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The Twin Dilemma Format Reviewed: UK Gold Review The Twin Dilemma is the first story to feature Colin Baker as the Doctor, and also marks the start of one of the most uncertain periods for the show. It was no secret that ITV were doing everything to try to up their ratings against Doctor Who, and the BBC kept trying to do different things and not all of them favoured the show. The story takes the Doctor and Peri to Jaconda to meet his old froend and retired Time Lord Azmael. He has already kidnapped Earth Twins Romulus and Remus and taken them abck to Jaconda to perform mathematical calculations to aid the new rulers of Jaconda, giant Gastropods. Eventually the Doctor succeeds in stoping Mestor, the leader of the Gastropods, and Jaconda can then be rebuilt. The Twin Dilemma is quite shallow and rather dull story, which is not helped by the hammy overacting of Colin Baker. It is an oft recounted tale by Colin Baker that when he appeared during Peter Davisons reign as a Gallifreyan guard he was disappointed that this would mean he wouldn't get to play the Doctor, as he'd been a fan of the show as a young man. This wasn't the case though, and I think that Colin Baker was trying too hard to make a good impression, hence the overacting. Generally though, the Twin Dilemma really fails to hold the attention of the viewer throughout, and is not a good example of a Doctor Who adventure. There appears to be little plot structure, and was rather bitty. The story just seemd to happen and then end, without actually doing anything in between. The regular cast of Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant as the Doctor and Peri have a somewhat chequered story here. As mentioned before, Colin Baker overacts terribly, and the false American accent that Bryant puts on is very whiney and quite annoying. The first story after a regeneration is often a bit patchy, but none really are as bad as this. The guest cast is also largely forgettable, with the exception of Maurice Denham as Azmael, and Kevin McNally as Hugo Lang. These two do manage to add to the adventure, but the rest of the guest cast are poor. Gavin and Andrew Conrad play Romulus and Remus, and are terribly wooden and poor throughout, and the Jacondan guards don't add anything positive to the story. So, the Twin Dilemma is very patchy, and not a terribly positive start for Colin Baker. This story is arguably the start of the most turbulent perion in the original shows history, and it doesn't make a good case for the series overall. The acting is poor, the story is dull and nothing really happens that engages the viewer. If a fan were to show an episode to a non-fan to introduce the series, please do not choose this one. Rating:  |