There were a number of things that made this episode unique. First, with the disappearance of Steven, the Doctor steps up to the plate and becomes a central figure in the story. He becomes very Christopher Eccleston when he takes command and brings down the war machines. Secondly, this is set in modern times, and the Doctor doesn't seem to fit. Thirdly, Dodo falls off a cliff and vanishes from the episode without even a goodbye. Fourthly, the Doctor is called Doctor Who which hasn't happened unless you count the Peter Cushing movie, which no one does.
1. With Steven gone, the Doctor has more scenes and more lines. Dodo brain has her own little adventure, but quickly gets mind controlled and ends up sleeping for way more than forty-eight hours. He also fixes the problem while the military fumble about and make mistakes. That hasn't happened before. He seems to get jiggy with the computer, and treats it better than I've seen him treat humans.
2. This is the first real episode when the Doctor has been in modern times. He really stands out in this one, with his cape and strange hat. Like Susan, he really doesn't have the gift of blending in very well. Hanging the "Out of Order" sign on the TARDIS was amusing.
3. Dodo was barely in this entire episode. After she gets mind controlled and the Doctor has to fix her, she disappears forever. Apparently they wrote her out of the story and did not renew her contract without even a goodbye. That really sucks. I get that nobody liked her, but that's a rough way to go. At least have the decency to shoot her out an airlock. But she's left in modern times, so that's okay!
4. WOTAN demands the presence of "Doctor Who", which is the first time that he is called this. Was it a mistake? Who knows. Whovian fans --- or at least my DW expert viewer --- get so irate when you refer to the Doctor as "Doctor Who", they will throw drinks into your face. The only time when we call the Doctor "Doctor Who" is in the Peter Cushing movie when he introduces himself as "Dr. Who" rather than "The Doctor". However, no DW fan will acknowledge the existence of Peter Cushing's movie. They'd rather drink acid. So was it a mistake? I have no idea.
The creators of this episode seemed very proud of their work. Even the introduction of the title is very different from the usual.
They also put a lot of effort into making the actual war machines. They are the ugliest, clumsiest things I've ever seen. Also, they seem stuck on the weapon, as it seemed much like the little rod that you see on the Daleks. This time, the war machine shot out gas, or smoke, or dry ice.
My expert DW viewer really liked this plot. The computer was able to connect with all the other computers in the world, rather like the internet. I can see his point. At the time this was made, such an idea seemed fantastical and exciting. The dawn of the computer has arrived.
Just when the Doctor thinks that he has rid of his companions once and for all, two young people jump into his TARDIS. It was obvious to me that they were going to become companions from the start. They don't seem that annoying.
Thus ends Season 3!! Didn't think I would make it through all these freaking recons, did you? Neither did I.
Next Up: Peter Cushing's: Daleks --- Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.
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