Rating: Summary: Three truly is the magic number! Review: This adventure marked a great deal of significance for Doctor Who in many ways. This adventure marked the 10th Anniversary of the program, and also brought together Jon Pertwee with Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell, the two previous actors to portray the Doctor. The adventure itself was extraordinary, as it involves Omega, one of the founders of the Time Lord society, living in a universe of Anti-Matter that lies within the confines of a black hole, driven mad by the long years of isolation, out for revenge against the Time Lords (believing that he was abandoned). His powers are so great that the time bridge he creates (a frightening blob of ooze) threatens to tear apart the very fabric of the space-time continuum. In order to put a stop to it, the Time Lords break the first rule of time and allow the Doctor to help himself... literally. by removing his previous selves from their timestreams temporarily to assist the present incarnation. This was a delightful adventure indeed. Upon seeing Patrick Troughton reappear out of midair to retrieve his recorder from the hands of the Third Doctor is simply priceless, and their bickering was also a highlight. And also of great importance was the appearance of William Hartnell. Although he was suffering from an illness that prevented him from being there on the set, he did provide a great deal through brief pre-recorded segments that would appear on the time scanner. My favorite part was when the two Doctors see the first Doctor on the screen, and Jo asks them both who that was, to which they both simultaneously reply, Me! then look at each in anger and say again in unison, ME! this truly is a classic and a must have for Doctor Who fans, for at the end, the adventure also marks the end of the Doctor's exile. get a copy of this and you'll see what I mean.
Rating: Summary: Everything comes in threes. Review: When I want an opinion from you I will give you one! That basically sums up the situation in this Doctor Who adventure. As most of your readers will know by now, the BBC, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the show decided to reunite all of the actors who had played the lead role since the show's inception. Alas, the first Doctor William Hartnell, was stricken by a long and debilitating illness and was unable to play much of a part in the proceedings but to his eternal credit he did participate and made a memorable contribution showing just why he was chosen as the Doctor in the first instance. Although the story introduced a number of elements of Timelord / Gallifrey mythology which added to the plot the main concern was the interplay between the three Doctor Whos. The villain, a larger than life nothing as it turned out pre-empts another Galliferyian renegade in the Brain of Morbius. Here his main job was to provide an opponent who was much stronger than the Doctor. The combination of the three Doctors together is a masterstroke. Despite being debilitated by his illness, William Hartnell produced a marvellous performance although limited to brief sequences. The use of modern television techniques as well as colour helped to illuminate his Doctor as never before, brining in to question the whole idea of what Doctor Who would have been like had it been introduced in the 1970s. Despite that level of performance, for me the characters of the second and third Doctors interacting together was the highlight of the adventure. Patrick Troughton endeared himself to many with his pouting and sulking in reaction to Jon Pertwee being arrogant and condescending. Not only did they bring out the worst but also the best in each other. Mention should also be made of the supporting cast who were often relegated to minor positions. The long suffering Brigadier, clearly at a loss with the Doctor to begin with was all at sea with two. This was truly a fitting testament to everyone involved in Doctor Who and must be considered to be one of the classics of the show.
|