Terror of the Zygons

The TARDIS finally brings the Doctor, Sarah and Harry back to Earth in time to help the Brigadier in his latest UNIT crisis: a rash of oil rig sinkings in the North Sea near Scotland. A survivor washes up on shore with a tale of something coming out of the water and attacking the rig, but as he manages to tell his story to Harry both are shot, one fatally. Sarah and the Doctor are attacked by a Zygon; a race of creatures who have come to Earth centuries ago in a damaged spaceship awaiting rescue, but now are planning to take the planet for themselves. The Zygons are few in number but they have two weapons: the ability to take on a human form - including Harry's - and a massive monster called the Skarasen, which is the Loch Ness Monster. After destroying the oil rigs, the next target is the city of London itself...

COOL. This episode bears special nostalgia for me as episode 3 was the very first Doctor Who I ever saw. As a child I was absolutely terrified of the Zygons for their totally organic look; they're bipeds but with no necks, scary whispery throaty voices and a lot of suckers. Their technology is more grown than it is built, making the inside of their spaceship look... well.. sticky. And they're mean. Really mean. Lock you in a cupboard, steal your body print and then chase your friends around with a pitchfork mean. Yes, I watched it, I was frightened, I was hooked.

It's nice to see the UNIT people again but the growing distance between the Brigadier and the Doctor is evident. Harry is returned to his military fold without much in the way of questions, and Mr Benton is there as always, although his role is somewhat diminished with so many "regulars" packed into the cast. But alas this is the second last story that will have a heavy UNIT presence as the Doctor is more of a wanderer this time, his Earthy roots totally yanked by his regeneration.

Style wise this episode has a couple problems, but hey there's not much one can do when it's 1976 and you need the Loch Ness Monster to surface in the Thames. Blue screen. Arrrgh, not pretty. Where's Jay when I need him? The Zygon to human metamorphasis effect could have used a little more work as well, but what can you do. The end result of Harry's transmutation is very good though; he / the Zygon goes after Sarah with a pitchfork in a barn. The sequence works really well, you can almost see that pitchfork going up her nose.

So Harry has had enough. End of story he's not going anywhere in that TARDIS again. He'll stick to the train. Sarah still has the drive to travel though, and off she goes, leaving Harry with the Brig. And it's the last time we'll see the Brig until 1983. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Sarah will be in London five minutes ago.

Yeah right.

NEXT EPISODE : PLANET OF EVIL