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Doctor Who

The Twin Dilemma: Part Four

  • Episode aired Mar 30, 1984
  • 25m
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
363
YOUR RATING
S21.E24
  • S21
  • E24
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All
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Gavin Conrad, and Andrew Conrad in Doctor Who (1963)
  • Adventure
  • Drama
  • Family
The Doctor and Edgeworth deduce that the real plan of Mestor, the gastropod ruler of Jaconda, will not only destroy Jaconda but lead to the devastation of other planets. Together they hope t... Read allThe Doctor and Edgeworth deduce that the real plan of Mestor, the gastropod ruler of Jaconda, will not only destroy Jaconda but lead to the devastation of other planets. Together they hope to thwart him despite his formidable ability at slipping into people's minds and controllin... Read allThe Doctor and Edgeworth deduce that the real plan of Mestor, the gastropod ruler of Jaconda, will not only destroy Jaconda but lead to the devastation of other planets. Together they hope to thwart him despite his formidable ability at slipping into people's minds and controlling them.
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
363
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Peter Moffatt
  • Writers
    • Anthony Steven(by)
    • Sydney Newman(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Colin Baker
    • Nicola Bryant
    • Maurice Denham
Top credits
  • Director
    • Peter Moffatt
  • Writers
    • Anthony Steven(by)
    • Sydney Newman(uncredited)
  • Stars
    • Colin Baker
    • Nicola Bryant
    • Maurice Denham
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Colin Baker, Maurice Denham, Gavin Conrad, and Andrew Conrad in Doctor Who (1963)
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    Top cast

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    Colin Baker
    Colin Baker
    • The Doctoras The Doctor
    Nicola Bryant
    Nicola Bryant
    • Perias Peri
    Maurice Denham
    Maurice Denham
    • Edgeworthas Edgeworth…
    Kevin McNally
    Kevin McNally
    • Hugo Langas Hugo Lang
    Edwin Richfield
    Edwin Richfield
    • Mestoras Mestor
    Barry Stanton
    Barry Stanton
    • Nomaas Noma
    Oliver Smith
    Oliver Smith
    • Drakas Drak
    Seymour Green
    • Chamberlainas Chamberlain
    Gavin Conrad
    • Romulusas Romulus
    Andrew Conrad
    • Remusas Remus
    Mark Bassenger
    • Jocondan Guardas Jocondan Guard
    • (uncredited)
    Graham Cole
    • Jocondan Guardas Jocondan Guard
    • (uncredited)
    Les Conrad
    • Jocondan Guardas Jocondan Guard
    • (uncredited)
    Mike Mungarvan
    Mike Mungarvan
    • Jocondan Guardas Jocondan Guard
    • (uncredited)
    David Ransley
    • Jocondan Guardas Jocondan Guard
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Smythe
    • Jocondan Guardas Jocondan Guard
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Peter Moffatt
    • Writers
      • Anthony Steven(by)
      • Sydney Newman(uncredited)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The original script featured the Jaconda and Gastropods being dropped totally without resolution to the plot, with the final battle taking place in another dimension against a being called Azlan who was controlling Mestor all along.
    • Goofs
      The Doctor and Azmael say that planets of smaller mass than Jaconda placed into the same orbit would have their orbits decay. This is incorrect; any object placed into an orbit will stay in orbit, notwithstanding any influence from any third body. In fact, the Trojan asteroids in the same orbit as Jupiter (60 degrees ahead or behind at the Lagrangian points) are much smaller in mass than Jupiter, and their orbits are stable.
    • Quotes

      The Doctor: My blood will bubble like a raging stream. I will beg to die? And in so doing I will crave your indulgence and forgiveness.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Chronic Rift: Colin Baker: The Sixth Doctor (2018)

    User reviews6

    Review
    Top review
    4/10
    The Characterisation Dilemma
    Review for all 4 episodes:

    While I almost admire the bravery of giving the 6th Doctor such a shockingly different characterisation the way it is done completely alienates me today as much as it did when I watched it on its original transmission. I had loved Peter Davison's 5th Doctor for his heroically good nature epitomised more than ever with him eventually sacrificing himself to save his companion Peri. For him to regenerate into the 6th Doctor and be actually trying to strangle the person he died to save within the first 20 minutes as well as treating her with such disrespect and disdain is just far too jarring. It could possibly have worked if the writing and direction was to make it purely a short bad effect of regeneration making him deranged and portray it skillfully enough. It is not done well at all because the writing makes the 6th Doctor just seem like a totally unpleasant character. He continues to be a pompous, selfish, cowardly petulant, egotist with no compassion for the whole story and with a tendency to violence totally out of keeping with The Doctor. Indeed much of his tenure is blighted by aspects of these unpleasant traits continuing to appear. It does not allow for it to be excused as a temporary post regeneration trauma. Not much of this is Colin Baker's fault and in fact his acting in the first part of this story is admirable. Sadly the characterisation is bad and Colin's acting comes across as over the top, annoying and unengaging as a result. If he had simply been a darker Doctor it could have been interesting but the way it is done is just bad.

    The first episode features him strangling Peri and being a conceited bully. The second episode makes it even worse showing him as a coward offering Peri as 'the one to blame' when threatened and so many awful character aspects are shown throughout the story. Even without that the story is lame. Twins with mathematical genius are kidnapped and a race of giant gastropods have taken over a planet. The twins are not well acted and are irritating, the gastropods are silly and the story is both boring and badly put together. There are silly plot elements throughout such as The Doctor leaving a random person in the TARDIS with his gun. Maurice Denham is a very very good actor indeed but there is no material to use even his potential as a guest character. The rest is unsatisfactory including Peri whose performance adds to the other annoying elements.

    Baker's acting is sometimes shining through the bad characterisation, Denham is as good as he could be and there are a couple of minor elements of usual Doctor Who interest but overall this is not fun, not good enough quality for the show's usual standards and is makes the 6th Doctor unlikable.

    This adventure brings season 21 down. They could have at least let Davison see out the season and left Baker to start his own season fresh. Very disappointing. 3 to 3.5/10 if you take whatever positives you can.
    helpful•1
    1
    • A_Kind_Of_CineMagic
    • Dec 5, 2018

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 30, 1984 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • BBC (United Kingdom)
    • Language
      • English
    • Production company
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      25 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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