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The Two Doctors is a serial in the science fiction series Doctor Who. It stars Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton.
Synopsis
The 2nd Doctor and Jamie are sent to a space station by the Time Lords. Two scientists on the station, Kartz and Reimer have been conducting experiments with a primitive TARDIS, and the Time Lords have sent the Doctor to appeal to his old friend Dastari - the head of research - and try and get him to stop the experiments. While this is happening, Dastari's servant Chessene (an Androgum who has been genetically engineered to genius level) and his cook, Shockeye (another Androgum, but not modified) conspire to poison the station's residents and allow a Sontaran battlecruiser to dock. Most of the station's population are killed, the Doctor is abducted and Jamie left is on board.
Meanwhile the 6th Doctor decides to pay a visit to Dastari. After he and his companion Peri explore the station, evading computerised traps, they find Jamie who tells them what's happened. Meanwhile Chessene, Shockeye and a Sontaran land on Earth, at a villa outside the city of Seville. Shockeye kills and eats the old lady who occupies the villa, and Dastari arrives with the 2nd Doctor and another Sontaran, to whom they intend to give the secret of time-travel. To do this, they must dissect the 2nd Doctor and find the genetic code that allows Time Lords to use TARDISes.
Ultimately, Chessene kills one Sontaran with acid (the other survives, but accidentally blows himself up along with his ship), then Dastari after he tries to stop Chessene killing the Doctors. She then tries to use the time module, but it malfunctions and kills her. The 6th Doctor kills Shockeye with cyanide, after which the two Doctors go their separate ways.
Notes
- Robert Holmes wrote the serial, which was an allegory about meat-eating (the Doctor becomes a vegetarian at the end), hunting and butchering.
- This story marked the final appearances in Doctor Who for both Patrick Troughton as the 2nd Doctor and Frazer Hines as Jamie
- During the transmission of the story the postponement of the next season of the series was announced. Much controversy still surrounds this period and action, with dispute over whether or not the series was facing cancellation outright at this stage and the roles of various BBC officials such as BBC1 controller Michael Grade and Head of Drama Serials Jonathan Powell.
- Many have noted that the serial contains severe divergences from the series' continuity from the 1960s, including Jamie knowing who the Time Lords were (he didn't know until right before he was seperated from the Doctor), the 2nd Doctor being on a mission for the Time Lords (in the original stories these were not seen until his forced regeneration and exile on Earth) and the 2nd Doctor recognising the Sontarans (the 3rd Doctor was the first to meet the Sontarans). A popular fan theory to account for this apparent discrepancy is a hypothetical "Season 6B", taking place between The War Games (the final episode of Season 6) and before Spearhead from Space (the first episode of Season 7).
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