Patrick Troughton

Patrick Troughton

Ah, Patrick Troughton. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again- it will take something pretty spectacular to unseat him as my favorite Doctor. He is funny, with an elastic face and a slightly manic manner, great comic timing and a talent for impersonations. He introduces the sonic screwdriver. He always has a plan, and half the time it fails completely. He is parental and caring, willing to self-sacrifice, for his companions. He isn’t afraid to get into the action himself. And he quickly unseated Hartnell as my new favorite. A fair-weather fan, I, falling for the charms of whichever Doctor is on my screen? I think not- this fellow will be hard to top. (Note from Andrew, 2012: Indeed, in viewing all the way up through the 22nd year and the 6th Doctor, Troughton has not been topped by the Old Series or the New.)

William Hartnell said that there was only one man he’d trust to take over the role, and I heartily agree with him. Patrick Troughton  is practically the template for everything the Doctor’s become, and definitely the inspiration for the current showrunner, Matt Smith… as well as for Fifth Doctor Peter Davison and Sixth Doctor Colin Baker. He may not have any particular super-powers like Hartnell did- he doesn’t master hypnosis, do vocal impressions, or possess a signet ring… he only shows us a hint of the depth of powers he may possess at the end, assembling his hypercube, and his only ability may well be playing the recorder.

But he is friendly and disarming, yet clever and wily. He left generously, not under a grudging and denying note (despite the character’s protestations), but on a generously accepting note, paving the way for audience acceptance of his successor. He left as he arrived- with humor. My heart is buoyed knowing we shall see him again thrice in specials- to quote David Tennat, the 10th Doctor, “You know what, Doctor? You were my Doctor.” And so, I suspect, you will remain, even after I’ve seen all 11. Or 12. Or ever.

Patrick Troughton, you are the best.

“You can’t kill me- I’m a genius!”

My Top 10 Favorite Second Doctor Moments

10. Naming and playing with ‘Alpha,’ ‘Beeta,’ and ‘Omeega’/Confronting the Dalek Emperor/Declaring the Daleks’ "Final End" (Evil of the Daleks):
All fantastic moments, but all too brief. The Doctor being delighted with Daleks, for once? Having a showdown with an imensly powerful enemy on the Dalek homeworld? Pronouncing final sentence on his greatest foes- their epitaph? How does one choose? I think, if pressed, I would have to go with Alpha, Beeta, and Omeega- and not just from the endless source of bafflement and bemusement that his odd pronunciations elicits.  Whereas the First Doctor’s favored moments for me came from the times when he won the day, had the upper hand, took charge, became the hero the Doctor would eventually be… the Second Doctor is always at his best in my book when he is funny, happy, whimsical, warm, friendly, loving… humanized- (though not human, heaven forbid- don’t string me up, Enemy Within-haters! He isn’t half human! I know!) a different aspect of the Doctor brought to the fore. And in this case, a simple moment of child-like playtime with three members of his greatest race of foes, in turn humanizing them, and seeing the potential for a race of monsters to be truly reformed, the Doctor ceases to be the day-saver, plotter, and schemer for a moment, and simply enjoys his life for a change- something haunted 9th would seldom do (except when “Everybody lives!”) and gloomy, depressed 10th started off doing, but quickly forgot how to do as a mopey, dark, brooding character. And something that every Doctor needs to be able to do, I think, lest the audience get lost in the darkness of the void through which his eternal quest reaches…

9. “Lesterson, listen…” (Power of the Daleks):
While post-regenerative madness wouldn’t hit in full comedic force until the Third Doctor in Spearhead From Space, the Second Doctor still spends much of his first serial in an off-kilter precursor that seems to be practically the inspiration for Matt Smith’s ongoing performance of the 11th Doctor. For much of the time, he simply seems out-of-it, but this moment of slightly-giddy, self-amused repetition- trying to get Lesterson’s attention and then repeating the phrase over and over to himself, to his great amusement, really started to sell the character for me, and was the first glimpse of the ‘funny’ Doctor we were soon to receive.

8. Playing dumb (The Dominators):
It’s a simple bit- believing all inhabitants of the planet they’re conquering to be foolish, idiotic sheep (and rightly so, as it turns out), the haughty Dominators capture Jamie and the Doctor as specimens for testing, to determine their true intelligence level. In order to get them to underestimate him, the Doctor plays along- taking the torments like a confused child, helplessly throwing up his hands and expressing panicked bewilderment at the slightest challenge, even willingly submitting himself to electric shocks to accomplish the ruse, with quite enjoyable results. (Honorable almost-mention – The scene of the Doctor breaking through the tunnel wall into the shaft leading to the planet’s core and catching the bomb as it’s dropped down the shaft at the last minute would definitely make this list… if the cheap so-and-sos that ran the show hadn’t had the whole thing occur off-screen!!!)

7. Treating the symptoms (Highlanders):
The Highlanders, Troughton’s second serial, was a sterling showcase for his comedic talents, offering the Doctor the chance for multiple impersonations, impressions, and comedic bits. Perhaps the best was his German physician, who played on the hypochondria of his captors to convince them they were sick and then crafted all manner of outlandish treatments to incapacitate and disable them, much in the manner of Bugs Bunny. From his insistence that his patient had eye problems, and the sound of a superior (locked in the closet) shouting for help was “All in your head… in your eyes!” to his convincing a lackey that the proper treatment consisted of slamming the man’s head against a desk until he passed out, this was a brilliant comedy sequence that transcended even the reconstruction stills that contained it.

6. Putting Jamie’s face on wrong – (The Mind Robbers):
In the surreal Mind Robbers, surrounded by dozens of great Second Doctor moments, mostly revolving around belief and disbelief (see my review for a full accounting, or, better yet, go watch the serial!), Troughton faces one of the strangest actor-absence plot-points ever devised- Jamie is shot in the forehead by a redcoat and turns into a cardboard cutout, and then his face disappears, replaced by a blank white space- while a pasteboard with a series of mouths, noses, and eyes appears beside it. Responding to this apparent cruel-sense-of-humor-whim on the part of the Master of the Land of Fiction, the Doctor obligingly picks out Jamie’s facial elements and re-applies them… only he gets it wrong, much to his outspoken dismay… and Jamie is played by another actor for an episode (with an uncanny and dead-on impersonation!). Finally, Jamie is shot in the head again (one fears for his long-term odds of survival after his return into history in The War Games), and the scenario repeats itself, this time with Zoe there to guide the Doctor through. After several corrections to his initial choices, Zoe indignantly realizes that the Doctor had done this before, and gotten it wrong. His embarrassed, chagrined shushing is worth the price of admission by itself in what’s already a fantastic serial.

5. Trial (The War Games):
Caught and tried by his people for breaking their noninterference laws, the Doctor gives a passionate defense of his actions, giving a speech about how evil exists in the galaxy, showing and summarizing some of his most notable foes (plus the non-starter Quarks) and pleading for his fate- and then, once sentenced, facing alternating panic at being stuck on Earth and being forcibly regenerated, relief over being able to choose his appearance, annoyance and disgust with the presented choices, and indignant denial as he is finally sent to Series 6B… errrrr… his regeneration… a very strong set of scenes to close out Troughton’s run on the Doctor.

4. “No Victoria, don’t hit me!” (Enemy of the World):
The title practically speaks for itself. In this doubles episode in which Troughton plays the dual roles of hero and villain (The Doctor and the treacherous Salamander), numerous cases of mistaken identity abound. Towards the end, the Doctor impersonates Salamander interrogating Victoria, apparently for a bit of fun- but his sinister façade breaks into the titular cry and a cowardly cringe when Victoria’s ire is raised and she moves towards him threateningly, revealing the true Doctor within. (Honorable mention to the excellent final sequence in which Salamander gets aboard the TARDIS while impersonating the Doctor, the two confront each other, and the climactic final battle- all excellent sequences!)

3. “I was bored.” (The War Games):
In Troughton’s final serial, we received many revelations- the name and nature of his people, the fact that he had stolen the TARDIS, and his motivation for traveling around time and space: boredom. It’s such an off-handed and Doctorish comment that you almost miss the character implications in the humor of the moment. Here, we get an insight into the man we’ve been watching for the last six years- he is a restless wanderer, an explorer at heart, traveling to see the wonders of the galaxy; and also a man of conscience- reading between the lines, it was his people’s policy of non-interference that chafed on him, not a prohibition against travel; the Doctor says it himself later in the serial- There is evil to be opposed in the universe, and someone has to do it. The Doctor could not just sit idly still, watching from a position of great power while tragedy befell those whom his people considered “lesser races” (reminiscent of the Ancients from Stargate SG1)- instead, he had to steal a ship, become a fugitive, give up his home and the incredible powers the Time Lords are shown to exercise, all for the sake of being able to interfere, to help people. And yet he doesn’t seek acknowledgement or recognition- he tries to mask over his noble self-sacrifice with an indifferent “I was bored,” leaving the true implications of his statement to remain unstated.

2. Run to the rescue (Seeds of Death):
A good old fashioned Doctor-to-the-rescue moment, the Doctor realizes, in conversation with the program director, that Jamie and Zoe are missing- and likely headed to the last location that an Ice Warrior was spotted. He takes off running through toxic foam and various obstacles to reach them. While far more a visual moment and difficult to describe here, it’s a real action hero moment for the Doctor- followed by a near-death desperate encounter in the foam, a slapstick chase, and a total Schwarzenegger action sequence with his solar hand-cannons. It’s really a great ‘action’ sequence for the Doctor, and it involves the now legendary element of the Doctor Who mythos so integral to everything: running. “When I say run… run!”

1. Taking the test (The Krotons):
When brilliant-but-naïve Zoe dons a teaching headset on a whim to test her intelligence, and scores highly (qualifying her for a quick death at the hands of the Krotons, to be called into the dark portal of their sinister spaceship as a sort of sacrifice), the Doctor doesn’t even hesitate, immediately donning a headset himself to score highly and follow her in. While the following scene- in which he overthinks things, gets stressed out, and makes mistakes that flunk him the first time around before successfully testing the second time- is funny, the core of this scene is Troughton’s caring, almost parental willingness to sacrifice himself so that Zoe will not have to face her trials alone. He doesn’t blink, doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t have to take a moment to decide- he just acts, immediately, with no question in his mind. This was the moment that made me ‘fall in love’ with this Doctor, a man who cared for his companions like they were his children.

Also, here are a few honorable mentions that didn’t quite make my top 10 list, but I feel are worthy of notation for their distinctiveness:
Passing the test (at the last minute!) from the Ice warriors. The old woman impersonation and various hilarious others in The Highlanders. The alley run from The Invasion. The exercise machine from the Macra Terror (During the ‘Merry old Land of Oz’ makeover sequence, when the Doctor is displeased with how clean and pressed his clothes appear, and leaps into the exercise machine under its owner’s protests to rumple them up). And the whimsical slapstick ‘heist’ abduction and marketplace antics from The Underwater Menace.



So, this is it. The end of an era. Before we go on, I’m going to take a look back at the Black & White series, the era that we’re leaving behind.

It was evenly split between two Doctors- one stern and gruff, the other friendly and goofy- the patriarch and the comedian. We started with suspicions and mistrust, then forged a family- all whilst meeting most of the classic monsters that we know and love today, and struggling to find it’s footing, niche, length, and pacing. Then, the cast changed; the Doctor was rehabilitating a hurting man, helping his two companions to grow to maturity in a grandfatherly mentor role. But soon, both left, and the Doctor tried to get hip with Ben and Polly. Sadly, due to the failing health of William Hartnell, the next change was to the Doctor, not the companions. In a unique and relatively unheard-of maneuver, the main character changed roles whilst remaining the same character, with an in-story explanation. And soon, he gained his own companions- a group of impetuous youngsters in need of a more fatherly guidance, as the Doctor bumbled and stumbled his way through dozens of menacing situations, but always came out on top.

Things tended to look cheaper, simpler, more studio-bound (and often they were), yet this lent a more stylized, more easily accepted fantasy aspect to the show. Effects either looked really hokey, or ultra-slick (like the void sequences in The Mind Robbers). We had only one take available during filming, so performances were rougher, editing was simpler, there were less cuts, less stunts, and less practical effects. Actors often got clumsily written-out for a serial (occasionally a blessing) when they went on vacation (errrr… ‘holiday’) or were sick. 'Future' costumes were often laughable. Companions tended to be 2-3, a male-female mixture, whereas later series trended towards a single female companion. The dynamic was more like a family, and the Doctor was often mysterious and uncommunicative. Aliens were more commonly monsters (with a few exceptions) to be destroyed instead of antagonists to be negotiated with while possessing their own unique point of view. This was the only period with historical, pure educational adventures. It has a charm to it- occasionally a chuckle-able “How quaint!” laugh at the naiveté, but more often a genuine charm and style all of its own.

Even through the course of 6 years (for perspective, almost as long as each of the three long-running Star Trek series ran), you can see major changes in production quality- not only from An Unearthly Child to The War Games, but even from Series 1 to Series 2, and at intervals between. Though the show changed concepts (abandoning the alternating sci-fi/historical and educational concepts, for one thing) and character/theme focuses several times, it always remained true to its concept- something which is about to undergo radical changes in the series to come- and even though far, FAR too much of this era is lost to the ravages of missing episodes and reconstructions, it was an entertaining and rewarding ride. Sometimes it was a slog, but more often, it was a unique insight into the show’s history and a set of stories to be enjoyed on their own merit and qualities, and not as some artifacts of a bygone age. Make no mistake, this was truly a period of classics. In fact, to close out, let me share with you my favorites of this black and white era…

Top 10 BWW Serials
10. Enemy of the World – A brilliant dual performance with a stunning climax, despite being a reconstruction, this is a highlight of the Second Doctor era.
9. The Aztecs – Barbara’s breakout serial, it has a strong story and a great little subplot for the Doctor.
8. The Space Museum – A dull latter half puts this one so low on the list, but a brilliant and spellbinding first episode puts this one on the map as fantastic. Very eerie and cool.
7. The Myth Makers – This is, perhaps, the funniest Doctor Who serial ever written, even in bare-minimum-pictures reconstruction mode.
6. The Rescue – A nice short-and-sweet story that introduces the sweet and innocent Vicki and features a brilliantly cinematographed and well-written climax that is nothing short of epic!
5. Celestial Toymaker – Surreal and unusual, not just a battle of wits, but a series of them- this unique story with a strong villain deserves better than the reconstruction that it has.
4. Keys of Marinus – A brilliant anthology of short-stories with a framing device, this video-game-esque set of quest stories are fast-paced, full of variety, entertaining, sometimes unintentionally funny, and in the case of the jungle, spine-tingling and scary. The first truly stellar serial of Doctor Who.
3. Faceless Ones – What makes this relatively sedate airport-based mystery so memorable, especially when most of it is reconstructed? The great villain effects? The mystery? The characters who make real growth and react reasonably instead of like two-dimensional stock characters? The fact that the story doesn’t spin it’s wheels and re-hash the same developments over and over until the final episode, but keeps moving forward, allowing the Doctor to get proof, gain allies, make discoveries, etc., keeping up a steady sense of momentum? It’s the kind of run-around and try to figure things out move-and-counter-move story I usually detest, but it’s so well-written and well-paced that it never loses energy or interest, and all of the characters feel real, not like video game characters programmed in with 2 or 3 stock responses to any and all actions you might take. No one’s unreasonable, no one’s unyielding in the face of evidence, and everything flows. It’s fantastic!
2. Daleks Master Plan – A true epic in every sense of the word, this one has it all- Daleks, aliens, the Monk (yay!), a volcanic planet, a prison world, the first companion deaths, ancient Egyptians vs. Daleks, invisible monsters, ship thefts, the Doctor in disguise, personal force fields, Varga plants, Doctor/Dalek standoffs, a 4th-wall-breaking Christmas special, and more! It’s more reconstruction than video, sadly, but still eminently watchable, and as a 12-part epic, it doesn’t flag, drag, or snag- it keeps moving and packs every episode brilliantly!
1. The Mind Robber – Surreal and scary, funny and clever, a masterpiece of mood (seriously, if you made me write this blog without using the words “Moody,” “Atmospheric,” “Fantastic,” or “Brilliant,” it’d probably fall apart overnight), filled with excellent concepts, exciting set-pieces, great showdowns, wonderful humor, fake-Jamie, and just all-around weirdness and awesomeness… plus that first episode’s psychotically scary and bizarre moments in the white and black voids, and that volcano opening- this is one NOT to miss!



This list was almost impossible to narrow down to 10. Here are some very close honorable mentions- unfortunately, most seem to be the Second Doctor’s, suggesting that while I prefer him as a Doctor, Hartnell had the superior scripts:
Fury from the Deep – If it wasn’t a reconstruction, it might bump something else off!
The Invasion – Great villain, just a little bit slow to make the top 10.
Seeds of Death – This was closest to staying on the list; it’s really fantastic, but the middle drags just a tad. Still, that ending…!
Highlanders – A decent story with some fantastic performances and a comedic showcase for the Doctor... rendered snooze-worthy by being a reconstruction. If Troughton’s hilarious impressions were in video, this might just top the list!
Tomb of the Cybermen – It was really solid. Great serial. The others just had an extra zing to put them over the top that this didn’t, for me.
Evil of the Daleks - The first half drags a bit for me, but this one is truly epic, filled with fantastic concepts, characters, and confrontations!
The Web Planet – In a so-bad-it’s-good way, it’s hilarious to watch in its awfulness. Top 10 most entertaining list? Yes. Top 10 best list? Not a chance.
The Time Meddler – A great ending, and a great foil- if he and the Doctor had more screen time together, this would be a top 10. As it is, that’s one of the reasons that Dalek Master Plan is, instead.
The Chase – The Chase has its moments (see that blog) and a greatly fun concept, but it lags and is sort of unfocused. Still highly recommended!

...As is the entire 60s monochrome era... do yourself a favor and go check it out!

Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death

Serial Title: The Seeds of Death
Series: 6
Episodes: 6
Doctor: Patrick Troughton 
Companions: Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines), Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury)


Synopsis:
The Moon, in the LATE 21st CENTURY- STOP THAT!!!- the Moonbase (not the Moonbase from “The Moonbase,” though perhaps its forerunner?) This lonely outpost is the coordinating and relay system for T-Mat, the global teleporter system that we saw being pioneered in The Dalek Master Plan. (Possibly). A ship docks, and from it emerge a combat squad of Ice Warriors, who take over the base! Heroic leader Osgood sabotages the controls, preventing them from taking T-Mat, and they kill him for it. Cowardly Fewsham values his life above all else, however, and gets to work on invalidating his superior’s (in every sense of the word) sacrifice by repairing the controls in exchange for an extended lifespan.

When Earth control loses contact, Commander Radnor, head of T-Mat, and his assistant, Controller Gia Kelly, become concerned. After some attempts to rectify things for the globally crucial Moonbase, they hit upon a crazy idea- seek out Professor Eldred, an eccentric old scientist who has always opposed the T-Mat project and instead heralds an outmoded and abandoned form of transportation: rockets. Perhaps he can design one to shoot them to the moon to go and repair the base? However, when they arrive, Eldred is already entertaining visitors: The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe, who have just materialized in his museum. In the ensuing conversation, we learn that Eldred has already been building a rocket for himself, and the Doctor convinces them to put he and his companions as the crew- along with Eldred, who is needed on Earth, he is one of the few people in this futuristic world to understand the operation of rockets.

The Rocket launches as Earth’s cities begin to experience critical shortages. The T-Mat is briefly repaired by Fewsham, and Controller Kelly takes a team up to the Moonbase just before the system goes down again. Meanwhile, Phipps, one of Fewsham’s coworkers who refused to aid the Ice Warriors, has escaped, and takes down one of the Ice Warriors with a solar energy trap, a power cell rigged to vaporize the alien. Kelly escapes her new Ice Warrior captors and meets up with Phipps, as do Zoe and Jamie, upon arrival- however, the Doctor is captured and exposed to the poisonous gas of a ‘seed’, one of which is T-Matted down to London control; these are the Ice Warrior’s invasion tools, which will spread a fungus which depletes oxygen- killing humans and terraforming Earth to be more like their native Mars. The seed is followed by an Ice Warrior, who assaults the Weather Control Bureau and takes control of it.

Fewsham is order to T-Mat the Doctor into space, but secretly transports him elsewhere within the base, instead. Then, the T-mat breaks again, for some reason. With the unconscious Doctor safe, the TARDIS group, Kelly, and Phipps decide to attack the Ice Warriors by turning up the heating. On a mission to the control room, Phipps is killed (poor guy), and Fewsham musters enough backbone to delay an Ice Warrior and allow Zoe’s escape. He then repairs the T-Mat again, and, while the Ice Warriors are incapacitated by the heat, sends all of the survivors back to London- but stays behind, knowing the consequences of his traitorous actions await him back on Earth. Instead, once the Ice Warriors get the heat down, he activates a video link and allows everyone on the planet to hear the Ice Warrior’s plans: They plan to use the Moonbase to transmit a signal to guide in their invasion fleet. Once this trick is discovered, Fewsham is killed.


The recovered Doctor discovers that fungus can be destroyed by water- the teraforming can be halted if they make it rain. Zoe and Jamie set out on their own for the Weather Control Bureau, and when the Doctor learns that they’ve gone, and that it is where the Ice Warrior is, he runs off to their rescue. Though locked outside with growing poisonous fumes (while a murderous Ice Warrior chases Zoe and Jamie inside), he manages to get inside soon enough to lead the Ice Warrior on a chase and eventually replicate Phipps’ solar energy weapon, destroying the warrior.

A plan to launch a satellite to serve as a new temporary T-Mat hub is co-opted into converting the satellite into a beacon, replicating the Ice Warriors’, to lead their fleet astray. The beacon is launched, though drowned out by its real Moonbase counterpart. The Doctor, a portable rigged version of the solar weapon in hand (and draped over his back and shoulders in a messy tangle of cables and wires), T-Mats up to the Moonbase to disable the real beacon. After dispatching several ice Warriors, he attempts to do just that, the steady, rhythmic beeping signaling impending doom- but the Ice Warriors thwart his attempts before he can succeed. The arriving fleet hails Slaar, the Ice Warrior leader (Yeah, now I give you his name, at the END of the synopsis)... cursing his name, as his beacon has led them all to fly into the sun! A triumphant Doctor reveals that while he couldn’t shut off the beacon, he did disconnect it from the Moonbase transmitting antenna- the slow, rhythmic beeping of the functioning beacon that they can hear can only be heard in that room, leaving the airwaves outside free for the decoy beacon to lead the fleet astray. As his explanation finishes, Jamie T-Mats up to follow the Doctor and dispatches the remaining Ice Warriors, and the invasion is ended.


Review:
The Seeds of Death is a variation on the Invasion-of-an-isolated-base theme, even returning to the moon as a location, but it is a very fresh and original take on the notion- as the story starts, the invasion has already occurred, and our heroes have to reach the base and besiege it themselves in order to take it back. There’s a man in hiding that you're rooting for, interesting characters on the ground, a weaselly little traitor who you're just begging to receive his comeuppance, and a rocket trip to boot! This one has it all!

It starts with a very cool opening graphic- the flare of the sun being eclipsed by the surface of the moon, with the camera then emerging on the other side of the moon to see the Earth hanging into space. To keep things moving, each of the 6 episodes alternates mirroring the same shot, adding variety to an already impressive graphic- each also ends up either moving behind the moon to focus on the Earth, or moving behind the Earth to focus on the moon- depending on where the story is taking place.

The Ice Warriors make their grand return- just as obnoxiously cruel as before, but at least a bit more interesting this time- goofy and lumpy save for their leader, who sports a more streamlined design with some great face makeup. (And their supreme leader, who sports a Michael Jackson styling). Their annoying, scratchy, hissy voices are at least a break from the standard flanging voices of the Cybermen and Daleks (Old Who had a talent for vocal variety) and, though somewhat grating, are a memorable trait for the warrior race. Their compression-ray weapon effect, while sometimes slightly off-center and missing the mark, is visually striking and very unique- I'd love to see a New Series update in which (like the Dalek rays) the effect happens only to the individual and not the whole shot- that would be the height of absolutely awesome. Combined with a unique weapon sound, it conspires to make the Ice Warriors an incredibly memorable race- unlike their first appearance, this one was probably the one that cemented them as a fan favorite in the Doctor's rogues gallery- though hopefully future appearances will be a little less noxious. Even so, some great moments- like the Ice Warrior silhouetted against the sun, advancing menacingly- or the fantastic cliffhanger in which one advances menacingly on Zoe, herself a silhouette (holy cow, what a cliffhanger that was!)- definitely leave a striking impression on the memory. Likewise for the solar energy beam trap that dispatches several Ice Warriors- the classic Who photo-negative combined with some excellent and effective editing (I can't imagine how much of a pain that must've been to edit in the non-digital film-splicing era!) making for an excellent payoff death-scene to culminate a series of tense hunts; the sheer spectacle of it brings a triumphant emotional cap to the respective scenes it climaxes- very, very well done.

Sharing co-villain status in this film is... foam. Errr... didn't we do this already? It feels a little repetitive to Fury from the Deep, but the usage in this one- especially rising in lethal, suffocating waves as the Doctor pounds on the door to the weather control station- as well as the fact that we saw very little of Fury from the Deep in video form- work together to keep the foam menace from feeling stale.

That said, characters are the strength of this serial- from the crotchety old professor who still believes in rocketry (though is absurdly contrary and negative- "Stop handing me the means to realize my dreams on a silver platter, blast it- it'll never work!!!"), the self-sacrificial and heroic moon base leader, who sabotages the controls and then smugly turns to inform the Ice Warriors that they've blown a circuit- knowing full well he is likely about to be killed for his actions in protecting the Earth, the crew chief and his efficient and no-nonsense second in command, the man left behind (who, for whatever reason in his writing, is kept interesting and a compelling character- as opposed to the standard stock generic crew character- so that you really, truly do care about what happens to him and whether he survives- kudos to the writers!) and even the weaselly little traitor, that pathetic subhuman scum who negates the commander's sacrifice and practically dooms Earth with the plaintive plea of "They would have killed me otherwise!" (Then die, you repulsive scum-! Show some backbone and take it like a man, rather than putting your life above every other person on Earth's.) Still, even the loathsome toad gets some measure of redemption- though his sudden decision to self-sacrifice and clever information transmitting don't begin to make up for his detestable actions, they do offer him some measure of humanity and a chance to rectify his attitude in the end. So, while I can hardly call him a hero in the end- more a traitor whose guilt finally gets the better of him for his heinous crimes- he at least does something heroic in the end.

This story was chosen to represent Troughton’s Doctor on the 40th Anniversary collection… and I can see why! The Doctor is a relatively subdued presence in this one until the last few episodes… but then he becomes a gung-ho action hero- the Doctor running to Zoe and Jamie's rescue was AWESOME, and his action-hero bit on the satellite... well, the Doctor literally blows an Ice Warrior away with his weapons, and directs a battlefleet into the sun- a somewhat more bloodthirsty Doctor than we're used to from the New Series! Still, it's an awesome aspect to his character- a gung-ho, take-charge Doctor on the warpath! Plus we have slapstick (an in the chase), problem-solving, and genius… a lot of all-around character aspects! Some very impressive stuff... oh, how I shall miss this Doctor...

Zoe has a great scene with the map-in-her-head, bringing her smarts to work, and Jamie has some nice comic relief, especially when the Doctor is trying to locate the door controls as an Ice Warrior advances menacingly (a tense and exciting scene, trapped in the weather control station), and Jamie reaches over to try the most prominent- turning off the lights, instead. His sheepish just-trying-to-help response and the Doctor's irritated "No, Jamie!" really made for a great comic relief moment- one gets the impression that the Doctor is tiring slightly of Jamie's technological ignorance. But, as always, his heart's in the right place and he's trying, so all is forgiven.

There are plenty of centerpieces to enjoy- from the aforementioned Doctor action moments to the comic chase scene in the moon base (with some great slapstick moments for the Doctor) to the rocket liftoff… it’s just conceptually really cool. And while the shots of the rocket with the Earth receding behind are perhaps more ambitious than they could actually achieve (the focus is off, and the stars end at a certain point, leaving just empty black surrounding them), they are nice ‘conceptual eye candy.’ The episode-ending Rocket flyby was a pretty good model shot, too. The satellites look good, and the locator signal plan (with the Doctor cutting the previously established moonbase-power to the transmitter, leaving the signal apparently going to those in the control room, but not transmitting beyond) was a clever and exciting story element. They make a game attempt at simulating weightlessness on a budget of $0, too. (Actually, the fact that the apparently low budget of this series- circumvented by re-using the Ice Warrior costumes, and evidenced by the relatively few sets in this serial- allowed for a serial of this scale is impressive. Krotons had to trade costumes for sets, and Dominators apparently had to trade new Quark costumes for being interesting, but this one thrives remarkably well during the restrictions!)

Okay, there were a few flaws- there’s only a single manual control panel without backups for the entire weather-control system of planet Earth? What the heck happened with that beaming-the-Doctor-into-space bit? The T-mat effect is lackluster to say the least (a simple jump cut that usually suffers from lighting fluctuations). The idiot who runs away from cover and out into the open instead of ducking behind said cover when an Ice Warrior points a gun at him. And clearly another actor-vacation as the Doctor is out for a good long while after exposure to the seed pod. But still, these flaws are few and far-between in an otherwise engaging invasion story… which is a surprising rarity amongst the many invasion stories of the Second Doctor’s run.

(Also, while I can’t take credit for noticing this- the wiki pointed it out- the T-mat technology in this episode may well be the same technology system being tested in the Daleks Master Plan, making the Doctor the first T-mat passenger, there at its birth and its re-imagining here…)

While Seeds of Death isn’t the character masterpiece that Krotons was, it’s filled with engaging characters (main and supporting), a strong story, a fine showcase for the Ice Warriors incorporating many unique and memorable elements, and some really nice story twists, effects, and cliffhangers. Plus, the Doctor gets to play action hero. Really, this is one not to miss.


Great moments:
The heroic commander. Rocket launch. Springing the trap on the Ice Warriors. The Zoe cliffhanger. And many more- most especially, the Doctor running to the rescue.


Rating:
4.5 out of 5 Bickering Dominators for the invasion-done-right story of the Seeds of Death, which, despite a few small shortcomings, manages to entertain, engage, and even surprise- one can only imagine what the teleporter/rocket/model-heavy episode (with supposed globe-spanning invasion) could have been with a modern FX budget to truly capture the scope that its script implies! Even so, what’s there, on a character and personal level, is very, very good- another highly recommended adventure from the Second Doctor’s era, and one of the few high recommendations that can actually be watched in full motion!

Plus, the original title of this serial was “The Lords of the Red Planet,” which is a title so cool that it bestows points on the serial even though it was never used.

Doctor Who: The Krotons

Serial Title: The Krotons
Series: 6
Episodes: 4
Doctor: Patrick Troughton 
Companions: Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines), Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury)


Synopsis:
The best and the brightest of the Gonds’ newest graduating class are congratulated by being sent to be with the Krotons, alien visitors from space who benevolently watch over them. Only, unbeknownst to the public at large, the Krotons really just sending them out into the desert and then killing them with acid. The TARDIS lands on this unnamed planet in this unspecified time (it’s getting worse), just in time to save one of this years’ crop, Vana, and reunite her with her boyfriend Thara, who already suspected something was up and tried to prevent her departure.

The Gonds are shocked to find out that their alien visitors are actually their slavemasters, who have been keeping them in servitude by executing their most intelligent pupils every year and keeping the populace dumb. They also control Gond education with machines- which a band of angry Gond youth then begin to smash apart. As they barely escape Kroton retribution, naïve Zoe dons one of the teaching helmets to test her intelligence. She scores well- marking her for death. The Doctor quickly dons another headset and scores highly in order to follow her, and the two are forced into the Kroton spacecraft, beyond which lies the acid jets. Before being sent out to their deaths, they are brought into a control chamber, where a mind-draining device awaits them; the Doctor manages to circumvent it, ensuring that they aren’t reduced to vegetables as the soon-to-die Gond students are each year. The bypassed device, which converts mental power into energy, is still able to take sufficient power from their intelligence (far higher than the meager pickings of the Gonds) to carry out a portion of its function- two crystalline Krotons are constituted out of a base-chemical slush, their version of suspended animation.

The reanimated Krotons note that the escaped Zoe and the Doctor were not Gonds (something their auto-computer wasn’t smart enough to recognize) and decide to recapture them, starting by capturing Jamie. Meanwhile, the Gonds engage in some Strife & Politics (I can’t use my acronym because they aren’t villains). They eventually decide on acid, a forbidden branch of learning, as the optimum course of action, with the Doctor’s help. Eelek, the security chief, and Beta, a scientist, spearhead this effort- while Selris, current leader, hesitates and waits. No problem, though, as Eelek gets himself elected new leader. (See? Strife & Politics). Eelek then plans a frontal assault that Selris deems suicide- Selris goes to Beta and formulates a plan to attack support pillars beneath the Kroton ship instead.

The Krotons believe that they destroy the TARDIS, but the HADS (Hostile Action Displacement System) preserves it, and Jamie escapes to join his friends. The assault of the Gonds draws a Kroton out, and Eelek sells out the Doctor and Zoe, who the Kroton demands, in exchange for getting the aliens to leave. Selris dives under the closing door to deliver the first completed bottle of acid, and is killed for his troubles. (Eeeek! Leaving that skunk Eelek the leader? Dang, Selris got robbed!)

As the Doctor stalls the Krotons with doublespeak, Zoe pours the acid into the crystal slush tank, poisoning the Krotons, who also use it as a sort of lifeline/air tank. Simultaneously, Jamie and Beta pour great vats onto the Kroton ship from a towering cliff, and it begins to dissolve. The Krotons are defeated (though not destroyed; they apparently can’t be), and Thara (Selris’ son, and Vana’s lover) ascends to the leadership position as Eelek is booted out in disgrace.


Review:

The Krotons is possessed of an odd, misshapen narrative structure. The plot is a bit simplistic (Bad guys demand sacrifice- which I totally saw coming- then Doctor and Zoe go inside, then they escape but Jamie is inside- he escapes as the others make a weapon to stop the bad guys, Doctor and Zoe go in again to sabotage, the end)- due to this story being a hastily written replacement for another cancelled story (the real shock, all things considered, being that the wreck known as “The Dominators” WASN’T a hasty replacement, and that it actually SURVIVED cancellation!) For whatever reasons, its sets and costumes remind me of the Underwater Menace and its Atlantean civilization - but the villains have unique, creative, and very cool designs reminiscent of the mysterious and equally cool Tholians premiering around the same time in the US on the original Star Trek. Their outfits and design, with the spinning crystals, are very well-designed and realized- though the bottom, which is clearly just a draped choir robe of some sort, lets the rest down a little bit. (Apparently, this series had budget problems, meaning that, per the Wiki, the producers found “that the budget would simply no longer stretch to the creation of large numbers of convincing alien costumes and environments (or even of much incidental music - hence the dearth of this, particularly in the first few stories).” This is one of the few exceptions, with a wild new alien creature design- which accomplishes this by having very few sets, and very simplistic ones for the sets it does have). So, pluses and minuses. More minuses than pluses. But, we haven’t hit the character bits yet…

The TARDIS crew have a few nice moments- saving the girl from the disintegrator spray, the holding-the-chain mental attack, and the Doctor and Zoe's comedic bumbling to buy time for the 'poison' to take effect. Other than that... well, it was only 4 episodes instead of 6, but it felt like it could have been 2 or 3. It was pretty forgettable.

However, it did provide a bit of character insight. As Zoe once again naively dons the teaching helmet in order to further prove her academic smarts/increase her knowledge, and the Doctor takes her to task for it, I realized that this was Zoe's character, which I'd been missing- brilliant, but not smart. Highly developed in power but poorly developed in wisdom and maturity. A naive genius. That's not what I got from her introduction, so it's been tainting my understanding of who she was supposed to be. This doesn't make her absurd naivete in The Invasion any less absurd, but it does explain it- and as a character concept, it works well. Retrospectively, it explains a lot, really.

The Doctor, meanwhile, has an excellent and very heartwarming moment shortly thereafter where he dons the headset himself to place himself into harms way and potential disintegration so Zoe won't have to face it alone. It's a very loving, almost parental moment of self-sacrifice, and something that I don't think the First Doctor would have done, even at his most tender. It's a telling and humanizing moment that really reveals the depths of this Doctor's care for his companions, who in the youthful and not-entirely-wise Jamie and Zoe, are almost like his adopted children. It's a wonderful moment for his character, and most definitely made me 'fall in love' with this Doctor anew- Three through Eight will have to do something quite spectacular indeed to topple Troughton from being my favorite Doctor. (Note from Sarah: Troughton is definitely my favorite and will continue to be.)

This is followed up by a wonderful scene in which the Doctor, so stressed out about wanting to help Zoe, can't solve the simplest equation because he's distracted, and then, after he succeeds, begins gloating that he scored higher marks than Zoe as the two begin bickering about it... it's a wonderful bantering byplay in which both the writing and the actors shine- that scene overall in the halls of learning is really a true gem amidst an otherwise fairly-forgettable serial, and an outstanding moment for both the Doctor and Zoe that makes me incredibly sad at how close their impending loss is.

(Speaking of the hall of learning, when the young rabble-rousers are smashing it up... I'm guessing we weren't supposed to see the bank of lights on the front fall off, revealing that they were just a facade on a flat board stuck onto the blank front of the machine...?)

Jamie is gallant and noble in this one, and also pretty darn clever- if I don't consider this one an episode where he fairs well, it's probably simply because he has far less screen time than the Doctor/Zoe tag team, who kind of get the spotlight. Still, Jamie is caring and brave in this one and puts up an excellent showing of moral character that does him great credit to compensate for his lesser screen time... it's ironic, then, that an episode so relatively simplistic, mediocre, and skippable should be such a strong character showcase for all three of the leads.

There are a few good strong characters among the supporting cast- the tradition-bound leader, devastated to realize the tradition of murder he's played a part in enforcing, and determined to do the right thing sacrificing himself in a last-minute dive through the door that's as impressive in its athletic prowess as it is in its noble self-sacrifice, to deliver the Doctor and Zoe the crucial component needed to defeat the Krotons.

The leader's son, a headstrong and brash young man willing to fight his entire graduating class to protect the woman he loves- like the New Series' "Big Bang" in which the Doctor offhandedly proclaims to Rory, cradling his fiance's nearly dead body, that "Your girlfriend isn't more important than the universe," to which Rory hauls back and slugs him, and declares with a fervor the character had never even shown before, "Yes SHE IS!", this moment gave me a warm glow in my heart- for all the filth and nonsense about relationships, romance, and physical consummation that we're fed by media these days, it always warms my heart to see love- true, sacrificial love- being showcased as the noblest and best of all priorities... which I truly believe it is.

And, of course, the unflappable and determined chemist, who comes off more annoyed than anything at being expected to save the world without proper time to prepare, and completely uninterested in the fact that he may blow himself up in the creation of acid, simply getting down to business and making it happen as Jamie frets and worries in the background- he's a fun character, a serious role with a comic edge of irony- his reaction to the fantastic, in such a deadpan and accepting manner, makes for an instantly likable fellow.

Last, but not least, we get an introduction to the HADS (Hostile Actions Defense System), a TARDIS feature I strongly suspect we'll never see again. However, it's brilliantly introduced with the phrase "That only happens when I remember to set the HADS"- smoothly explaining away why we've never seen it before and may never see it again, hinging it on a character quirk of the Doctor's- his absentmindedness and forgetfulness making the perfect excuse. Subtly clever and hilarious simply because it works so well.

Despite earlier statements, I would not recommend skipping this one- the last complete Second Doctor serial, of the time of this writing (February 2011) not to have a DVD release planned yet. Its story is simple and threadbare, but it's short (so it won't grate too much even if you find the story dull), and the fantastic villain designs and very strong character moments make this one WELL worth watching despite its weak plots, as it's one of the best character pieces in the Second Doctor's run.


Great moments:

For probably the 50th time… the Doctor’s instant and selfless sacrifice to help Zoe. The Doctor and Zoe’s delays. The Doctor’s annoyance at the HADS and its inconvenient placement. The unflappable chemist. The umbrella rescue.


Rating:
3.5 out of 5 Bickering Dominators for the Krotons and the first true TARDIS 'family'- here, in the shadow of the countdown to regeneration, to color, to UNIT, and an Earth exile- here, at the end of an era... the Black and White classic Doctor Who shows us what it's made of, in the weakest and least-likely story possible, and makes us truly realize what we'll be sacrificing for the move to a more 'modern' Who.

To borrow a quote from Matthew Stover's PHENOMENAL (really, go check it out!) novelization for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, "This was the Age of Heroes... and it had saved its best for last."