5th Doctor

The early eighties may represent the low point for Doctor Who. Later in the decade, the show got sillier and more… eighties, but here in the Fifth Doctor’s era it often committed the more unpardonable sin. It was often boring. There were still very neat concepts and stories: Black Orchid, Earthshock, and The Black Guardian Trilogy all come to mind. However, even these entertaining stories do not carry the usual philosophical or thoughtful ideas that good science fiction and particularly Doctor Who tried to provide. Then there were stories like Four to Doomsday or Warriors of the Deep that were way to heavy handed in their message.

Kinda & Snakedance:

A possible exception, though only just, are the stories concerning an interesting villain, the Mara. These stories delve into explicit religious territory. They were written by a Buddhist and explored those beliefs also incorporating Judeo-Christian themes. Kinda has a storyline following the Genesis 3 narrative. The very name “Mara” is the Buddhist concept of temptation.