Doctor Who Twitch Watch: recommendations of the day 06/06
By James Aggas
Jamie and Zoe face mysterious robots in The Mind Robot.
(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: BBC Press.)
We get three more Troughton stories on Twitch today, all from his final season. But is today’s run of stories as strong as yesterday’s?
Before I begin my usual discussion of the day’s classic Doctor Who stories on Twitch, I should make an apology. Yesterday, the stories I covered were Tomb of the Cybermen, The Ice Warriors and The Enemy of the World.
However, only two of these turned out to be correct – The Ice Warriors wasn’t broadcast, due to two missing episodes, and The Web of Fear was shown instead. (Which has one missing episode, so it was surprising to see it included, but not Ice Warriors.)
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I had based my preview on the scheduled list from the official Doctor Who website. (Not to mention the fact that The Ice Warriors had been heavily featured in Twitch’s trailer for the Second Doctor era.) So I was quite surprised to find out it had been changed.
The reasons I need to apologize are as follows. Not only did I inadvertently give incorrect information in the last Twich post. I also didn’t get a chance to report on how amazing The Web of Fear was before new viewers got to check it out.
Seriously, it’s just a brilliant story. It’s wonderfully atmospheric, with plenty of low lighting and a dark tone.
The sets are fantastic (particularly of the London Underground, which were so convincing that the BBC were accused of filming on the actual locations illegally).
And it’s brilliant to see the Yeti in such an ordinary environment. Not to mention the fact that it featured the first appearance of the Brigadier! (Or Colonel rather, at least in his first appearance.)
I hope many of you got to enjoy yesterday’s selection of stories. Especially as today’s run isn’t quite as strong.
Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: BBC Press.
The Dominators
The Dominators gets Patrick Troughton’s final season as the Second Doctor to a bit of a poor start. While the serial is memorable for giving us cute mini-robots the Quarks, that’s the only reason it’s memorable.
Overall, everything else about this story is very dull. Even at five episodes, it feels very padded out, and the Dominators come across as rather generic villains. They’re supposed to be rulers of several galaxies, but nothing about them stands out.
The same is equally true of the people of Dulkis. (Which seems like such an appropriate name, considering the first syllable.) They’re supposed to be sympathetic as people that have sworn the ways of peace.
But again, most of the time, they just come across as generic. Their leaders are so ineffective, they might as well be holding a huge sign saying, “Invade here”.
There’s also some rather peculiar casting. The character of Cully is supposed to come across as young and reckless. So it’s rather odd that they cast someone who looks closer to middle-aged than a teenager in the role.
Overall, this is definitely one of the more forgettable stories of the Troughton era. Thankfully, the story it leads directly into is much more interesting…
A clockwork soldier, one of the many strange sights that the TARDIS crew encounter in The Mind Robber.
(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: BBC Press.)
The Mind Robber
I adore The Mind Robber. It’s one of those stories that’s absolutely bonkers, and it’s brilliant because of it.
It’s just so incredibly imaginative. Writer Peter Ling uses a lot of famous characters and stories, like unicorns, minotaurs and classic heroes of literature. And then he combines all of these ideas into one of the strangest Doctor Who stories ever written.
But he also includes plenty of completely fresh ideas, too. One in particular makes up for the lack of availability for Frazer Hines, who plays Jamie. If you haven’t seen it, I won’t spoil it, but it’s certainly original.
Out of all of the black and white stories, The Mind Robber is definitely one of the most colorful. In some ways, it’s different to your typical Doctor Who. There’s no alien invasion to defeat. No journeys into the past or the future. Just a very strange world that the TARDIS crew find themselves in.
At the same time however, it’s also exactly the kind of story that Doctor Who loves to tell. It’s different, strange, funny, and in some parts, just mad. It’s also a fantastic watch.
A Kroton.
(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: BBC Press.)
The Krotons
The Krotons is one of the earliest stories by Robert Holmes. While it’s not exactly one of the weakest, it’ll still be a while before he becomes one of Doctor Who‘s greatest ever writers.
The Krotons has some interesting ideas. Particularly an alien race that feeds off the mental power of its victims, rather than on the physical.
Like the Quarks in The Dominators, the design of the Krotons themselves is distinctive, and definitely of its era.
As monsters, they don’t really stick out on their own terms, though. Certainly, they don’t come across as frightening as some of Holmes’s later creations, such as the Autons or the Wirrn.
The Krotons is one of those stories in Doctor Who that’s neither brilliant nor terrible. While considerably more interesting to watch than The Dominators, it’s still an average story from Troughton’s era.
Overall recommendation of the day: The Mind Robber
Out of these three choices, it’s easily The Mind Robber that stands out. A highly original story while using elements and characters from across the whole of fiction, The Mind Robber is one of Troughton’s best.
Certainly, it’s one of the most fun to watch. After all, what other story would give you Rapunzel and robots in the same scene? In fact, what other show would ever give you such a bizarre sight? This is a perfect example of why so many of us enjoy Doctor Who in the first place.
Next: Class returns on audio with Seventh Doctor companion Ace!
If you’re watching the Troughton era for the first time on Twitch, how have you found it so far? If you’ve seen all three stories before, which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.