Hey Master, don’t look behind us…but there is some…thing
A mysterious object has crashed in England and the Axons reveal that they need fuel to leave the planet. When Chinn (Peter Bathurst) overpowers Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) and U.N.I.T. in negotiation to accept the trade of Axonite to England, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) questions why the Axons want Axonite distributed worldwide. When the Doctor and Jo (Katy Manning) uncover the real truth behind the Axonite, the Doctor must form an alliance with his enemy the Master (Roger Delgado) to save Earth.
Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos aired during the eighth season of Doctor Who in four segments form March 13, 1971 to April 3, 1971. Following the events of Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil, Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos has been collected as part of The Jon Pertwee Years as Story #57.
Please…no wardrobe malfunctions!
Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos is a pretty good story in the old Doctor Who style. Like most Doctor Who it is probably one episode too long, and a bit too much running around when the story could simply be solved much quicker. I always feel a bit cheated when they use a time loop type solution to the problem, but I do enjoy the Doctor’s “teaming” with the Master to do it.
The Axons are fun villains. The golden versions remind me of the later villain in Doctor Who: Image of the Fendahl (Story #94) but in leotards. The story also has the mutant attackers. They kind of resemble the creatures from the later serial Doctor Who: The Seeds of Doom (Story #85) in that they are all tentacles and guys in big costumes and destroy what they touch (this time however they are yellow). With two fun alien creatures plus the always enjoyable Master, this series has enough for Whovians who want more monsters.
Giant tumors walk the Earth!
The older Doctor Who episodes sometimes look a bit better than the later episodes in the old run. Here is the case. The nice film work makes up for the cheesy sets and costumes but there is some weird tonal changes between outdoor footage and the indoor set footage which is also common for the series.
Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos is worth checking out. Old Doctor Who usually falls into entertaining but long or not worth the effort. This is entertaining but long and anyone who is a fan of the Master much check out his early appearance as the Master is just becoming a thorn in the Doctor’s side. Doctor Who: The Claws of Axos is followed by Doctor Who: Colony in Space.
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Preceded By:
Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil (Story #56)
Followed By:
