The Seeds of Doom

Researchers in the Antarctic discover two alien seedpods buried deep in the permafrost. The Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith, on behalf of UNIT and the World Ecology Bureau, are sent to investigate. News of the discovery also reaches eccentric millionaire Harrison Chase, who sends some of his goons to steal the seedpods. Harrison's men get their hands on one of the pods, blow up the research base and kill almost everyone. The Doctor and Sarah survive, naturally. After all that, it's a mad dash to find and stop Harrison from cultivating the seedpod, thereby unleashing a Krynoid, a deadly weed capable of taking over the entire planet. The Seeds of Doom feels like a throwback to serials from the Second and Third Doctor eras. The episodes at the research base are straight out of classic stories like The Ice Warriors and The Moonbase. And the rest of the serial, which unfolds in and around Harrison's estate, feels more like Day of the Daleks and The Green Death. The Fourth Doctor is a lot more prickly than we're used to seeing as well, definitely closer to the temperament we saw in Jon Pertwee's Doctor. Also, when the seedpods infect a researcher at the Antarctic base, I'm pretty sure they use a repainted costume from The Claws of Axos. Overall, The Seeds of Doom is good but it feels a little out of place when compared to the other serials in this season.

Rating: Oh, he died%