The Three Doctors is a historic story in the history of Doctor Who. For the first time, all three actors who have played the Doctor appear on screen together at the same time. Well I say at the same time, Pertwee and Troughton appear on screen at the same time, Hartnell is just on the scanner due to being quite ill at the time so this is technically two and a half Doctors. As an anniversary story it had to be something special and yet without Hartnell in it more than he is and without anything else that made the show successful such as Daleks or Cybermen or the Master. The story sees people disappearing and its connected to a ‘light stream’ that leads into a Black Hole. At the end of the Black Hole is Omega. The story does have a fair amount of comedy but it manages to keep it in the foreground just underneath all the main stuff. The bickering between the second and third incarnations was a bit of comedy. However it subsided at just the right time. Then there is the stuff with the Brigadier, Benton and Doctor #2. Troughton
Omega in this story is very impressive. From his grand reveal to the mask itself, the character of Omega is a great creation sadly his effectiveness is reduced in Arc of Infinity. Omega was abandoned and feels let down by the Timelords even though he is considered a hero by the Third Doctor, its not enough for Omega who feels he should be treated as a God. Stephen Thorne as Omega is a great theatrical characters. There are problems with the story. The Anti-Matter monster is a bit poor. To be fair it uses pretty colours but that’s the best that I can say about it. Also the Gell creatures are also a bit naff, they waddle at such a slow pace that its hard to believe that anyone could find them scary. You could flee from them at a reasonable pace.
The most impressive sequence for me in the entire episode was in part three/four where the Doctor is fighting Omega’s champion in his mind. Very well thought of and directed. The creature that is playing Omega’s champion in his mind is very creepy and wouldn’t look out of place in The Talons of Weng-Chiang. The fact that there is nothing colourful in the background and its being done in slow motion manage to pull something dramatic out of it. The cliffhanger is particularly impressive.
Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton do a good job leading this story. Pertwee as the current Doctor gets the best stuff which is only right yet Troughton is rubbished or talked down to. His contribution is just as good as Pertwee’s. It’s a bit sad having Hartnell in this story. Dumped on a flight of stairs in a dark corridor. It was only a couple of years before his death and this proved to be somewhat of a swansong for him. At least all four episodes of his final story exist unlike The Tenth Planet. People like Katy Manning, Nicholas Courtney and Ian Lavine all take a backseat roll and are left to ask the questions.
The Three Doctors is a great tribute to Doctor Who. Bob Baker and Dave Martin have made up for the slightly dull ‘The Mutants’ with a story that has everything you would want. The best thing I can say about it is that it shows that you don’t need the Daleks or Cybermen or the Master to make something special. Just having the main actors and a really strong villain is or you need. With the show just two years away from its 50th Birthday it would be nice to have a similar story using the surviving Doctors. This story is far better than what would be used to celebrate the show’s 20th Birthday.
Omega in this story is very impressive. From his grand reveal to the mask itself, the character of Omega is a great creation sadly his effectiveness is reduced in Arc of Infinity. Omega was abandoned and feels let down by the Timelords even though he is considered a hero by the Third Doctor, its not enough for Omega who feels he should be treated as a God. Stephen Thorne as Omega is a great theatrical characters. There are problems with the story. The Anti-Matter monster is a bit poor. To be fair it uses pretty colours but that’s the best that I can say about it. Also the Gell creatures are also a bit naff, they waddle at such a slow pace that its hard to believe that anyone could find them scary. You could flee from them at a reasonable pace.
The most impressive sequence for me in the entire episode was in part three/four where the Doctor is fighting Omega’s champion in his mind. Very well thought of and directed. The creature that is playing Omega’s champion in his mind is very creepy and wouldn’t look out of place in The Talons of Weng-Chiang. The fact that there is nothing colourful in the background and its being done in slow motion manage to pull something dramatic out of it. The cliffhanger is particularly impressive.
Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton do a good job leading this story. Pertwee as the current Doctor gets the best stuff which is only right yet Troughton is rubbished or talked down to. His contribution is just as good as Pertwee’s. It’s a bit sad having Hartnell in this story. Dumped on a flight of stairs in a dark corridor. It was only a couple of years before his death and this proved to be somewhat of a swansong for him. At least all four episodes of his final story exist unlike The Tenth Planet. People like Katy Manning, Nicholas Courtney and Ian Lavine all take a backseat roll and are left to ask the questions.
The Three Doctors is a great tribute to Doctor Who. Bob Baker and Dave Martin have made up for the slightly dull ‘The Mutants’ with a story that has everything you would want. The best thing I can say about it is that it shows that you don’t need the Daleks or Cybermen or the Master to make something special. Just having the main actors and a really strong villain is or you need. With the show just two years away from its 50th Birthday it would be nice to have a similar story using the surviving Doctors. This story is far better than what would be used to celebrate the show’s 20th Birthday.
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