Dragonfire [TV/1987.11.23 ~ 12.7]

 

★★★☆☆

  Talking about Season 24 is always an endeavor that requires care and precision, due to the fact that it's disliked by a wide portion of the fanbase. The aforementioned season is also, by its nature, one of the most polarizing sets of serials; it's a travesty if you find cheap panto-like sci-fi distasteful, and it's positively marvelous if you're fully on board with it. Hand in heart, I find the panto season delightful. Sylvester McCoy's theatrical presence is untethered and ecstatically entertaining; he's always been the template for physical comedy à la Buster Keaton, and the cream-jacket-clad Time Lord gets to display his comedic chops in this story, thanks to either writer Ian Briggs or director Chris Clough (I suspect a bit of both).

  I mean, I don't know. There's just an indescribable charm in the dodgy pink plastic-wrap sets, the over-the-top and fun performances, the happy-go-lucky nature of it all. Dragonfire has all the "downsides" that can be levelled at along with other stories of Season 24 (as well as stories from other media set in that chronological period), but they're overshadowed by the fact that it's just so easy to watch! Bonnie Langford's Mel is particularly agreeable here, and the now-hailed introduction of Sophie Aldred's Ace proves to me that she was the right part for the job. Ace immediately makes an impression on you, in a way no companion since perhaps Mary Tamm's Romana I back in Season 16 ever did. She's relatable, resourceful... maybe a bit too "middle-upper class people write for working-class kid", true, but that sorts itself out in the coming serials. She's delightful, the Doctor and Mel are delightful, and our lovable bastard Sabalom Glitz is there to make any scene hilarious. 

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  Fancy a light-hearted adventure into the heart of a planet of ice, an expedition for lost treasure that turns into pantomime every second it gets? Look no further than Dragonfire. The greatest compliment that I can give it is that it would fit remarkably well with the Key to Time season, with familiar adventure beats and rapid-fire comedy from the actors. It's nothing completely remarkable, sure, but it's one of those serials I would pick up just for some good ol' Doctor Who light entertainment. Also, what is it about futuristic space colonies having contemporary capitalist trappings like warehouses, hotels and plazas that I enjoy so much? Perhaps comedy is at its best when it sends up something you loathe remorselessly...