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Terror of the Zygons Format Reviewed: VHS Review Terror of the Zygons kicks off the second series in the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who. After the triumphs of the previous series, the once again growing reputation of the show needed a good start to cement the new fans won through the introduction of Tom Baker in the lead role. The regular cast remains the same for the start of the series, with Elizabeth Sladen and Ian Marter retaining their roles as Sarah Jane and Harry respectively. Brigadeer Lethbridge Stewart uses the psionic beam left him by The Doctor to summon him back to Earth to help. Oil rigs in the North Sea are vanishing, and UNIT are investigating. Agreeing to help, the TARDIS crew set about their own investigation, and Harry is shot by Caber, servant of the Duke of Forgill, after he finds a man washed up on the shore still alive. UNIT have set themselves up at the local inn, and Harry is taken to the local sick bay where he is kidnapped by Zygon, who also attacks Sarah as she is phoning the Doctor. They realise that the enemy is using remote controls to activate a monster in the Loch Ness area, and to disrupt communications prior to attacking the rigs. The Zygon plan is later discovered to be one of conquest of the Earth, and The Doctor is captured by the Zygons after Harry is rescued. Zygons are imitating Humans, and they plan to use a facsimilie of the Duke to infiltrate an energy conference to kill the important people in the country. The monster is summoned from Scotland, but the Zygon ship is then destroyed by The Doctor, and the Zygon leader killed at the conference. The monster is then allowed to chew up the signalling device, meaning it can rest peacefully, and return to Loch Ness. Harry then decides to leave the TARDIS, preferring to remain on Earth. Returning once more to the tried and trusted Earth bound UNIT story is a peculiar choice at this stage of the series. With the triumphs of the previous series all but Robot straying from the UNIT formula, quite why the production team decided to return to it is curious. After stories such as Genesis of the Daleks, this type of story seems to be somewhat dated, and is not moving the show forward. Combine this with the poor effects, those with the monster emphasise both the era of the show, and the lack of money in particular. This is a shame though as tying in the Loch Ness monster into the Doctor Who mythology is a positive thing. This story probably emphasises that Doctor Who suits one companion. Having Sarah and Harry about complicates matters unnecessarily, although Ian Marter and Elisabeth Sladen give their best in their roles. Tom Bakeer again gives a masterclass in being The Doctor. Nicholas Courtney and John Levene give very typical performances as The Brigadeer and Benton respectively. The pick of the guest cast is John Woodnutt as the Duke of Forgill who is strong throughout. The rest of the guest cast isn't particularly noteworthy, but none are terrible either. This story comes accross as one where a number of ideas have come together, and not necessarily amalgamated successfully. The story seems to be rather a mish-mash of plot lines that never really seem to engage the viewer entirely. This is not to say it isn't a decent watch for a Doctor Who story, far from it. Whilst you're never totally engaged, you're never really bored either and this can be seen as the real benefit of the story. There is intreague and suspense, just not enough of it for my liking. Overall, Terror of the Zygons is a decent story that never really hits the heights you might want to kick off the series following the seminal introduction of Tom Baker as The Doctor. Returning to the UNIT forlmula was a curious choice, and maybe the successes of the previous series should have been built upon rather than returning to the bygone times of Pertwee. Rating:  |