The Claws of Axos [TV/1971.3.13 ~ 4.3]

★★★☆☆

  A comfort serial for many due to its honorary status as an amalgamation of everything that makes a Third Doctor era story tick, The Claws of Axos is perhaps the most representative adventure of this era's various little quirks and . You've got UNIT, the Brigadier and co., Jo Grant, the Master, an Earthbound story about aliens invading the planet, political turmoil with Barry Letts' barely hidden contempt towards UK nationalism, plenty of action and science-fiction mumbo jumbo to top it off as the Doctor keeps his desire to leave 1970s Earth barely hidden. It's like an all-in-one set, this; none of the aforementioned elements are what I'd call top notch, but they more than serve their purpose and make the sum product quite enjoyable indeed.

  The rapport between Jon Pertwee and Roger Delgado being so ridiculously good and electrifying as well as the comparatively compact runtime allow for an experience that never threatens to become overdrawn or boring. It's a nice quality to have, especially in the case of Claws of Axos, since this is one of those perfectly-paced serials you take one look at and realise how horribly wrong things could've gone. Axos has an ample amount of personality as a Dr. Who villain with its own quirks and methods of invasion (it's a nice touch to critique national greed towards wealth through presenting precious mineral/energy source Axonite), and the designers go way above the call of duty to create this truly alien culture. Michael Ferguson gives his all as well, making the direction one of the most impressive aspects about The Claws of Axos. It's precisely the kind of serial you'd turn on when you get that Pertwee itch; with dependable performances and good-to-great execution of a lovely idea, this is one serial I can't imagine anyone actively disliking.