The worst game of Marco Polo ever!
The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane (Elisabeth Sladen) find themselves rerouted to the planet Karn and the Doctor questions if the Time Lords are using him again. When the Doctor and Sarah Jane encounter Doctor Solon (Philip Madroc) and his hook-handed servant Condo (Colin Fay), he and Sarah Jane become trapped between Doctor Solon’s desire to resurrect Morbius (through his living brain) and the Sisterhood of Karn which fears the Time Lords are trying to steal the Flame of Life which creates a magical elixir. With the Flame of Life dying and Sarah Jane blinded the threat of Morbius grows greater…can the Doctor save Karn?
So…a society with no men…this is either a really good thing or a really bad thing for me.
Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius falls during the thirteenth series of Doctor Who. The serial aired in four parts from January 3, 1976 to January 24, 1976. It followed Doctor Who: The Android Invasion and has been collected in The Tom Backer Years as Story #84.
Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius was a fun series. There was some danger and the Doctor, like always, bumbles his way through it to barely survive. Surprisingly, there are very few dead parts but I also question why the Doctor ever trusted Doctor Solon who seemed pretty shady from the first meeting. It also indicates that even within the Time Lords that more and more problems pop-up since the Time Lords were forced to execute Morbius (and it cycles through his reincarnations at one point).
Oh no! Attack of the furry thing with a big head!
The look of Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius also is decent. The sets are sets and not very inventive but at least you are treated to two creatures. The “Mutt” (as the Doctor calls it) and the fun Morbius creation which lumbers around the room very unthreatening both look pretty good and can be added to the Doctor’s collection of better-than-average aliens. I just wish for all the talk and lead-up that Morbius had been more of a threat (too bad it wasn’t Marvel Comics’ vampire of the same name…at least he would have been scary). It would have also been nice to go deeper into the role of the Cult of Morbius and the Sisterhood of Karn…both seem like they could have been expanded upon.
Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius is a better than average entry into the classic Doctor Who series. If you are looking to kill an afternoon, this isn’t a bad choice and keeps the fun going. Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius was followed by Doctor Who: The Seeds of Doom.
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Preceded By:
Doctor Who: The Android Invasion (Story #83)
Follwed By:
