Review of The Doctors Revisited – Second Doctor

At the end of February, BBC America viewers were treated to the second installment of the “Doctors Revisited” series. This time, it’s all about Patrick Troughton’s era.

Source – bbc.co.uk – © 2012 BBC

The format is the same as it was for Hartnell’s Doctor, covering first the character of the Doctor himself, then reviewing his Companions and how they influenced the flavor of the show, and finally covering the key “monsters” the Second Doctor had to face.

Interviewees in this installment are primarily the same as before, as well; Moffat, Skinner, Gaiman, Tennant, and Barrowman all make appearances. The change comes in the Companion department, where instead of Ian and Steven, who were exclusively One’s Companions, we hear from Wendy Padbury, who played Two’s Companion Zoë Heriot.

Fans unfamiliar with Troughton’s work as the Doctor might be surprised to hear how much credit these folks give him for turning the show into what we know and love today, but it’s quite true. Had he not been able to convince the audience at the time that he really was the Doctor – despite how very different his version of the character’s personality is – it would have died then and there. And, as Tennant points out, essentially everyone since has done their own version of Troughton, carefully balancing the Doctor’s roles as both man of action and comic relief. That’s one of the reasons I personally love him so much; he comes across as a big goof, but he’s still sharp, clever, and a little bit scheming underneath.

As for his Companions, Jamie McCrimmon was with Two for all but his first adventure, eventually perfecting their relationship as a sort of “buddy movie thing” (to use Moffat’s phrase). Adding in first another historical Companion (Victoria) and then one from the future (Zoë) meant there was never a direct analog among the Companions for the audience (once Ben & Polly left, early on). It still worked brilliantly.

Speaking of brilliant, Zoë’s extreme intelligence was an interesting choice for the writers to have made. It turned her into quite an amazing role model, really, as a young woman both bright (and forthright about that fact) and ready to leap into action when necessary. Perhaps that’s why I have such a soft spot for her.

Moving on to Two’s “Famous Foes,” the Ice Warriors are the first to be mentioned, and rightly so. They were wonderfully creepy, if a bit rubbery, and I look forward to seeing Moffat’s (or at least Gatiss’s) take on them in the upcoming episodes. Even more iconic, though, are the Cybermen, whom Two met in a couple of incredibly classic stories. Given that the first artificial organ transplants were taking place around this time, it’s no wonder the body horror of the Cybermen was so successful. Combine that with their motionless/emotionless features, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for sending tots scurrying for cover. (And I have to say, re-watching a few clips reminded me just how awesome the sound design on those Cybermen stories was.)

Ending it all, Moffat again gives an intro for the story that was broadcast immediately following the retrospective, in this case The Tomb of the Cybermen. While he effectively admits there are gaping holes in the plot, he claims the story makes up for it in sheer atmosphere, and I tend to agree. Troughton really is a fabulous Doctor. I hope any of you who haven’t seen him in action yet take an opportunity to try him out; I can almost guarantee you’ll like him!

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