Look, I'll be honest - I have had a very long evening, I'm tired, and I want to go to bed. Long story, blah blah, the end result is everything is fine. But I can't go to bed without making my daily post, so let's talk about the first half of the last Fifth Doctor story.

The Caves of Androzani - Parts 1 & 2

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

For the first time since Horror of Fang Rock seven years earlier, the Doctor has a story with a single companion and without any non-human companion. Unfortunately, that companion is Peri -- whose primary functions are to look pretty, ask stupid questions, and scream. It's not that there hasn't been Dad Candy in the past to maintain parental interest while the kids are watching, but in the past that has been counterbalanced with at least one other Competent Companion on hand to pick up the slack.

Fortunately for Peri, the story is so strong that it more than makes up for that weakness.

As the title would suggest, the story is set inside a series of caves (actually volcanic blow holes) on the planet of Androzani Minor. There is a military backed group mining for some magical elixir of life, there is a group of insurgents whittling away at the military, there is a group of gun runners making a profit off the top of the conflict, there is a reptilian cave monster indiscriminately eating any human that crosses its path, and back on Androzani Major there is a ruthless business man and an unscrupulous politician, both manipulating events in order to control access to the magic drug. The insurgents are led by a dude in a gimp suit and Mardi Gras mask who might as well be the Phantom of the Opera, especially when he starts mooning over Peri. Caught in the crossfire of all of these forces are the Doctor and Peri.

So, you know, lots of stuff going on. Best of all, it is written by Robert Holmes and feels very much like something straight out of the Holmes/Hinchcliffe era of the previous decade. Needless to say, the Fifth Doctor is going out on a high note.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow's conclusion. By extension, I am really dreading the next day with The Twin freakin' Dilemma.

STATS:

Doctor(s): Fifth
Companion(s): Peri
Episode(s): The Caves of Androzani - Parts 1 & 2
Steps Walked: 7,666 today, 2,195,686 total
Distance Walked: 4.40 miles today, 1,128.00 miles total
Weight: 245.08 lbs (five day moving average), net change -62.02 lbs