A question about Regeneration

[jaime]

This is how the Fifth Doctor started out - he was confused and rambling, talking to companions he'd left behind several regenerations before. At one point he thought he was the Second Doctor and Adric was Jamie.

Yup...ever since Pertwee, there’s been a sort of post-regeneration Trauma, worse in the case of Five and Eight because of the unusual regenerations, but it’s basically every time in the modern incarnations. Usually because of of odd circumstances, but also because it’s made a nice ‘old Doctor looking out of new Doctors eyes’ before the new guy settles in. It’s rare they just sit up...well, not least because everyone regenerates highlander style now...and inhabit the body.

 

[starsuperion]

Yup...ever since Pertwee, there’s been a sort of post-regeneration Trauma, worse in the case of Five and Eight because of the unusual regenerations, but it’s basically every time in the modern incarnations. Usually because of of odd circumstances, but also because it’s made a nice ‘old Doctor looking out of new Doctors eyes’ before the new guy settles in. It’s rare they just sit up...well, not least because everyone regenerates highlander style now...and inhabit the body.

The body absorbs its enemies. It only kills when it has to. When the first Archons came, they were free, out of control, opposing the will of Landru. Many were killed. Many more were absorbed.

 

[Nightowl1701]

It’s rare they just sit up...well, not least because everyone regenerates highlander style now...and inhabit the body.

If Chibnall sticks around long enough to write Jodie's regeneration into Danai Gurira (see the new 'Rose' novelization), guarantee you the crucifix style changeover gets tossed. Real Doctors go out on their back...

 

[diankra]

Yup...ever since Pertwee, there’s been a sort of post-regeneration Trauma, worse in the case of Five and Eight because of the unusual regenerations, but it’s basically every time in the modern incarnations. Usually because of of odd circumstances, but also because it’s made a nice ‘old Doctor looking out of new Doctors eyes’ before the new guy settles in. It’s rare they just sit up...well, not least because everyone regenerates highlander style now...and inhabit the body.

Back in the Making of Doctor Who in 76, Terrance commented that the post-change instability was a useful way of dropping any new traits that didn't work. Troughton isn't quite his later self in Power, Pertwee is unconscious for most of Spearhead 1&2... But after going the whole hog in Castrovalva, maybe having Twin Dilemma also do an entire serial about the Doctor settling in, at end of season, was a mistake. Too many people seem to have thought that the ep1 Colin was his incarnation, not the person he'd become by the final scenes, and that hung over season 22.

 

[jaime]

Back in the Making of Doctor Who in 76, Terrance commented that the post-change instability was a useful way of dropping any new traits that didn't work. Troughton isn't quite his later self in Power, Pertwee is unconscious for most of Spearhead 1&2... But after going the whole hog in Castrovalva, maybe having Twin Dilemma also do an entire serial about the Doctor settling in, at end of season, was a mistake. Too many people seem to have thought that the ep1 Colin was his incarnation, not the person he'd become by the final scenes, and that hung over season 22.

Definitely in both cases. Colin wasnt helped by Sawards more violent tendencies anyway.

 

[diankra]

Definitely in both cases. Colin wasnt helped by Sawards more violent tendencies anyway.

Well, violence isn't a problem if you get the tone right. But Saward thought Colin was wrong casting, so - right or wrong - he couldn't give Colin the scripts that might have allowed him to shine.
Or not. But the mismatch was a guarantee of problems.

 

[jaime]

Well, violence isn't a problem if you get the tone right. But Saward thought Colin was wrong casting, so - right or wrong - he couldn't give Colin the scripts that might have allowed him to shine.
Or not. But the mismatch was a guarantee of problems.

Revelation of the Daleks, while great from an adult perspective, is tonality pretty bad for Who. Saward has some odd ideas...arguably no more than Cartmel a bit down the line, but Cartmel figured out how to make those grand ideas work in the Who framework. He figured out where you can bend things, what you can show and what you can imply. Saward didn’t know where thelines were, or who the show was aimed at anymore.

 

[diankra]

Revelation of the Daleks, while great from an adult perspective, is tonality pretty bad for Who. Saward has some odd ideas...arguably no more than Cartmel a bit down the line, but Cartmel figured out how to make those grand ideas work in the Who framework. He figured out where you can bend things, what you can show and what you can imply. Saward didn’t know where thelines were, or who the show was aimed at anymore.

Reportedly, Saward was a great fan of Minder, which is both violent and funny. If 80s Who had captured the feel of Minder's good days, it would have been wonderful.

 

[jaime]

Reportedly, Saward was a great fan of Minder, which is both violent and funny. If 80s Who had captured the feel of Minder's good days, it would have been wonderful.

And I probably wouldn’t have been allowed to watch it, me and many other kids. I think Minder May even have been post watershed. Doctor Who isn’t necessarily a ‘kids show’ but it’s not an adult show either, not in its screen form at any rate.

 

[diankra]

Think Minder ran at 8pm in reruns (9pm first time). But its violence tended to be bloodless fights.

But a funny and violent Who, like Minder, could have worked in the 80s like the Holmes funny and horrific Who did in the 70s. If it had been done as well.

 

[jaime]

Think Minder ran at 8pm in reruns (9pm first time). But its violence tended to be bloodless fights.

But a funny and violent Who, like Minder, could have worked in the 80s like the Holmes funny and horrific Who did in the 70s. If it had been done as well.

It did work. But Cartmel knew the violence was not for the Doctor, and that it’s to be used against alien baddies.
Ace is practically the Doctors minder.
Saward went too black comedy in his commissions.

 

[Captaindemotion]

George Cole as The Doctor, Dennis Waterman as his companion and Patrick Malahide as The Master. That could’ve been so good (for you).

 

[jaime]

George Cole as The Doctor, Dennis Waterman as his companion and Patrick Malahide as The Master. That could’ve been so good (for you).

Would he write the theme tune?
Sing the theme tune?

 

[starsuperion]

wasn't there an off production involving Pertwee and some funky regen thing that started off making him look different before finally settling on his 3rd doctor rendition? I remember it was low budget but still nice to see Pertwee in a classic style TARDIS.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

wasn't there an off production involving Pertwee and some funky regen thing that started off making him look different before finally settling on his 3rd doctor rendition? I remember it was low budget but still nice to see Pertwee in a classic style TARDIS.

Yup, that was called Devious and a small part of it is available on The War Games DVD.

 

[starsuperion]

Yup, that was called Devious and a small part of it is available on The War Games DVD.

I just read all about it in the TARDIS wiki.. sounds intriguing. I suppose only bits of it are available? How is the Gene Genius story? are there any wilderness years 3rd party productions that hold up well?

 

[starsuperion]

Was Romana the only timelady able to shift bodies in Regeneration cycle? I don't recall seeing other timelords doing that. Did she have a device on board that allowed that? Something akin to the Mawdryn undead device, or the Minyan regeneration beds? Seems strange she's only been able to do that. Makes me wonder if Romana isn't really the other that people speculate about. Imagine, she's as old as rassilon, I mean she says her age and all, acts innocent, and yet stays in Espace? Comes with the White Guardian? Something always struck me that Romana was hiding so much more then what was presented..

 

[Nightowl1701]

Just because we haven't seen other Time Lords 'shop' for new bodies doesn't mean they can't. The Doctor didn't seem all that surprised at Romana doing it. He just slept through that class at the Academy, I reckon.

 

[starsuperion]

Just because we haven't seen other Time Lords 'shop' for new bodies doesn't mean they can't. The Doctor didn't seem all that surprised at Romana doing it. He just slept through that class at the Academy, I reckon.

It would be interesting to see someone else do it tho, or at least have it addressed in the new series. I'd love to know how that worked within the context of Whovian technobabble.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

All the Doctor's deaths outside of Throughton's have been violent and/or sudden outside of the couple he's held back.

But same result, no time to try on different bodies before settling on one.

If we assume the Ainley Master got a new set of regenerations during his Five Doctors adventure, and he really did die 2 or 3 times after that, he came back with the same look and persona.