Terror of the Zygons

Terror of the Zygons is just excellent, it’s a clear classic. Atmosphere of the setting plus excellent monster design does this story a lot of grace. But I always admire the steady introduction of the zygons too. Which are easily one of the seventies best monsters!
Tom and crew are truly at their heights in this series even if sadly Harry does leave this story.
Another delight is the Brigadier as sadly he gets sort of retired from the show after this point. Understandable as the show wanted to get a move onto new things... but I see a chemistry rich for tapping into with the new team and unit. A shame it’s only gets exploited a couple of times.

Regardless this story is just a joy to watch and like a number it seems to watch better the more I see it.

Classic gold 10/10

It's easy to see why 10th Doctor David Tennant is such a big fan of Terror of the Zygons: there's lots of running and plenty of behind-the-sofa moments which will truly send shivers down your spine. In fact, if you're not a big fan of Terror of the Zygons then you must be a Zygon yourself. For it's unquestionably a golden moment for Doctor Who and one that even new series fans who don't like the classic series will enjoy.

The first thing that strikes you is that the pace more closely resembles the RTD Era of the show than the classic series. Sure, the first episode may be a little slow compared to the other three but it wouldn't work otherwise. It needs those little teases of the enemy before you see a Zygon come after Sarah Jane. But the other three episodes are literally on-stop with lots of scares and action sequences comparable to the pace of Silence of the Library/Forest of the Dead (to use one RTD Era example).

That's not what makes Terror of the Zygons work, though. What really makes it work is the general sense of distrust surrounding the serial. You can't trust anyone for those you would usually trust may be in actual fact a Zygon using their body print as a disguise. Never is this more obvious with the fact that a Zygon takes on the form of a nurse. You would usually trust a nurse but the nurse isn't trustworthy here.

The Zygon doubles also offer many of the serial's scares and some of the show's greatest ever scenes. Harry Sullivan's attempt to kill Sarah Jane with a pitchfork is a terrifying visual image (and no doubt caused a heart attack for Mary Whitehouse), for example.

It's not just the Zygon doubles that create this distrust, though. There's a real sense of unsettlement through how the Zygons are spying on the Doctor, Sarah Jane and the Brigadier. It's unnerving and complements the serial's atmosphere of distrust.

My only complaint about this serial is that it feels more like a Jon Pertwee serial. But overall, Terror of the Zygons is a terrifying and gripping 70s Tom Baker story and one any Whovian should watch whether you're only a fan of the new series, classic series or both.

Wow, this is the third time i've watched Terror of the Zygons, and the first time since before the 50th over 3 years ago. And wow, my ultimate marathon just took me by surprise, I remember it being good, but not brilliant. The Zygons look great Baker, Sladen and Courtney are amazing. All the horror with Harry was tense and just everything about this story was great. My new favorite 4th Doctor story, can't wait to re-watch the Seeds of Doom to see if it re-claims that top spot. Pity Robert Bank Stewart only wrote the two stories :/

I sat somewhere towards the beginning of episode three wondering how on earth I could get away with remaining credible after my profligacy in giving out 10/10's on Timescales.
The Highland mystique, as popular consensus holds, is gorgeous and oozing with charm - from a string of wonderfully characterised and performed roles to the superb set design. Douglas Camfield not only tells so much through the camera, but the use of film and video appears seamless (a real rarity for myself!) whilst the entire piece bombs along at a superlative pace. I believe one of the documentaries cited TOTZ as originally a six-parter, not that the cut in length is deleterious, far from it.
The Zygons impress, as does their ship, and whilst the monstrous Skarasen fails to keep in with the immersively realistic feel, its used sparingly and isn't totally without merit (some fun stop motion and use of dog skull amusingly Drashigesque). Sarah is playful, warm and amiable; Harry is given some juicy 'possession' material to sink his teeth into; Tom Baker is on peak form, an early vigour coalescing with a behind the scenes team better prepared to tailor the serial's facets around him.
So why, at the conclusion of episode four, did I fall short of giving TOTZ a perfect 10?
Unfortunately, the plot in episode four tackles the Zygons before the Skarasen, as if in an Indiana Jones film our protagonist was to tackle the antagonist at the start of act three, and 'the muscle' for the grand finale! In addition to the jarring nature of a stop-start conclusion, the Zygons are anti-climatically finished, before a trip to the Thames (incredibly poor sfx by the standards of the preceding three episodes). To wrap up - we're left with one of, if not the, most shoddily handled companion departures in Who history.
A perfect two episodes, shaky (by comparison) third and even shakier fourth - that said, still a story well above average and worthy of real praise for all aspects of the serial.