Doctor Who: Season 9: Episode 7: The Zygon Invasion by Peter Harness (TV review)
As usual with these examination of ‘Doctor Who’ stories shortly after transmission, if you haven’t seen them, I’ll try not to give away too many unintentional spoilers, although I will give a quick resume of the plot. Much of the analysis will be about it so feel suitably warned.
By a prior agreement with the three Doctors, 20 million Zygon immigrants are on Earth disguised as part of a peace treaty. They twin with a human, of any age or sex, where they both have similar characteristics. However, with the death of one of the Ozgood (Ingrid Oliver) in ‘The Day Of The Doctor’, the treaty is broken and one of the fractions has declared war. Various people or Zygons are kidnapped with shades of the ‘Invasion Of The Body Snatchers’ and you can’t tell who is who or what. You who are reading this might well be a Zygon, so why are you reading this as you know the plot? You might well be coming after me. Certainly, the Doctor is in trouble, but you would know that, wouldn’t you?
It might well be that you know that this story is another two-parter which gives this story a chance to expand and get some characterisation allowing the likes of Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) as to do more than issue commands. Much of the ordering is come by Colonel Walsh (Rebecca Front) as and who wants to annihilate the Zygons, stopped only by the Doctor (Peter Capaldi). Of course, they could be Zygons or actors and just who is Clara Oswald (she might be Jenna Coleman)?
Like the previous two-parters, it would have been a shame had any attempts been made to have squeezed this in to single 50 minutes. This time it’s justified that we don’t know who the real enemy is. One thing is sure, it’s definitely Zygon, only which is hard to say. Maybe it’s the ones who growl the most or insist on killing the humans. That might be you, y’know, or you might be gloating over taking the Earth.
This is a true invasion and no one is safe and no one wants to play Truth Or Consequences, not even in the town in New Mexico that changed its name to the game.
With all the cast, well, most of them, in dual roles, the cast are doing well. Of course, they could all be Zygons, but how would we tell the difference. We will have to wait until next time.
GF Willmetts
31 October 2015
