So the message of this two-parter will be...
Let Zygons be Zygons....
I'll get me coat...
Let Zygons be Zygons....
I'll get me coat...
"The Zygon Invasion" Grade and Discussion Thread
- Thread starter The Nth Doctor
- Start date
Somehow, I'm actually expecting that to be said in Part 2.
Well, it's by the same guy who did last years execrable 'Kill The Moon', so I wasn't expecting much, though I hoped to be proven wrong. No such luck.
Clearly UNIT has suffered major budget cuts, relocating from the Tower Of London to that grotty house. There are now so few troopers that killing a dozen of them plus Jac the HQ staff is apparently enough to completely 'neutralize' UNIT UK. And it seems they only have one drone operator, otherwise the one who refused to fire would have been relieved of duty and replaced. And wasn't it odd how she just happened to zoom in on the one part of the village that had Zygons impersonating her husband and son standing out in the open?
The UNIT personnel who were present seemed somewhat less competent than you'd hope for in an elite alien defence organisation. Even knowing they were up against shape shifters, there was no real attempt to adapt their tactics. The Zygons disguised themselves to fool the drone pilot, and then pulled the same move on the troops, who fell for it. How hard is it to double check the location of your family?
"No ma'am. I shall not fire. My husband and son are there."
"Hmm. They're probably just Zygon duplicates. Still, let's make sure. Put the drone on auto pilot, phone your family, see where they are."
Two minutes later.
"Ma'am, I've talked to my husband. He and junior are at home. Carrying out attack run now."
And as for the troops outside the church, either contact your loved ones as above, or, if that's completely impossible for some reason, send just a couple inside. But keep in constant radio contact! Don't stop talking. Don't give the Zygons time to kill and replace you without leaving a lull in the conversation. And maybe, if the budget can stand it, get some helmet cameras so people outside can see what is going on.
Still, the new, on the cheap, UNIT probably can't afford cameras. They apparently can't afford ammunition (the troops under Clara's flat were killed without firing a shot, even though they realized it was an ambush), extra staff (Zy-Clara was able to swan into the safehouse unchallenged), or, indeed, locks (Zy-Clara was able to get a surface to air missile launcher with no trouble).
On another note, I do hope they resolve the matter of which Osgood this is. I can see them pulling a variant on the 'The Also People', saying that as long as she has Osgood's memories, she has as much right to be Osgood as anyone else. That may be so, but it ignores the fact that those fans who want Osgood back do in fact want Osgood back. Not a copy, the original.
Furthermore, if the situation is left unresolved, and the character used again, the writers would be unable to place her in situations where being a shape shifter with the ability to stun or kill with a blast of energy is an advantage. Because what she does in those situations would rather give the game away.
And if the contents of Osgood's box (ahem) are anything other than the Zygon killing gas so casually mentioned, I shall be very surprised.
Clearly UNIT has suffered major budget cuts, relocating from the Tower Of London to that grotty house. There are now so few troopers that killing a dozen of them plus Jac the HQ staff is apparently enough to completely 'neutralize' UNIT UK. And it seems they only have one drone operator, otherwise the one who refused to fire would have been relieved of duty and replaced. And wasn't it odd how she just happened to zoom in on the one part of the village that had Zygons impersonating her husband and son standing out in the open?
The UNIT personnel who were present seemed somewhat less competent than you'd hope for in an elite alien defence organisation. Even knowing they were up against shape shifters, there was no real attempt to adapt their tactics. The Zygons disguised themselves to fool the drone pilot, and then pulled the same move on the troops, who fell for it. How hard is it to double check the location of your family?
"No ma'am. I shall not fire. My husband and son are there."
"Hmm. They're probably just Zygon duplicates. Still, let's make sure. Put the drone on auto pilot, phone your family, see where they are."
Two minutes later.
"Ma'am, I've talked to my husband. He and junior are at home. Carrying out attack run now."
And as for the troops outside the church, either contact your loved ones as above, or, if that's completely impossible for some reason, send just a couple inside. But keep in constant radio contact! Don't stop talking. Don't give the Zygons time to kill and replace you without leaving a lull in the conversation. And maybe, if the budget can stand it, get some helmet cameras so people outside can see what is going on.
Still, the new, on the cheap, UNIT probably can't afford cameras. They apparently can't afford ammunition (the troops under Clara's flat were killed without firing a shot, even though they realized it was an ambush), extra staff (Zy-Clara was able to swan into the safehouse unchallenged), or, indeed, locks (Zy-Clara was able to get a surface to air missile launcher with no trouble).
On another note, I do hope they resolve the matter of which Osgood this is. I can see them pulling a variant on the 'The Also People', saying that as long as she has Osgood's memories, she has as much right to be Osgood as anyone else. That may be so, but it ignores the fact that those fans who want Osgood back do in fact want Osgood back. Not a copy, the original.
Furthermore, if the situation is left unresolved, and the character used again, the writers would be unable to place her in situations where being a shape shifter with the ability to stun or kill with a blast of energy is an advantage. Because what she does in those situations would rather give the game away.
And if the contents of Osgood's box (ahem) are anything other than the Zygon killing gas so casually mentioned, I shall be very surprised.
The only way to stop that from happening again is to publicly execute those soldiers real families.
That would certainly make me feel better about that scene.
Tough, but fair.
SAM approaching a plane with the Doctor onboard unless they pull a "empty plane just happens to be flying the same route" trick...
Can the Zygons influence people telepathically. They can images out of others minds so that shouldn't be much of a stretch - it might somewhat explain the idiocy of the soldiers going into the church. Also, I wonder if Jac and the soldiers in London were actually humans at all. Didn't the Zygons say something like "kill the traitors", not something that they would likely say about humans, although they consider the non-extremist Zygons to be traitors.
I was left with the impression the Zygons haven't infiltrated UNIT, otherwise it wouldn't be necessary to lure soldiers to a foreign country just to kill them, attack the Presidential airplane to kill the Doctor, or for Kate to have to travel to the US (one of the most southern states at that) just for the Zygons to attack her.
So no, I doubt Jac and the soldier with her and Zygon Clara are themselves Zygons.
Apparently this was somehow the best-reviewed episode in years. I can't see how, at all. The writing was abysmal, with illogical developments at almost every turn. Ending on a cliffhanger is so tired now. We know the Doctor's not in any real peril.
It's getting praised for being a "brilliant commentary" on immigration and Islamophobia. The Zygons are not an acceptable species to use in this context. They have no legitimate claim to asylum on Earth, as in every instance in the past they've tried to use a combination of subterfuge and force to get their way, which Syrian refugees aren't doing. Besides, as humans they have a right to exist on this planet.
The Zygons are dangerous in a way that terrorists aren't. You can be certain that the vast majority of Muslims or Christians, Hindus, whatever, aren't terrorists. The Zygons can shapeshift and there has been no cry for peace or reason from the innocent ones. The Zygons are technologically superior and a larger threat than a few wackos with bombs could ever be. The only sane choice is to use the gas and be done with it.
It's getting praised for being a "brilliant commentary" on immigration and Islamophobia. The Zygons are not an acceptable species to use in this context. They have no legitimate claim to asylum on Earth, as in every instance in the past they've tried to use a combination of subterfuge and force to get their way, which Syrian refugees aren't doing. Besides, as humans they have a right to exist on this planet.
The Zygons are dangerous in a way that terrorists aren't. You can be certain that the vast majority of Muslims or Christians, Hindus, whatever, aren't terrorists. The Zygons can shapeshift and there has been no cry for peace or reason from the innocent ones. The Zygons are technologically superior and a larger threat than a few wackos with bombs could ever be. The only sane choice is to use the gas and be done with it.
I loved this episode.
Sorry, wrong place.
I would just like to note 2 things about this episode:
1. I liked the way that they played the Zygon Clara. She was just off enough to tip off the audience that something wasn't right but not so out of character that the Doctor should have noticed.
2. I spent much of the episode trying to figure out where I recognized that New Mexico sheriff from. It turns out that the last time I saw her she was also an alien duplicate in New Mexico. She was on Roswell in early Season 2. She was the congresswoman that turned out to be a Skin.
1. I liked the way that they played the Zygon Clara. She was just off enough to tip off the audience that something wasn't right but not so out of character that the Doctor should have noticed.
2. I spent much of the episode trying to figure out where I recognized that New Mexico sheriff from. It turns out that the last time I saw her she was also an alien duplicate in New Mexico. She was on Roswell in early Season 2. She was the congresswoman that turned out to be a Skin.
Finally saw Peter Harness's Zygon two parter- that was good, felt like real proper DW. First half a little heavy handed with the parallels to Islamic extremism vs Islamophobia (though it may have felt less so prior to Friday's events in Paris and the fallout from that online and in the media) but the second half's big long speech from the Doctor was worth the admission price on its own.
My main thught on the first half, though, was how staggeringly beautiful Jenna is right from her intro taking off her helmet...
My main thught on the first half, though, was how staggeringly beautiful Jenna is right from her intro taking off her helmet...