I enjoyed Talons back when I was a kid and having now watched it again many years later I can see why. Tom Baker is the best Doctor, hands down, way ahead of the rest with maybe John Pertwee as the only other worthy mention. Louise Jameson's character, Leela, feels awkward in this one, struggling to make her tribal character fit into Victorian England, but she still is wecolmed here and she manages to carry the role better in other Dr Who stories, in particular, Horror of Fang Rock. Talons stands out as one of the best stories mainly because the first three episodes are near perfect. The sets, the characters, the dark imposing Victorian England, all combine wonderfully to create a captivating watch. However, from the fourth to the sixth episode it slowly but surely and irreversibly slides downhill. They could easily have completed a much tighter and effective and memorable Talons in 4 episodes, because the set locations are very few: the Palace Theatre, the underground, the old chap's (can't remember his name) small residence, the occasional fleeting street scene, and Greel's lair. All of which is fine, the theatre with its shadowy spookiness and pokey passageways is awesome, but they cycle through the locations over and over and it really becomes quite tedious and loses its panache that is so strong in the first three episodes. Maybe all concerned enjoyed making this so much that they found it difficult to let go, which is understandable. Aside from Leela, whom I mentioned seems a tad out of place, the cast with Jaygo the amiable theatre director, Chang the mysterious illusionist and his side kick Sin, Greel the sinister, ancient 'god', old chap, and of course the Doctor, all shine brightly to bring us a classic Dr Who adventure.
