Previously: The Ice Warriors, episode 4-6…

The first episode of The Enemy of the World begins stylistically different to most other classic Doctor Who adventures, in that most of the episode is an action piece filmed on location.  This isn’t just your usual quarry used as a backdrop for lots of talking.  We’re thrown right into the adventure.

The Doctor goes for an uncharacteristic jovial dip in the sea, while Jamie and Victoria watch.  He’s spotted by three men in a futuristic hovercraft, who chase them, shooting guns, and all the trying to kill them bit.  They’re rescued by a woman, Astrid, in a helicopter who sustains injury both to herself and the craft.

The Doctor notices the helicopter pilot’s license expiration as being in 2018 (so the episode is presumably set around present day as it is now, which offers up plenty of comparisons both bizarre and otherwise).

One the action is over and the Doctor escape is assured, he discovers the reason for his rescue when he meets Giles Kent, Astrid’s superior.  A planetary dictator known as Salamander looks uncannily like the Doctor.  Those who rescued him are opposed to Salamander, and they want the Doctor to infiltrate his facilities and uncover proof of Salamander’s wrong-doings.  The trouble is that, without proof of this, the Doctor isn’t convinced that Salamander is the nefarious person he’s been told.  Certainly recordings of a summit paint Salamander as a good guy.

To force the Doctor’s hand, Salamander’s security chief, Donald Bruce, has been tipped off to the escape and he arrives before the Doctor has had any time to prepare.

This first episode of The Enemy of the World races along to begin with, and the adventure barely begins until the final few minutes.  This probably a good thing because it makes good use of the story length, preventing a feeling of it being dragged out.  There’s a comment made about the previous story (Ice and, later, the Ionizer) which is fun.

The main selling point of the story is of Patrick Troughton playing both characters – the Doctor, and Salamander.  It’s difficult to tell from what little we see of Salamander here just how different they are, but Troughton plays it well by having the Doctor struggle to mimic the dictator.

Next time: The Enemy of the World, episode 2…