brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) (03/21/84)
Actually, I don't hate Pertwee, but I would like to see Adric, Nyssa and Teegan blown apart. I hear we get to see it happen to Adric. For me, Pertwee is too pompous and not irreverent enough. I still enjoy his shows, but not as much as Tom Baker or some of the Peter Davison. (Davison's companions ruin it for him. Nathan-Turner wants to turn the show into an action-adventure show, I think) From what little I have seen of Patrick Troughton, I liked him. I would tend to agree with the suggestion you are loyal to your first Doctor, but I vaguely recall seeing Pertwee episodes when I was young. I started Baker several years later as an adult. In my opinion however, what makes the show good is the actor. It's surely not the SFX, acting of some of the companions or the writing. And the character I fell in love with was the subtly omnipotent yet at the same time absent-minded and irreverent Tom Baker. How can you take things seriously when you land on alien planets in a Police Box? Tom Baker had a truly "alien" quality about him. His actions and reactions were not quite what you would expect from a human. I can't imagine Jon Pertwee saying "Never trust gimmicky gadgets!" or any other of the more memorable lines from the Baker years. But alas, it's one man's opinion. I have only seen 12 episodes of Davison, and while I didn't like Castrovalva or Kinda, I really enjoyed "Four to Doomsday" - it showed real potential. -- Brad Templeton - Waterloo, Ontario (519) 886-7304
fish@ihu1g.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (03/28/84)
Adric and Tegan (note single "e") should definitely go. Adric
should have stayed in E-space, and The Doctor should have just
fixed Tegan's flat and sent her on her way. As for Nyssa, she's
rather comely and not nearly so lacking in brains as some of The
Doctor's other past associates. She's no Romana, though.
Pertwee's characterization of the Doctor is by no means inferior
to Baker's, and better by far than Davison's. Pertwee does not
provide the amusing repartee one comes to know and love with
[Tom] Baker, but he makes up for it in sincerity, elegance, and
something neither Baker nor Davison have brought to the role:
sensitivity. Pertwee's Doctor has feelings. Witness the touching
scene in which we see the last of Jo Grant. Pertwee is genuinely
crestfallen by the departure of his sidekick, and you get the feeling
that he is more than a bit jealous. Contrast this with Baker's pique
when Leela abandons him on Gallifrey for a young Timelord. Only
Baker's ego is a bit bruised, and he gets the last laugh by popping
a duplicate K-9 out of a crate.
Davison, in contrast to both Baker and Pertwee, is too superficial and
callow for the role. His introspective soliloquies remind me of
Spider-Man's rantings -- in fact, the whole Davison series so far
(We've seen six full episodes in Chicago) reminds me a bit of a
comic book. Mind you, I still like the show; the special effects
are much improved, but characterizations have suffered on all counts.
I prefer the Baker *series* over Pertwee's largely because they got
away from that adolescent "U.N.I.T." business. However, I find
Pertwee's Doctor every bit as engaging as the fellow with the
scarf, albeit in a different vein. Besides, he's better at Venusian
Karate.
--
Bob Fishell
ihnp4!ihu1g!fish