ever to have appeared in Doctor Who on television, which the Swampies worship as a god, but which is basically a monstrous giant squid swollen to the proportions of a leviathan by the fourth segment of the Key to Time. This plot is solid enough (and in fact is largely recycled for the far more popular 'The Caves of Androzani') and lacks any noticeable holes, but unfortunately is saddled with a surprisingly poor script. 

The problem with 'The Power of Kroll' is that it is both dull and humourless. The latter shortcoming is especially surprising from a writer who gave us 'The Ribos Operation' earlier in the season, a story boasting some sparking dialogue and considerable wit. 'The Power of Kroll' is not Holmes' worst script for the series ('The Space Pirates' still holds that dubious honour), and it isn't even the worst script of Season Sixteen (more on that next time…), but totally fails to engage me on any real level. Partly this is because the characterisation, usually Holmes' strong point, is extremely weak. The Swampies, despite being green skinned, are textbook natives out of bad and patronizing British colonial fiction; they have a credible motivation, but their predilection for human sacrifice and in the case of Ranquin, manipulative politics, renders them unsympathetic. This wouldn't be a problem if they were actually interesting, but they aren't. Most of them don't say or do anything except chant "Kroll" repeatedly, and their main spokesman, John Abineri's Ranquin, is portrayed as a clichйd religious zealot. Their human ally Rohm-Dutt, a mercenary gunrunner secretly working for Thawn, might potentially have worked, but Glyn Owen puts in such an disinterested performance that he seems half asleep, and as such any emotion that the character might have had is completely lost. 

The colonists are even worse. Neil McCarthy, who previously appeared as Barnham in 'The Mind of Evil', puts in an adequate performance, but he doesn't have much to work with. A grim ruthless psychopath might be more realistic than, for example, Bruce Purchase's extravagant Pirate Captain, but is far less entertaining to watch, and 'The Power of Kroll' badly needs livening up. Thawn might have worked better if he had grander motivation, but as the story stands he's simply a xenophobic thug whose initial motivation (exterminating the Swampies) is quickly sidelined once he discovers that he's got a gargantuan killer squid to deal with. Even his death scene is rubbish, falling into the "blink and you'll miss it category". The other humans are even worse, Phillip Madoc's grumpy performance as Fenner probably giving rise to the myth that he was promised the role of Thawn but got cheated out of it, and Grahame Mallard's Harg is utterly forgettable. Worst of all is Dugeen; with K9 TARDIS bound due to the watery setting, John Leeson instead takes a human role and puts in a poor performance, although the script doesn't really help. His sudden revelation that he is a member or sympathizer of The Sons of Earth is horribly acted and seems to have been forced into the story with a crowbar as an afterthought. 

Normally, when the supporting characters disappoint, the regulars can be relied on, but given the lacklustre script neither Tom Baker nor Mary Tamm get the chance to shine. Baker does his best, but mostly all he gets to do is wander around and explain the plot to Romana, who after her initial abduction and rescue does nothing useful whatsoever. Except of course listen whilst the Doctor explains the plot. The almost total lack of humour is unfortunate, as it might have salvaged the story, but when the best Holmes offers is the Doctor's anecdote about Dame Nellie Melba, there isn't much hope. 

Where the script does triumph is in the handling of Kroll. Having been challenged to create the series' largest ever monster, Holmes scripts Kroll as a big animal, writing intelligent speculation about the creature's feeding habits and life cycle for his characters, and providing a decent explanation for its size and longevity. Indeed Kroll is generally surprisingly effective; the model creature looks rather good, and even its life-sized tentacles (a notoriously difficult visual effect to achieve successfully) look better than they might have done. The split-screen effect used to show Kroll looming on the horizon is rather jarring, but in a series with an unpleasant history of bad CSO this too could have looked worse. These reasonable production values help to rescue the story to a degree, as does the excellent East Anglian location filming. Sadly however, this location footage is home to the Swampies, middle-aged actors painted green who never look like anything other than middle-aged actors painted green. 

In summary then, 'The Power of Kroll' is a rather middling affair, not all bad but displaying considerable drawbacks. After the generally high quality of this up to this point it is very disappointing. On the other hand, compared with the season finale, it is an unparalleled work of genius…

Episode One: 

It's hard for a first episode to be poor, when all the Doctor has to do is arrive and witness some intriguing events. Intriguing events here include a burial, a wandering man, a ship that arrives and burrows into the earth, and finally the Daleks, though as usual, the title has given them away. The Movellans are serene cats in disco suits, and we don't know why they hate the Daleks. 

Episode Two: 

Suddenly, this goes downhill fast. I'll take the "Death Comes to Time" Timelords any day over Romana crying when "interrogated" with a few simple questions. It fits well with her plan, however, to drop dead after a half day's work, which the Daleks seem to believe without checking. Watch carefully for the Dalek who skips on his way into the Dalek bridge. The Daleks were digging, it turns out, for Davros, but the Doctor knows how to get there in seconds (um, OK I'll buy that I guess). Davros, having been exterminated by the Daleks, and then having sat there for centuries, wiggles his fingers for the episode climax. My God, has he been looking for the TV remote all these years?

Episode Three: 

After the rhyming Dalek ("seek, locate, do not deviate"), there is a little tension and suspense here, with the Doctor trying to hold the Daleks off simply by threatening to kill Davros. At last, in episode three, the Daleks show they're evil (a new viewer to the show would have been waiting all this time to understand what the big deal is about them) by exterminating prisoners to get the Doctor to cooperate. The Movellans are serene cats in disco suits, and we don't know whey they hate the Daleks, or why they put Romana in a tube with a bomb. Except, perhaps, to draw out the Doctor, who they suddenly seem to have decided is a better objective than Davros. We'll find out in… 

Episode Four: 

The Movellans are defeated because no matter how many times it happens, they never learn to prevent anyone snatching their exposed power packs. The Daleks, having been cruel enough to exterminate prisoners as a pressure tactic in the previous episode, are once again ridiculous. First, they allow the Doctor to sneak up on Davros, and then when one Dalek does stand in the Doctor's way, a hat defeats it. The other Daleks charge towards the Movellan ship, frantically repeating the idea that nothing can be allowed to stand in their way. Meanwhile, nothing stands in their way. The Doctor plays with Davros's arm and gets him to blow up his Daleks, while Romana is able to kick the last Movellan apart (presumably this is because he was wounded, I guess) and of course, snatch his power pack. 

Analysis:

After a promising beginning, the story becomes a silly and tedious affair. The conclusion is rushed, and a great deal goes unexplained, like who created the Movellans or where they came from. The idea of the two war machines at a logical impasse is interesting, but not really enough to sustain the story, or provide a payoff at the end for the viewer, in terms of a meaningful story. And while Genesis of the Daleks had something to say (in terms of showing us the stupid prejudice and hatred that gave birth to the Daleks), this story portrays them as incompetents who can't open a closet door, never mind conquer the universe. And the Movellans aren't any better. You wonder why the Doctor and Romana don't just leave. Fortunately, in Resurrection of the Daleks, with Peter Davision, some of the old menace would be back, and the sense of tension and danger much higher. Destiny of the Daleks remains a somewhat nonsensical and only somewhat entertaining interlude between those two stories. Oh, and it has the wrong guy as Davros.

After Revelation of the Daleks, the Two Doctors has to be my favourite DW story at that time and for pretty much the same reasons - lots of continuity references, old monsters and a quite unprecedented level of violence. However, there are many who dislike this story for precisely the same reasons, but I'll just give my viewpoints here.

Firstly, there is the heavy level of mythology in the story. What is wrong with this, in a twenty year old show? A story is only as good as its past and why should such a varied past be ignored? To spare confusion among present day fans? Please! And the humour here is also good, Doctor Who should always have humour somewhere in it and I don't think it was overplayed here. It nicely offset the other controversial aspect of the story, the violence!

This was so cool. I was a growing teenager at this time and DW seemed to be growing up right there with me. Tame stories like the Underworld or the Androids of Tara seemed half a lifetime away - come to think of it, it was. I loved seeing Stike's leg congealed in green blood, or Shockeye stalking a rat; they added wonderful menace and tension to the plot - the violence and the humour seemed to wonderfully dovetail each other out. In the middle of the Second Doctor/Shockeye in the restaurant scene, Oscar is brutally murdered for no good reason by Shockeye. Many people objected to this as too violent, fine. BUT, in a wonderful piece of poetic justice, Shockeye is himself killed by Oscar's cyanide kit, bringing the whole thing full circle. And people objected to Shockeye being killed as well! Okay, it was the Sixth Doctor wielding the cyanide,but he was in a life and death situation and didn't have any other means at his disposal.

The Sontarans were also excellent here - I love old monsters coming back and they hadn't been in a DW story for yonks, and that was the Invasion of Time. Enough said. more than time for their return, which was handled very nicely.

The only slightly peculiar thing about this epic tale is that the two Doctors should meet in the first place - in The Three Doctors and The Five Doctors this crossing their timestreams happened by direct intervention, but here it seems to be more or less by accident. Still, a minor quibble in an otherwise excellent fable. Loved Chessene and Dastari, loved the simplistic plot - but then, I love simplistic plots!

When I reviewed 'The Creature From the Pit', I noted that after 'City of Death' the air of general silliness starts to extend beyond the Doctor to other characters. Whilst this was largely successful in that story, by 'Nightmare of Eden' it seriously undermines a potential serious plot that should, Doctor aside, have been played straight. It is doubly unfortunate that having co-scripted some of my least favourite Doctor Who stories of the series entire run, Baker delivers a potentially interesting script that suffers at the hands of the production team, but sadly that is what happens.

Firstly, I'd like to get a discussion of Vraxoin out of the way. Having elected to lecture the audience on the dangers of drugs, Baker faces the constraints of a four-part Doctor Who story, originally broadcast in a Saturday teatime slot. This presents a problem; on the one hand, there isn't really time to create an intelligent discourse on drug abuse, and on the other, there are limits to what could be depicted in a series with an audience containing a large number of children. Consequently, the writers resort to a simple "drugs are bad, m'kay?" message with Vraxoin their fictional stand in for real narcotics. And therein lies the problem. Drugs are fun. Addictive and destructive as they often are, most people who use drugs do not start taking them with the actual intention of committing suicide, they take them for recreational purposes. Vraxoin however, does not seem like fun; after a brief and seemingly pleasant high, it immediately causes such massive withdrawal pains that another dose is immediately required, and this is implied to lead very rapidly to death. As drugs go, it doesn't sound very marketable. Given the restrictions of the series format, I doubt Baker had few other options open to them in getting their message across, but frankly I'd much rather that they had just told another story instead of venturing into the territory of unconvincing bullshit. 

Regardless of this, Baker could potentially have made an interesting exploration of why people turn to drugs and why people like Tryst deal in drugs, especially from the point of view of the twenty-first century, when an increasing number of students are apparently resorting to drug dealing and prostitution to subsidize their income. In all fairness to him, he makes the effort, but Tryst's weak arguments about his need to fund his work and the ability of customers to make their own choices are utterly undermined by Lewis Fiander's ghastly portrayal of the character. Given the role of the story's principle villain and would-be ruthless drug dealer, Fiander elects to portray the character as a shambling buffoon with a ludicrous accent. His rationale for this escapes me and it may just be that he's a really bad actor, but his absurd performance robs the character of any sense of motivation whatsoever, as he descends into clichйd eccentric scientist mode. To add insult to injury, Fiander seems to think his performance is amusing, but it is merely painful. Geoffrey Bateman's performance as Dymond is somewhat better, played deadly straight and full of nervousness and anger, but still fairly unmemorable. 

Inappropriate silliness abounds. After his excellent performance as Jack Tyler in 'Image of the Fendahl', Geoffrey Hinsliff goes and spoils himself as Waterguard Fisk, another terrible performance and another wasted opportunity; as an official representative of a so-called pleasure planet the government of which seems to bandy about the death penalty very easily, Fisk could have been used to make interesting (or at least, vaguely convincing) points about fascism and police corruption. Instead, like Tryst, he's portrayed as a cretin, who utters such cringe worthy lines as "criminals are like that" and struts about in a horribly over-the-top fashion. I would mention Costa, but he's only present to give Fisk someone to spout expository dialogue at and does nothing else of note. 

Annoyingly, despite my reservations about the way the drug plotline is handled, the plot of 'Nightmare of Eden' is reasonably engaging and pretty much watertight, as the Doctor and Romana seek to separate the ships, return the Mandrels to the CET machine, and absolve themselves of blame for drug running. But the entire production is so crass that it becomes disappointingly pedestrian, and for the avid fan in the video and DVD age, the fact that the CET machine is little more than a bargain basement Miniscope robs the story of what might otherwise have been an interesting gimmick. The jungle set of Eden looks very artificial, which after the luscious jungle of 'The Creature From the Pit' is especially obvious, and most of the other sets are just bog-standard corridors. The model work is passable, but forgettable in a season boasting the Jagaroth and Movellan ships, and the costumes of the crewmembers on board the Empress are laughable. The fact that the incidental music made so little impression on me that I can't remember if it was good or not is not a particularly good sign either, although at least it isn't intrusive. The Mandrels are not as bad in my opinion as some fans seem to think, although their overly long arms look woeful. I do however like the fact that their big heads, huge glowing eyes, and strange mouths seem like a laudable attempt to avoid the usual humanoid in a suit look, and it does make them look alien. 

There are however some worthy aspects to 'Nightmare of Eden'; David Daker (previously Irongron in the marvellous 'The Time Warrior') is very good as Captain Rigg and portrays Rigg's drug-addled state later in the story quite well (certainly better than Stephen Jenn does as Secker). Barry Andrews is quite good as Stott, slightly compensating for Fisk and Costa. The direction is competent enough, and I like the fact that it seems to be poking fun at the series' limitations, as Tom Baker chases Barry Andrews through the same set three times in a row in Episode Two. Dymond's space suit, and the fact that he uses a shuttle craft to travel between ships is a nice reminder that the story is set in space, which the cheap cop-out of a transmat would have lacked (I am not, incidentally, suggesting that a transmat is automatically a cop-out, just that I feel it would have been in this instance). 

Finally, there are the regulars. As usual, Tom Baker clowns around as the Doctor, whilst Lalla Ward plays things relatively straight, and K9 makes sounds haughty from the sidelines. Also as usual, this generally works fine, but whilst the Doctor's lines about Galactic Salvage Insurance in Episode One are rather funny, his notorious "Oh, my fingers! My arms! My legs! My everything!" in Episode Four merely emphasizes the fact that the story has descended into farce. This is a shame, since Baker proves adept at conveying the Doctor's contempt for Tryst's activities and his attempts to justify them, as exemplified by his quiet "Go away" as Tryst is arrested at the end. K9 and Romana both get plenty to do too, and it occurred to me whilst watching this story that K9's tendency to soliloquize is a perfect vehicle for plot exposition without it sounding forced. Overall however, 'Nightmare of Eden' is a failure, a potentially decent story let down by lacklustre production, some bad lines, and some inappropriate acting. Which is perhaps ironic, given that the following story combines pantomime slapstick, a silly monster, farcical dialogue and a villain who is perhaps more over the top than any other villain in Doctor Who's entire run, and still manages to be enormously entertaining…

After the pleasing interlude of Big Finish's Fifth Doctor and Nyssa audios, returning to the television series is rather disappointing given that the opening story of Season Nineteen maintains the quality of Season Nineteen's finale. By which I mean of course that like 'Time-Flight', 'Arc of Infinity' is crap. 

The plot of 'Arc of Infinity' concerns the return of Omega, the villain of 'The Three Doctors', and his attempt to bond with the Doctor in order to regain corporeal existence in the universe of matter. He tries this and fails, the Doctor gets dragged to Gallifrey for three episodes, then Omega tries again, partially succeeds, and gets shot by the Doctor. This sounds like an overly simplistic plot without any interesting subplots or subtext, and that is because it is precisely what it is. To make matters worse, writer Johnny Byrne, previously responsible for the horribly overrated 'The Keeper of Traken', litters his story with some horrible plot contrivances. The Time Lords' decision to keep the Doctor imprisoned in his own TARDIS is bizarre whether they disable it or not; it's akin to the police keeping people whom they've arrested locked in their cars with the sparkplugs removed. The script is littered with nasty expository dialogue, including "impulse laser?", and "that wasn't here before". In addition, the decision to have left Tegan on Earth in 'Time-Flight' results in a coincidence that seems ludicrous even by Doctor Who's standards, as Omega just happens to kidnap her cousin who is backpacking around Europe. One of the few plus points of the story is that Tegan is at least fairly well used in her scenes with Robin and Omega, proving as usual to be brave and resourceful. 

The acting doesn't help. The regulars are all fine, but half of the guest cast seems to be asleep. Which considering the characterisation that they are given to work with is unsurprising. Elspet Gray's Thalia and Max Harvey's Zorac are nonentities; Paul Jerricho's Castellan is one-dimensional and grumpy, and Jerricho seems annoyed to have been cast in the role. Leonard Sachs is wasted as Borusa, a character so different to the one previously played by Angus Mackay and John Arnatt that he might as well be a different character (and yes I know Time Lords' personalities alter somewhat when they regenerate, but Borusa so totally lacks any of the shrewd intelligence that he previously displayed that it isn't an adequate excuse). Equally wasted is Michael Gough as the treasonous Hedin, a man supposedly an old and dear friend of the Doctor's who sells him out to a nutter who previously tried to destroy the entire universe. There's a flimsy excuse about Hedin's obsession with history, but it isn't very convincing; lots of people are interested in history, but they wouldn't necessarily want famous historical madmen to come back to life and take over the running of the world. Mention of Hedin raises the question of why his voice changes when he's talking to Omega, since no explanation is offered beyond the obvious need to keep the identity of the traitor a secret. Possibly it has something to do with his frantically gesticulated wand. And on the subject of hitherto unseen old friends of the Doctor, we also meet Neil Daglish's Damon, a man so charismatic and interesting that it is a crying shame that he hasn't been seen before or since. I am of course being sarcastic. Daglish's performance is so wooden that he might be considered the worst actor in the story were it not for the presence of Andrew Boxer as Robin, a man from the Matthew Waterhouse school of acting if ever there was one. 

Mercifully, Omega is rather better than in 'The Three Doctors'. Partly this is because Ian Collier doesn't stamp around the set bellowing and pointing at the sky, and partly because he's more stable and therefore less of a pantomime villain than in he was in his debut story, but whilst still managing to retain the air of madness that the script keeps reminding us about during the last two episodes. Omega's motivation is believable, and Collier's largely vocal performance combines both menace and charisma. Once Peter Davison takes over the role, he gets to show off his acting skills and manages to make Omega different from the Doctor through body language and facial expressions alone; the oft-mentioned scene in which he smiles at a child as he watches a street organ in wonder is indeed highly effective, and does a great deal for Omega's character considering that he's just killed a gardener and shortly afterwards decides that if he cannot survive then neither will anybody else. Mind you, if I'd just regained corporeal existence of millennia of being trapped in the universe of anti-matter and I found myself in Amsterdam I wouldn't be standing around looking at street organs, I'd be nipping into a coffee shop to role a joint. By the end of the story however, everything goes to, erm, pot as Omega starts to decay. A protracted chase scene through Amsterdam shows off the nice overseas location work, but since 'Arc of Infinity' lacks the charm and wit of 'City of Death' it just feels like a gratuitous waste of license payers' money. In addition, the sudden switch from Davison to stuntman is painfully obvious despite the extensive makeup used to show Omega's degeneration, and the unconvincing blonde wig certainly doesn't help. The denouement is rubbish; Omega rants for a bit, then the Doctor shoots him.

The production is also rather poor. The attractive location work is undermined by some dreadful studio sets. The crypt looks OK, but Gallifrey does not. Back in 'The Deadly Assassin', Gallifrey had an air of faded grandeur, which 'The Invasion of Time' at least made an effort to recapture. Here, Gallifrey is represented by drab sets littered with office furniture and lurid plastic. On the other hand, perhaps designer Marjorie Pratt deliberately made tasteless sets for Time Lords to walk about in as a deliberate homage to 'The Three Doctors'. At least the recycled costumes look decent enough, and I like Omega's new outfit, although the Ergon looks ridiculous. Mind you, it's better than the Gel Guards. Ron Jones' direction is also rather drab, although he does at least get a great incidental score from Roger Limb to work with.

Finally, I can't mention 'Arc of Infinity' without mentioning Colin Baker, for obvious reasons. It's weird in retrospect to see him in a role other than the Sixth Doctor, but he's nevertheless playing a different character in the shape of Maxil. He plays the part with brutal efficiency, although Maxil isn't as sadistic as he first appears, merely very devoted to his duties. Beyond acting as henchman to the Castellan however, he doesn't get a great deal to do except stomp about bullying people; Baker is reasonable enough in the role, but there's little else I can say about him. Still, at least his later involvement with the series makes seeing him in 'Arc of Infinity' interesting, and it needs all the help it can get to be interesting. It is by no means as diabolical as 'The Three Doctors', but it is still very poor; hopefully Big Finish's forthcoming 'Omega' will be the first story featuring the character that is actually worthwhile.