The Enemy of the World

Sometimes we do what we have to do, not what we want to do.

One of the advantages of being a bit of a late-comer to Doctor Who is that I get to enjoy newly found episodes without having to have dealt with the recons. Enemy of the World is a prime example of that. The majority of this story was lost and then it was found along with most of The Web of Fear (hooray!). I hadn't got around to it while it was still lost so only the found footage for me.

This story hinges greatly on your appreciation of Patrick Troughton as an actor. As I enjoy Mr. Troughton's work and consider the Second Doctor to be my favorite of the classic era, this story was a big plus in my column. The premise is pretty straight forward. The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria land in the future where the Doctor is mistaken for a man who is pushing to become dictator of the world. He is captured by a group of rebels and persuaded to act as an impersonator while they move against him. Of course, there are a few little twists here and there and the Doctor is shown to once again be a master manipulator of events to his own advantage.

There is not a lot bad to say about this story. For a sixties era story, the production values look sold with very few shoddy moments. There are a few bits, especially with the underground workers, that seem a little off but that is to be expected with a story that takes a couple left turns through it's six episodes. When viewed as a whole, there are likely enough places that things could have been cut to make a five-part story, but I don't recall feeling any significant bloat with this story. I still might not recommend sitting down and watching all six episodes in one go, but I wouldn't call it filled either.
The acting is also quite good with Patrick Troughton doing double duty. His accent as Salamander is a little off at points, but trying to evoke a Mexican accent without sounding like Speedy Gonzales was probably a tall order. He is supported by a reasonably strong cast that is clearly working to keep the tone of the story up. Even Victoria is given a few things to do and doesn't completely devolve into the whimpering uselessness that she does in other stories.

Definitely one to go back and watch again.

Overall personal score: 5 out of 5