Uh, guys…remind me what we are looking at
The Doctor (Peter Davison) has vowed to return Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) to Heathrow but finds he’s missed the time landing the TARDIS in the Middle Ages. When the Doctor discovers an alien presence is in the area, he, Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), Adric (Matthew Waterhouse), and Tegan find themselves teamed with Richard Mace (Michael Robbins) to see what an android and an alien species known as the Terileptil are plotting in the past.
Doctor Who: The Visitation fell during the nineteenth season of Doctor Who. It aired in four parts from February 15, 1983 to February 23, 1983. It followed Doctor Who: Kinda and was collected as part of The Peter Davison Years as Story #120 (or Story #119 depending how you count the unfinished Doctor Who: Shada).
Why do I have to be a lame android?
I’m not a fan of this period of Doctor Who. Peter Davison just isn’t my favorite Doctor in his yuppie sweater look and his companions Nyssa, Adric, and Tegan aren’t very good companions. The series just feels too goofy at this point and Davidson doesn’t seem have the love of the character like some of the other actors who have played it.
I had a bit of hope for this series in that it reminded me of a Doctor Who version of The Seventh Seal. The Grim Reaper, the black plague, and aliens…it sounds like a recipe for fun, but this storyline really dragged. The basic idea of the story that the Terileptil were on Earth to wipe out Earthlings was fun and the real resolution of the story which had all evidence of aliens was covered up by the Great Fire of London in 1666 (and the story took place on Pudding Lane was smart. Unfortunately there was a lot of in-between time that felt like dead weight. I did like the Richard Mace character and wouldn’t have minded of a return of his character sometime.
The Doctor didn’t learn anything from Clarice Starling…always check the corners!
The costumes and look of the show is a bit better than most. I kind of like the design on Terileptil so it was surprising that they never showed up again…Yeah they were just guys with masks but they worked well. The android however was lacking.
Doctor Who: The Visitation is pretty typical of this period of Doctor Who. It just doesn’t quite meet the level that I wish it could have met since the story had a lot of potential. One big effect of the story was the Terileptil destroy the Doctor’s failsafe the sonic screwdriver and it doesn’t return until the TV movie in 1996 (producers thought it was too gimmicky and too easy of a way to write the Doctor out of danger). Doctor Who: The Visitation was followed by Doctor Who: Black Orchid.
Preceded By:
Doctor Who: Kinda (Story #118)
Followed By:
