Er… I think you're confusing Davison with Davies.  Huge difference.

Well, I don't know about you, but the first thing I thought about was how they are able to kiss.  I can't think of anything else they can do, though.  ;)

Not ad-libbed, no.  I just read the "Fact of Fiction" in DWM about "Love & Monsters," and apparently Peter Kay was the only actor RTD ever let ad-lib and change lines.  RTD said he was always very adamant that actors say what's in the script.

That's my big issue with Davison era stuff, too.  Now, I absolutely ADORE Peter Davison.  If he wasn't the Doctor, I'm not sure what I'd think of this era.  But, lots of his stories are just so, so, so depressing.  When you watch them in sequence, as you said, it's really very difficult.

Yes.  Peter Davison always talks about how he wishes it could have been just him and Nyssa.  I'm sure we would have seen a much different Nyssa, a more interesting Nyssa had she had more room to breathe with Tegan and Adric out of the way.

I also wish they wouldn't have shown that the Grim Reaper was that oh-so-80s robot so early on. How cool would it have been if there'd've been this Grim Reaper roaming around for 4 episodes? Of course, I do love the sequined robot all the same!

Whatever kind of joke it is, it definitely leaves lots of room for the imagination.  Sort of like, "We've got a bit of a love life," in "Love & Monsters."

Wasn't Matt Smith announced like they're doing tomorrow?

I absolutely agree. He's always taking it out and scanning things.  I miss the days when, instead of scanning a hurt person, he'd just quickly feel them over, as it were, like in "Remembrance of the Daleks," I think, where he checks if Ace is all right just by examining her legs.  "You'll be fine."  "Thanks,…

Yep.  First they tried to get Sarah to come back, then Leela, then they went with Nyssa.

Mace is another example of a Fifth Doctor era character that would have made a great companion.  It always seems the writers would invent someone more fun to write for, rather than the team they were stuck with.

I always want to yell at Tegan: "You just traveled 300 years into your planet's past.  Who else gets to do that?  Enjoy yourself, for goodness sake!"

Actually, just googled it.  Koquillion, of all things, appears in his flashback.

And wasn't there a Sensorite in there too?  Very strange…

You'll find lots who agree with you, myself included.  I especially love him in "Mind of Evil," particularly in the car when he's smoking his cigar.

At the same time, don't forget how he loves his cartoons in "Sea Devils."  :)

Still, it's also the scariest bubble wrap I ever saw.  :)

I absolutely agree.  And not only is Holmes just a splendid writer, but it takes a personalty as large as Tom Baker to really be able to pull off a line like, "Homo sapiens!" without it come off as ham.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but bubble wrap was still a relatively new invention.  At least, Dr. Who Magazine said so.

But, you don't leave that scene thinking, "Gosh, what an asshole," because you're left with the Doctor's line, "I'm really very proud of you."  It's the first inklings of when we get to hear the Doctor say of a companion for the first time, "Have you met Ms Smith?  She's my best friend!"