I've kept reading other people' reviews of this story, and they abound with phrases like 'unimaginative', 'poorly directed', 'flat' and 'traditional'. I'm sorry? Are we all watching the same show? It may not be sublime (like season 18, Castrovalva, Kinda and Snakedance), but it's some of the best solid TV adventure I've seen - it's right up there alongside 'Talons', 'Pyramids' and 'Genesis' for me.
All right, the plot is a bit non-existent, being ambush/escape/recapture/escape/final confrontation (by Eric Saward's standards though, it's worthy of the nobel prize for literature - he got the script-editor's job purely on the basis of this?), but the freshness of the production still shines through. The location looks wonderful, as, for once, do most of the interiors, the music is absolutely inspired with those lovely rising beats (you know what I mean) from 'Full Circle' again (Paddy Kingsland - we're not worthy - well, not until the silly Mawdryn Undead score, anyway), the dialogue is wonderful - why don't all aliens talk like this? ('it's not supposed to be an argument, it's a statement!'). And of course, with the exception of one M. Waterhouse (who is quite unwatchable) the acting is first rate. Richard Mace is a lovely character and I thought the grouping of him, the Doctor and Nyssa would have made a wonderful crew - Robbins, after several years penance in British comedy, enjoys every second he is on screen.
Davison has settled in and is giving it his all - until 'Time Flight' when you can see the doubts creeping into his head, his first season performances were the best in the series (only 'Frontios' and 'Caves' come close). He is full of energy, and so unpredictable - calm and authoritative when he meets the Terileptil, then indignant and angry the next - he keeps losing his temper and having to restrain himself because he knows he sounds petulant - watch it - you'll see what I mean. And then there are my three favourite scenes where the rapport with Sarah Sutton, that Big Finish have proved is still there in spades, starts to shine through. The first, when they're exploring the house together - the wonderful 'You're beginning to sound like Tegan' 'I'm beginning to understand how she feels!' The second is when they're arguing about the use of the sonic booster - the Doctor's 'I'm well aware of that, now, if you've quite finished lecturing me...' and Sutton's sigh of exasperation. And the third, when she's going back to the TARDIS - 'I'll be back as soon as I can' ' Even sooner if at all possible...' (and that smile on her face - sorry, I'm going to have to sit down...).
And Nyssa also delivers a wonderful put-down - first she asks 'what about Tegan?' in the cellar, then 'Is Tegan dead?' when the Doctor returns - only on the third instance, does she remember that there's someone else... Did I mention 'I meant empathise, not be silly.'? What about 'I am a highwayman' 'This isn't a highway'? The Doctor's face when asked 'how do you know all this?'. Nyssa's confrontation with the android? The fact that she's moved on from 'Principa Mathematica' to 'Woman's Journal' by this story (I remeber being a bit surpised by that - my mum read it!)? The filming in the London scenes? And of course, that end scene, which again pales because of repeated viewing, but made my whole family go 'oh, very good!' at the end when it was first shown. Perhaps that's the point, as a story it doesn't particularly improve on repeated viewing (but it doesn't pall as quickly as Earthshock, either). It's a just an extremely satisfying bit of intelligent family TV, with some excellent performances. But for years afterwards as I found myself watching dross like 'Twin Dilemma' 'Mark of the Rani' and 'Timelash', I would think back to stories like 'Visitation' and ponder - if it was that straight-forward a story, how come they can't make as good a story as that again? Because, as with the whole of season 18 and the first 5 stories of 19, the seredipiditous combination of taut, focused script-editing, good production standards, some splendid acting (with one dishonourable exception), wonderful music and not much worry about 'pleasing the fans' produced, for me, the best TV show I've seen. Sic transit gloria mundi...
