Story #202 - The End of Time (2009-2010)

Harry -

We have finally reached The End of Time, and I'm feeling fine. Sarah let's break out the gin to toast the end of another era.

It's got to be over a decade since I watched this and the "victory lap" ending was as cringeworthy as remembered. However I was surprised to find the story leading up to it was better than I thought. Definitely better on a rewatch.

Sarah -

I was hoping to have the same reaction as you, but I think I liked it even less on this rewatch. At the very least, I know I won’t ever have to watch it again.

On the upside we have Wilf as the Doctor’s companion. Hooray! Unfortunately, it’s also Christmas time, so we know nothing good will happen. Cue the resurrection of the Master by some lame cultists devoted to him, which leads to the massacre of innocent people in a quarry. Remember how excited we were when John Simm was announced as the Master? How naive we were. I’d almost rather watch Eric Roberts’ performance. Almost.

Harry -

John Simm's Master was very jarring at first. Very hyper and over the top, a dark reflection of David Tennant's Doctor. As Doctor Who has rumbled on for over 50 years, each iteration of the Master has shed a layer of Roger Delgado's initial quiet coolness and become more bouncy-bouncy bonkers. We have watched this character grow increasingly insane over time. This Master continues the progression. I remember not liking him when this season first aired, but over time he's become a favourite, probably because of his performance in the Capaldi era which we will get to.

Sarah - 

I’m already counting the seasons to the return of the Master!

Harry - 

The resurrection scene was definitely bad. The cult, the massacre, the barely plausible Gallifreyan biology that makes Time Lords immortal, bleh. At least Lucy Saxon took a measure of revenge and threw a spanner into the works, screwing up the process and leaving the Master more a flickering flame than a fully-formed being again.

Speaking of comebacks, I wonder how tempted RTD was to write Donna back into one more story. If he really wanted, he could have found some way for the Doctor to restore and preserve her mind for at least one more adventure. New Who's showrunners seem to have carte blanche. However it's interesting that it didn't happen. Instead, we got Wilf as the companion and it was a smashing time. Wilf leading his own merrie branch of L.I.N.D.A., what a riot.

Sarah -

Donna’s return was one of my favorite parts of the story. I hope she’ll be very happy with her husband and that lottery money won’t hurt! Wilf’s band of Doctor-hunters were adorable, but I’m not sure about the lady who couldn’t keep her hands to herself. Still, he probably has it coming after the Queen Bess comment.

Harry -

And so the early part of the story bounces between three corners. The Master reborn and bonkers, the Doctor in pursuit, and Wilf & Co. in pursuit of the Doctor.

An air of mystery is added by a mysterious woman who delivers enigmatic messages to Wilf. Surprisingly, RTD let her remain an enigma.

After a couple of confrontations with the Doctor, the Master is kidnapped by some paramilitary thugs and the story kicks into another gear. The Master is briefly held captive by Joshua Naismith, a man of unlimited wealth and power. Briefly. Feigning that he will help Naismith harness a piece of alien technology that can supposedly make humans immortal, the Master rigs it up to instead transform all humans into Master-clones. A Master Race! Very clever. But like all of the Master's schemes in New Who, it's all high concept but filled with holes. We will see this pattern repeat itself: the Master/Missy creates a massive army, but fails to think through all the ramifications and the entire project collapses. As they say, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Sarah -

I feel exhausted just thinking about this nonsense. The Master is the, well, master of bonkers schemes, but this one takes the cake. Just what we need, a whole planet of the “Master” race. And when did he start being able to shoot electricity and fly? I can’t even tell you how much I loathe this plot line.

Harry -

It's totally in keeping with the modern era's Master in that his/her plots are nonsense, as if the point to the entire thing is to get a reaction from the Doctor. Get a room already!

Sarah -

The whole Obama/recession storyline is silly. And the mispronouncing of his name got under my skin. While I’m on a tear here, what the what with the creepy Naismith? The way he looks at his daughter may be the grossest thing in Doctor Who’s history.

Harry -

Eww eww Naismith. Please do not get a room!

Sarah -

And then we have the Time Lords, making their first return since Trial of a Time Lord in 1986. They’re as irritating as ever and I’m more than ready for Gallifrey to be destroyed.

Harry -

I don't recall if the return of Rassilon was known before this story aired. 

Sarah - 

I definitely remember being surprised the first time around, so I’m guessing not. 

Harry - 

Timothy Dalton's performance was scene-chewingly amusing, but I'm not sure what we were meant to think at the end. Was Rassilon not all that great after all, his scheme broken up by the lightning-flinging Master? Or had the Master evolved into some entirely new kind of being, able to fling lightning at the mighty Rassilon? Best not to expend too many brain cells on it. After all, Wilf is knocking.

And so the Tenth Doctor meets his demise. Not by the Daleks or Cybermen, not by some stupendous new monster, but by poor old Wilfrid Mott trapping himself in a chamber that's about to go nuclear. Ever since "The Caves of Androzani", I've wanted to see another story where the Doctor sacrifices a life in order to save just one person, not in some grand space opera setting but in a quiet corner of the universe. We got that here and it should have been great but for RTD blowing the regeneration up into the most self-indulgent, eye-rolling ordeal of all time.

Sarah - 

Right? It would have been perfect if the Doctor just regenerated and moved on. To be fair, if there’s one person worth dying to save it’s Wilfrid Mott. 

Harry - 

There's no need to go over the victory lap. It sucks and I'm not a fan, but it was RTD's farewell and he deserved to have his way after resurrecting the greatest TV show of all time. I really can't say anything else nice, so let's wrap it up.

Sarah - 

The victory lap may be the most egregious thing ever in Doctor Who, let’s leave it be. 

Harry - 

Best Line:

Wilf enters the TARDIS for the first time: "I thought it would be cleaner."

Favourite Moment:

Tough to pick one. I liked some of John Simm's manic moments. Gross but riveting.

Lasting Image:

Wilf's final goodbye to the Doctor.

5/10

Sarah - 

Best Line: 

Doctor: "I'd be proud."

Wilf: "Of what?"

Doctor: "If you were my dad."

Favorite Moment:

The return of Donna Noble!

Lasting Image: 

Wilf hugging the Doctor

3/10

Story #136 - The Twin Dilemma (1984)

Harry -
Pass the gin, Sarah.


Sarah -
Brave Heart, Old Boy. And don't worry, I bought the extra-large bottle.


Harry -
After the sad demise of the Fifth Doctor, one might have hoped that JN-T and crew might have eased us into a new Doctor. No such luck. It's regeneration crisis times a thousand with this new bloke. If he was any more in your face he'd come right through the screen.


Sarah -
Adios, feckless charm -- it's time to strangle the companion! I remember all too well my complete shock the first time I watched this regeneration. It's still a bit shocking, but I was able to appreciate the subtleties in Colin Baker's performance. There are so many bombastic moments that overwhelm the contrite moments when he's overwhelmed by the guilt of his actions. Peri is not far off when she diagnoses him as having a "manic depressive paranoid personality." This is the most bipolar regeneration crisis we've seen so far.


Harry -
It's notable that Peri's initial reaction to the new Doctor is negative, guiding us the viewers to take the same position early on. I don't know if any of the Doctor's lines were meant to be humorous, but everything is lost in Colin Baker's overwhelming delivery. There's definitely a lot of Colin here. Nicola Bryant is practically flinching during some of his outbursts.


Sarah -
We've seen companions dismayed and suspicious after a regeneration, but we haven't had anyone look like they want to throw themselves out of the TARDIS before now.

Colin's camp delivery of the Doctor's assessment of his new look made me laugh: "A noble brow. Clear gaze. At least it will be, given a few hours sleep. A firm mouth. A face beaming with a vast intelligence. My dear child, what on Earth are you complaining about?" He clearly was trying to bring something to it. Can we blame poor direction by Peter Moffatt?


Harry -
As with all regenerations, it's time for a new wardrobe. Oh yes, the new wardrobe.

I'll get the tonic and ice. Lime or lemon, Sarah?


Sarah -
Screw the mixers -- just pass me the bottle!

Is there anything left to say about the coat? It's dreadful and ridiculous. The only compensation is that we get to riffle around in the TARDIS wardrobe a bit. Look, it's the Second Doctor's coat and trousers! The Third Doctor's jacket and Tegan's coat! Ah, the memories of better days...


Harry -
There isn't much left to say about the coat. It's one of the worst decisions ever made by a Doctor Who showrunner. There's an interesting theory floating around that JN-T (who was no stranger to loud, tacky attire) essentially created the Doctor in his own image. I hate the coat. You hate the coat. Everyone in the universe hated the coat, except the one person that mattered.


Sarah -
There are several clips in the bonus DVD footage of Colin on chat shows, wearing the coat and gamely answering questions about it. Knowing how much he hated the costume, it's impressive that he was able to defend it. That's why they call it acting, eh?


Harry -
This is a unique story in that we got a mid-season regeneration. Well, there was one story to go, anyway. What I would have loved was if everything in this story was a one-off, reflecting the Doctor's regeneration fits. The clothes selection, the manic behaviour, the rudeness! Wouldn't it have been better if the next season started with the Doctor having settled down -- a less bombastic, less arrogant Doctor, dressed in muted shades -- and everything about this story just a momentary abberation before we got to the good stuff? Like David Tennant spending a story in his jim-jams before getting down to it. Unfortunately, this was the template that the following season's writers had to work from, so they continued with the Doctor that was set down in this story. JN-T was very wrapped up in the convention scene at the time, and might have been convinced to take that alternate path had someone offered it up, but alas. Oh, what might have been.


Sarah -
So, what did you think of the actual story?

Regeneration crisis aside, I was dreading "The Twin Dilemma", which may have turned out to be a good thing. It could almost only be better than expected. My memory of the story and everything in fan culture made me expect that it would be unwatchable, but it's certainly not the worst Doctor Who. My one-sentence review: "The Twin Dilemma -- at least it's not Time-Flight!"


Harry -
As a Doctor Who story -- especially for a post-regeneration story -- it's not bad at all. While the tempest rages aboard the TARDIS, we see cutaways to a futuristic household. A pair of twin teenage boys behave like a pair of teenage boys, dissing their dad before he steps out for the night. The twins play video games when an old man suddenly materializes in the middle of the room. The boys seem more impressed than alarmed by the feat. I mean, that sort of occurrence happens to all of us at some point, no?


Sarah -
Perhaps it only happens to maths geniuses? That would have left the two of us out.

On a side note, remember the sisters dressed as the twins at Chicago TARDIS a few years back? Those were amazing costumes.


Harry -
They do an impressive job every convention. 

The old man who has appeared calls himself Professor Edgeworth, and promises to return when the twins' dad is home. But he suddenly seizes the twins and they all dematerialize, landing on a ship in outer space. Cue the feather-headed alien pilots! They looked like something out of the Hartnell era.


Sarah -
I love the Jacondans! Those are some seriously impressive alien costumes -- absolutely classic.

The twins' father returns home to find them gone and traces of Zanium, a residue of transmit, in their room. Realizing they've been kidnapped, he alerts the authorities and Lieutenant Hugo Lang is dispatched to track them down.

I'm not going to lie, Harry, I found Hugo to be quite a dish back in the day. He looks a proper rude boy with those suspenders and Ian Curtis haircut -- exactly what my teenage self was after.


Harry -
Hugo Lang, Space Cop. I like. We'll see plenty of handsome and hunky males in these stories as the JN-T era rolls on, and that's perfectly fine with me.


Sarah -
We've got to take what we can get.


Harry -
As the Colin Baker era rolls on, we'll see something I always found highly amusing: the extreme close up cliffhanger. There are three of them in this story alone!  At the end of part one, Lang's spacecraft is shot down on Titan 3. The Doctor and Peri rescue him and bring him aboard the TARDIS. When he comes to, Lang pulls a gun on the Doctor, proclaiming him a murderer. EXTREME CLOSE UP ON COLIN'S FACE OF SHOCK, AND ROLL CREDITS!


Sarah -
It's fortunate Colin can bring the shock. Unfortunately, theses cliffhangers just made me laugh.


Harry -
Fortunately the space cop is subdued and the threat comes to nothing. While the TARDIS had come to Titan 3 so that the Doctor could take up a life of contemplation as a hermit, Lang was there in pursuit of the Jacondan ship. Edgeworth and the twins landed there and the boys were immediately put to work on some calculations for a powerful energy source. Their taskmaster is Mestor, who needs their genius to advance his ambitions.


Sarah -
I thought the whole "I'm going to live a life of contemplation and you will be my disciple" scene was amusing. Peri's "WTF?" response was hysterical.

DOCTOR: Titan Three. Thou craggy knob, which swims upon the oceans of the firmament. Receive this weary penitent.
PERI: I think I'm going to be sick.


Harry -
HAHAHAHAHA!

The Doctor and Peri go for a recce underground, eventually running into Edgeworth. Only the Doctor recognizes "Edgeworth" as Azmael, a fellow timelord.


Sarah -
Azmel's reaction to their arrival is just as amusing as Peri's

DOCTOR: We came to Titan Three of our own free will.
EDGEWORTH: Who in their right minds come to Titan Three of their own free will?


Harry -
HAHAHAHAHA!


Sarah -
I love the scene when the Doctor realizes Edgeworth is his old friend Azmael. His memories of their drunken night around the fountain sound exactly like something the Fourth Doctor would have gotten into.


Harry -
Can totally see that. Actually, any of the first four Doctors might have had that wild night at the fountain.


Sarah -
It's hard to imagine it happening after that.


Harry -
True.

Back on the TARDIS, Lang wakes up again and does what any of us would do: he enters the wardrobe of a total stranger and changes into the loudest shirt he can find. Who among us can say we haven't done that?


Sarah -
We've all been there. And who hasn't been tempted to hide a gun's powerpack in the loudest shirt we can find?

The Doctor is horrified by Azmael's plan to use the twins to do Mestor's bidding and implores him to stop. Not believing that he has a choice in the matter, Azmael locks the Doctor and Peri in the base and hightails it out of there with the twins and Jacondans. What he doesn't know is that Noma has set the base to self-destruct. The Doctor starts out trying to break the combination lock on the base, until Peri alerts him to the self-destruct mechanism. He immediately starts to work on modifying the transporter, sending Peri to the TARDIS, where Hugo is waiting. She expects the Doctor to arrive after her and can only think the worst when the base explodes.


Harry -
PERI: Oh no, Docterrrrr!

EXTREME CLOSE UP ON PERI'S FACE OF GRIEF, AND ROLL CREDITS!


Sarah -
I can only imagine Nicola hated that final shot.


Harry -
It turns out that Peri's grief was premature. The Doctor fades back into existence, having set the transporter slightly ahead of time before correcting it. I did like his comment to Peri immediately afterward: "You know, I'll never understand the people of Earth. I have spent the day using, abusing, even trying to kill you. If you'd have behaved as I have, I should have been pleased at your demise." This line anticipates something of Peter Capaldi's Doctor, who is made aware of his appalling rudeness and uses cue cards to help him overcome it -- or at least to be less appallingly rude to people.


Sarah -
It's a good moment and Colin plays it well.

My absolute favorite moment of the story is in episode 3 -- when the Doctor bursts into Azmael's lab, shouting, "Villain! Murderer!" I laughed so hard I had to pause the DVD and then rewatched it twice. There was no scenery left for Colin to chew after that moment!


Harry -
The chase continues, as it's on to Jaconda! We soon discover that the planet is a paradise rendered to dust by the giant gastropods who have taken over, and whose ambitions stretch far beyond it. Here is where we learn of Mestor's incredible ambition. He wants the twins to calculate a means of moving entire planets into the orbit of Jaconda, providing the wasted planet with a new source of supplies. It's celestial engineering on a mind-bending scale. We won't see this kind of madness again until Davros tries to pull it off in "The Stolen Earth / Journey's End".

Ourtraged, the Doctor turns on Azmael. Lang gets clubbed. The Jacondans seize Peri, meaning to kill her.

DOCTOR: No! Periiiii!

EXTREME CLOSE UP OF THE DOCTOR'S FACE OF GRIEF, AND ROLL CREDITS!

It's amazing. Three straight cliffhangers with extreme close ups.


Sarah -
Well, at least it's consistent.

The Doctor rediscovers his compassion and springs into action when he thinks Peri's in jeopardy. The Doctor convinces Mestor that he can help with the planet moving project.

Meanwhile, Mestor decides not to kill her because he likes the way she looks -- yet another creepy alien putting the moves on Peri.


Harry -
NOMA: Why don't you kill her?
MESTOR: I find her pleasing. Pleasing!

My entire body cringed. So awful.


Sarah -
We're going to have to withstand a lot of sexual harassment of Peri in the coming weeks.


Harry -
Turns out, Azmael is not so hot at celestial engineering. The Doctor points out that if two smaller planets are moved into orbit around Jaconda, they will eventually be pulled away and crash into the sun. Double facepalm for Azmael.  Woops!


Sarah -
D'oh!


Harry -
At least this helps foil Mestor's master plan, which not only involved feasting on the resources of the two smaller planets, but then propagating the gastropod race by scattering with millions of extremely durable eggs across the universe. All rather brazen.


Sarah -
Mestor was really playing the long game with this plot.


Harry -
I said at the beginning that this story was not bad, but it gets let down by a sham ending. His plans exposed, Mestor attempts to telepathically take over the Doctor's body. Some conveniently bottled acid comes in handy. The Doctor hurls it and it shatters over an exposed Mestor, who proceeds to bubble, gurgle and melt in a very satisfying fashion. Sadly, Azmael dies too.


Sarah -
But not before a trip down memory lane with his old friend, the Doctor.


Harry -
Then, we get treated to an unexpected panto scene featuring Mestor's feathery Jacondan chamberlain, who bows and scrapes and begs to come aboard the TARDIS. It was so stupid but I loved it. The Doctor shoos him away, says something rude to Lang, then barges into the TARDIS with Peri on his heels. That scene was like the entire Colin Baker era in microcosm.


Sarah -
Fasten your seatbelt, Old Boy, it's going to be a bumpy couple of seasons!


Harry -
DOCTOR: "I am the Doctor, whether you like it or not!"

We're going to need a lot more gin.

Best line: "Something's very wrong. Oh no, has it come to that? Regenerate, yet unregenerate."

Favourite moment: the panto chamberlain scene at the end.

Lasting image: The Doctor, Peri and Lang in the TARDIS, wearing the loudest clothes in the universe.

6/10


Sarah -
Best Line: "I am the Doctor, whether you like it or not!"

If that's not a mission statement, I don't know what is.

Favorite moment: "Villain! Murderer!"

Lasting image: The Doctor bursting into the lab shouting "Villain! Murderer!"

6/10

Our marathon continues with Story #137 - Attack of the Cybermen...

Story #129 - The Five Doctors (1983)

Harry -
It's the twentieth anniversary special -- we have watched 20 years' worth of Doctor Who. Time for a celebraish! Pop that champagne, Sarah!


Sarah -
Hang on, Chuck. The cork is sticking. *POP* Ah, there were go. Cheers, Old Boy!


Harry -
Cheers ducks.

Well, when it came to producing a fitting tribute to mark two decades of Doctor Who, JN-T followed the impulse that most of us would have, and he threw absolutely everything into it. He asked the legendary Terrance Dicks to pen the adventure and Peter Moffatt to direct it, and he managed to cram almost every Doctor and companion up to that point into the thing.


Sarah -
We Doctor Who fans do love to complain, but there's something here to make everyone (at least a little bit) happy.


Harry -
It continues the template from "The Three Doctors" and would be emulated in future anniversary specials. The story serves as a vehicle for a seemingly endless round of cameo appearances, each one delightful. So good to see characters like Jamie and Zoe, and Liz and Yates, even if just for a moment. Characters like Susan, the Brigadier and Sarah Jane get bigger billing in the story and Carole Ann Ford, Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen step right back into the Whoniverse with ease.


Sarah -
It's like a school reunion!


Harry -
Best of all...five Doctors! Squee!


Sarah -
Well, five(ish).


Harry -
Technically, it was three actual Doctors. The late William Hartnell appears in a brief prologue, reciting his famous "One day I shall come back" speech. For the main story, his Doctor was played by Richard Hurndall. Tom Baker -- recently departed from the show -- chose not to appear in the story, so the producers made use of the punting scene from "Shada", which had not yet been broadcast. Both moves worked out for the best. Hurndall captured Hartnell's cantankerous feistiness, and the Doctor-Romana punting scene is one of my favourites. It's so sublime. We need to go punting sometime.


Sarah -
I'm game. Have you punted before? Do I get to lounge and read while you do all the hard work, or will we have to fight it out?


Harry -
We'll figure it out as we go, Doctor & Romana style.


Sarah -
That's the spirit! I love, love, love that the story opens with the Hartnell clip. It's reassuring to have the First Doctor inviting us into the adventure, isn't it?


Harry -
One of the best moments in Doctor Who's history, despite its sad context.


Sarah -
Only if you consider being abandoned by your grandfather on a planet that had been invaded by Daleks, after having lost your shoes, to be sad. Richard Hurndall really did a wonderful job. It was so good that Mr. Smith -- who is admittedly a casual viewer but has also been watching the show with me for more than 25 years -- didn't initially realize that it wasn't William Hartnell.

It sounds like there were weeks of back and forth between Tom Baker and JN-T -- he was coming back, he wasn't coming back, he was coming back, no he really wasn't coming back. Using the "Shada" footage was a brilliant way to have the Fourth Doctor in the story without having Tom Baker in the story.


Harry -
Once we've made the rounds and watched the first four Doctors getting scooped out of their time streams with varying degrees of success, the fifth and present Doctor collapses in pain. "I am being diminished," he says. Tegan and Turlough drag him back into the TARDIS, where he lies prone and fades in and out as if he himself is dematerializing. The TARDIS lands in a foggy wasteland. Whomever has been kidnapping the various Doctors has been plunking them down in the Death Zone. It's Gallifrey! It's time for another Time Lord conspiracy!


Sarah -
Oh, those Time Lords and their conspiracies!


Harry -
The high council of Gallifrey has been observing these events. In a strange turn, the Master is brought before them. President Borusa asks the Master to go to the Death Zone and rescue the Doctor in exchange for a new cycle of regenerations.


Sarah -
I quite like Anthony Ainley in this scene. He’s so wonderfully smarmy – like the class smart-ass called to the principal’s office. “What makes you think I want your forgiveness?” His reaction when they ask him to save the Doctor is priceless: “A cosmos without the Doctor scarcely bears thinking about.” This is probably Ainley’s best performance so far.


Harry -
Meanwhile, the various Doctors team up with their companions and head to a tall tower in the middle of the Death Zone -- the tomb of Rassilon.


Sarah -
The First Doctor and Susan get to dash down some quite stylish corridors, trying to evade a Dalek, before finding the Fifth Doctor’s TARDIS. I love when the companions all sit down to fancy drinks and snacks in the console room while the Doctors work out the problem.

Don’t you love the moment when the Third Doctor and Sarah meet the Master and the Doctor doesn’t recognize him? He’s so dismissive of the Master and even steals the seal from him. He gets the same reaction from the Fifth Doctor, who steals the recall device when they are attacked by Cybermen. The Master can’t catch a break when he’s trying to be good, which leads him to an faux alliance with the Cybermen.


Harry -
The First Doctor and Tegan take the high road, straight into the tower. The Second Doctor and the Brigadier take the low road, entering from beneath but not before a couple of scary encounters: first with a Yeti, then with Zoe in a bubble wrap costume.


Sarah -
Don’t forget our dear Jamie, who’s looking quite fetching in his kilt – sans bubblewrap – and Mike Yates and Liz Shaw!


Harry -
Great to see Liz Shaw get one more appearance after her abrupt departure from the show. After lifting Sarah Jane Smith from a perilous ditch of death, the Third Doctor takes her all the way to the top of the tower via zipline and they enter from above.


Sarah -
Speaking of Sarah Jane, what the hell is she wearing? That jacket makes her look hugely pregnant. It’s an absolute relief when she takes it off.


Harry -
The fashions of the 80s are something we shall never understand, even if we did live through them.


Sarah -
They weren’t all bad. I distinctly remember wanting Tegan’s dress when I watched this for the first time.


Harry -
In addition to the Master, there are brief encounters with some classic monsters (Daleks, Cybermen) and a new one: a Raston Warrior Robot, the most perfect killing machine in the universe. Is it terrible to admit that I get a kick out of imagining Terrance Dicks saying "Raston Warrior Robot" out loud?


Sarah -
It seems you haven’t watched the featurette, where you get to hear him say it! It’s brilliant!


Harry -
Hah!

I guess we could spare a moment to talk about the actual story here. "The Five Doctors" completes the informal Borusa cycle. We have seen Borusa four times over the years, each time played by a different actor. His rise began in "The Deadly Assassin", when he was a Cardinal. In "The Invasion of Time" he was Lord Chancellor and teamed (loosely) with the Doctor to combat the Vardans and Sontarans. In "Arc of Infinity" he was finally Lord President of Gallifrey, but something of a tired character while someone else's conspiracy played out around him. Finally, here in "The Five Doctors", Borusa's ambitions have been rekindled as he seeks the secret of true immortality and ultimate power from Rassilon himself. Thankfully, Philip Latham was not required to act with his hands for half the story.


Sarah -
Lantham is really brilliant as Borusa. The scene where he frames the Castellan, leading to his death, is chilling. What a bastard!


Harry -
Borusa was cool, calm and collected throughout the story. This is one of my favourite Borusas.


Sarah -
He's the most cunning Borusa, that's for sure.


Harry -
Eventually, everyone arrives at the tomb of Rassilon and the slow-moving story comes to a rapid conclusion. Borusa is unmasked as the conspirator du jour, having used virtually everyone else in the story as a dupe for his ambitions. He seeks the ring of Rassilon and the promise of immortality and never-ending power. Rassilon appears and offers it up without hesitation.

Naturally, Borusa is undone by his own wickedness and becomes imprisoned in the tomb for eternity. Having sorted that out, Rassilon gives a Brian Blessed-like laugh and fades away again.


Sarah -
Say what you will about the silly Great and Powerful Oz-like appearance by Rassilon, Borusa's entombment is horrifying. I feel absolutely claustrophobic just thinking about it.


Harry -
It's all in the eyes. Horrible fate. An eternity of living entombment is a chilling prospect.

Sadly for Borusa, no one felt too bad about what happened to him. That leaves our Doctors and their friends to make a big series of goodbyes as the story wraps up. I say "story" but "The Five Doctors" is more of a celebration, a greatest hits or whatever cliché you want to attach to it. This would be one of the first stories I would encourage new viewers to watch, just because it gives you a sampling of all the eras from the first 20 years of Doctor Who.


Sarah -
The story is a bit of an afterthought, which makes sense when you consider all the rewriting Terrance Dicks had to do as actors dropped in and out during the planning. Still, it's a delightful romp and a moment to pause and feel the love.


Harry -
Well, looks like the champagne didn't last very long. Shall we move on to Peter Davison's third and final season?


Sarah -
Final season? It feels like we just got started!


Harry -
I know, it's crazy!

Best Line:
SECOND DOCTOR: "And, er, and who is this?"
BRIGADIER: "That's Colonel Crichton, my replacement."
SECOND DOCTOR: "Ah. Yes, mine was pretty unpromising, too."

BAM! HAHA!

Favourite Moment: Really, every cameo was a favourite.

Lasting Image: The Doctors all congratulating themselves at the end.

8/10


Sarah -
Best Line: There are so many, but I have to go with the closer,

Tegan: "You mean you're deliberately choosing to go on the run from your own people, in a rackety old TARDIS?"
The Doctor: "Why not? After all, that's how it all started."

Favorite Moment: The Second Doctor meeting up with the Brig.

Lasting Images: All the Doctors together!

8/10

Our marathon continues with Story #130: Warriors of the Deep...

Story #123: Arc of Infinity (1983)

Harry -
Welcome to Season Twenty!


Sarah -
Huzzah!


Harry -
I had not watched this story for a long time. The memories I had of it were of the not-so-fond variety, but a rewatch improved my view. A little.


Sarah -
It's no "Time-Flight", which can only be a good thing!


Harry -
"Arc of Infinity" starts off in a different manner than what we became accustomed to in Peter Davison's first season. Here, we find the Doctor travelling with a single companion. The Doctor-Nyssa travelling partnership has been explored in other media, and it's too bad we didn't get more of it on the TV series. As two gentle, sciency types they get along famously as we catch up with them making long overdue repairs to the TARDIS.


Sarah -
I'm going to be a little controversial here, Harry, and admit that I'm not a big Nyssa fan. While I imagine she's someone I would like in person, and Sarah Sutton seems absolutely lovely, Nyssa is just, well, boring. If I'd had a vote on who was going to be written off the show in Season Ninteen, Nyssa would have been my choice. The problem is that she is too much like the Fifth Doctor and it's all just too nice. I've not listened to any of the Fifth Doctor-Nyssa Big Finish stories, but I hope they've found a way to inject something interesting into that relationship.


Harry -
I think Nyssa more than most suffers the problem of writers who didn't know what to do with her.


Sarah -
Always a valid point. In Nyssa's favor, she gets to say "reverse the polarity" while working on repairs.


Harry -
Since we've been watching the stories all in order, we've had a chance to watch the development of Nyssa's character. The conclusion is: there was barely any development to her character. Since re-joining the Doctor on Logopolis, Nyssa has been mostly a tagalong character who asks questions at timely moments, then gets banished or banishes herself to the TARDIS to ride out a big portion of every adventure, especially when it's time for action. A big problem seems to be that Nyssa is described as a child, but played by an adult, so her very persona gets confusing.


Sarah -
I'll have to track down some of the Big Finish audios and report back on her character development.


Harry -
Anyway, while the Doctor and Nyssa make repairs and conduct tests, two alternate timelines play out elsewhere. First, there's a return to Gallifrey, where an unidentified high-collared character is conspiring with a masked figure who targets the Doctor as a conduit for his plot.


Sarah -
Ah, Gallifrey! It wouldn't be the same without the political intrigue, would it?


Harry -
Seems to be all they do there.


Sarah -
The Time Lords having always been a bit disappointing, haven't they?


Harry -
Yeah.  You start to wonder why they kept going back to this.  

Second, there are scenes featuring two backpackers in contemporary Amsterdam, who find an unused crypt where they settle down to sleep the night. This being Doctor Who, these three lines are about to collide.


Sarah -
And things don't look good for the backpackers!


Harry -
Suddenly, an extradimensional entity invades the TARDIS!


Sarah -
Shocking!


Harry -
Suddenly, a freaky bird creature attacks one of the packbackers in the crypt!


Sarah -
Terrifying!


Harry -
Suddenly, the TARDIS's recall circuit is activated, calling the Doctor back to Gallifrey!


Sarah -
And, really, this is just too much!


Harry -
Upon arrival, the TARDIS is immediately impounded by the security commander, one of many familiar faces. There's Commander Maxil, played by the future Sixth Doctor! There's Councillor Hedin, played by the Celestial Toymaker! There's Chancellor Thalia, played by Blackadder's mum! What a cast of characters!


Sarah -
Whatever faults this story may have, the cast is bringing it. And, is it just me, or is Colin Baker bringing an extra helping of the sexy? When he's not carrying that stupid feathery helmet, that is.


Harry -
Sexy Maxil must have struck a note with JNT, considering all he does is march around in every scene.


Sarah -
Perhaps JNT was wondering what he would look like in a clown suit?


Harry -
I'm not sure of one thing: were we supposed to know that the shadowy Gallifreyan was conspiring with Omega? It seemed like a really late reveal. Up to that point, we get a seemingly endless series of clandestine meetings between these two. Yes, they advance the plot in very small stages, but they got very tedious, especially when you know whose voice is behind the Gallifreyan collar.


Sarah -
The plotting scenes are soooooo tedious! Hand acting isn't mysterious -- it's boring.


Harry -
More interesting were the location shots in Amsterdam. Something we haven't really seen since the Doctor and Romana visited Paris. I know JNT was big on these foreign forays. And look who just turned up at the aeroport: Tegan Jovanka!


Sarah -
Hooray! At last! This story can only get better with Tegan around.

I had to laugh when Robin met Tegan at the airport -- he's in an anorak and she's dressed for summer in Ibiza. Janet must have been freezing for that entire shoot, which I imagine she mentions repeatedly on the commentary track. Still, her hair looks fab. I've always loved this cut on her.


Harry -
Short haired Tegan definitely looks better, and Janet Fielding was rocking a similar cut when we met her at Chicago TARDIS a few years ago.


Sarah -
When you've found a good look, you've got to stick with it.


Harry -
Anyway, for all that fuss about getting back to Heathrow, Tegan ended up getting sacked by the airline. With newfound freedom, she's travelled to Amsterdam to meet up with her cousin Colin, one of the backpackers. Only Colin's encounter with the Ergon resulted in him being captured and zombified. He toils away in the crypt, carrying equipment around as part of Omega's plot to return to this universe.


Sarah -
The Zombie Colin scenes really are quite creepy.


Harry -
Colin does a good zombie face.

Meanwhile, the Gallifreyans are s-l-o-o-o-o-w-l-y cottoning on to the fact that a conspiracy is afoot. The mysterious entity is threatening to force its way from the universe of anti-matter, using the Doctor as a conduit. So, the only solution must be to execute the Doctor! Good grief.


Sarah -
Bring out the Bidmead "That's Not Science!" button on this one. So very lame.


Harry -
Nyssa takes matters into her own hands and uses a stun gun on some of Maxil's men. Maxil responds by marchng around some more.


Sarah -
Pistol Packin Nyssa! This may be the most interesting thing she's done this far. More Action-Nyssa, please!


Harry -
Nyssa livening shit up around here. I don't know. Gallifrey has gotten even more boring since the last time we were there.

The three threads of this story took too long to come together, I thought.


Sarah -
Can we go back to talking about Janet's hair?

You know what would have been a great plot twist? If the Doctor left Nyssa behind and dragged Leela and K-9 in to the TARDIS. Someone needs to write that story!


Harry -
A Leela/K-9 cameo would have been very fun.


Sarah -
From a looking-backwards perspective, I did like the scenes where the Doctor and Nyssa dash around Amsterdam looking for Tegan. I imagine they were inserted to justify the location shooting, but they illustrated a point we've made in the past about the current series. David Tennant or Matt Smith would have just waved the sonic screwdriver and found Tegan.


Harry -
...and Peter Capaldi would have done the same, only more angrily.


Sarah -
Which would have made it completely awesome! Still, 80s Doctor had to put in some actual legwork!


Harry -
Did you spot the Dutch kid in the amazing "stars and stripes" knit sweater? That was the best bit of costuming in the entire show!


Sarah -
Which really isn't saying all that much.


Harry -
Well, for all Omega's furious desire to escape the anti-matter universe, and all of Hedin's gullible assistance, neither of them survive the story intact. Hedin gets shot by the Castellan and doesn't get past episode three.


Sarah -
If we've learned one thing on this marathon, it's that the lackey never wins.


Harry -
...and barely ever survives. Omega takes the Doctor's form but only partially materializes on Earth. Almost immediately, he starts breaking down while leading the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa on a merry old jogging tour of old Amsterdam. When Omega is finally cornered, we see the Doctor do something he's seemingly doing more of in this regeneration: he zaps Omega into oblivion without flinching.


Sarah -
Another exciting chase scene, amortizing that location shooting. Back to the anti-matter universe for you, Omega! Threat averted.


Harry -
Kind of a messy, chaotic ending. The local citizens seemed to take it all in stride without a mass panic ensuing. Back on Gallifrey... well, we don't know what happens back on Gallifrey as the story ends before we can find out. And so after being separated at the end of Season Nineteen, the Doctor and Nyssa are reunited with Tegan to start Season Twenty.


Sarah -
Which brings us to my favorite part of the entire story. The Doctor thinks he's done with Tegan and she'll be heading back home:

Doctor: It's been marvelous to see you again.
Nyssa: Indeed. I've missed you. I wish you didn't have to go back to your job.
Tegan: What job? Didn't I tell you? I got the sack. So you're stuck with me, aren't you.
Doctor: So it seems.

Hooray! Tegan is back in the TARDIS!


Sarah -
Best Line:
Zorac: Each and every time the Doctor returns to Gallifrey there's violence.
Hedin: Perhaps it is we who should modify our approach.

Favorite Moment: Tegan tells the Doctor she's back on board for adventures in time and space!

Lasting Image: The Doctor's face when Tegan tells him she's staying.

5/10


Harry -
Best Line: The "so your stuck with me," "so it seems," exchange was the only time I laughed during the whole story, and it was the final line.

Favourite Moment: Seeing so many familiar faces on Gallifrey.

Lasting Image: I agree the Doctor's barely-disguised look of dismay was great, but I'll add the image of the Ergon. I like a good bird monster.

5/10

 


Our marathon continues with Story #124: Snakedance...