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Doctor Who: Twin Dilemma [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Poor Colin Baker, the Sixth Doctor. Over the years, it appears that Baker, a fine actor, and, as far as I'M concerned, a fine Doctor, has become the Rodney Dangerfield of Doctor Who's---he don't get no respect at all (or, at least, not very much). It seems that the Sixth Doctor is not looked back upon with too much fondness for several reasons: his aggressive behavior/bad temper, his very loud wardrobe, and the violent nature of some of his first-season episodes---"Vengeance On Varos" taking place on a planet where people watch "video nasties" on television, "Attack Of The Cybermen" with a main character's hands being crushed by a Cyberman until they bleed (though NOT graphically, unless the sight of fake blood makes you faint), and "Revelation Of The Daleks" with it's various deaths. Throw in an 18-month hiatus dealt to the "Doctor Who" series during Baker's tenure, as well as continuously sagging ratings, and you've got yourself the only actor to ever actually have been *fired* from the role of everyone's favorite Timelord (shame on you Michael Grade, the BBC controller at the time). The BBC then had the audacity to try to get Baker to come back for a final regeneration story so they could "properly" bump off his Doctor---Baker responded by telling the BBC to shove it, and rightfully so. Who could blame him? And now I've just read in Doctor Who Magazine that a recent poll the magazine took has named Colin's debut story, "The Twin Dilemma," the all-time worst Doctor Who story ever, ranking a bottom-of-the-barrel #200 out of 200 stories. With the imminent release of "The Twin Dilemma" on DVD, it's time for THIS Sixth Doctor fan to come to the defense. I'll try to be brief:

I've always liked Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor. In fact, I rank him just behind Jon Pertwee as my all-time favorite Doctor (though Tom Baker, Patrick Troughton and David Tennant are also in my personal Top Five). After Peter Davison's quaint, passive Fifth Doctor (though he was good, especially in his classic finale, "The Caves Of Androzani"), I greatly appreciated that the Sixth Doctor was a tough, take-no-prisoners Timelord. Despite his tetchyness, I still admire the Sixth Doctor for his intelligence, his bravery, and his wit. Had Baker been allowed to play the Doctor longer than a mere two seasons, I'm sure he would've grown in the part even more, and shown us sides to the Sixth Doctor that we hadn't seen yet. Alas, it was not to be, but you can't blame Colin for that. Yes, the Sixth Doctor had a temper---not too unlike William Hartnell's First Doctor, in fact---but he was still a GOOD guy, fighting on the side of GOOD. And don't tell me that the Sixth Doctor never showed Peri any kindness, because he most certainly did. Yes, his temper would briefly flare up every so often, but he would always calm down, and he showed time and time again that he cared about Peri. His friendship with her had certainly grown by the time the events of "The Trial Of A Timelord" happened, so he obviously liked her. So there.

His loud, colorful wardrobe....I liked it! The idea of producer John Nathan Turner was to give the Sixth Doctor a whirlpool costume to suit his whirlpool personality, and I think it worked quite well. I never liked the question marks on the Doctor's collar, but JNT started that with Tom Baker, so JNT has to take the blame for that.

Finally, the violent nature of some of the Sixth Doctor's adventures....I LIKED that the "Doctor Who" series had gotten tougher with Colin Baker at the helm. It showed that the makers of "Doctor Who" were not afraid to take some risks with the series. However, I still maintain that Colin Baker's era was not, I repeat, NOT as graphic as many have been led to believe. I've seen far worse things on TV then a bloodied pair of hands, believe me.

As for "The Twin Dilemma" itself, I don't believe for one single second that it's the turkey it's been made out to be. Okay, so it may not boast the greatest of scripts, and it may not be a terribly *exciting* story, but I still find the story very entertaining, the characters interesting, the look and feel of it quite handsome, and the performances of the cast excellent, with Colin Baker's fresh, colorful performance as the new Doctor at the center.

Peter Davison, as good as he was, was at times a bit too soft. Davison also wasn't served well by his writers, who usually had his Fifth Doctor respond with "I don't know" virtually every time a companion asked him what they should do (and you know a Doctor is in serious trouble, writing-wise, when a companion seems to be more intelligent than he is---in Peter Davison's case, the snotty-nosed Nyssa). Colin Baker's Doctor was unashamedly aggressive, but so is James Bond, and you wouldn't want to mess with him, either. James Bond is still a good guy, fighting on our side. So is Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor. With "The Twin Dilemma," Colin Baker showed that there was a totally new Doctor in town, and totally new in more ways than one. And I like him.

The story is not as bizarre as fan reaction to it! We have everything from someone who assumes that Eric Saward, who wrote Colin Baker's best story, is to blame for this, to those who think it is total genius, and everything else in between! Sheesh!
Amazing! How can I put this. This story is remarkable in that, which ever way you want to look at it, it is at least entertaining (then again, so was Plan Nine From Outer Space!)and Colin Baker, while pretty painful at times, is also very compelling and engaging a lot of the time. There is also a beautiful turn from the guest star Maurice Denham as Azmeal, a great, great actor who does wonders with the role.
The script is fairly poor, but contains some outrageous and memorable dialog. The game plan, to make this Doctor seem evil and unlikeable and then redeem him gradually, seems ok in theory but the realisation, having him try to throttle Peri, is really off-putting and many think it hurt the show big time. Here I agree, I met teenagers who hated it and thought it sunk the whole series. The slug villain is pretty poor and the production has a tacky look, with a tasteless costume and garish titles at its heart, too detract further. But it is compelling viewing all the same. I cringe at the Doctor being so twisted in parts, but overall, this is contrived, tasteless but hypnotic viewing. Not a flawed classic, but a shonky pantomine with an utterly compelling black heart. It points to the series it was going to become before Michael Grade interefered, a black comedy of the darkest, most garish variety, realised brilliantly in later Bakers like Varos and Revelation. Initially, I loved the costume worn by Colin Baker, but grew tired of it later. But what an expression of individuality in the face of robotic sameness like Cybermen and Daleks. The last true Doctor is malajusted and over the fence, tasteless and annoying at times, but still has something edgey and interesting to offer. If nothing else, watching this will make you be thankful for the tasteful Peter Davison era!!! Overall, it's a bad story with redeeming qualities and is worth watching. But it's not your regular Dr. Who story!

A very unpopular Who story, and desrevedly so, but for the wrong reasons. Colin Baker doesn't stand a chance with loyal and casual Who viewers in this awful script. Colin Baker tries his best, as the Doctor tries to overcome a regeneration crisis(didn't this happen Castrovalva? Why so soon?). Also, there is a renegade Time Lord, Azmeal, kidnapping mathematical genius twins(wasn't there a renegade Time Lord in Castrovalva?). The problem is not the sixth's Doctor's personna, which is much better in retrospect, it's the contained scenes of insanity(the attempt on Peri's life, whether the Doctor had control or not, was inexcusable in some fans eyes). Also, the giant slugs, bad idea. They almost look like rejects fron "Frontios". This idea really brings out the awfulness of this story. Reading on events of this era, it seems quite apparent that John Nathan-Turner and Eric Saward did not agree on anything when it concerned the sixth Doctor, and so, in the eyes of the BBC and a majority of Fans, the Colin Baker era was doomed. There are some good things about the "Twin Dilemma", the Jacondans make-up, the design and effects are ok, and the Doctor's coat and clothes were ahead of its time. The acting a little sloppy and lazy, but what can you expect from the script?

With the exception of some horrible dialogue, sleepwalking acting, and the Doctor's insanity scenes, and giant slugs, and the fact that it's two episodes too long, and that it followed one of the greatest Who stories ever, "The Twin Dilemma" is a little tolerable. Well, maybe not for everone's taste, but there's a little fun to be had here, you just have to look real close and sort of squint your eyes...but it's there! There's no awards here for brilliance, but like many bad Who stories, they do have their own kind of charm(sort of). But even Eric Saward should of seen a few signs that maybe this wasn't the right script....

How dare you critcize the greates Dr Who of all time? This has to be a master piece. I love the over-the-top costumes, excellent dialogue and interesting music. Colin Bakers theatrical performance shines throughout the story, and its interesting to see how Peri copes whith the Doctors excentric outburts. The Jacondans makeup is amazing, the gatropods brilliant, and the XV-773 Freighter is very convincing. Ilove the seen where the Doctor is walking across a scorched, radioactive wasteland whilst reciting Longfellow. All Peri can do is scramble over rocks in High-Heel boots. The Sets are interesting, ranging from the symetry of the twins room to the Jacondan throne room filled with statues of giant frogs and golden insects. Azmaels performance is rivaled only by the doctors, showing his suffering, which makes the end scene where he dies (sorry to give it away) a truly sad moment. One thing I can't understand is why people criticize the twins performance, because they lack character. Don't you get it? They are supposed to be with out emotion, which is why you see them mature throught the story. Overall, The Beast of the Best, be sure to add this video to your collection.

This is the introduction to the sixth Doctor (his first full story), as played by Colin Baker.

I don't mind bad (wobbly) sets, or poorly made up monsters; after all, such would hardly be unique for this Doctor Who adventure.

What I do mind, terribly, is the havoc wreaked upon the character of the Doctor. Other Doctors have shouted at companions and have been angry with companions. Companions are, after all, far younger than the Doctor's 700+ years, and they are under his protection. It was a TERRIBLE idea to have the sixth Doctor attempt to kill a companion! Regeneration is no excuse. It was too much - it left a terrible impression of the 6th Doctor that never entirely went away. I have no problem with making a change from the fifth Doctor - making the Doctor tetchy; fine. But he has been a decent person, and, barring the earliest shows, he has been someone to admire.

And then there is the clothes. I can see a maladjusted mind selecting the hideous clothing. But by the end of the show, or the beginning of the next, when he had (supposedly) settled down, he should have ditched the hideous clothing for something a bit more toned down. Granted, the Doctor's clothes have been always been a little offbeat, but this was just too much.

Colin Baker may be a wonderful actor, and perhaps there was a plan in place to get better over time, but it doesn't make up for the above.

Colin Baker's debut has an interesting plot, despite it being rather unscientific and outlandish. Colin Baker makes a decent 6th Doctor, and Peri's dedication to the man who changed before her eyes is unquestionable. Nicola and Colin both give great performances. However, there is some definite padding to the story where the main cast is trapped on Titan 3. The set designs were actually more decent in this, and the model work was really well done. The overall look of the serial was good, although the slug design of Mestor could have been so much better. The acting performances varied from excellent to mediocre, and I am not sure the twins selected for this story had much experience with acting. Still, this is not nearly as bad as most people have made it out to be since it is very entertaining. The sound design was dreadful, especially for the slug's movement! If the soundtrack was changed and a new slithering, slimy sound was created it would make the story a bit more enjoyable to watch. Episode 4 is probably the best as the Doctor defeats Mestor, and shows his true compassion when he helps his friend Azmael. The story for me was exciting when I was younger, but looking at it now I am able to see the flaws. Still, the DVD is worth getting due to the commentary track with the main cast members, and the extras on any Doctor Who DVD are worth getting. I still feel better watching this than Creatures from the Pit, Timeflight, and Paradise Towers.

Let it be known first and foremost, that I like Colin Baker's take on Dr. Who. In fact, I think that season 22 was one of the best seasons of the 80's. That being said The Twin Dilemma was not in season 22, nor was this the best episode of Colin Baker's tenure as the doctor. This is the only Dr. Who episode that I have fallen asleep through every time I have watched it, which includes the time I taped it in the 80's. I only bought it because I am a hardcore fan and completist. If you are looking to just get into classic Dr. Who I would recommend titles such as The Caves of Androzani, The Green Death, The War Machines, or The Genesis of the Daleks as good starters. If you want to check Colin Baker out then get Vengeance on Varos first and work from there. The Twin Dilemma is not a good episode to watch if you are just getting into classic Dr. Who.

Suffering from post-regenerative trauma worse than he did before (q.v. Castrovalva), he chooses as his new outfit a patchwork orange overcoat, yellow trousers with red stripes, a blue cravat with white polka dots. He also sinks down amid his wardrobe and wails of the "grinding wheels of the universe and the crashing boredom of eternity" before breaking down into mad laughter, and to top it all, he attacks Peri. Seeing that in regenerating he has become "unregenerate," he decides to become a hermit in order to cleanse himself and pilots the TARDIS to the moon of Titan III, where by chance his best teacher, Azmael, has kidnapped twins gifted with mathematical genius in order to procure them for his master Mestor.

The Doctor and Peri also rescue Lieutenant Hugo Lang, space corps commander who was pursuing the twins along with his squad, of which he is the sole survivor. After foiling an attempt to kill them by Noma, one of the two Jocondans assisting Azmael, they go to Joconda, once a beautiful forest world devastated by the attack of Gastropods, giant beings half human/half slug.

The new Doctor seems keen on denouncing his previous self, saying that he had a "feckless charm which wasn't me." On an interesting note, when Peri calls him "Doc," he brings up the memory of the First Doctor in "The Five Doctors": "Kindly refrain from addressing me as Doc, Perpugilliam!" And his remark on becoming "unregenerate" forecasts the Valeyard in the Trial Of A Timelord season.

The new Doctor's outfit fits his personality fine, and Peri's plaid blouse is not bad either--it's Hugo's shiny metallic shirt that fits the epithet "yuck." Heck, if I found an outfit like the Sixth Doctor's, I would "go out like that."

Colin Baker's verbal repartee is one of the reasons he was a successful Who actor, whether he is quoting from poets or rattling off words that silkily roll off his tongue: "I'm a knight errant, not an errant fool." Or how about this alliterative verbal attack on his assistant: "Poor pusilanimous Peri! What a pitiful performance!" Mentally wandering off is a "mental stroll in the park of psychic tranquility." It's easy to see why John Nathan-Turner picked Baker to succeed Peter Davison.

His Doctor is very expressive, and unpleasantly arrogant, but beneath all that, beats two kind hearts, which is important in keeping in line with his personality.

Mestor resembles a furry giant snail with a cross-eyed owl-like face. While his tone is menacing, the cross-eyes make him laughable. As the Doctor tells him, "In my time, I've been threatened by experts. You hardly rate at all."

And Gavin and Andrew Conrad as the Sylvest twins give a good performance as being rational, cerebral, but vulnerable. Remus tells his father: "Just because she gave birth to us, does that automatically grant her a place in our affections?" and that "respect must be earned." Those familiar with Roman mythology know the reference to Romulus and Remus.

Not a bad debut story, although not as excellent as Spearhead From Space or Castrovalva.

The Twin Dilemna is one of the most criticised Dr. Who stories of the show's run. Why are so many so-called fans of this show appalled by this particular episode and era of Dr. Who? I think that this story and Baker's performance are outstanding. Many fans were shocked by the scenes where the Doctor goes through bouts of insanity. Many called this episode the end of Dr. Who. These are Tom Baker fans not Dr. Who fans. I think that the Doctor's actions in this story only add a new depth to this very intriguing character. Why can't the Doctor ever be portrayed as a dark character? Must he always be the childrens hero we all fell in love with throughout most of the show. On the other hand, I found Twin Dilemna to have a great soundtrack, good actors, and great sets. I know the Gastropods are comical, but this is Dr.Who. Many so-called fans say this the worst era. Many Georgians give praise to the new depth added to the Whoniverse by this DIFFERENT approach given to the Doctor's character and to the show itself.