DVD Review: ‘Doctor Who The Visitation Special Edition’

Article first published as DVD Review: ‘Doctor Who The Visitation Special Edition’ on Blogcritics.

The BBC is always reworking and re-releasing classic Doctor Who serials, including offering many Special Editions of previously released stories with better picture and sound quality, as well as a wealth of bonus features. One of the most recent to get this treatment is the 19th season story from February 1982, The Visitation, starring Peter Davison as The Doctor (the one with celery on his lapel).

The Visitation finds The Doctor and his companions, Adric (Matthew Waterhouse), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), and Tegan (Janet Fielding) in 17th century England. The Great Plague is on, but our heroes quickly deduce that there is more going on than meets the eye. They are right, as a Terileptil’s ship has crashed on Earth, and the alien, not one to leave quietly, plans on taking over the planet by releasing a disease to wipe out the native inhabitants.

Between the Terileptil’s plague and the Great Fire of London, which gets started at the end of the serial, The Visitation attempts to tie itself more into human history than most Doctor Who stories, providing a conspiracy theory-style explanation that blames the events shown here for great destruction. This is both whimsical and also depressing upon further examination, since the Doctor is allowing mankind to be harmed in a serious way by an alien race, as well as his own action (or inaction). This could be a hint of the darkness that will eventually, in the modern reboot, threaten to consume the Doctor, though only a hint.

Even more interesting is the impact The Visitation has on Doctor Who mythology. The Terileptil destroys the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, which will not be seen again for quite some time. The reason behind the scenes for doing this is that producer John Nathan-Turner felt that the tool provided too convenient a resolution to many a plot twist, though later keepers of the series figure out a way to use it without relying on it too much, so it eventually returns. Whether one agrees with the decision to take out the tool or not, it cannot be denied that the instrument is an iconic part of the Doctor Who character, and this serial is responsible for removing it from the universe for awhile.

Aside from that, though, The Visitation is a rather run-of-the-mill story. It does have interesting looking aliens and animatronics and androids, but the basic plot is that the characters keep getting captured and escaping. For awhile this was a common Doctor Who formula, but it comes across as somewhat lazy storytelling to anyone that has seen it done over and over again in other serials. Can no one adequately lock up one of the central characters; can the main player escape far enough way to not be caught again?

This is not to say that these episodes are not enjoyable. There is a warmth, charm, and humor to Doctor Who present in pretty much every installment, whether it is a special one or not. There is a reason why so many viewers have been drawn to the series over the years, and even in The Visitation, there are signs of this magnetic attraction.

This two disc Special Edition release has a ton of extras, to which fans of the series have become accustomed. The typical inclusions are the audio commentary with Davison, Fielding, Sutton, Waterhouse, and Peter Moffatt (who directed the story); a photo gallery; and PDF materials. Other additions are an isolated score and film trims.

On top of those, though, there are a couple of longer bonuses. The “Making Of” for this serial is 45 minutes long, with a lot of details discussed. Moffatt spends nearly half an hour discussing his time directing Doctor Who. There are relatively substantial featurettes on writing and scoring. “Doctor Forvever: The Apocalypse Element” is an examination of Doctor Who audio productions. And “The Television Centre of the Universe – Part One” brings Davison, Fielding, and Mark Strickson–a producer and actor–to the BBC Television Centre to look back fondly on their work.

In short, there is plenty here to make Doctor Who fans happy, even if the serial itself ranks in the middle of the pack among Doctor Who adventures. Doctor Who The Visitation Special Edition is available now.

Doctor Who lives to see the "Resurrection of the Daleks"

Season twenty-one, serial four of Doctor Who is Resurrection of the Daleks. Intended to be four half hour episodes, but aired as two full-hour installments because of the 1984 Olympics, the tale begins with The Doctor (Peter Davison), Tegan (Janet Fielding), and Turlough (Mark Strickson) dragged through a time corridor to London circa present day (present for when the episode aired). There, they encounter old enemies, the Daleks, who have come for their creator, Davros (Terry Molloy), hoping that he can save them from a deadly disease..

As the Doctor battles the Daleks, Davros isn't exactly looking forward to being rescued by his foe, wanting his revenge on the Doctor for having him cryogenically frozen these past ninety years, apparently a very boring experience. That's OK, though, as the Doctor isn't exactly eager to be the savior of this mad men, either.

The Daleks go after the Doctor, too, but with their own motivations. They plan on cloning him and his companions, then using the clones to assassinate the High Council of Time Lords. This is made easier by mind control technology, which is not full proof, but does make for some suspense, wondering who might not be acting on their own accord at any given time.

Things get even more complicated when Davros raises his own Dalek army, which has opposing orders to the Supreme Dalek's troops. Who is in command? Where do the loyalties of the Daleks lie? Does everyone wish the Doctor dead?

In the end, the showdown is spectacular and violet, more so than almost any other Doctor Who. And, SPOILER, one of the Doctor's companions, horrified by the destruction witnessed, decides to give up the game for good.

Resurrection of the Daleks balances multiple revenge stories. Getting even is a human instinct anyone can relate to, but when taken too far, is one of the ugliest sides mankind can exhibit. Revenge never ends well for anyone involved, as it can spur a person to ignore everything else in a single-minded blind rage, being just as self-destructive as he or she is successful at hurting the enemy. Seeing so much darkness in this episode is thrilling, but it's a good thing that Doctor Who doesn't go down this path too often. To do so would create a completely different show.

The need for revenge probably contributes mightily to why the Doctor loses a companion at the end of the story. Even one as enlightened as a Time Lord can succumb to such base instincts, and this is demonstrated in part by his rare use of a gun in the episode, a weapon that the Doctor generally avoids. It may not be pretty, but it's this fallibility that makes the character so well written.

The Daleks are being threatened by a deadly virus in this serial. Is genocide justifiable when exercised against a nefarious villain? Can one ever really feel good about slaying an entire species? The answer is no. Even as fans root against the Doctor's enemies, they need to remember the high cost of taking lives, especially a race created by a scientist out of unwilling beings. After all, the Daleks are self aware, and many are just following orders. Even if the only way to save lives is to slaughter them, there should be no joy taken in such an act.

Another interesting issue raised in Resurrection of the Daleks is that those who have had their minds controlled remember those forced activities. It's incredibly sad to see Stien (Rodney Bewes), in particular, who is not prepared to live with what he recalls doing. Even though its not his fault, he is party to some serious atrocities, and it is not in most people's nature to let themselves off the hook completely, even when they are not really at fault. This only adds to the tragedy of the hours.

On a side note, some have complained about the unexplained absence of Kamelion (Gerald Flood). As many viewers will be viewing Resurrection of the Daleks as a stand alone story, this will not make much difference. But for those who follow the show's continuity, the lapse is regrettable and certainly an error on the part of the creative team.

Resurrection of the Daleks Special Edition has one of the largest collections of Extras seen on a Doctor Who release yet! It probably goes without saying that the PDF materials and photo galleries are included. There are seven minutes of extended and deleted scenes. This time around, the audio commentary is provided by Molloy, writer Eric Saward, and Peter Wragg, a visual effects designer, moderated by Nicholas Pegg. A second commentary features Davison, Fielding, and Matthew Robinson, the director. Viewers are also given the option to watch the serial in two parts, as originally aired, or four.

Of featurettes, there are plenty. Thirty two minutes are devoted to actor interviews. Eight minutes of "Breakfast Time" with Janet Fielding and John Nathan-Turner are included. "On Location" runs for eighteen minutes. There are several others, but the crown jewel has to be the nearly hour long "Come in Number Five." In it, David Tennant, who plays the 10th Doctor, hosts a retrospective about Peter Davison, covering his time on Doctor Who, as well as why he left the series. It's a loving tribute from one doctor to another, and incredibly insightful.

After all of that, no effort should be needed to sell you on Doctor Who Resurrection of the Daleks Special Edition, which is available now as a two disc DVD set.

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