The Zygon Invasion Review
Clint Hassell gives his verdict on the seventh episode of Series 9.
From the outset, the Zygons seem like an ideal adversary for a Doctor Who adventure. Because Zygons can shapeshift, there is inherent dramatic tension as the audience tries to guess which of the cast is an alien in disguise. Within the narrative, characters experience heartbreaking betrayal as they encounter familiar faces that mask monstrous agendas.
However, Zygons do more than mirror a victim’s visage; they also copy the mind of their prey. This is necessary from a plot perspective: Zygon-Clara must know enough about the real Clara’s mannerisms and behavior to fool those around her, including the Doctor. Zygon-Clara also has to absorb key facts like the password to the real Clara’s iPhone, or the address of Clara’s apartment, and therein lies the problem. Armed with Clara’s knowledge, why does the Zygon imposter not immediately kill Kate Stewart or the Doctor, actions which would certainly further the rebel faction’s goals? Better yet, why does Zygon-Clara not attempt to steal the TARDIS? Shapeshifting with a mind reading element is an ability that makes the user so powerful that the plot has to actively work around the omnipotence of the user in nonsensical ways.
In the most affecting, tense scene in “The Zygon Invasion,” the rebel Zygon faction has seemingly captured the families of a troop of UNIT soldiers. Officer Hitchley must decide whether or not to execute a woman who claims to be – – and looks exactly like – – his mother. The narrative knows that it is inherently ludicrous for the Zygons to kidnap the loved ones of an entire troop rather than the troops themselves, so Osgood reveals that, now, Zygons “can pluck loved ones from your memory.” As written, the Zygons are blatantly psychic – – how else would the aliens know to impersonate a military drone operator’s family, when she is miles away? – – which robs the story of its need to be clever or creative in how it solves its narrative problems.
Reducing the Zygons mind reading capabilities would actually create more story opportunities, as evidenced in the scene where Zygon-Clara gathers information from Kate by asking how many troops UNIT has available. “Not many,” Kate responds. “Usually . . . we can draft in from the regular army . . . [but] the secrecy of the project has to be maintained.” This is not only good exposition; upon second viewing, it is chilling to realize how Zygon-Clara infiltrated UNIT. Imagine an episode where Zygon-Clara has to ingratiate herself carefully into the real Clara’s life, in order to not be discovered. Instead, the aliens in “The Zygon Invasion” are such proficient psychics that one wonders why they don’t kidnap Kate and replace her instead, as this would ostensibly give the Zygons control over UNIT.
In many ways, “The Zygon Invasion” doesn’t seem to have a good handle on the Zygons as characters, seemingly shoehorning them into the episode out of necessity, based solely on their shapeshifting ability. For example, in the teaser, Osgood mentions that the Zygons assimilate into societies as a survival mechanism, and that they live out their lives mostly without incident. This is counter to the invasive warrior race seen in previous episodes. Further, gone are the Zygon’s characteristic poisonous barbs; they’ve been replaced by electrical bolts, for seemingly no reason.
Why do to two leaders of the Zygon High Council, disguised as young girls Claudette and Jemima, not try to fight off the rebels who kidnap them? From a script writing perspective, it makes sense to see the girls captured by obvious Zygons – – it would otherwise be confusing to the audience, who might think that they were being captured by actual humans – – however, it begs the question as to why the little girls don’t respond in kind. Did the alien gas prevent Claudette and Jemima from shapeshifting? Was the script constrained by the budget?
“The Zygon Invasion” doesn’t just misrepresent the titular aliens. For the second time this series, Kate Stewart seems less insightful than expected. UNIT knows that Osgood’s last transmission came from Truth or Consequences, but, despite the rebel Zygon transmissions continuously mentioning the phrase, Kate never makes the connection. Further, upon discovering that the rebels have Osgood in Turmezistan, her first reaction is to bomb the area; while this makes sense, as UNIT is a military organization, it belies the character’s focus on science. (Total aside: it would be interesting to see how the science division of UNIT is using all of the Zygon technology they’d gained access to as part of the peace treaty. The Zygons are, after all, a space fairing race.)
However, everything pales in comparison to the script’s most egregious plot point. The Doctor, despite time being of the essence, abandons his TARDIS, which would allow for instant travel between the three global locations, and safety for all, merely because he likes to “prance around on a big plane.” Please. This is literally the stupidest thing in a Doctor Who episode since . . . well, since a newly hatched space dragon laid a moon-sized egg, in “Kill the Moon.”
This is not to say that “The Zygon Invasion” doesn’t have its good points, or that it’s not a taut, thrilling adventure. There are many things that the episode gets very right. For example, the script demonstrates a good handle on Clara’s character. The reveal that she wants to win so much that she’s memorized the answers to Trivial Pursuit questions is a highlight. “You’re breaking up!” is also a standout line, considering Clara is shooting a rocket at the Doctor’s plane.
The episode’s focus on the political aspects of the Zygon occupation is topical, referencing terrorist groups, immigrants’ civil rights, and cultural identity. The ideals of both Zygon factions are developed enough to encourage post-viewing conversations. As with the Doctor and Ashildr, in “The Woman Who Lived,” the adversarial relationship in “The Zygon Invasion” stems not from “good” versus “evil” Zygons, but from two sides who both believe that they are right. Further, despite the terror inflicted by the rebel Zygons, the episode dares to paint humans as the real warmongers, as the Doctor tells Clara and Jac to protect the UK from “the scary monsters . . . and also from the Zygons.”
Most impressive is how effectively “The Zygon Invasion” portrays distinct global locations, which broadened the scope of the episode, giving it a truly epic feel. The highway sign that denotes the location of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, is flawlessly recreated down to the highway and exit numbers. While that doesn’t appear to be Turtleback Mountain in the background of several establishing shots (and the city logo is not correct), the location scouts did an amazing job finding someplace in the UK that could stand in for an area as geographically unique as the American southwest. The show has come a long way from shooting all desert planets in a quarry, no?
Also of note is how deftly the episode invites repeated viewings. Half of the fun of an identity twist like Zygon-Clara’s is going back and picking up all of the subtle clues and tells missed during the first viewing. With a second look, what appear to be coincidences – – Clara and Jac arriving just as Sandeep’s body is being taken into the secret Zygon elevator, the elevator’s control panel only now leaking ooze – – are revealed to be Zygon-Clara’s plan to gain Jac’s trust and lure her and the UNIT troops to the underground base.
Unfortunately, the script really starts to crumble, as repeated viewings provide the opportunity for deeper examination. “Don’t think so much about it!” you say. Well, why not? The script itself invites us to, as it delves into modern politics of warfare and civil rights issues. Having a script that only works if you don’t think about it is about as much fun as a wearing a dress that only looks good from one angle, or viewing a painting that is only exceptional in dim lighting.
