The Silent Paradox

Number 6. No Colin Baker
 not Patrick McGoohan

Previous Episode: Ascent of the Governess

Next Episode: Time Attack: The Silent

Gamer version played: 2.5

Another paradox adventure. Does the mean we get another Doctor? Yes. There's no mistaking that mop of curly yellow hair. It's the 6th Doctor. Okay...number 6. What to say, what to say...Well there's a lot than can and has been said, much of it unfair and unkind.

I've never come across anyone who names the 6th Doctor as their favourite, and I admit that he's a fair way down my list. He was an unlikeable character who barely qualified as hero in some adventures, battling to save his neck or prove his superiority rather than for the good of others. He did warm as the show went on, but much of the time I wished that someone would slap the superior look off his face.

He was the Doctor though, be in no doubt. His arrogance, prickliness and contemptuousness have surfaced in almost every incarnation. It's easy to see particular similarities with the 1st, 9th and the current 12th Doctor. The trouble was in this persona it wasn't tempered by enough humour, bravery, nobility or even obvious affection for his companions. He joked about people falling into an acid bath, used a gun and even killed in hand to hand combat. He wasn't very nice.

However I do think that he is one of the most interesting Doctors, and perhaps the bravest attempt to push the boundaries of the character. I also think he looked a treat. That hideous outfit was something else and Colin Baker was probably the best looking man to play the part. David Tennant later had sex appeal and Matt Smith had a gawky charm, but C.Baker was a handsome chap.

The other thing counting against number 6 was the state of the show at that time. Poor old John Nathan-Turner had tried to pass on the baton of producer several times, but the BBC kept him in place. He had done good stuff for Doctor Who but it was past time for a change behind the scenes. Budgets were cut, the show was suspended for 18 months, and it was moved from Saturday tea time to go against Coronation Street. It was if someone was deliberately trying to kill the show. Conspiracy theories abound.

Some of the 6th Doctor stories are terrible. Particular scenes, such as the 'tree' throwing its branch around Peri to save her in The Mark of the Rani, drove me behind the sofa in embarrassment. Some of the acting, not Colin Baker's I hasten to say, barely warranted the description.

Colin Baker was also famously sacked by the BBC. That was unjust as the problems were elsewhere, and it ended the character's journey prematurely. If he'd had more seasons I think he'd have won people over.

I don't indulge in the vast number of audio Doctor Who adventures. If I bought one I'd be hooked, and I can't afford (both time and money-wise) another obsession. However it's worth noting that Colin Baker has been voted the greatest of all the Doctors in this medium.

A small icon for a big personality

Usually I name a favourite adventure for each Doctor, but for the 6th I'd chose the court scenes throughout The Trial of a Time Lord. His tirades from the dock against the callous, arrogant, self-righteous Time Lords illustrate best of all why the Doctor turned renegade, stole a TARDIS and left Gallifrey with his granddaughter.

With that off my chest it's time to play the game. My team was the 11th Doctor at Rank 2, with Porridge, Vastra, Jenny Flint and Rory all at Lv.7, still my only companions. Yellow and Blue fragments are likely to drop.

We have a new background this time, all dark and creepy. We're in Florida on 8th April 1969 so we must be beneath the warehouse in The Impossible Astronaut. The 11th Doctor is worried, warning us that this paradox is guarded by The Silence. He points out that they should be further in his past, probably due to the Sontarans messing up the timeline. I assume he's referring to the fact that these events happened in Season 6, not 7.

Two Yellow Silence drop in preparation for wave 1, but before it kicks off proper we get a bit of in-game advice We're told that if we find a level too difficult we can replay earlier adventures to boost the team's strength. If that isn't a warning that the game is about to get more difficult then I don't know what is.

We also receive a tip about playing with different allies. Well it would be nice to have the choice wouldn't it?

The first wave finally starts. With the signpost to stiffer opposition still preying on my mind I killed them quickly and avoided any damage. Wave 2 was hot on their heels, made of three Yellow Silence. The one in the middle was sparking up, ready to attack in just one round rather than two. Perhaps I should have targeted him but I didn't, killing the one on the left instead. Sparky hit me for 30 points then fell in the next round. However his mate hit me for 60 before I managed to finish him off and clear the wave.

90 points of damage I took in that round, a record so far. I still had 707 HP left so I wasn't in any trouble, but the opposition is definitely growing teeth.

Wave 3 is a Blue Reaper. We've faced these critters before in Dalek Paradox. I inflicted about 20% damage in our first exchange and Jenny Flint was then ready to use her Smoulder power. Red is weak against Blue so I held back. I then got the Reaper down to about 15% HP, but took a chunky 150 points of damage in reply. I'd healed my previous damage using Pinks but this knocked me back to 647 out of 797 HP. You don't want to take too many of those.

The 11th Doctor's Cunning ability was now ready but as the Reaper was on his last legs I again restrained myself. It was the right decision as I killed him next turn.

My 10th achievement

The final wave is a Blue Paradox. Vastra was now ready to Riposte so my team's timing was spot on. I checked to see how far the Doctor was from his 500 point Cunning ability, but he was still 16 combos away. How did I know that? Well if you click and hold down the portrait of character in your team then it shows you how far they are from their special ability. Cool eh? I didn't know about that for a long time.

I used Vastra's 150 point Riposte which barely scratched the Paradox, then followed up with a traditional attack that got it down to 80%. The Paradox must have got ideas from Jenny Flint, as it converted all my Pink Gems to Red. A cunning move to deprive me of healing, but Rory came to the rescue with Stand Firm and healed 100 HP. Ha!

Now even Porridge was flashing. I actually get to plant a bomb at long last, hurrah! The bomb was set, ready to go off in 5 rounds.

Another attack got the Paradox to 70% just as it warped more Pinks to Red. I then hit one of those really nice series of combos that racks up the damage. The Paradox was down to 15% and victory was nearly mine.

My opponent was down to 5% when it lashed out again taking me to 597 out of 797 HP. The Doctor was still a few combos from his full power attack and the bomb was still ticking down, but I decided enough was enough. His 150 point Cunning was enough to finish the Paradox off. Got 'im.

A grey portrait fell and the 6th Doctor entered my TARDIS. I also won the Exterminate II achievement for using ally attributes 20 times. Jenny and Porridge were promoted to LV.8, with points added to ATK and HP respectively.

Nice. Very nice. The difficulty level just moved up an enjoyable notch.