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(More customer reviews)If you were a fan of DOCTOR WHO back in the 1980's and you lived in Maryland, then MPT was your home of DOCTOR WHO, and your daddy was Tom Baker... always. For years (and years) MPT would air the entire seven season run of Baker from ROBOT to LOGOPOLIS right up until Peter Davidson sat up tied in Baker's famous scarf and then regenerate again tomorrow back in Tom Baker... and it would begin again. For what seemed like forever DOCTOR WHO was just Tom Baker and it frustrated me to no end - leading me to believe that CASTROVALVA was a masterpeice of WHO fiction denied us. But, one day MPT announced that not only had they purchased the Davidson run, but the entire run of DOCTOR WHO as well... and there I was, at the end of LOGOPOLIS, Davidson sitting up tied in Baker's famous scarf and the next day...it was William Hartnell, and it was miles to go until LOGOPOLIS came around again.
Don't get me wrong. Being able to view the DOCTOR WHO from the beginning was pure magic, but in the back of my mind, I was counting down until, finally, at long last... CASTROVALVA began... and once again, here I am and all it takes now is for me to hit PLAY for the show to begin. Times have changed, as to my view of the final two stories of Tom Baker and the first for Peter Davidson, they've changed as well, but not by much.
THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN is a studio bound story high in design and simple in drama. The performances across the board are very good (with only Matthew Waterhouse not ready for prime time), and the story manages at once to be original, yet a copy as well. It doesn't take much to see where all this is heading and while that may sink most shows, here it frees you from having to pay too close attention, and simply enjoy the atmosphere - and TRAKEN has that in spades. From the casual, and comfortable, opening to the renewed battle between the Master and the Doctor, THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN is a solid peice of work. So much so that the Doctor manages to disappear from the story for a long while before you really miss him.
LOGOPOLIS is a stunning mess. There's no two ways about it. It's one of the most original ideas the series has had, and yet, it does almost nothing with it. The story strays, having been burden with not only the weight of continuity issues, the reintroduction of Nyssa, the introduction of Tegan, the battle between the Master and the Doctor and finally, the end of Tom Baker's run on DOCTOR WHO. For a story under constant pressure (I mean, it is the literally the end of the universe we're talking about), it all comes across like a walk in the park. It's simply the silliest armageddon ever.
CASTROVALVA follows on the heels of LOGOPOLIS, taking up the challange thrown down in the previous story in trying to make use of the idea that reality can simply be maintained, created and destroyed through math alone. And it almost works. What nearly kills the story is also one of its greatest strengths, and that's in the performances of the new TARDIS cast starting to work as a unit. Davidson was lucky enough to not have had to make his debut story until he had already made FOUR TO DOOMSDAY which meant he had a better idea and handle on just how this new Doctor was going to be played. It's breathing room he uses to great advantage here - but, it's given too much time, and what's left is not enough for the mystery behind Castrovalva. Davidson is good, but Anthony Ainley is better. The Master's final moments trapped inside Castrovalva are horrific and unsettling, leaving the last moments of the story with the Doctor in the saddle feeling a bit shallow.
As usual 2 ENTERTAIN have gone out of there way to back up these stories with a host of excellent extras. Commentaries across the board are well done and informative. On THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN it's something of a shame that Ainley has so little to say on the topic of the Master and his time on DOCTOR WHO. Someone dropped the ball here by not sitting Ainley down with a professional to mine those memories for future generations. As it is, he's comfortable, happy and delighted to be back among friends. Also, I simply can not priase Janet Fielding enough - whenever she's on a commentary, the tracks shine. She's pure brass, totally adult, and never afriad to speak her mind. For some reason it's the women of DOCTOR WHO that always bring something to the table (and they seem to be the only ones that can make Tom Baker sit up, take notice and be honest) which makes these tracks worthwhile. Text commentary is tight and informative, and worth your time. The MAKING OF... and various documentaries across all three dics are very good (with some repeat from the commentary tracks, but, that's expected now).
All in all, it's pretty much everything you could want spread over three DVD's. Three different, but creative stories, two Doctor's, one Master and a gaggle of companions. Now, I have CASTROVALVA, bring on ROBOT.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Doctor Who - New Beginnings: The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis, and Castrovalva (Stories 115, 116, and 117)
These three stories saw the return of the Doctor's arch-enemy, The Master, as well as the transition from Tom Baker's Doctor to Peter Davison's. The Keeper of Traken: A distress call brings the Doctor (Tom Baker) to the tranquil planet of Traken, where a living statue poses a deadly threat. (4 eps, 98 mins) Logopolis: The Doctor's (Tom Baker) plan to enlist the help of Logopolis's mathematicians for a small favor become sidetracked when the Master's interference leads to disaster on a universal scale. (4 eps, 98 mins) Castrovalva: The Doctor's (Peter Davison) regeneration is failing, and his last hope rests with Nyssa and Tegan, who struggle to steer the TARDIS to the remote haven of Castrovalva. (4 eps, 96 mins) DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary by actors Anthony Ainley, Sarah Sutton and Matthew Waterhouse and writer Johnny Byrne DVD ROM Features:1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs Documentary:Being Nice to Each Other: A new 30-minute "making of" documentary that includes contributions from Sarah Sutton, Sheila Ruskin, Geoffrey Beevers, John Black, Johnny Byrne, Christopher H. Bidmead Interviews:Swap Shop: Noel Edmond interviews Sarah Sutton (11 mins) Music Only TrackOther:The Return of the Master: Geoffrey Beevers, Christopher H. Bidmead and John Black talk about the return of the Doctor's arch-enemy (8 mins) Trailers and Continuity Announcements (6 mins) Photo galleryProduction NotesAudio Commentary:Audio Commentary by actors Tom Baker and Janet Fielding and writer Christopher H. Bidmead DVD ROM Features:1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs Documentary:A New Body at Last: A new 50-minute documentary on the transition from Tom Baker to Peter Davison, featuring many of the actors and production team involved, plus exclusive behind the scenes footage of the regeneration Interviews:Nationwide Interviews with Tom Baker and Peter Davison (8 mins) Pebble Mill at One: Peter Davison interview (12 mins) Music Only TrackOther:BBC News Reports on Tom Baker's wedding, the announcement of Tom Baker's departure and Peter Davison's arrival (1 min) Photo galleryProduction NotesTV Spot:Trailers and Continuity Announcements (2 mins) Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary by actors Peter Davison and Janet Fielding, writer Christopher H. Bidmead and director Fiona CummingDVD ROM Features:1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs Deleted ScenesFeaturette:The Crowded TARDIS: 11-minute featurette with Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, John Black and Christopher H. Bidmead Interviews:Being Doctor Who: Peter Davison discusses how he approached this iconic role (13 mins) Directing Castrovalva: 11-minute interview with Fiona Cumming Swap Shop, Blue Peter: Peter Davison interviews (29 mins) Music Only TrackMusic Video:New remix of Peter Howell's Doctor Who theme music for 1980 in stereo or Dolby 5.1 surround Photo galleryProduction NotesTV Spot:Trailers and Continuity Announcements (5 mins)
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