The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: The Brain Of Morbius
The Brain Of Morbius: Part One (03/01/16)
An interesting and very Gothic start to the New Year. The TARDIS has landed on the planet Karn, guided off course by the Time Lords according to the Doctor, where they found a load of crashed space ships and encountered a Mad Scientist called Mehendri Solon who is a member of the Cult of Morbius and has a penchant for getting his retarded henchman, Condo, to decapitate people.
Apparently, Morbius was an evil Time Lord who tried to turn the Time Lords into an all-powerful army or something but was defeated. Solon rather stupidly has a clay bust he made of Morbius' head in his castle which the Doctor recognised, but too late as Solon had drugged him with wine. Ironically, Sarah was smart enough not to drink hers and played dead when Solon and Condo took the Doctor down to the laboratory for a civilised decapitation.
Meanwhile, the local Sisterhood are fretting over the fact that the fire that creates an elixir in a rock face in their cave that keeps them immortal is going out. They used to share it with the Time Lords but don't have enough now and their leader, Maren, is paranoid that the Time Lords have sent the Doctor to steal what's left. So the Sisterhood have teleported the TARDIS to their cave and, while Solon and Condo left the Doctor in the lab so they could fix the generator which had gone off, did the same to him! So when Sarah got down there she couldn't find him and instead stumbled across a flailing, leathery, headless body.
Pretty good so far, and a nice take on the Frankenstein story. Gorgeous design, especially the Sisterhood and Solon's castle. Bit dubious about what Sarah's wearing; like her visit to the Priory in 'Pyramids Of Mars' she seems to have dressed to fit in with the scenery! It's definitely not very contemporary Earth.
On the whole, a promising episode with lots of references to Time Lords and even a cameo by a Solonian (ironically) from 'The Mutants'!
The Brain Of Morbius: Part Two (10/01/16)
Discovering the Doctor gone, Solon and Condo went to rescue him from the Sisterhood who planned to burn him, believing he'd been sent by the Time Lords to steal the remaining elixir. They failed, but while they distracted Maren and the Sisterhood, Sarah (who'd followed Solon) cut the Doctor free, and once Solon and Condo had left the Doctor escaped.
However, Maren flashed her ring in anger and blinded Sarah, so the Doctor took her back to Solon how diagnosed it as permanent. He may be lying, though, as he told the Doctor that the only cure was the elixir of life the Sisterhood guard. Then, once the Doctor had gone to fetch it, he wrote a letter to Maren and told Condo to deliver it before the Doctor got there.
Meanwhile, blinded Sarah followed a voice into the basement and encountered The Brain Of Morbius which lives (blind and unfeeling) in a tank. The fish kind, not the army kind. Seems that Solon somehow rescued Morbius' brain when the Time Lords executed him, witnessed by Maren.
Lots of backstory making Solon, Condo, Maren and the Sisterhood seem very real. And some cool references to the Time Lords who seem to have become a semi-regular feature in recent years, turning up in 'The Three Doctors', 'Planet Of The Spiders', sending the Doctor to Skaro, and now Karn. I prefer them being referred to as in this story, though, rather than making an appearance as it makes them a hell of a lot more mysterious and empowered like in Patrick Troughton's final story than the rather gaudy, impotent beings subsequently featured. A good story so far. Let's hope it stays that way.
The Brain Of Morbius: Part Three (17/01/16)
Solon did lie about Sarah's condition being permanent, but she still spent the whole episode blind. The Doctor reasoned with the Sisterhood and solved their sacred flame problem (it was a build-up of soot), but they still sent him back to Solon unconscious.
While all that happened, Sarah locked Solon in with The Brain Of Morbius, escaped, got recaptured, then tied to a bed. Condo found his arm, which Solon had amputated and sewn onto his mish-mash Morbius body and got a bit pissy so Solon shot him. The fact that he'd knocked Morbius; brain onto the floor may also have had something to do with Solon's rather extreme (and very graphic!) reaction. They were putting Morbius' brain into a perspex brain case because Morbius found out the Doctor was a Time Lord and assumed there was a plot between him and Maren to locate Morbius and they'd then summon the Time Lords to bring him to justice. So the only solution was to put the brain in the brain case and mount it on the mish-mash body so he could escape. Or something.
Anyhow, in Condo's absence, Sarah was on pump duty and the operation seems to have been a success. However, as Solon left the lab to find the Sisterhood had dropped the Doctor off in the diningroom, Morbius awoke and approached Sarah from behind! Oooh!
Not bad. A bit padded, but okay all considered as the padding was at least interesting. Sarah was a bit of a wet fart throughout, but on the whole this story's got some good characterisation. Looking forward to next week.
The Brain Of Morbius: Part Four (24/01/16)
Well, that was a really good story. Not quite as amazing as the Zygon story, but better than any since. Sarah regained her sight, Morbius escaped and was recaptured by the Doctor and Solon, but not before he'd slaughtered Condo (who saved Sarah) and one of the Sisterhood.
The Doctor demanded that Solon remove Morbius' brain from the creature but Solon double crossed him and locked him in the lower chamber with Sarah while he perfected Morbius' brain connections, so the Doctor killed him by sending cyanide through the vents!!! Morbius' new body could filter it, though, and he and the Doctor had a mental battle which Morbius won!
Meanwhile, Ohica convinced Maren to let her lead the Sisterhood in an attack to help the Doctor destroy Morbius - an attack which succeeded - and Maren sacrificed herself by giving the Doctor the last of the elixir since the battle with Morbius meant he was dying. Once recovered, the Doctor and Sarah took off, leaving Ohica more stuff to unclog the vents of the Sacred Flame.
Overall, really good. Cohesive, interesting and exciting.The Sisterhood were cool, and it was nice the way Ohica turned from one of the Sisterhood who had a few lines into a character prepared to take action to help the Doctor fight what was basically their fight to begin with. Sarah was less annoying this week, but I do think it's time for a new companion.
Basically, a very well plotted story with some great characters, some strong drama, and very high stakes - I mean, the Doctor knowingly killed someone! And you saw some of the Doctor's past lives beyond Hartnell during the mind-bending contest. At least, I think you did - it may well have been all Morbius! Next week has a lot to live up to!
An interesting and very Gothic start to the New Year. The TARDIS has landed on the planet Karn, guided off course by the Time Lords according to the Doctor, where they found a load of crashed space ships and encountered a Mad Scientist called Mehendri Solon who is a member of the Cult of Morbius and has a penchant for getting his retarded henchman, Condo, to decapitate people.
Apparently, Morbius was an evil Time Lord who tried to turn the Time Lords into an all-powerful army or something but was defeated. Solon rather stupidly has a clay bust he made of Morbius' head in his castle which the Doctor recognised, but too late as Solon had drugged him with wine. Ironically, Sarah was smart enough not to drink hers and played dead when Solon and Condo took the Doctor down to the laboratory for a civilised decapitation.
Meanwhile, the local Sisterhood are fretting over the fact that the fire that creates an elixir in a rock face in their cave that keeps them immortal is going out. They used to share it with the Time Lords but don't have enough now and their leader, Maren, is paranoid that the Time Lords have sent the Doctor to steal what's left. So the Sisterhood have teleported the TARDIS to their cave and, while Solon and Condo left the Doctor in the lab so they could fix the generator which had gone off, did the same to him! So when Sarah got down there she couldn't find him and instead stumbled across a flailing, leathery, headless body.
Pretty good so far, and a nice take on the Frankenstein story. Gorgeous design, especially the Sisterhood and Solon's castle. Bit dubious about what Sarah's wearing; like her visit to the Priory in 'Pyramids Of Mars' she seems to have dressed to fit in with the scenery! It's definitely not very contemporary Earth.
On the whole, a promising episode with lots of references to Time Lords and even a cameo by a Solonian (ironically) from 'The Mutants'!
The Brain Of Morbius: Part Two (10/01/16)
Discovering the Doctor gone, Solon and Condo went to rescue him from the Sisterhood who planned to burn him, believing he'd been sent by the Time Lords to steal the remaining elixir. They failed, but while they distracted Maren and the Sisterhood, Sarah (who'd followed Solon) cut the Doctor free, and once Solon and Condo had left the Doctor escaped.
However, Maren flashed her ring in anger and blinded Sarah, so the Doctor took her back to Solon how diagnosed it as permanent. He may be lying, though, as he told the Doctor that the only cure was the elixir of life the Sisterhood guard. Then, once the Doctor had gone to fetch it, he wrote a letter to Maren and told Condo to deliver it before the Doctor got there.
Meanwhile, blinded Sarah followed a voice into the basement and encountered The Brain Of Morbius which lives (blind and unfeeling) in a tank. The fish kind, not the army kind. Seems that Solon somehow rescued Morbius' brain when the Time Lords executed him, witnessed by Maren.
Lots of backstory making Solon, Condo, Maren and the Sisterhood seem very real. And some cool references to the Time Lords who seem to have become a semi-regular feature in recent years, turning up in 'The Three Doctors', 'Planet Of The Spiders', sending the Doctor to Skaro, and now Karn. I prefer them being referred to as in this story, though, rather than making an appearance as it makes them a hell of a lot more mysterious and empowered like in Patrick Troughton's final story than the rather gaudy, impotent beings subsequently featured. A good story so far. Let's hope it stays that way.
The Brain Of Morbius: Part Three (17/01/16)
Solon did lie about Sarah's condition being permanent, but she still spent the whole episode blind. The Doctor reasoned with the Sisterhood and solved their sacred flame problem (it was a build-up of soot), but they still sent him back to Solon unconscious.
While all that happened, Sarah locked Solon in with The Brain Of Morbius, escaped, got recaptured, then tied to a bed. Condo found his arm, which Solon had amputated and sewn onto his mish-mash Morbius body and got a bit pissy so Solon shot him. The fact that he'd knocked Morbius; brain onto the floor may also have had something to do with Solon's rather extreme (and very graphic!) reaction. They were putting Morbius' brain into a perspex brain case because Morbius found out the Doctor was a Time Lord and assumed there was a plot between him and Maren to locate Morbius and they'd then summon the Time Lords to bring him to justice. So the only solution was to put the brain in the brain case and mount it on the mish-mash body so he could escape. Or something.
Anyhow, in Condo's absence, Sarah was on pump duty and the operation seems to have been a success. However, as Solon left the lab to find the Sisterhood had dropped the Doctor off in the diningroom, Morbius awoke and approached Sarah from behind! Oooh!
Not bad. A bit padded, but okay all considered as the padding was at least interesting. Sarah was a bit of a wet fart throughout, but on the whole this story's got some good characterisation. Looking forward to next week.
The Brain Of Morbius: Part Four (24/01/16)
Well, that was a really good story. Not quite as amazing as the Zygon story, but better than any since. Sarah regained her sight, Morbius escaped and was recaptured by the Doctor and Solon, but not before he'd slaughtered Condo (who saved Sarah) and one of the Sisterhood.
The Doctor demanded that Solon remove Morbius' brain from the creature but Solon double crossed him and locked him in the lower chamber with Sarah while he perfected Morbius' brain connections, so the Doctor killed him by sending cyanide through the vents!!! Morbius' new body could filter it, though, and he and the Doctor had a mental battle which Morbius won!
Meanwhile, Ohica convinced Maren to let her lead the Sisterhood in an attack to help the Doctor destroy Morbius - an attack which succeeded - and Maren sacrificed herself by giving the Doctor the last of the elixir since the battle with Morbius meant he was dying. Once recovered, the Doctor and Sarah took off, leaving Ohica more stuff to unclog the vents of the Sacred Flame.
Overall, really good. Cohesive, interesting and exciting.The Sisterhood were cool, and it was nice the way Ohica turned from one of the Sisterhood who had a few lines into a character prepared to take action to help the Doctor fight what was basically their fight to begin with. Sarah was less annoying this week, but I do think it's time for a new companion.
Basically, a very well plotted story with some great characters, some strong drama, and very high stakes - I mean, the Doctor knowingly killed someone! And you saw some of the Doctor's past lives beyond Hartnell during the mind-bending contest. At least, I think you did - it may well have been all Morbius! Next week has a lot to live up to!
While the design work on this story receives high praise (and rightly so - the main hall of Solon's castle in particular is a triumph) it looks VERY studio-bound when we're not inside. That's only a minor quibble though in a story which manages to make the most of its inspiration, unlike e.g. Planet of Evil. The whole cast are excellent, and real character is invested in everyone, in both the writing and performances. Where the story itself falls down is in the logic of the Frankenstein's monster that is Morbius, or at least in Solon's plans once the Doctor comes along. On the whole though it's a very solid piece and as gothic as the supposedly all-gothic Hinchcliffe era ever gets.
ReplyDeleteI've never really noticed how studio-bound the sets look - the landscape looks to me as if based on the Giants Causway in Ireland and is certainly no worse than other studio based exterior sets like those in Genesis Of... and Death To The Daleks. In fact, I quite like the craggy rises and nice, multi-level design. The story is pretty good, too. I wouldn't say this is one of my favourite stories, but it certainly inhabits the upper middle-ground of entertaining and nicely realised adventures which I have nothing hugely negative to say about.
DeleteI would have liked to see Mary Whitehouse's face when Condo got shot, though. Imagine that on Saturday evening TV these days!