Rating: 
Summary: A WEAK "DOCTOR WHO" ADVENTURE
Review: "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)
Rating:
Summary: A WEAK "DOCTOR WHO" ADVENTURE
Review: "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)
Rating: 
Summary: A Fatal Curse for Two Doctors...
Review: BBC Video continues to turn out the quarterly releases of the Doctor Who back catalogue on DVD and the latest pairing brings two stories from the latter years of the series lengthy broadcast run. Although technically featuring stories from two different eras of Doctors (and featuring a third in a guest role) both The Two Doctors and The Curse of Fenric come from the very troubled final years of the show's 26 year run when even the fans found it hard to find favor with their hero's antics and the general viewing public made it clear that they could care less!The Two Doctors was unfortunate enough to be on air when the show was famously cancelled by the BBC, albeit to return 18 months later in a revised and truncated format. Perhaps it is for this reason that this story is not that highly rated, but in all honesty it's more likely to be that the adventure was typically symptomatic of everything that seemed to be wrong with the production at this time. The first six part adventure to be made and broadcast since 1978, this lengthy story was in fact broadcast in three double-length episodes at the beginning of 1985 in the first full season to feature the controversial sixth Doctor, played by Colin Baker. I've always believed that Colin had the personality and charisma to be a very, very fine Doctor indeed and had he followed Tom Baker and not Peter Davison, things could have been very different for him. As it is, his characterization was horribly misconceived, as was his truly appalling costume and he successfully alienated the very loyal and devoted fans of the show and the general public alike. By the time The Two Doctors was on air, one third of the audience had switched off from the start of the season and the BBC was naturally looking to see why. They blamed the violence enveloping the show and watching this story, they wouldn't be far wrong. Written by probably the greatest writer ever associated with the show, the late, great former script editor Robert Holmes, this story had so many elements that could have made it a success, but was completely let down by some gratuitous violence, grisly, unnecessary deaths and far too complex a plot. Even the return of one of the show's most popular incumbents, second Doctor Patrick Troughton and his popular sidekick Jamie were unable to save the show. More's the pity since Troughton died the following year and this is hardly a fitting tribute to his contribution to the show. When the program did make it back on to air in 1986 it was a shadow of its former greatness and although it staggered onwards for another four seasons, the death knell was never far away. The Curse of Fenric comes from the very end of the show's run and is possibly the greatest example of everything that was wrong with the production at the time. Essentially, from day one, the production team had always worked with their backs to the wall, with never enough time or budget to achieve what they were striving for, and yet, in 26 years, they'd always managed to find entertaining and popular stories that worked against all the odds. The Curse of Fenric was simply a mess. A good mess; a promising mess; but a mess nonetheless. It's staggering to think that a professional TV producer would pull together a script that was so incredibly complex and essentially unworkable under the show's format and then be surprised that the material couldn't be worked into the show's slot. It's only thanks to home video and DVD that we can now see the show how it was intended, which rather ignores the fact that it is a TV show intended for a much wider audience. The DVD set contains the four episodes as they were transmitted (itself a first for home video) plus a (second) attempt to restore all the deleted material and re-order the scenes to make more sense. Certainly it does just that, but I'm still baffled 15 years after it was made and I doubt it will ever truly make sense! Thankfully the writer has recorded a long explanation of how his story was meant to be. Thanks, but that doesn't and didn't help the viewers of BBC1 back in 1989! But as always with the Doctor Who DVD's, it's the extras that make these releases so worthwhile, regardless of the quality of the stories themselves. With the Two Doctors there are all sorts of goodies, including a great commentary from the main cast and director and all sorts of out-takes, behind the scenes information and (perhaps unwisely) a lengthy piece by the producer's ex-partner explaining at length how they unnecessarily set the story in Spain so as to get some fabulous vacation time for themselves. Oops! The Curse of Fenric commentary from Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and Nicholas Parsons is also highly entertaining and the extras on this two-disc set certainly prove most interesting, even it is all a bit long winded. Doctor Who was never very good when it took itself too seriously. The fans love all the in-jokes and references to the past. But it hardly works for the general viewer who simply is baffled because they didn't see the story from last season that ties into this, or can't remember something from 10 years ago that drives the whole plot. Sadly, that's what Doctor Who in its final years was all about. At least these discs go someway to making it a little clearer!
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't get any better than this.
Review: Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton in a grand adventure! It has everything one could want with characters, old friends, numerous companions, Doctors, enemies aliens, you name it, it's one of my favorites, smack dab in the middle of one of the finest seasons in the history of the show. In addition to this, I recommend, Vengeance on Varos and Mark of the Rani as well. Also, when it comes out as part of the Dalek two pack, Revelation of the Daleks.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Surprise!
Review: For quite some time I have been reluctant to watch any Doctor Who stories that featured any other Doctors after Tom Baker.I was not happy with what I had seen with the 5th Doctor (Peter Davison). I thought I would give this story a try since it featured Jamie and the 3rd Doctor. I was glad I did! I enjoyed this story so much! It was chocked full of Doctor Who's magic sense of humor. Humor is what I think sets this series apart from most Sci Fi shows. I discovered that I actually enjoyed Colin Baker's version of the Doctor. Give this DVD a try if you were skeptical about the value of watching any post Tom Baker Doctor Who stories
Rating: 
Summary: Far too long.
Review: I must admit, The Two Doctors was dissapointing. At three forty-five minute episodes long, it is at times boring. The plot is exausted at this length. Patrick Troughton makes a welcome return appearance, as does Frazer Hines. The location filming in Spain is nice but does little for the plot. The Sontarans are introduced far too early in the story (and why they've all grown beards is a mystery). Also, it is nearly impossible to forgive the Doctor for murdering Shockeye (unless pushing Cyonide in his face was an accident). On the whole, a painfully confusing but watchable story. END
Rating:
Summary: one of the few Good Colin Baker stories
Review: I won't spend a lot of time on the plot see the official stuff or the BBC Doctor Who website for that as this is the Aired version. As usual the real gems of the DVD are the extras. Including a neat little period clip of Colin Baker and Janet Fielding (as Tegan of the 5th Doctor Era) along with a lucky young fan called in a fix with the Sontarans. Great fun. Also on the disc for fans of the show are Numerous long scenes of Raw footage- both location and studio that not only show how Good Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant could be but how much friction was on the set with JNT and the higher ups.
as always the commentaries are not to be missed and tell you a lot about the actors personal memories and the relationships they shared.
This one is worth it
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best.......
Review: If memory serves me right, the TARDIS never materialized in Kitchen Stadium. However, by the time the 2nd Doctor rattles off a list of unusual Earth recipes in Part Three of "The Two Doctors", and mentions Brillat-Savarin, and when Shockeye wonders if shepherd's pie contains actual shepherds... then it's surely no coincidence that the story's villain, Chessene, is wearing a metallic silver gown of the type often worn by Chairman Kaga. "The Two Doctors" is the best story of Colin Baker's abbreviated tenure as the Sixth Doctor. The episode was written by Robert Holmes, one of DW's top scribes, and therefore contains literally pages of quotable dialogue -- and that's just in Part One. The story contains the superfecta of "Doctor Who" tradition: the over-the-top villainness (Chessene), the quotable henchman (Shockeye), the duped human stooge (Dr. Dastari), and the prolonged gory death, complete with green ooze (Stike). Not only that, but, being the longest "DW" story completed in the 1980s (not counting "The Trial of a Time Lord"), there's a multi-layered plot which improves with age. Consider that I'd always thought the reappearance of Holmes's own Sontaran enemies in "The Two Doctors" to be a bit of a time-waster. With this viewing, however, I realized that both Sontarans are well-acted, with witty dialogue -- and, more importantly, their shaky alliance with Chessene allows for, as the Doctor observes, "a double-double-cross". They don't waste time at all. Indeed, by story's end, of the seven major guest characters, all but one are dead. Similar to Holmes's previous script, "The Caves of Androzani", only a woman survives. To call this the best Sixth Doctor TV story may come as faint praise, but it's impossible to overstate Patrick Troughton's importance to the affair, in his Second Doctor swan-song. Strapped to a table for most of Part Two, Troughton still gets about 9 memorable quotes off in the first 9 minutes of Part One, and has a terrific turn as an Androgum gourmand in Part Three. Also notable is that the story's climax is interrputed so that the 2nd Doctor and Shockeye can drive into Seville (Spain) for a lunch that costs, in 1984 terms, $233 US. No-one pays the tab. Also welcome is the return of old companion Jamie (Fraser Hines), who picks up the part after 15 years as if he hadn't missed a day. Teamed up with the vintage cast, both the 6th Doctor and Peri (Nicola Bryant) are at their most appealling. The best facet of Baker's tenure as the Doctor was his line delivery, and Holmes feeds him several zingers which he reads with obvious relish (pardon the pun). Some great clowning, also, as the 2nd Doctor defends himself against Shockeye with a cucumber, and the 6th Doctor later brandishes a banana. The addition to Time Lord mythology is interesting (and sets up the Time Lords as the selfish villains they'd become in later TV shows and books). Less welcome for me was the 6th Doctor's sudden embrace of the "healthy vegetarian diet", although this part of the character would thrive for another 15 years; and his unsubtle dig at Christopher Columbus (who, if memory serves me right, is interred in Seville). You can also tell that the Seville restaurant scenes were originally scripted for more food-friendly New Orleans, before budget concerns intervened -- witness how the 6th Doctor stages a mock arrest of his earlier self, by reading the Miranda warnings. To quote the 2nd Doctor in Part Three... "Oh, my giddy aunt. Oh, crumbs!"
Rating:
Summary: Doctor Who versus the Iron Chef
Review: If memory serves me right, the TARDIS never materialized in Kitchen Stadium. However, by the time the 2nd Doctor rattles off a list of unusual Earth recipes in Part Three of "The Two Doctors", and mentions Brillat-Savarin, and when Shockeye wonders if shepherd's pie contains actual shepherds... then it's surely no coincidence that the story's villain, Chessene, is wearing a metallic silver gown of the type often worn by Chairman Kaga. "The Two Doctors" is the best story of Colin Baker's abbreviated tenure as the Sixth Doctor. The episode was written by Robert Holmes, one of DW's top scribes, and therefore contains literally pages of quotable dialogue -- and that's just in Part One. The story contains the superfecta of "Doctor Who" tradition: the over-the-top villainness (Chessene), the quotable henchman (Shockeye), the duped human stooge (Dr. Dastari), and the prolonged gory death, complete with green ooze (Stike). Not only that, but, being the longest "DW" story completed in the 1980s (not counting "The Trial of a Time Lord"), there's a multi-layered plot which improves with age. Consider that I'd always thought the reappearance of Holmes's own Sontaran enemies in "The Two Doctors" to be a bit of a time-waster. With this viewing, however, I realized that both Sontarans are well-acted, with witty dialogue -- and, more importantly, their shaky alliance with Chessene allows for, as the Doctor observes, "a double-double-cross". They don't waste time at all. Indeed, by story's end, of the seven major guest characters, all but one are dead. Similar to Holmes's previous script, "The Caves of Androzani", only a woman survives. To call this the best Sixth Doctor TV story may come as faint praise, but it's impossible to overstate Patrick Troughton's importance to the affair, in his Second Doctor swan-song. Strapped to a table for most of Part Two, Troughton still gets about 9 memorable quotes off in the first 9 minutes of Part One, and has a terrific turn as an Androgum gourmand in Part Three. Also notable is that the story's climax is interrputed so that the 2nd Doctor and Shockeye can drive into Seville (Spain) for a lunch that costs, in 1984 terms, $233 US. No-one pays the tab. Also welcome is the return of old companion Jamie (Fraser Hines), who picks up the part after 15 years as if he hadn't missed a day. Teamed up with the vintage cast, both the 6th Doctor and Peri (Nicola Bryant) are at their most appealling. The best facet of Baker's tenure as the Doctor was his line delivery, and Holmes feeds him several zingers which he reads with obvious relish (pardon the pun). Some great clowning, also, as the 2nd Doctor defends himself against Shockeye with a cucumber, and the 6th Doctor later brandishes a banana. The addition to Time Lord mythology is interesting (and sets up the Time Lords as the selfish villains they'd become in later TV shows and books). Less welcome for me was the 6th Doctor's sudden embrace of the "healthy vegetarian diet", although this part of the character would thrive for another 15 years; and his unsubtle dig at Christopher Columbus (who, if memory serves me right, is interred in Seville). You can also tell that the Seville restaurant scenes were originally scripted for more food-friendly New Orleans, before budget concerns intervened -- witness how the 6th Doctor stages a mock arrest of his earlier self, by reading the Miranda warnings. To quote the 2nd Doctor in Part Three... "Oh, my giddy aunt. Oh, crumbs!"
Rating:
Summary: Doctor Who versus the Iron Chef
Review: If memory serves me right, the TARDIS never materialized in Kitchen Stadium. However, by the time the 2nd Doctor rattles off a list of unusual Earth recipes in Part Three of "The Two Doctors", and mentions Brillat-Savarin, and when Shockeye wonders if shepherd's pie contains actual shepherds... then it's surely no coincidence that the story's villain, Chessene, is wearing a metallic silver gown of the type often worn by Chairman Kaga. "The Two Doctors" is the best story of Colin Baker's abbreviated tenure as the Sixth Doctor. The episode was written by Robert Holmes, one of DW's top scribes, and therefore contains literally pages of quotable dialogue -- and that's just in Part One. The story contains the superfecta of "Doctor Who" tradition: the over-the-top villainness (Chessene), the quotable henchman (Shockeye), the duped human stooge (Dr. Dastari), and the prolonged gory death, complete with green ooze (Stike). Not only that, but, being the longest "DW" story completed in the 1980s (not counting "The Trial of a Time Lord"), there's a multi-layered plot which improves with age. Consider that I'd always thought the reappearance of Holmes's own Sontaran enemies in "The Two Doctors" to be a bit of a time-waster. With this viewing, however, I realized that both Sontarans are well-acted, with witty dialogue -- and, more importantly, their shaky alliance with Chessene allows for, as the Doctor observes, "a double-double-cross". They don't waste time at all. Indeed, by story's end, of the seven major guest characters, all but one are dead. Similar to Holmes's previous script, "The Caves of Androzani", only a woman survives. To call this the best Sixth Doctor TV story may come as faint praise, but it's impossible to overstate Patrick Troughton's importance to the affair, in his Second Doctor swan-song. Strapped to a table for most of Part Two, Troughton still gets about 9 memorable quotes off in the first 9 minutes of Part One, and has a terrific turn as an Androgum gourmand in Part Three. Also notable is that the story's climax is interrputed so that the 2nd Doctor and Shockeye can drive into Seville (Spain) for a lunch that costs, in 1984 terms, $233 US. No-one pays the tab. Also welcome is the return of old companion Jamie (Fraser Hines), who picks up the part after 15 years as if he hadn't missed a day. Teamed up with the vintage cast, both the 6th Doctor and Peri (Nicola Bryant) are at their most appealling. The best facet of Baker's tenure as the Doctor was his line delivery, and Holmes feeds him several zingers which he reads with obvious relish (pardon the pun). Some great clowning, also, as the 2nd Doctor defends himself against Shockeye with a cucumber, and the 6th Doctor later brandishes a banana. The addition to Time Lord mythology is interesting (and sets up the Time Lords as the selfish villains they'd become in later TV shows and books). Less welcome for me was the 6th Doctor's sudden embrace of the "healthy vegetarian diet", although this part of the character would thrive for another 15 years; and his unsubtle dig at Christopher Columbus (who, if memory serves me right, is interred in Seville). You can also tell that the Seville restaurant scenes were originally scripted for more food-friendly New Orleans, before budget concerns intervened -- witness how the 6th Doctor stages a mock arrest of his earlier self, by reading the Miranda warnings. To quote the 2nd Doctor in Part Three... "Oh, my giddy aunt. Oh, crumbs!"
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