The Mind of Evil (1971)

Coming straight after Terror of the Autons, The Mind of Evil sees the Master trying to start a war by creating hostilities between the Chinese and the rest of the delegates at the peace conference where the security arrangements are been handled by UNIT. Whilst all of this going on, the Doctor and Jo visit Stangmoor Prison to see the Keller Machine. It seems like a good idea, take all the evil and negative emotions out of a criminal and they are suppose to be a better person as a result. Professor Keller is behind the machine and of course it turns out to be the Master. But it’s quite a while before we see him. Watching in 2011 it’s not a surprise especially as he is on the cover of the VHS but in 1971 it must have been a shock to see him back so soon. What’s quite good is how the events in the prison and at the conference seem so separate but become connected. It is also impressive how the Keller Machine is made to look scary despite being an inanimate object. With an odd sound effect and a wibbly screen effect, you can make anything seem scary.

The problem that there was in the previous story surfaces in this one. The Masters plan is simple yet the way that he goes about it is so convoluted that it slightly ruins the story. Thought there is still a lot to enjoy. The stuff at the peace conference was fairly standard but made memorable by Captain Chin Lee who spent quite a while under the control of the Master. Despite all the aggravation that she causes, there is a great deal of sympathy for her when she becomes herself again. The action in the prison was also impressive. There were three characters that stood out. The first being Barnham who is the gentle giant who befriends Jo. I thought that he was a character that wasn’t always at the forefront of the action but was still important. The net was Mailer who is the leader of the prison revolt and is the one who is the Master’s inside man. He was a naïve character who honestly believed he was important though he only had a limited lifespan. The third character was Dr Summers as played by the brilliant Michael Sheard. He is a character who wants to stand up to Mailer but sadly knows he would lose that battle.

The leading cast is now a foursome and they all put in a great display. Jon Pertwee gives several lovely performances including fear when he is attacked by the Kellman machine. His scenes with Katy locked up in the prison were nice and helped provide a brief pause from the main action. This story was the first example of Jo befriending someone and Katy does it well. Nicholas Courtney is on fine form and gets the rare honour of actually saving the Doctors life. He really does come across a natural then there is the mighty Roger Delgado who despite having a rather convoluted plan, puts in a great performance. Being the suave and confident person before realising that the machine is starting to get too powerful. This is common place for the Master but Delgado does it brilliantly and his on screen chemistry with Pertwee is top notch.

The Mind of Evil is a nice story with a different setting and an unusual threat with just a hint of political tension thrown in for good measure. It’s another example of how a six part story can work when done right. It’s not the best story of the season but it’s still good. Just with it still existed in colour. Though for those long-time fans that have this story on VHS will get a chance to see snippets including the impressive UNIT sequence when they ‘invade’ the prison. Good Stuff!

Inferno (1970)

On the day that I write this review, Wednesday 23rd February 2011, the news has broken that Nicholas Courtney has passed away. This is one of many superb performances from Mr. Courtney.

Inferno is the fourth story of the 1970 series and marks the final appearance of Liz Shaw. I think that the 1970 season is the best season of Doctor Who ever! That might be a controversial statement but Inferno is the final story of a consistently high quality series. The story takes place at a top secret drilling operation. The story sees the closing stages of Professor Stahlman’s drilling to the centre of the earth. Written by Don Houghton the story does (like most Pertwee stories) have a message at the heart of the story. This one is about being cautious about the desire to find alternative and cheap forms of energy. Especially without knowing more about it. The story is relatively a simple one where the Doctor is trying to get back to his own world whilst fighting against the Brigade Leader and the drilling.

Due to power being withdrawn from the Doctor’s experiment at the crucial moment the story moves into a parallel world where the drilling is at a more advance stage than in ‘our’ timeline. That’s not the only difference, we find the Doctor in a Fascist world where all our familiar characters are slightly different. Brigaider Lethbridge Stewart is now the Brigade Leader with a wonderful eye patch, Liz Shaw is now Section Leader with an amusing black wig. There is also Stahlman who’s hand is more infected than in our world and there is Greg Sutton who doesn’t seem that different from the other Greg (except he’s in a suite). Apart from Episode One and the latter part of Episode 6, the action takes place in the paraell world where the Doctor has to try and persuade the Brigade Leader that he is who he says he is. It fantastic to see the regular character (bar the Doctor) in a different way than normal, it must have been a relief to play the characters differently.

As the story progresses, the countdown to penetration gets closer and the tension is wracked up. Especially in the parallel world where for the latter half of the time everything goes crazy and the camera effects help create an impression that its hot and getting very stuffy. There is also some superb ‘having trouble breathing’ acting from the cast to help the effect. Jon Pertwee puts in a great performance as does Caroline John. In her final outing she is given something that most companions don’t get to do and that is to have some strong stuff to do. It’s just a shame that she doesn’t get a send off because the next time we see her its 1983 and she’s a vision to the Doctor. Derek Newark (Greg Sutton) and Sheila Dunn (Petra Williams) are very good supporting characters who’s romance is subtle at the beginning of the story and carries on in the parallel world. Christopher Benjamin (Sir Keith Gold) is a nice character. He’s a civil servant who is the voice of reason at the complex and is one of the thorns in Stahlman’s side. His potential death did come as a shock but then thankfully it’s a ploy by the writer and he turns up safe and well (apart from a broken arm). Olaf Pooley is great as Professor Stahlman who starts of a brilliant scientist who wont listen to anyone telling him what to do on his project before turning into the Primoid. Nicholas Courtney’s performance is one of his best and its because he gets to be a bit more than the Brigadier that we all know and love. As the Brigade Leader he seems to thrive in the role and that eye patch helps him a great deal.

Inferno is a fantastic story that over seven episodes keeps the drama at a high with some superb acting (most notably from Courtney) and great writing. Keeping a story interesting for anything longer than four episodes is always a tough thing but Don Houghton manages it and it’s a fitting end to the 1970 series and a story that should be a must in any Doctor Who fans collection.