Episode #85 : The Seeds of Doom

"I suppose you could call it a galactic weed, though it's deadlier than any weed you know. On most planets the animals eat the vegetation. On planets where the Krynoid gets established, the vegetation eats the animals."

Episode 85:   The Seeds of Doom.
Companions: 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.
Air Date:      Six episodes. 31st January to 6th March 1976.

When scientists in the Antarctic uncover two mysterious seed pods, the Doctor is called in to investigate. He soon realises they are extraterrestrial and extremely dangerous. At the same time, however, ruthless plant-lover Harrison Chase has learnt of the find and decides he must have the pods for his collection of rare and beautiful flora. And the pods themselves harbour intelligent life with sinister plans of its own.

I love this story even though some elements, such as Chase's bizarre love of plants, seem overly exaggerated. This classic appears to have it's roots (pun intended) in the Day of the Triffids and the old black & white version of The Thing. Here we have alien plants travelling to Earth through space looking for a new home and animal life to feed upon. Foolish human arrogance and greed lead to one Krynoid being brought back to England, thawed and led lose upon the world.

The story moves along nicely, starting in Antarctica for a good chunk of it before coming back to the UK. The characters are portrayed well though the Doctor does come across as a lot more violent than he normally is. He doesn't kill anyone but he certainly gets into a couple fisticuffs. We know the Doctor isn't entirely pacifistic as we have seen him fence before and don't forget Venusian Aikido, but this time around it is certainly more than we are used to but it doesn't spoil anything by it.

The Krynoid as the monster is quite memorable. In places it is a resprayed Axon costume, then a man with a rubbery sheet over his head and finally the giant rubber monster in the picture above. I like the concept of an intelligent carnivorous plant creature and this story does it well. The defeat of the Krynoid is a little weak and UNIT without the Brigadier seems rather bland, simply there to blow the giant plant up.

The Seeds of Doom is another example of good Who and a watch is well recommended.