Top Five Stories: The Seventh Doctor

Seven is an intriguing Doctor, a shrewd conniver who has his fingers in a lot of pies and always has a few tricks up his sleeve.  His era is marked by long-running plans and a surprising lack of communication between the Doctor and his companion – so many secrets.  It also more deeply explores the mythos of the Doctor, emphasizing his alienness and suggesting that what we’ve seen of him so far only hints at what he’s capable of.  It’s an odd time for Who, culminating of course in the end of the classic series, and here are my favorites from the Seventh Doctor’s tenure.

 

“Remembrance of the Daleks” (Series 25, Episodes 1-4)

 

Seriously, when a companion beats up a Dalek with a baseball bat, you earn a slot in the top five.  Ace is in excellent form here, scrappy and characteristically “explosive” (good old Nitro 9.)  The Doctor has a good showdown with an old foe, and the 1963 London setting brings the nostalgia factor off the scale, with a bit of meta thrown in for good measure.

“Paradise Towers” (Series 24, Episodes 5-8)

 

I always love me a good post-apocalyptic society, and the inhabitants of this serial are tons of fun.  There are roving teenage girl gangs, cannibalistic old ladies, and something living in the swimming pool.  As a companion, Mel gets a lot of flack, and I’ll concede that she can scream something fierce, but I like her.  She’s observant and clever, and she and the Doctor are an interesting pair.

 

“Battlefield” (Series 26, Episodes 1-4)

 

Brigadier!  My love for this story, admittedly, is almost entirely down to the Brigadier.  I just love him, and it’s great to see him out of retirement and meeting Seven.  Otherwise, the plot leaves a fair amount to be desired, but I like the conceit of Knights of the Round Table in modern-day (well, ‘80s) Britain.

“The Greatest Show in the Galaxy” (Series 25, Episodes 11-14)

 

What can I say?  I’m a sucker for circus stories, and sci-fi circus stories are the best.  It’s nice to see Ace showing a bit of vulnerability (you’re not alone, Ace – coulrophobia is an epidemic,) and the idea of people having to “entertain for their lives” is neat.  Plus, the Doctor does sleight-of-hand!  I’m always in favor of random Doctor talents.

“Dragonfire” (Series 24, Episodes 12-16)

 

So, there’s a dragon hidden somewhere in a spaceport colony on a frozen world.  Yes, please!  We get a bang-up introduction to Ace – I love that she’s a contemporary Londoner who traveled in space and time before meeting the Doctor – and she and Mel are fun in their only story together.