Doctor Who Retro Review: ‘The Green Death’ Episode 6
By Leah Tedesco
And we finally come to the sixth installment of our review of the classic Doctor Who serial ‘The Green Death,’ starring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor, Katy Manning as Jo Grant, and Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.
*** This review contains spoilers. ***
For our review of Episode Five, click here.
Ok, what have we got here at the beginning of the end of this tale? Well, the Brigadier brings a solid sample of toxic waste, carried carelessly in an open wooden box, to the Doctor. The latest version of the hybrid mushroom tastes just like beef according to the Brigadier. Sergeant Benton brings the Doctor a maggot chrysalis. Can its new form fly? Probably. A dead maggot is found on the kitchen table. It is surmised that it died from eating the mushroom. Time to go kill more maggots!
In addition to the smug sense of humor that we have seen from BOSS over the course of the story, he has begun to recite literary quotes and sing. Also, he wants to make Yates “the first of the new slave elite.” But Yates escapes, so… there’s that.
By the way, the maggots transform into ooze-spitting dragonflies that are able to be killed by… throwing the Doctor’s cloak on them?
From questioning Jo, the Doctor figures out that Cliff’s delirious muttering of “serendipity” refers to Jo’s accident of spilling the fungus powder on the slides making the mushroom development a success. Of course, it is not just a nutritious food for the masses and a maggot pesticide, but a cure for the virus, as well.
BOSS and Stevens begin the process of merging completely and taking over the world, but the Doctor uses the crystal to break the link between them. Stevens tells the Doctor to evacuate while he sacrifices himself to destroy BOSS and the building along with it.
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Cliff is now healed. He and Jo tell the Doctor that they will be taking the research trip to the Amazon together. Cliff matter-of-factly lists getting married as part of their itinerary, surprising Jo. He had forgotten that he did not already purpose. He does, and she agrees. Sure, he may be condescending and sexist toward her, and she has only known him for a few days, but it is love in the 1970s, after all.
Thanks to a phone call from Jo to her uncle Jack Canning, the United Nations grants the Wholeweal commune official status as a priority one research complex. The Doctor gives Jo the blue crystal as a wedding present and slips away during the celebration. He drives Bessie away against the backdrop of the setting sun.
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And there you have it, folks. Honestly, over the past few days, I have been frantically making up writing time that was lost to a vacation and a stomach bug this month… so thanks for bearing with me if I sounded exhausted and incoherent by the end. Anyway, I would love to see another story involving Wholeweal. It would fit in very well with the issues of our current time. What do you think of ‘The Green Death’? Let us know in the comments.