The Mutants

THAT WAS FUCKING ASS NUMBING

A bit on the slow side -- it definitely could've been a quite pacy four-parter -- but it's a genuinely enjoyable story that takes a hard environmentalist and anti-colonial stance. Pertwee and Manning are as delightful a duo as ever, and the guest cast by and large deliver very compelling performances as well. There are some really nice moments in this one; it's just a shame that it plods so much along the way.

I very much enjoyed Bob Baker and Dave Martin's The Claws of Axos. For their second outing we can see several significant social issues being explored. Solos has a three tier class system. Native Solonians are ruled by Earth "Overlords" who have controlled Solos for 500 years, there is also a persecuted underclass of Solonians who have become infected (seemingly by the destroyed environment) and are mutating into "mutts" or "mutants".

The Doctor and Jo have been sent to Solos to deliver a sphere that will only open for one person. They step into a fractured world where the old guard seem to be in their last throws of their reign. Solos is no longer of interest to the Earth Empire, in part because the environment has been wrecked by the Overlords. It is of course tragic that the Solonians were to be set free by The Administrator before being killed by the rebel Kai, a character which the audience should almost certainly side with. Kai is of course the individual who the sphere was meant for.

Jo now well and truly feels like the quintessential companion. She demands they head towards danger despite The Doctor's protests to protect her. Although why The Doctor continues to demand she stay away from danger after the adventures they have shared is beyond me!

Firestorms and the eerie, mysterious caves show off more of Baker and Martin's trademark trippy visuals. It is great seeing The Doctor struggling as the frame rate gets slower and the CSO becomes beautiful and captivating. The Doctor is brave in an interesting way here. I prefer watching the Third Doctor travel into this kind of danger rather than driving around in cars making pretentious quips. I am in love with Pertwee here. He is our first true hero Doctor, watching him carry the examiner from Earth over his shoulders is a game changer in what we expect from the character.

It is sad seeing Kai surrounded by mutants attacking him who he still refers to as "his people", it is of great credit to this character. I love that we are never sure which characters are on which sides. Solonians against Solonians, Overlords against Overlords. We are left to judge characters on their individual merits and gain a deeper understanding over why divisions exist in social groups, The Mutants is not shying away from being complex. At first I didn't think it quite worked that the Marshal's men betrayed him so easily, but once I witnessed the two of them be betrayed by him themselves it becomes obvious why this man has so few loyal followers.

A hole gets shot in the side of the spaceship, our heroes are being sucked out into space. This is a fantastic cliff hanger (the best one in a very, very long time). The reveal that the mutations are not unnatural, instead the next stage of a 500 year Solonian life-cycle is also among the most ingenious plot twists in the show so far.

The ending of The Mutants is of course complete nonsense. This story has been an allegory for race relations, apartheids and colonisation. So what are we meant to make of the benevolent super-race that the mutants transform into? It feels like The Mutants jumps the shark and loses touch with the social messages it begins with. Maybe the point is "don't colonise other races, or one day they will develop and overthrow you". Or maybe "don't colonise other races, this is will allow them to develop at a faster rate". Neither of these seem satisfying. Or maybe its just the last episode of a Doctor Who story and we're simply supposed to enjoy the ride.

I very much like this duo's writing style and I'm looking forward to their third outing; but this one's ending wasn't spot on for me.

The Mutants reminds me a lot of Colony in Space. Both are very dry, boring stories that should be more exciting as we have the Third Doctor finally able to leave Earth. This serial just doesn't work for me, between the lame-looking sets and costumes and the even goofier story, I just did not get much out of these episodes. Even the Doctor and Jo just don't get any of their usual fun character moments here. It's just a sweaty, messy chapter in Doctor Who history I'd rather not revisit any time soon.

The Mutants has it all: a surpringly well-done anti-colonial and anti-racist story for 70s Doctor Who, good pacing for a 6-parter, and perhaps most importantly the Third Doctor in shirtsleeves