Green is the word (Doctor Who - The Green Death (DVD))

Member Name: illogicology

Product:	Doctor Who - The Green Death (DVD)
Date:	08/07/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A good Pertwee era UNIT story, well remastered DVD, 2Entertain's usual excellent special features

Disadvantages: The story itself is a bit preachy

The Green Death is the last serial in what is probably my favourite period of Doctor Who. This story sees the end of the run for the pairing of the Third Doctor and Jo Grant, these two were the pair from my childhood and I don't think anyone worked quite as well with Jon Pertwee as the quirky Katy Manning.

This serial also arrived at a time when the traditional UNIT stories were winding down. The 10th series began with The Three Doctors, a story in which the Doctor's exile on earth was lifted and he was free to explore again. The other stories, Carnival of Monsters, Frontier in Space and Planet of the Daleks are all reflective of where Doctor Who was heading and not where the Perwee era had been so far. The next series would see the introduction of Sarah Jane Smith and very little time on earth. For these reasons, The Green Death is really the last of Pertwee's unique UNIT stories. The series would return to the format with future doctors periodically, Tom Baker's Robot closes the era respectfully while David Tennant's more recent The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky arc has shown the UNIT story make something of a return.

For the most part, The Green Death follow the formula of Pertwee's era. The story involves mysterious deaths in a mine in Wales. The mine, having recently been bought by an archetypal, capitalist oil company, attracts the attention of UNIT. After the Doctor arrives it soon becomes clear that the oil company's motivations are not entirely innocent and something sinister is occurring in the mines. The adventure that follows involves a strange alien computer, giant maggots and luminous, glowing bruises.

Despite common trends of the period, the sinister businesses with easily brainwashed executives, the disembodied alien intelligence, this story somehow manages to stand out from the crowd. The story itself is well executed despite its familiarity and Pertwee's performance is on top form. The Brigadier seems to be somewhat more involved than his other appearances in the series though he achieves very little.

Also notable is the not-so-subtle inclusion of an environmental message to the story. The oil company is the villain of the piece while the local heroes are members of a hippy commune trying to invent a protein heavy mushroom. While I'm all for promoting a greener lifestyle its use in this serial is so heavy handed it's sometimes a cringe to sit through some scenes. However, this does not change the appeal of the story and for fans of classic Doctor Who it remains a strong story that has aged well. The special effects are generally strong with the exception of some blue-screen mineshaft scenes and the giant maggots are as gruesome as ever.

The quality of the picture is excellent for a production as old as this. The tape has a healthy looking grain to it but as with a lot of 60s/70s TV it has inconsistent colour and lighting. Though this is no fault of the DVD release and it is clearly highest quality way to view the story, significantly sharper than previous VHS release.

The DVD also contains 2 Entertain's usual excellent selection of special features. As with all there releases there is an excellent commentary track with people involved in the original production. The commentary here features Katy Manning, Barry Letts (the producer) and Terrance Dicks (script editor.) As this is Katy Manning's last story, she has some interesting contributions on leaving the show and the end of the period. There is also an interesting feature with writer Robert Sloman talking about his inspirations for writing the story. A very interesting feature if somewhat redundant considering the lack of subtlety on display in his script. Still worth a watch. The usual photo galleries are here and as pointless as ever. It is a credit to 2Entertain that all their Doctor Who releases are treated with the same respect and attention to detail. Everything is up to their usual standards and makes the release a great addition to a collector's library.

Summary: A great Pertwee era story given the usual, excellent 2Entertain treatment