6.4 - Dethras

Dethras is weird. It's a story about the Doctor and Romana materializing on a submarine in space where the titular Dethras is a mystery. The single word refers to something that becomes the end of Part One cliffhanger. It's the first episode of the sixth series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures which has actually felt like an episode from Season 18, yet this tonal shift is almost entirely jarring as there's also an undercurrent of humor throughout the piece, there's a chimpanzee called Franklin who has evolved to include the power of speech, yet terrifying creatures outside the sub. The mystery angle of 'Dethras' doesn't actually work very well and honestly the story's pace limps along until it finds itself in a conclusion. The concepts are nice, even if they end up leading down the realms of science fantasy over science fiction, Tom Baker and Lalla Ward are excellent as always, and the direction is nice, but as a story it just comes up average.

The Doctor and Romana land on a World War II submarine in the middle of space where some members of the crew read the Doctor's thoughts while a chimpanzee begins to learn to talk. Of all the current series of Fourth Doctor Adventures, this story sounds the most like it belongs in Season 18 with his high concept sci fi idea that's at the core of the story. It's hindered a bit by the villain who is met to be complex, but comes across as a bit indecisive. Still, a solid story overall.

An okay story. Nothing terribly special, but a nice complete story. Ward is still older sounding, but it worked here, and she got to give a good performance. I liked the arc of Dethras throughout the story, and I felt that it was handled really well overall. Not a particularly strong story, but certainly a perfectly enjoyable little story. Baker did okay, Ward was great, and the rest of the guest cast was interesting, if not really standout.