The Time Warrior [TV/1973.12.15 ~ 1974.1.5]

★★★★☆

  One of life's greatest joys (trust me, I'm keeping count) is being able to watch an actor so in their element that they shine in every shot, every frame, every second. This is true in the case of Jon Pertwee's performance in The Time Warrior; it is so obvious that he'd been wanting nothing else than to jump into history and have a blast interacting with the locals while stopping an alien invasion (given that his adventures up to that point were focused on either contemporary Earthbound thrillers or space operas). When Pertwee has an entire chase sequence with a multitude of guards, casually throws stink bombs at Irongron's soldiers down below and dresses up as an automated suit of armour before enjoying a spar with Irongron himself, you can practically hear Pertwee's inner self squealing with joy. It's such a great thing to see him genuinely enjoy himself in his final season.

  Newcomer Elisabeth Sladen has an immediate rapport with Pertwee's Doctor, perhaps in a more businesslike and cautious way Jo had with him, but it's only to be expected. For half the runtime, she's convinced that the Doctor is willingly in league with Irongron, and it's certainly an interesting spin on a companion introduction story. Sarah Jane Smith is a proud feminist reporter, and Sladen unapologetically plays this to the hilt; good on her, as she makes an immediate positive impression on the viewers. When you see her start out utterly confused and terrified, then slowly take all this time travel/pseudohistorical malarkey in her stride as she has her fair share of mischief and mayhem, you start to understand how she was able to capture a generation of Dr. Who fans. 

  As for the introduction of the Sontarans? With such a great character as Commander Linx representing the potatoheads, it's no wonder that they became one of Who's most enduring monsters. From the extremely militant culture on display to subtle visual details such as the probic vent in the back, there's a distinct sense that Robert Holmes had a blast coming up with the alien race and the story as a whole. With all these elements in place, The Time Warrior ends up being one hell of an entertaining serial. You could turn this on at any time of the day and be more than satisfied with the humour, thrill and historical fun. There really couldn't have been a stronger start for Season 11.