I'm pleased to say that, even after seven UNIT stories in a row, The Claws of Axos still managed to keep my attention. Being a four-part serial does help, as always. I'm becoming increasingly convinced as I go through this marathon that 100 minutes is just about the ideal amount of time to tell a Doctor Who story. Though some stories manage to fill out longer runtimes without being boring, almost all of them have to pad the space with captures and escapes, among other things. This isn't really meant as an indictment of these stories; rather a remark that in my opinion, the four-part serial (or the modern two-part story) is probably, on average, the best.
Story length aside, this one is served well by being one of the most visually arresting Doctor Who stories so far. As well as another good directing turn from Michael Ferguson - his last on the series, unfortunately - we get to enjoy some of the most striking monsters and some of the best practical effects we have ever had. The shots of the "bodies" of the Axon victims caving in like melting wax and falling apart are real nightmare fuel, and the pulsating interior of Axos itself is certainly a fascinating locale. As seems to be typical for this era, there's also some fantastic stunt work. Here I'm thinking of the scene where Yates and Benton bail out of an exploding jeep, which fries the Axons clinging to it.
We also get to enjoy the amusing first of seeing the Master on his back foot, getting bossed around by a bigger and scarier alien menace. He gets to hit the usual notes of hypnotizing someone, wearing a bad disguise, and of course verbally sparring with the Doctor. I found the scenes where the Doctor is tricking the Master into working with him thoroughly enjoyable.
The Doctor's excoriating remarks to Chinn in Episode One interested me, not just because it's always nice to see the Doctor taking a stand against bigotry, but because Chinn doesn't actually seem to say anything on-screen to provoke it. One imagines that the Doctor simply knows Chinn's reputation beforehand, otherwise it makes the transition between Chinn asking who the Doctor is, to the Doctor castigating him, look very odd indeed. Nevertheless, the story's indictment of colonialism, while a little clumsy, is an effective one.
I'm pleased to see that the last episodes of this set up the Doctor's ability to pilot the TARDIS again, even if he is still partly tethered by being forced to return right to Earth after each trip. It's a step in the right direction, because as lovely as the last season and a half has been, the lack of variation in settings was starting to get to me. The appropriately named Colony in Space is next, and will finally break this streak.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 27 March 2021.)
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