Day 143: The Highlanders Episode 3

A little while ago, I would have been in a bit of a pickle. Not because The Highlanders is bad, but because it is rather uninspiring, much like The Smugglers, and thus there would be little for me to write about, however there is fortunately one major saving grace: Patrick Troughton. It is absolutely shocking to see how quickly the Doctor has changed, from the grumpy old Hartnell Doctor to the more playful Troughton. Scenes such as those where he imitates a German doctor, or indeed the moment where he shouts out revolutionary phrases within a gaol cell, not because he genuinely believes in the power of the revolution, but instead because he enjoys hearing the sound of the echo come across as those which simply couldn't exist with Hartnell, due to his character simply not having as much fun. But what's also interesting to note is that Troughton only entered the role a couple of episodes ago, and yet he is clearly defined as his own character. For this, we must thank Gerry Davis, the script editor and co-writer of this story, who is able to provide an excellent continuity with character and so the show is able to settle more easily into this new Doctor. It's things like this that ensure that the show will run and continue to run for a long time.