Day 589: Mawdryn Undead Part 2

Returns are odd things, in my opinion. Some returns, such as that of the Cybermen in Earthshock, leave little to no emotional impact on me. Others, on the other hand, inspire a feeling of happiness and warmth as we greet this old friend. This is the case when we meet again, for the first time in almost 200 days, Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart.

When we first meet him, he's different from what we'd expect. He doesn't recognise the Doctor, and is busy working in a school, trying to teach young minds about mathematics. He's changed physically as well, with his hair being greyer, and even his moustache has been shaved off. Mentally, however, he seems perfectly normal, his usual stoic self. Until, for one brief moment, we see a crack in that facade. He shouts about how he's fit as a fiddle, and how he's perfectly alright to work, and not going to be sent to some 'funny farm'. It's then revealed that he some form of nervous breakdown in the past, causing him to lose a little bit of what made him the Brigadier. He also lost his memory of the Doctor, although this is restored through a surprisingly lovely flashback sequence as we look back at old foes and old friends, remembering the good old days of Doctor Who, where it was the Doctor, his young assistant and UNIT all up against malevolent forces of evil.

And this is where things get a little bit complicated. Because of some timey-wimey stuff, Tegan and Nyssa have been sent back to an earlier, pre-breakdown Brigadier, where he's only just started at the school. This is where the acting of Nicholas Courtney, who plays the Brigadier, really deserves a mention, as it's clear from the moment that we meet him that this is the old Brigadier that we remember from the time with UNIT. He's a little bit more active, a little more stoic and still keen as ever to help the Doctor as well as fight alien menaces in order to protect the Earth. It's nice to see this Brigadier again, to truly remember what he was like before his character had an off-screen development. That said, it's also nice to see that the Brigadier can change, as it adds a new layer to the character, and makes it more worthwhile watching this story.