There is an interesting story here. We have themes of colonialism, ideas of evolution, ideas of manufacturing changes to that process and planets, and the idea of the Time Lords somehow trying to reach back into events which have occurred and influence them; all of these things offer potential. But then the serial starts with the old man from Monty Python running through the mist. From here onwards we get a fairly simple tale that is oddly told in quite an convoluted and stretched out manner. As with other serials where British Colonialism is clearly the root of the story, there is a certain reluctance to do anything that may be taken as justifying or explaining those on the British side. The previous season had a similar plot in Colony in Space and this had similar problems – everything is so very black and white, with no suggestion of subtlety.
While this is perhaps culturally and politically understandable, it does not make for a particularly interesting or engaging serial. The villain is bad, the natives are good, and thus the story is written. It plays out pretty simply, however in order to make such a simple good/evil story play out over 6 episodes, we get a lot of these ideas added. Unfortunately it does feel like they were added to fill time, so they do not seem to need to be there, and as a result they do not really work or provide much for thought or interest. A lot is actually included here but all of it is half-done and only contributes to the serial feeling messy and surprisingly quite dull.
It is a shame because the previous serial was really very enjoyable, and this one being a move back into space offered another change of pace, however it is the script that kills it from the start. The performances don't help much either. The main two of Pertwee and Manning are perfectly fine, but the supporting characters are poor. Palmer is a short but interesting find; Whitsun-Jones hams it up but not in a fun way, Pravda, Coll, Mellor and others play it all very obvious and flat; however all the so-so supporting performers can relax because they have a distraction in the form of Rick James. James is notable for being a comparatively rare piece of casting for a black actor in a major role in Doctor Who at the time; unfortunately he is also notable for being terrible – okay his lines are mostly poor, but he is painfully wooden and unconvincing throughout, often being funny by virtue of how weak he is.
The simplicity of the plot is understandable, but this 6-parter clutters it with a complexity that it has no interest in servicing, and indeed has no business with. The result is a rather plodding serial which is basic despite all the fuss. The mutants are creatures are well designed and interesting as an idea (as indeed is much of the material) but it is mostly going nowhere since it is the script that weighs it all down with low ambition and no development.
While this is perhaps culturally and politically understandable, it does not make for a particularly interesting or engaging serial. The villain is bad, the natives are good, and thus the story is written. It plays out pretty simply, however in order to make such a simple good/evil story play out over 6 episodes, we get a lot of these ideas added. Unfortunately it does feel like they were added to fill time, so they do not seem to need to be there, and as a result they do not really work or provide much for thought or interest. A lot is actually included here but all of it is half-done and only contributes to the serial feeling messy and surprisingly quite dull.
It is a shame because the previous serial was really very enjoyable, and this one being a move back into space offered another change of pace, however it is the script that kills it from the start. The performances don't help much either. The main two of Pertwee and Manning are perfectly fine, but the supporting characters are poor. Palmer is a short but interesting find; Whitsun-Jones hams it up but not in a fun way, Pravda, Coll, Mellor and others play it all very obvious and flat; however all the so-so supporting performers can relax because they have a distraction in the form of Rick James. James is notable for being a comparatively rare piece of casting for a black actor in a major role in Doctor Who at the time; unfortunately he is also notable for being terrible – okay his lines are mostly poor, but he is painfully wooden and unconvincing throughout, often being funny by virtue of how weak he is.
The simplicity of the plot is understandable, but this 6-parter clutters it with a complexity that it has no interest in servicing, and indeed has no business with. The result is a rather plodding serial which is basic despite all the fuss. The mutants are creatures are well designed and interesting as an idea (as indeed is much of the material) but it is mostly going nowhere since it is the script that weighs it all down with low ambition and no development.