Survival effectively builds up a missing person mystery in modern-day Perivale, with tray cats thrown into the mix. It then quickly turns from mundane to creative and bizarre, once the Cheetah People are introduced. What follows is a pretty straightforward adventure and a story with less depth than most other stories from the McCoy era. The story mostly stands still during Part Two, only wrapping things up in the final episode. The ending with the Master isn't particularly exciting or memorable, but the final scene is an iconic and fitting end to the series.
The acting is fine, but other than the regulars, no one stands out. Anthony Ainley seems a bit fed-up with his part since he doesn't put much energy into his performance.
The Doctor doesn't seem very interested to fight the Master here and doesn't seem very concerned about Ace's faith either. He's quite bland in this adventure, a bit more laid-back. That motorcycle riding is fairly cool, though.
Ace is for once possessed by something evil, a bit like other Who companions. But at least she knows how to do the right thing with it.
The Master returns for this final Classic Who story played for the last time by Anthony Ainley. This time he needs the Doctor's help to escape from the planet, which helps to strengthen the special relationship between the two Time Lords. At the same time, he remains pretty dull and forgettable in this adventure.
I like the music and I love the pretty realistically created Cheetah People. Their planet might not be the most original-looking (it's like watching The Greatest Show in the Galaxy all over again), but it works.
This is not a very swift story. It moves along at a pace but feels repetitive, so the more exciting parts don't feel exciting.
This story has a lighter tone compared to the other stories this season, but it also feels mysterious. There's excitement in the proceedings from beginning to end, even if the story starts to feel somewhat repetitive after Part Two.
Survival is the final story of Doctor Who's original run, and while it's not the finest story top finish a series with, it could have ended much worse.
This is a pretty middle-of-the-road story, so nothing I would rewatch anytime soon.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
Ace claims Sundays are boring, because there's nothing decent on television, obviously hinting to the fact that Doctor Who is on Saturdays.
Rona Munro is the only writer, who has contributed scripts for both the classic and revived series of Doctor Who. She returned in 2017 with The Eaters of the Light.
Somewhat ironically, the final serial of Doctor Who's original run is titled Survival. On the other hand, one could argue that the franchise survived through the extended universe, which kept fans entertained throughout the wilderness years.
Score: 63/120
Shout by HakaishaVIP BlockedParent2023-10-04T00:04:51Z
The 7th Doctor, quite the cunning doctor. While Mel was alright of a companion, Ace was byfar one of the greatest. I'm glad we saw some old favorites before the Classic run ended, it was a nice trip.