To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the longest-running science-fiction show in the world, I’ll be taking weekly looks at some of my own personal favourite stories and arcs, from the old and new series, with a view to encapsulating the sublime, the clever and the fiendishly odd of the BBC’s Doctor Who.
Planet of Evil originally aired in 1975.
He used the neutron accelerator. If he hit Sorenson, it could be disastrous.
You mean things can get worse? I don’t believe it.
– the Doctor and Sarah Jane make sure we understand the stakes
I feel a bit sorry for Planet of Evil. I mean, it sits near the start of one of the best seasons of Doctor Who, and yet it’s generally overlooked. It’s not that Planet of Evil is bad – The Android Invasion from the same season is actually bad, and is remembered as such. It’s more that Planet of Evil doesn’t really feel as exceptional as it could be. The Hinchcliffe and Holmes era of Doctor Who was cranking out classic adventures and iconic images to beat the band, but Planet of Evil just wound up feeling relatively generic. That’s not necessarily entirely fair. The opening two episodes of Planet of Evil are superb, but it is let down by a fairly average conclusion and undermined by a fairly weak supporting cast.
It is nowhere near the best story of the season, but it’s hardly a spectacular failure. there are times in the history of Doctor Who where Planet of Evil would be a welcome relief. However, it suffers from being a reasonably mediocre adventure in a fantastic season.
In the jungle, the peaceful jungle…
Filed under: Television | Tagged: Android Invasion, arts, bbc, Brain of Morbius, Dalek, David Maloney, Deadly Assassin, doctor, DoctorWho, Philip Hinchcliffe, Planet of Evil, Planet of the Daleks, russell t. davies, Sarah Jane, Sarah Jane Smith, science fiction, tardis, Tom Baker | Leave a comment »
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