Christian Cawley and James McLean reach the final episode of The Mysterious Planet — and by this point, the commentary itself may be more entertaining than the serial under discussion. 

As the pair pick apart collapsing pacing, endless corridors, meaningless courtroom interruptions, and the baffling lack of anything recognisably “Earth-like” about Ravalox, the conversation expands into a broader discussion about Doctor Who itself: companion writing, Colin Baker’s wasted strengths, the failures of Trial of a Time Lord as a format, and whether the season could have worked better as a genuine deconstruction of the Doctor. 

There’s nostalgia for VHS culture, comparisons with The Daleks’ Master Plan, frustration over Peri’s lack of agency, and a surprisingly thoughtful debate about why some companions endure while others become little more than plot devices. 

By the end, the hosts are already bracing themselves for Mind Warp — and wondering if the real trial was the episodes they watched along the way.

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