Survival

This story is...weird. Aside from the plot, which involves teleporting cheetah people and is plenty weird on its own, te whole production has a tense, constricted feeling to it, like something out of a Bergman film. I can't quite say it's bad...but it's not quite good either. It does undoubtedly feature one of Anthony Ainley's best performances. And the final monologue is wonderful. But the scene before that is...well...a bit silly.

I've always maintained that the Seventh Doctor is a better character on paper than he was on TV. There are some undoubtedly great McCoy stories out there, but what should be the big moment here doesn't really land. On the other hand, Sophie Aldred is great as always in what really shouldn't have been our last story with Ace. Her character development is one of the best parts of these final seasons of Classic Who and she does a great job portraying Ace's conflicting feelings.

This is a story every Whovian needs to watch eventually. It's off-putting and hard to grasp, but it's nice that the show tried something this different, and it ends with a sense of promise for future adventures that did (eventually!) come.

Shifty kitties and a seductive calling to go wild for ace.
This finale classic episode is actually rather a satasfying last story, it’s good because it’s just more doctor who. Nothing about it felt like this is the end.

The doctor does battle a iconic foe “the master” but also a rather out of control master who’s gone a bit catty.
The doctors last speech is fussy but still leaves an optimism that this is no ending.

We waiting long but sure enough the show kicked up again.

Hurrah

This episode marked the end of the classic series and the final appearance of Anthony Ainley (and his first since Season 23.)

There are things to rip the story about. The Cheetah People are problematic. The design has problems. The name shows a lack of imagination. The best Doctor Who stories give aliens that look like animals on Earth some other name. Here we just give up and go with Cheetah People. The finale of the story has some logic problems.

On the other hand, I have to admit that I like the opening of the story. It's got a very New Who style of it of setting our expectation for something scary and delivering it. I do like how the theme of "Survival of the Fittest" is interwoven into the story with little moments like the Doctor's search for Cat Food, which fits McCoy's comedic style.

This is one of Anthony Ainley's best performances as the Master. He doesn't go Over the Top (comparatively.) and it's an interesting position for the Master to be in.

Sophie Allred is good in this as she plays the material perfectly and gives it a lot of weight, and her interactions with Karra are actually interesting.

The closing monologue was obviously tacked off is lovely and let fans know the Doctor's adventures would continue. Overall, not a superb classic, but a good and enjoyable story, which pretty much sums up Season 26.

I was turned off by the whole Cheetah people concept. The only thing I liked about them was their costumes.

This story would have been more mysterious and intriguing if it just involved the Master minus the Cheetah people. It really didn't even need the Master. The story of her friends disappearing was somewhat interesting, but being abducted by Cheetah people on horseback? Please. It was rather distracting.

The story should have focused more on Ace's past in Perivale. Then have the Doctor manipulate the whole situation in his usual genius way to help her deal with her troubled past. It seemed like a poorly written and confusing story.

I'm sad this is the last episode the 7th Doctor and Ace ended on. It didn't give any closure to their run as a team. It felt like it needed to continue to further explain Ace's back story and it would have been fun to see Ace and the 7th Doctor in a few more adventures. I didn't like Survival, but the other shows for season 26 were really good.

I ended up giving it a 7, because I like Ace's backstory in season 26.