So. Troughton’s last outing as The Doctor and just the 10 parts to get through…
The episode opens in World War One and we are very quickly given an excellent WW1 atmosphere. The Sergeant Major is a bit silly but all the other characters are great. It reminds me a bit of Blackadder Goes Forth but without the jokes.
The fact that there is some form of alien intent in the background is shown gradually but not shown in too obvious a manner. The odd anachronism appears here and there and we know something is afoot as things develop in a non-Earthly manner.
The cliffhanger to episode 1 is awesome as the Doctor faces a firing squad. This must have been terrifying for kids watching it first time around.
Actually, brilliant cliffhangers seem to be par for the course. I watched the first 4 episodes in one sitting and I only stopped when I did because I had to be up at 6am the following day. Of course I’d seen this story before but every episode had ending had me hooked for the next one.
And so the story rumbles on as we see the different time zones and gradually realise this is not Earth and that soldiers from throughout Earth’s history have been kidnapped and brought to an alien world to fight and to wipe each other out until only the best warriors are left standing.
We learn that this bunch of nasty aliens are being assisted by another renegade Time Lord - The meeting between The Doctor and the War Chief is fantastic. Obviously this is not the first time we have met another Time Lord but it’s the first time the Doctor’s race has been name checked and the first time we see his feelings towards his own race.
The realization of the Doctor that, having defeated the bad guys, the only way he can get all the innocent parties home is with the help of his own people is superb. He knows he is putting himself at risk but does what he has to.
The scenes on Gallifrey (albeit not named) are great. The trial of the War Lord is executed well – as is the War Lord himself. This is a story that oozes Doctor Who mythology and the last episode is spectacular in that regard.
The departure of Jamie and Zoe is heartbreaking. It makes me laugh when people comment on the departure of Donna Noble in nuWho as if the cruel way in which she forgot her adventures with the Doctor was something new. We see it here first as the Time Lords return the pair to their respective times and wipe their memories of all but their first adventure with the Doctor. Jamie therefore forgets about Zoe. People also talk about how Donna developed while she was with the Doctor but the same is true of Jamie. Okay, so he never did stop liking a fight but he’d become a well rounded and enjoyable character. And his reversion to his barbaric self is evident from his reaction to landing back in his own time.
And Troughton himself goes out on an absolute high. Apart from the fact the story itself is so enjoyable, his scenes with his fellow Time Lords – both his judges and the War Chief – are excellent. He really goes out in top form. In a way it is a shame we don't get to see him properly regenerate into Pertwee but the fact of his forced regeneration shows the ruthlessness of the Time Lords.
Massive cast and incredibly ambitious story. The secondary characters are all fantastically played and enjoyable. From the hugely likeable Lt. Carstairs to the hugely creepy War Lord every part seems to be played with relish.
A story of ten parts, it certainly doesn’t feel that long. Cliffhanger after cliffhanger means it never drags. I have a habit of getting irritated by 6 parters but this never drags for me.
I could go on and on about this story. The more I think back on it the more aspects of it there are I love.
Epic story. Simply epic. 10/10.
The episode opens in World War One and we are very quickly given an excellent WW1 atmosphere. The Sergeant Major is a bit silly but all the other characters are great. It reminds me a bit of Blackadder Goes Forth but without the jokes.
The fact that there is some form of alien intent in the background is shown gradually but not shown in too obvious a manner. The odd anachronism appears here and there and we know something is afoot as things develop in a non-Earthly manner.
The cliffhanger to episode 1 is awesome as the Doctor faces a firing squad. This must have been terrifying for kids watching it first time around.
Actually, brilliant cliffhangers seem to be par for the course. I watched the first 4 episodes in one sitting and I only stopped when I did because I had to be up at 6am the following day. Of course I’d seen this story before but every episode had ending had me hooked for the next one.
And so the story rumbles on as we see the different time zones and gradually realise this is not Earth and that soldiers from throughout Earth’s history have been kidnapped and brought to an alien world to fight and to wipe each other out until only the best warriors are left standing.
We learn that this bunch of nasty aliens are being assisted by another renegade Time Lord - The meeting between The Doctor and the War Chief is fantastic. Obviously this is not the first time we have met another Time Lord but it’s the first time the Doctor’s race has been name checked and the first time we see his feelings towards his own race.
The realization of the Doctor that, having defeated the bad guys, the only way he can get all the innocent parties home is with the help of his own people is superb. He knows he is putting himself at risk but does what he has to.
The scenes on Gallifrey (albeit not named) are great. The trial of the War Lord is executed well – as is the War Lord himself. This is a story that oozes Doctor Who mythology and the last episode is spectacular in that regard.
The departure of Jamie and Zoe is heartbreaking. It makes me laugh when people comment on the departure of Donna Noble in nuWho as if the cruel way in which she forgot her adventures with the Doctor was something new. We see it here first as the Time Lords return the pair to their respective times and wipe their memories of all but their first adventure with the Doctor. Jamie therefore forgets about Zoe. People also talk about how Donna developed while she was with the Doctor but the same is true of Jamie. Okay, so he never did stop liking a fight but he’d become a well rounded and enjoyable character. And his reversion to his barbaric self is evident from his reaction to landing back in his own time.
And Troughton himself goes out on an absolute high. Apart from the fact the story itself is so enjoyable, his scenes with his fellow Time Lords – both his judges and the War Chief – are excellent. He really goes out in top form. In a way it is a shame we don't get to see him properly regenerate into Pertwee but the fact of his forced regeneration shows the ruthlessness of the Time Lords.
Massive cast and incredibly ambitious story. The secondary characters are all fantastically played and enjoyable. From the hugely likeable Lt. Carstairs to the hugely creepy War Lord every part seems to be played with relish.
A story of ten parts, it certainly doesn’t feel that long. Cliffhanger after cliffhanger means it never drags. I have a habit of getting irritated by 6 parters but this never drags for me.
I could go on and on about this story. The more I think back on it the more aspects of it there are I love.
Epic story. Simply epic. 10/10.