Doctor Who: Series 3 Overview

...And this is it. The end of Series 3, the final full series with Hartnell. It was a lot more hit-and-miss than the 'Golden Age' of Series 2, with some epic highs but also some definite Galaxy 4s- I mean, lows. The centerpeice, "The Daleks Master Plan" was excellent, but the latter half- and opener- a slump. There were also far more missing pieces this series, though that's hardly the fault of the series itself, but of the BBC decades later.

While there were some some truly dull stories this season to a greater degree than before, the production values and budget continued to increase- from effect extravaganza's like the Time Destructor scene or the destruction of the Toymaker's world to physical props and model work like the War Machines- and some excellent guest actors.

The series recieved some much-needed companion humor in the form of Steven's dry sarcasm and perplexed looks- after all, the Doctor can't bear the entire weight of the comedy in the series! It also had what I consider to be Who's finest comedic serial to date.

Overall, I'd rate this one lower than Series 2- but also sowing some seeds that can hopefully be expanded in the Second Doctor's golden age- whenever that may be- to make it even greater than the First's.