Thursday, 4 June 2020

Who Reviews The Mutants by Matt Rabjohns



One of my favourite things about the Jon Pertwee era of Doctor Who was that almost every story had a good point to make. Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks never did a story about nothing in almost five years. And The Mutants is no exception. Bob Baker and Dave Martin have been on record stating that they felt The Mutants was their finest script for the show, and I am in consummate agreement. ​
From the very opening shots of the old mutant stumbling through the mist on alien planet, I know we are in for an intelligent and superb piece of drama. Themes of colonialism and racism are addressed with tact, and are not overtly thrust down throats so as to detract from the adventure at all. However, the script rings with pertinence and has some superb character building. ​
Paul Whitsun Jones as the Marshall of Solos is just yet another of those immensely talented actors who takes to the role with zeal and aplomb. He is a bombastic buffoon but with a devious and nasty nature that truly makes him a palpable villain and force to be reckoned with. Together with George Pravda as his somewhat unwitting partner in crime Jaeger they make a right couple of arrogant cretins. Their total dedication to the destruction of the Solonians doesn't make them one dimensional baddies though. ​
Christopher Coll made a favourable impression with me in The Seeds of Death and here again he makes a great character in Stubbs. It’s just a little sad that he again suffers a nasty death. His scenes together with Rick James's Cotton genuinely lead you to know they are close friends. ​
I've seen Rick James come in for a lot of slack for his performance in The Mutants. Personally, I can say I’ve seen countless worse acting efforts on screen in countless programmes. He's a well-rounded character in a very well-rounded story indeed. ​
The Solonians themselves too are an absolutely superb design. They genuinely look insectoid and as realistic as any design the classic series could ever manage to put together. Their movement too is very well directed. And again, it is great whenever you have an alien species who are not overtly evil. In fact, this time you get to feel sad for the barbaric way the humans are treating them all through the story. Several mutants die in horrible and unnecessary ways and the climax to the tale is extremely satisfying when the tables are finally turned. ​
Garrick Hagon's Ky is another winning character and he embodies the voice of the Solonians throughout this ripping yarn. If the Humans are the establishment, then he is the superbly performed and defiant antithesis. John Hollis as Sondergaard makes his presence felt too, and his scenes with the Doctor as they try to discover what the tablets meaning might be come over very strongly. They make a great foil to the callous and totally selfish Marshall. ​
Katy Manning as Jo gets to be as lovable and brilliant as she always is. It’s good to see her getting to use her escapology skills and to see her as a strong-willed woman stand off against tyranny. And yet again she seems to easily strike up an affinity and trust with Ky and their flight from the Marshall is believable and very watchable. ​
Even Geoffrey Palmer gets to shine briefly as the reasonable yet doomed Earth Administrator, but this comes as no surprise at all as Geoffrey has long been a superb and talented actor indeed. It’s just a tad sad that like plenty of Doctor Who characters he gets murdered far too soon. ​
James Mellor rounds off the pack as Varan. His pain at the death of his son by the Marshall's hands is strongly delivered, and one is inclined to feel very sympathetic for him as he slowly begins to turn into a Mutant. ​
There are a few seriously good effects in this story too. The colourful radiation cave for one, and the final transformed form of Ky as a super being. The direction is solid. Although maybe just a few times it is plain to see that the apparent mutating lumped backs of the human are just part of their garb and not attached to their spines so they don't really convince. But once in full mutant form they are an incredible lifelike design indeed. One of the finest along with the Ogrons and Zygons in my book. ​
The Mutants ranks amongst the best Third Doctor entries of all in my book. Its themes are raised without ever becoming preachy and one is left with a great deal to think about. All the best Doctor Who episodes do it. Bob Baker and Dave Martin had their tour de force with The Mutants. The storytelling is always tight. Combine this with a flawless as usual performance from Jon Pertwee and you get a story that definitely deserves its place in the higher echelons of the very best Doctor Who stories of all.

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