Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Terrance Dicks and Robert Holmes
Directed by Christopher Barry
This is another serial that I saw over the course of a long period of time; I think it was even more than a week between a couple of the episodes. Since this is roughly how the story was meant to be experienced, perhaps it’s easy to understand why the relatively spare story didn’t bother me. Having it all spool out in easy-to-digest chunks made it easier, in fact, to focus on the elements I liked.
This is essentially the “Doctor Who” version of the Frankenstein’s Monster horror staple, which in and of itself wouldn’t do much for me. I think I’ve seen enough versions of the story to satisfy my lifetime requirement. That would typically undermine any interest I might have in the story, were it not for some of the details. The writers tie the whole concept into some Time Lord mythology, and that instantly grabs my attention.
From what I gathered, Morbius (another Time Lord with an actual name) became a threat to the universe as a whole, and as such, the Time Lords chose to execute him. I’m assuming this meant that his plots were somewhat more successful than those of The Master! Whatever the case, the process leaves his brain intact, complete with consciousness, and thus Dr. Solon attempts to create a body worthy of the madman.
Since Solon has sequestered Morbius on the world of Karn (presumably somewhere in the same star system as Gallifrey, given some of the dialogue), there’s one problem: body parts. Apparently there is a group called the Sisterhood of Karn, who has been protecting something called the “Flame of Life”, which produces a sacred elixir that provides immortality. The flame has been dying of late, so the Sisterhood, to protect it, has been forcing any ships coming close to Karn to crash on the planet’s surface. In turn, Solon has been secretly taking the body parts of the crash victims to build Morbius’ body.
The irony here is that the elixir wasn’t just keeping the Sisterhood alive; it had been shared with the High Council of the Time Lords. One can presume, then, that in relation to the energies siphoned by Omega from that black hole in “The Three Doctors”, that this is an important connection to the Time Lord society. And protecting it by rather violent means is aiding in the resurrection of Morbius, the very same rebel Time Lord that nearly wiped them out when he started his conquering!
It’s hardly a shock that the Time Lords would have the occasional issue of one of their number choosing conquest and enforced “enlightenment” over semi-benign guardianship. The fact that they consider The Doctor a radical speaks volumes. Nearly every Time Lord that we’ve met to this point, other than The Doctor, has been a criminal or an authoritative ponce of a bureaucrat. I really like how The Doctor’s ordeal with the Sisterhood exposes even more of their questionable side.
This serial is also notable for introducing something that would later be contradicted by the “official canon”. Granted, in a franchise this long with so many cooks in the kitchen, it is inevitable that this would happen. But it’s become ingrained in the mythos that The Doctor’s first incarnation is the one played by William Hartnell. This story suggests a whole slew of previous incarnations and regenerations. I understand that there has been an attempt, here and there, to reconcile the matter, but I don’t know that it matters. The Doctor will have as many regenerations as the franchise requires, and it doesn’t really change the story too much. It’s a great point of discussion, though.
The entire production could have been fairly silly, given the Morbius costume itself, but the performances keep it from getting derailed. Tom Baker has definitely settled into the role at this point, and Sarah Jane, while still a bit shrill at times with the screaming, is well into her tenure as one of the most popular Companions. Solon made for a compelling mad scientist, and considering that the Sisterhood was mostly comprised of young attractive gingers, who could complain?
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10