Kinda

In rewatching Season 19, "Kinda" represented the only story of the season I hadn't actually seen before. It's widely regarded as the first real classic of the Davison era by fans but it's an adventure that I had never watched before or even knew that much about outside of that it featured a snake demon called the Mara. So after making it through the disaster that was "Four to Doomsday", I honestly was not sure what to expect of this story going in. What I ended up getting however was an absolutely superb story, the biggest surprise of the season for me, and a new strong favorite for the Fifth Doctor.

With Nyssa not feeling well after the events of the previous story, the TARDIS lands on the jungle planet of Deva Loka to let her rest and recalibrate while the Doctor, Tegan, and Adric explore the surrounding jungle landscapes. But the trio ends up being pulled into several interconnected plots involving a group of colonists being terrorized by a megalomaniacal team member, a tribe of telepathic natives, and a dark demonic presence that has grabbed on to Tegan as a doorway into the real world. It's a darkly experimental story with some very subtle elements to it that make it stand out from your usual Doctor Who fare. The cinematography and shots used in rendering this world are very well done and the subconscious parts of the mind are some of the trippiest visuals ever seen in the show. The whole plot and premise also give off a very unsettling vibe to it that keeps you on edge the whole way through. This feeling extends not only to the main plot but also in the side elements involving the character of Hindle (played by Simon Rouse) who feels like a strange version of "Silence of the Lambs"'s Buffalo Bill. Every moment he's on screen really winds you up and you are never quite sure what exactly he's going to do or how he's going to react in regards to a given provocation especially when he's put in charge of the base. It's a great example of how to make a side threat work really well and not feel like filler in conjunction with the main plot and it's very well handled.

The main threat of the Mara is also a good one even if the special effects regarding it's external form are a little cheesy nowadays. The way in which it manifests inside your mind is unsettling, the external signs of possession are really creepy, and the lore surrounding it in how it channels darker impulses such as fear and greed are all interesting. It's a nice contrast especially to this specific Doctor's external goodness and white knight persona and the confrontation between the two at the end is fantastic giving Davison an actual "I Am The Doctor" moment. The cast is also much better here than the past two stories even if it still struggles in giving each character something to do. Nyssa is left out of the picture and isn't worth talking about here, Adric still continues to be an insufferable idiot even if his character is handled considerably better, and Tegan spends most of the episode unconscious or possessed though Janet Fielding is also much better here compared to 'Doomsday'. Really this is the Fifth Doctor's story through and through and this is easily one of Davison's best episodes thus far. It really feels like Five has officially arrived and the Doctor not only gets plenty to do but also a ton of strong interactions with various characters that continue to define him. One in particular in the form of the colonial scientist Todd was especially good and I could've easily seen her going with him at the end and becoming a future companion.

It's certainly not a perfect story as some of the colonial aspects are a little heavy-handed and the production values don't look much better now than they did when first broadcast. Most of the problems with previous stories are also still here albeit to a lesser degree particularly ones with a yellow costume and a gold star. But on the whole, "Kinda" is still a great little story and easily one of the best Fifth Doctor stories we have. It took chances, upped the quality level, and finally saw the Fifth Doctor truly arrive in style. Now if we could say the same for his companions in a balanced and likable way, I think we would be set. 

Sublime television, surprisingly modern in everything from direction to tone.

Despite being studio bound, set design is tastefully handled with stark contrasts and unique interpretations of satirical interplanetary colonialism. The political satire is utterly undetectable to all but those looking for it, as are the plentiful Buddhist homages and philosophical explorations. All of this is simply the icing on the cake, with Kinda functioning as a sublime Doctor Who serial for newcomer alike.

The aforementioned set design is not the only aspect of the production that feels far more financially endowed than we're used to. The guest cast is without exception, exceptional, and play straightly everything from madness to high sci-fi. There's snappy direction, that is flat out experimental art-house for scenes with Tegan, who's treated with a dignity sorely lacking in Four to Doomsday. Furthermore, there's a genuine sense following the resolution that plot elements had a dramatic psychological impact - dramatic weight and payoff quite rare for Doctor Who after a good few years of harmless science fantasy fluff.

All in all a superbly produced inventive script, making the most of Doctor Who's format to really engage viewers of all ages and interests.

Kinda was a very fun and enjoyable story, despite things that would seem to make it not work. The Doctor is essentially held in check for the first 2 1/2 episodes. Nyssa is absent, Tegan's only role in the story is to dream and be possessed. Adric has a fairly strong story. He does try some trickery to help the Doctor and he makes a few contributions to the plot (though his biggest in Part Four is mostly unintentional.) He and Tegan share a scene in Part Four where they confirm how useless they are to the overall plot and Adric has his only annoying moment of the serial.

So why does this work? Kinda is so enjoyable because it takes a well-worn concept of "primitive people" v. "outsiders" that Doctor Who has done to death and makes it very fresh. Christopher Bailey does a great job world building and mixing in powerful imagery into the story. The cast of characters inside the exploratory dome are fantastic and the madness of the security chief beginning with the cliffhanger in Part One. Other than the few shots in Parts Three and Four that assure us that yes, Tegan is still sleeping on the ground, this story never ceases to entertain. The Doctor does come on strong and sell the solution to the problem of the Mara quite nicely. A surprisingly entertaining story.