Planet of Fire [TV/1984.2.23 ~ 3.2]

★★★☆☆

  The second episode almost in its entirety and bits and pieces of the third and fourth threaten to make this into an utter disaster, but thankfully Planet of Fire rises from the ashes (pun intended) as a really good serial with plenty to chew on. Mark Strickson, a fantastic actor that always gave his A-game during his tenure in Dr. Who, finally gets material that fleshes out his character -- and he visibly jumps at the chance. Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor continues down this journey of shedding his fresh-faced facade away, revealing a much more hardened, no-nonsense character within. He's not particularly the warmest with Turlough here, even when the latter is clearly going through some internal hardships, and it certainly makes for an interesting viewing experience. Speaking of actors, Nicola Bryant brings in a gust of fresh air as Peri, a companion who's a bit different from the others because she's not a rigid panto character for once, but an American college student with plans of her own (only thwarted because she nearly drowns). Basically, what I'm saying is that Planet of Fire's strongest aspect is its characters and how they obunce off one another. Peri and the Doctor seem to hit things off pretty well, Turlough's final moments (accepting what he thinks is his fate as a Trion political prisoner) ring true to his character, and Kamelion ges as dignified a departure as he could ever have gotten. The Master, well, he's a bit of a joke here... but it's all right, we always need a bit of a laugh in the middle of heavy drama. I think Planet of Fire is a fine serial, one to watch whenever you're in the mood for beautiful location shoots and heady fictional political/religious disputes, miniature Masters and a fine Mark Strickson performance. The implied horrific past of Peri is genuinely shocking in a way that the classic series rarely does for me, but I appreciate its inclusion (and its ambiguity). I love the score for this, and it brings together a serial with unique atmosphere and pace.