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Often, before the 1980s, two-part Doctor Who adventures (about an hour total screentime) were once a rarity. However, in 1980, John Nathan-Turner took over the role as main producer, and decided to limit the stories of the series to two or four part serials. Why, few are really sure. However, this wound up resulting in several sub-par adventures of the Doctor. This is one of them. Black Orchid, the 121st serial of the series, starts with the Doctor (Peter Davison) taking his companions Tegan, Nyssa and Adric to Earth in 1925. Through a bizarre mix-up, the Doctor and his companions wind up participating in a random cricket match and are invited into a fancy dress party soon after. However, the Doctor can't help but notice there's a rather odd secret at the mansion this party is taking place at, when he finds a mysterious corridor and a dead body. What makes things worse is that the Doctor is framed for murder, and Nyssa's near-look-alike is kidnapped by a mysterious villain! Can the Doctor find out what's going on before things take a turn for the worst? The writing for this serial is just plain sub-par. A lot of the serial for the Doctor can be summed up as 'Doctor wanders down a corridor, finds a clue sitting in front of him, does more wandering.' There are several odd plotholes and bizarre lines that are easily noted - and the ending is just a little bizarre. Costuming works well for the 1920s, and the acting is good - but not much else is all that great. As for the bonus features, there's only a rare amount here compared to other releases. Commentary from Peter Davison (the Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) and Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) is the highlight of the disc, seeing how the actors don't hesitate to make fun of the story in a lighthearted manner. This is also where many of the plot holes and problems can be found pointed out by them, and makes the episode a joy to watch like that. However, aside from that, there's only a handful of clips from other BBC programs, a feature on the Fifth Doctor's comic book adventures, a feature on how the filming locations look in 2008, and finally a few deleted scenes. It's almost as if the BBC realized this was a sub-par adventure and decided to not really bother in giving this worthy bonus features. This is somewhat understandable, if only because few are probably going to buy this release - but I certainly enjoyed it for what it was (and it was cheap, to boot). If you love the Fifth Doctor and just need to have all of them, then this is for you. Otherwise? It might not be for you.Read full review
The intention was good. Commentary made clear why the story went wonky. The Executive producer decided to promote and sell the program rather than improving it. The actors still gave the story 100%. The set designes, costumes and director did their best. It is still a Doctor Who story--- I still loved both then and now. I enjoyed learning what the actors truely thought. Nyssa finally has her day. Traveling through time one is bound to bump into a doppleganger. This was their version. The Doctor got to play cricket-- an outfit he has been dressed for since his regeneration. Seeing Nyssa(educated, technicly brilliant and well bred) yell at Adric "You PIG!" who was being a pig --- is worth every penny for this DVD. I'm glad I own it.
This something I've got to recommend on different levels. The episode itself is not the greatest. it's average but a good starter story for fans of the new series. The DVD on a whole however is different. It's good bonus features & great audio commentary. It's a good buy for it's common low price you'll usually find.
Underrated and overlooked! There is actually nothing wrong with this story. In fact, it's quite entertaining and unique. and for the story that it is, it's the perfect length.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Just what I wanted
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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