Doctor Who: Nineteenth Series Summary
From second best to last place in the span of seven stories.
The Eighteenth Series was remarkable in how it essentially redeemed the Fourth Doctor’s run, coming in tied for silver and even besting that era’s premiere season. The Nineteenth Series saw that high bar, tried to vault it, but face-planted on approach. There were two high points – The Visitation and Earthshock – and one that only appeared high because of the regeneration handicap. In reality, Castrovalva joined Kinda and Time-Flight as average, and the highs were pulled down by Four to Doomsday and Black Orchid.
Unfortunately, that drags everything right back to average.
I have some hope for future series with the removal of Adric (who has been a thorn in my side from his introduction) and the rise of Nyssa and Tegan as proactive companions. I am also optimistic based on the Fifth Doctor’s continued evolution. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from his character, and I’m eager to see how he grows (provided that he is given room to run).
I wish there was more to say, but there’s not much more beyond my already apparent disappointment. This series ties the Third for last place.
Castrovalva – 4
Four to Doomsday – 2
Kinda – 3
The Visitation – 4
Black Orchid – 2
Earthshock – 4
Time-Flight – 3
Series Nineteen Average Rating: 3.1/5
UP NEXT – Doctor Who: Arc of Infinity
The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.
Creative Criticality 
The fifth Doctor’s last story is widely regarded as one of the best Doctor Who stories of all time, so it does go up IMHO. This first season suffered a lot from not having a script editor until almost the end, and by that point it was hard to pull in any consistent characterization or a “direction” for the series. Saward will be a steady force through season 23, so the show stabilizes quite a bit.
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