Story #84 - The Brain of Morbius (1976)

Sarah -
The Time Lords are at it again – sending the Doctor off to do their bidding on Karn, where strange happenings are afoot.

While Mehendri Solon awaits the arrival of a humanoid skull to top off the body he’s constructing for the still-living brain of the executed Time Lord criminal Morbius, the Sisterhood of Karn is desperate to protect the Elixir of Life from the Time Lords. Just another day for the TARDIS crew!


Harry -
Gosh Sarah, you've summarized the entire story in one sentence. "The Brain of Morbius" was written by Robin Bland - a pseudonym for Terrance Dicks, who was unhappy with the editing job done by Bob Holmes and so he requested that his name not go out on the broadcasts. I love the charming pseudonyms that popped up from time to time in the classic era.

This is such a fast-moving story, but so well done, I wonder what Holmes may have deleted or added. It's great pacey stuff, and Terrance Dicks should be proud to have his name attached to this classic.


Sarah -
Based on the DVD featurette, it seems Dicks was miffed to have his story changed at the time, but has come to appreciate how utterly good it is.


Harry -
I just watched the featurette (narrated by one Paul McGann!). So Morbius was a rogue Time Lord who led an armed rebellion against his own people, was thwarted and escaped, only for his ship to crash land on Karn, where a dutiful service robot went into action and pieced together a new body for him. This was the original Dicks storyline. Now I can see where Holmes and Hinchcliffe made changes. I'm glad Uncle Terry came around to appreciate the story, because the changes were damn good.


Sarah -
We've finally reached the pinnacle of the horror genre -- the Frankenstein monster! "The Brain of Morbius" is a classic among classics and I've been looking forward to rewatching it since we started this little marathon of ours. It's one of those stories where everything just works.


Harry -
It's Doctor Who as a Hammer Horror film. Shout out to Dudley Simpson's genre-appropriate score of brooding cellos, ambient atmospherics and horror flick stingers.


Sarah -
I have to begin with an appreciation of the guest actors -- Philip Madoc and Cynthia Grenville are absolutely perfect.


Harry -
Fantastic casting by director Christopher Barry.


Sarah -
When I think of this story, Solon and Maren are the characters that immediately come to mind.


Harry -
Let us not forget Gilly Brown as Ohica, who delivered some of the best eye-acting in all of Doctor Who.


Sarah -
The most active peepers in the Universe!

While the rest of the Sisterhood is a bit over the top, Grenville manages to underplay Maren just enough to win our sympathy. Given what we know about the Time Lords, her suspicion of the Doctor seems entirely reasonable to me. It's a pity the Sisterhood wasn't handled better in the story. It's exciting to learn that the Time Lords are dependent on the Sisterhood and that the two societies are equal in their power. I'm still waiting for a better story for the Sisterhood -- and, no, the 50th Anniversary didn't do it for me.


Harry -
I'm interested in finding any other stories that delve into Morbius' past. The fact we want more and more is the hallmark of a quality story.


Sarah -
Ask and you shall receive! I think I've found the next entry for the Sofa Book Club:

Warmonger. 


Harry -
Kazaa! I wonder if Uncle Terry snuck that robot into the story. Did you find anything else with the Sisterhood? Maybe an audio? If not, our friends at Big Finish have been asleep at the switch.


Sarah -
Bam!

Sisters of the Flame. 

And Bam!

The Vengeance of Morbius.  


Harry -
You are owning this banter, Old Girl!


Sarah -
Philip Madoc -- last seen by us as the War Lord in "The War Games" -- gives what I consider to be one of the best performances in the history of Doctor Who in this story. He is masterful as Solon and, despite the fact that he's an utter nut case, it's hard not to be drawn to him. The scenes where he turns on the charm to welcome the Doctor and Sarah are a brilliant contrast with his mad-scientist moments. The chemistry between his mania and the Baker's light touch is so compelling. I'm always sad to see him die -- and by the Doctor's hand!


Harry -
Cyanide poisoning: kolossal!


Sarah -
Really, it's quite shocking.


Harry -
I'm quite speechless at such an obvious act of murder by the Doctor. It was totally shocking and Hinchcliffe probably crossed a line here. Surely the Doctor could have concocted some sort of sleeping gas instead.


Sarah -
It's really out of character -- and more disturbing the more I think about it.


Harry -
Back to Philip Madoc. He's got one of those deep and mellifluous voices I'd love to listen to all day, even if he was reading the proverbial phone book. I laughed out loud at his brazenness when he offered the Doctor more wine a second time. So obsessed with that head!


Sarah -
He's a man on a mission!


Harry -
Cynthia Grenville was brilliant too, playing a woman who projected both strength and tiredness easily. One of my favourite moments was when she mocked the Doctor's arrogance, warning him: "I've only to raise my finger," to which the Doctor responded with a quick gasp and flinch, urging her to lower her finger. That's power.

While the outdoor sets looked like something recycled from "The Web Planet", I very much admired the inside of Solon's castle. It was the classic horror house set, complete with crazy angles, dark corners, cobwebs and a bubbling laboratory. Deep within that laboratory lurks Solon's "work", an abomination of assembled body parts and one very pissed off brain in a tank.


Sarah -
And what a brain it is! The moment when the brain spills onto the floor is shocking after so much buildup.

Still, the brain has to go somewhere, and into Solon's cribbed-together monster, it is!


Harry -
The brain plopping on the floor was a wonderfully icky moment.

As Gilly Brown performed with her eyes, so Michael Spice performed with his voice. His portrayal of Morbius' brain was all anger and paranoia, exactly what the character called for.


Sarah -
It's the perfect performance to remind the viewer how imperious and annoying the Time Lords can be!


Harry -
Once packed inside the brain case atop the monstrous body, Morbius goes on the rampage. He attacks Solon, then the Doctor, then Sarah, before poor brave Condo stops him. Poor brave Condo.


Sarah -
Poor dear Condo. His crush on Sarah is so sweet, when you get past the ick factor.


Harry -
After Solon is done away with, Morbius and the Doctor engage in the mind-bending contest. I honestly don't know what to think of this moment. It wasn't really explained what the object or consequences of the contest are, nor whether the Doctor "won" it, or just found a way to blow Morbius' mind and incapacitate him. Maybe I'll go along with what Dicks said - essentially it was something they threw together under tight timelines and monetary restraints, and they didn't put as much thought into the thing or its ramifications as the viewers do. So, it is what it is. What's your take on the contest?


Sarah -
It's comforting as the images of the Doctors past regenerations go by, and then disturbing when we see more faces after Hartnell. Are these the Doctor's previous regenerations or those of Morbius? Can you imagine if something like this happened in the current series? The Internet might just explode.

Unfortunately, on the screen, it just feels like a desperate measure to get out of the story.


Harry -
Of course, after that the Sisterhood storms the castle -- complete with burning torches! - and drive the monster to its death. The homage is complete.


Sarah -
Frankenstein wouldn't be the same without the torches -- pity they couldn't work in a pitchfork!


Harry -
All that is left is for Maren -- aware that there comes a time for everything to end -- to sacrifice herself so that the Doctor might be healed by the last of the elixir. Normally I hate when characters sacrifice themselves, but here it worked and it was tastefully done without hysterics or melodrama. Farewell Maren!


Sarah -
Maren knows what's what.


Harry -
And farewell to Karn... for now...

Best line:
Solon: "Condo."
Condo: "Doctor gone."
Solon: "I can see that, you chicken-brained biological disaster, but how?"
That's such a Bob Holmes line, I wonder if he snuck that one in.

Favourite moment: Solon's delighted reaction to the Doctor's head.

Lasting image: blinded Sarah approaches the brain in the tank.

9/10


Sarah -
Best Line:
Solon: "You’ll get a new head, Morbius. The crowning irony."
Morbius: "Fool!"
Solon: "Sorry, the pun was irresistible."

Favorite Moment: Sarah dumping the wine at Solon's table. Clever Sarah!

Lasting Image: The Doctor tied up while the Sisterhood dances around him.

9/10

 


Our marathon continues with Story #85: The Seeds of Doom...

Story #83 - The Android Invasion (1975)

Harry -
At the end of part one of "The Android Invasion", I had to go back to check if Terry Nation had also written "Invasion of the Dinosaurs." It was Malcolm Hulke who wrote the earlier story, but the similarities were striking.

Both stories share an opening premise: the Doctor and Sarah arrive somewhere in England and find every street and building totally abandoned. They encounter a handful of strangely acting characters, and for the most part are totally baffled by what's going on.

Nation raised the bar, adding a mysterious UNIT soldier who can cheat death, some creepy haz-matted creatures who look like a cross between the Autons and the Ambassadors of Death, and some trucked-in village folk who act like zombies. This was certainly one of the weirdest opening episodes we've seen for some time.


Sarah -
I have to admit that, going into this story, I wasn't sure that I remembered much about it. As soon as I saw the empty Devesham village square, it all came back to me. I find Invasion of the Body Snatchers/pod people-type stories to be SO creepy.


Harry -
There's your Hinchcliffe Horror Homage.


Sarah -
Can't have a Season Thirteen story without one! This story has freaked me out every time I've watched it. It's probably the weakest story of this season, but I still find it terribly disturbing.


Harry -
No kidding. One by one we see Crayford, Benton, Harry and Sarah Jane - or at least their android copies - turn on the Doctor. Sarah's face falling off to reveal an android beneath is one of the all-time creep-me-out cliffhangers.


Sarah -
There's really no competition for the lasting image in this story for me. I have to commend the actors for really making us believe they are androids. There's just the most subtle shift in their faces that completely sells it.


Harry -
At the opposite end of the acting spectrum, I loved watching Who regular Milton Johns as the gleefully brainwashed Crayford. He recited the Kralls' invasion plan with the unbridled enthusiasm of someone with no grasp on reality. He couldn't even bother to check if his left eye was really damaged.

Speaking of being creeped out, there is something inherently creepy about village pubs. Not just in Doctor Who. There's a story by horror writer Peter Straub where an American writer enters a village pub for a meal and the whole experience turns into a nightmare of alienation. There's also a scene in The Wicker Man where Edward Woodward's character is made to feel extremely unwelcome by the local folk at the local pub. Maybe that's it - being a stranger in a place where people gather - that causes so much anxiety. Even our gregarious Doctor gets the cold shoulder (and colder gaze) at the Fleur de Lis.


Sarah -
I was going to protest your characterization of the village pub, until I remembered the creepy pubs in The World's End. I think you're on to something there and may have just ruined village pubs for me from here on out.


Harry -
A nice counterpoint to all these cold and, er, mechanical characters are the squabbling Kralls. At first they don't look like much, in their drab robes and with their ugly, frowny faces. But the Kralls like to shout, especially at each other! Styggron and Chedaki really steal the show and their back and forth was amusingly watchable.


Sarah -
I'm not sure "Old Married Couple" was the effect that the production team was going for, but the Kralls were definitely amusing -- if not terribly intimidating. Those rhinoesque masks weren't quite what you'd picture for such a technologically advanced species.

Wait now! How have we gotten this far without welcoming Uncle Barry back to Doctor Who? His steady hand at the helm is undoubtedly what makes "The Android Invasion" work as well as it does.

While I'm feeling a bit warm and nostalgic, I'll also mention that this is the final story for Benton and Harry. I've made no secret of my love of Benton and will certainly miss our steady hero as this marathon progresses. It was nice to see them one more time.


Harry -
I don't know if they knew this was their swansong, but watching it so many years later, I wonder why they weren't given a proper goodbye and sendoff - this was the second opportunity to do so this season.


Sarah -
We've certainly been leading up to a separation from UNIT, but I guess it made at the time to keep the door open to further adventures. Colonel Faraday, meanwhile, was an obvious fill-in for the likely unavailable Nick Courtney, but he makes an excellent android -- and I was relieved that the Brig was spared that indignity!


Harry -
It was a bit ironic that in a story about dopplegangers, Nick Courtney the actor was replaced by someone else.


Sarah -
Ha! It is!

In the end, I can't help but think that in any other season, this would be a solid episode. But, surrounded by so many significantly stronger stories, it can't help but seem a bit diminished.


Harry -
I'd forgotten most of this story, and there were a few other things that stood out on watching it again. I don't know if it was because of Barry Letts or not (it wasn't really his thing), but we viewers got a quickie science lesson when the Doctor reminded Sarah that water is an excellent conductor. It was almost whimsical, that moment. Lo and behold, she quickly rigged up a trap that destroyed one of the androids, using water and electricity to blow it up.


Sarah -
There is nothing Sarah cannot do!


Harry -
And I don't want it to seem like I paused the story several times and stared madly at the screen, but was Sarah wearing some kind of proto-Crocs? Her footwear looked very Croc-like. Maybe they aren't such a new craze.


Sarah -
This is why we're such good friends! I did the exact same thing. What the heck was she wearing?


Harry -
Mad props to Sarah again in this story. She saved the Doctor's life multiple times. He's getting to be very reliant on her timely interventions.


Sarah -
I'm afraid it's starting to wear on her a bit. She has been asking to go home after nearly every adventure.


Harry -
She was ready to take a cab home after this one!

As noted above, "The Android Invasion" is a Terry Nation story, and it had that familiar Nationesque episodic structure about it. Parts one and two were mostly in the phony Devesham village setting; we then moved to the Krall base for part three, and back to Earth for part four. It's all very orderly. The absence of the Brig was very notable, and again the lack of a proper UNIT sendoff ended this one on a weak note. I agree, this was a decent story and rolled along nicely, but it's probably the weakest one among the other classics this season.


Sarah -
Ready to move along to yet another highlight of the season?


Harry -
Let's see how well the Doctor really is at piloting the TARDIS. He seemed quite confident at the end here.


Sarah -
Best Line: "Is that finger loaded?"

Favorite Moment: Sarah chiding the Doctor for standing around while he's tied to the monument (and bomb) in the middle of the village.

Lasting Imagine: Android Sarah, after her face has fallen off.

6/10


Harry -
Best Line: "Let's try the pub."

Favourite Moment: Crayford's gleefully brainwashed recitation of the Kralls' invasion plan.

Lasting Image: definitely Android Sarah.  Beyond creepy!

7/10

Our marathon continues with Story #84: The Brain of Morbius...

Story #82 - Pyramids of Mars (1975)

Harry -
It should not surprise anyone that the Tom Baker era is considered by many to be the high point of classic Who. Every story so far has been outstanding. And now we get to "Pyramids of Mars." Classic among classics, wouldn't you say Old Girl?


Sarah -
I would most definitely say that, Old Boy! This era of Doctor Who is my absolute favorite and I've been looking forward to it since we started our little marathon.


Harry -
From beginning to end, there's a great atmosphere of creeping dread that permeates this story. The opening scene in Egypt gives us one of those familiar scares when someone enters the pharoah's tomb, before we switch scenes to the gloomy old priory. That gothic organ music helped create an old horror movie feel. (To get the obvious out of the way, Hinchcliffe Horror Homage tracker: The Mummy.)


Sarah -
I love the setting of the priory. Fun fact -- the house was owned by Mick Jagger at the time of filming.


Harry -
Well spotted, Toby!


Sarah -
Is it too nerdy that I always take that as the greatest compliment?


Harry -
You're filling in admirably while we await our friends' next volume.


Sarah -
I aim to please!


Harry -
The characters at the priory all looked like they stepped out of an Edward Gorey drawing. We have such quintessentially Edwardian figures as Dr. Worlock, Ibrahim Namin, Laurence Scarman, and the positively Nosferatu-like Marcus Scarman. His ghoulish face and manner was enough to get me edging towards the back of the sofa.


Sarah -
Bernard Archard was positively brilliant as Scarman. I remember watching this story for the first time back in the 80's. It was late at night and everything about the story was positively and perfectly creepy. I still get that feeling when I watch it today.

I adore the opening scene in the TARDIS. I was a little choked up when the Doctor comments on the dress Sarah found in the wardrobe, “Victoria wore it. She traveled with me for a time.” (Sweet Victoria -- I wonder how things worked out for her in 1968.) While the Doctor is feeling serious and reflective -- "I’m not a human being. I walk in eternity." -- Sarah is in a playful mood, pulling faces at him. It's a delightful scene and the first of many in this story that showcase the chemistry between Baker and Sladen.


Harry -
Sarah looked lovely in that dress. You'd think she'd break out in a rendition of "Wuthering Heights," being from 1980 and all... [dodges shoe.]  And despite all the romping through the woods and crawling around the ground, she kept it pristine throughout the adventure.


Sarah -
She's an amazing woman!


Harry -
The first episode builds up nicely to the final image of Namin's death. To this point, Sutekh has remained unseen, only spoken of in reverential tones by Namin. When the black-clad figure appears through the time corridor, we think it must be him, but it's only Sutekh's messenger, bringing his "gift of death to all humanity." I've been puzzling over how the production crew managed the amazing smoke effects in this scene. I don't think we've seen anything like it in another Who story.


Sarah -
The effects are particularly impressive when you consider that so many of them were done live!

The "gift of death" line always chills me. That's a gift I'd rather not accept.


Harry -
Another thing we haven't seen in a Who story - at least a Tom Baker one - is the great concern, almost fear, that the Doctor shows towards his foe. As he explains the history of the Osirans and the imprisonment of Sutekh by Horus and the other gods, he concedes that Sutekh's escape could mean the destruction of all life in the universe. He even shows Sarah and Laurence the consequences to Earth of their inaction. Powerful, scary stuff.


Sarah -
Sutekh is not to be taken lightly, that's for sure. We learn that not even the Time Lords would be able to stop Sutekh if he were freed. The glimpse of 1980 is more than sobering, dashing Sarah’s plans of running away in the TARDIS.


Harry -
Sarah mentioned she was from 1980. Is that the moment that set off the debate among fandom as to when the UNIT stories took place (70s vs 80s)? I keep a very wide berth from all those debates, canonicity arguments and all that.


Sarah -
Good move. There's nothing to be gained from engaging in those debates.

I found Laurence to be a particularly sympathetic and tragic character. His love of his brother and attempts to connect with the possessed Marcus are absolutely heartbreaking. To have him die at Marcus' hand is almost too much to watch.


Harry -
Laurence is one of the saddest characters in all of Who. He gets scorned, bullied and bossed about by everyone. And his demise was tragic. Michael Sheard is another recurring guest actor about whom I have nothing but positives to say.

"Pyramids of Mars" is another story with a cracking cast of guest actors. There are the aforementioned Archard and Sheard, Peter Copley as Worlock, Peter Mayock as Namin, Michael Bilton as Collins and George Tovey did a memorable turn as the unfortunate rabbit poacher.

The chemistry between Tom and Elisabeth was sparkling too. So many great zingers from Sarah tried the Doctor's patience, I couldn't help but snicker at several moments. When the Doctor wrapped himself up as one of the service robots:

"How do I look?"

"Must have been a nasty accident."


Sarah -
There are so many great Doctor and Sarah moments in this story. Lis is sparking throughout.


Harry -
Above all the others, however, towers Gabriel Woolf as Sutekh. WOW! What a performance, all vocal and all powerful. We've watched this Doctor swagger and bully his way through some tough patches, but how shocking was it to see Tom Baker reduced to a mere insect before Sutekh, writhing on the ground in agony. This is the first time the Doctor has shown real terror since Patrick Troughton. Although to be fair, Troughton played the Doctor in an almost constant state of semi-terror.


Sarah -
Well, there is that. Honestly, I was almost in a state of semi-terror at Sutekh. There's no question of his perfect baddie status.


Harry -
Back to Woolf and his voice. The fact that he never rose or fell above a certain tone is what makes the performance. I get chills thinking about how he tortured the Doctor. It's surprising that this villain never makes a return. I'd have gladly sacrified one or two (or three) Dalek stories for a Sutekh comeback.


Sarah -
Oh, imagine Peter Capaldi taking him on! That would be epic.


Harry -
Oh indeed! Let's start a Twitter petition. #SutekhForSeasonEight


Sarah -
Do it, Moff!


Harry -
One of the great unanswered questions coming out of this story, and surely we've all wondered, is: what's the deal with Sarah Jane's expert marksmanship?! She picked off that box of explosives with one shot from, what, a hundred feet away? Her skill set is amazing.


Sarah -
There’s nothing Our Sarah can’t do, Old Boy!


Harry -
After the effects of Sarah's successful shot got blocked, the Doctor broke Sutekh's concentration long enough to destroy the rocket that Scarman and the robots were assembling. Sutekh then sees the TARDIS as a means of achieving freedom, and the chase through the pyramid of Mars is on. It may have gone on one puzzle too many, but the Eye of Horus was destroyed and Sutekh freed. Oh no! Only a last gasp throw from the Doctor prevented him from arriving through the time tunnel on Earth. Caught in a temporal trap, Sutekh is trapped for eternity. That was a little too close for comfort, wouldn't you say?


Sarah -
Wasn’t "Caught in a Temporal Trap" a hit for Sinatra back in the day?


Harry -
Hah! Pretty sure I saw it in a Sinatra rarities collection.

I was about to say the story ended happily, but not really. Everyone who started at or visited the priory was killed. The priory itself burned to the ground. Sutekh is disposed of, but not destroyed. Really, they should have found a way to bring him back.

#SutekhForSeasonEight


Sarah -
Best Line:
Laurence – “I see.”
Doctor – “I’m sure you don’t, but it’s nice of you to try.”

Favorite Moment: The Doctor and Sarah turning in the doorway in unison to avoid the mummies. The timing is perfect and reminiscent of the Doctor and Jamie.

Lasting Image: The face of the possessed Marcus Scarman.

10/10


Harry -
Best Line:
Doctor - "Where did you get that dress?"
Sarah - "I just told you. I found it back there in the wardrobe. Why, don't you like it?"
Doctor - "Yes. Yes, I always did. Victoria wore it. She travelled with me for a time."
Sarah - "Well, as long as Albert didn't wear it."

Favourite Moment: Sutekh's messenger arrives at the priory with steaming footsteps.

Lasting Image: Sutekh seated.

9/10

 



Our marathon continues with Story #83 - The Android Invasion...