Sad to say that Season Nineteen was not a high point in Dr Who, nor a great debut for the new Doctor, Peter Davison; if the spiteful tabloids were calling him 'the wet vet' (and the spleen of the talentless never tastes good), a good deal of the blame must lie with the programme makers, rather than with the star.
And it's for this reason that in 1982, the reception of Kinda was of derisive incomprehension 'What was it about?', wailed a legion of spotty youths, 'We don't like the snake!'. Such is the peril of making one part of a TV series incongruously good.
There's the trouble; it's a clever, highly literate, script, well acted, and the fine designs are well-executed. If the Mara at the end is visibly a giant puppet snake, the Dark Places of the Inside, shown in Tegan's dream, are a Becketish world where such a thing would be well at home. By the halfway point of Episode Two, a significant portion of the cast are running mad, and with reason.
It's true that not every plot point is explained - why does Hindle insist on making a model city? How does the blatantly empty Box of Jana work? And who are the old couple playing Chess? - but this doesn't really matter, we can always work it out for ourselves.
(Fans of The Bill may spot three of Sun Hills Finest pounding the Deva Loca beat)
And it's for this reason that in 1982, the reception of Kinda was of derisive incomprehension 'What was it about?', wailed a legion of spotty youths, 'We don't like the snake!'. Such is the peril of making one part of a TV series incongruously good.
There's the trouble; it's a clever, highly literate, script, well acted, and the fine designs are well-executed. If the Mara at the end is visibly a giant puppet snake, the Dark Places of the Inside, shown in Tegan's dream, are a Becketish world where such a thing would be well at home. By the halfway point of Episode Two, a significant portion of the cast are running mad, and with reason.
It's true that not every plot point is explained - why does Hindle insist on making a model city? How does the blatantly empty Box of Jana work? And who are the old couple playing Chess? - but this doesn't really matter, we can always work it out for ourselves.
(Fans of The Bill may spot three of Sun Hills Finest pounding the Deva Loca beat)