Doctor Who: Every Doctor's Definitive Seasons

The Fifth Doctor: Season 19

Given that Season 21 holds Resurrection of the Daleks, and The Caves of Androzani, you might be wondering why I haven't picked it as the Fifth Doctor's definitive season. Whilst his final season holds so many grand moments for this charming, and human-like incarnation of The Doctor, one cannot forget about the charm, and consistency of his first run of adventures.

Castrovalva was such a pleasant experience, and a perfect introduction for the Fifth Doctor, given the fact that we'd just lost the Fourth Doctor (who'd been on screen for seven years). It's a slow, gentle, and beautiful transition, that allows you to feel acquainted with this new Doctor in such a relaxing way, and by the end, you're ready to follow them on their new adventures, and have managed to move on from Tom Baker without feeling too much guilt.

Then there's the likes of Kinda, and The Visitation, which are both fantastic tales that set the tone nicely for the Fifth Doctor's era, continuing on from the more science-fiction feel of Season 18. Kinda is a deep, psychological story that has such deep meaning, and addresses how our inner demons can ultimately consume us. While The Visitation acts as a fun period outing, with plenty of exciting ideas, and one hell of a pay off (The Doctor's isn't particularly good when it comes to not interfering in the events of history).

The icing on the cake is obviously Earthshock, a serial that has wedged itself in our minds, and for good reason. It's such a tight adventure, with strict direction, keeping the pacing, and the characters constantly flowing with such concise continuity and non-stop action. Ultimately, it resurrects the Cybermen in an explosive way, allowing them to feel totally threatening, and intense with their schemes, and power. And, of course, the Fifth Doctor is deeply impacted by the loss of Adric, something that would haunt him until his regeneration.

Also, Black Orchid and Time-Flight aren't all that bad!