Doctor Who: The Seeds of Doom
It's summertime and with most of the show I watch either in re-run or on hiatus, I find myself with a bit of time to re-visit some old friends. For some reason, this summer I've decided to re-visit the early days of Star Trek: The Next Generation (it is the 20th anniversary of the show later this year) and the Tom Baker run of Doctor Who.
I have to admit it's been a few years since I've sat down and watched either series in any kind of order. Having both series complete on DVD and VHS has meant I've been able to sample bits and pieces here and there, possibly doing a run of stories here and there, but never consistently in one era. With Doctor Who, the eras I've chosen to sample over the past year have been, for the most part, dictated by what's come out on DVD and wanting to see the pretty pictures and hear the cleaned-up audio, as well as dig into the huge wealth of extras on each disc.
Now, it may seem odd that I'd pick "The Seeds of Doom" as a starting point for my journey through the Tom Baker years. A lot of the reason to start there was that the guys over at MMM Commentaries put up a commentary on this six-part serial. It'd been years since I'd seen the story (and it's one of the Doctor Who stories I've seen least) so I dusted off the VHS and gave it a review.
Before I launch into my thoughts on the story, let me issue this warning. What I'm about to say is entirely my own opinion. I feel fortunate that I found Doctor Who long before the wacky Internet came along and that I was able to watch the stories, for the most part, unassisted by what was considered by fandom as a whole to be a classic or not a classic. I only put these thoughts up as my thoughts on a story and they shouldn't be take as the first or last word on them. I especially encourage you that if you're new to the show and have come in with the new series to seek out the stories, watch them yourself and form your own opinions on them. Don't let what one crazy fan has to say influence you too much one way or the other.
When John Nathan Turner took over Doctor Who and decided to do away with six-part stories because they were, to his mind, little more than a two-part adventure and a four-part adventure tacked together, you have to know he was clearly thinking of "The Seeds of Doom." (Not to be confused with another six-part story, "The Seeds of Death" from Troughton's era).
There are stories in the fandom lore that "Seeds of Doom" was padded out to six episodes after a two-part story fell through. However, there's no documentation to back this up and it appears this is just a myth made up the fans because, quite frankly, this is pretty much a two-part story with a four-part story following it. The main link it the monster of the Krynoid.
Because of the structure of the story, we get to see the transformation from human into plant monster happen twice on screen. Much as we saw back in "Inferno" in the Pertwee era, the story shows us what can happen if the pod opens and touches your skin, thus creating some sense of tension in the middle episodes as we wait for the monster to return (it also sets up the cliffhanger for episode three).
That said, "Seeds of Doom" is something of an oddity in the Doctor Who canon. It's got elements of Doctor Who story--UNIT, a potential alien invasion from outer space and humanity being its own worst enemy. That said, there are times it just doesn't necessarily FEEL like a Doctor Who story. Yes, the Doctor is there, but he feels more like an alien version of John Steed than the Doctor we've come to know and love. Which it's not hard to see why since writer Robert Banks Stewart wrote a couple of scripts for The Avengers.
In a lot of ways, this could be a leftover story from that era, though Sarah Jane doesn't come off as much of a Mrs. Peel or Tara King. We do, however, get a rich madman who has some delusions.
"Seeds of Doom" is one of the most strikingly violent of an era noted for its violence. The body count is unusually high, even by Hinchcliffe era standards. Looking back, only about four people survive the story--two of them being the Doctor and Sarah. Along the way, we have people transformed into monsters, a man drowned in a lake pulled down by the plant life and several people chopped up and turned into plant food. I can only guess that Mary Whitehouse had a heart-attack in episode six when Harrison Chase meets his demise in his own composter as we hear his screams of agony.
Even the Doctor joins in, pointed a gun at people and threatening to shoot. The dialogue attempts to cover this lapse in character a scene or two later, but the damage has already been done. It just doesn't feel like the Doctor...at least not at this point in the series.
That said, the rest of the characters work fairly well. Harrison Chase is one of the more memorable villians of the show's long run. As a man completely obsessed with plants, it's interesting to see his interest in the Krynoid and his slow decent into madness. When he finally goes full-blown over the top into delusion, it's not that big a step. Whether or not he shares some special bond with the Krynoid is left open to debate, though it would seem so. Though why the Krynoid would leave him alive because of his special love of plant-life makes little sense. It seems more likely the creature would attempt to transform Chase into a plant like itself, thus bestowing some ultimate gift on the mad-man.
We also get Scorby, the man who starts out as the hired muscle and changes sides mid-way through the story. He comes off as heavy and a thug to start the story, but we soon find he's on whatever side will save his own neck. His switch from threatening the Doctor to helping by whipping up a molotov cocktail to distract the Krynoid is fairly well done and doesn't feel like an abrupt halt and then starting over. And we also have the slightly crazy Amelia Ducat. She is eccentric for the sake of being eccentric, coming in and out of the story long enough to help move things along and make odd observations about everyone around. In a script full of eccentric characters (not just the Doctor for a change) she makes quite an impression.
At the center of this is the Doctor himself, who comes off as not as eccentric as usual. Indeed, it seems that Tom Baker isn't happy with the way the Doctor is scripted and it shows in his performance. He alternates between shouting a lot and looking bored at others. The Doctor knows the Krynoids from previous experience and knows they travel in pairs...but yet as long as they stay frozen, they should be no harm. So why he runs out to dig up the second one in the frozen Antarctic make little sense. Except that if he doesn't, the story is over by the end of episode two. (Or else they have to find another way to get the Krynoid back to England so it can run amok). We've seen the fourth Doctor be aloof before ("Pyramids of Mars") but here it's not aloof that is achieved. It's clear Baker is not happy with the story and lets his overall performance show it.
It's interesting that "Seeds of Doom" comes as the series is on the verge of entering what many call one of the greatest eras on the show's history. The story itself is a crossroads of sorts--the last of the old era as it discards the last vestages of UNIT and alien invasions of the week and the new era where the show will delve into some interesting and difficult issues, questions and assumptions. In a lot of ways "Seeds of Doom" is the final warm-up for the greatness that is season fourteen (even if it takes two stories to really get things rolling).
I have to admit it's been a few years since I've sat down and watched either series in any kind of order. Having both series complete on DVD and VHS has meant I've been able to sample bits and pieces here and there, possibly doing a run of stories here and there, but never consistently in one era. With Doctor Who, the eras I've chosen to sample over the past year have been, for the most part, dictated by what's come out on DVD and wanting to see the pretty pictures and hear the cleaned-up audio, as well as dig into the huge wealth of extras on each disc.
Now, it may seem odd that I'd pick "The Seeds of Doom" as a starting point for my journey through the Tom Baker years. A lot of the reason to start there was that the guys over at MMM Commentaries put up a commentary on this six-part serial. It'd been years since I'd seen the story (and it's one of the Doctor Who stories I've seen least) so I dusted off the VHS and gave it a review.
Before I launch into my thoughts on the story, let me issue this warning. What I'm about to say is entirely my own opinion. I feel fortunate that I found Doctor Who long before the wacky Internet came along and that I was able to watch the stories, for the most part, unassisted by what was considered by fandom as a whole to be a classic or not a classic. I only put these thoughts up as my thoughts on a story and they shouldn't be take as the first or last word on them. I especially encourage you that if you're new to the show and have come in with the new series to seek out the stories, watch them yourself and form your own opinions on them. Don't let what one crazy fan has to say influence you too much one way or the other.
When John Nathan Turner took over Doctor Who and decided to do away with six-part stories because they were, to his mind, little more than a two-part adventure and a four-part adventure tacked together, you have to know he was clearly thinking of "The Seeds of Doom." (Not to be confused with another six-part story, "The Seeds of Death" from Troughton's era).
There are stories in the fandom lore that "Seeds of Doom" was padded out to six episodes after a two-part story fell through. However, there's no documentation to back this up and it appears this is just a myth made up the fans because, quite frankly, this is pretty much a two-part story with a four-part story following it. The main link it the monster of the Krynoid.
Because of the structure of the story, we get to see the transformation from human into plant monster happen twice on screen. Much as we saw back in "Inferno" in the Pertwee era, the story shows us what can happen if the pod opens and touches your skin, thus creating some sense of tension in the middle episodes as we wait for the monster to return (it also sets up the cliffhanger for episode three).
That said, "Seeds of Doom" is something of an oddity in the Doctor Who canon. It's got elements of Doctor Who story--UNIT, a potential alien invasion from outer space and humanity being its own worst enemy. That said, there are times it just doesn't necessarily FEEL like a Doctor Who story. Yes, the Doctor is there, but he feels more like an alien version of John Steed than the Doctor we've come to know and love. Which it's not hard to see why since writer Robert Banks Stewart wrote a couple of scripts for The Avengers.
In a lot of ways, this could be a leftover story from that era, though Sarah Jane doesn't come off as much of a Mrs. Peel or Tara King. We do, however, get a rich madman who has some delusions.
"Seeds of Doom" is one of the most strikingly violent of an era noted for its violence. The body count is unusually high, even by Hinchcliffe era standards. Looking back, only about four people survive the story--two of them being the Doctor and Sarah. Along the way, we have people transformed into monsters, a man drowned in a lake pulled down by the plant life and several people chopped up and turned into plant food. I can only guess that Mary Whitehouse had a heart-attack in episode six when Harrison Chase meets his demise in his own composter as we hear his screams of agony.
Even the Doctor joins in, pointed a gun at people and threatening to shoot. The dialogue attempts to cover this lapse in character a scene or two later, but the damage has already been done. It just doesn't feel like the Doctor...at least not at this point in the series.
That said, the rest of the characters work fairly well. Harrison Chase is one of the more memorable villians of the show's long run. As a man completely obsessed with plants, it's interesting to see his interest in the Krynoid and his slow decent into madness. When he finally goes full-blown over the top into delusion, it's not that big a step. Whether or not he shares some special bond with the Krynoid is left open to debate, though it would seem so. Though why the Krynoid would leave him alive because of his special love of plant-life makes little sense. It seems more likely the creature would attempt to transform Chase into a plant like itself, thus bestowing some ultimate gift on the mad-man.
We also get Scorby, the man who starts out as the hired muscle and changes sides mid-way through the story. He comes off as heavy and a thug to start the story, but we soon find he's on whatever side will save his own neck. His switch from threatening the Doctor to helping by whipping up a molotov cocktail to distract the Krynoid is fairly well done and doesn't feel like an abrupt halt and then starting over. And we also have the slightly crazy Amelia Ducat. She is eccentric for the sake of being eccentric, coming in and out of the story long enough to help move things along and make odd observations about everyone around. In a script full of eccentric characters (not just the Doctor for a change) she makes quite an impression.
At the center of this is the Doctor himself, who comes off as not as eccentric as usual. Indeed, it seems that Tom Baker isn't happy with the way the Doctor is scripted and it shows in his performance. He alternates between shouting a lot and looking bored at others. The Doctor knows the Krynoids from previous experience and knows they travel in pairs...but yet as long as they stay frozen, they should be no harm. So why he runs out to dig up the second one in the frozen Antarctic make little sense. Except that if he doesn't, the story is over by the end of episode two. (Or else they have to find another way to get the Krynoid back to England so it can run amok). We've seen the fourth Doctor be aloof before ("Pyramids of Mars") but here it's not aloof that is achieved. It's clear Baker is not happy with the story and lets his overall performance show it.
It's interesting that "Seeds of Doom" comes as the series is on the verge of entering what many call one of the greatest eras on the show's history. The story itself is a crossroads of sorts--the last of the old era as it discards the last vestages of UNIT and alien invasions of the week and the new era where the show will delve into some interesting and difficult issues, questions and assumptions. In a lot of ways "Seeds of Doom" is the final warm-up for the greatness that is season fourteen (even if it takes two stories to really get things rolling).