The Zygon Invasion(s) Review!

That feel when you are watching media from the 50s/60s/70s/80s, and its a heavy-handed Cold War allegory.

I sometimes wonder at what point we will begin to eyeroll over media from the 90s/00s/10s and the War on Terror. Fascinatingly, I don't think Who has done it before.

I'm not entirely sure what the point of allegories are - to teach? for catharsis? just because it's in the zeitgeist, and the author was inspired? In any case, I can think of no nobler cause than shoving one in a kids TV show. Children are smart and brave, but often scared by the news, and I hope if nothing else this started some conversations with parents or each other, and got them thinking and asking questions.  

Also, nice timing there by the BBC, to get this out there before big terrorism news stories; later in the season and it would likely have been cancelled out of respect, which would have been sad indeed as these are stories we sorely need. Unfortunately for myself, I am several weeks behind, and upset.

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It is at times like these that I love Doctor Who very much. It's all about being better than you are now. What a lovely message too. Just like last week, Zygon Invasion Part 2 starts with a thesis: the Osgoods, proposing the ideas which this episode will explore. They say that all races, and all people, are capable of the best and worst.



I liked that this episode had so many competent women. I *love* that they reimagined the Zygons as psychological horror. Doctor Who has enough Invadey Alien Races to last for the rest of time; they are scary and they shoot people and they're strong, or whatever. This is a smart, forward-looking choice, differentiating them from other Invadey Alien Races and opening up great new story ideas for future.


But there's quite a lot of poor plotting here:

Like, why when Sandeep said he didn't know where his parents were, did Clara just look straight in their flat? Surely Sandeep is smart enough to have done that already. Surely you start by asking "when did you last see them?"

Like when the army commander insists that they don't know the Zygon's movements or numbers, while standing in their headquarters which is stuffed with intel, and a map of their movements, which she is proposing to blow up without taking so much as a selfie.

And too many scenes with a bunch of soldiers standing around! Like when the cute captain is talking with his mother, and decides to go inside. No response from the other soldiers? No questions? Or when evil-Clara kills those UNIT people. Again - the soldiers are just standing there, not responding until it is their time to die.

And generally the pace was lumpy. I think I would have liked it less if not for the sense of occasion; those are not small complaints, I hate when I feel an author is railroading characters towards the next set piece. You can thank the international terrorist fraternity that this episode is 8/10 rather than 7/10, and I anticipate being less forgiving in future.

But it also had so many cool ideas. I liked the two Osgoods and their insistence that no one tell them apart; the terrified Zygon in the mart; I always love a good spooky dreamspace. Lots of good dialogue. As for the end - I have been waiting for this. You've had Peter bloody Capaldi for two whole seasons. Use him! 

It all comes back to the cold war. UNIT fought the cold-war every week. Week after week of alien invasions on earth, half of them explicitly about Russians, and the other half at the very least about loss of Empire, about England's colonial history coming to get it, about the machinations of a swarthy Oriental gent being foiled by men called Lethbridge, Benton, Sullivan and Yates. It's truly fitting, and rather cool, that the UNIT-Invasion story is reimagined in this way for the next generation.


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OTHER THOUGHTS

Doctor Disco is a Latin pun, I presume. Disco, discere - to learn; doceo, docere, doctum - to teach; doctor - teacher.

"In the 70s, 80s..." woo hoo UNIT dating controversy

Bit intense for a Saturday. Note that the Zygon commanders turn back from little girls to monster form before they are killed on screen.

"This is your fault"
"No it's not."

I love how the British Zygons then become an allegory for Mexican immigrants in the American border town.

"You said that the last 15 times."

NEVER USE THE GAS - PSA FROM SEABASE 6.