Doctor Who: Equilibrium

This is the middle story in the “Second E-Space Trilogy”, with the TARDIS and its crew trapped in the titular pocket dimension again. Where the first story was a direct sequel to the TV story Full Circle, this is a clear homage to State of Decay in the original trilogy, but tells an entirely new and mostly unconnected story.

The similarities are in large part due to the setting, on a backwards planet where a small community huddles around a great castle. That the rulers are hiding a dark and ancient secret is also a point of similarity, although, in fairness, hardly a unique one for Doctor Who. It's also true that the story focuses rather more on a literal ‘state of decay' than the TV story it is modelled on, and that the trials of the peasants on the two planets do have a number of parallels.

Nonetheless, this is an original tale, and as part of the minority of fans who don't particularly like State of Decay (although it's hardly the worst the series has to offer) I actually felt that this was rather better. The setting is bleak, despite the grandiose appearance of the ice palace at its heart, and the sacrifices that the people have to make to survive in their unforgiving, yet starkly beautiful, landscape lies at the heart of the story. Much of this is quite clever, with some decent twists along the way, and some good character moments for the guest cast, especially Anette Badland as the Queen.

The story is more suited to the Fifth Doctor than it would be to any of the others (prior to Thirteen, anyway), pitting him against the inexorable forces of entropy. However, while the companions are well used, each getting their own little piece of the plot and written to their respective personalities, in fairness, there's not much that's truly distinctive for them, apart from a subplot with Turlough and a warrior princess.

As with the first part of the trilogy, the story ends on a cliffhanger.