Day 554: Castrovalva Part 1

And so we begin. We've got a new Doctor, new companions, a new Master and a new era for the series. It's interesting to see how this serial reacts to these changes then, and how they introduce them to the audience.

Castrovalva's approach to this change is to start somewhere near the deep end. Most of the episode is spent with Nyssa and Tegan, the two newest companions, as they try to make sense of the TARDIS and help the Doctor, who is going through some sort of post-regeneration crisis. Oddly enough, this actually works. Part of this is due to Bidmead's strong writing as he helps us feel more comfortable with the characters as they try to make sense of everything. There's also credit to be given to the acting between Janet Fielding (Tegan) and Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) who obviously have a strong enough chemistry with each other that they can help the audience feel more comfortable with them as a result.

But it's not just with the companions that we get thrown into the deep end. The Doctor, as mentioned previously, is undergoing a post-regeneration crisis. We see a more erratic and worried Doctor than we're used to which creates a feeling of unease within the audience. But this is contrasted with moments of clarity as he calms down, which helps us to get to trust and like the character a lot more. It's another interesting way to introduce us to the new Doctor, but it works, and certainly means that we can begin to look forward to Peter Davison's time as the Doctor.