TV Review: Doctor Who: The Sun Makers

This is a four-part series which first aired on BBC in 1977.  Tony watched parts of this with me.  He thought it was just too cheesy.  The guns looked like wooden guns for child's play, and then they had laser rays coming out of them.  Also they kept using different words for His Eminence which was almost comical.  The story is based on Pluto.  The Company has  built artificial suns.  However they control them and tax for heat.  You are taxed for being alive.  You are taxed for dying because it takes heat to cremate you.  As a result the workers have to work over time, and have very little free time to sleep.  Finally a worker breaks, and is attempting to commit suicide, on the roof where he can feel the heat and is now subject to a fine.  The Doctor (Tome Baker) arrives at this point and they rescue him from suicide.  The Doctor is joined by Leela (Louise Jameson).  K-9 is also a featured character helping The Doctor.  The Doctor puts a bug in the people's ears which leads to general revolt.  There is a sizable underground community, and they join with the workers.  As trouble brews, Him Eminence gets smaller and smaller.  Several times both The Doctor and Leela are close  to death, or reprograming.
I can't say this is my favorite Doctor Who series.  However it gives us an interesting take on Pluto.  In this film, the inhabitants are form earth, via Mars; both planets have been overused and no longer support life.

Doctor Who: Horror of Fang Rock

The Tardis takes the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela (Louise Jameson) to a remote light house island.  Their are three employees.  A mysterious comet lands in the water, and the area suddenly turns foggy and cloudy.  One of the crew is electrocuted.  This is unusual as he has used the equipment many times.  The Doctor and Leela show up at the light house just after this.  The Doctor is suspicious, and even more so when the body disappears.  A but runs aground, going too fast in the fog.  It holds several British aristocrats, one of whom is trying to get to London in time for the stock market the next day.  He has inside information to use.  He is a rich brat.  The Doctor becomes convinced something is going to mount an attack.  He locks the doors and the whole in.  One of the seamen brings the third member of the light house crew.  His body has been mutilated.  One by one the people in the light house pass away, electrocuted.  What makes things more difficult, the alien body is a shape shifter, and having studied the human anatomy, he is well prepared to change shapes.  The Doctor figures out the species, Rutan.  They are at war, and plan to use Earth because of its convenient location, to mount an attack against their enemy.  Who cares if all the humans would be killed in counter attack.  The main ship is due to arrive shortly, as the first alien has been sending a signal.  Rutans are hard to kill, but they don't like heat.  They device a cannon type weapon.  However the mother ship is coming.  A diamond is used to magnify the light beam of the light house.  Game over.
This is the fifteenth season of the Doctor, and Tom Baker is the fourth Doctor.  Leela is not from England as most of the Doctor's companions.  She is actually not even from Earth.  This show has plenty of tension, and intrigue, The Doctor trying to think things through.  It also has plenty of screaming and people being electrocuted.  This is an enjoyable series.