Doctor Who: Twenty-Fourth Series Summary
The numbers say average but the emotion says confidence.
The Seventh Doctor’s opening frame was on par with the Sixth Doctor’s closing set. On the five-point scale, it was square in the middle and tied for second-to-last with the Trail of a Time Lord. But there’s some added complexity in the execution and how it resonated with me overall, something that hasn’t happened since the end of the Third Doctor’s run.
Taking a quick trip back in time, the Third Doctor’s Summary presented me with a wrinkle in my scoring system: Jon Pertwee’s run was consistently some of my favorite work in the franchise, but on a character level I was (and still am) more keen on Patrick Troughton’s interpretation of the Doctor. There’s something similar here where Time and the Rani made me really care about the Doctor again, to the point that I was (unbeknownst to me) actually grinning ear-to-ear at Sylvester McCoy’s performance.
In fact, the Seventh Doctor has been a beacon of hope during this introductory season, and I’m hoping that it carries this show forward through the remaining two classic seasons.
McCoy’s Doctor shares a lot of the same qualities from Troughton’s Doctor, mixing disarming tomfoolery with a darker analytical nature. It’s something that we haven’t really seen since the Fourth Doctor‘s era, and it’s refreshing to see back in the mix. The problems, of course, remain from recent John Nathan-Turner-era productions, including high body counts and average (or lower) stories to fill space rather than enlighten and entertain.
I’m actually a little sad that McCoy’s spark came so late in the game.
Time and the Rani – 3
Paradise Towers – 2
Delta and the Bannerman – 4
Dragonfire – 3
Series Twenty-Four Average Rating: 3.0/5
UP NEXT – Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks
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 
Andrew Cartmel’s contributions to season 25 and 26 can’t be underplayed. He brings back the idea that each serial is still connected to an overall story, which hasn’t been seen really since the first Doctor’s era aside from some one-offs like the Trial and the Key to Time. With story and character arcs even the lesser stories become elevated. I’m really looking forward to your reviews of these seasons.