The Ribos Operation [TV/1978.9.2 ~ 9.23]

★★★★☆

  A very strong start to one of my all-time favourite seasons of Dr. Who -- it really doesn't get much better than this. The Ribos Operation is rather left in the ditch during frequent conversations about the best scripts from the classic series, and I rather think that's criminal. This is one of Robert Holmes' most fleshed-out scripts, and one of its most complex; he's always been good at crafting new worlds explored only tantalisingly minimally onscreen (and I mean this in a good way -- offhand comments about entire galaxy-shifting events lend the most outrageous stories a layer of reality), but the planet Ribos may just be one of the most memorable from the famed writer's imagination. There's a fascinating subplot about the civilisation's refusal to accept astrology in favour of superstition, and a lovely Galileo Galilei stand-in is there to save the day. Many would call it deritavtive, but I call it essential to the serial in the sense that it would lose so much of its charm without all this extra substance. The bare bones of the narrative (which are incredibly entertaining here anyway) are surrounded by so many juicy fat layers of this world, and of other cultures -- the kingdom Graff Vynda-K is from! the Earth of the future Garron's from! -- that one cannot help but be totally absorbed into this story, this world. 

  Speaking of, it helps that the narrative itself is incredibly entertaining! There's a giant looming arc of finding the six segments of the Key to Time, of course, but then there's a fun heist scheme by two conmen (Garron and Unstoffe, two of Holmes' most entertaining double acts) and a disgraced tyrant's plan to finance his revenge. So many factors come into play, bounce off one another and create some truly golden moments. Every single actor is practically made for Holmes' witty dialogue, and Tom Baker in particular is on top form. By this point (either due to his own iron grip on the show or to Graham Williams' vision of the Fourth Doctor) he's practically portraying himself onscreen, and I don't care what anyone else thinks -- he's glorious. He chews every scene with glee, spouting nonsense while pulling off the cleverest moves known to television and proving he's more than capable of outsmarting a power-mad prince and a duo of shrewd cons. His banters between Garron, Graff and (most importantly) new companion Romana make the serial what it is -- entertainment of the highest order. Mary Tamm's Romana is a particular favourite of mine, and her introductory serial shows just how delightfully naive and nonetheless clever she is.

  With so many quotable lines, effortlessly capturing performances and a delightful pace, The Ribos Operation demands attention from the word go. You have a fleshed-out world and solar system, a culture so rich, a clever heist tale with plenty of twists, a set of entertaining leads and a cosmic season-long story arc holding everything together -- there is a new breath of confidence in the Graham Williams era after the slight fizzle during Season 15 (particularly egregious in The Invasion of Time), and this serial marks the start of a wildly imaginative season. If you like your Dr. Who adventures witty, sweet and funny, this serial is just the one for you.