The Twin Dilemma [Doctor Who, Story 136]

The Twin Dilemma by Anthony Steven
22 - 30 March 1984​

 

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". I had fun, but I am still hoping to see some more promising stories in the next season.

But first, our Season 21 roundup, coming soon.

(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 6 May 2024.)