Terror of the Zygons is a strange mix of good Doctor Who and corny nonsense. The Scottish stereotyping being really bad, but then given the Dr Who's record with stories like The Green Death, national stereotypes are to be expected. It doesn't however, get boring and part one is really very good. It all goes a bit silly in the middle with a lot of "missing each other" plotting and running around with Zygon doppelgangers. The Zygons themselves are impressive. Their ship is convincingly alien and one of the (if not The) first to feature organic technology. The effect of the Zygons transforming is a very clever morphing technique for the time as well. The Zygon ship in flight is also impressive. The Skarasen however ... yes, well.
The acting is fine; Tom Baker puts on a really good performance, showing that he is getting to grips with the Doctor's role. The Duke of Forgil is somewhat lame though.
Overall I would have to say that this story is enjoyable, but not to be scrutinised too closely, and in the end, is one of the seasons lower parts.
Zeta Minor is the setting for one of Doctor Who's more believable planets, that being the Planet of Evil. The jungle is given a real atmosphere by the film work. It's a pity however that most of the other sets don't size up to it, most being bland or plain cheap looking. The two level Morestron bridge was a brave attempt though. It does manage to create a very bleak atmosphere in the story. The whole idea of the bridge to the antimatter universe, and Sorensens "Anti Man" thing is a little too far fetched but enjoyable none the less. The homage to Forbidden Planet in the form of the antimatter creature is nice. The story is very well acted. Sorensen is a believable scientist and the Morestron Captain is so on edge that you keep wondering when he's going to fall!
Overall, It is a story full of good ideas that are executed with varying competence. I really did like the use of the "Occuloid tracker". This was a nice sci-fi touch that has since been copied to death.
Right from scene one of Pyramid of Mars you have a perfect story. In fact the only things that could fault this story are the notorious "hand" and "Data retrieval" (completely sad digital display that means nothing). The cast is picked superbly and the story has an unparalleled atmosphere of approaching doom. The remorselessly violent deaths of all the supporting characters is more than enough to tell you Sutekh's final aims. You don't need battlefleets and great wars to signify a pure evil force. Gabriel Wolfe is exceptionally good as Sutekh the Destroyer and unlike most blustering baddies, you are left in no doubt that Sutekh not only has the power to destroy everything, but he will do it too. We are given proof of his complete power from the very beginning, a force manifesting itself within the impregnable walls of the TARDIS. Not even the Doctor remains safe. (Strange how Villains tend to tell the truth. Sutekh never lies, and I believe he would have given the Doctor an empire, at least for a short time). Brian Archer is wonderful as the possessed Marcus Scarman and it is also Michael Sheard's greatest Doctor Who performance, and you really do feel sorry for him when he dies at the hands of his late brother. The end is a little cheating but it makes use of the true fact on the transmission time from Mars to Earth. Overall, this has to be one of Doctor Who's greatest moments, and is the greatest proof, if any be needed, that this programme never has to rely on a big budget and flashy effects to come up with stories that knock other sci-fi's aside like skittles.
Oh yes well, for the next story lets wander around an empty village for a while then get chased by Michelin men. We've arrived at The Android invasion, a story that fails to really grab my attention. The Kraals are also a lame bunch. The doppelganger plot is reused again, and as usual, burns out to become silly. Are we really to believe that Crayford never looked under his eye patch in so many years? Terry Nation, as usual is recycling old plots and throwing a couple of new twists in. The regulars are giving good performances however. The Organic technology of the Kraals gives a strange resemblance to the Zygon technology (repainted of course). I wonder why?
Overall, nothing to write home about in this run around; break your ankle tied to a pole waiting for a bomb to go off affair. The plot is thin on the ground. Why doesn't stygron just use the virus? He doesn't need Androids!
Apart from the cheap sets and dry ice covered studio floors, Brain of Morbius is another incredible story. Morbius, who turns out to be quite sane in a mad kind of way, is a fitting climax to the story's stylish build up. Philip Madoc's Mahendry Solon is a wonderful character who you are never quite sure of. Whose side will he finally support? The low points are the dodgy CSO of Morbius' death and the stupid music playing over Condo's panto death.
Overall this is a nice twist on the Frankenstein's monster story. It gives us a valuable insight on the relationship of the Timelords with other races and presents us with many questions that are not really answered, such as, who are the Sisterhood and where did they come from? I would like to have known more about the universal cult of Morbius. Was this a President of the Timelords who made Gallifrey a place to be recognised (more likely feared) amongst the lower races? There is also the controversy of the "images" of past lives. Who's exactly we may never know. Were they just false projections by the Doctor?
Seeds of Doom was a case of Doctor Who meets The Avengers. The Doctor transforms into a gun totting (briefly) all action hero who leaps through windows and saves the day. This is not a bad point either. The story is witty, cleverly plotted, fast paced for a six parter and very well casted. The Krynoids final appearance as a house-sized shrub is a bit sad but we get a bang out of it. The whole 'plants becoming evil' comes straight out of an Avengers episode as it is.
Overall, this is a stand alone type of Doctor Who story which is very well directed and apart from the odd Krynoid shot, remains convincing. Chase is a great character and his eccentric activities are again, very reminiscent of The Avengers / James Bond villain. One of those style over substance stories, but oh, what style!
