The Doctor Who Review | Season 9 Episode 7

Last updated on 28 December 2024

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase with one of these links, I recieve a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full Affiliate Policy.

WARNING! SPOILER ALERT! 

Welcome back to the seventh Doctor Who Review, where I recap the week’s episode and give some thoughts and opinions on it. Please do not read if you have not seen this week’s episode. There are major spoilers ahead. You have been warned. 

Title:  The Zygon Invasion
Written by: Peter Harness


This week’s episode (can’t believe we’re already up to episode 7!) begins with a handy dandy little flash back to 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, to remind us of the Zygons and the ever-loved Osgood. Just a quick recap, the Zygons and the people of earth have a peace treaty/cease fire, the Zygons allowed to take human form and live among us. Osgood had a Zygon double, and in this episode one of the Osgoods may or may not have been killed…and it may or may not have been the human Osgood. Confusing, but there we have it.

When Osgood is under attack, she sends an SOS to the Doctor, who then goes to UNIT and learns that the peace treaty, the ceasefire, has been broken, the Zygons form a mutiny and rid themselves of their commanders, and they take all their prisoners to Turmezistan. The Doctor, who has had trouble getting in contact with Clara  for half the episode, heads there to find the missing Osgood, which leaves Clara (eventually contactable) to stay and keep an eye on things back in England.

We learn that the Sheriff showing Unit leader Kate around the ghost town in New Mexico as she’s there following the Zygon symbol, is actually a Zygon, and surprise surprise, so is Clara. The end scene is Bad-Clara aiming a bazooka at the Doctor’s plane (hence why you should always travel by TARDIS), and roll credits.

I did enjoy having the Zygons back in this episode. I liked it when Doctor Who brings back story lines, even if they do involve giant red creatures with weird suckers on their bodies. I really love Osgood. She’s great, and I feel like she’s every fangirl out there. In this episode she’s sporting question marks on her collar, just like Doctor the 7th, which our current Doctor picks up on.

Other things that were great this episode was the Doctor calling himself Doctor Disco, and how Clara checks her phone to discover 127 missed calls. Clara also memorises Trivial Pursuit questions, the Doctor places Amazing Grace on the guitar, and suddenly has his own jet and wants to use his ‘King of the Universe’ status. Oh, and the Doctor calls Osgood a hybrid…which, again, makes me come to the conclusion that is is indeed a season of hybrids.

The plot line was great, and I’m actually so looking forward to seeing Bad-Clara in more action next week, as this story continues. You guys know my feelings towards Clara (you  know, how I’m sick of her and she needs to leave etc etc …and actually I read somewhere recently that this is her last season. YAY!), but Bad-Evil-Zygon-Clara feels fun. She’s not really Clara…and that’s great.


It was a good episode, and it’s nice having some old faces back, like Kate in Unit (although she’s in it a lot more this season), and also Osgood. Looking forward to next week’s episode!

Image from BBC