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chicafrom3My last Target readthrough post was on 29 November 2018, so, you know, this is going well. But progress is being made!
Five has never been my favorite Doctor and this is still the case, I'm sorry to say. I honestly just find him kind of unmemorable, and so many of the novelization writers going out of their way to emphasize how inoffensively beige he is to everyone doesn't help with that.
Also not super helpful: the novelization writers going out of their way to emphasize Adric being super misogynistic in his inner monologue (I know he's young and kind of a dick in the way young boys often are, but jeez) and Tegan being whiny/shrieky/complain-y -- again, she certainly gets her fair share of complaining in in the show itself, and to be honest she's entitled to it, poor Tegan had a rough run of things, but the way the books have it she was miserable 24/7 and the Doctor loathed having her around (a couple of the books actually describe him as being unenthusiastic at having her agree to continue traveling with him)!
That's not to say there aren't high points! Kamelion works a LOT better in book form than on screen. Turlough is a sulky delight and mostly well-served in prose -- Mawdryn Undead is great. Nyssa gets some great moments of having her backstory and inner monologue fleshed out. Tegan is overall treated poorly by most of the writers but her departure scene is done very well. Peri is one of my favorite companions and for her two adventures with the Fifth Doctor, Peter Grimwade and Terrance Dicks seem to enjoy her a lot and bring a lot to the page.
But overall . . . yeah. Not my favorite era.
Onwards to the Sixth Doctor!
Five has never been my favorite Doctor and this is still the case, I'm sorry to say. I honestly just find him kind of unmemorable, and so many of the novelization writers going out of their way to emphasize how inoffensively beige he is to everyone doesn't help with that.
Also not super helpful: the novelization writers going out of their way to emphasize Adric being super misogynistic in his inner monologue (I know he's young and kind of a dick in the way young boys often are, but jeez) and Tegan being whiny/shrieky/complain-y -- again, she certainly gets her fair share of complaining in in the show itself, and to be honest she's entitled to it, poor Tegan had a rough run of things, but the way the books have it she was miserable 24/7 and the Doctor loathed having her around (a couple of the books actually describe him as being unenthusiastic at having her agree to continue traveling with him)!
That's not to say there aren't high points! Kamelion works a LOT better in book form than on screen. Turlough is a sulky delight and mostly well-served in prose -- Mawdryn Undead is great. Nyssa gets some great moments of having her backstory and inner monologue fleshed out. Tegan is overall treated poorly by most of the writers but her departure scene is done very well. Peri is one of my favorite companions and for her two adventures with the Fifth Doctor, Peter Grimwade and Terrance Dicks seem to enjoy her a lot and bring a lot to the page.
But overall . . . yeah. Not my favorite era.
Onwards to the Sixth Doctor!
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