• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chicken Dynasty

  • Home
  • Web Series
    • Safety First
    • Scientific Method
    • Redeemers
  • Reviews
  • Blog

Doctor Who Story 110: Meglos

February 1, 2016 Leave a Comment

An evil cactus plots to steal a Dodecahedron from some people to power a planet-destroying weapon.

Plot Summary

Savants and Deons

Savants (left) and Deons (right)

Episode 1

We’re introduced to the planet Tigella and its inhabitants, which is split into two groups – the Savants (scientists) and the Deons (spiritualists). Both have different takes on the massive Dodecahedron beneath the city they share; the Savants believe it to be a technological artifact that powers their city, while the Deons worship it as a god.

Gaztaks and Meglos

The Gaztaks give Meglos the Earthling

Elsewhere, on the desert planet Zolfa-Thura, a group of Gaztak space pirates visit a megalomaniacal talking cactus named Meglos, who promises them riches. The Gaztaks offer Meglos an Earthling they kidnapped, which he absorbs, allowing him to take humanoid form. Meglos aims to steal the Dodecahedron from the Tigellans to power a planet-destroying weapon.

In the TARDIS, Romana and the Doctor work on fixing K9 (still damaged from the previous serial). The TARDIS gets close to Tigella, where the Doctor had previously visited in an unseen adventure. He decides to pop over to visit an old friend, but Meglos, aware of the Doctor’s identity, traps the TARDIS in a time loop.

Doctor, Romana, K9

The Doctor repairs K9

Episode 2

Meglos uses his shape shifting ability to assume the Doctor’s form and has the Gaztaks take him to Tigella. He meets the Savants and Deons, and they show him to the Dodecahedron. When left alone, Meglos uses a device to shrink the Dodecahedron, which  he then sticks in his pocket.

Meglos with the Dodecahedron

Meglos steals the Dodecahedron

Back on the TARDIS, Romana and the Doctor finally break free of the time loop and arrive on Tigella, just in time for the Tigellans to blame him for stealing the Dodecahedron.

Doctor arrives on Tigella

The Doctor is accused of stealing the Dodecahedron

Episode 3

The Doctor convinces some of the Savants of his innocence, deducing a doppelganger is the true thief of the Dodecahedron. The Deons show up and apprehend them all, saying that to appease their god, they’re going to sacrifice all non-believers…starting with the Doctor.

Doctor about to be sacrificed

The Deons attempt to kill the Doctor

Meglos reunites with the Gaztaks, and they take the Dodecahedron back to Zolfa-Thura.

Meglos showing off miniature Dodecahedron

Meglos shows the miniature Dodecahedron to the Gaztaks

Episode 4

Romana and the Savants rescue the Doctor, and they all pile into the TARDIS to follow Meglos and the Gaztaks to Zolfa-Thura. There, Meglos buries the Dodecahedron in the sand under a group of large screens (solar panels); these panels can channel the energy from the Dodecahedron into a beam to destroy planets.

Gaztaks and Tom Baker in control room

This is either Meglos or the Doctor pretending to be Meglos

When Meglos steps out of the control room, the Doctor heads in (impersonating Meglos to trick the Gaztaks) and sabotages the controls for the Dodecahedron weapon. The Gaztaks, in the meantime, decide to betray Meglos and take the weapon for themselves; they capture both Meglos and the Doctor and put them in a cell.

The Doctor’s friends bail him out, and they have a brief fight with Meglos before he abandons the Earthling he absorbed and reverts to his cactus form.

Romana, Savants, and K9

Romana (and friends) to the rescue!

The Gaztaks target Tigella with the Dodecahedron weapon, but due to the Doctor’s sabotage, the weapon will instead destroy Zolfa-Thura when used. The Doctor and friends leave in the TARDIS just in time…

Dodecahedron on Zulfa-Thura

The Dodecahedron in place

Back on Tigella, the Doctor drops off the Savants and offers to take the Earthling back home. Romana relays a message that the Time Lords want the TARDIS to return to Galifrey.

Earthling and Doctor

The Earthling and the Doctor on Tigella

Thoughts

Not a bad episode. We started off with a typical faith vs. science story that slowly became second fiddle to an evil cactus story. Meglos was unremarkable in character, but the fact that he was an evil talking cactus makes up for that drawback

Lexa

Jacqueline Hill as Lexa

Lexa, leader of the Deons, was played by Jacqueline Hill, who played First Doctor companion Barbara Wright. It was nice seeing her again, and she spoke in such an over-the-top, theatrical fashion that made her totally distinct from Barbara.

There were some comical undertones in the story that I enjoyed, though the writers admit that some of their intended humor was lost by the director. This serial almost had the same tone as one of the Douglas Adams serials, like The Pirate Planet, or maybe one of Robert Holmes’ – the Gaztaks especially felt like the rogue-types Holmes liked to put in his stories.

Gaztaks

The lovable Gaztaks

Uh, so…what’s going to happen to the Tigellans without the Dodecahedron? They made a big deal about having power fluctuations and that without the Dodecahedron, their city is doomed. Now that the Dodecahedron was destroyed on Zolfa-Thura, are the Tigellans done for? Their fate wasn’t really addressed.

Here’s a fun drinking game: every time someone says “Dodecahedron” take a shot. No, don’t. You’ll pass out and your liver will shrivel. I use it 16 times in this review alone. Imagine how many times it comes up in four episodes!

In the end, Meglos is entertaining, but its biggest flaw is that there’s nothing really original or unique about it (other than the talking cactus).

Earthling tries to break free

The Earthling tries to free himself from Meglos

Rating

3 out of 5 eggs rating

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Series: Doctor Who Decade: 1980s Filed Under: TV Show Reviews Tagged: Fourth Doctor, K9, live action, sci-fi, time travel

Related Posts

  • Wilkin and Skagra
    Doctor Who: Shada
  • Cory and Lowery
    Doctor Who Story 19: Mission to the Unknown
  • Doctor about to fall off cliff
    Doctor Who Story 147: Dragonfire
  • Doctor Who Reign Of Terror Thumb
    Doctor Who Story 8: Reign of Terror

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe

Sign up to receive notifications of new posts by email.

Connect

Find me on TwitterFind me on YouTubeFind me on RSSFind me on IMDbFind me on Newgrounds

Recent TV Show Reviews

  • The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
  • Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest
  • Doctor Who Story 18: Galaxy 4

Reviews by Category

  • TV Shows
  • Movies
  • Comics

Reviews by Series

  • Andromeda
  • Doctor Who
  • Dragon Ball
  • Gatchaman
  • Gundam
  • Metal Hero
  • NFL SuperPro
  • Power Rangers
  • Saint Seiya
  • Scooby-Doo
  • Star Trek
  • Tales from the Darkside
  • TekWar
  • Tenko and the Guardians of the Magic
  • Twilight Zone
  • X-Men

Rating Key

5 Egg

Above and beyond, a true pleasure; re-watchable.

4 Egg

Very good, quality work.

3 Egg

Average, nothing special but inoffensive.

2 Egg

Weak, but may have one or two redeeming qualities.

1 Egg

Horrible, causes pain. Get it away from me!

Spoiler Alert

I spoil (near) everything in my reviews. If you want to remain spoiler-free, I advise you to close your eyes. But did you know that spoilers are actually good for you?

Recent Reviews

  • Money Train

    A transit cop plans to steal from a money train to pay off his gambling debt.

    Share this:

    • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
    • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

    Decade: 1990s Filed Under: Movie Reviews Tagged: Christmas, action, comedy, live action

Featured Episode

  • Episode 27: A Single Step

    A freak accident sends the Professor, Carl, and Tiffany and her friends to the South American jungle, where they encounter a dinosaur.

    Share this:

    • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
    • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
    • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Connect

Find me on TwitterFind me on YouTubeFind me on RSSFind me on Newgrounds
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact Me

Copyright © 2021 Chicken Dynasty | Site Design by Spica Creative

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.