Why I like Harmony Shoal
This Christmas, Doctor Who gave us the gift of malevolent brains in jars. Just what I wanted! Seriously, what is not to love about malevolent brains in jars? They're brains - in jars! And, in the absence of Barbara Brain-Smasher, they pose a significant problem.
The mysterious "benefactors" of Harmony Shoal are aliens who are just brains with eyes, and like to use other people's bodies to get around. Makes sense. We talk a lot on tumblr about maintaining and piloting the Meat Suit, and that is exactly what these brain...liens do when not in jars. Literal mind-body dualism! They even refer to their host bodies as "vehicles," which I think is great. And the eyes are a really nice touch. Anatomically, you might as well consider the eyes to be part of the brain. Psychologically, giving something eyes gives it a face, and therefore makes it read as a person, rather than just a lump. And aesthetically, they hit that midpoint between cute and freaky that's always so much fun. A brain with eyes is WRONG...but I also just really liked seeing the little eyeballs peep out. D'awwwww - monstrosity! And the presence of eyeballs comes with a nice corollary which is the resulting absence of eyeballs in the host. When Dr. Sim's brain dude abandons him to hide out in a passing UNIT chappie, it leaves him with both an empty head and empty eye sockets, which I found extremely effective. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and it's always pretty upsetting when they're entirely missing.
I also always really enjoy slow-burn invasions. At the time of "the Return of Doctor Mysterio," Harmony Shoal has been operating on earth for five years. They have a plan, they have resources, they have infrastructure. And, can I say that I really appreciate that we visit the Tokyo HQ? It's very easy to say you're an international megacorporation but then only show, say, Wales (or in this case New York). But here, they justify the New York setting without falling into the trap of America = the World, and they make good use of the TARDIS, which is always delightful.
I also appreciate the plan itself. Aliens using Alien Invasion as misdirection - excellent! At this point in Earth's development, you really can't just come in with an Armada. We're starting to get actual planetary defenses going, and anyway, there are laws against that sort of thing. But using a staged alien invasion as a linchpin and distraction from an actual alien invasion is both clever and fun. It's basically a Smart People Trap, and those are always great. But then, you have to expect a species that's made up entirely of body-snatching brains in jars to have cultivated a certain...subtlety. (Not that that holds true for the Goa'uld in Stargate even a little bit, but what can you do?)
I'm not gonna lie: Harmony Shoal had me at brains in jars. Malevolent eyebally brains in jars was just icing. And their plan was a good one that would have worked if not for you meddling kids. Aaaaaaaaaand now they've infiltrated UNIT, so who knows what will happen from here?
The mysterious "benefactors" of Harmony Shoal are aliens who are just brains with eyes, and like to use other people's bodies to get around. Makes sense. We talk a lot on tumblr about maintaining and piloting the Meat Suit, and that is exactly what these brain...liens do when not in jars. Literal mind-body dualism! They even refer to their host bodies as "vehicles," which I think is great. And the eyes are a really nice touch. Anatomically, you might as well consider the eyes to be part of the brain. Psychologically, giving something eyes gives it a face, and therefore makes it read as a person, rather than just a lump. And aesthetically, they hit that midpoint between cute and freaky that's always so much fun. A brain with eyes is WRONG...but I also just really liked seeing the little eyeballs peep out. D'awwwww - monstrosity! And the presence of eyeballs comes with a nice corollary which is the resulting absence of eyeballs in the host. When Dr. Sim's brain dude abandons him to hide out in a passing UNIT chappie, it leaves him with both an empty head and empty eye sockets, which I found extremely effective. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and it's always pretty upsetting when they're entirely missing.
I also always really enjoy slow-burn invasions. At the time of "the Return of Doctor Mysterio," Harmony Shoal has been operating on earth for five years. They have a plan, they have resources, they have infrastructure. And, can I say that I really appreciate that we visit the Tokyo HQ? It's very easy to say you're an international megacorporation but then only show, say, Wales (or in this case New York). But here, they justify the New York setting without falling into the trap of America = the World, and they make good use of the TARDIS, which is always delightful.
I also appreciate the plan itself. Aliens using Alien Invasion as misdirection - excellent! At this point in Earth's development, you really can't just come in with an Armada. We're starting to get actual planetary defenses going, and anyway, there are laws against that sort of thing. But using a staged alien invasion as a linchpin and distraction from an actual alien invasion is both clever and fun. It's basically a Smart People Trap, and those are always great. But then, you have to expect a species that's made up entirely of body-snatching brains in jars to have cultivated a certain...subtlety. (Not that that holds true for the Goa'uld in Stargate even a little bit, but what can you do?)
I'm not gonna lie: Harmony Shoal had me at brains in jars. Malevolent eyebally brains in jars was just icing. And their plan was a good one that would have worked if not for you meddling kids. Aaaaaaaaaand now they've infiltrated UNIT, so who knows what will happen from here?