Ranking the Zygon Stories of Doctor Who
Connor Johnston counts down his list, then cast your own vote.
Native to the planet Zygor and known primarily for their perilous shapeshifting capabilities, the Zygons were introduced to the Whoniverse with the Fourth Doctor Adventure “Terror of the Zygons” in 1975. Despite only appearing only once in the Classic series, the Zygons have always been one of the most iconic and intriguing villains of the show’s history – and often a race many have felt to be vastly underused given their unique abilities and narrative potential.
Having returned both in the 50th Anniversary Special and again more recently in Series 9, there’s no doubt that the last few years has seen a tremendous amount of justice be paid towards the legacy of such iconic and threatening adversaries. The recent two-parter received an immense amount of praise from the fanbase, however the questions remains: did it meet the expectation and standard set by the Zygon’s previous appearances? Join me today in ranking the Zygon’s best.
Firstly, lets establish somewhat of a criteria for today’s rankings… that no doubt will probably be forgotten by the time it comes to decide your own votes! Today I’ll be judging the episodes STRICTLY on their use and featuring of the aliens – as to ensure I don’t get over excited in discussing some of the more iconic stories in the countdown. To quickly catch up on the impact the Zygon’s have had on the show we’ve included a brief tribute trailer below:
3. The Day of the Doctor (2013)
Kicking off our countdown today is the critically acclaimed 50th Anniversary Special, “The Day of the Doctor” – which has stood the test of time over the last few years in maintaining its place as one of the most universally loved episodes of the show’s history. The special featured not only the return of every Doctor there has ever been, but also offered fans an invaluable extended insight into the mythic nature of the Great Time War. With this in mind it’s both understandable and not detrimental the episode’s quality that the Zygon subplot took more of a backseat role in the narrative, and this is why it fills the third spot in our countdown today. Narrowing in on the Zygon’s involvement in the episode we see that it seamlessly transitions between 2 mini-plots. The first follows Queen Elisabeth I and the Tenth Doctor in 1562 which serves to comically, yet effectively introduce the monsters to a modern audience. The second section involves UNIT, Kate Stewart and Osgood which serves to perfectly setup the premise for their next appearance in 2015 – a treaty that allows Zygons to integrate themselves into human society in secret. Mutually assured peace… at least for the time being. It really is telling of the consistency in the quality of Zygon episodes that even in third place today, “The Day of the Doctor” still presents the aliens as fierce and confident adversaries.
2. Terror of the Zygons (1975)
Next on the list we see the original introduction to the alien race, the 1975 Fourth Doctor adventure “Terror of the Zygons”. The success of the episode really lies within the ingenious premise of the titular monsters. The Zygons are fresh, cunning and fierce villains that are used exceptionally well to impose a strong sense of threat on both the Doctor and the earth. The most valuable moments for the Zygons throughout the episode are undoubtedly the build up to their reveal – with director Douglas Camfield using footage of the Zygons incredibly sparingly to raise the suspense regarding their presence in the episode. Their merit as villains is seen through the lack of value for human life they embody, sparing few in their terror. The episode is decorated with death, from its opening moments seeing the collapse of a manned oil rig and throughout the four episodes. Their alliance and manipulation of the Skarasen also increases the scale of their ability and raises the stakes of their attack. The atmosphere of the story also works in the Zygon’s advantage, with the murky Scottish setting and deep sea lair darkening the tone of the episode. Similarly, it is the way in which the Zygons are portrayed through the humans they imitate that adds a real level of horror to the episode – the attacks committed by Sister Lamont being memorably horrific. You can read more praise for the Tom Baker episode in William Atkinson’s brilliant ‘Why I Love” article here.
1. The Zygon Invasion / The Zygon Inversion (2015)
And so we reach our winner for today’s countdown, and for me at least, there could never have been another choice. The most recent story featuring the Zygons, written by both Peter Harness and Steven Moffat, took the monsters in a direction that I had never expected and completely validated their presence with a script both that was heavy in both its themes and consequences. Initially, the rebel Zygons offered one of the most chilling and malicious interpretations of the aliens – whose evolved abilities not only extended narrative possibilities, but also increased their menace. However it was not their role as villains, but almost as victims that offered the race such substance in this story. Through Bonnie, the Zygons gained a voice that added a certain level of perspective to the conflict – and consequentially made the two-parter one of the most sincere and weighted appearance of not only the Zygons – but of any alien race to date. You can read more of my opinion on the Zygon’s Series 9 appearance in last week’s 2nd Opinion review here and this week’s addition here.
Have Your Say…
You’ve heard Connor’s thoughts but what do you think? Vote in the poll below:
Note: This poll requires you to rank the stories, from your favourite at the top, to least favourite at the bottom. Drag each of them to create your desired order of preference. Mobile and tablet users can directly number them (or try this link).
Bonus: Beyond the TV Series
While the Zygons have had an extremely limited number of appearances onscreen, the three episodes explored today are by no means a complete measure of the impact the aliens have had on the wider universe of Doctor Who. The fact that there are only three ‘official’ rankings today gives us the opportunity (and word count) to broaden our discussion to include Zygon stories from other forms of media. Firstly I’d like to draw focus to the Tenth Doctor novel by Steven Cole, “The Sting of the Zygons” in which the Doctor and Martha face an attack by Zygons on an English village in the early 18th Century. While admittedly not being the most gripping novel in terms of the characterisation of our protagonists, where “The Sting of the Zygons” finds its worth is through the progression of the narrative remaining both unpredictable and gripping for the majority of the storyline. In the worlds of Big Finish, the Zygons (like so much else) fair remarkably better – appearing in three audio stories since their first inclusion in 2008. One I’d like to pay specific mention to is “The Zygon Who fell to Earth” – the sixth episode in the second series of ‘Eighth Doctor Adventures’ – which many will know I hold a particular special affection for. It’s a story that enjoys the gorgeous premise of a fallen Zygon warlord opening up a B’n’B in the Lake District and falling in love, which might sound tacky, but is executed beautifully with an ending so poignant and moving that it always leaves me choking back tears.
