It's missing.

This is one of my favourite stories. The airport setting is totally unique, and I do feel that the companions here are each given something good to do (although I think Ben is on holiday for some of the middle episodes—in fact Polly might be too). We even get a bonus one in Pauline Collins! Nothing not to like here as far as I'm concerned. Maybe some "unlikely"s. Like this terrible disaster managing to remove the Chameleons' facial features with surgical precision, but leaving the rest of them intact. And why's it taken so long for there to be just the odd complaint if so many people have been going missing? And what precisely is their fate again? I'm seriously nit-picking. This is a fantastic serial. I only wish Ben and Polly had received a better hand. This is a better "departure" scene than most, but I can't help feeling they were consistently underused.

Here's a fact and a half. Since episode 1, and not including minute-or-so snippets from The Chase and The Massacre etc., this is only the second story set in the present day. You can't move for them now!

@FH2104

Planet of Giants and The War Machines were both set in the present day.

@TAFBTSOOC Yeah, I had The War Machines as the first. Forgot Planet of Giants, fair enough.

While a lot of people criticise this story for being drawn out and saying it would have worked much better as a 4 part story, I don't necessarily agree with that. It doesn't feel anywhere near as drawn out as a lot of Troughton's other six and higher part stories do.

However, one major problem I do have with this story is the poor treatment of Ben and Polly. I understand that Michael Craze and Anneke Wills were only contracted for three of the six episodes, so it was impossible for them to have a majorly substantial role in the plot, and I do appreciate the fact that they are given an actual goodbye scene unlike Dodo, but it is still very disappointing that they're given basically nothing to do for the two episodes where they are present, and then they're only in episode six's final scene where they say their goodbyes. I don't see why the Doctor couldn't have found Ben and Polly early on into episode six and then have them help him unravel the Chameleon's plot in Jamie's absence. On the whole, their exit is just horribly underwhelming, especially considering that this would be the last time Michael Craze would play Ben at all before his tragic death.

@FH2104 In fairness, most people forget Planet of Giants.

Not much, I actually really enjoy this one. I think it works perfectly as a six parter, and I’m someone who kind of criticizes some of the Second Doctors stories for being too long, but this is not one of them imo. It is currently ranked in my top 25 favorite Doctor Who stories ever. My only complaint is as others have said, it’s missing and felt Ben and Polly’s exit was a bit underwhelming.

I just don’t like that Ben and Polly are barely in their final story.