DOCTOR WHO-In Defense of the Twin Dilemma

 Gosh. I should really save this response when this topic comes around next week again. I LOVE TWIN DILEMMA. It's really a VERY traditional DOCTOR WHO story. Wrapped in a new idea: that haunting idea of being trapped in the TARDIS with a manic Doctor. Colin does great and has some of his best scenes manic and not. The death scene of his mentor is one of the best in the entire series. Peri, never a great innovative character after the likes of Leela, Romana 1 and 2, Adric, Nyssa and K9, was bland but here, she takes charge, shows fear realistically and shows her command of the twins. The twins: okay, acting aside, they had a nervousness and a calmness at the same time that showed how unique they were. I liked it. I even wished that there would be unmade ideas and missing stories as Peri and the Doc try to take them back to Earth...but anyway. The aliens looked far better than most aliens in DW and the ideas were just fine. Fan theory says this story is bad its one of Colin's best AND the only other fully decent one is MARK OF THE RANI. The rest all had more issues than this did. As for CAVES, it's over rated and still okay and fine but it is more like a nasty BLAKE'S 7 and has THAT badly executed monster as well as a PHANTOM of THE OPERA vibe, which really isn't that innovative or different. The ending with Colin saying, "I am the Doctor whether you like it or not" and Peri smiling is TERRIFIC. I LOVE THIS STORY! Saved for next time this comes up (probably in a week from now).

1

 

Okay, a few things out of the way first. I first saw Colin Baker in DW Monthly

in a pic. I thought, this guy looks gay and there's nothing wrong with gay but

he looked...pretty fem...and there's nothing wrong with that either. But to me

he just didn't look like THE Doctor and to me the Doctor was not fem. At least

not in any of his previous regenerations or whatever. That's how I felt at the

time. I was proved wrong because I think he was a good Doctor. I also think he

had the worst luck of any actor playing the Doctor because of many reasons. I

think he had the worst scripts (at least up to TIME AND THE RANI and PARADISE

TOWERS), I think he was saddled with a script editor who was in over his head

and who ran out of ideas, saddled with a producer who also had few ideas left

and was more concerned with promotion and drawing in big name guest stars, and

with directors who knew less about the show than all of them did. When Colin

asked, during TRIAL, what his motivation was supposed to be, no one could answer

him and that's bad. Yet, on screen, he really tries...and tries hard. He's

almost never terrible...at times, he's bad but not terrible or horrible. I'd say

TIMELASH marks his worst performance but most of the other stories show him in

great form.

 

Colin impresses right away in this story. I also don't...and I have to get this

out of the way...I don't understand how any fan of DW can find SO much fault

with this story. Yeah, it has faults. Yes, some of the actors are inexperienced

but, folks, this is DW, none of that is new. Some people compare it to CAVES and

say there's such a big difference in story and execution...well, gang, this is

the same show that has THE AZTECS surrounded by THE KEYS OF MARINUS (at least

one of the brain monsters in the jar has antenna that remind me of Mestor) and

THE SENSORITES.

 

Truth is: THE TWIN DILEMMA is very much a traditional DW story. I also can't

understand how, and this is a strong statement: how anyone who does not like

this story likes any DW at all in any  great chunks. Well, perhaps chunks is the

wrong word. The story has two kids in it. Okay, that's new. But is it? DW is

really a show that was made for children. Everyone gets crazed when I write that

but it's true. There's always a bit of child in almost every DW story, except

maybe CAVES but it is. They are mathematical geniuses (like Adric) and can

effect stuff (like Adric). A Time Lord (although we didn't know at first he was

a Time Lord) is using their or planning to use their math to effect stuff (like

the Master in CASTROVALVA and come to think of it, LOGOPOLIS). There are cheesy

space ships (oh come on,  you can cite some of those yourself, SPACE PIRATES,

ARK IN SPACE, SHADA, etc) and everyone complains about the Space Police set. It,

at least, looks like an office. Again, check out SPACE PIRATES for stuff like

that or even WHEEL IN SPACE. There's a woman in charge as in EARTHSHOCK and

possibly others I've missed.

 

The Doctor is mean. Okay, take a look at Hartnell and even Pertwee. Pertwee in

THE DAEMONS, THE MIND OF EVIL, and a few others is constantly putting people

down. In fact, at times, he's more brusk than Hartnell ever was. Tom's Doctor

also had some moments against others. Of course, this Doctor goes far over the

top...and tha'ts a good thing...because he's in regeneration crisis. Frankly,

the best thing about this story is that: the regen crisis. Colin is up to the

task, playing a manic Doctor who is conceited, worried he's a danger to the

universe, pointing at Peri, insulting her, taking revenge on her when she says,

"Yuck" to his outrageous costume, nearly strangling her, and rightfully

chastizing her for wanting to leave the area when their might be survivors of

the spaceship crash in the area.

 

Peri, for her own, gets her own back. She's much more brash here and much more

likable as she tries to cope with a Doctor who's just changed and a situation

that's almost unbearable and her fear at first, is well acted. Ditto the later

anger she has when the Doctor criticizes her. I like that she gets her own back

at him...only to be interupted by Hugo pointing the gun at athe Doctor and the

cliffhanger...I really think it was a mistake to, next season, go for the 45 min

episodes. THIS Doctor works best with the 25 min mark to be honest.

 

The Doc's costume. When I first saw it in the magazine my reaction was much like

that of Peri's. YUUCK. It was terrible. Still, the costume didn't make the

entire series, it was just a little part of it. This story, seen in its entirety

the first time round, made me like Colin a lot and even the jacket a bit.       

     

 

Again, Colin does a great job in this and he's---unlike Peter---instantly

IMO---the Doctor. Despite his "fits" and his meanness, to me, he was the Doctor

right away and handled that well and took charge. When he talks about the

crushing boredom of eternity and laughs in a manic way...it's scary and thought

provoking all at once. What is going on in the back of the DOc's mind when he's

hiding it all away in his more saner moments? Is he bored living so long? How

does he really feel about his companions? Then he contemplates becoming a hermit

and living like a monk in a retreat like state. In THE STRANGER, the Doc...I

mean the Stranger is doing just that and I think he has a female called Miss

Brown that's looking for him to come out of retirement or something. I liked the

first STRANGER or two...

 

Anyway, the twins. Yeah, they're new actors but IMO they're not terrible. They

do the job. And that's what this story does: the job and to be honest, it

entertains and is not as miserable about the villains as say, CAVES or

RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS. Also: who crashed the ship? Mestor or

Azmeal-Edgeworth? One thing on my mind was: and it shouldn't have been: if they

could have two kids again and who could effect mathematics, why didn't  they

just bring back Adric or have him stay in the first place or maybe these two

could use the math to bring him back. I know I was obsessed. Truth be told,

Adric's death affected me greatly and it left a bad aftertaste in the show for

me and I always hoped against hope that somehow, some new Doctor or team could

rescue him, seeing the fault in the other Doctor's logic and inaction. Alas, it

was not to be ever (and no, I don't count THE BOY TIME FORGOT at all).

 

 I can go into this later but for me, this story is probably the best of the

Colin Baker stories, in fact, it's probably better than his entire first season

following. I also liked MARK OF THE RANI.  And the Dalek story sort of grew on

me. The rest...well, we shall see...   

2

 

Sorry but this is just very enjoyable. The Doctor acts like a coward and hides

behind Peri, he tells her, the First Doctor quote, "Kindly refrain from calling

me Doc" and then in a moment he becomes the warm friend that Azmael knows. Colin

does a remarkable job here in all these fits and rises and valleys. He makes his

Doctor very likable so its' no wonder that the audience stuck around for this

story and actually remained loyal to Colin and the show until the story TIME AND

THE RANI crushed the ratings.  Despite all the cowardness and the attacks on his

friends, Colin imbibes his Doctor with enough strength, warmth, and kindness in

tone to be very Doctor-like, more than Davison's entire second season. Peri is

decidedly strong, too. Her pushing the Doctor to save Hugo is well acted as is

her tolerance of the Doctor acting like a coward. Colin also does well to give

the Doctor humanity when he sees the twins, "Earthlings. Children," and he

smiles.

 

Peri does well in spotting the bomb that the alien left. Speaking of the aliens,

they may look slightly silly but they seem to be birds, something the series has

just tried out and I think it kind of works. Also: Hugo's outfit is also silly,

it's much more tasteless than the Doctor's outfit and oh, he just happens to

find the power pack that Peri hid in the very same uniform he tries on (?).

Regardless, Hugo is also a strong character and his easing off of Peri is

beliveable.

 

Colin does remarkably well in mocking up the transmat system to get Peri to

escape...surprised that it actually worked...in a bit of Pertwee-Troughton ism.

He is remarkably the Doctor in those scenes and in any scene he explains things.

Peri shows her compassion more than once and even though several times in this

story she and the Doc do not see eye to eye it never becomes as irritating as it

will get in, say TIMELASH, and it usually is settled. The cliffhanger is also

well done. I also like the touch when the Doc remembers Tegan by telling Peri,

"Brave heart" and we hear Tegan's music when she left the TARDIS at the end of

the Dalek story.

 

I really enjoy this story so far and from start to this and I suspect I will

enjoy all the rest of it.    

 

 

 

3

 

It would have been much better if Mestor was hidden from us in shadows or lit

differently to make him more scary and to hide the awful mask. Seen in bits he

might have been more mysterious or scary. Here, he kills a porter to make him

seem dangerous so that later on when the Doc kills him it is justified. Mestor

threatens the twins, too and quite scares them and to be honest, the twins do an

okay job of showing us this. In this ep, Azmeal even threatens them and his Time

Lord anger at them comes through...and he scares them.

 

The Doc wants to help but then again he doesn't want to stick his neck out. The

regen crisis is still in full swing and he knows it and admits he is a mess,

whereas before, he stated to Peri that is he never wrong. There are plenty of

Colin Baker isms in this story and too numerous to mention here but he's a hoot

to be honest and he starts quoting Longfellow to Peri. The planets in this look

fairly alien and I'd like to know what destroyed the surface of Jaconda, I'd

guess Mestor's babies or Mestor himself. And wouldn't Hugo make a good

companion! I love how he and Peri team up to get the Doctor to take them inside

the Mestor base in the caves. It's just great.  The control voice on the

freighter landing bay sounds suspiciously a little like Colin...

 

THE DISCONTINUITY GUIDE claims that this has farting music in it, hilariously.

 

The Doc also calls the outside of the Police Box, "Hideous" heralding something

that might happen in the next story, that of changing the exterior...thankfully

NOT going to happen permanently. At the time, JNT was fostering controversy by

declaring that the only constant the show needed was the Doctor and I think he

was even talking about destroying the Tardis altogether...and definitely, he

said, or so he said, changing the exterior in every story to match the

surroundings. I guess it would make the show save money if they did that but to

lose the POLICE BOX exterior for good...would be awful... 

 

The cliffhanger is one of many cliffhangers in Colin's era that end with zoom in

close ups or just close ups on Colin's face as he gasps, "Peri!" or something

similar. Here, it works because it is part of the sitiuation and it is fresh. I

just love the scene where the Doc bursts into Azmeal's lab and points, "Still

bullying children, aye? Villain! Murderer!"  and attacks him! Mestor's plan

seems a little...insane. What is he, the Master? And how it can blow a hole in

the universe is beyond me but still, this is not without its very fun and good

moments...   

 

 

 4

 

Mestor's plan: blow the sun up and move planets around so that his eggs can fly

through space and take over all the planets. Okayyyy. The Doctor wanders in and

out of attention, Mestor kills one of the good guys, and the twins stick up for

themselves. Peri seems to take charge and Hugo proves his worth. What more can

anyone ask for? Colin gets some great scenes including Azmael's death and he

gets to diss the chamberlain ("I know you! You're the chamberlain. I don't like

you." "Well then I suggest you start walking"). I wonder what the Jacondons are

mopping up? Aren't they the ones who were being used by Mestor? Colin gets all

bravado around Mestor but it's true: he's been menaced by things far more

menacing than Mestor. He out and out throws liquid to kill Mestor and braves

death for himself...but not realizing Azmeal would die.

 

At times it seems like the writer of THE FIVE DOCTORS wrote this too, there are

a great deal of the same phrases ("Menace in my own shadow" "We must mind link"

"Kindly refrain from calling me doc!") and a few others I think. I suspect this

was written by the same person, Terrance Dicks maybe? It's traditional enough.

 

Okay this climax is fitting and not terrible and the entire story enjoyable. Not

quite a total classic but not terrible and I love the ending with the Doctor

saying, "Like it or not, I am the Doctor."  Then Peri smiles at him and he

smiles back...

 

I can see people not taking to Colin right away with this...even though I did. I

thought having a traditional monster/alien convoluted plot went right along with

the untraditional method of  having a totally unstable Doctor throughout the

entire story, possibly the entire season. It's risky and chancy but I think they

pulled it off...this time. I also like that they took that risk, possibly the

only and last risk they would willingly take and with care. For me, it works.

One is never sure if this Doctor is going to choke another Time Lord or work

with him; kill the enemy or make fun of him; save the twins or insult Hugo; call

Peri a "nice girl" or "that stupid girl". And Colin is just the one to do this.

Any other Doctor or any other actor could not pull it off, not with such a quick

turn around between manic moments. And for that I just excuse Colin for so much

later stuff like TIMELASH and all his fighting with Peri. The man is good. He

deserved better scripts for what comes after THE TWIN DILEMMA is just so awful

with the exception of MARK OF THE RANI and possibly REVELATION OF THE DALEKS.   

 

 

Oh and wouldn't it be interesting if en route to Earth to drop off the twins,

the Doctor gets lost and he and the twins and Peri have countless adventures?

No? I'd watch it. Especially if he's as manic as he is in this. And I especially

enjoyed having the twins and Hugo around to offset the sameness of the Doc and

one girl companion. From here though it's one girl almost all the time. And it's

totally boring...