whomutants

THE MUTANTS by Bob Baker and Dave Martin

Story 63

Synopsis:
Working on a new amendment for Bessie, the Doctor receives a package from the Time Lords, and Jo sneaks along with him in the TARDIS. They land on a Skybase in the 30th century, orbiting Solos. Earth is about to grant independence to Solos, but the Skybase Marshal is opposed to it, and plots the death of the Earth Administrator, blaming Solonian Ky. Ky escapes down to the planet, kidnapping Jo in the process, and activating the package. The Doctor is asked to work with a scientist, Jaeger, but he finds a way to escape. He travels down to Solos with Varan, and they find Ky and Jo in a cave. Ky opens the package, but inside are tablets with an obscure dialect on them. Varan leaves to make war. The Marshal arrives, blowing up the cave entrance, and pouring poison gas in. They are rescued by Sondergaard, who takes them to his lab. There, he begins to decipher the tablets. Ky, Jo, Stubbs and Cotton return to Skybase, but as Varan's prisoners. During a scuffle with the Marshal, Varan is sucked into space. Sondergaard takes the Doctor to a thaesium cave, and he removes a chunk of thaesium. He makes for Skybase, whilst Sondergaard makes contact with the mutants. The Doctor tries to rescue Jo, but the Marshal stops him. An Earth Investigator arrives to check up on the Marshal, who has now planned to change Solos' atmosphere to make it humans only. He will call it New Earth, and rule from Skybase. Jo and friends escape, and the Doctor accuses Jaeger and the Marshal of genocide and other crimes. The Doctor tricks the Marshal into revealing his anti-mutant feelings. Sondergaard gets the thaesium chunk to Ky, and it forces his mutation into a super-being. He frees Jo, then zaps the Marshal. The Doctor rigs up a machine which kills Jaeger. With the mutant issue solved, the Doctor and Jo slip off in the TARDIS.

Review:-
Many stories are loathed. Many don't deserve their reputations.
I think I've had a soft spot for this story for years... certainly I can recall reading the book, which isn't something I can say for a lot of adventures, and the chance to see the story came as a chance for me to judge the true merits of a heavily criticised story.
It's actually quite good. The central evolution aspect works quite dramatically, and the connecting theme of racism is handled in a rather simplistic, yet understandable, way.
Solos is a rather harsh and inhospitable world of mists and mines, it seems, where the locals mutate every 500 years. That's a thumbs up for design and creativity, from me, anyway.
The Marshal works as a villain because he doesn't have any lighter side - he wants Solos remoulded to suit the human race, although his later plans for New Earth mark out his madness.
Jaeger seems a failure, an inadequate scientist, a hopeless person, unable to command respect, and therefore not getting any.
Sondergaard is his opposite - sensible, rational, creative, helpful.
Ky manages to retain interest, although his tragic misjudgement of the Administrator in part 1 sets the scene for his fugitive escapades, although as soon as he saves Jo, there is no question of whose side he is on.
The Doctor manages to fit in all through the story, whether debating science on Skybase or trawling through the thaesium cave, diagnosing evolution, or damning genocide.
The Mutts are reasonably well designed, although there is a Zarbi-like quality which dismays.
Finally, there are Stubbs and Cotton. Now, Stubbs is played by a notable Scouse actor, and delivers his lines with credibility. Cotton is played by Rick James, and delivers his lines with such an unusual tone, that almost nobody who has ever seen this has a nice word to say about him. Short of mentioning top sitcom Desmond's, I'm not sure I do, either. At least Stubbs gives him some depth.
I also want to mention the cliffhangers to part 3, which is almost fantastic, with a rare fade giving more impact than the usual freeze-frame-style gimmick. A few seconds longer, and it would be even better.
Overall, as I say, a decent tale, with great scope.

Disclaimer: I've seen the video, and read the book.