History Recap / DoctorWhoS23E4TheUltimateFoe

The two episodes were written by four different people, though few really notice. The first episode was written by Robert Holmes and script editor Eric Saward together, with Holmes slowly dying from disease. He passed away without finishing the final episode, which was finished off by Eric Saward himself — and then withdrawn when Producer John Nathan-Turner disagreed with it. The final episode was then entrusted to Pip and Jane Baker ''(no relation to Colin '''or''' Tom Baker, who themselves are also unrelated)'', who had written [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E3TheMarkOfTheRani previously]] for [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E3TerrorOfTheVervoids the series]]. In fact, Pip and Jane weren't even allowed to ''see'' the original script, not to mention they had no clue how the story was supposed to end.

Either way, the Valeyard flees into the Matrix ''([[TheMatrix no, not that one!]] We've been over this!)'' and the Doctor and Glitz pursue. Inside the Matrix, the Doctor and Glitz are tormented by the Valeyard repeatedly until finally winding up in what can only be described as a world that was co-designed by MC Escher and Charles Dickens on PCP and acid. The Valeyard continues to gloat in his own way, while Mel and the entire judge and jury stare at the viewscreen like it's the Monday Night Football game.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Poor Robert Holmes, may he rest in peace.

* {{Bizarrchitecture}} with a SteamPunk flavour.

* DefectorFromDecadence

* EnemyWithout: The Valeyard is a time-travelling one.
* EvilMeScaresMe
* ExecutiveMeddling: Oh, god, this one had it in spades. First, this was to be a four-part story written together by Robert Holmes and script editor Eric Saward. Then it was turned into a two-part story when Pip and Jane wrote [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E3TerrorOfTheVervoids a pretty sweet story]]. Then, after Holmes passed away, Eric turned in a final script that kept the original plot; in this ending, the Doctor and Valyard are left tumbling through the Matrix, fighting to the death. [[note]](You know, similar to the ending of [[Recap/StarTrekS1E27TheAlternativeFactor that one episode of the Original Star Trek where that guy fought himself between universes for all eternity]]. Something like that.)[[/note]] Producer John Nathan-Turner rightly felt this could give the BBC the excuse they needed to axe the program... so Saward resigned and refused permission for his script to be used. As such, the televised version of the final episode was written by Pip and Jane Baker in ''a matter of days'', without being allowed to know anything about the originally intended version. People, it's nothing less than a miracle that this serial was even finished.
** The first edit of the final episode ran to some 38 minutes; Nathan-Turner managed to get permission to extend the running time by five minutes, but still had to make it up by cutting out large amounts of material featuring the Master and Glitz.

* HamToHamCombat: ColinBaker vs MichaelJayston! Talking all bets, taking all bets...!

* SpannerInTheWorks: TheMaster, of all people, derails the whole plot against the Doctor. Not out of any sense of altruism, naturally, but for both the chance to [[PlayingBothSides pit two aspects of the Doctor against himself]] and topple the High Council of Time Lords.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: The idea that a "megabyte modem" is impressive.

* XanatosSpeedChess

* ExecutiveMeddling: Oh, god, this one had it in spades. First, this was to be a four-part story written together by Robert Holmes and script editor Eric Saward. Then it was turned into a two-part story when Pip and Jane wrote [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E3TerrorOfTheVervoids a pretty sweet story]]. Then, after Holmes passed away, Eric turned in a final script that kept the original plot; in this ending, the Doctor and Valyard are left tumbling through the Matrix, fighting to the death. [[hottip:*:(You know, similar to the ending of [[Recap/StarTrekS1E27TheAlternativeFactor that one episode of the Original Star Trek where that guy fought himself between universes for all eternity]]. Something like that.)]] Producer John Nathan-Turner rightly felt this could give the BBC the excuse they needed to axe the program... so Saward resigned and refused permission for his script to be used. As such, the televised version of the final episode was written by Pip and Jane Baker in ''a matter of days'', without being allowed to know anything about the originally intended version. People, it's nothing less than a miracle that this serial was even finished.

Not much later, things go back to the courtroom, where the Doctor is convicted of his so-called crimes and will be executed. Only it's all an illusion, and the Doctor [[XanatosGambit knows it's an illusion]], but Mel [[GambitPileup doesn't know that he knows]], so she runs into the Matrix to try and stop it all. The Valeyard gets all pissy about this, deciding to vanish for the time being. Meanwhile, Glitz and the Master decide to steal the records of the Matrix to make some cash in a story that, sadly, goes nowhere.

* SpannerInTheWorks: TheMaster, of all people, derails the whole plot against the Doctor. Not out of any sense of altruism, naturally, but for both the chance to [[XanatosGambit pit two aspects of the Doctor against himself]] and [[ForTheEvulz topple the High Council of Time Lords]].

Finally, the Doctor and Mel find themselves face-to-face with the Valeyard, and his plans to destroy the current government of the Time Lords. Through a brief struggle, the Valeyard spits out technobabble about things not going his way and is finally defeated (OR IS HE...?!). The Time Lords saved, the random Time Lady presiding over the trial tells the Doctor that Peri survived and is living with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E2Mindwarp King Yrcanos]] after his rambling that she would be his queen... for [[BuxomBabe some reason]]. Mel and the Doctor leave together, presumably for him to drop her off somewhere for his future self to pick up later (''Business Unusual''), and the Sixth Doctor [[TheNthDoctor goes on]] to many, many more [[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani adventures]], where th-

Finally, the Doctor and Mel find themselves face-to-face with the Valeyard, and his plans to destroy the current government of the Time Lords. Through a brief struggle, the Valeyard spits out technobabble about things not going his way and is finally defeated (OR IS HE...?!). The Time Lords saved, the random Time Lady presiding over the trial tells the Doctor that Peri survived and is living with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E2Mindwarp King Yrcarnos]] for some reason. Mel and the Doctor leave together, presumably for him to drop her off somewhere for his future self to pick up later, and the Sixth Doctor [[TheNthDoctor goes on]] to many, many more [[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani adventures]], where th-

* OrIsIt: After the Doctor and Mel depart, the Inquisitor starts organizing the surviving Time Lords with the intent of restoring order to Gallifrey. [[spoiler:She gives an order to the Keeper of the Matrix, who then turns to the screen to reveal the Valeyard himself.]] Cue end credits.

* {{Bizarrchitecture}}

* ExecutiveMeddling: Oh, god, this one had it in spades. First, this was to be a four-part story written together by Robert Holmes and script editor Eric Saward. Then it was turned into a two-part story when Pip and Jane wrote [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E3TerrorOfTheVervoids a pretty sweet story]]. Then, after Holmes passed away, Eric turned in a final script that kept the original plot; in this ending, the Doctor and Valyard are left tumbling through the Matrix, fighting to the death. [[hottip:*:(You know, similar to the ending of [[Recap/StarTrekS1E27TheAlternativeFactor that one episode of the Original Star Trek where that guy fought himself between universes for all eternity]]. Something like that.)]] Producer John Nathan-Turner rightly felt this could give the BBC the excuse they needed to axe the program...so Saward was essentially forced to resign, as this was the straw that broke the camel's back. As such, the televised version of the final episode was written by Pip and Jane Baker in ''a matter of days.'' People, it's nothing less than a miracle that this serial was even finished.
** Oh, '''and''' a subplot featuring Glitz and the Master? Yeah, that was sliced completely out of the story for no damned reason. Their respective actors were ''pissed''.

Putting aside our sarcasm and disappointment at Colin Baker's hasty departure from the series [[hottip:*:(MichaelGrade, you bastard!)]], this is an extremely good two-part story. So good, in fact, that almost nobody can notice that the two episodes were written by four different people. The first episode was written by Robert Holmes and script editor Eric Saward together, with Holmes slowly dying from disease. He passed away without finishing the final episode, which was finished off by Eric Saward himself — and then withdrawn when Producer John Nathan-Turner disagreed with it. The final episode was then entrusted to Pip and Jane Baker ''(no relation to Colin '''or''' Tom Baker, who themselves are also unrelated)'', who had written [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E3TheMarkOfTheRani previously]] for [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E3TerrorOfTheVervoids the series]]. In fact, Pip and Jane weren't even allowed to ''see'' the original script, not to mention they had no clue how the story was supposed to end, so that they could come up with such a great ending is nothing less of a miracle.

Despite the fact that the ''Trial of a Time Lord'' season tended to lag a little at times, most fans tend to agree that this was just pretty awesome, if a little vague at points that it shouldn't have been.

* HarsherInHindsight: The Doctor's speech quoted above becomes absolutly chilling after [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]], nearly a quarter of a century later.

->'''The Doctor:''' ''"In all my travels through time and space I have battled against evil. Against power-mad conspirators. I should have stayed here! The oldest civilization: decadent, degenerate and rotten to the core! Power mad conspirators? Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen-- they're still in the nursery compared to us! Ten million years of absolute power. That's what it takes to be ''really'' corrupt."''
--> The Doctor, finally fed up with the kangaroo court he's been thrown into - ripping into his own people's despicable acts with a lovely monologue.

->'''The Doctor:''' ''"Carrot juice, carrot juice, carrot juice..."''
--> The final line of the adventure, sadly, Colin Baker's final lines as the Doctor.

Finally, the Doctor and Mel find themselves face-to-face with the Valeyard, and his plans to destroy the current government of the Time Lords. Through a brief struggle, the Valeyard spits out technobabble about things not going his way and is finally defeated (OR IS HE...?!). The Time Lords saved, the random Time Lady presiding over the trial tells the Doctor that Peri survived and is living with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E2Mindwarp King Yrcarnos]] for some reason. Mel and the Doctor leave together, presumably for the Doctor to drop Mel off somewhere for his future self to pick up later, and the 6th Doctor [[TheNthDoctor goes on]] to many, many more [[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani adventures with Mel]], where th-

Putting aside our sarcasm and disappointment at Colin Baker's hasty departure from the series[[hottip:*:MichaelGrade, you bastard!]], this is an extremely good two-part story. It's so good, in fact, that almost no one can notice that the two episodes were written by four different people. The first episode was written by Robert Holmes and script editor Eric Saward together, with Holmes slowly dying from disease. He passed away without finishing the final episode, which was finished off by Eric Saward himself - and then withdrawn when Producer John Nathan-Turner disagreed with it. The final episode was then entrusted to Pip and Jane Baker ''(no relation to Colin '''or''' Tom Baker, who themselves are also unrelated)'', who had written [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E3TheMarkOfTheRani previously]] for [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E3TerrorOfTheVervoids the series]]. In fact, Pip and Jane weren't even allowed to ''see'' the original script, not to mention they had no clue how the story was supposed to end, so that they could come up with such a great ending is nothing less of a miracle.

!Tropes
* Main/AuthorExistenceFailure: Poor Robert Holmes, may he rest in peace.
* Main/{{Bizarrchitecture}}
* DefectorFromDecadence
* EnemyWithout: the Valeyard is a time-travelling one.
* EvilMeScaresMe
* ExecutiveMeddling: Oh, god, this one had it in spades. First, this was to be a four part story, written together by Robert Holmes and script editor Eric Saward. Then it was turned into a two-part story when Pip and Jane wrote [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E3TerrorOfTheVervoids a pretty sweet story]]. Then, after Holmes passed away, Eric turned in a final script that kept the original plot. In this ending, the Doctor and Valyard are left tumbling through the Matrix, fighting to the death.[[hottip:*:You know, similar to the ending of [[Recap/StarTrekS1E27TheAlternativeFactor that one episode of the Original Star Trek where that guy fought himself between universes for all eternity]]. Something like that.]] Producer John Nathan-Turner, though, felt this could give the BBC the excuse they needed to axe the program. So Saward was essentially forced to resign, as this was the straw that broke the camel's back. As such, the televised version of the final episode was written by Pip and Jane Baker in ''a matter of days.'' People, it's nothing less than a miracle that this serial was even finished.
** Oh, '''and''' a subplot featuring Glitz and the Master? Yeah, that was sliced completely out of the story for no damned reason. Their respective actors were ''pissed.''
* HamToHamCombat: ColinBaker vs MichaelJayston! Talking all bets, taking all bets...!
* HarsherInHindsight: The Doctor's speech quoted above becomes absolutly chilling after [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]], nearly a quarter of a century later.
* SpannerInTheWorks: TheMaster, of all people, derails the whole plot against the Doctor. Not out of any sense of altruism, naturally, but for both the chance to [[XanatosGambit pit two aspects of the Doctor against himself]] and [[ForTheEvulz topple the High Council of Time Lords]].
* TechnologyMarchesOn: the idea that a "megabyte modem" is impressive.
* XanatosSpeedChess

Not much later, things go back to the courtroom, where the Doctor is convicted of his so-called crimes and will be executed. Only it's all an illusion, and the Doctor [[XanatosGambit knows it's an illusion]], but Mel [[ThirtyGambitPileup doesn't know that he knows]], so she runs into the Matrix to try and stop it all. The Valeyard gets all pissy about this, deciding to vanish for the time being. Meanwhile, Glitz and the Master decide to steal the records of the Matrix to make some cash in a story that, sadly, goes nowhere.

Not much later, things go back to the courtroom, where the Doctor is convicted of his so-called crimes and will be executed. Only it's all an illusion, and the Doctor [[XanatosGambit knows it's an illusion]], but Mel [[ThirtyXanatosPileup doesn't know that he knows]], so she runs into the Matrix to try and stop it all. The Valeyard gets all pissy about this, deciding to vanish for the time being. Meanwhile, Glitz and the Master decide to steal the records of the Matrix to make some cash in a story that, sadly, goes nowhere.

--> The final line of the adventure [[spoiler:and, sadly, Colin Baker's final lines as the Doctor]].

Picking right up where the previous story left off, ''The Ultimate Foe'' opens up with the Doctor being accused of genocide. The Doctor objects, and both he and the [[strike:Railyard]] Valeyard get into a well-written argument that suddenly ends when [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E1TheMysteriousPlanet Sabalom Glitz]] and future companion Melanie show up almost literally out of nowhere. When the Doctor asks how they got there, the Master shows up to torment the Doctor and everyone else - revealing major plot points like how Ravalox (from the first part) was really the Earth. Furthering his gloating, the Master reveals that the Valeyard is really the Doctor.

* FutureMeScaresMe

* HarsherInHindsight: The Doctor's speech quoted above becomes absolutly chilling after [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]], nearly a quarter of a decade later.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dark_colin_3851.jpg

Finally, the Doctor and Mel find themselves face-to-face with the Valeyard, and his plans to destroy the current government of the Time Lords. Through a brief struggle, the Valeyard spits out technobabble about things not going his way and is finally defeated (OR IS HE...?!). The Time Lords saved, the random Time Lady presiding over the trial tells the Doctor that [[AssPull Peri survived]] and is living with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E2Mindwarp King Yrcarnos]] for some reason. Mel and the Doctor leave together, presumably for the Doctor to drop Mel off somewhere for his future self to pick up later, and the 6th Doctor [[TheNthDoctor goes on]] to many, many more [[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani adventures with Mel]], where th-

* Main/AssPull: Peri's random save against existence failure. Actress Nicola Bryant didn't even ''know'' about this until years later, to boot!
** And when she found out, she got ''pissed''.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: The Sixth Doctor's era on television is [[YourMileageMayVary widely debated to say the least]], but almost everyone agrees that the point where he finally chews out the Time Lords is made of awesome.
* Main/DefectorFromDecadence
* Main/ExecutiveMeddling: Oh, god, this one had it in spades. First, this was to be a four part story, written together by Robert Holmes and script editor Eric Saward. Then it was turned into a two-part story when Pip and Jane wrote [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E3TerrorOfTheVervoids a pretty sweet story]]. Then, after Holmes passed away, Eric turned in a final script that kept the original plot. In this ending, the Doctor and Valyard are left tumbling through the Matrix, fighting to the death.[[hottip:*:You know, similar to the ending of [[Recap/StarTrekS1E27TheAlternativeFactor that one episode of the Original Star Trek where that guy fought himself between universes for all eternity]]. Something like that.]] Producer John Nathan-Turner, though, felt this could give the BBC the excuse they needed to axe the program. So Saward was essentially forced to resign, as this was the straw that broke the camel's back. As such, the televised version of the final episode was written by Pip and Jane Baker in ''a matter of days.'' People, it's nothing less than a miracle that this serial was even finished.

* Main/FutureMeScaresMe
* Main/HamToHamCombat: ColinBaker vs MichaelJayston! Talking all bets, taking all bets...!
* Main/HarsherInHindsight: The Doctors speech quoted above becomes absolutly chilling after [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]]
* Main/ScienceMarchesOn / Main/FridgeBrilliance ([[Main/HilariousInHindsight In Hindsight]]): So the Time Lords moved and hid the Earth, and the Doctor and Peri found it three billion years from now. That's just about when the Milky Way galaxy is due to collide with the Andromeda galaxy, which will either fling our non-Ravalox'd planet into the depths of space with no galaxy to call home...or make us the meat in a supermassive black hole sandwich. [[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS1E2TheEndOfTheWorld Rose Tyler's first trip in the TARDIS]] was to see Earth's destruction ''five'' billion years in our future. Without the Time Lords' selfish intervention, this would have been impossible. Umm...[[Main/NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Fixing It, Villains]]?
* Main/XanatosSpeedChess

<<|Recap/DoctorWho|>>

* Main/HarsherInHindsight: The Doctors speech quoted above becomes absolutly chilling after [[DoctorWhoNSS4E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]]

Finally, the Doctor and Mel find themselves face-to-face with the Valeyard, and his plans to destroy the current government of the Time Lords. Through a brief struggle, the Valeyard spits out technobabble about things not going his way and is finally defeated (OR IS HE...?!). The Time Lords saved, the random Time Lady presiding over the trial tells the Doctor that [[AssPull Peri survived]] and is living with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E2Mindwarp King Yrcarnos]] for some reason. Mel and the Doctor leave together, despite never having actually met before this adventure itself, and the 6th Doctor [[TheNthDoctor goes on]] to many, many more [[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani adventures with Mel]], where th-