6G1 - Terminus 1

Terminus might have a much maligned reputation amongst Doctor Who fans, but one would hope and think that Episode One dodges the bullets often fired at this story. As a mood setting piece, it is almost perfect (apart from the extremely silly space helmets that Kari and Olvir wear).

First, it starts off with a long scene (inserted when the episode was running considerably short) between new companion Turlough and a mistrusting Tegan. It's rare to see such a long scene between companions to start off an episode, just as it is to see so much of the TARDIS interior before the TARDIS lands properly. (Another rarity: this is one of the very few Doctor Who stories where we see the interior of the TARDIS, but not the exterior.) Adding to the unique nature of this episode, The Doctor only shows up seven and a half minutes into it.

This bizarre start alters the feel for this story. It doesn't feel like any other Peter Davison story to date. The atmosphere on the strange ship that the TARDIS has merged with is grim and grey. It is not a pleasant set to look at, but that's the intention. It's a place where no one wants to be, and no one has even discovered what the true nature of the ship is until all the poor unfortunates with Lazars Disease are let out of their compartments at the end of the episode.

Creepy, dark, and unsettling, Terminus starts off extremely well.