The Seeds of Death [TV/1969.1.25 ~ 3.1]
★★★★★
Michael Ferguson -- sing his name to the high heavens. The Seeds of Death is something truly special, and it's in no small part thanks to his peerless direction. Suddenly for six episodes, Dr. Who is no longer a dustbin show shot in wonky BBC studio floors, but an expansive and wildly energetic thriller set in space and beyond. Sets are beautifully made, the narrative races along in a lightning (but not overwhelmingly fast) pace, the suspense is cranked up to eleven and the Doctor and his friends are the one force stopping the world from facing its end. Yes, this is honestly what I'd call a flawless slice of television.
With so many interesting angles, shots and zooms (plus POV shots to enhance the mystery and terror of the first few episodes), the settings and events are brought to life with such polish, such style. The score by Dudley Simpson is incredibly good, especially whenever the adrenaline kicks in and suddenly you're barraged by the most heart-racing tune imaginable, and the ensemble of characters -- from Gia Kelly to Eldred to the cowardly Fewsham (who gets a predictable but nonetheless lovely redemption moment) -- are utterly memorable. Mix in a confident collective performance from the regular cast -- with a standout showcase of Patrick Troughton's talents as the Doctor -- and this is a serial you're seriously doing yourself an injustice missing out on. With the Ice Warriors being such a menacing force with a new version of these monsters making their first appearance on telly, suggesting a hierarchy to the race beyond what the viewers had known at the time, it's the perfect serial to introduce the Second Doctor era to newcomers with. The six parts fly by, and practically every aspect of it is geared for success -- absolutely no compromise is made, and the result is that we get an incredibly expensive-looking adventure.
I love it to bits, The Seeds of Death. It's unashamedly an action adventure first and foremost, but it's much more than the sum of its brilliant parts. From the suspense to the set pieces to the story, everything holds strong to create something truly special.
Michael Ferguson -- sing his name to the high heavens. The Seeds of Death is something truly special, and it's in no small part thanks to his peerless direction. Suddenly for six episodes, Dr. Who is no longer a dustbin show shot in wonky BBC studio floors, but an expansive and wildly energetic thriller set in space and beyond. Sets are beautifully made, the narrative races along in a lightning (but not overwhelmingly fast) pace, the suspense is cranked up to eleven and the Doctor and his friends are the one force stopping the world from facing its end. Yes, this is honestly what I'd call a flawless slice of television.
With so many interesting angles, shots and zooms (plus POV shots to enhance the mystery and terror of the first few episodes), the settings and events are brought to life with such polish, such style. The score by Dudley Simpson is incredibly good, especially whenever the adrenaline kicks in and suddenly you're barraged by the most heart-racing tune imaginable, and the ensemble of characters -- from Gia Kelly to Eldred to the cowardly Fewsham (who gets a predictable but nonetheless lovely redemption moment) -- are utterly memorable. Mix in a confident collective performance from the regular cast -- with a standout showcase of Patrick Troughton's talents as the Doctor -- and this is a serial you're seriously doing yourself an injustice missing out on. With the Ice Warriors being such a menacing force with a new version of these monsters making their first appearance on telly, suggesting a hierarchy to the race beyond what the viewers had known at the time, it's the perfect serial to introduce the Second Doctor era to newcomers with. The six parts fly by, and practically every aspect of it is geared for success -- absolutely no compromise is made, and the result is that we get an incredibly expensive-looking adventure.
I love it to bits, The Seeds of Death. It's unashamedly an action adventure first and foremost, but it's much more than the sum of its brilliant parts. From the suspense to the set pieces to the story, everything holds strong to create something truly special.
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