Once flew over the cuckoos' nest!
Season 21 concludes slightly out of tradition, with a full story introducing the new Doctor instead of ending on a regeneration as has been done for the past 3 Doctors. So with Peter Davison bowing out last story, Colin Baker explodes on the scene making his debut at the 6th Doctor. And from the get-go, the 6th Doctor is the absolute antithesis of the 5th Doctor. Crazy, cranky, manic, depressive, homicidal, over the top, brash, obnoxious, and the list goes on. While the 5th Doctor was quiet and unassuming, the 6th Doctor is very LOUD and stands out in every crowd.
So let's talk about the costume. It's the United Colors of Benneton tossed in the blended. Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. As the story goes, John Nathan-Turner wanted the 6th Doctor in an outfit that was totally tasteless, and that's what we got. While his costume reflected his mental state, it would have been interesting if the Doctor's costume had evolved over his tenure to become more solid and coherent as his psyche also became more coherent and settled. Colin's been quoted as saying he wished his costume was all black, like the Masters. He's also been seen in an all blue version which actually looks quite lovely.
As for the Doctor's poor companion, Peri becomes a victim of circumstances. After a few lovely stories with the 5th Doctor where she seems fine, she causes the Doctor to die and witnesses his regeneration. So as the 6th Doctor is a manic nutcase, Peri is bouncing around trying to catch up, stay up and not get killed by the Doctor. Granted, this probably was the most unstable regeneration to date and a lesser companion would probably have bailed on the Doctor quite quickly. But Peri stuck in there and for the next season and a half, her relationship with her Doctor becomes the stuff of legends,or infamous.
The story and season ends with the Doctor reaffirming that he is the Doctor whether we like it or not with a cat-like grin. And with that, I fell in love with the 6th Doctor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twin_Dilemma
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