My Whovian Adventure Part 3

When I set out on this journey, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. Obviously, I had heard of 'Doctor Who', and I knew that it was one of those wonderful, geeky things that had a huge following (and therefore, that I would probably love it), but I didn't expect to get so attached so quickly. 

After forging my way through the First Doctor (admittedly, with a great deal of effort at times), I began the Second Doctor wondering if I would really enjoy 'Doctor Who' as much as I'd hoped I would. After only a few episodes with Patrick Troughton as the Doctor, I knew I was doing the right thing.

I love the Second Doctor. Almost obsessively so.

I had some very strong opinions on the Second Doctor after only 1 or 2 episodes. What's with the recorder? Where did he come up with that haircut? Why are his clothes so big? But all these little quirks grew on me pretty quickly an all became part of the reason I loved the Second Doctor so much. It's a really good thing he was such an engaging character, because most of his episodes are missing. Seasons 4 and 5's 16 series are almost entirely audio (59 of 83 episodes), and only one series, 'The Tomb of the Cybermen' exists in completely video form. It's a good episode, but I really wish some of the others had been more complete. Damn you BBC. Season 6 is only missing a few episodes, and the series are interesting, so you're really able to see what the Second Doctor is like. By the time Season 6 ended I was emotionally invested in the Second Doctor and I was really sad to see him regenerate. I'm now almost finished with Season 7, and I have to say that I don't enjoy the Third Doctor as much as the Second.

After the First Doctor becomes injured 2 series into the 4th season, he regenerates into the Second Doctor. Unfortunately, this is one of the episodes that exists only in audio form, so it loses some of its impact. Listening to the transformation doesn't really make you understand what's going on. Ben and Polly (who you'll remember were the last 2 companions the First Doctor had) are present for the regeneration, and through them we can hear what happens. The Second Doctor's journeys are usually into the future and to other planets (with some exceptions, most notably 'The Highlanders' where he picks up the fabulous Jamie McKibben), instead of to the past, which were the staple of the First Doctor. 

The Second Doctor is a lot quirkier, funnier and more lovable than the First, so maybe this is why he has far fewer companions than his predecessor. I know I'd stick around longer with Patrick Troughton than William Hartnell. He's also the first Doctor to use the Sonic Screwdriver! Fun fact about Patrick Troughton; his grandson Harry Melling plays Dudley Dursley in the 'Harry Potter' movies. Geek crossover at its best!
 
So without further adieu, I introduce to you the companions of the Second Doctor.



Ben and Polly are the first to see the newly transformed 
Doctor. I didn't really like them with the First Doctor, and I still didn't like them with the Second. Here you see them making weird faces. I try to ignore the fact that Ben closely resembles one of the cavemen from the GEICO commercials, but seriously, look at this picture.

Shortly before Ben and Polly jump ship (yay!), they end up in the Scottish highlands somewhere around the 17-1800's  and pick up Jamie McKibben. Jamie is a fantastic companion. He's funny, brave and always ready to save the day, or more accurately, the Doctor. Despite his time period, he doesn't look down on his female companions. And he does it all in a kilt.

Next to join the Doctor and Jamie is Victoria Waterfield. She decides to come with them after her father is killed in an ill-conceived attempt to work with the Dalek's. You just can't trust a Dalek. Victoria is a Victorian young lady and tends to scream and worry a lot, but she also doesn't shy away from dangerous situations and doesn't like to be left behind where it's safe. She doesn't leave much of an overall impression though, and eventually can't handle the stress and constant unsafe conditions they live in and leaves the TARDIS to wander the beach and become adopted by an earth family in safer times.

 
The Doctor's final companion is Zoe, a scientist from the 21st century who helps the Doctor out of many a technical pickle. She wears a lot of extremely tights suits, but overall I liked her, and the relationships between her, Jamie and the Doctor are believable and heartfelt.







Here are the 5 things that stuck out to me about the Second Doctor.


1. The Doctor's Recorder; I'm not talking about a tape recorder, I'm talking about the musical instrument you learned to play in elementary school. Much like the First Doctor's laugh, the recorder appears in the most inopportune moments, although it does come in handy to identify the real Doctor from an imposter at one point. It isn't used as much as the seasons go on, but it makes frequent appearances in the first couple of seasons.

2. The Doctor's Fashion Style; Oh, the plaid pants pulled up too high. And the massive suit jacket. And that haircut. I'm still not sure if he's wearing a wig or if he actually has that much hair. Half the time he looks like an unmade bed, but he knows what he's doing, so I guess we can just chalk it up to the eccentricities of genius.

3. Quark's Voices; The Quarks appear in the series 'The Dominators', and they are robots who 'cannot be destroyed'. Jamie finds a way, however, and blows them up. Not sure why he's the only one who had ever come up with that plan, but I guess that's why Jamie is the man. This is an interesting series for many reasons, but mainly for the costumes. The man in the shredded garbage bag suit and paper maché hunchback seen in the picture is a Dominator, and he and his race command the Quarks. 

The Quarks themselves don't appear too dangerous, but they shoot nasty lasers that kill quickly. They trundle along, drilling into the planet's core so the Dominators can power their ships with the radiation at the center of the planet, before blowing the planet up after they take off. My major complaint with the Quarks is that they are IMPOSSIBLE to understand. Their voices are so high pitched and mechanical that it wasn't until the very end of the last of 5 episodes that I discovered they were speaking English, and even then I think I only caught one word. 

Also worth noting in the costume department is the fact that the men on this planet wear skirts even shorter than Jamie's kilt. I think they're shorter than most of the women's skirts for that matter...








4. The War Chief's Facial Hair; My favourite series of the Second Doctor is the final one, 'The War Games'. Although I don't usually like series with more than 5 or 6 episodes (just get to the point already!), this 10 episode series kept me interested. In this series, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find themselves on the battlefields of multiple wars, including World War 1, the American Civil War and many more. They eventually discover that they are in the middle of a game board run by a race of aliens determined to find out what makes the best soldiers. The aliens are being helped by the War Chief who is one of the Doctor's own people, a Time Lord (Gallifreyan), who has employed TARDIS technology to transport soldiers from their own time onto the game board. As I was watching I couldn't help but notice the War Cheif's impeccably coiffed facial hair. He looks like Seneca Crane's long lost brother. Kudos to them both for their dedication to grooming! 

Seneca Crane

The War Chief

5. Jamie's Kilt; Jamie is a Highlander, so I know he's used to tromping around in a kilt, but I couldn't help but laugh sometimes. He's mountain climbing in a kilt, riding through space on the control panel of the dismantled TARDIS in a kilt, climbing up ladders in a kilt, hanging onto a railing as the ship tips sideways in a kilt. When Victoria joins the Doctor, his first thought is to get her out of her Victorian garb and into something more practical. She even wears pants a few times. Zoe's wardrobe consists of many pantsuits (most of them skin tight), and she only wears a dress once, in 'The Dominators' series, where even the men of the planet wear dresses. And yet, pants are never once offered to Jamie. He does impersonate a soldier at one point, so he may wear pants for a few minutes (I can't remember), but for almost 3 whole seasons he's kicking ass and taking names without any pants on. Yet another reason why Jamie is my favourite companion to date.

Another of my favourite series was 'The Mind Robber', the one seen above where Jamie and Zoe have to ride around on the control panel of the TARDIS when it falls apart. All the characters they encounter are fictional characters from books and stories. I especially enjoy when Jamie is turned into a paper cutout of himself with his face removed and the Doctor has to put it back together one piece at a time. Let's just say he gets it wrong the first time, leading to an interesting few moments of an alternate Jamie. 

So that's what the Second Doctor looked like to me. I miss the Second Doctor and his companions, since so far the Third Doctor hasn't done anything to grab my interest. But I'll keep going anyway!