The Doctor won't let Zygons be Zygons
The opening story of the thirteenth season has the Doctor, Harry, and Sarah responding to the Brigadier's emergency call that he got at the end of the previous story. Three rigs by the North Sea have been destroyed in one month. First there's a radio blackout, then a weird sound that comes in, and then the rig is destroyed. UNIT is stationed in the nearby village of Tullock, Scotland to investigate.
Some curious markings from the wreckage of the Bonnie Prince Charlie, the rig destroyed at the beginning of the story leads the Doctor to do a study in orthodontology, with a cast of "a set of giant molars than can chew through solid steel as easily as paper." Could it be a manifestations of evil spirits that Angus McRanald, landlord of the inn UNIT is occupying, tells about to Sarah? "Bad luck comes to them who set foot on Tullock Moor" he tells her. But do evil spirits destroy oil rigs?
Another character is the Duke of Forgill, a cynical-looking man with a withering look who...
An excellent leading story for the 13th season
After a very subpar Cybermen story,the Doctor, Sarah and Harry come back to Earth to help UNIT investigate destroyed oil rigs. What they find are people who aren't what they appear to be, an alien threat and one version of the Loch Ness Monster. This story is full of nice touches, including the Doctor's indignation at being called back about "mineral slime" until the Brigadier reminds him of the loss of life, a look at the Brigadier's Scottish heritage and Harry not being an imbecile. The Zygons are well written with a fascinating technology and deserved to come back, which sadly never happened onscreen. However, their one appearance is well worth getting.
Good story, great DVD package
"Terror of the Zygons" isn't a deep, philosophical Doctor Who story - but it is an awesome one. The plot concerns a race of shape-shifting, octopus-like aliens who are manipulating the Loch Ness Monster into destroying oil rigs in the North Sea. The intrepid Doctor must team up with his military allies in U.N.I.T. to stop the aliens; but which of his friends have been replaced with sinister Zygon duplicates?
Long regarded as a classic Doctor Who serial, "Zygons" took forever to come out on DVD. Fortunately, it was worth the wait. The DVD features a good print (considering the age and origin of the source material), clear sound and a ton of special features, including:
- An excellent making-of special that covers the story's production history and major themes;
- Lively 2003 interviews with stars Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen;
- A 1970s interview with Tom, shot during the making of this story;
- A tribute to director Douglas Camfield, who shot many...
Click to Editorial Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment