REVIEW: Doctor Who, Season 19 Serial Seven 'Time-Flight'

 REVIEW: Doctor Who, Season 19 Serial Seven 'Time-Flight'

Originally published in 2020, here are my thoughts on Season 19's final serial 'Time-Flight'.

There are certain antagonists within Doctor Who's history that seem to return on a frequent basis. The Daleks have had many encounters with the Doctor's various incarnations, the Cybermen have popped up regularly on the Time Lord's travels and even the Sontarans have had their fair share of encounters with the madman in charge of everybody's favourite blue box. One of these such antagonists is the Master, a character first introduced on the 2nd January 1971 with the actor Roger Delgado playing the role. Fast forward to 1982, and the Master (now played by Anthony Ainley) is as present as ever, appearing three times across two seasons.

Having said that, 'Time-Flight' is far from one of the character's finest outings. This serial is not only one of the weakest narratives to feature the Master, but it is also arguably the weakest story of Season 19 by a large margin. There is some great continuity and character development with the TARDIS crew trying to deal with the loss of Adric (Matthew Waterhouse), but there is still a great deal more that could have been explored with their shared grief for their deceased friend. At one point Peter Davison's Doctor tells his companions Tegan (Janet Fielding) and Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) that Adric 'wouldn't want us to mourn unnecessarily', which feels tonally jarring with the dramatic impact of the previous serial's ending. It's the equivalent of your beloved Grandma or Granddad passing away, only for your mother to tap you on the shoulder and tell you not to be upset. Of course you're going to be sad, because somebody important to you just died.

Having said that, the decision to have Adric appear in the story as a hologram is a good one. It ties into themes of denial and the inability to accept that a loved one has gone; that idea that they could still somehow be out there somewhere, if only you could find them and bring them home to the land of the living. It's a feeling that all of us who have lost somebody at some point in our lives can sympathise with, and it makes the Master seem all the more cruel for toying with their emotions like that by trying to deceive them in this way. There are some great fan references to past adventures here too, with the Melkur from 'The Keeper of Traken' and the Tereptil from 'The Visitation' also appearing as apparitions. Sometimes these kind of call-backs can feel forced for the sake of making fans squee with delight, but here it feels natural, and fits well within the context of the narrative.

For the most part though the story feels like it was written around Concorde, rather than Concorde supplementing the story. At times it's almost like watching a glorified advert for the iconic aeroplanes, which just so happens to feature the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa. There's a copious amount of time in the first part spent onboard one of the planes, with the Doctor taking the TARDIS onboard and marvelling at the cockpit inside of the vessel. It doesn't even make a great deal of sense for a Concorde plane to be their method of travel that transports them a hundred and forty million years to the past, given that the plane lands on rocky terrain. As Peter Davison notes in the Behind The Sofa special feature on the Season 19 box set, it's simply inconceivable that any aeroplane would be able to land on such hard and uneven ground as it would cause substantial damage to the vessel in the process. There's a considerable amount of potential in the concept of an aircraft accidentally being transported to the prehistoric era, with the crew and passengers effectively being in a period before mankind itself, but the story never really plays with it. Where are the dinosaurs? And why couldn't the plane have landed on some grass? 

This is a screenplay that could have heavily benefitted from a few more drafts. There are a few odd moments that probably wouldn’t have made it to the final shooting script, had more time been devoted to the writing process. For instance, the Master’s disguise as Kalid doesn't serve any kind of narrative purpose, as he has no reason to obscure his appearance. The passengers and crew of the Concorde planes have no idea who he is, having never met him before this point, and it's unreasonable to suggest that the Master would have had any knowledge that the Doctor would happen to show up. He's not a mystic, after all. So who is he trying to hide his appearance from? He could have freely wandered around looking like himself, and nobody would have had any cause for concern or a reason to distrust him. The Master using hypnotising the crew and passengers and using them as slaves is again a great idea, and perfectly in-keeping for the character, given how it has been shown on a frequent basis to be an ability that the rogue Time Lord is capable of, but the script could have made more of the concept for sure. What if the Doctor was hypnotised by his greatest enemy, for instance? Humanity would be well and truly scuppered then.

Then there's the Doctor just straight up abandoning Tegan at Heathrow, right at the end of the serial. Whilst you can argue that the Doctor believed that Tegan wanted to return home, and that he therefore assumed she wouldn't be coming with him, he never at any stage actually discusses with his companion whether she still wants to return to her old life. He doesn't even have the courtesy to say goodbye to her, or wish her well. Peter Davison is a great Doctor and gives a considerable amount of charm and likability in his performance, but the writing lets him down significantly here, making it appear as though he cares little for Tegan and is unfazed by the prospect of not having her around. As Tegan rushes out and sees the TARDIS dematerialise, you can't help but feel sorry for the poor woman, as the Doctor has treated her appallingly. 

One of the highlights of this serial however are the scenes with Tegan and Nyssa. Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton have so much natural chemistry; they gel together naturally, and lift up a serial that is otherwise among the classic series' weaker entries. It's a friendship that feels raw and genuine; you can tell that these are two actors who clearly get along well behind the scenes, as you cannot fake this kind of rapport, and the pair work well alongside Peter Davison's more toned back approach to the Doctor in comparison to his predecessor Tom Baker. 

You can tell also that Anthony Ainley is having such a great time fulfilling his part in the serial; he's an actor who clearly relishes playing the Master. Anthony Ainley brings a camper and more exaggerated approach to the role in comparison to the more suave tendencies of Roger Delgado, or the creepy and grotesque undertones of Geoffrey Beevers and Peter Pratt. It's infectious to watch, and brings some much needed life to a screenplay that needed further fine-tuning. He's an actor that makes any story, no matter how weak or strong, an utter joy to watch, as you really buy into the enthusiasm behind his performance on display.

Overall, Time-Flight is one of Doctor Who's weaker stories, displaying a narrative that appears more interested in promoting Concorde than providing an engaging piece of storytelling. Despite this there are still hints of a great story waiting to emerge, and with a few rewrites this could have been a narrative with greater potential. They just don’t fully realise this potential, and it ultimately allows for a disappointing viewing experience on the whole. There are some great performances to be had from the main cast however, and it's worth watching alone for a performance that Anthony Ainley continues to commit to, as the current incarnation of the Master at the time. Just don't go expecting 'The Caves of Androzani'.

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What are your thoughts on Time-Flight? Let me know in the comments section.