Logopolis

Never guess! Unless you have to. There's too much uncertanty in the universe as it is.

Logopolis is a strange story, probably one of the most unusual of all the regeneration stories. If you look over the history of regeneration stories, they fall into two categories: regular adventures where the Doctor simply receives some wound or affliction which forces regeneration or a story where his time in that regeneration simply runs out. The Sixth to Seventh Doctor is the exception to this, but that was driven by unusual circumstances. Logopolis falls under the first category but with a twist.

What sets Logopolis apart from the rest of the regeneration stories is how blatant the Fourth Doctor's demise is projected. Christopher Bidmead might be able to write a good story, but subtlety is clearly not his forte. In fact, all of Season 18 is a slow march to doom for the Fourth Doctor, but we're going to focus solely on Logopolis.

The story itself is a march against time. The Master, having just stolen the body of Tremas from The Keeper of Traken is setting a trap for the Doctor with the intention of using the mathematical calculations of the Logopolians as a means of controlling the universe. Instead, he sets off a chain reaction that threatens to destroy the universe. The Doctor and the Master team up to rebroadcast the Logopolian calculations and save the universe. They are successful but the Master threatens to destroy the preventative measures again unless the universe bows to his will once more. The Doctor thwarts his ability by disconnecting the power to the radio telescope but in the process, he is knocked off and fatally wounded. He then regenerates into the Fifth Doctor.

Where to begin with this one? This story feels odd in so many ways. It is steeped in melancholy, even down to the music and lighting. There is a greyness about the Fourth Doctor. Death, destruction, and inevitability saturate the story. This is in such contrast to most Doctor Who stories who keep a level of cheerfulness about them, even under dire circumstances.

There is also a feeling of wrongness in who the Doctor is with when he regenerates. Adric was the "old" companion, having arrived four stories earlier in Full Circle and staying after Romana and K-9 departed at the end of Warrior's Gate. Nyssa was introduced in the previous story but not taken on as a companion until she was picked up by "the Watcher" in episode two in this story. Tegan wandered into the TARDIS towards the end of episode one of this story. But the Fourth Doctor was well known for his deep relationships with his companions. Sarah Jane Smith, Leela, and Romana stayed with him for long stretches, cultivating deep friendships. But in the end, he is left without his friends and watched over by three people he barely knows. It has a bit of a wrong feel to it for a Doctor who we've travelled with for so long.

But perhaps all of that is the point. This episode bludgeons us over the head with the idea that change is impossible to stop and that the only way to move on is to accept the change. This would have been an important theme in learning to let go of the man who had been the Doctor longest to us anyway.

Now, all the melancholy aside, there is a lot to like about this story. All the characters treat the story with the appropriate seriousness, even if their acting ability doesn't necessarily rise to the same level (Nyssa). The sets are relatively decent, even if some of the 80's cheapness is starting to poke through. The use of location was very well done as a counterbalance, although that did poke further holes when viewing the sets of Logopolis itself. I also liked the idea that the unformed aspect of the Fifth Doctor helped guide things along to see that a safe conclusion was made, not only for the Doctor, but for his companions as well. It was an interesting idea and played well in one of the few understated aspects of the overall story.

I'm not fully sure of how to grade this story. I can see how it is both loved and hated by fans. I think I miss the true thrust of this story by not being as heavily invested with the Fourth Doctor as folks watching at this time would have been. But that also leaves me somewhat unperturbed by the callousness of his send off. The melancholy and some of the other flaws would put me off from delving in for another watch without a good reason, but I also appreciate the sense of what they were at least trying to do. I'm going to have to split the difference on this one.

Overall personal score: 2.5 out of 5