Revenge of the Cybermannys I have already reviewed here, here, here and here so, as you might imagine, I don't have much more to say about it. Harry Sullivan is still an imbecile.
It is for the cybermannys what Planet of the Daleks or Death to the Daleks are for the Daleks, being full of their greatest hits from their earliest stories (cybermats, a fake plague, a base under siege, an unnecessary and improbable new weakness for the cybermannys to suffer from) as well as a new setting and a few new plot points (the Nerva Beacon and the feuding Vogan factions, respectively) to keep things fresh. Well... a bit fresh. It's not a great story, though neither is it a terrible one.
Terror of the Zygons, on the other paw, is not a story I have reviewed before. It feels like a step up in quality from Revenge of the Cybermannys, which I would put mostly down to the excellent direction, especially for the scenes on location.
The design of the alien Zygons is also great, and it is surprising that they were only used once in the original series of Doctor Who when their look is so memorable. This was probably for the best, given the diminishing returns other monsters suffered from in return stories (I am particularly thinking of the Silurians here), and it is good that they were never crowbarred into more stories where they didn't fit just because the BBC already had the costumes.
The first cliffhanger is a great one (all praise to the great one!) which is due partly to us getting our first proper sight of a Zygon - classic technique - but may be even more due to Sarah's shocking scream. This moment was of course lessened on the original video release when the four-part serial was edited into a single, film-length story and so all the cliffhangers were removed.
No less impressive is the Skarasen monster, despite its resemblance to a massive chihuahua, with all attendant derpiness.
It is of course impossible for me, as a Scottish cat, not to comment on all the appalling Scottish stereotypes evident throughout this story, that frankly border on outright racism at times. The very first line of dialogue includes a mention of haggis, and the final comedic scene between the Duke of Forgill and the Brigadier revolves around the cliché of Scottish meanness.
The only stereotype not in evidence is that of Scottish mannys enjoying alcoholic drinks. But in a story starring Tom Baker this would have been like a pot calling a kettle black... when the pot was black but the kettle wasn't, mew.
No comments:
Post a Comment