Still sharing several characteristics with TLIAD's, lack of length, centred on one particular aspect without going beyond that too much, a good deal of handwaving and one more for fun than anything else.
TLIAPOT: Dr. Who?
- Thread starter DAv
- Start date
Still sharing several characteristics with TLIAD's, lack of length, centred on one particular aspect without going beyond that too much, a good deal of handwaving and one more for fun than anything else.
Second Doctor
1968-1972
1968-1972
The Shabby Strategist
“There's something wrong with other people. I seem to bother them, make them nervous.”
With William Shatner leaving the show, but 'Dr. Who?' still being a major success, the character's alien origins were looked into. The concept of regeneration was put onto the table, the idea that upon the trauma of death, the Doctor would rejuvenate into a new form. This idea took off with Shatner leaving the show, to be replaced by an actor that was used to show the differences between the two takes on the Doctor, one who would bear little resemblance to his predecessor.
Enter Peter Falk and his take on the Doctor, not as an action hero leaping into action, but a shambling, friendly sort who hid his brilliant mind behind a ruffled appearance and odd mannerisms. It seemed at times that he saved the day simply by annoying his enemies into mistakes which he ruthlessly exploited. The constant question the run of the Second Doctor was regarding how much of his buffoonery was real and how much of it was an act.
The time of the Second Doctor also expanded greatly upon his past and race, known as the Time Masters of the Citadel. The actress playing Susie left the show after Shatner's depature, with the revelation that she had returned to the Citadel, to the home of the Time Masters. Rather than go with her, the Doctor journeyed onwards, picking up a Minute Man during his travels called James as his main companion during this period. The two would go onto form great chemistry that was said to be a major reason why audiences tuned into watch the show, even after Shatner's departure with Falk's performance bringing viewers who might have normally left after the major star left the show.
The Second Doctor offered a visual contrast with the First, wearing a shabby beige coat with a suit that had seen better days underneath. This hid the truly quick mind underneath as Peter Falk himself wasn't as physical as his predecessor. This came with an an aspect of the Rejuvenation that actors would leap upon, the new characterisation of the Doctor himself and how the actors themselves could come to interpret the core of the character while also adding their own tweaks to make each Rejuvenation an almost entirely different character.
So, gone was the romantic brawler of the First Doctor, the Second wasn't one to rush into a situation as Shatner's had been. Instead, he investigated and looked into each problem that arose and then acted in a methodical manner. Rather than the smooth operator than the First, the Second Doctor appeared forgetful and even whimsical at times before his keen mind soon managed to find the solution to any problem. His bumbling demeanour was a favourite aspect of fans though with the Second Doctor being the most popular of the character to bear the name until the Fifth.
Although his run as the Doctor helped stabilise the show and prove that it had legs beyond the initial actor, Falk decided to end it before it went on too long, preferring a less demanding schedule to work with as the number of episodes per series slowly crept up to meet with the shows growth in popularity. His legacy would be that of allowing actors to provide their own interpretation to the character of the Doctor, something which would give the series a new lease of life at least once a decade.
Falk would always speak fondly of his time of the Doctor and would return several times in special episodes when he would meet with future incarnations. Having proved that the Doctor could flow like water, not crashing but fitting the form needed to each actor, Falk would allow the next man to set his own mark on Dr. Who?
Episode to Watch:
The Automatons – An introduction to the second race of enemies that would haunt the Doctor throughout his existence. The Automatons were a group of robots, designed to help a Human colony live in luxury, that gained sentience and rebelled against their former masters. They turned the Humans into other Automatons, robbing them of their personality and ability to think freely in a way to gain revenge. The Doctor and James manage to save the last of the colonists, but the threat of the Automatons is still out there, ready to grow.
The episode was famous, not just for introducing one of the Doctor's most famous foes, but also being well directed with a dark tone that hadn't been present in the series before with the Doctor only just managing damage control of the threat of the episodes. The Automatons would return in various forms, rivalling the Tojos in terms of popularity.
Episode to Avoid:
Revenge of The Tyrant – An episode wherein the writers decided to steal ideas from Flash Gordon and hope no one would notice. Along with the derivative premise, the writing far outstripped the budget and the effects were incredibly cheap to save costs, even by the standard of the time. Not even Peter Falk's best attempts could save an episode that was dragged down due to poor writing and an even worse budget.
I just wanted to drop in and say I'm greatly enjoying this! Keep up the good work. 
That's correct! You get to name the next two episodes featured.
I just wanted to drop in and say I'm greatly enjoying this! Keep up the good work.
Thanks for those kind words, hope you continue to enjoy.
I'm really interested in what you'll do with the Third Doctor.
However, it is utter blasphemy for the TARDIS to be a Cadillac ! Even in this ATL !
Once you hit the 1980s, I want the TARDIS to get refurbished into a DeLorean ! (Just in case those films never happen. Oh my God, Christopher Lloyd as the Doctor !)
However, it is utter blasphemy for the TARDIS to be a Cadillac !
Even in this ATL ! Once you hit the 1980s, I want the TARDIS to get refurbished into a DeLorean !
(Just in case those films never happen. Oh my God, Christopher Lloyd as the Doctor !)Third Doctor
1972-1975
The Fighting Philisopher
“There are no limits. I might sometimes plateau but I never stay there, go beyond them. Even if it kills me, I will always try to exceed my level.”
The casting of Peter Falk as the Doctor had managed to prevent the show from a good deal of backlash with Falk's talented performance, as well as introducing new aspects to the character that the audience was happy to accept. The Rejuvenation process, allowing the Doctor to be played by numerous actors, each with their own interpretation. This attracted the character to actors who might not have normally been interested in pursuing the role in a Science Fiction show and would allow for many different backgrounds of actors to become involved.
To this end, Bruce Lee was cast in the role as the Third Doctor once Peter Falk decided to leave the show. At the height of his popularity in terms of what people knew him for with his philosophy and acting roles making him a well known name, Lee had nonetheless been denied a starring role from Hollywood or several television productions due to his race. ABC was willing to give him a chance as the Doctor however, his popularity from his role as Kato, as well as his fame as a martial artist, making one of the most unique choices to take on the role.
With Lee becoming the Doctor, the tone and character changed almost instantly. No longer a shambling buffoon hiding a brilliant mind, this Doctor was cool, calm, collected and refused to suffer fools gladly. Even more arrogant that the First, the Third Doctor nevertheless backed his attitude up with his mind and his fists. Something of a philosopher, he also gravitated towards Chinese fashion in formal settings, although wasn't averse to wearing the stylish outfits of the early 1970's.
Keeping in the style of the times, the Doctor's adventures now gravitated more towards Earth as, in-story, the Doctor had grown fond of the planet and wanted to explore more of it. Production wise though, the reason was that alien costumes limited movements of those in them and there was a need to show as many Bruce Lee fight scenes as necessary. As a result, many episodes of the Third Doctor explored Earth's history, uncovering conspiracies from various factions and players, some alien, some Human, and how they tried to manipulate events.
As a result of this creative direction, more information was given on the Time Masters as the Doctor essentially became a free agents of theirs. He would travel to hotspots of trouble in time and space to end trouble or threats and in return, the Time Masters would allow him free reign in his journeys. It would prove to be an interesting dynamic while still keeping the Time Masters away from the main part of the show, keeping some sense of their mystery as they were never fully shown until years later.
Bruce Lee's time as the Doctor is perhaps, more than any other period in the show, a product of its time. As most of its adventures centred around Earth, and Bruce Lee wore clothing which was the style of the time, there was a sense of the 70's pervading throughout. While helping keep up interest in the show with viewers of the time finding enjoyment in the familiar, placing the Doctor in one such time alienated future viewers slightly as they were used to the Doctor being fairly universal.
Bruce Lee's run as the Doctor was famous for its action scenes, Lee handling most of the choreography for it. Almost every episode featured a fight scene, Lee meticulously planning each one out to be effective and show that the Doctor was always a force to be reckoned with. With these sections aiding greatly to the shows popularity during this period, Lee was given more and more creative control over it, allowing greater philosophy and Chinese cultural elements to be included which slowly gave the period of the series a feel beyond its contemporary setting. The Third Doctor would be more contemplative and eager to experience all that Earth had to offer from all walks of life.
Bruce Lee would turn out, at the time, to be the actor with the shortest tenure as the Doctor. It came as no surprise really as his career was on the cusp of moving into movies and only his wish to educate people about Chinese culture through television made him stay on the show as long as he did. He left the role behind, going onto a hugely successful career as an actor in movies, his son following his his footsteps later on although not becoming the Doctor himself.
The Third Doctor was the high water mark of the Doctor as an action hero, the fight scenes being perhaps the most famous aspect to this period of the character. But Bruce Lee also introduced the elements of the Doctor being a philosopher and his love for Humanity shown through more than ever during this incarnation. The Doctor following Human culture also showed through this incarantion, something that was to be taken up by future actors portraying the role. Although the contemporary setting alienated some later views, the step into a world of pure imagination of his successors would prove more successful.
Episode to Watch:
Hannibal's Elephants – Touching down in the middle of the Second Punic War, the Doctor acts under instructions from the Time Masters to hunt down a rogue member of their race who was interfering with time to his own advantage. This Time Master would be revealed to be trying to help Hannibal win the War and destabalise the timeline completely. His name was the Superior and he wanted nothing less than Universal conquest, starting with Earth. The Doctor manages to unravel is plans though, destroying his machines of warfare just as the Superior manages to escape, swearing revenge while also admitting he'd finally found an equal.
This episode stood out for numerous reasons, a tense setting where the Doctor is surrounded by enemies with no allies (This before the companion Jo joined him next episode), showing his intelligence as well as his brawn and the introduction to another long term foe in the form of the Superior. Played by Leonard Nimoy, the newest villain to the Doctor's Rogue's Gallery, the Superior was calculating, charismatic and as dangerous as any other foe the Doctor would cross, Nimoy staying with the role for decades and becoming a beloved part of the mythos.
Episode to Avoid:
The Living Void – Investigating an anomaly in Space, Joe and the Doctor reach an abandoned space station. Searching for people, they instead find only traces of life that was snuffed out, the culprit being an experiment in black hole research gone wrong. The Doctor and Jo manage to send the being out into Space, drifting harmlessly as they both reflect on science gone wrong.
Dull, not scary and long segments without even a shred of dialogue, The Living Void was an attempt at a bottle episode which failed in large part due to the fact that nothing interesting happens. Even the typical Bruce Lee fight was denied as the monster of the week wasn't even physical. Denied of many things that made the Third Doctor's run special, this remains and episode to skip.
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I'm really interested in what you'll do with the Third Doctor.
However, it is utter blasphemy for the TARDIS to be a Cadillac !
Once you hit the 1980s, I want the TARDIS to get refurbished into a DeLorean !
This is supposed to be an American Doctor. What's more American than a Cadillac?
Glad you're reading and hope this update keeps your interest up, not sure if the change could come so easily to the design of the TARDIS though.
Fourth Doctor
1975-1976
The Whimsical Madman
1975-1976
The Whimsical Madman
“I am the music maker. I am the dreamer of dreams.”
The actor with the shortest tenure as the Doctor would also be one to leave his mark on the character in more ways that his predecessors or even those who succeeded him could do. With the success of Bruce Lee as the Doctor, the man who starred in several successful movies, Mel Brooks projects being his best known output, was the next to be cast as the Doctor. Gene Wilder had signed onto the role under the belief that he would get similar creative control as to what Bruce Lee got. In this, he would be mistaken and would lead to the shortness of his tenure.
Despite lasting less than a whole series in the role, Wilder was determined to make a difference in how the Doctor was perceived, something he was to succeed at. Focusing on the fact that the Doctor was an alien above all else, Wilder turned the Doctor into a darker, more complex character as his morality changed from an out and out hero, into that of a darker and more ruthless crusader. Gone was the affability from before, although the arrogance remained, and instead the warmth was replaced by a sardonic figure, dwelling in shadows and who seemed to care little about the deaths around him.
The Doctor's manner was now condescending, ruthless in dealing with his enemies and seemed to have little concern for Humans themselves. His new companion, Carthaginia, was a Time Master sent by the Citadel explicitly to keep an eye on him to make sure he kept within the limits set by the Masters. Despite the darkness of his character, the Doctor was still charming, witty and quite personable when he wanted to be. Coupled with this was an outlandish outfit, a purple suit with a large bow tie topped with a top hat that made the Fourth Doctor stand out in appearance as well as personality.
Gene Wilder's time as the Doctor would come at a turning point as a full embracing of the Sci-Fi nature of the show was starting to take hold. Breaking away from the contemporary feel of Bruce Lee's take on the character and show, 'Dr. Who?' would come to embrace the full extent of its genre. The ideas would become stranger and the full extent of the world would grow into a full fledged Universe that would take on a life of its own in an expanded Universe of books, comics and audio plays among others.
This expansion of ideas met with the Doctor travelling further across the Universe than ever. Each situation he came across saw Wilder put his take on the character. The Fourth Doctor wasn't afraid to use others to achieve his ends, his plans were unscrupulous, even if they did have good aims at the end of them. With a strange manner that put even his staunchest allies on edge, the Doctor was notable for his ability to think things out and then act on a plan that most people would balk at. But, as the Fourth Doctor would say as a point of pride, he wasn't just any other person.
The Fourth Doctor was cut all too short though. The promise of creative control never met Gene Wilder's expectations as the creative direction was forced into one that was successful, but not allowing Wilder the freedom he had been promised. Several arguments took place before Wilder eventually withdrew from the show, leaving rather acrimoniously and his immediate legacy would be rather bitter in regards to feelings among the fans and those who worked on the show. Eventually, Wilder would reconcile with the role enough to appear for the twentieth anniversary TV movie, the Six Doctors, showing that he was willing to embrace his past role, one that would become very influential as the show went on.
In time though, Wilder's legacy as playing the Doctor would be revised as the darker aspects of the character which Wilder had focused on would come back to the fore, starting with the Seventh Doctor. His take on the character as a mastermind, a dark one willing to use dirty tactics and beyond the morality of Humans, even if it was for the greater good. While the explorer and champion of good remained, the enigmatic elements and willingness to forgo morality besides his own would echo throughout the Doctor's character as time went on. His successor would follow a different path entirely from what Wilder had set, but it would prove to be a real tour de force, popular and welcome of course.
Episode to Watch:
The Man With No Shadow – With the TARDIS being pulled into a sub-dimension, the Doctor and Carthaginia come across a man calling himself the Lord of the Light, and wants them both to play a game. The Lord of the Light twists his realm to meet and match his captor's psyche, delighting in trying to break them down. The Doctor however, proves to be of sterner stuff than expected as every attempt to get into the Doctor's head is twisted back around to attack the Lord, the question that the Doctor asks which unravels the Lord's plans being “Why are you afraid of me?” The question causes the Lord to lose his temper at last and his realm almost crumbles as he twists it to just kill the Doctor. The ensuing chaos allows the Doctor and Carthaginia to escape, leaving the Lord in a collapsing sub-dimension, the question of him returning still open.
Hated at the time of its broadcast, The Man With No Shadow was revisted later on by fans of the series and given a much higher rating due to the very issues which made it unpopular in the first place. Dark, a villain unknown and mysterious and Wilder's interpretation of the Doctor starting to show its dark and cunning side, the episode would later be regarded as a classic, highlighting the mind of the Doctor and how he could be so close to those he opposed.
Episode to Avoid:
The Great Library – The last episode that featured Gene Wilder as the Doctor and would suffer due to his absence on many scenes as negotiations were going on. As a result, the arrival of the Doctor and Carthaginia at the Great Library, the centre of the 29th century for knowledge in the Universe, focuses mainly on the work of Carthaginia herself as she uncovers a plot by the head librarian to manipulate the knowledge in the library for money and power. While stopping the plot, the librarian gets revenge by trying to shoot Carthaginia, only for the Doctor to dive in front of the bullet, being forced to Rejuvenate as a result.
The Great Library could have been a great episode, but for the problems backstage which caused Gene Wilder to appear for only a few scenes, one of which was the Fourth Doctor's death. Disjointed and unable to live up to its potential, the Great Library wasn't the worst episode to come from the show, but it remains a dud.
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Orville_third
Banned
A very cool story. BTW, is there a Romanadvoratrelundar analogue in this universe?
Carthaginia is. (Romana vs. Carthaginia...)
I wish I had a clue who TTL's Five is, but I'm a big fan of Gene Wilder as the dark Doctor. I really want to find a way to get into this TL and bring back some Wilder episodes; that'd be more exciting to me than getting back all the missing Hartnell and Troughton episodes from OTL.
As Dilbert pointed out, Carthaginia is ITTL's stand in for Romana.
The clue with Five's identity are song lyrics in the last paragraph. It was admittedly somewhat hard to to actually find well know quotes to provide as a hint.
