The Brink of Death (audio story): Difference between revisions
From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
no edit summary
No edit summary |
|||
| Line 124: | Line 124: | ||
* While regenerating, the Doctor briefly interacts with his successor. A similar notion had been depicted in the fan film ''[[Devious]]'', with [[Jon Pertwee]]'s [[Third Doctor]] appearing as an apparition to Tony Garner's regenerating "Second-and-a-Halfth Doctor". | * While regenerating, the Doctor briefly interacts with his successor. A similar notion had been depicted in the fan film ''[[Devious]]'', with [[Jon Pertwee]]'s [[Third Doctor]] appearing as an apparition to Tony Garner's regenerating "Second-and-a-Halfth Doctor". | ||
* This story bears strong similarities to former [[script editor]] [[Eric Saward]]'s original vision for the ending of the [[1986 (releases)|1986]] serial ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]'', as originally envisaged by [[Robert Holmes]] before his passing, which was never produced due to his quitting work on the series after a fallout with the show's [[executive producer]] at the time, [[John Nathan-Turner]]. Had it been allowed featured, the ending would have seen the Sixth Doctor and the Valeyard locked in combat within the Matrix in a climactic struggle for their lives and ending on a cliffhanger; however, at the time, the series was in danger of cancellation, and Nathan-Turner argued against its use because it was presented in a way that suggested this could become the Doctor's ultimate fate, and therefore could be used as an excuse for cancellation. Here, similar events take place, but the Sixth Doctor is confirmed to escape confinement in the Matrix when he regenerates, while the Valeyard is left in a state of limbo inside the Matrix, unable to get out, with his ultimate fate unknown. | * This story bears strong similarities to former [[script editor]] [[Eric Saward]]'s original vision for the ending of the [[1986 (releases)|1986]] serial ''[[The Ultimate Foe (TV story)|The Ultimate Foe]]'', as originally envisaged by [[Robert Holmes]] before his passing, which was never produced due to his quitting work on the series after a fallout with the show's [[executive producer]] at the time, [[John Nathan-Turner]]. Had it been allowed featured, the ending would have seen the Sixth Doctor and the Valeyard locked in combat within the Matrix in a climactic struggle for their lives and ending on a cliffhanger; however, at the time, the series was in danger of cancellation, and Nathan-Turner argued against its use because it was presented in a way that suggested this could become the Doctor's ultimate fate, and therefore could be used as an excuse for cancellation. Here, similar events take place, but the Sixth Doctor is confirmed to escape confinement in the Matrix when he regenerates, while the Valeyard is left in a state of limbo inside the Matrix, unable to get out, with his ultimate fate unknown. | ||
* The climax of this story provides a startling explanation for the Doctor's transformation into a much more dangerous man once he regenerated into his seventh incarnation, and by extension, the escalating aggressiveness of who he is at heart as he ages. When the Valeyard questions the Sixth Doctor's "precious moral scruples" as a reason to stay alive, he replies, "They died with me". Essentially, after being backed into a corner by the Valeyard, he has decided to let go of his moral restraints and realise a darker side of himself to properly combat more dangerous enemies so he could avoid a situation like this from happening again, because the Valeyard took advantage of both them and his good nature. This heavily foreshadows the Doctor's drastic, possibly even severe, shift in personality upon becoming the Seventh Doctor and growing out of his initially lighthearted and comedic demeanour, whose actions are far less restrained or made to hesitate by morality (such as the [[Fifth Doctor]], who predated the Sixth, being tethered down and at times left indecisive by morality | * The climax of this story provides a startling explanation for the Doctor's transformation into a much more dangerous man once he regenerated into his seventh incarnation, and by extension, the escalating aggressiveness of who he is at heart as he ages. When the Valeyard questions the Sixth Doctor's "precious moral scruples" as a reason to stay alive, he replies, "They died with me". Essentially, after being backed into a corner by the Valeyard, he has decided to let go of his moral restraints and realise a darker side of himself to properly combat more dangerous enemies so he could avoid a situation like this from happening again, because the Valeyard took advantage of both them and his good nature. This heavily foreshadows the Doctor's drastic, possibly even severe, shift in personality upon becoming the Seventh Doctor and growing out of his initially lighthearted and comedic demeanour, whose actions are far less restrained or made to hesitate by morality (such as the [[Fifth Doctor]], who predated the Sixth, being tethered down and at times left indecisive by morality; the [[Tenth Doctor]], a much later incarnation, refusing to offer second chances to those who crossed him once; and the intensely pragmatic and drastic [[Twelfth Doctor]]), making him much more dangerous and manipulative, as well as taking the initiative against prospective enemies by actively seeking them out before they can expand their reaches. This also foreshadows a marked increase in his ruthlessness and the moral ubiquity of his methods. Ironically, later incarnations would continue growing darker and bear close similarities to the Valeyard, showing that through this sacrifice, the Doctor has risked becoming the very thing he has tried to avoid changing into. | ||
* This story technically marks the first chronological appearance of the Seventh Doctor. His first words spoken are, "It's far from being all over." | * This story technically marks the first chronological appearance of the Seventh Doctor. His first words spoken are, "It's far from being all over." | ||
* In the accompanying commentary disc for ''The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure'', [[Nicholas Briggs]] notes that in writing this story, he found it strange that the Doctor would travel to Lakertya if there was a danger implied to be present nearby, and thus wrote an explanation behind his arrival at the planet. | * In the accompanying commentary disc for ''The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure'', [[Nicholas Briggs]] notes that in writing this story, he found it strange that the Doctor would travel to Lakertya if there was a danger implied to be present nearby, and thus wrote an explanation behind his arrival at the planet. | ||
