Doctor Who: The Two Doctors

Like many Whovians, I've always harbored a dislike for Colin Baker's portrayal of the Doctor. Abrasive, argumentative, and rude, it seemed as if this Doctor was a throwback to his original incarnation. While being crotchety seemed to fit the elderly William Hartnell and added to his charm as Doctor Who, in the younger Colin Baker the effect was rather off-putting.

However, I have to say that in retrospect, the lad was actually pretty darned good. I've picked up a few of Colin's adventures on DVD, and have come away with a new appreciation of his take on the Doctor.

The Second Doctor and Jaime visit a space station on behalf of the Time Lords. Some scientists have been tinkering with a time machine, and the Time Lords are concerned. However, the Sontarans attack and capture the Doctor and the prototype machine with the help of the station's director. They plot to use the Doctor's DNA to enable them to complete the time machine and travel in time. Enter the Sixth Doctor and Peri, who try to recapture the Second Doctor and save Time itself from the Sontaran warlords.

The story is rather inventive in "The Two Doctors", although the Spanish locations are kind of a waste since the show could have been shot just as easily in the UK. The installment was somewhat disappointing in that the cannibalism angle was never fully explained or exploited, and the 45-minute episode length works against the best concepts of the show. There also seems to be a spot of meanness (so common to the Colin Baker era), as one of the minor characters gets murdered pointlessly. The Doctor himself steps way out of character and takes a life in a somewhat glib manner.

Still, we have Patrick Troughton, and even in the padded parts, he makes the show a joy to watch. The villains are somewhat entertaining, as well, and the locations are pretty.

As for extras, there are two segments of raw footage (one in the studio, one on location), that give the viewer an idea of how the show was put together. Another segment recounts the difficulties encountered in finding suitable locations not only for the story, but for those interested in the industry. There's also a nice retrospect of Robert Holmes' work on Doctor Who, which is a loving tribute to the late writer by his co-workers on the show.

The best part of this set is the segment where a young Who fan gets his wish and becomes part of a new, mini-Who adventure with Colin Baker, the Sontarans, and Teagan aboard the TARDIS, complete with impressive floor effects. I love this segment for three reasons; first, it was very, very well-done work. Second, the kid proved to me that Colin's Doctor had fans, as evidenced by his costume, patterned after Colin's, and made "by his Nan." Third, and best of all for me, was Colin's Doctor talking smack to Teagan and pointing out what a mouthy, sour, pain in the neck she was. Teagan is the one companion that grated on my nerves to the nth degree, and one which I've always heartily despised, so full marks to whoever wrote the segment, and for Colin, apparently acting "from the heart."

Oh, and if all of that were not enough, let's not forget Patrick Troughton's second Doctor (along with companion Jaime) making a triuphant return to the series. That alone is worth the price of admission.

Overall, this is a surprisingly well-packed DVD for the Sixth Doctor, generally known as being the least-loved. If, like me, you never really cared for Colin Baker as the Doctor, you may want to try this one out. You just might change your mind.

One nice quality about DVDs is one get to see the actors as people than characters which can help lighten one's perspective towards the character they played. I for one thought Colin Baker got a bad rap. The story itself was meant for New Orleans not Spain and the macrabe nature of the story fits New Orleans better than Spain. The aliens would be more recognized as a take on Zombies which is a wonderful concept of magnifying zombies as a new super race being a bad idea so a wonderful take on blind leadership. There are also some nice homages like the "Madeleine Cluster" which Madeleine was a character from Robert Holmes Second Doctor missing adventure "The Space Pirates" and the Spanish music a nice touch. The story would have been less offensive if the Zombie cannabalism was in the proper atmosphere but it sticks out as going too far as a form of gross out than homage to a culture where it was suppose to be shot so some of the bad taste comes from the homage being out of context. As to acting everyone is in top form and the acting is excellent. This story is better than it has been given credit for. Once one realizes why it seems in bad taste it becomes less offensive. It was also a nice bonus to see "A Fix With Sontarans" which although short was well done as were other bonus features but the ones on filming rushes are best left after watching the commentary which some not into filming sequences may want to give a pass on; best for those into that sort of thing. "The Two Doctors" is better than it is given credit for but the change in setting does make some of the story seem in bad taste and like all Zombie based ideas not for everyone's plate to feast apon. Bon appittete! Enjoy if you can.

"The Two Doctors" is the third and final multi-Doctor adventure, as Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor must travel to 20th Century Spain to save Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor from the hands of the Androgums, who want his symbiotic coding to give to the Sontarans so they can use their own time machine as a weapon against their mortal enemies, the Rutans.
The great plot of "The Two Doctors" is weakened by Robert Holmes' slightly rediculous script (A Surprise, since Holmes has been responsible for such greats as "The Krotons" and "The Talons of Weng-Chiang"). The story suffers from such ludicrous touches such as:
-Shockeye's obsession with wanting to taste the flesh of a human;
-The Doctor's killing of Shockeye (which is more like the Terminator than the Doctor), and;
-The numerous scenes of violence, including a number of stabbings, Sontaran blood, and Chessene licking the Doctor's blood off her hands.
However, the great talents of Baker, Troughton and Frazer Hines as Jamie, the Second Doctor's Scottish companion, make up for a lot, and this adventure is good on that strength alone!
The DVD is great as well, with a humorous commentary and a great documentary on Robert Holmes.
Despite it's flaws, "The Two Doctors" belongs in anyone's collection of "Doctor Who" adventures!
Program Grade: B (4 Stars)
DVD Grade: A- (5 Stars)
Overall Grade: B+ (4 Stars)