The Enemy of the World [TV/1967.12.23 ~ 1968.1.27]

★★★★☆

  As if any more proof was needed at this point that Patrick Troughton was a superb actor, they bring out this thrilling six parter that's two parts James Bond and one part The Twilight Zone! You can see the excitement in ol' Troughton's eyes as he gets the chance to act as an accent-heavy villain and use his naturally electrifying presence for the purpose of onscreen evil. Out of all the doppelganger tropes used in televised Doctor Who, I consider that of The Enemy of the World to be the best example — the serial has a lot of fun with confusing identities, befuddling close friends of Salamander and the Doctor's... and even in some clever scenes, the audience as well! 

  It's a stroke of luck that this was the serial found in 2013; Barry Letts' direction is flawless, going from the most exciting aerial shots to the most intimate close-ups. The camera glides across the sets and scenery with a grace of its own, making watching the entirety intact for the first time a very special occasion indeed. Jamie has a lot of fun moments, Victoria gets to have a few hilarious scenes with pessimist cook Griffin (by the way, did I mention that this serial has an amazing group of supporting characters?), and the Doctor bounces about fooling everybody and gathering information. It's all very, very entertaining to witness.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  An outlier among its Season 5 peers, The Enemy of the World proves its brilliance with an ensemble of well-written, well performed characters, twists and turns in a story that jumped straight out of a pulp political sci-fi/spy novel, and strong direction. I really hate to sound like a broken record, but it needs to be mentioned again: Patrick Troughton is such a good actor.