Zygon Times

Sunday 1 November 2015

My German colleague (notable as the only German I have ever met who watches Doctor Who) has raised a question about The Woman Who Lived? Why didn't she use the repair chip to save one of her children?  Were none of them 'good enough'?

Oh well, moving on to this week's episode, The Zygon Invasion.  I like Zygons.  Their debut story, Terror of the Zygons is one of my favourites.  But I found The Zygon Invasion a bit tedious to be honest. 

In 2005, when we were all just so surprised and happy to have Doctor Who back on our screens, there was a two-part story Aliens of London/World War Three in which aliens disguised as politicians took over 10 Downing Street, and attempted to start a war, claiming that there were aliens with 'massive weapons of destruction' that could be deployed within 45 seconds. I was so amazed at the sheer cheek of this topical reference in the run up to a general election that I almost fell off the sofa.

Ten years later, and the (real) world is not a safer place.  The Zygon Invasion starts by reminding us of the small piece of unfinished business from  Day of the Doctor.  You know, the peace treaty between humans and Zygons that was to be negotiated with neither party knowing which side they were on. What with saving Gallifrey, and the Great Curator and everything, no one bothered to ask how it turned out.  Cue another flashback to the Tenth Doctor (and the Eleventh and the other one). Sadly, it all went downhill after that.

It turns out that the Zygons have been living among us, but now a faction among the young are being radicalised.  They are taking hostages, making videos and killing people. One of their bases is in a country ending in -stan.  It doesn't take a degree in Media Studies or Politics to see where this is going.

So we have heavy-handed political satire, locations that range from the amusingly-named Truth or Consequences in New Mexico to somewhere in (presumably) Central Asia, via a London estate; a regular who has been replaced by a Zygon, UNIT (run entirely by women now, it seems) and it somehow fails to gel.  It felt more like an episode of Torchwood  or The X-Files to me.

At least Osgood is back (for now). And it's always nice to see David Tennant.

Update: My aforementioned German colleague wants to know why the Doctor needed a Presidential Plane to get to the Zygon-istan.  He has a point.  I'm not sure where exactly this Zygon village is supposed to be, but it must be at least 6 hours flying time. Husband's response (as per Girl in the Fireplace) 'they can't use the TARDIS, they are part of events now.' 

The Woman Who Lived

Sunday 25 October 2015

It's the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, I've had an extra hour's sleep and a very nice lunch.

So, having had time to reflect,  what did I think of The Woman Who Lived? I liked it. It felt like a traditional Doctor Who story - there was something comfortably familiar about it that I couldn't quite put my finger on at the time.  I don't think that it was entirely that it reminded me of the 1980s Dick Turpin TV series starring Richard O'Sullivan.

There was also a moving reflection on what it would mean to be 'functionally immortal' - writing everything down in order to remember, and cutting out pages to forget the pain of loss (except for children  - those pages must be kept as a reminder against having more and repeating the tragedy.)

Once again, the alien threat was not central to the story (but this week's alien was frankly not worth more screen time). 

I liked the comedy highwayman - rather in the tradition of Glitz.  I  wouldn't mind seeing him again, but I'm not sure he has enough substance to be a regular character.  Talking of regular characters it was nice to hear a reference to Captain Jack. 

And the Doctor even remembers the Terreleptils, even if his recollection of the cause of the Great Fire of London is perhaps not entirely accurate...

An archetypal 'Who' day...

Saturday 24 October

It's wet and miserable outside and the nights are drawing in. This is just the sort of day on which to draw the curtains and snuggle up on the sofa (or behind it, according to preference) and watch Doctor Who.  It never really felt quite right in the Russell T Davies era watching it in broad daylight in the spring and summer.

We are actually at home this evening so will be able to enjoy the full experience of The Woman Who Lived.  In the meantime, I have re-watched The Girl Who Died, and still think the aliens were rather wasted.  But I do like the tune.

And talking of tunes, could we have the rock version of the theme tune back permanently, please?

To be continued...