A post-regeneration episode is obviously our introduction to a new Doctor, but it’s often packed enough with big-picture stuff—the companions dealing with the change, possible regeneration-crisis issues, settling on a new outfit (I kind of love that that’s become such an essential part of any post-regeneration episode)—that it’s not always the best indication of who the new Doctor really is. Often, a Doctor’s second adventure gives us a better, more settled look at who they are, and that’s definitely a factor in this entertaining space yarn.
The Fourth Doctor brings Sarah Jane and Harry (on his first TARDIS trip) to a seemingly deserted space station far in humanity’s future. They soon realize that the space station’s inhabitants aren’t dead or missing, but frozen in stasis—they’re on an enormous ark filled with humans waiting to find a new home. However, while they’ve been sleeping, something else has infiltrated their space station. The Doctor and co. revive some of the crew to deal with the alien threat.
Pretty decent story. The Wirrn have a lot of hallmarks reminiscent of other Who aliens, such as hive minds and a penchant for infecting and taking over human bodies, but even though the devices are familiar, they’re depicted well and feel like a palpable threat. There are some good one-shot characters as well; I especially like medtech Vira and commander Noah.
Harry makes a mixed showing his first time out, which feels appropriate, since he really has no clue what’s he’s in for. He’s totally bewildered and wrong-footed, and he makes a couple of well-intentioned screw-ups, but he makes up for them by putting his medical training to good use and learning pretty quickly on his feet.
In general, Sarah Jane doesn’t fare quite as well here. She’s imperiled twice in relatively short succession (although, in her defense, the damseling is directly related to Harry’s bungles in both cases.) I get that having to be rescued from danger and/or getting captured by the bad guys is a big part of the companion’s job description, but there are times when you have a multi-companion TARDIS crew and it feels like the woman is disproportionately in need of saving, or that there’s a different tenure to the female companion’s endangerment—I’ve gotten this vibe at different times, most prominently with Eleven, Amy, and Rory. But, just as Harry starts to turn it around, Sarah Jane is used more effectively later in the story. The scene of her threading the cable through the ventilation shafts is a classic—brave, but scared, too, and I love the Doctor distracting her from her fear by getting her mad.
Like I said, this serial gives us our first settled look at Four, and already, it’s evident why he’s so beloved. I adore Four—he’s such an interesting mix of kooky, animated, detached, and impatient, drawing you in with that manic grin and then stunning you with those occasional reminders of how alien he really is. I like that he can get so annoyed at or thrilled with Harry with equal measure, and the aforementioned scene with Sarah Jane is a highlight of the story. I also really enjoy his interactions with the chief Wirrn, and just the fact that he’s someone who totally gets that this gigantic bug alien is an intelligent creature he can attempt to reason with.
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