Story #139 - The Mark of the Rani (1985)

Harry -

Unless I've suppressed some memories, this is the one and only pseudo-historical of the Colin Baker era.

Sarah -

Fun fact: The inclusion of George Stephenson in "The Mark of the Rani" makes this the first historical since "The Gunfighters" to feature an actual historical figure.

Harry -

On the surface, the story is very simple -- the Doctor goes back in Earth's history to stop a renegade Time Lord whilst staving off the meddling machinations of the Master. Seems simple enough, but so many little things in this story didn't work for me, resulting in a negative impression overall.

Sarah -

There are some interesting things in the story, but in the end the script is just a mess. There are six words that can strike fear in the heart of even the most steadfast of Doctor Who fans: "Written by Pip and Jane Baker."

Harry -

We are about to view all the Pip and Jane Baker stories in quick succession, so we'll be able to confirm whether or not their much-maligned reputation is deserved.

Sarah -

And then they will all be out of the way. Huzzah! (Aren't I the cynic today?)

Harry -

One thing they did differently was to start the story without any console room bickering between the Doctor and Peri.

Sarah -

Refreshing, isn't it?

Harry -

Right away, we see that the Doctor is distracted because the TARDIS is being manipulated off course. There is puzzlement, rather than pandemonium. Are the Time Lords at it again? we wonder. Whatever or whomever is behind it, the TARDIS makes its way to 19th century Earth, in the northeast of England -- land of the Geordies!

Sarah -

I love the establishing shots in Killingworth. They're so good you can almost smell the grit in the air. The use of Ironbridge Gorge is brilliant.

Harry -

Unfortunately, to foreign ears the Geordie accent, vocabulary and syntax can at times be almost indecipherable. It was for me and I'm usually good with accents. Most of the dialogue from the early scenes with the miners at the bath house was completely lost on me.

Sarah -

I've known some Geordies, so their accents weren't a problem for me, but I wondered if they might be for other North American viewers.

Harry -

The jist of the opening scene was: local miners, tired and dirty, head to the bath house, where they are promptly gassed.

Sarah -

That was unexpected. Even more unexpected was their unhinged behavior upon leaving the bathhouse -- rampaging through the village, smashing equipment, assaulting wagon drivers. What are the chances of the Doctor and Peri wandering into all this?

Harry -

They weren't guided there by accident. The TARDIS lands in a muddy patch just outside of town. The Doctor strides out for a looksee, followed by Peri in her Disney Princess costume -- she really nailed that look. One of the things that bugged me here was Peri's accent. Did it seem all over the place to you? Maybe the Geordies were throwing her off.

Sarah -

Her accent is usually all over the place. I usually decide to ignore it, as a kindness.

Harry -

Soon enough, our friends hear a ruckus and run to investigate. They save a man from the rampaging miners and he obliges them with a lift into town.

Little did they know... but the Master was watching everything unfold while pretending to be a scarecrow.

And little did they know... but when the Doctor's time disturbance doohickey picked up a time disturbance emanating from the bath house... it wasn't foolin'.

And little did they know... but they were about to meet George Stephenson, father of the Industrial Revolution and what have you!

While the Doctor and Peri talk their way into a meeting of the minds about to be convened there in Killingworth, the Master does some Mastery things. When a lovely black dog is spooked by his presence, he does away with it using his Tissue Compression Eliminator (poor doggy). The Master also kills one of the men guarding Lord Ravensworth's office -- where his lordship is greeting the Doctor and Peri. The Master then sets the miners after the Doctor and they quickly set out after him.

Sarah -

This entire story feels like a bunch of things happening because things have to happen in a story, even if they don't make a whole lot of sense -- so let's talk about the Rani! I've always enjoyed Kate O'Mara's portrayal of the Rani. She's a renegade Time Lord like the Doctor and the Master, but her motivations are entirely her own. She's a dedicated scientist, who isn't concerned with being good or evil. She just wants to get on with her work, regardless of the consequences to those around her.

Harry -

Kate O'Mara brings a much-needed shot in the arm to Doctor Who villainy. Her single-minded determination is chilling.

Sarah -

Having been exiled from Gallifrey, she has enslaved the planet Miasimia Goria, where her experiments have resulted in an restless, uncontrollable population that can't sleep. Ever the pragmatist, she heads to Earth during eras of upheaval to extract a chemical from the minds of humans that can be used to sedate the residents of Miasimia Goria. Unfortunately for the people of Earth, this process makes them restless and uncontrollable.

Harry -

The Rani probably reassures her Miasimia Gorian slaves by telling them they are more special than her Earth slaves.

Sarah -

Ha! The Master, whom we thought dead, has apparently arrived in Killingworth because the Rani is there, or is that a coincidence? Has he brought the Doctor to Killingworth or was that the work of the Time Lords?

Harry -

The Master could easily have been replaced with a different character, perhaps a younger Gallifreyan held in sway by the Rani, or even a human whom she'd brainwashed. It seemed, well, wasteful to have Anthony Ainley here.

Sarah -

In any case, the Master forces the Rani into a partnership, which leads to some of the best scenes in the story. I love the Rani's contempt for both the Doctor and the Master. She rolls her eyes at their ongoing adversarial relationship and the bro-mance that keeps bringing them back together. But most of all she just wants to get back to her damn work without the interference of these silly boys.

Harry -

She is utterly unimpressed with the Doctor and Master's relentless battling, which to her seems no more weighty than a Spy vs Spy comic. No longer the smartest mind in the room, the Master is relegated to an unexpected supporting role here. This is probably my least favourite Master story -- he's reduced to playing nothing more than an annoying troll.

Sarah -

I have to agree that it's a bit of a waste to use the Master this way.

Harry -

Even when the Doctor is captured and brought to the Rani's lair, the Master serves no purpose but to gloat. The Rani zeroes in on Peri and her useful human brain. The Master, however, demands that he take the Doctor away. As he does so, with both Peri and a vial of brain fluid as hostages, they roll the Doctor outside on a stretcher... right into the path of the rampaging miners. Peri accidentally sends the Doctor's stretcher hurtling downhill, right into the miners' hands. They propel him towards the open hole of a pit -- but wait, it's George Stephenson, action hero! He blocks the opening of the mine shaft and rescues the Doctor. With Peri in tow, they retreat to Lord Ravensworth's digs to regroup.

Sarah -

Did you notice that the hole looked barely large enough for Colin Baker to fit through, yet somehow the locals managed to chuck the TARDIS down what seemed to be the same hole?

Harry -

Well spotted.

Sarah -

Speaking of the TARDIS, this leads me to my favorite thing in the entire story -- the Rani's TARDIS! It's gorgeous and absolutely perfect for her character. I want a spinoff just so we can see more of her TARDIS!

Harry -

Yes! I was wondering if we'd have a difference of opinion about the Rani's TARDIS.

Sarah -

We are of one mind on this.

Harry -

I love the interior -- the combination of dark grey and pinkish-red accents screams 80s. The dinosaur embryos offer just the right "mad scientist" touch. I could stare at those circling rings above her console forever.

Sarah -

They're mesmerizing. And her wardrobe matches her TARDIS! Those were some fashion-forward leather pants, I must say. The Rani clearly got all the fashion sense in this round of regenerations.

Harry -

The Master proposes an alliance with the Rani, telling her they can utilize the brains of the geniuses who are assembling at Lord Ravensworth's. She is intrigued, or at least playing along with the Master before she can kick him out from under her feet.

Sarah -

I tend to think it's the latter.

Harry -

They set out on a completely random assignment of setting some land mines down in Redfern Dell. I guess Redfern Dell had it coming.

Sarah -

I'm still not clear on how this fit into the capturing-the-smart-blokes part of the plan, but whatever.

Harry -

From this point on, the story turns into a bog-standard runaround. The Doctor and Peri escape a mustard gas booby trap and enter the Rani's TARDIS. It seems to be one of the Doctor's unwritten rules that he gets to tamper with other people's TARDISes, and he makes a few "tweaks" to the Rani's console.

Sarah -

Here we go: a bunch of things happening because things have to happen in a story.

Harry -

As it turns out, the Rani has developed a remote control for her TARDIS, and it suddenly dematerializes down into the mines.

Sarah -

She's a clever one, that Rani!

Harry -

Meanwhile, someone remembered that Perpugilliam Brown was a botany student. To help the sleepless miners, she attempts to prepare a sleeping draught. Missing a vital herb, she sets out with Luke Ward to pick some... in Redfern Dell.

Sarah -

Peri finally has something to do and now it's become dangerous. There's something amusing about a botany student being turned into a tree, but trees probably don't make the best companions around the TARDIS. Alas, poor Luke is the first person to stumble across the dell, only to be turned into a tree. Because this is brave and handsome Luke, he manages to save Peri from trundling across the dell by restraining her with his branch.

Harry -

The writers made sure the Rani pointed out that her land mines turned animal matter into vegetable, and yet we end up with a sentient tree. Bizarre and also a cruel fate for Luke.

Sarah -

Meanwhile, the Doctor has acquired the tissue compression eliminator and uses it to hold the Master and Rani hostage. He forces the Rani to save Peri by leading her safely across the dell in what has to be one of the most tedious scenes in Doctor Who history.

Harry -

Yeah, I was regularly glancing at the clock by about this time.

Sarah -

The Doctor foolishly leaves Peri in charge of the other Time Lords while he attempts to calm the still-rampaging locals. He ends up tied to a pole and carried through the dell, where the locals conveniently turn into trees, while the Doctor narrowly escapes. Peri is, of course, outwitted by the Rani and the Master, who escape into the Rani's TARDIS. Unbeknownst to them, the Doctor has has sabotaged the navigational system and her TARDIS is out of control. The jar holding the t-rex crashes to the ground and the dinosaur begins to grow, because things have to happen in a story.

Harry -

Odd how the Rani and the Master were pinned to the walls by the acceleration, but the embryos were not.

Sarah -

There you go, asking all the uncomfortable questions. Back on Earth, the Doctor and Peri return the brain fluid to Stephenson, who apparently is expected to know how to get it back into the brains of the Rani's victims -- many of whom HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO TREES.


Harry -
It's all gone batty.


Sarah -
Quips are exchanged and the Doctor and Peri are off in the TARDIS, while an astonished Stephenson and Ravensworth look on.

Harry -

The only thing missing at the end was an incomprehensible quip from wor Geordies like.

Sarah -

While there are many things I like about this story, the script is just a mess. If you think about anything for too long, the story begins to crumble.

Harry -

It was, as you said, a collection of things that happen in a story.

Sarah -

There are many Doctor Who stories where a good script didn't get the production it deserved, but it's still a good script. I would argue "Warriors of the Deep" is a great script that suffered from shoddy production. "The Mark of the Rani" is the other end of the spectrum -- a shoddy script that is elevated by competent production.

Happily, Colin Baker is so good in this story and gets to be a proper Doctor. He and Peri seem to be getting along and work well together.

Harry -

It's disappointing that the ferocious fights in their first couple of stories cast such a shadow over our memories of their relationship.

Sarah -

I think fandom can become too focused on one thing in Doctor-companion relationships. Peri and the Doctor fighting all the time has become codified as the way it always was and always will be. We'll have to see how it goes from here.

Harry -

Colin and Nicola were both lovely here, ignoring the ebbs and flows of Peri's accent.

Sarah -

They really are. Pity they didn't have better material. The location shooting is glorious and Sarah Hellings' direction keeps the story moving. (On a side note, Hellings would be the last woman to direct Doctor Who in the classic era.) The Rani, of course, is brilliant. Still, the overall impression is just disappointing.

Harry -

Those poor sentient trees. They might still be out there in Redfern Dell, unless, as Peri noted earlier, they got mowed down by progress. Damn that bloody progress! *runs outside to rampage and smash machinery*

Sarah -

Best Line:

Ravensworth (as the Doctor and Peri enter the TARDIS): I will venture just one question, Doctor. What precisely do you do in there?

Doctor: Argue, mainly.

Favorite Moment: Entering the Rani's TARDIS

Lasting Image: The Rani's TARDIS, of course!

4/10

Harry -

Best Line:

Rani (putting down the Master): You're unbalanced. No wonder the Doctor always outwits you.

Favourite Moment: the Rani's TARDIS accelerates out of control, pinning her and the Master to the walls.

Lasting Image: Colin Baker's terrified face as he goes hurtling downhill on the stretcher (and no doubt hoping that the crew will be able to catch him).

4/10
 

 

Our marathon continues with Story #140 - The Two Doctors...