Day 204 — July 23rd 2021
Terror of the Zygons Parts One and Two
Terror of the Zygons — Part One
There’s a lot of debate about what the Blu-rays are going to do when it comes to Seasons Four and Twenty-One, because both of them feature a regeneration somewhere in the middle of the run, meaning that they’re split between two different incarnations of Doctor Who. For the UK release — where they’re simply ‘The Complete Season [X]’ — I don’t suppose it’ll be much of an issue. It’s the overseas releases that’ll get complicated, as they’re released based on each Doctor Who’s season; ‘Tom Baker — Season One’ and so on.
For me the answer seems pretty simple; just shift the stories around a bit. So the UK release of Season Twenty-One might be a disc longer than the US version, but they’ll get that disc included with the stories from Season Twenty-Two instead. I don’t see any issue with that. But suggest it in some quarters and it’s like kicking a puppy! People are oddly set on where stories have to be placed, but I can’t say it troubles me.
Were I put in charge of the 1960s releases, for example, I’d do them in volumes rather than seasons. There’s twice as many episodes a year for those black and white seasons anyway, so you’d be getting volumes at a closer size to the later ones under my system. It would allow you to group stories together better, too, I think. Planet of Giants and The Dalek Invasion of Earth are, officially, part of Season Two. But they were made as the final two stories in the first production run, and I think they round out a first season of adventures really well, culminating in the departure of Susan.
Similarly, I wouldn’t have any issue in shunting The Evil of the Daleks and The Wheel in Space back a season, making each run a start-to-finish for a female companion in each instance. And don’t even get me started on Season Fourteen, which I’ll forever argue is actually two separate seasons which have been retroactively lumped together. But I’m sure we’ll discuss that when I get to The Hand of Fear in a few weeks’ time.
Anyway, the point I’m getting to is that I was planning to say the same about Terror of the Zygons. It was produced and intended as the final story of Season Twelve, rounding out Tom Baker’s first year as Doctor Who, and seeing the departure of Harry after a string of connected adventures. In the end the series proved so popular that the BBC brought the broadcast of Season Thirteen forward, so this one was held over to start the new run. I was planning to say that I’d have shifted it into Season Twelve where it belongs and that I’d fight anyone who argues… but I’ve changed my mind.
If I didn’t know this had been held back, I’d swear we were right at the start of a new series in terms of production. There’s a handful of obvious debuts here — like the first appearance of Doctor Who’s waistcoat, which confines his cardigan to just that opening season — but there’s also something about the feel of the story so far which just seems out of step with what we’ve had before. Maybe it’s because the last few stories have all been so wedded to the ‘Nerva Arc’, or because I’ve been used to being away from contemporary Earth for so long?
Whatever it is, I’m not complaining because this is brilliant stuff. We gets lots of film material, which is always a plus in my book, and I love that our regulars have settled into such a great relationship. I was planning to watch the extended version of this episode, with a restored TARDIS arrival, but the player seems to have packed up overnight — I think it gave up on Revenge of the Cybermen, too. As it is I think the episode works perfectly well without the addition — our first sight of Doctor Who, Sarah and Harry is them traipsing through the highlands, and they’re all sporting parts of the iconic costume. I’d totally forgotten about Sarah in Doctor Who’s hat and Harry draped in the scarf, but isn’t it just the perfect image? They really are one of the best TARDIS teams, and little moments like this properly warm my heart.
It’s also a rare moment of levity and fun in the episode, which very quickly becomes part thriller, part horror. The opening scene, in which an oil rig is attacked by some unseen beast and brought crashing down, sets the tone well, but I think my favourite part of the episode has the be the shots of a survivor being washed up on the shore and in a desperate fight for his life. It feels so unlike anything we’ve seen in the show before, and the locations on display make all the difference.
Off the top of my head I can’t remember where this one was shot, but I know it wasn’t Scotland. I think they get away with it well, though, and whereever it is I’d love to visit. I’ve enjoyed the series getting back out among the stars and leaving 20th century Earth behind for a bit, but it is nice to be back here where things feel so much more solid and real. We’re not going to be checking in with UNIT very much after this (indeed, we won’t be seeing the Brigadier again for some time) and I think that’s a shame when this shows just how much milage there still is in the idea.
I’m kicking this one off with an 8/10.
Terror of the Zygons — Part Two
I had it in my head for some reason that Douglas Camfield wouldn’t be returning to the programme until the end of this season for The Seeds of Doom, but watching this episode I very quickly realised my error. We’ve had some great directors for the programme over the years but I honestly don’t think that anyone shoots Doctor Who like Camfield does — he’s absolutely the best.
Every shot of this episode is perfectly crafted, and it helps to lift an already brilliant episode even higher. The direction in Part One was fab, but it feels like it’s stepped up a gear here, and he’s really enjoying having the ygons to work with. We get some brilliant close ups of their faces which help to showcase just how incredible the design and masks are. This feels a world away from the rubbish Vogans we had yesterday, and it goes to show just what the show can do on its budget when it’s really trying.
When the Zygons came back in the New Testament I recall there being a bit of grumbling about the design and look of them. At the time I’l admit that I didn’t see the issue — I quite like the look of the new ones. Watching this here, though, and comparing to photographs of the modern costumes I finally realise what all the fuss is about. There’s something about these originals which really stands out as looking organic and real. Their faces aren’t just well done, they’re properly interesting, and each of them feels completely unique. The new Zygons also look distinct from each other, but the whole design has been smoothed out a little which makes them look far more like a rubber monster than these ones do here.
It’s in the material with the Zygons that I think Camfield’s doing his best work. I particularly love Harry’s capture, in which a number of the creatures speak to him, but Camfield doesn’t choose to foreground them all. There’s a brilliant moment where one of them picks up the conversation, and while we can see it speaking out of focus in the back of the shot, we’re focussing entirely on Harry’s reaction to his situation. It stands out precisely because it’s so unusual, and I think it’s an indication of just how much work has gone into every moment of this episode.
While I’m briefly on the subject of Harry, this one is a real showcase for Ian Marter as an actor, isn’t it? I’ve praised him plenty over the last fortnight and he’s very quickly become one of my favourite companions, but this feels like the first time he’s really been given some great material to work with. When Harry returns to the pub in the form of his Zygon duplicate it’s a completely different performance to usual — and it’s genuinely scary. I think this is probably the scariest the programme has dared to be in… well, possibly ever.
Having been caught out and gotten hold of the device he was sent to retrieve, the Zygon Harry makes a run for it and ends up hiding in an old barn. On being discovered there by Sarah Jane, he attacks her with a pitchfork and eventually falls to his death at which point he transforms back into his original form, leaving a Zygon motionless on the floor. It’s proper striking stuff, and while I’ve absolutely loved it, it’s the kind of moment where I’ll concede that Mary Whitehouse may have had a point at times — this really isn’t material designed for the same audience as something like Death to the Daleks. Still I’m not complaining because it’s made for proper captivating viewing today!
I think the sequence is so effective because of Camfield’s direction (yes, I know, I’m going to keep coming back to it over and over) and the choice to use so many close ups of the actors throughout. Harry’s menacing smile, Sarah’s terrified reaction… you really feel right in there with them, and it has an immediacy I’m not used to from the programme.
Close ups form a massive part of this one, and are used further in the sequence where Doctor Who has to put Sarah into a catatonic state, and throughout the episode when we cut back to the Zygon ship — clearly it’s been decided that they’re the ‘in’ thing this week. They feel so out of place and unusual though that the technique never gets old. They make everything that bit scarier, and that includes the moment Doctor Who stares directly down the camera at us. You can imagine him as your best friend, yes, but he’s also terrifying in his own right.
I could go on and on today, but suffice to say I’d basically praise every single moment of this one. Let’s leave it with a 10/10 and let that score do all the talking for me. Frankly, I think this might be the best episode we’ve had in ages.
Having enjoyed Part Two so much, I decided that I really did want to see the missing TARDIS scene from Part One, so I dug out the wife’s laptop to have a watch. Oh, it’s brilliant. Another gorgeous location in the woodland, and when the TARDIS does appear it’s shot beautifully. The real highlight, though, is the chance to watch Lis Sladen and Ian Marter alone together, lacing things with menace;
Harry: ‘You know, Sarah, I’ve got a nasty feeling that there’s a herd of jabberwocks or slimy toads just waiting to leap out at us…’
Sarah: ‘Do you know we could be almost anywhere? Eastern Europe, Western Europe. Scandinavia…’
Harry: ‘Even good old Britain.’
Sarah: ‘Hah. Perhaps.’
It’s a beautiful little scene, and I think it’s a shame that it had to be cut from the broadcast version. Certainly when I next watch the story I’ll be making sure to do the Directors’ Cut to include it.
