137: The Twin Dilemma

8/17/08

Well, this was technically the last story of season 21, the finale after Peter Davison's exit last story. We meet the new Doctor, played by Colin Baker, and we jump right into the fray.

Now I've seen most of Colin's stories before, so I do know how he plays the Doctor and I know the challenges he was facing behind the scenes, but this is the first time I've ever seen the Twin Dilemma, and I was immediately struck by the arrogance of the Doctor. They clearly wanted a change after Peter Davison's portrayal, and I guess the best thing to do is go 180 degrees in the other direction, making the Doctor...well, a douche bag.

Let's see, in this episode, he attacks Peri and tries to strangle her, rattles on about how intelligent he is and how stupid humans are, pitches a half a dozen temper tantrums, and at one point stomps off and leaves his companion and a man he'd rescued to fend for themselves on a strange planet. The reasoning for this was supposed to be the difficulty resulting from the regeneration, which keeps with past regenerations in which the Doctor always has a hard time coming to grips with who he is and what is going on inside his mind. But this...this was over the top, and far too much.

The plot bored me to tears, but for those reading, I'll sum it up briefly. Two genius twins, about 13 years old, are taken from their home planet to help a race of gastropod aliens do bad things. The Doctor stumbles upon their plot and somehow, through his douche-baggery, manages to sort of save the day.

Well, we've got that out of the way. Now onto my thoughts. I consider this season to have ended with Peter Davison's departure. It's just easier for me to do that, because if you include this in the season, it tends to drag it down and mar it. I prefer, in my mind, to separate the seasons by the passing of the torch. So I will consider this to be the first story of the Colin Baker era, which it was.

What were they thinking? It's hard to tell. The script is pretty bad. This is not the way you want to start your new Doctor off. You take a man who was loved and replace him with someone else, but make him revolting? I just don't get it. Much has been said about the Doctor's costume this time, but I kind of like it. It's way over the top, but so is Colin Baker. He's a fantastic actor, and I've come to love him through his later stories and through his Big Finish audios, and also from his comments behind the scenes regarding what the struggle to keep the show on the air. In other words, the man has cojones, and I respect him a lot for what he did. But he is so hard to like in this story!

Maybe that's why, at the end of the story, he tells Peri something that is meant for us at home as well.

Peri: Are you having another one of your fits?

Doctor: You may not believe this, but I have fully stabilized.

Peri: Then I suggest you take a crash course in manners.

Doctor: You seem to forget, Peri, I'm not only from another culture, but from another planet. I am, in your terms, an alien. I am therefore bound to have different values and customs.

Peri: Your former self was polite enough.

Doctor: At such a cost! I was on the verge of becoming neurotic!

Peri: We all have to suppress our feeling from time to time! I suggest you get back in the habit!

Doctor: And I would suggest, dear Peri, that you wait a little while before criticizing my new persona! You may well find it isn't quite as disagreeable as you think.

Peri: Well, I hope so.

Doctor: Whatever else happens, I AM THE DOCTOR. Whether you like it or not.

We'll see, Colin. I give the Twin Dilemma a 5/10.