The Tour has been loosely following the 40th Anniversary sweep through the Peter Davison era from the beginning right through to today’s post, marking the end … with The Caves of Androzani.
Regular Tour denizens know, probably owing to the fact that we’ve mentioned it more than a few times, that Caves is our all-time favorite story.
It’s been awhile since the Tour talked directly about The Caves of Androzani. Although we’ve referenced Caves many times in recent years it been nearly six years since Caves was a post focus, and the occasion of this writing is the 40th Anniversary of the broadcast of episode 4 back in 1984.
It’s hardly an audacious statement to say that Caves has been so loved and for so long that it’s almost dismissed in some corners. But if it’s been awhile since you either saw Caves or even considered watching it, curiosity will not be your downfall.
A case in point: the cliffhanger at the end of episode 3 is rightly regarded a one of the most memorable in the history of the series for the sheer sense of desperation for all involved. It’s slipped in subtly amongst the chaos, but notice that the 5th Doctor begins to regenerate right then and there, only to be snapped out of it by Stotz. It’s certainly something we didn’t catch the first fifty or so times we watched the story. Amazing.
The Tour regards Caves as an old reliable friend. and we make sure to watch the story once, perhaps twice a year, but not more than that. Holding the memory of a great story is every bit as important as the story itself, and the occasional booster shot makes the story indelible.
