Writer: Peter Harness
Director: Daniel Nettheim
Cast: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Ingrid Oliver, Jemma Redgrave, Rebecca Front
Synopsis: The Doctor & UNIT face a threat on a global scale, as a radicalized faction of Zygons that have previously been allowed to live out as in human disguise on Earth launch a deadly offensive in a bid to takeover the Planet…
Verdict:
Doctor Who can do social commentary extremely well. We all know science fiction has been used many-a-time to satirize and discuss complex social-political issues, and in the past writers have used Doctor Who stories in much a similar way, discussing subjects like colonialism, race, industrial strikes, and even environmental/ecological concerns, all told through a sci-fi haze.
The Zygon Invasion by Peter Harness is the latest in a long line of Who stories providing biting commentary on important current affairs. A dark political thriller, its an episode that intelligently holds a mirror to ideas such as immigration, terrorism and the current refugee crisis, offering smart parallels of the real-life issues, and giving them a neat science fiction spin.
The Zygons, fresh from their fleeting but welcome return in The Day of the Doctor (2013) are front and centre here, their presence making for some great moments of paranoia and body horror. Harness packs his script with enough inventive twists to make them more threatening then ever, even going so far as to play on what we already know in regards to their shape-shifting powers before ultimately changing it. The Zygons have evolved – no longer do they need their victims alive in order to steal their image. Its certainly a great twist that injects more danger into what is already a dark and hopeless situation.
The sheer scale of the episode is amazing too. A global political thriller set across the world, the locations, coupled with some brilliant set dressing and production design, are very convincing, particularly the scenes set in the New Mexican town of Truth or Consequences. Director Daniel Nettheim imbues proceedings with a sense of eerie foreboding, giving the episode a genuine sense of uneasiness and paranoia, before upping the ante in the final ten minutes, leading to an excellent cliffhanger and a great set-up for the following episode (we’re also a fan of the lack of a Next Time trailer)!
Of course, fans will be most happy to see the return of Ingrid Oliver as Osgood, who seemingly met her demise in last year’s Death in Heaven. Its nice to see the character (or her Zygon double) return in a non-fan service way, with the main crux of the plot built around her character, as well as her (or her double’s) death at the end of last season. It’s also great to see Harness keep a sense of ambiguity as to which Osgood actually died last year. Whether we find out for sure or not, it doesn’t really matter, but its nice to see the mystery retained for now.
Suffice to say, Ingrid Oliver gives a great performance here, as does guest star Rebecca Front as Colonel Walsh, whose portrayal of the UNIT commander is a million miles away from the incompetent and stressed character of her The Thick of It character Nicola Murray. Peter Capaldi is as commanding a screen presence as ever, but its Jenna Coleman who impresses most, with her wonderful but subtle turn as the Zygon-Clara. It’s a real testament to her performance and the brilliant writing that we don’t see it coming until the big reveal!
The Zygon Invasion is Doctor Who at its most challenging, and also its most inspired. Dark, political, grown-up drama made for a family audience without any need for dumbing down, Peter Harness’ script offers no easy answers, but beautifully parallels and comments upon real political issues that have been at the centre of UK politics for some years now. Whether you take away anything important from it or simply enjoy it as a good bit of sci-fi telly, that is up to you. But knowing that Doctor Who, even today, is still able to tell such a story in such a clever, slick and powerful manner is ultimately a very reassuring thing.
Best Bit:
The Church scene, wherein the Zygons take on the form of the UNIT soldiers’ loved ones in a bid to stave off getting shot, is incredibly unsettling, shocking and heartbreaking. Psychological warfare on the part of the shape-shifting monsters, played to perfection by the guest actors involved, especially Todd Kramer as the unfortunate Hitchley.
Best Line(s):
Kate: You left us with an impossible situation, Doctor.
The Doctor: Yes, I know. It’s called peace.
Doctor Who continues on BBC One next Saturday at 8pm. Be sure to check out our review straight after here on THN.
