Zygons! It’s always fun to go back in classic Who and see the origins of what have become some of the show’s iconic aliens. Even though they hadn’t yet made their appearance on new Who when I first watched this serial, I’d still heard about them as a major Who villain. Like a lot of the non-Dalek/Cybermen iconic baddies, it’s weird to think about how little they appeared on the original show – until they popped back up again on new Who, this was the only televised Zygon story (end-of-serial spoilers.)
The Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Harry are called to join UNIT in a small village in Scotland, near oil rigs that appear to have been destroyed by a mysterious sea creature. The Loch Ness monster warning bells are immediately going off, but that’s not the only strange occurrence. There’s also the matter of the people who don’t seem themselves. Our heroes are on the case!
Oh yes, Loch Ness monsters! Shapeshifting aliens! An organic-looking spaceship! The Brigadier in a kilt and the Doctor in a tam o’shanter! Really, it’s got it all. I enjoy the Zygons, intriguing new aliens whose backstory is well laid-out. They’re a bit of a stretch to get us to the Nessie stuff, but I don’t mind it. I appreciate that their shapeshifting comes with clear “rules” that are established and maintained. With an ability like that, you need some consistency and clear boundaries to keep them from being too overpowered. Also, I like their look. I know I’ve said it before, but what classic Who lacked in budget, they often made up in creativity. New Who has given us more than its fair share of polished-looking talking alien rhinos or nefarious alien angel statues, but classic Who was out here with its dubious rubber suits dreaming up these bullet-shaped alien shapeshifters whose bodies were covered in suckers. I’m here for that.
This serial also largely closes the chapters on the UNIT era, which Four’s first season had already started to do. For their last major outing, we get some fun bits from both the Brigadier and Benton, so I suppose this is a good story for them to informally go out on. It might’ve been nice to have them continue on as recurring characters and show up maybe once a season or so, but 1) I definitely appreciate the show getting back to its time-and-space-travel roots and 2) let’s face it, Four would’ve chafed under UNIT life way more than Three. It’s for the best that we moved on.
Good stuff for our heroes. We get the Doctor fleeing from the Loch Ness monster (because of course he does,) Sarah Jane doing some top-shelf snooping (obviously,) and Harry immediately rolling up his shirtsleeves to help an injured stranger (naturally.) In other words, everyone does what they do best!
In addition to moving on from UNIT, this story is also Harry’s last as a companion, and again, I get it. He and the Doctor never grow as close as a lot of companions get, and even though he acquits himself pretty well when it comes to life on the TARDIS, it’s clear that it’s not really a life he’d choose for himself. And so, once he’s back on Earth in his own time, he politely declines the Doctor’s next offer for a lift in the TARDIS, returning home under a less fantastical (and more reliable!) conveyance. There’s very little fanfare to Harry’s goodbye, but I suppose it’s fitting for a character who was always a bit understated, someone who often contributed quietly and helpfully but who usually got more attention on the occasions when he tripped up. He’s a companion I’ve appreciated more on rewatch so, as with UNIT, I’m a little sad to see him go, even as I understand why he leaves.
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