The Twin Dilemma

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: The Caves of Androzani

I think it's a very bizarre choice to have this as the season finale to Season 21. I can't imagine having to wait however long it took for the next season to come out after this as your only taste of the Sixth Doctor. I'll start off by saying that regardless of the quality of the script, one thing that's certain is Colin Baker acts the hell out of it. He's given some of the worst dialogue in all of Who and manages to genuinely make it enjoyable and that alone is enough to confirm to me that he IS the Doctor.

And honestly, I'm willing to let all this go so long as he doesn't behave like this throughout the rest of his tenure, it's a post regeneration story after all (even if I disagree that fundamental traits of the Doctor shouldn't change in regeneration like being willing to let people die when he could easily save them or trying to strangle his companion).

Regarding the story itself, it's one of the better parts of this episode. Sure, it's cheesy Classic Who nonsense but it's nothing that hasn't been done before and it even has some nice moments if you can excuse the acting talents of the twins. Overall I think this story is deserving of it's reputation, it really botches the introduction of Colin Baker and is such a huge step down after Caves. At the very least though it isn't boring and I don't feel like I've wasted my time watching it.

“Whatever else happens, I am the Doctor, whether you like it or not.”

Next Story: Attack of the Cybermen 

Is that what all the fuss was about?

It has to be said that years of hearing this serial roundly pronounced "one of the worst Doctor Who stories of all time" along with Time and the Rani (which I have also seen and which also isn't quite as bad as people say) gave me some elevated expectations.

Instead I found a story which is, while messy and full of misjudged moments, still very entertaining, if not always for the reasons it intended. Is it so bad it's good or is it just OK? I don't tend to differentiate, but suffice it to say that I had a bit of fun.

Our new leading man immediately makes a strong impression, his boisterousness and grandiloquent speech both miles away from his predecessor. I really love Colin's voice; it does make me sit up and pay attention, even when the lines he's delivering are not very good. There are still a few here that I did appreciate, like when he cheerfully informs the chamberlain, "I don't like you," or when he says, "I no longer know if I'm coming, or going, or even if I've been!" His chinwag with Mestor is also pretty good, for what it's worth.

These aside, I must admit that the dialogue is hilariously elevated in this script, and we also get 'oof' lines like "... and may my bones ROT for obeying it!" or "Our genius has been abused!" or "a manic-depressive paranoid personality!"

This script definitely needed a third or fourth or fifth pass, but such are the usual end-of-season woes, where there's just no time. This makes the decision to slot this here instead of at the start of the next season very questionable indeed.

Story-wise, it is kind of interesting to see the Doctor struggle so much with the regeneration process, but in practice it is handled pretty messily. By far the worst part of this is the infamous scene where the Doctor tries to choke Peri, which is just as uncomfortable as I expected.

Still, aside from that one, the other moments mostly fall into the territory of lovable schlock. Looking back 40 years later it's easy to laugh when it's no longer "the story that killed Doctor Who".

The Twin Dilemma has it all and I do not mean that in a positive way. A plot I really didn't care for. Side characters who I entirely forgot about. A dynamic between Peri and the Doctor that was genuinely uncomfortable to watch (not helped by knowing about JNT's creation of Peri, nor about Nicola Bryant's time on set). A really, really weird ending line which felt like the writers turning to the viewers and flipping them off.

All in all! Pretty bad!

The Twin Dilemma has an unfair reputation for being a bad Doctor debut story. People tend to forget that it followed the excellent The Caves of Androzani, so disappointment was inevitable. They could have pulled out a Spearhead From Space and people would still have claimed it wasn't very good. That being said, The Twin Dilemma definitely has flaws and it's not a story that will ever be considered a highlight of the classic series.

The Twin Dilemma finds the Doctor (Colin Baker) struggling to cope with post-regeneration trauma. He decides to become a hermit and lands the TARDIS on Titan III. Meanwhile, Romulus (Gavin Conrad) and Remus (Andrew Conrad) - two of the most intelligent twins in the universe - are kidnapped from their father Archie Sylvest (Dennis Chinnery) by the Doctor's old mentor from Gallifrey Azmael (Maurice Denham). He needs their help to save the people of Jaconda from famine and is working with Gastropod (alien slugs) leader Mestor (Edwin Richfield) in order to achieve that goal. Officer Hugo Lang (Kevin McNally) is sent out to search for the twins by the Earth defence force the Interplanetary Pursuit but is shot down and crashes on Titan III. He decides to team up with the Doctor and Peri (Nicola Bryant) to find the twins' captive and stop Mestor's real plan from coming to fruition.

It's applaudable how The Twin Dilemma takes a basic story and makes it the plot of the Doctor's debut. The story should never be overly complicated for a Doctor's introduction; it feels right for the focus to be on exploring who the new Doctor is (or rather what he has become). It's definitely one of the easiest Doctor Who stories to follow; the plot is pretty low-key and is more about the kidnap of the twins than the supposed destruction their mathematical knowledge could cause.

It's that mathematical knowledge, however, that's one of the hindrances of The Twin Dilemma's stories. I spoke in my Logopolis review on how the idea of Mathematicians having control over the universe is boring and the same thought for me applies here. The twins are dull and watching them write mathematical equations is not very exciting. A fair bit of time is devoted to it too; they try to make it appear exciting with the production design (the swivel-y chairs bizarrely make it look like some sort of game show) but it doesn't quite work. Doctor Who's current producer of the time John Nathan Turner seems obsessed by the idea of mathematics changing the universe given this is his second story to feature it and I don't quite know why. The twins have this annoying way of speaking also that makes them sound posh and too polite to be true. Their dialogue is literally all a 'father wouldn't approve' way of speaking that I'm sure made many viewers at the time feel like chucking their remote control at the screen.

Many complain about the Doctor cowering away from aliens in this story but to me this works within the context of the story. We know the Doctor is suffering from post-regeneration trauma so what better way to emphasise this than to show him being something that goes against the kind of person he is? The audience are aware he's not quite himself because he's hiding from the very things he defends the universe from, so by the time he confronts Mestor it seems like the Doctor we know and love is back. It's a good decision by writer Anthony Steven and something that to his credit I doubt any other Doctor Who writer would dare to attempt.

Talking of the Doctor, if anything helps carry The Twin Dilemma it is Colin Baker's performance. Colin Baker is fantastic as the Doctor in his first story; his theatrical delivery is very engaging to watch and despite the displays of cowardice he has flashes of a certain demeanour that bode well for his future serials for the show. If nothing else, this story is worth watching for Colin Baker - even if it is rather mediocre and not the best example of classic series Doctor Who. It's nice that he got an opportunity to play the Doctor as he wanted through Big Finish as his acting helps overcome some of the lame dialogue he is given.

It's a shame that the scenes in the TARDIS tend to drag in episode one. They take up majority of the first episode and it feels like we spend too much time in the TARDIS and not enough of the serial's running time devoted to the twin kidnap plot. The moment where the Doctor strangles his companion Peri also feels uncomfortable to watch, even if it makes sense because of the post-regeneration trauma. It's well acted by both Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant but it doesn't quite work in the story. It unwisely makes the new Doctor to appear violent and unlikeable, which I am sure was the intention but doesn't make for the most likeable protagonist.

The serial is full of interesting supporting characters, especially Maurice Denham as Azmael and Kevin McNally as Hugo Lang. Azmael is a brilliant character and I wish the more jokey relationship hinted at in dialogue between the Doctor and Azmael had been shown on-screen. He is well-played by Maurice Denham, who offers a certain gravitas that's perfect for a Time Lord from Gallifrey. Azmael would have made a great recurring character and it is a shame he wasn't brought back in future sixth Doctor stories. I hope one day Big Finish decide to bring the character back despite his death; I'm sure they could find a way around that. If the Master can return from the dead, then why not Azmael? As for Kevin McNally as Hugo, there's something endearing about his performance that leaves you wanting more. It's not hard to see why he has become a major stable of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He's an actor who was too good for The Twin Dilemma and I wish there was a chance Big Finish could afford him for a Hugo Lang spinoff series.

Overall, The Twin Dilemma isn't as bad as many make out but it does display a few flaws. The twins are boring for one and the TARDIS scenes take up too much of the first episode. However the story wisely focuses on a simplistic narrative for a Doctor debut story and Colin Baker's performance as well as those of the supporting cast are amazing. It was definitely a misfire though to show the sixth Doctor strangling his companion; it makes him appear violent and unlikeable, with Colin Baker's acting being the only saving grace for the character. The Twin Dilemma can only really be recommended for Colin Baker's performance, even if its undeserving of a terrible reputation.

Not really much of a review (I'll probably come back and edit this later when I review it properly) but rating it two for it just being funny how shit it is. What were they thinking lmao

For a title supposedly among if not the absolute worst the Classic Series has to offer, I do have to say this wasn't terrible. It was almost acceptable. It was definitely at least watchable, even if quite flawed and dry. It was a lot better than something actively antagonizing like The Web Planet or even something modern like Orphan 55. I could tell you a lot about the story and even parts of the story I liked, such as Azmael and his relationship with the Doctor. I followed the basic premise well enough and wasn't even miserable getting through these episodes.

For all the talk about what doesn't work for the Sixth Doctor in this era, a lot of the Colin Baker I like from Big Finish is right here in this very first performance. What's off and by far the most serious misfire of Twin Dilemma is the relationship between the Doctor and Peri. He just doesn't treat her with much respect, it's not really done in a way that even resembles funny more often than not, and infamously, is clearly abusive when he tries to strangle her.

While not excusable and especially problematic knowing what we now do about Jonathan Nathan-Turner, Twin Dilemma to its credit clearly identifies this behaviour as unacceptable, to the point the Doctor instantly regrets this, is clearly disoriented from an unusually stressful regeneration, and then immediately decides to exile himself. He assumes Peri will be his slave during exile, but it at least shows that the strangulation was wrong. I don't know, it's not exactly Shakespeare, but at least its heart feels vaguely in the right direction.

The story kind of meanders from here and the Twin story line, the bulk of the focus of Twin Dilemma, is kind of boring, really. Were it not for the details around Azmael I mentioned earlier the story would be kind of useless. It's a story that has a lot of technical flaws rather than super obvious ones. I can see why people don't like it - I don't really like it - but I can also recognize there were a lot of talented people working on these episodes behind and in front of the camera. That hard work and talent just had a lot pushing up against it from the management side of things.

One last note, the episode ends with such an awkward look between Peri and the Doctor. It's such a weird attempt at a knowing moment of the two excited for a future of adventure and such a spectacular failure of achieving that moment. They just couldn't quite convincingly pull it off, especially after the Doctor being so terrible for the entire story. Perhaps the director just couldn't quite the right look out of the actors or something, maybe it just reflects them still finding a new tone for this new Doctor and new era, whatever it is, they couldn't quite pull off what they were going for. It's a symbol of an era that just never quite worked and never could quite achieve the look it was going for, which seems to be exactly what I can expect for the rest of the Sixth Doctor on television, but we'll see. I do hope I am pleasantly surprised, or at the very least, not overwhelmed with feelings of negativity. Twin Dilemma was definitely the latter - sure, it wasn't great, but it didn't reek of Chibnall-esque staleness, either.

“I am The Doctor whether you like it or not”. What a bizarre statement of intent for a new era. Why would you want an audience to root against its lead character? After the titles closed on part four, if there had been anyone in the room with me whilst I watched the credits roll, they would have thought I was mad. I just kept on saying “why?”

The first two parts to this story are in many senses brave and uncompromising. Camp in parts but also darker than ever. Regeneration gone wrong pushed to an extreme. The opposite of generic Doctor Who - to a fault, but this approach is not without merit. You have to feel sorry for Peri though, after what she has been put through. Has any companion had a tougher first three adventures? The Doctor changes form in front of Peri only to strangle her shortly after. It feels especially harsh on a companion who is particularly adorable, thoughtful and kind. She charmingly leaps into the console room to show off her new outfit, then gets treated to a manic fit of rage.

My key to enjoying The Doctor’s performance across the first half of Colin Baker’s first adventure was by explaining away his bizarre new characterisation with the fact that he was enduring a crisis. A mental break. He was totally gone. And not in the cute loopy way of other post-regenerations. In a genuinely scary way. From that perspective it was in some senses quite inspired. I saw it as an unwise but compelling move from writer Anthony Steven. I was less complimentary of the fact that at the same time, the writing facilitated a move back to pretentious, overly complex style of dialogue from The Doctor. I was hoping this would be left behind when Christopher H. Bidmead moved on as script editor.

All of these factors made for a gripping but conflicted watching experience. Colin Baker’s performance is a very strong flavour but it’s a hell of an interesting one. I actually enjoy much of his stagey, weird and eccentric traits as an actor. I can’t take my eyes off of him and marvel at the choices he makes. Across the first half of the story I like the performances all round. Fan wisdom would tell me the twins are unbearable to watch but I genuinely think it stands up.

It’s part three where things start to fall down for me as it hits argumental overdrive with every character, especially The Doctor, feeling the need to constantly needle disagreements and contentions. The plot starts to wear thin a little too - which should not happen across a swift four parter.

The aliens, which become more prominent at around the halfway mark of the story, are also on the annoying side. This is fine when we’re building up our main characters, but not so great when the focus pivots to the enemy and we get into Warriors of the Deep/ children’s TV territory. Trying to care about humanoid aliens whose mouths don’t move is a real challenge. And it is a weird contrast to the darker, more argumental sides to the story. Tonally, it’s a nightmare. The closest thing we’ve had to these slug/humanoid aliens in the show before are the Sensorites. Personality free, boring, overly formal aliens who show no sense of believability or personal motivation.

Once the plotting turns south you lose your patience with the aggressive quirks of Baker’s performance. The “fits” and arguments become too much. Too repetitive. All the shouting drives the show into overwrought melodrama. Is Baker good at being The Doctor? When he is over performing as long as everything around him clicks he is actually charming, theatrical and a joy to watch. He makes me laugh out loud. Bizarrely, when he has to get subtle and act with a lighter touch, I just stop believing his performance. What starts out in this story as a pretty confident performance in parts one and two ends as a man who just looks out of his depth leading a show - he has been given nothing to work with and is not equipped to deal with the absence of direction.

The end of the story relies on excruciating dialogue laying out the exposition. All telling, no showing. Characters talking in the most annoying way passing the plot between them. Things got embarrassing enough that I ended up watching the story through my fingers.

It’s extraordinary that this is the same production team who put together Davison’s final adventure. The last time I disliked a story this much was 1966’s ‘The Celestial Toymaker’, but that story at least felt inconsequential - not the start of a whole new era. JNT has made some weird decisions here - I hope it plays out okay. At least they still have Peri.