Dr. Who's Reading Room

The newly regenerated Doctor escapes with his companions back to the TARDIS. Suffering from post-regeneration trauma, he only narrowly manages to save the ship from destruction as it plunges back to Event One, the hydrogen in-rush that preceded the creation of the universe.

He then seeks sanctuary in the peaceful domain of Castrovalva, only to discover that it is an illusory, dimensionally paradoxical trap set for him by the Master with the unwilling aid of a kidnapped Adric. The Doctor eventually wins the day by enlisting the help of the Castrovalvan people who, although also part of the Master’s creation, are nevertheless able to exercise free will.

“

—

BBC - Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - Castrovalva - Details

This was the episode that heralded the Fifth Doctor, played by Peter Davidson, of whom the Sixth Doctor, played by Colin Baker, would say had a “feckless charm.” It’s long been my theory that an initially vulnerable Doctor was necessary to build sympathy and loyalty for him after the departure of the much beloved Fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker (“all teeth and curls”). For many Stateside, he was “our first Doctor,” and I have recently met another “Tom Baker man.”

It’s interesting that this also is a plot device used with the transition to David Tennant, after the departure of Christopher Eccleston, who introduced a new generation of viewers to the phenomenon.

But this is how I feel after ending the Fall 2011 semester. I need an environment with “low ambient complexity” which is the description of Castrovalva in the database the Master must have altered. The internet is not at all such a place, and I’m getting dizzy just typing this. Off to yoga!