The Green Death [TV/1973.5.19 ~ 6.23]

★★★★☆

  Talk about going out in style. For the record, while I don't think this is the absolute best Jo Grant was onscreen (that would be, in my mind, either in The Mind of Evil or The Curse of Peladon), I certainly consider this certainly the most memorable turn of hers onscreen for multiple reasons. For one, she's given much more thought than usual, showing that she's grown and learned a great amount since her introduction, and that she's capable of making up her own mind as she "flies the coop", leaves the Doctor's side to pursue her activist dreams. Then there's the fact that everything is geared to set up Jo's exit at the end of the serial, a very emotional affair considering Katy Manning's long time on the show (she'd been around as long as Jon Pertwee at this point!), and the actor seems genuinely emotional as her character says her final goodbyes. I do think it would have been more interesting if she got a more proactive role in the plot -- maybe Mike Yates' role of infiltrating Global Chemicals -- to drive home just how much initiative and bravery she learned from the Doctor, but I suppose the whole thing about Cliff Jones was needed to set up her departure. In any case, Jo gets to strike out on her own here and make some key discoveries.

  So does her and Cliff work? I can't imagine someone like her actually finding this sort of man attractive (the kind of guy who proposes days after they met, by assuming she'll say yes as well!), and Manning is on my side on this one. Then again, Cliff seems like a nice guy, and the character absolutely works within the confines of this adventure. Barry Letts strikes again with another activist Dr. Who serial with a prescient message for humanity, and it's another amazing one at that. The maggots are terrifying, BOSS is a great villain, and the Doctor and co. get to have so much fun. The Doctor plays the biggest game of dress-up since his predecessor's getups in The Highlanders, the UNIT family gets to fight giant maggots and have some fungi dinner, and Jo... well, I already talked at length about Jo. She's the main character of the serial, undoubtedly so, and Manning gives her all for her final outing. Touching, exciting, and terrifying -- what else could you want from Dr. Who?