Doctor Who Re-Watch: Meglos – a story of two extremes?
By James Aggas
Continuing our series of reviews, we look at Meglos, an unusual story featuring an evil cactus and a doppelganger Doctor. Is it a strong story from Tom Baker’s final season of Doctor Who?
The second serial of Season Eighteen, Meglos is a bit of an unusual Doctor Who story. The one thing that instantly leaps out about it is how it basically has a cactus as a villain. A sentient, shape-shifting cactus, but still a cactus. That’s just bound to draw attention, regardless of the overall quality of the serial. But does that necessarily make it a weak story?
One strong element that stands out about the serial is the theme of science versus religion. The ongoing debate between the religious Deons and the scientific Savants is a theme that was interesting back in the Eighties and still remains relevant today. So the story has its strong points there. (Even if the Deons’s hair is frankly stupid and horrifically dated.)
Returning legend
It’s also nice to see Jacqueline Hill, who originally played Barbara Wright in the first two seasons, back in the show, albeit in a very different role. Lexa is an interesting character, and Hill’s performance is enjoyable to watch.
However, it has to be said that while her performance is a strong one, the same is definitely not true of the rest of the cast. Many characters come across as flat or two-dimensional. This can sometimes be due to the writing (the Gaztaks definitely spring to mind, although I will admit that even they get the occasional funny line). But other times, it’s simply down to a weak performance.
The production also looks rather weak at times, especially after a story that looked as good as The Leisure Hive did. The worst moment features a bunch of the most laughably bad “killer plants” I’ve ever seen! (And that’s saying something!)
Dual performance
Still, there is one more strong point that makes Meglos enjoyable: Tom Baker’s dual performance. With Meglos taking on the physical form of the Doctor for most of the story, this means that we get to see him play the role of a villain for once.
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And it’s quite an enjoyable performance, too. While there are admittedly some moments when he looks distinctly bored during the story as the Doctor (the cliffhanger to part three definitely springs to mind), he clearly had a lot of fun playing Meglos, at least.
Overall, Meglos is definitely flawed, and quite possibly my least favorite story of the season. There are some shocking moments when not just the production, but the acting and even the writing are laughably bad. But oddly enough, it also has some great moments, too. There are some interesting ideas, and there are moments when the story is genuinely funny, too.
So whichever way you look at it, you probably won’t be bored by Meglos, at least. Just don’t take it too seriously, and you’ll have a rather fun watch, overall.
Next. Gallifrey: Time War – five major moments for Doctor Who mythology. dark
Are you a fan of Meglos? Do you think it’s the weakest story of Season Eighteen, or an underrated classic? (Not likely in the latter’s case, but it’d be interesting to know if anyone thinks that, anyway.) Let us know in the comments below.
