The best and worst part of "Enemy Within" is that it reminds us how much I miss seeing Doctor Who on television. The rating here doesn't quite mean as much as it might if it was a usual Doctor Who story...but it isn't, is it?
Some "fans" want to emphasize the negatives. Sure, we could [and all will over time] pick out some of the plot flaws; it's not the best Doctor Who plot, and perhaps it had enough to do that it meant that the story couldn't be all that it could be.
But what went wrong last time was that the fans had a feeding frenzy on the program, tearing apart an episode when it bent or broke continuity, or when it tried to redefine what Doctor Who is all about.
Paul McGann was absolutely inspired as the Doctor; he had what all Doctors have, but also added a number of new traits, enough that if the fans have to write the Doctor like they did the last, they have a great base to start from. His casual nature, as we saw in Grace's house, his multi-tracked mind, jumping from one conversation to another, coming back to a conversation a few seconds later, his willingness to leak a little bit of information about everyone around him.
The dialog was also marvelous; if the plot was half as good as the dialog, it *would* have been one of the best Doctor Who stories ever. From the marvelous scenes with Grace and the Doctor walking through the park countered with the Master convincing Lee that he should help him.
Eric Roberts also presented a new, and quite thrilling new version of the Master; quite scary, but not entirely serious, as the Master should be. He wasn't a gentleman like the Delgado one was, but the progression of the Master to a crazier and crazier being as the series went on.
The infamous "additions" to Who lore were handled well, and not so well. And I was surprised that it was the romance was handled well -- it *was* emotional and touching. This is the second time I've been surprised at how well a Doctor Who romantic sideline can be handled, after last year's "Human Nature". It was actually handled better than many other more traditional Doctor Who elements.
The best part about the "half human" bit was how little it had an impact on the rest of the story. While it added to the confusion about why it was a human eye that was required to open the Eye of Harmony. I *don't* think that this should be dwelt on, in much the same way as Susan's precise relationship with the Doctor shouldn't be dwelt on -- as a piece, it can add some mystery to the character, but the explanation would reduce it.
It's sad to realize that this might be the last Doctor Who story ever televised....but "Enemy Within" was worth making, and a valuable addition to the Doctor Who lore. It reminded me how much I cared about a silly old science fiction series and the mysterious traveller from another planet and time, and for that I'm grateful. Back to Question Mark