10 Times the Doctor Visited America

The Doctor has been all over time and space. Though the Time Lord hasn’t traveled to the Revolutionary War or the signing of the Declaration of Independence (as far as we know), the Doctor has been to the United States a small number of times. So to celebrate the Fourth of July, let’s revisit some of the times the Doctor came stateside. 

The Chase

It was a brief visit while on the run from the Daleks, but the First Doctor and his companions briefly ended atop the Empire State Building. The TARDIS crew encountered Steven Taylor’s 20th Century American doppelgänger before flying off in the TARDIS again.

The Gunfighters

Every science fiction epic needs a cheesy western story apparently. I can’t exactly recommend this one as a good Doctor Who story (not just because it features Dodo) but it definitely covers plenty of western cliches. And all because the First Doctor had a toothache. 

TV Movie

Of course this story took place in San Francisco when Fox had a chance to produce the Eighth Doctor’s adventures. While the movie was obviously not picked up to be produced in America, it kept the franchise alive enough to be revived by the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler. We’ll never know how the franchise would have been different if the movie had succeeded, but I would love to revisit the Doctor’s friends in California. 

Dalek

Bringing back the most iconic Doctor Who villain, the Ninth Doctor and Rose ended up in the near future (now in the past) in an underground vault near Salt Lake City. It showed a different side of Rose and the Dalek. Unfortunately, this story introduced us to the worst TARDIS companions since Dodo, the infamous Adam Mitchell. 

Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks

Despite this story featuring Spider-Man in New York City, it might be one of the cringiest and forgettable Dalek stories ever (except for maybe the Churchill one with the Dalek Power Rangers). Who’d have thought the Daleks would be involved in the construction of the Empire State Building? And just a few decades before the First Doctor would chance upon it. 

The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon

We start out in Utah again before heading to the White House and the FBI. And a conspiracy involving the moon landing and the most forgettable aliens. It was the beginning of the mystery surrounding the Doctor’s supposed death. No other Doctor has visited the Oval Office and only the Eleventh Doctor could handle it with that amount of poise.

A Town Called Mercy

Unlike “The Gunfighters” this Western story was decently enjoyable. It wasn’t my favorite of the Eleventh Doctor stories by any means, but it was a fun adventure in Nevada towards the end of Amy and Rory’s time traveling in the TARDIS. And this story had an alien twist on the Western, unlike the First Doctor’s toothache. 

The Angels Take Manhattan

Back to New York City for Amy and Rory’s farewell. For fans of the Ponds, it was an emotional farewell. For fans of the Statue of Liberty, you’ll never see the monument the same way again. And if you’ve been to New York, you know there are enough statues peppered through the city to give you nightmares after meeting the Weeping Angels. It’s a shame we haven’t seen them in such a central role since Manhattan though. 

Rosa

Say what you will about the Thirteenth Doctor’s tenure, but this is one of my favorite historical stories of Doctor Who ever. Because of the mixed races in the TARDIS team, we got a great vantage point to the story of Rosa Parks. I don't care what anyone says about Jodie Whittaker’s time on Doctor Who, this story was beautifully and tragically written, especially when Graham had to take the last seat on the bus. 

Lux

In case anyone is a little behind on Doctor Who this year, I’ll try to avoid being too specific here. But bringing our first purely non-white TARDIS team to the American south was brilliant. Though the story was based in 1950s Miami, very little had to do with the racial attitudes. I felt like there was a sprinkling of awareness before getting a commentary on storytelling and the fourth wall. I definitely need to watch this season again. 

So while my family is still more likely to watch Captain America or Independence Day for the Fourth of July, I enjoy the fact that the Whovian in me has some options too. Maybe I’ll watch some Weeping Angels in Manhattan while my wife and older daughter are out watching fireworks this weekend. Or it’s a good time to revisit Rosa Parks. Or maybe I should just keep working through the Fourth Doctor so that TJ and I can podcast about more Doctor Who. However you spend your Independence Day, I’m grateful we’re able to celebrate at all. Happy Fourth of July!

Third Doctor Revisited: "The Three Doctors"

I knew I had to write something about the tenth anniversary special of Doctor Who when TJ and I got to that point. Despite the “First Law of Time” (as it’s called by the Time Lords) precluding the crossing of one’s own timeline, this story set the precedent for anniversary stories; “The Five Doctors” (twentieth anniversary) and “The Day of the Doctor” (fiftieth anniversary) continued this trend, in addition to other multi-Doctor stories (like “The Two Doctors” and “Twice Upon a Time”).

This story saw the return of the First Doctor, though due to William Hartnell’s health he was limited to filming his character trapped in a “time eddy”. According to the pseudo-canon material, he was pulled from time at the period when Vicki and Steven were his companions. Hartnell was unable to film with the other Doctors, but was able to film his scenes elsewhere to still help the other Doctors defeat Omega. It was the last appearance of the First Doctor, as portrayed by William Hartnell, as he passed away about two years later. All Whovians ought to be grateful to that first First Doctor actor, who started this 60+ year journey.

P

atrick Troughton as the Second Doctor also returned of course, recalling his encounters with Benton and Lethbridge-Stewart in “The Web of Fear” and “The Invasion”. I found his rivalry with his future self amusing. We kind of saw that dynamic between the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, but this rivalry was much more pronounced. Unlike future multi-Doctor stories where the memories were blurred and mostly forgotten, the Second Doctor seemed to remember this adventure when encountering the Third Doctor again in “The Five Doctors”. His stories weren’t my favorite, but I enjoyed him as the Doctor, so I’m glad he returned and would return two more times. As he was on the orders of the Time Lords, my theory places this appearance after “The War Games” and before his regeneration (see my Fugitive Doctor post for more on that), but the pseudo-canon places this moment while Jamie and Zoe were still in the TARDIS.

Finally, the third of the three Doctors was naturally the current Jon Pertwee incarnation. Unlike other multi-Doctor stories, the Third Doctor was the only incarnation with a clear companion (even in “The Day of the Doctor” you could sort of say that Queen Elizabeth was the Tenth Doctor’s companion). Jo had wonderful chemistry with all three of the Doctors and I felt like she kept the story moving. And finally, after years of being stuck on Earth with UNIT, the Third Doctor’s exile on Earth finally ended, allowing him and Jo to willingly head into time and space (instead of the Time Lords directing his travels). 

This story also marks the first time the Brigadier and Benton entered the TARDIS. Insert “bigger on the inside” commentaries and the Brig’s repeatedly skeptical comments. You’d think that after three years of working closely with the Doctor, he’d be more willing to believe. But I guess like Ben and Ian, we needed that skeptic in the TARDIS.

The Time Lords in crisis: Something you don’t see too often. It shows just how big of a threat Omega was, though honestly I’m not sure I understand what effect Omega had on Gallifrey during this story. All the same, Omega was a big enough deal that he would be referenced throughout the series (example: The Hand of Omega in “Remembrance of the Daleks”) and he would reappear against the Fifth Doctor. Only a couple other Time Lords have that much recurring prominence in Doctor Who, besides the Master. But we’ll get to more Time Lords as we get into the Fourth Doctor era shortly I’m sure.

LDS Geeks Podcast #11: First Doctor Villains

We thought we were done talking about the First Doctor era, but decided we needed one more. Join us as we discuss five notable First Doctor villains!

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 11 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

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Check out Spencer's recent content: click here

Check out TJ's recent content: click here

Show Notes:

00:26 - Introductions
01:08 - Spencer's Recommendation: Percy Jackson (book and series)
02:27 - TJ's Recommendation: Death in Paradise
04:22 - The First Doctor
06:38 - The Daleks
13:54 - Nero
17:52 - The Monk
        "Who is the Monk?" by Spencer
23:12 - The Toymaker
        "5 Things to Know About the Celestial Toymaker" by Spencer
30:22 - The Cybermen
41:35 - Conclusion

LDS Geeks Podcast #9: First Doctor Review

Finally finishing up our series on the First Doctor, TJ and I got together for some tired late night rambling discussion on the Doctor, his relationships with his companions, and his overall character development over the course of William Hartnell's run.

--Spencer

The Doctor's Doppelgängers

Next week begins the start of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary specials. This won't be the first time the Doctor encounters/wears a familiar face. In fact it almost seems like it's a recurring theme, the Doctor encountering his doppelgängers (or being his own doppelgänger in this case). Sometimes before he wears the face and sometimes after. Sometimes at the same time. So with the Fourteenth Doctor coming up (and with "Enemy of the World" in my recent memories) let's take a look at these twinners.

First Doctor - Abbot of Amboise (The Massacre)

Though the episode doesn't still exist in its entirety, "The Massacre" features the Doctor encountering (sort of) his lookalike in the 16th Century. The Doctor never appears on screen with the Abbot, so I suppose the Doctor could have been the Abbot the whole time (instead of just pretending to be him). But all the same, Steven couldn't tell for sure through the four episodes whether he was truly interacting with the Doctor or the Abbot. Frustrating I'm sure. That couldn't have helped with that outburst at the end, before he stormed out of the TARDIS. (Side note: If we're including the fact that David Bradley played the Doctor in "Twice Upon a Time" and "The Power of the Doctor", the First Doctor also had a double in "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship")

Second Doctor - Ramón Salamander (The Enemy of the World)

Upon arriving in Australia 2018 (yet another future story now set in the past), what are the odds that the Doctor would encounter a Hispanic warlord version of himself? Naturally the dictatorship's enemies had to use the Doctor to infiltrate the bad guys' European home. But the Doctor being the Doctor had to make sure he was on the right side before agreeing to overthrow a regime. And enter the Doctor's superb acting skills, utilized multiple times in his second incarnation, to fool nearly all of Salamander's people. Long story short, good guys win and Salamander forgot to close the TARDIS doors before taking off.... so into the vortex he goes. Spin-off media took his story in another direction after that, but as TJ and I have said on the podcast, that goes into the pseudo-canon (pick-and-choose-canon) realm.

Fourth Doctor - The Curator (The Day of the Doctor)

As if it wasn't enough to have all thirteen Doctor's appear AND save Gallifrey, we were hit with another surprise as the legendary Tom Baker returned to Doctor Who. The Fourth Doctor is still the longest running Doctor, so to see him return as the Curator was/is a big deal for fans. Though not technically confirmed in the 50th Anniversary special, it was heavily hinted that the Curator is a future incarnation of the Doctor. Regardless, his face was recognizable by the Eleventh Doctor. The spin-off media expands on the Curator, but as previously noted, that's only sort-of canon.

Sixth Doctor - Maxil (Arc of Infinity)

Before appearing as the flamboyantly obnoxious Sixth Doctor, Collin Baker appeared as the Time Lord Maxil in "Arc of Infinity". Imagine with all the faces you could regenerate into and you turn into another Time Lord. I guess that's just the luck of the draw... except that sometimes the face isn't random (see the two examples below).

Tenth Doctor - Fourteenth Doctor (60th Anniversary Specials)

How do you become your own doppelgänger? By being the most popular Doctor of the modern era. We know next to nothing about the Fourteenth Doctor, except that for some reason he looks like the Tenth. From the trailers (Spoiler warning) we can kind of tell that the Fourteenth Doctor is going to wrap up some of his unfinished business from his time with Donna. What does that mean for them? Who knows? And how does the Toymaker play into things?

Twelfth Doctor - Lobus Caecilius (Fire of Pompeii)

We were told this Doctor double would be addressed during the tenure of the Twelfth Doctor. I don't know what I expected (maybe revisiting Roman times?) but I was underwhelmed at the explanation of why the Doctor looked like Caecilius. Maybe I wanted them to address Donna again? I don't know, but we're getting Donna again anyway. Also, though I never watched Torchwood, Peter Capaldi also appeared on the Doctor Who spin-off as John Frobisher and I kind of hoped they'd tie him into the Twelfth Doctor as well. Oh well.

And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be here twiddling my thumbs, continuing along my Second Doctor rewatch, while I wait for the return of the Doctor and Donna. Happy 60th anniversary, Whovians!

LDS Geeks Podcast #4: First Doctor Companions

Round two on my discussion with TJ about the First Doctor era. This time we're talking about his companions and he had a lot.

--Spencer

LDS Geeks Podcast #2: First Doctor Adventures

Enjoy our first of a three-part series as TJ and I discuss our journey through Classic Doctor Who, starting with the First Doctor and our favorite adventures.

--Spencer

First Doctor Revisited: "The Tenth Planet"

I couldn’t finish off the era of the First Doctor without highlighting his exit. So join me and some of my random thoughts from when I watched “The Tenth Planet.”

It was an interesting dynamic, how this story was somewhat Doctor-lite (an interesting contrast to future regeneration episodes). We know why this was, of course, as it’s the same reason regeneration was thought up in the first place. With Hartnell’s health failing, it makes sense that he was absent from chunks of the story. Kind of like how the Doctor was silenced and turned invisible during his encounter with the Toymaker. Compare this to all the Doctor-lite and companion-lite stories of the first Russell T. Davies era. Again, an interesting dynamic to kind of downplay the Doctor’s role. Heck, he didn't really do anything to defeat the Cybermen. They kind of defeated themselves. 

Despite being their first appearance of many, the Cybermen made only minor appearances. I suspect it may have been because of budget constraints or complexity of special effects. They'd go on in future appearances to be one of the most fearsome villains, but in this story couldn’t even go near radiation without human assistance. We didn’t even get any human Cyber-conversions. They alluded to conversion, but none of our humans fell victim to the process. Whether due to budget, special effects, or the imagination of the writers, nothing slowed down the Cybermen. They’d just keep on upgrading and becoming scarier until as recently as “The Power of the Doctor.” And you can bet RTD will bring them back at some point again.

Even though the Cybermen were absent at times, there was still a villain present. Sometimes that villain was the human race. Isn’t that just like Doctor Who? You have this villainous and scary looking alien/robot, but along the way the human race does something stupid that threatens the lives of innocents. Even almost 60 years ago, the Doctor wouldn’t stand for that. Thankfully the human race survived itself back then in the 80s or we wouldn’t be here talking about it today.

And then of course we have the regeneration sequence. The first of many. But modern Who fans ought to also remember an episode that takes place in the moments before the Doctor enters the TARDIS at the end of this episode. Of course, I’m referencing “Twice Upon a Time” when the First Doctor teams up with the Twelfth Doctor. I wrote about this story when it first aired. Maybe it was because there was no enemy alien present in the story, just the two Doctors, but it gave a greater depth to the First Doctor as a character. He’d grown so much since Ian and Barbara forced their way in and now he was forced to change again.

So I guess that concludes the First Doctor era (at least in blog form–we got some First Doctor coming in the podcast). Until we see the First Doctor again, I’ll finish with a line from Thirteen’s regeneration: “Tag, you're it!”

First Doctor Revisited: "The War Machines"

By the time this blog post goes live, I’ll have been done with the First Doctor’s era for months. Alas, on the blog, we’re still here (gotta space out the Doctor Who posts out, I figured). While watching “War Machines”, I was intrigued by the plot in a way different from other stories from that era. So here we go with some musings I had while watching “War Machines”.

This was an interesting episode, from the perspective of the companions. Mostly because the change happened so fluidly. After being brainwashed by WOTAN (Will Operating Thought ANalogue–possibly a worse acronym than TARDIS), Dodo disappears. I won’t say I’m surprised she decided to stay in the present, as she joined the TARDIS by accident (seems like a trend here). What surprises me is that they didn’t even film a scene of her saying goodbye to the Doctor. But then again, I didn’t like Dodo very much anyway, even on the rewatch.

On the flip side, Ben and Polly were introduced fluidly and naturally (side note: I’d forgotten Polly was hypnotized too). They went to say goodbye to the Doctor (take note, Dodo, you’re falling short and being rude) and basically walked into the TARDIS moments before it dematerialized. Seems that so few of the First Doctor’s companions actually wanted to travel with him. Quite a change if you’re used to modern Doctor Who with Rose, Donna, or Amy.

This is one of the few times the Doctor is called “Doctor Who” by name. Makes me think the original writers actually intended for his name to be Dr. Who, despite how things actually played out. Over the years, a number of the Doctors have been listed as “Doctor Who” in the credits. Can’t say that I care for that; I like the mystery. But I guess I ought to be a little less critical of people calling him Dr. Who…

It was a scary thought, the machines controlling humans. That’s worse than being converted into Cybermen. Maybe. They both sound awful. Kind of makes me think of our current dependence on technology and growing availability of AI. The internet (or power) goes down at work and I feel completely useless in taking care of my patients’ needs. Which exercises do I need to do with my patients? No idea, but it’s on the computer.

It was an intriguing way to assimilate humans. Unlike Daleks, Cybermen, or Borg, the victims weren’t physically transformed or changed at all, but it was all to the same end. Brings to mind the influences that slip into our lives incognito to lives. Whether that’s people, technology, ideology, or culture, it’s a chilling thought. But then again this is also the show that made us scared of statues and wifi.

For now, allons-y!

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5 Things to Know About the Celestial Toymaker

Ever since the reveal of Neil Patrick Harris on the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary specials, fans have been speculating on who he could be playing. There is evidence to support the theory that he could be an iteration of the Toymaker from the First Doctor era. It would be an interesting choice for an anniversary villain (but I guess at least we get a break from the Master and the Daleks). But just in case Neil Patrick Harris is indeed playing the Celestial Toymaker, here are a few things to know about him.

1. Here’s the biggest reason I’d think it odd to include the Toymaker in the anniversary special: there was only one televised story that featured him (and most of it is lost). To get the full story on this master manipulator, I had to watch the audio stitched together with stills from the episode. But yeah, only one story. Though he did almost appear in the Sixth Doctor era before it got revamped into the “Trial of a Time Lord” saga.  I guess we’ll never know what was happening.

2. He’s not a Time Lord (at least as far as we know); of course during the First Doctor’s run the finer points of the Doctor’s race were vague to say the least. He’s certainly powerful though, being able to pull the TARDIS into his dimension and to pull the Doctor out of the TARDIS. He was also able to trap the Doctor, Dodo, and Steven to play a game, in addition to others (like Cyril and his playing cards). In fact, we don’t know what the limits of his powers are.

3. The Toymaker has a history with the Doctor, which we can see almost right from the start. You can look at the 1999 novel “Divided Loyalties” for further details. But basically what we know is that the Doctor and a few friends encountered him back when he was at the Academy on Gallifrey.

4. Speaking of his encounter with the young Time Lords, it’s implied in “Divided Loyalties” that the Toymaker might not have a body of his own. At the very least, when he was found by the Doctor and friends, he was a disembodied entity. He possessed the Doctor’s friend Rallon and (presumably) kept that body until he appeared in “The Celestial Toymaker” and all the way into the Fifth Doctor era.

5. His story and powers were nearly used to help recast the First Doctor, as William Hartnell was struggling with his health. This fact resulted in the first on-screen regeneration in “The Tenth Planet”. But at the time of the Toymaker, the First Doctor was turned invisible and silent to avoid the need for Hartnell during filming. This resulted in a somewhat Doctor-lite story, like the infamous Russell T. Davies stories “Love & Monsters”, “Blink”, and “Turn Left”.

Could he be the Toymaker?

Keep in mind that outside his single on-screen appearance, all information about the Toymaker would fall under the umbrella of pseudo-canon material. Maybe someday we’ll get more solid information about the Celestial Toymaker. In the meantime, the question still remains: Who is Neil Patrick Harris playing?

The Doctor Who 60th Anniversary specials will air November 2023.

***

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Who is the Monk?

Before the Doctor started his feud with the Master, there was another rival Time Lord he encountered. Back before we'd even heard the terms "Time Lord" or "Gallifrey". If you're familiar with the adventures of the First Doctor, you'll recognize his name in the title of this post: The Monk.

On screen, he only has two appearances, which we’ll discuss in a second. But like most of Doctor Who, there are plenty of other adventures once you take into account audiodramas, books, comics, etc. All of those appearances are pseudo-canon, but I’ll include some of those details found on the Doctor Who wiki.

Life on Gallifrey

Before encountering the Doctor on television, the Monk (who by some reports went by Mortimus) knew him in the Time Lord Academy. After leaving the Academy, he was part of the Celestial Intervention Agency (CIA), which may or may not be related to the Division. Fifty years after the Doctor left with Susan, Mortimus ended up leaving Gallifrey and playing with history for his own amusement. By the time we see him in “The Time Meddler”, he had already helped build Stonehenge, taught Da Vinci how to fly, and time-traveled his way into a small fortune. 

The Meddling Monk

After saying goodbye to Barbara and Ian, the Doctor, Vicki, and Steven ended up in 11th Century England at the same time as the Monk. It took him all of five minutes to spot the Doctor and basically deduce who he was (or at least where he came from). He tried to kidnap the Doctor (who escaped). Before he could put his plan into action, the Doctor deduced the origins of the Monk, as another renegade Time Lord (before “Time Lord” was a thing). With some quick thinking, the Doctor was able to maroon the Monk’s TARDIS, leaving him behind in 11th Century Britain. 

The Daleks’ Master Plan

Unfortunately most of this story has been lost to time (and space?) so I haven’t had a chance to watch this story in full--just the audio stitched together with episode stills. But let me sum it up as best I can anyway. While the Doctor is already trying to deal with the Daleks and their time disruptor, the Monk hops in for some revenge. But after some altercations, the Doctor is able to sabotage the Monk’s TARDIS to keep him wandering in time and space. So off he went into who knows where.

Later Incarnations

While we never saw the Monk on television again (maybe in a future season and a new regeneration) we have the record of at least four other incarnations in pseudo-canon, including one female incarnation known as the Nun. It’s also been hinted in some sources that he later regenerated into the Master… but that’s where the canon gets a little muddy.

So while I probably won’t write about every Time Lord we encounter through Classic Who, I do think it’d be fun to revisit some of them in the modern era, like the Rani and Romana. But for today, we’ll just stick with the Monk (though I can keep dreaming about Susan and Romana returning).

"The Monk" as "the Nun" in Big Finish productions

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First Doctor Revisited: “The Romans”

I honestly didn’t think watching “The Romans” that I’d be intrigued enough to want to revisit it in a blog post. But it surprised me. There was no alien villain in this story, just good ole humans. Slave traders, Caesar, etc. But despite being less Sci-Fi and more history, it still held my attention (better than some others, like “The Web Planet”). 

First though, I’ll tell you what I really didn’t care for. At the end of “The Rescue” the TARDIS lands precariously on the edge of a cliff and falls. We expect the following episode to pick up where the last left off, but after replaying that same footage, we suddenly see the Doctor and the TARDIS Team chilling at the villa for a month.

Speaking of the villa, it isn’t unusual even with later Doctors to attempt a TARDIS holiday. The Fourth Doctor visited the Leisure Hive, the Tenth Doctor toured on the planet Midnight, and the Thirteenth Doctor’s team won a trip to Praxeus. But naturally things go awry, just like they did in Rome. Even when things are supposed to get relaxing, sooner or (three months) later, when you’re with the Doctor, things go crazy.

And when things go crazy, the Doctor can do some damage. There have been some instances when the Doctor influenced history (discovering fire, Rosa Parks, etc.), but this is one of the lesser known ones (at least it was to me). Who’d have thought the Doctor would be instrumental in the burning of Rome? He didn’t light the match, but he gave Nero the idea. Just like when the Tenth Doctor triggered the destruction of Pompeii (PS: "The Fires of Pomeii" references back to this story), the Doctor triggered (so to speak) the burning of Rome.

What sets this story apart from other Doctor Who stories, especially of the First Doctor era, is the whimsical nature of it. Granted, I’m not sure I can call slave trading or the Roman Colosseum whimsical. However, with the companions separated (not uncommon for Doctor Who), they were constantly missing each other at Nero's palace. At some points it was like a Scooby Doo chase scene. The Doctor and Vicki never even realized that Ian and Barbara were in Rome until “The Web Planet”. Ruh-roh.

Nothing earth-shattering from this story, but it was a fun go. I loved seeing the Doctor’s playful side. Also let’s just acknowledge that Vicki was casually willing to poison a random person, to save the Doctor. Life with the Doctor is crazy and I love it.