Yeah The War Games is many things... The best Story of Season 6 for a start... Troughton's best Story as well (besides this I'd probably go with Mind Robber as the other best one that isn't his Final story)... The best Black and White Story... And one of the very best Stories Doctor Who has ever put out. How very lucky we are as fans to have such a wonderful story. And THANK GOD ALL 10 EPISODES EXIST
Yes this is a 10 parter Story. As such you might think it'd drag. But no. It never, ever does. And its the only one of the super long B&W Stories to not drag. Daleks Master Plan has its strong points (Episode 12 is a masterpiece) but I never thought it was anything other than good/average overall. The Invasion almost gets it right but the last half of Episode 8 starts to slow down (maybe i'm being unfair but in fairness everything else about that one was great).
This doesn't drag, and its length although not intentional is a worthy tribute to Troughtons final story. Very clever as well. It doesn't give it all away at once or even in a few episodes. It slowly reveals information in tantalizing clues, starting out pretty historical, then we get the General, then the war chief and security chief then finally the War Lord. Then the Time Lords!!
A simple glimpse into the War Chiefs thoughts with the " I wonder.." Sets the scene of more to come.
We need the two episodes spent in the WW1 warzone... Just as we needed the scenes in Rome as a means of raising more questions. We needed the scenes in the barn just to understand the scale of it all and just how many soldiers from different eras are involved... There honestly isn't any fat to this steak that needed cut off, it just somehow works with its immense length.
Villains. We have General Smythe and Von Weich in charge of the ground troops. They work well enough. But the real deal here is The War Chief, the Security Chief and The War Lord. The War Chief and the Security Chief hate one another and its entertaining watching them constantly trying to one up each other. The War Lord is played by Philip Madoc who can never fail acting in Doctor Who...
But the ending has to be discussed. In fact practically everything from the end of Episode 9. By episode 10 we the audience are left in no doubt as to what is happening and boy it's sad. It's like the kids have finally been reprimanded by their parents: the party is over. The Doctor knows this as we do and he even tries to keep Zoe and Jamie away from him because he knows its pointless, escape isn't possible. By the time he's in the TARDIS trying to get away he knows the game is up: I believe he's just trying to supply Jamie and Zoe with false hope. The Time Lords can't be outmatched: and they never were this scary again. God-like beings who can bring down terrifying villains with ease (before they get humiliated by Omega a few more seasons down the road that is and have to get several Doctors help).
In conclusion... I'm going to miss Troughton. But by this point I want to move on. Doctor Who survives on account of its greatest strength: To change. To adapt to a new format. And it needs to do this again as it did with Hartnell (the people behind the scenes knew as well with viewing figures pretty low) Troughton was amazing as a Doctor and his era was on the whole good. All throughout but especially at the end (off topic but Hartnell deserved something like this). In his final scenes goes out fighting. The Time Lords mention how in his defence while on trial he said that he was fighting the evils of the universe, which makes me think of him all the way back in Moonbase "There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things. Things which act against everything we believe in. They must be fought." And that was the very heart of his era. Hartnell did it too but he was more about historicals and human villains, at least for the most part. Troughton took on monster after monster after monster almost every week. In his defence while on trial he mentions Quarks, Yeti, Ice Warriors, Cybermen and of course, the Daleks. But we didn't even get to hear about the Macra, or the Krotons, or the Chameleons, or the brain from the Land of Fiction... Monsters was his speciality, usually with a bit of base under siege thrown in. And of course Zoe, she'll be missed. The best, strongest female companion since Barbara easily. Jamie, the best male companion since Ian. And like Ian he stuck around for a while so he'll also be missed. Its cruel how they get their memories wiped but it is a good departure. Again, the first good one since Ian and Barbara left. The 60's had one last chance to get it right with a good departure and they took it.
Great Doctor, great companions, great era. Shame to be leaving it but at least they went out on a high with a moving ending and wonderful conclusion to the 60's opening the door to a whole new decade and format for the show. Troughton did bow out at the right time leaving the way for a fresh start and a new actor to take the reigns. Its time for change. It's what I love about the series, just when you think it can give you no more, someone else comes along and adds to the series. That is a strength which continues to this day (good luck Jodie!).
Goodbye Patrick Troughton and roll on Jon Pertwee, UNIT and the 70's...
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