"Well, well, well, so four of me made it. I wonder what happened to the other six?"
I had to go with the above quote... but I almost went with "The Ultimate Adventure, you might say" from the Sixth Doctor to the Third. ah, nostalgia. I saw Jon Pertwee in that play at the Belgrave Theatre in Coventry in April 1989, the only time I ever clapped eyes on the great man for real, as an early twelfth birthday present. The play, and the associated merchandise, was my first encounter with the world of fandom, I suppose. But it was all so long ago...
Anyway, I shan't repeat myself at length about the impressive plotting on show here, how the complex plot is somehow both easy to follow and feels natural, or indeed the skill with which Rich Morris handles what should surely be an impossible number of protagonists. Especially, as in this episode, as the number of plot threads is starting to reduce and so Doctors interact more often.
There are so many lovely moments here. 6 being annoyed that 4 is alive, because that means he was wrong. The Brigadier's touching speech to 1, surrounded by so many who have been touched by the Doctor's life. Glitz and Mel reunited. The Second Doctor defeating the Toymaker... although I do wince at calling said immortal "Cellie". Still, it's very likely that Rich Morris, like many people, isn't aware of the unfortunate etymology of the word "celestial". And I love that explosion.
And yet... the Dalek invasion of Gallifrey, with all its Cronenberg-esque body horror, feels unstoppable. And what's about Davros being a "champion of time"...?
I am aware of the C word being regarded as a slang for Chinese but considering Celestial is still used to mean something mystical and magic in a positive way in various other forms, such as it still being used in songs and shows and other fictional characters like Princess Celestia in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series (shame there is no cameo from Doctor Whooves), I suppose we have to let it slide, plus I don't know how KNOWN/AWARENESS the controversy over the toymaker's original appearance was in 2007 than it was in 2023.
ReplyDelete6 wearing 4's scraf out of respect when he thought he died is touching, as is 1 truly learning all the lives and friends he will come to make in the future. I like how the 2.5./Devious Doctor somewhat acts sympathetically at Omega; the other Doctors may have their own long-term agenda, but all Omega had wanted as long as the Doctors knew him was to be free, and he couldn't even have that.
I find it amusing how the Brigadier can be so relaxed about this turn of events; this is certainly the largest amount of Doctors he have witnessed in one room at the same time, but it is far from the only occasion that he have worked with multiple versions of him; any situation meriting this many of him coming together is complicated, of course, but it is far from unprecedented.
I like the various assembled companions- even Jack, Rose and Grace were as committed to the current task as the rest despite the relative brevity of their time with the Doctor.
This was why the Docotr'd come to appreciate humans so much; they might be flawed at times, and as a group they could make stupid decisions, but, when push came to shove, one-on-one, they could still surprise him, and the best of them were often worth more than any number of Time Lords that he could mention or call upon.
The controversy about The Celestial Toymaker, as far as I recall, wasn't a big thing in 2007 at all, so I'm sure Rich Morris (like myself at the time) wouldn't have been aware of these issues.
DeleteYou're right: Six wearing Four's scarf in mourning is a lovely touch. And this whole chapter, if it could be said to have a theme at all, is all about humans, the Doctor, and what they mean to each other.
Haha loved your comment about seeing Jon Pertwee on stage! Must be a wonderful memory!
DeleteThe story is almost complete. But as all the Doctors and companions come together, all the Doctors must prepare for their face to face with the Dalek supreme controlling 10. Only the Dalek Supreme stand between the Doctors and the final death of Gailfrey........
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