An Hour of Who a Day: 07/22/14

July 22: Terror of the Zygons Parts Three & Four

A reasonable cliffhanger resolution for once: the signalling device for the Loch Ness Monster is destroyed, and the Doctor was the last one holding it, ergo the Doctor has been destroyed too. Thus the Zygons can proceed with their plans without further interference, they believe. And seriously, the Zygons are still so creepy-looking.

One of the primary plot points for part three, however, involves the pub's landlord, Angus, being killed by the Zygon masquerading as Sister Lamont (and the transformation from Zygon to human and back is really well done -- that red-and-black effect does a good job of selling the change, rather than just, say, a simple dissolving mix), which leads to a cross-country chase for Warrant Officer Benton and his men -- and look, an alien that's not immune to bullets. Someone probably should have told that trooper about the shapeshifting, though. The big point gets the Duke of Forgill involved -- turns out he's a Zygon in disguise as well, and Sarah quickly (and serendipitously) learns that there's a tunnel leading right to the Zygon spaceship in Loch Ness. She's able to rescue Harry, too -- although the Doctor still ends up being captured by the Zygons and taken back to their spaceship. And when the Brigadier tries to get them to come out of the loch, they end up (in a really nice effect, both underwater and above it) simply flying away...

Part three does a good job of keeping the momentum going and setting up the big finale, and part four doesn't disappoint. There are some marvelous moments in front of the camera -- that forced perspective shot of the spaceship model in the quarry, with people apparently jumping out of it, is so good that it's actually all too easy to believe it's a real full-blown set built on location (and compare this to the tank scene in Robot) -- and the script has some witty moments too. "You can't rule a world in hiding," the Doctor tells Broton, the Zygon leader. "You've got to come out onto the balcony sometimes and wave a tentacle, if you'll pardon the expression." Robert Banks Stewart (a writer new to the show) also slyly pokes fun at its limitations: "When does this great operation begin, this conquest of the world? ... And what are you going to do with it when you've got it? Isn't it a bit large for just about six of you?" the Doctor wonders. There's also the forward-thinking moment where the Brigadier handles a phone call from the Prime Minister who is clearly female ("Oh, absolutely understood, madam. No public announcement"). But contrasting with this is the somewhat bloodthirsty moment where the Doctor traps the remaining Zygons inside the spaceship which he then sets to self-destruct -- as if the fact that these are would-be conquerors means that their lives somehow don't have value.

The resolution of everything is admittedly a bit daft (Broton's plan appears to be to hold the International Energy Conference to ransom with the Loch Ness Monster coming out of the Thames) -- although, again, the fact that Zygons can be killed by bullets is rather nice -- but there is a nice bit of symmetry. The story started with the Skarasen (the Zygons' name for Nessie) attacking oil rigs, and now it ends with the Skarasen terrorizing London. This is probably the worst the special effects get for the Skarasen, and it's not that bad at all (though it should be noted that the DVD has done a good job of stabilizing the most offending shot, which had wildly shaky film with rock-solid video superimposed on it, so that it only looks a bit bad, instead of really bad). But the Zygons have been defeated, and all that's left is for everyone to head back from London to Scotland to the TARDIS -- even though two of those people (Harry and the Brig) are going to go straight back to London again (and the Brigadier has changed back into that kilt again). Sarah prefers to head back to London via TARDIS, and so off she and the Doctor go.

And so we say goodbye to Harry Sullivan as a regular companion (though he'll be back for one more story later this season), and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart as a semi-regular character (he'll be back a few more times, but not until 1983). It's a bit sad to see Harry go -- Ian Marter is an incredibly talented actor, and it's a shame they got rid of him, even if he's rather superfluous in plot terms. The Doctor may not have liked having him around, but I sure did. It's a little less sad to see the Brigadier go, but only because a) we know he'll be back, eventually, and b) his appearances have been more and more sporadic anyway. Combine that with the fact that the fourth Doctor doesn't seem to really fit in with UNIT anymore, and it's probably best for the Brigadier to bow out at this point. Oh, and UNIT too! They'll be back a couple more times, but this in many ways feels like the last gasp of greatness for UNIT. But at least they get a good story to go out on.

For many people the Skarasen is held up as a woeful effects shot that lets everything down. As I mentioned in Outside In, this is nonsense. It's not the world's most convincing effect, but it's a lot better than other effects from around this time. I think the Skarasen receives the brunt of these criticisms just because all the other visuals in this story are so good. The Zygons are incredible, the ship is convincing, and Camfield does a superb job of keeping everything moving. Closer examination reveals that the script isn't quite as good as the direction initially makes it seem (e.g., Broton's plan is a little confused, there are some shocking lapses of good thinking on behalf of UNIT at various points), but it's Camfield's triumph that this only becomes apparent when you really sit down and think about it. Terror of the Zygons is a solid tale, and when something like the Skarasen is the worst thing about it you know things are going right. And if the Loch Ness Monster bothers you that much, you're probably watching the wrong show anyway.