Poor Pigbin Josh – his parents certainly sealed his fate when they gave him that moniker. Sadly, never could they have imagined that it would lead him to be the first human to encounter Axos as it plunders its way through the universe.
Harry -
Pigbin Josh is one of the legendary bit parts in all of Doctor Who. His name and his utterances ("Ooo arr?") live on in countless message board posts. I tip my gin glass to Derek Ware for portraying this cult character, and for agreeing to dive into a pool of frigid water fully clothed. Gives me shivers just thinking about it.
Sarah -
"The Claws of Axos" could have been just another take of alien invasion, human greed, and bureaucratic ineptitude, but Bob Baker and Dave Martin’s script is so well-written and clever, that I ended up watching the entire story in one viewing, despite my plans to watch an episode or two before getting on with the day.
Harry -
It's a very breezy watch, never drags. Similar to "Spearhead from Space" - same opening scene, in fact - but a lot more psychededlic. More on that later.
Sarah -
The elements of the story are definitely reminiscent of "Spearhead from Space," but the reshuffling is clever enough to make it work.
Harry -
Once again, we have a story where everyone seems to be at their worst. The aliens are revealed almost immediately as writhing, gory things, and we soon learn they have been led there by the Master to plunder and destroy the Earth. Meanwhile, the human characters cannot stop bickering over who has authority. Soon enough, they start arresting each other. Well done. Even the Doctor casts a sneaky eye on the so-called "axonite" with designs for repairing his own TARDIS. As I noted in bold letters: EVERYONE IS IN THIS FOR THEMSELVES!
Sarah -
They are – and, at the same time, nothing is quite what we expect. The attractive Axons turn out to be hideous monsters. The Master and Doctor have to work together against the Axons. Chinn keeps the Axonite for Britain and manages to keep it from spreading worldwide. One hardly knows what to think!
Harry -
Ah, Chinn. Another in a long line of pompous, self-serving civil servants in Doctor Who. I liked how he kept getting his ego deflated by his own minister. Well played by Peter Bathurst.
Sarah -
Very well played. I was torn between contempt and sympathy for our friend Chinn. This is a man who is never going to win … at anything!
Harry -
Another memorable guest part is American agent Bill Filer, played by Paul Grist. Everything about Filer is just the way the British see Americans: his gung-ho attidue, his disrespect for authority and process, his massive hair and sideburns, and of course his car, the "big Yankee job" as Benton put it. I would have loved to see a BBC spinoff starring Bill Filer. In fact, the only title it could possibly have had would be BIG YANKEE JOB: The Bill Filer Adventures.
Sarah -
I suspect Jo would have gladly signed on as his partner for that series. She could barely tear her eyes from him!
Harry -
There's a fanfic for that.
Okay, let's pull it back together here. I mentioned the psychedelic look of this story and it might just be my favourite thing about it. Inside Axos it's all swirling lights and colours. The torture/interrogation scene was like an acid fuelled nightmare. Even Axos' choice of what non-threatening Axons might look like to humans is wild: golden-haired humanoids in colourful leotards with bulging eye sockets. They are attractive and repellant at the same time.
Sarah -
The art design is definitely the highlight of the story. The BBC team was on their game for this one and it looks like they had fun with it!
Harry -
Overall, story was something of a romp. The Doctor and Master came closer than ever to forming an alliance. Full credit to Jon Pertwee for playing those scenes so well that I totally believed he was about to leave Earth when he said "Goodbye Jo. I shall miss you."
Sarah -
That was heartbreaking! I knew he would be back, but felt devastated that he’d leave like that.
Harry -
Things worked out in the end. The menace was defeated, the Master absconded, UNIT did their part for Queen and Country, and the Doctor and Jo were back on the team.
Sarah -
Huzzah!
Harry -
Watching all of season eight in rapid succession does make the Master something less than his reputation demands. His grandiose plots keep landing him in jams where he has to beg the Doctor for help - the same Doctor he is trying to impress with his grandiose plots. I wonder what he'll get up to next.the same time.
Sarah -
I’m glad you’ve brought this point up. The Master’s reputation is so huge in fandom, and no doubt much of that is due to Roger Delgado’s fulsome performance. Watching the stories in order, one just gets the feeling of the same thing happening over and over again, with little real development of the Master’s character beyond his sticky relationship with the Doctor.
In any case, we’ll soon see what he gets up to next!
Harry -
Onward!
Best Line: "Axos calling Earth." I loved that voice.
Favourite Moment: the gory Axon creatures run wild.
Lasting Image: Bill Filer driving in a snowstorm, wearing Elvis sunglasses, because that's what every American does, right?
7/10
Sarah -
Best Line: The Master - "Take the normal procedures, sticky tape on the windows, that kind of thing."
Favorite Moment: The Doctor trying to explain the time loop.
Lasting Image: Chinn with the TOP SECRET file made me laugh out loud
7/10
Our marathon continues with Story #58 - The Colony in Space...
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