Brief Summary
This video summarizes Season 13 of Doctor Who, highlighting its stories, key elements, and overall quality. The season is noted for introducing the iconic Zygons, featuring classic stories like "Pyramids of Mars," and drawing inspiration from various sci-fi and horror sources. The season is considered more consistent and better than the previous one, with several high points and no truly terrible stories.
- Season 13 is more consistent and better than Season 12.
- "Terror of the Zygons" introduces the iconic Zygons.
- "Pyramids of Mars" and "The Brain of Morbius" are considered classics.
- The season draws inspiration from various sci-fi and horror sources.
Introduction to Season 13
Season 13 of Doctor Who, which aired from August 1975 to March 1976, is considered a better and more consistent season than the previous one. It consists of six stories and marks a period where the show evolved and moved on.
Terror of the Zygons
The season opens with "Terror of the Zygons," which introduces the Zygons, the only truly iconic new alien of the Tom Baker era. The story involves the Brigadier and UNIT investigating the destruction of oil rigs and sightings of the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. The Zygons, whose home planet was destroyed, aim to take Earth as their new home. This story is the last in a series where the stories have to be back to back. Harry Sullivan leaves at the end of this story. The story is four episodes long and is considered a classic.
Planet of Evil
"Planet of Evil" is the first story commissioned by Philip Hinchcliffe. Set on Zeta Minor, it involves a geological expedition that accidentally encounters an antimatter universe, leading to the creation of the "antimatter man." The planet itself is a dense, eerie jungle, which impressed the BBC so much that they used it as a reference for jungle sets for years afterward. The story borrows ideas from "Mr. Hyde" and "Forbidden Planet," which was inspired by Shakespeare's "The Tempest," whom the Doctor mentions knowing in this story.
Pyramids of Mars
"Pyramids of Mars" is recognized as one of the absolute top-tier classics of Doctor Who. It features Sutekh, an Egyptian god from an ancient race called the Osirans, who possesses an archaeologist and plans to destroy the world with robot mummies. The story includes a time trick where the Doctor takes Sarah Jane to her own time to show her the desolate future Sutekh would create. Gabriel Woolf voices Sutekh, delivering an iconic performance.
The Android Invasion
"The Android Invasion" is inspired by "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and written by Terry Nation. The Doctor and Sarah Jane arrive in a small English village inhabited by Android replicas of real people, which serves as a training ground for an Android invasion of Earth. This story marks the last appearance of Sergeant Benton and Harry Sullivan in the show.
The Brain of Morbius
"The Brain of Morbius" is heavily inspired by Frankenstein. It involves a renegade Time Lord named Morbius, whose brain is taken by a surgeon, Solon, who creates a new body for him. The story includes a psychic battle where images of the Doctor's previous incarnations are shown, leading to fan theories about earlier versions of the Doctor. The Doctor deliberately uses poison gas to try and kill Solon.
The Seeds of Doom
"The Seeds of Doom" is a six-part story that draws similarities to previous stories and rips off the book "Who Goes There?" which later became the film "The Thing." It involves an alien plant called a Krynoid, discovered frozen in the Antarctic permafrost, which turns people into plant creatures. A plant-obsessed millionaire wants the human race destroyed by a master race of plants. The story is considered disturbingly violent and genuinely horrific, despite its terrible special effects.
