Brief Summary
This video reviews Season 6 of Classic Doctor Who, highlighting the highs and lows of the season's seven stories. It covers everything from the universally panned "The Dominators" to the imaginative "The Mind Robber" and the epic "The War Games," which concludes with the Second Doctor's regeneration.
- Season 6 is a mixed bag, featuring both terrible and great stories.
- "The War Games" is a standout, ending with a mind-blowing conclusion.
- The season marks the end of the Second Doctor's era.
Introduction
The video introduces a review of Doctor Who Season 6, a season notable for being in black and white and containing a mix of both excellent and poor stories. The season marks the end of the Second Doctor's tenure and features a variety of adventures, from encounters with space dominatrixes to epic battles with the Time Lords.
The Dominators
The TARDIS crew lands on Dulcas, where the Dominators and their robot servants, the Quarks, are planning destructive actions while the peaceful inhabitants debate resistance. This five-part story is considered one of the weakest, with the only redeeming quality being the humor derived from the concept of Patrick Troughton battling space dominatrixes.
The Mind Robber
"The Mind Robber" is a five-episode story where the TARDIS crew finds themselves in the Land of Fiction. The story is filled with bizarre and imaginative elements, including the destruction of the TARDIS, a white void setting, and Jamie losing his face, which requires the Doctor to reconstruct it incorrectly, leading to Fraser Hines being temporarily replaced. The story is praised for its creativity and originality.
The Invasion
"The Invasion" is an eight-part story featuring the Cybermen invading Earth, with Kevin Stoney reprising his role from "The Dalek Master Plan." Two of the episodes are missing and have been animated for the DVD release. The story introduces UNIT and promotes Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart to Brigadier, a rank he holds for many years. Despite being lengthy, it's considered a classic.
The Krotons
"The Krotons" is the first Doctor Who script written by Robert Holmes. The Krotons are crystal aliens in suspended animation who gain power by absorbing people's brainpower. The story is considered not very good, with the Krotons failing to become popular villains like the Daleks or Cybermen.
The Seeds of Death
"The Seeds of Death" is a six-part story and the first script by Terence Dicks. The Ice Warriors return, attacking a moon base, and the TARDIS crew must save the day. The Doctor uses homemade heat rays to incinerate Ice Warriors and redirects their fleet into the sun. It's a solid story with interesting direction.
The Space Pirates
"The Space Pirates" is a six-episode story considered another weak point in the season. It involves faffing about in space, with Doctor Who attempting to be Star Trek. The TARDIS crew is barely involved in the story, and it features offbeat characters and comedy accents. Most of the story is lost.
The War Games
"The War Games" is a ten-episode story featuring a race of aliens called the Warlords, who kidnap human soldiers from different time periods to create an army. After nine episodes, the Doctor signals the Time Lords for help. The Time Lords destroy the Warlords, put the Doctor on trial, sentence him to regeneration, wipe the memories of his companions, and exile him to Earth. The episode is considered one of the best in Doctor Who history.
Conclusion
Season six is described as an uneven year with both awful and great stories, ending on a high note with "The War Games." The video concludes by teasing the next season, where Doctor Who discovers color and the Third Doctor is introduced.
