My second favorite from the Tom Baker Years
I have to admit that I'm partial to the Seeds of Doom because the fifth segment was the first episode of Dr. Who that I ever saw. I was only seven or eight at the time and the sight of evil, intergalactic plants taking over unwitting human beings was one of the most terrifying that I had ever seen. Well years later, the image isn't quite as scary but the story and the performances still hold up remarkably well as the Doctor (played here by Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane Smith (one of my favorite companions -- an opinion that is apparently shared by many fans) confront insane, plant-obsessed millionaire Harrison Chase (played to cold perfection -- and with an admirably serious air -- by Tony Beckley) and the evil alien fungus that he has unwittingly brought back to life. This seriel was written by a veteran of the Avengers and, as such, doesn't play so much as a traditional installment of Dr. Who but instead as an especially elaborate Avengers episode in which Patrick McNee has been...
As good as it gets
Is this the best episode of Baker's seven-year run as the Doctor? Quite possibly. Certainly it is up there with "Horror of Fang Rock" and "The Talons of Weng Chiang" on my list of personal favorites. All of the elements which made the series so good are here -- terrific chemistry, Gothic horror, campy dialogue, over the top villainy, and of course that all-purpose English manor, which appeared in about 17 episodes and which I think actually belonged to Mick Jagger (it gets blown up at the end, but that doesn't mean we've seen the last of it).
I have to say the criticisms of this episode that I've read seem silly to me. Bad special effects? When were the effects in this series ever good? In my view it has only two flaws -- it's too long to watch comfortably in one sitting and there are way too many escapes and recaptures, the Doctor & Sarah spend half the episode getting tied up and the other half escaping, and there is a ridiculous Dr. Evil moment where the...
"I could play all day in my green cathedral..."
Two alien plant plods are found frozen in the Antartic, and examining the pods might lead to the extinction of all animal life on earth. Like "Terror of the Zygons", Robert Banks Stewart dishes us out another masterpiece! There is an extreme urgency in this story to quell the problem, and keeps you the on edge throughout ALL six parts, an element missing in a majority of six-parters. Baker and Sladen are brilliant, Baker giving a dramaticperformance with hints of his own absurdity. Harrison Chase is an unforgettable character and is quite chilling! All actors involved give it their best. Some interesting video viuals are used for the Antartica location, really quite effective. Not only was the story influenced by "Day of Triffids", "Quatermass Experiment" and many others, it also echoes "Night of the Living Dead" as our heroes and outcasts nail and hammer themselves in Chase's mansion. A great way to end the season!
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