Friday, February 21, 2014

TV Review: Doctor Who: The Green Death

This series is the last six episodes of season ten.  It features Jon Pertwee as the Doctor and Katy Manning as Jo Grant his companion.  At this time for whatever reason, the Doctor is working for UNIT.  This is a unit in England which is designed to deal with strange occurrences.  In this case there is a strange new disease, which infects  a coal miner which makes him shine green before he dies.  It is actually some kind of virus which takes over their DNA.  WE discover that there is a company Global Chemicals, which has been drilling and dumping their wast into the coal mines in the area. 
This ooze infects others, and also has created a nesting plant in which their are maggots, which also can infect people.  Global chemicals is very secretive, and eventually we learn that they in fact are controlled by a computer, which is effecting people's minds, sort of like hypnosis.  The computer is called B.O.S.S. Biomorphic Organisational Systems Supervisor.  Among other people he is controlling the president of Global Chemicals.  UNIT is put under their control, and consequently take steps to fight the maggots, which actually spread them.  They are going to metamorphose into dragon flies which will take the disease throughout the world.  There are three problems, defeating the larva, defeating the illness, and defeating the computer.  They have a friend in Dr. Clifford Jones, a sort of radical, who is developing a fungus to eat which will replace beef he hopes.  Because of an accident they discover the fungus, though good to people kills the illness, as well as the larva.  However the computer is set to launch an attack taking over worldwide computers.  This is averted when Mr. Wilson comes to his senses as the Doctor uses and anti hypnotic rock on him.  He sacrifices himself to cross the generators and blow the computer up.
This program has cheesy special effects, like many of the Doctor Who series.  But the story kept me entertained.  This was the last of Jo as a companion as she becomes engaged to Dr. Jones. 

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