Doctor Who - The Invasion of Time (Episode 97)

what can I say, the more Doctor Who that is released the better the world is. great redone special effects and of course the original version.

I've been a Tom Baker fan all my life, so admittedly, there are few baker stories that I don't like. However, any fan of the series would be very hard pressed not to love this episode. This is pure, unbridled Doctor Who. This one is chock full of twists and turns and the appearnce of an old foe really blindsides you! Well acted, with some fabulous chemistry between the actors, especially the Doctor and the Cardinal. the whole thing leaves you with a feeling of mixed emotion of course, as the bad guys get it in the end, but we lose a Tardis companion. The possibilities of what actually happned to this companion are limitless, and have never been explored, and of course with the new series, anything is possible!!! This really is Tom Baker at his erratic best doing what he does best!

The premise of "THE INVASION OF TIME" is simple, but genius: WHAT IF... the Doctor became EVIL? "Invasion" is a sequel of sorts to the Doctor's last visit to his homeworld of Gallifrey in "Deadly Assassin" in which the Doctor saves the Timelords from the Master and in doing so becomes the sole surviving candidate in an election to determine the Timelord Presidency. The story opens with the Doctor apparently selling out his people to anonymous alien invaders. The Doctor berates and expels his companion, Leela and betrays his old Timelord mentor Borusa and before long succeeds in arranging the conquest of the planet. Once revealed, the invaders turn out to be B list, working for the Sontarans (as seen in this season's DW series 4, the "Sontaran Stratagem"). The Sontaran want control over time itself, via the relics of the President's office and the help of the Lord President of the Timelords a.k.a The Doctor...Once the Doctor's plan is revealed things really get complicated...a rebellion against the traitorous Doctor is underway, ultimately leading up to a battle for Gallifrey, even including a "unforgettable" chase through the deep recesses of the Doctor's TARDIS.

Some of the best moments of the story include conversations between the overbearing Lord Doctor and Borusa, his teacher's current & most memorable incarnation played by John Arnatt. Tom Baker is in top form when he in his over-the-top megalomaniacal glory for the first half of the story. The climatic TARDIS chase is memorable, not for the execution, which isn't so good, but the sense of the transdimensional nature of the Doctor's craft. The scenes in the TARDIS really convey the limitlessness and spark the imagination for the possibilities in store for the new series, hopefully. K9 mark I. and Leela say their farewells, but what's not so memorable, the unbelievable romance between the warrior woman Leela and the sheltered Captain of the Guard, Andred. Equally forgettable are some effects on the second string invaders, the Vardans, worse than their horrible shroud images is their actual physical form in some sort of cross between a WWII paratrooper and a TV news cameraman. One major flaw of the finale of the 6 part story is having the Doctor solve the conflict with a gadget, especially when that gadget is for all intents and purposes a big gun! Even fans new to the series, know "the Doctor just `ain't down with `dat!"

For all of it's script troubles, plot and FX flaws, Invasion is a must own for any Doctor Who fan, for it's many Timelord and Tardis milestones and because the Sontarans have just been revamped. Besides, this is history.

"Invasion" Drinking Game

Drink....

...everytime Gallifrey is saved from "the invaders."

...when Leela kills ( or throttles ) someone.

...everytime RASSILON is mentioned (the Presidential induction provides loads of these.)

...when you see the same BBC car-park stairwell in the TARDIS.

...when a Sontaran trips on patio furniture.

Last episode of the 15th Season (1977) in 6 parts. Key words: Tom Baker, Gallifrey, Leela, K9, Vardans, Sontarans. Last episode with companion Leela.