Multi-Doctor specials are always at least a little bit goofy, and the first one is no exception. The plot is kind of ridiculous, absurdly overdramatic in places (that mental battle, oof,) and some of the humor relies on overly-simplified shorthand of past Doctors and not their actual personalities. But it’s just fun. It’s the serial that introduced the concept of the Doctor bickering with themselves, and that’s always awesome. So, regardless of its flaws, watching “The Three Doctors” is still a good time.
The Third Doctor, working at UNIT with Jo, comes across a scientist who’s been recording some strange phenomena. But when the scientist disappears and weird monsters start popping up outside UNIT, the situation gets a little heavy for one Doctor to handle. Back on Gallifrey, the Time Lords are alerted to the potentially catastrophic event brewing and work themselves up to interfere as much as they dare: by pulling previous regenerations of the Doctor out of their time streams and sending them to help Three.
General thoughts first. The blobby antimatter monsters are pure classic Who. They’re completely cheap-looking, but they’re also weird and wild and don’t look like anything else, an apt demonstration of classic Who’s imagination and ambition. I like the idea of Omega and love the term “stellar engineer,” but I don’t think the show is entirely successful in the execution here, mainly because Omega is dramatic and extra about everything (I mean, he’s not the captain from “The Pirate Planet,” but he’s closer to that side of the scale without going over-the-top enough to be hilarious.) The concept of the antimatter universe itself comes off better for me, and once our heroes wind up there, it’s neat to see them face the intellectual challenge of how to escape.
Ultimately, though, none of that really matters. It’s all about the three Doctors interacting, more particularly Two and Three. As soon as the Second Doctor bursts exuberantly onto the scene, it’s just a treat to see him again (even if, again, he’s definitely a bit of a caricature of himself, going on and on about his recorder and such.) And Two and Three together? That’s a regeneration match made in heaven. Two’s cosmic hobo routine is a perfect contrast to Three’s more sophisticated sensibilities, and they get on each other’s nerves immediately. But, as will follow in future multi-Doctor stories as well, there comes a point when they start working together through the bickering and getting things done.
One is there too, but since William Hartnell was in pretty poor health at the time, the First Doctor is “caught in a time eddy” to avoid any strenuous activity for Hartnell. Instead, he pops up on the TARDIS scanner screen to offer advice, get his other selves to (momentarily) stop bickering, and be the adult in the room. It’s totally worth it for his less-than-impressed summation of his successors: “a dandy and a clown.” Side note: it’s interesting, here and in other multi-Doctor specials, how the First Doctor has this sort of elevated status with the others. They all kind of look up to him, even if they won’t admit it, and he’s framed as the wisest of the bunch. Now, while that makes sense from the perspective of show writers revering the past, it’s odd in-universe, because despite Hartnell’s age, One is chronologically the youngest Doctor. Rather than regarding him as the sage or the stodgy one, he ought to be the kid who’s only just begun to experience everything that’s out there. /geekynitpick
What else? There’s the Brigadier’s hilarious reaction to seeing Two again (and his very stubborn refusal to believe there’s more than one Doctor on the premises.) There’s Benton’s response to seeing the inside of the TARDIS for the first time, which is a classic. Oh, and there’s Jo quoting the Beatles! All in all, a delight. Not all of it makes sense, but it’s not the sort of story where everything needs to.
No comments:
Post a Comment