2.11: The Enemy of the World
In which Patrick Troughton has a lot of fun.
Broadcast: December 1967-January 1968.
Watched: October 2019.
Exciting one, this: for a long time we only had episode 3. Then, in 2013, the other five episodes were returned to the BBC and released via iTunes and DVD. Which was a lovely 50th anniversary present. This one’s particularly fun, as Patrick Troughton doesn’t just play the Doctor, but also the villain, Salamander, and there are bits with the Doctor impersonating Salamander and Salamander impersonating the Doctor, literally none of which, reading back my notes, I thought it worth mentioning. Oh well.
The Enemy of the World, Episode 1
“Of course, I always was interested in phonetics...”
Now this is more like it. The Doctor being excited by the seaside. The immediate peril and mystery and no clue what’s going on. The fact it’s not the same plot we’ve already seen sixteen times. How did this one sneak past the production team, then? Or alternatively: why was it the only one who made it?
Jamie is oddly violent in this one, wishing he had a gun and then punching someone out.
IS IT A REAL HELICOPTER? Must be or we wouldn’t get the shot from inside it as it’s taking off. [*Okay, this is the most in-jokey of in-jokes: Doctor Who Confidential, the behind the scenes show that ran alongside the early seasons of the relaunch, spent a lot of time explaining things that didn’t need to be explained, notably “it was not a real helicopter”. I’m playing to the gallery here.] Victoria clings to Jamie in a way that makes no sense unless they’re banging. The Doctor flirts like crazy with Astrid.
Bill Kerr looks nothing like he sounds on Hancock. Is that stock footage of the actual UN?
This story is set in the past LOL. [It’s a weirdly fash 2017… or, alternatively: it’s 2017.] If Salamander isn’t a fascist dictator in the making he really needs to rethink his underling’s clothes.
The Enemy of the World, Episode 2
Jamie is great in the scene where he saves Salamander. The food tasting sequence is hilarious. Although the fact the two female guest characters in this are called Fariah and Farrier is weird.
I really like the way Salamander uses information to grow his power rather than brute force. It’s a story about incipient fascism rather than a dictator, which makes it quite unusual in Who doesn’t it? First interesting villain in ages. Growing up, when I only knew the surviving episode from The Troughton Years video, I assumed Salamander was a dictator, but he’s just a scientist with a lot of power: he’s less Hitler than Elon Musk.
The Enemy of the World, Episode 3
“People spend all their time making nice things and other people come along and break them.”
Another symptom of how much better [writer David] Whitaker is than most Who writers: he can recap information, e.g. Fedorin is being blackmailed, without it feeling like a repeat when watched back to back.
I loved this episode as a kid. Though it’s quite funny how atypical of the era it is, for something that ended up on The Troughton Years. The excuse for the corridor bit (“It’s easier to guard him here”) is hilarious.
Kanowa’s a real place. Huh.
Griff the miserable chef is the best one episode character in all of Doctor Who.
Love that Salamander gets all the cliffhangers too.
The Enemy of the World, Episode 4
Even when you know it’s coming, the switch into Bond villain with underground lair is mental. This story gets so much more in than those that precede it, every episode is different to the last. It’s a Moffat compared to the Gatiss-es around it.
The Enemy of the World, Episode 5
The actor who plays Colin has been to drama school and would like you to know about it.
The fact Swann emerges from the underground base mere metres from Astrid and Kent is a bit convenient.
The Enemy of the World, Episode 6
“You two seem to be the leaders...” they’re basically kids, they’re just the only ones you’ve paid to speak.
Benik is a great fascist though. Spiritual ancestor of Nyder, I think. Not obvious why he suddenly waves a gun at Bruce, mind.
Also convenient: that Kent dies right next to the “blow up secret base” lever.
The ending is a bit rushed after everything that’s gone before [apparently they messed up the shoot, and didn’t get the required footage] and the fact people still keep mistaking the Doctor and Salamander for one another is baffling. But overall this is so entertaining I don’t care. Probably the best of the season isn’t it?
Just watched this one. Really ramps up the pace, quite impressed by the variety. Had to check Wikipedia to find out that Salamander is supposed to be Mexican, I thought Troughton was doing greek. Madness.