Doctor Who (TV Series) Logopolis: Part One (1981) User Reviews

a little confusing here, which is part of the fun, in this farewell to Baker

[Quinoa1984 · 8/10 · 7 September 2008]

Not entirely sure why Tom Baker left Doctor Who and another one regenerated right in his place? A documentary on the new DVD for the episode Logopolis explains it pretty clearly, but you might just as well stick with just watching the episode. In the interest of full disclosure I should note that my opinion on the episode is based on not having watched the series chronologically, even as I understand some of the basic stuff surrounding the huge stakes in an actor's final turn as the Doctor from watching David Tennant's most recent season finale of the more recent show (as I also knock on wood that he'll return). But just as a stand-alone episode a lot of it is kind of mind-boggling.

To be fair, this is what makes the show more often than not a humdinger, a puzzle of elaborate rouses and little mysteries that lead to others and occasionally come back around as either/or riddles or enigmas. In the case of episode Logopolis, a time-lord is placing a kind of loop on the Tardis itself: is it in the read world or is another Tardis inside the Tardis with Doctor and the boy? Who is the guy in the white get-up and make-up save for possibly a bad mime crossed with the rabbit from Donnie Darko? Why does everyone on Logopolis used abacuses? There are plenty of head-scratching turns in the episode, and maybe even more than usual. I wouldn't want to tear my head away for a second, as exposition sometimes piled on some more, but it's hard not to have a little fun watching the ladies trying to change their tire whilst Baker and the boy try and figure what the hell is going on.

As for it being a good swan song for Baker (in his original run that is, he came back once or twice for other special installments like with one featuring all the Doctor Whos), it's... good. It's not exactly a masterpiece of a final-bow, as we see our gallant and joyfully but oddly subtle camp-faced actor dangling and falling to his doom and suddenly a revelation comes that is kind of 'meh'. But there's lots of good suspense overall in the episode revolving around entropy, mathematical comeuppances, and the usual 'taking-over-the-universe' deal which tends to happen in convoluted set-ups on the show.

Hell's teeth!

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 8 September 2020]

The Doctor decides against a return to Gallifrey, and instead takes Adric on a trip to Earth. Someone else has also travelled to Earth.

It's a fairly complicated story, and one I tend to steer clear of, mainly because I find the end of Tom's tenure very sad. I won't allow that to taint my view of Logopolis.

The major success of Logopolis lies is that feeling you get, it's the end of the road, it has an atmosphere of doomed inevitability. Sadly, it is the beginning of the end for Tom. The scene where he steps out of The TARDIS and sees the Watcher, poignant and very sad.

The music works incredibly well, it's so sombre, the cloister bell also has an impact.

It's quite complex to begin with, I absolutely love that theme of a TARDIS within a TARDIS. We also have the mystery of that ghostly being watching on, who or what is The Watcher?

Tegan arrives, a character I grew to love, one that got better with time. Adric...... not a favourite of mine, and I think you can plainly see what Tom thinks of him, there is a clear irritation.

It's the end for Tom, the end of my Doctor, can I say this is bad? nope, it's brilliant, 9/10.

The Tardis as a Russian Doll...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 19 July 2022]

A sense of déjà vu, gradually conveys, as a Tardis, in a Tardis, in the Tardis, repeats, replays, while a sinister old foe, minimises a combo, and we get the chance to meet Tegan, and say, Hello Hello.

The Sombre Final Adventure for the 4th Doctor

[DarkStar84 · 10/10 · 26 May 2006]

This is story is pervaded by feelings of dread and decay. It's very well written, yet unavoidably sullen. The Fourth Doctor is not long for this world, and the presence of a shadowy phantom confirms this.

The Doctor quickly finds himself coming to terms with feelings loss and even death. For the audience, this almost seems like a countdown to the unavoidable end of of a character that a generation had grown up watching (1974-1981).

The Newly regenerated Master lures the Doctor into a trap that will ultimately put the entire universe in danger and force the Doctor to make the ultimate sacrifice to stop him.

So many things ended with this story- season 18, the Tom Baker era, and- some might say- classic Doctor Who. For better or worse, things would NEVER be the same after this.

End of an Era

[JamesHitchcock · 11 August 2016]

"Logopolis" marked the end of an era. It was the last appearance of Tom Baker, the longest serving Doctor in the history of "Doctor Who", and also the first of his successor Peter Davison who appears in the final regeneration scene. It also marked the arrival of two new companions aboard the TARDIS, Janet Fielding as the Australian airline stewardess Tegan Jovanka and Sarah Sutton as the Trakenian princess Nyssa. (Is that the correct adjective? Or should it be "Trakenish" or "Trakenese"?) Nyssa had, of course, appeared in the previous serial "The Keeper of Traken", but when that serial was written the decision had not yet been taken to introduce her as an official companion. According to one story, Tegan owed her unusual surname to a mistake by the scriptwriter. For some reason the producers had considered making Doctor's new companion a Yugoslav, and a plot outline sent to the scriptwriter contained a reference to "Tegan/ Jovanka"; he then misinterpreted "Jovanka"- actually a Serbian Christian name equivalent to the English "Jane"- as a surname.

The Doctor decides to mend the broken chameleon circuit of his TARDIS and for this purpose needs to return to Earth to obtain the exterior measurements of a genuine police box. (There were still a few left in the Britain of the early eighties). Exactly why he needs to do this is never made clear- I had always understood that the "chameleon circuit" had been broken ever since the very first series, meaning that the TARDIS had been stuck in the form of a police box ever since- an effective disguise in sixties London, but less so on alien worlds where police boxes are not an everyday sight. For some reason the necessary repairs cannot be carried out on Gallifrey (the place where the TARDIS was actually made), so having obtained the necessary figures the Doctor heads for another planet, Logopolis.

Actually, Logopolis (from the Greek for "city of the word") is perhaps not the most appropriate name for the planet. A better name might by Arithmopolis ("city of the number") as the inhabitants are noted for their skill in mathematics and their ability to perform the most abstruse calculations without the aid of a computer. Unfortunately, the Doctor's old enemy the Master has followed him to the planet. The Master is determined to discover the secrets of Logopolitan science in order to use them for his own nefarious purposes. This, however, proves to be a bad idea- bad even by the Master's low standards. Logopolis turns out to be something more than just a TARDIS repair shop. We learn that it is Logopolitan mathematics which keeps the universe in existence, so interfering with the work of the planet is a very bad idea indeed. The Doctor and the Master are forced to join forces to try and save the situation.

The storyline may be far-fetched, even by sci-fi standards, but then "Doctor Who" has never been about social realism, and I have always had a soft spot for this story. I like the idea of the Doctor and the Master being forced to work together to remedy the trouble that the Master has inadvertently caused. It would appear that there are limits even to the Master's villainy and that the destruction of the entire universe lies beyond those limits. I also liked the reintroduction of a feminine element to the programme; although I never hated Adric in the way some fans of the series did, he was never really an adequate substitute for the glamorous young women who had served as the Doctor's companions throughout my teenage years in the seventies. Anthony Ainley as the Master reveals himself to be a worthy successor to the late Roger Delgado. (Whereas each new incarnation of the Doctor is always different, both in appearance and personality, to his predecessor, Ainley seems to have modelled his interpretation of the Master closely upon Delgado's). "Logopolis" makes a fitting end to Baker's seven-year reign.

End of an Era

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 10 June 2022]

Review of all 4 episodes:

This story had a huge impact on me when it was first broadcast as it was the first regeneration story I saw where my beloved Doctor changed. Tom Baker was the Doctor for an epic 7 seasons and became the difinitive Doctor. Him leaving is a huge moment and his final story is a major milestone. I remember being sad but also excited about the regeneration. Tom is still my favourite Doctor and on my many rewatches I am always moved by him saying farewell as the incumbent Doctor.

The story itself is quite a dense science fiction story involving complex mathematical ideas and quite weird concepts of the universe being threatened by 'entropy'.

The Doctor is trying to fix his TARDIS chameleon circuit with help from the mathematicians of Logopolis. The Master hijacks this plan materialising his TARDIS in the same spot as the Doctor causing a 'recursion loop' and then travels to Logopolis himself in an effort to use the threat of entropy to gain power and control.

It is all quite involved with ambitiously big concepts. This is added to by the foreboding figure 'The Watcher' who is following the Doctor and the cloister bell ringing both of which give an atmosphere of impending doom.

I find this story fascinating and stimulating. It maintains my interest and makes me feel the tension and dread of the imminent regeneration. It is also entertaining and has a great battle of wits between Tom Baker's Doctor and Anthony Ainley's Master which is great to watch.

Tegan Jovanka, a brash Australian air stewardess played by Janet Fielding makes her debut as the new companion.

The regeneration scene itself is powerful for me still today as it evokes the feelings I had at the time. A clear memory from my youth and a very good scene.

Overall this is a suitably high quality finale for the great Tom Baker. The joy Tom has given us from his phenomenal performance and dazzling presence as the 4th Doctor is so special and I treasure his era, particularly his incredible first 3 seasons. He is a hero on and off screen.

My ratings: All 4 episodes - 9.5/10.

It Helps Greatly If You Only Saw This in 1981

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 21 January 2014]

Refers To All Four Episodes . Massive Spoilers

Trying to fix the Tardis chameleon circuit The Doctor decides to travel to the Planet Logopolis but is receives a warning from the Tardis cloister bell that mortal danger is imminent . It becomes clear what the danger is and The Doctor is shocked to learn an enemy he thought vanquished is stalking him

At the end of 1980 the departure of Tom Baker made headlines on the news . It was something reported on the BBC news and made every front page on the tabloid front . This was in keeping with the cultural impact Baker brought to the role . Playing the part for seven years meant that a large proportion of the audience had forgotten previous actors as The Doctor and Tom Baker was all they knew . It should also be remembered that even today the zenith of the classic show was the early Baker years where audience figures and critical acclaim along with complaints from concerned complaints from parents cemented the show in the publics mind . In short an end of era was about to happen and despite sharply falling viewing figures from the general public who were more interested in watching the action packed American import of BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY the hard core fans of DOCTOR WHO sat down to watch the apocalyptic end of the Tom Baker years in Logopolis . After episode 4 was broadcast everyone agreed it was a fitting tribute but more than 30 years later its reputation is sullied and just isn't all that good with hindsight

First of all the story is called Logopolis and the story doesn't actually arrive at the eponymous planet until almost half way through the running time . Instead we have padding introducing a new companion and a plot turn involving The Doctor finding out his nemesis The Master has escaped Traken and decides to flush The Master out literally . One can understand the exposition needed for introducing Tegan and for finding out that The Master is stalking The Doctor but it means that the exposition doesn't reward the fan on repeat viewings and the flushing out The Master story strand doesn't come cross as being sensible or convincing even on first viewing . The fact that it quickly becomes redundant makes it even worse

The story isn't helped by getting to Logoplis and that's due to the production values . Cut to a long shot of a model of the city of Logopolis which looks like a primary school competition to design a paper machie city that's on the wooden spoon then cut to a medium shot of a studio interior that is in keeping with the consistently poor design work . In fact the model shots are probably the worst aspect to the production which are constantly distracting in the climatic final episode . Plot wise the idea of a group of mathematicians on Logopolis controlling the Universe does seem nonsensical even in a show involving escapist fantasy . Dare I also point out that the story is revolved by merely having The Doctor literally save the Universe by having him unscrew a cable on Earth ?

What stopped this from being an anti-climax if not an outright debacle at the time was the context it was set in . The Master was a fondly remembered foil for The Doctor and here Anthony Ainley is made up very similar to Roger Delgado who also plays the role in the manner Delgado played him . His scenes with The Doctor in The Pharos Project in episode 4 resemble those seen in The Terror Of The Autons and certainly got the fanboys buzzing in 1981 . We also get a series of flashbacks which is a celebration of the show and of Baker's time in the role and nostalgia is part of being a fan of the programme and this story celebrates the programme . The unfortunate thing is that it exists merely as a celebration of DOCTOR WHO and is a very weak story in its own right and even fans will recognise the flaws inherent in it after its broadcast which wasn't the case in Spring 1981

Right Off A CLIFF

[profh-1 · 5/10 · 21 October 2015]

In my latest DOCTOR WHO marathon-- this time, watching the individual episodes for the 1st time since the 80s (I have "Inferno" up to "Terminus" that way). I just reached the point where I was painfully reminded that the writing FELL RIGHT OFF A CLIFF.

Yep... "LOGOPOLIS".

I swear... Christopher Bidmead is like the exact opposite of Eric Saward. He's a MUCH better story editor than he ever was a writer. Plus, this was his first of ONLY 3 scripts he ever did on his own. And it was a rush job. What you get is a mixture of fascinating ideas... and REALLY terrible characterization and dialogue. Tom Baker, Mathew Waterhouse, Sarah Sutton, Anthony Ainley... all were wonderful in "The Keeper Of Traken". Yes, even "Adric". And NONE of them come off good in this one. In fact, more than ever before, I was reminded of what a WONDEFFUL character "Tremas" was... so intelligent, reasonable, warm... he deserved better. He deserved a return appearance... not to be MURDERED so that a ONE-dimensional erratic bad parody of Roger Delgado should take his place.

Frankly, I think they only come off looking acceptable because Janet Fielding-- who I KNOW is a nice person off-camera-- came across as such a TOTAL B**** as "Tegan" (my LEAST-favorite WHO companion of all time).

I swear, the ONLY actor in this who comes across well in this is, surprisingly, John Fraser as "The Monitor".

Looking back, I wish to God that John Nathan-Turner had left after this one year. Because I KNOW... as wonderful as Peter Davison is as a person and as an actor... the BULK of his 3 years was EVEN WORSE than this. BAD writing, BAD directing, BAD acting across the board.

This time around, I've been skipping any stories I just don't like. I managed to get all the way through Tom Baker's 7 years and ONLY skip one single story (one that I simply have seen too damn many times for something that horrifically downbeat and disturbing). I'm wondering if I'll even watch HALF of Davison's stories? I know one thing... as soon as I'm done with his, I'll be pulling out CAMPION to watch again. Man, I LOVE that show!!!

Hodge podge

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 5 June 2021]

LOGOPOLIS is notable for being Tom Baker's final story as the Doctor, but sadly it's a disappointing exit, a hodge podge of ideas that never really gel. I was surprised by the presence of a gem-studded bracelet and a plotline involving the extinction of half the universe as this seems to have been liberally borrowed for the last couple of AVENGERS movies, but of course they were a million times more successful thanks to the huge budgets allowed. Here, the Doctor and tag-along Adric flit from place to place, not achieving much on Earth in the first couple of episodes other than picking up Tegan, whose acting is terrible. The last couple of episodes feature Anthony Ainley's Master, a favourite of my childhood, and are more fun, but the only thing really of note is the final regeneration.

A kinda bad episode beside two great ones

[gaiancls · 4/10 · 12 October 2022]

I think this was'nt much of a good episode\serial. But it's heavily tied to the ones before and after, which makes it greater, like a midway of the two, as if it was a big New Beginnings serial.

Often I feel as if the Fifth Doctor Eras shared a lot of arcs, if each Fifth Doctor companion had their own arc, if you know what I mean.

Adric was tied to the E-Space arc, he is from there and is introduced at the beginning of the arc.

Then, Nyssa is tied to the New Beginning Arc, as of course she's introduced as its beginning and she's Tremas' daughter.

Then, Tegan is tied to her own arc during Season 19 where she wants to get to Heathrow.

Eventually, Turlough has the arc with the Guardians and the Crystals.