Been a while since I did a Classic Doctor Who post. It’s been a
little while since I watched the Second Doctor (doesn’t help that Hulu can’t
stream it anymore) so I’d better write this before I start forgetting
everything. Here we go…
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| The Cybermen prepare to attack in "The Moonbase" |
Season 4
Top Story: The Moonbase
Season 4 episodes are spotty. The only complete story I was able
to watch/listen to was The Moonbase. All the same, it was still a good episode.
In it, the Doctor, Polly, Ben, and Jamie end up in the late 21st Century on a
moonbase. It reintroduced he Cybermen which were introduced in the First Doctor's last story. It showed one of the Cybermen's weaknesses, to a
concoction of chemicals put together by Polly. This story also showed the
Doctor's legitimacy to holding that title, or at least he claims he got his
doctorate in Glasgow in 1888.
Season 5
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| The Doctor once again confronts the Cybermen in "The Tomb of the Cybermen" |
Top Story: Tomb of the Cybermen
Another Cyberman story for the second Doctor. In this one the
Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria end up on an archaeological expedition with a group
of people who are there to excavate the tomb of the Cybermen. However, a couple
idiots in the group want to reawaken the Cybermen and use them. How stupid can
people be? Anyway, I really liked this episode for its tender moments. In one
scene, the Doctor talks to Victoria who has just lost her family and comforts
her with some words including "Our lives are different to anybody else's.
That's the exciting thing! Because nobody in the universe can do what we're
doing." Another fun part of this episode is the interaction between the
Doctor and Jamie. I'd love to see another Doctor/male companion combo like
them.
Flop Story: Enemy of the World
I was excited when this story was recovered a couple years ago,
but when I watched it this year I was as unimpressed. The Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria
end up in 2018 (only a couple years away and the government has fallen apart?
Somehow television is mirroring reality with the upcoming election) and a group
of freedom fighters get the Doctor to pose as a ruthless dictator, who is his
doppelgänger. Honestly, it wasn't that bad of an episode, maybe I just have a
hard time with the six-episode stories. It kind of just dragged on.
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| The Doctor teams up with Lethbridge-Stewart for the first time in "Web of Fear" |
Honorable Mention:
Web of Fear
The Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria end up in a subway tunnel in the
present day (well, 1968, so the present day of the time) and up against the
yetis and the Great Intelligence. It also introduces Lethbridge-Stewart, who
becomes an important part of the Third Doctor era. Despite seemingly defeating
the Great Intelligence here, it appears again in the Eleventh Doctor era...
Though the events of "The Name of the Doctor" may have happened
first. It's hard to tell.
Seasons 6
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| The Doctor and Zoe take the test to meet the bad guys in "The Krotons". |
Top Story: The Krotons
The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe end up on an alien planet where the
smartest and brightest end up being chosen to dwell with the overlords, the
Krotons. In reality, they just get their mental energy drained and their empty
shells dumped out to be destroyed. The Doctor and Zoe easily match up to their
to brightest. As such they're able to take down the Krotons from the inside. I
liked this story as it showed just how well Zoe matches up to the Doctor. It's
nice to see someone who can match wits with the Doctor and then some.
Flop Story: The Dominators
So the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe end up against the Dominators and
their Quarks. They have to get the local pacifists to stand up before their
home is destroyed. I have a high tolerance for cheesy monsters in classic
Doctor Who, but I couldn't even take these seriously. Also, the story was just
hard to get into.
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| The Cybermen invade London for the first time in "The Invasion". |
Honorable Mention: The Invasion
I could have picked "The War Games" here, as it was the
first episode to feature the Time Lords and Gallifrey (though it wasn't named
at this point). However, I picked this one. It's a sequel of sorts to "Web
of Fear", bringing Lethbridge-Stewart back (now Brigadier) to help the
Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe fight the Cybermen. It formally introduced UNIT, which
the Brigadier is now in charge of, which became an regular part of the ThirdDoctor era and a recurring element of Doctor Who ever since.
Second Doctor Companions:
Polly (1st
Doctor) - The Faceless Ones
Ben (1st
Doctor) - The Faceless Ones
Jamie The Highlanders - The War Games
Victoria The Evil
of the Daleks - Fury from the Deep
Zoe The Wheel in Space - The War
Games
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| Zoe and Isobel in "The Invasion". |
Favorite Companion:
My favorite companion was Zoe. It was a toss up between her and
Jamie, but like I said with her in "The Krotons", it's nice to see
someone who can match wits and is possibly even smarter than the Doctor. She
was a nice strong female companion, especially in comparison to some who came
before her including Susan, Dodo, and Victoria.
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| Victoria screams, as she does, in "The Ice Warriors". |
Least Favorite Companion:
On that note, my least favorite companion is Victoria. She didn't
really do anything except scream and freak out. Some of it could be considered
trauma because of what happened to her family, but it didn't make for good
entertainment. Essentially since not a lot of development was shown. The whole
time she was there she seemed to be the same.
That's all for now. Next Doctor Who post coming in a few weeks.
Next week, expect a review of Captain America Civil War. I haven't decided
whether to include spoilers or not.
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| Patrick Troughton, as the Second Doctor, as appeared in every multi-Doctor story, including "The Two Doctors". |
Check out our other Doctor Who features:
- First Doctor
- Third Doctor
- Fourth Doctor Part 1 and Part 2
- Fifth Doctor
- Sixth Doctor
- Seventh Doctor
- Eighth Doctor
- Ninth Doctor
- Tenth Doctor
- Eleventh Doctor
- Twelfth Doctor
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