Episode #248 : The Night of the Doctor

"Four minutes?! That's ages! What if I get bored, need some books, a television? Anyone for chess? Bring me knitting."

Episode #248:      The Night of the Doctor.
Companions:        The 8th Doctor.
Air Date:              14th November 2013.

Still trying to skirt around the edges of the Last Great Time War, the Eighth Doctor is forced to fully join the conflict by the mysterious Sisterhood of Karn. Killed while trying to save a woman who hates him simply for being a Time Lord, the Doctor gets to choose what his next incarnation will be like. He arranges for a warrior... but makes the darkest sacrifice of his life in order to be reborn.

So this is a short, the first of two, to serve as a prequel to the 50th anniversary special and it brings with a special treat for us fans, we finally get to the see the 8th Doctor regenerate. Sort of. For some time now the fan base had been discussing what had happened to the 8th Doctor after his one appearance and then countless audio dramas (and whether they were canonical or not). At last we learn what happened.

We also get a reappearance of the Sisterhood of Karn, not seen since the 4th Doctor story The Brain of Morbius. While that may mean nothing to the casual modern view to us old school fans of the show, it's an exciting element. I do think we need more references to the days of the original show. I've said quite a few times on this blog and I don't expect to not keep saying that. The Sisterhood hasn't changed much from what we see and they are ready to intervene in the Time War. They do this by saving the Doctors life and giving him the opportunity to choose his next incarnation. So perhaps the fault is not with the War Doctor but with the 8th incarnation. He chooses to be a warrior and regenerates into a younger version of the War Doctor, meaning that he has been fighting the Daleks for some time.

The Night of the Doctor is only a short film running seven and a half minutes but it is really well done and helps cement where we last saw the Doctor prior to his 9th self appearing in Rose.

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Episode #159 : The Enemy Within (Doctor Who).

"Grace, I came back to life before your eyes. I held back death. Look, I can't make your dream come true forever, but I can make it come true today."

Episode 159:   The Enemy Within.
Companions:   8th Doctor and Grave Holloway.
Air Date:         27th May 1996.

The Master is apparently exterminated by the Daleks on Skaro, and the Doctor agrees to take his remains back to Gallifrey in the TARDIS. The Master is not really dead, however, but has transformed into a shapeless morphant creature. He causes the TARDIS to make an emergency landing on Earth, in the city of San Francisco, in the year 1999. The Doctor emerges from the ship to find himself in the midst of a street battle between rival gangs. He sustains gunshot wounds and, accompanied by young gang member Chang Lee, is taken to hospital for emergency treatment. Surgeon Dr Grace Holloway attempts to save his life but, failing to understand his alien physiology, actually causes his 'death'. The Doctor later regenerates into his eighth physical form. The Master has meanwhile taken over the body of an ambulance driver named Bruce. This is just a temporary measure until he can achieve his ultimate goal: to inhabit the Doctor's body.

After a hiatus of several years the Fox television network wanted to produce a new series of Doctor Who. In conjunction with the BBC this single pilot episode was commissioned. It was never picked up afterwards and for many years was the only appearance of the 8th Doctor, though following it came dozens and dozens of novels and audio dramas. This made Paul McGann technically the longest serving Doctor with more adventures to his name and any other incarnation.

Paul McGann was the perfect choice for the role.  He brings a personality and sense of character that really fits with the role. They could have easily given the Doctor to an American actor and it would not have been the same. There are many things wrong with this American adaptation but his choice is not one of them. As a well done addition, we do start off with Sylvestor McCoy as the 7th Doctor and get a regeneration sequence. The network could have just gone straight in with McGann but handing over the baton as it were, does a nice job of showing that we are talking about the same show/universe.

On the other hand, Eric Roberts, was not the best choice. I like him as an actor, but he is more of a B movie actor and just not right for this part. He chews the furniture with his acting style as the Master and seems far too malicious even for that villain.

The title "The Enemy Within" is not an official title. If I remember right, the director gave it that name at a convention should fans require a name. I prefer that title over a simple "Doctor Who". I do seem to be in the minority yet again with this story. It is horribly Americanised and I don't know many British fans who warmed to it very well. It just does not feel traditional Doctor Who but British and American television styles are very different so I can live with it happily. Other issues are the references to the Doctor being half human which thankfully were ignored by the fans and by the BBC. Some things you just don't screw around with. Even with these issues I think that The Enemy Within is what I expect of the show in general.

One nice thing that this version of the show does, and it continues in the rebooted new series, is that you get a more in depth feel for the Doctor. He's no longer just a time traveller wandering the universe, having adventures and setting things right. The way he is written brings the character to life and makes him more three dimensional.