1)Looking for a way to celebrate the show's tenth anniversary, Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks decided to act on the fan suggestion of having the three Doctors meet, an idea which was unfortunately hampered by the fact that William Hartnell was suffeirng from severe arteriosclerosis, and was thus unable to fully take part in the program, being limited instead to a few short scenes in which he is somewhat obviously reading from cuecards. It's kind of sad, although there are one or two moments where he shows something of his old fire. On the other hand, there's alot of good interaction between the Second and Third Doctors - the fact that Troughton and Pertwee had such different acting styles added some genuineness to the friction between their characters. I also especially liked the scene at the end where the Doctor regretted what he had to do to Omega.
2)Doctor Tyler was played by Rex Robinson, in the first of his three Doctor Who roles.
3)The Gell Guards were kind of lame.
4)I did like the Brigadier's reactions to seeing the Second Doctor again, and his first look inside the TARDIS. The scene at the end where he salutes the Doctors was very nicely-played.
5)Stephen Thorne was quite good as Omega - the "mask removal" scene was quite chilling. Apparently, he's still alive and hearty - take note, Mr, Moffat!
6)The end result of the story is the rescinding of the Doctor's exile as a reward by the Time Lords. Apaprently the Letts/Dicks fac-gime had never liked the idea of the Doctor being "Earthbound" and were happy enough to undo it. I tend to agree - while I enjoyed the UNIT setting, it had tended to become somewhat repetitive.
7))Some fun quotes:
- "So, you're my replacements, a dandy and a clown?"
- "...As vulnerable as those we are pledged to protect." Since when were the Time Lords "pledged to protect" anyone? I thought they were all about non-interference.
- "Keep it confused, feed it with useless information. I wonder if I have a television set handy?"
- "So this is what you've been doing with UNIT funds and equipment all this time?"
- "Care for a jellybaby?" A pre-Tom Baker jellybaby sighting!
- "I've always had a great respect for his advice."
- "I'm fairly sure that's Cromer."
- "Three of 'em. I didn't know when I was well off."
- "Wonderful chap - both of him."
- "I shudder to think what you'll do without me." William Hartnell's last words as the Doctor. He died three years later.
8)Cliffhangers:
- Episode One: The Third Doctor and Jo disappear!
- Episode Two: UNIT HQ disappears!
- Episode Three: The Third Doctor battles the goofy dark side of Omega's mind!
- Episode Four: Mister Ollis wants his supper!
Overall:
Not bad - a bit creaky in parts, and not what it might have been had Hartnell been a bit healthier, but all-in--all a justifiable anniversary exercise.
[Part of list of Doctor Who episodes here.]
Replies
You left off 2 of my favorite Three Doctors quotes:
1. "Liberty Hall, Dr. Tyler. Liberty Hall."
2. Me: What do you get when you cross a dandy with a clown?
The Baron: A dandiclown.
{OK, the 2nd one is really just Who-related, but it's still one of my favorites.}
This was my first exposure to the Second Doctor and (I think) the first First, too. It's fairly weak story-wise, but it's awfully fun.
"the fact that Troughton and Pertwee had such different acting styles added some genuineness to the friction between their characters"
It's kinda like watching THE RAVEN, where Boris Karloff is trying to follow the script, but Peter Lorre keeps improvising (while Vincent Price just manages to go along with whatever the others are doing).
"Apaprently the Letts/Dicks fac-gime had never liked the idea of the Doctor being "Earthbound" and were happy enough to undo it."
It's kinda bizarre, when you think about it, that producer Derrick Sherwin was the one who cast Jon Pertwee and set up the whole new format, but only did ONE story before handing it on to the incoming team. 5 years later, Barry Letts cast Tom Baker, but on the other hand, he didn't really change the format. That he left up to Philip Hinchcliffe & Robert Holmes.
I keep wondering how the show might have gone if JNT & Eric Saward had both left after Colin Baker's 1st story. (AND HOW I WISH THEY BOTH HAD!)