Sixth Doctor...
Episodes to Remember
The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet (Episode 143) - The TARDIS materializes and the Doctor steps into a room filled with prestigious Time Lords and Ladies. He is told he is to be put on trial for actions deemed unbecoming of a Time Lord. The prosecution, led by the Valeyard, presents previous adventures by the Doctor through the Matrix as evidence of his crimes. The Matrix shows the Doctor and Peri interfering in the affairs of the planet Ravalox, where society is separated into two groups; the surface-dwelling Tribe of the Free, and a group of subterranean technocrats led by the robot dictator Dratho. But what are inter-planetary con artists Glitz and Dibber doing on the planet and why does the Valeyard insist on censoring it?
The Mysterious Planet works well relative to other Colin Baker stories because it has a simple yet traditional Doctor Who narrative. The opening model shots are magnificent, and the idea that the Doctor will be on trial for the whole of the season is introduced decently enough. Peri and the Doctor finally start acting like a team, and there is enough subtle intrigue to suggest The Trial of a Time Lord arc could be a masterpiece. It doesn't pan out that way, but at least The Mysterious Planet gets it off to a good start.
Honorable Mention: Vengeance on Varos (Episode 138)
The Mysterious Planet works well relative to other Colin Baker stories because it has a simple yet traditional Doctor Who narrative. The opening model shots are magnificent, and the idea that the Doctor will be on trial for the whole of the season is introduced decently enough. Peri and the Doctor finally start acting like a team, and there is enough subtle intrigue to suggest The Trial of a Time Lord arc could be a masterpiece. It doesn't pan out that way, but at least The Mysterious Planet gets it off to a good start.
Honorable Mention: Vengeance on Varos (Episode 138)
Episodes to Forget
The Twin Dilemma (Episode 136) - Holy smokes. The Sixth Doctor's era gets off to an almost mesmerizingly bad start; where does one begin with a story like this? The characterization of the new Doctor is horrific, and the dialogue Colin Baker is asked to work with is embarrassing (thou craggy knob!!). Who thought having the Doctor so intolerable and try to murder his own companion was a good idea? As a result, Baker's performance appears artificial, and he comes across as forcing everything. Matters are not improved in that he is forced to wear an outfit that makes him look like a clown.
With the Doctor limited in his ability to play the hero, the story lacks a strong protagonist to carry the plot. Peri has quite a few bad lines herself (It's called compassion, Doctor; it's the difference that remains between us) and Hugo is pretty one dimensional. The rest of the cast are all terribly cliched, especially the twins. What on earth did we do to deserve the twins? The production, particularly the costumes, have "B-movie" written all over them (yes, even for Doctor Who), and they have frequently been compared by critics to Flash Gordon. Peri is lusted after by a giant slug (I find her pleasing. Pleasing!!), three of the four cliffhangers are simply bad close-ups of Colin Baker with varying degrees of emotion, the story never explains why the kidnappers felt obligated to stop off on Titan III, the list is almost endless. The Twin Dilemma is believed to be the worst Doctor Who serial of all time.
With the Doctor limited in his ability to play the hero, the story lacks a strong protagonist to carry the plot. Peri has quite a few bad lines herself (It's called compassion, Doctor; it's the difference that remains between us) and Hugo is pretty one dimensional. The rest of the cast are all terribly cliched, especially the twins. What on earth did we do to deserve the twins? The production, particularly the costumes, have "B-movie" written all over them (yes, even for Doctor Who), and they have frequently been compared by critics to Flash Gordon. Peri is lusted after by a giant slug (I find her pleasing. Pleasing!!), three of the four cliffhangers are simply bad close-ups of Colin Baker with varying degrees of emotion, the story never explains why the kidnappers felt obligated to stop off on Titan III, the list is almost endless. The Twin Dilemma is believed to be the worst Doctor Who serial of all time.
Attack of the Cybermen (Episode 137) - Attack of the Cybermen has a convoluted plot and is filled with useless continuity references. The Doctor traces a distress beacon back to 76 Totter's Lane (why is it there, you ask? No particular reason) only to encounter Lytton from the previous season and Cybermen. They force the Doctor to take them back to Telos where they reveal their master plan. They intend to use a time machine to go to 1985 and redirect Halley's Comet into planet Earth to prevent the destruction of their home planet Mondas, overseen by the First Doctor in 1986. Lytton, however, is working as a double-agent for the Cyrons, Telos' indigenous species, who are bent on sabotaging the plan and retaking their planet.
Attack of the Cybermen has way too much stuff happening in it, and as a result it is messy, confusing, and doesn't work. The writers seem hell-bent on throwing as many bones to hard-core Doctor Who fans as they can while ignoring things like providing clear direction and a straightforward narrative. Peri continues her trend of wearing absurdly revealing outfits, Lytton gets his hands sadistically crushed, part one has a miserable cliff-hanger (no, no. No!), and the Cyber-Controller is fat. To top things off, the resolution of the Cybermen's base being destroyed only occurs because the bad guys were stupid enough to hold the Doctor captive in a room filled with enough explosives to blow the whole thing sky-high.
Attack of the Cybermen has way too much stuff happening in it, and as a result it is messy, confusing, and doesn't work. The writers seem hell-bent on throwing as many bones to hard-core Doctor Who fans as they can while ignoring things like providing clear direction and a straightforward narrative. Peri continues her trend of wearing absurdly revealing outfits, Lytton gets his hands sadistically crushed, part one has a miserable cliff-hanger (no, no. No!), and the Cyber-Controller is fat. To top things off, the resolution of the Cybermen's base being destroyed only occurs because the bad guys were stupid enough to hold the Doctor captive in a room filled with enough explosives to blow the whole thing sky-high.
The Two Doctors (Episode 140) - Sontarons in Seville; sounds like a blast, right? In fact, The Two Doctors only helps to continue seasons 22's downward spiral by having more violence, convoluted story-telling, and obscure references to previous stories. Despite having plenty of potential for action, the narrative moves at a snail's pace, and returning guest stars Patrick Troughton and Frazier Hines are given nothing to do. In fact, it takes almost ninety minutes before the two Doctors actually meet one another on-screen. The story's gruesome scenes include Chessene lapping up blood off the pavement, Shockeye eating a rat, Oscar being pointlessly murdered, and the Doctor suffocating a foe with cyanide gas. The whole thing is completely distasteful, and it doesn't even have a good story to go with it, unless you count Robert Holme's very diluted moral message that violence and eating meat is wrong (yeah, because Colin Baker's stories are such an excellent medium to present anti-violence messages, right?). The Two Doctors promises the audience much with Sontarons, a foreign location, and an old Doctor and companion, but ultimately fails to deliver an enjoyable narrative. Taking into account just how much at the time Doctor Who needed a reassuring and interesting story told in the series traditional format, The Two Doctors should be considered nothing less than a waste and disappointment.