Dr Who: The Seeds of Death
I rewatched this serial on 26 January 2023. I have only seen it once before, a long time ago. I remember enjoying it, on balance, and this time around there were moments I recognised. Odd how the memory works.
It starts off with bureaucracy in space, but there are a few problems. Minor quirks, until it’s a disaster. It is very good at showing what’s normal, and what isn’t, very quickly, and before we are reunited with our heroes. Very quickly, the audience learns that an invasion is underway, but the production is being coy as to who the invaders are. They sound familiar… oh, welcome back, Ice Warriors! I do like the spangles on the Grand Marshal.
And our heroes arrive in a space museum. Not the Doctor’s first time such a place, and it’s odd to see him being so enthusiastic after what happened last time. But, it’s a neat way of explaining T-Mat to them and the audience without bogging down the action. In early 1969, when these six episodes first aired, the space programme was in a race to land people on the moon. In that context, the debates about rockets and T-Mat are fascinating. I do feel a pang of nostalgia at what could have been… as I am doing a fair bit during this watch, I am thinking about what a modern version of this story would include and discard, while keeping the basic elements intact.
Funny how climate, weather and the environment feature in these invasion of Earth stories. When exactly did Dr Who become 'woke'? *cough*
Anyway, the serial romps along decently. Even beyond the climate/weather plot, some of it is familiar from similar stories. That’s to be expected. Partly those elements exist because they entail well observed human nature under duress, and partly they are there because they make for good television.
The humans of this future world are disappointingly very white, and there are so many men… Gia Kelly's outstanding efficiency and sense stands out; honestly, why isn't she in charge of everything?
Random thought: no mention of UNIT in stories like these, set in Earth’s future. I was struck by that when the UN Security Council was mentioned. Does UNIT survive?
