A Look Back at Classic Who: The Second Doctor's Era · 5:24am Sep 26th, 2013
Let's continue this look at "Classic Who" with the era of the Second Doctor!
The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton)
The incarnation that changed the course of the series forever. The Second Doctor made his debut with two confused companions at his side and a very different attitude than that of his previous incarnation. The Second Doctor was warmer, kinder, more prone to bumbling around, and somewhat more downish than his previous incarnation but still kept a darker, cunning side hidden behind his gentle face to help deceive his enemies. He introduced several things that would become common Doctor Who traditions such as the sonic screwdriver and the Doctor gaining new quirks and personality traits with each regeneration. He became quite close to his companions, even finding a best friend in one of them. He was also the first incarnation of the Doctor to run into Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. He continued to travel far and wide and faced enemies old and new from the Daleks and the Cybermen to sea monsters and the Great Intelligence. After many adventures with a collection of companions he grew close to, the Second Doctor met his end at the hands of his own people: the Time Lords. Due to his breaking of the cardinal rule of Time Lords - that of non-interference - he was forced into regenerating and exiled to 1970's Earth.
Polly Wright (Anneke Wills)
Polly was more confused than suspicious when she watched the Doctor regenerate and was quicker to accept the fact that the Second Doctor was the same being as the First Doctor than fellow companion Ben. Polly continued her teasing attitude and bantering during her travels with the Second Doctor but also proved that she was more than another pretty face, such as when she was able to identify the Cybermens' weakness on the 2070 Moonbase. She shared several adventures with the Doctor, Ben, and new companion Jamie McCrimmon and enjoyed them all tremendously, but she didn't bother to hide her desire to return to her home time. After an adventure involving alien Chameleons in 1966, the TARDIS returned to the very day that Polly and Ben first departed with the Doctor. She and Ben bid farewell to the Doctor and returned to their lives in 1966 London.
Ben Jackson (Michael Craze)
Ben was equally suspicious as he was confused when he witnessed the Doctor regenerate and quickly accused him of being an imposter. It took a Dalek recognizing the Doctor on the planet Vulcan for Ben to finally accept the fact that the Second Doctor was the same being as the First Doctor. Along with Polly and eventually new companion Jamie McCrimmon, Ben had several adventures with the Doctor. From facing the Cybermen to being mind-controlled by the Macra, Ben sure had a lot to deal with during his travels with the Second Doctor. However, no matter how spectacular the adventures were, Ben never lost sight on one day returning back to his home time. Eventually, after an adventure involving alien Chameleons, the TARDIS landed back on the very day that Ben and Polly left and Ben, along with Polly, decided that it was time to bid farewell to the Doctor. He returned to his life in 1966 London and eventually married Polly.
Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines)
A Highland Scot from the mid 18th century who encounter the Doctor, Polly, and Ben and would become one of the Doctor's closest companions and friends. What he didn't have in intelligence, he made up for in loyalty, strength, and an incredibly strong spirit. Although he wasn't always able to comprehend the futuristic worlds he found himself in, he was able to successfully grasp the worlds he traveled to by attempting to rationalize them. He held a large amount of respect for the Doctor and did everything in his power to protect him and whoever else joined them in the TARDIS. Jamie traveled with the Doctor for most of the duration of his second incarnation and developed a powerful friendship with him. While companions such as Polly, Ben, and Victoria Waterfield came and went, Jamie always stood by the Doctor's side. He even found temporary love in fellow companion Victoria Waterfield, but it didn't last. Eventually he, along with other fellow companion Zoe Heriot, was torn away from the Doctor by the Time Lords and sent back to his time, all of his memories of the Doctor save their first adventure together erased.
Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling)
A teenage girl from the 19th century, she joined the Doctor and Jamie in the TARDIS following the death of her father at the hands of the Daleks. Being a girl who had lived quite a sheltered life during her time in the 1800's, her travels with the Doctor provided many shocks for her. She was well-mannered, courageous, kind, and never afraid to scream in the face of horrifying danger. She grew close to the Doctor and Jamie during her travels with them and even became a romantic interest for Jamie, though the feelings weren't shared by Victoria. Although she found her adventures through time and space exciting, she also found them scary and dangerous and grew to dislike them more and more as time went on. Eventually she decided to leave the TARDIS to be adopted by childless couple Maggie and Frank Harris in 1968, despite Jamie's protests. Her departure left a huge impact on Jamie, who promptly left with the Doctor following Victoria's final decision.
Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney)
A second commander of the British Armed forces who helped the Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria defend London from the Great Intelligence. He showed a quick, decisive manner and believed what the Doctor told him about the TARDIS and himself surprisingly fast. He proved to be a big help for the Doctor and his companions, and London overall. He didn't join the TARDIS team when the Doctor departed. However, he was soon promoted to Brigadier in the newly-founded UNIT and would later cross paths with the Doctor again; but, by that time, the Doctor would have another face.
Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury)
A young scientist from the late 21st century. She joined the Doctor and Jamie in the TARDIS following her first encounter with them on the Space Wheel. She was a logical, intelligent, physically fit woman who could hold her own in a battle of wits against the Doctor almost as well as she could kick butt with her martial arts. She was never afraid to question the Doctor's actions and statements and had a tendency to be smug at times. However, she still respected the Doctor and was loyal to both him and Jamie. She wished to explore the universe with the Doctor for a long time in order to use her vast intelligence to find her place in it. Sadly, this dream would not come true. Zoe, along with Jamie, was ripped away from the Doctor by the Time Lords and sent back to the Space Wheel with all of her memories of her time with the Doctor erased save their first adventure together.
And those were the major players in the Second Doctor's era! Next, I take a look back at the era of the Third Doctor!
My high points for the era: The Power of the Daleks, The Macra Terror, The Evil of the Daleks, The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Abominable Snowmen, the Ice Warriors, The Web of Fear, Fury From the Deep, The Invasion, The Seeds of Death, The War Games
Low points: The Underwater Menace (a lot like an Ed Wood movie), the Enemy of the World (it's like another show entirely, since the regulars have little impact on the story) The Wheel in Space (badly paced and with a ridiculously convoluted Cybermen plot) and the Space Pirates (an overlong space opera that, again, the regular cast have little to no impact on).
I see when it comes to Zoe Heriot and Jamie McCrimmon, Donna Noble wasn't the only one to have her memories of adventures with the Doctor erased.
You know it would be fun if companions like Polly Wright and Ben Jackson got married, then they could have had a kid who could now show up on the new Doctor Who. We've already had Kate Lebthridge-Stewart show up.
Hey, guys, you should give more credit to this Doctor.You know what made Matt Smith agree to playing The Eleventh? He watch Tomb of the Cybermen