The Brain of Morbius

That squalid brood of harpies, the Sisterhood. That accursed hag Maren found out I was holding a Time Lord and rescued him. May her stinking bones rot! I'll see her die Condo! I'll see that palsied harridan scream for death before Morbius and I are finished with her.

Continuing in the trend of taking old stories and putting a Doctor Who spin on them, we now go to Frankenstein. This is another story that is highly regarded as a classic but for which I didn't care as much on my first watch. Granted, I'm not that big on the story of Frankenstein (original or the various movie adaptations) so the setting for this one put me a little off right from the get go. But we shall have to see if a second visit improves my opinion of things.

Plot Summary

The Doctor and Sarah arrive on the planet Karn, the Doctor highly put out as he suspects the Time Lords to have redirected him there. Although he tries to sit things out, he can't overcome his curiosity when Sarah discovers the decapitated body of an insectoid who crashed on planet. In fact, they discover a number of ships crashed into the surface of the planet. They also spy a small castle nearby and head towards it as it begins to rain.

Their movements are observed by Ohica, an acolyte in the Sisterhood of Karn, a society of women that tends a sacred flame that produces a special "Elixir of Life" which they share with the Time Lords. Ohica reports to the leader Maren and Maren discloses that the flame is dying and hasn't produced Elixir in over a year. She suspects that the Time Lords are interfering and summons the other acolytes to investigate.

The Doctor and Sarah arrive at the castle where lives a surgeon named Solon and his dimwitted servant, Condo. Solon invites them in and attempts to appear welcoming. He is in fact only interested in the Doctor's head, having been looking for a suitable specimen for some time. In fact, the decapitated body found was Condo's work, Condo having been promised a replacement arm after Solon completes his work. Solon takes them in and offers them drugged wine. The Doctor drinks it but Sarah does not. The Doctor recognizes Solon and also manages to recognize a bust of the renegade Time Lord Morbius just before he passes out. Sarah mimics doing the same.

Solon has Condo take the Doctor to his lab but elects not to operate until they repair the generator as he does not wish to operate by candlelight. Sarah gets up and sneaks down the hall, hiding as they pass. Unbeknownst to any of them, the Sisterhood has gathered together and using their power, teleported the TARDIS to their cave. Feeling vindicated in her suspicions, Maren has the Sisterhood use their power once again and teleports the Doctor to their cave. Sarah enters the lab a minute later but instead of finding the Doctor, finds a body constructed from various creatures by Solon.

Sarah hides as Solon and Condo reenter. They notice that the Doctor is missing but Condo assures Solon that he put the full vial of the drug in the wine. Solon immediately suspects the Sisterhood and he and Condo leave to see what they plan to do with the Doctor. Sarah follows behind them.

In the Sisterhood's temple, the Doctor comes to and Maren offers him a chance to admit his collusion with the Time Lords. The Doctor admits that he might have been sent by the Time Lords though he isn't sure but denies any plan to steal the Elixir of Life. The Doctor also tells them that he thought he felt the presence of Morbius just before he passed out. Maren scoffs at this, stating that she was present when Morbius was executed and is certain he is dead.

Solon and Condo observe a couple of Sisters entering their cave with wood and follow them. They enter just as the Doctor is being tied to a pole with a pyre built around him. Solon intercedes for the Doctor, first offering Condo as a replacement and then begging for just the head of the Doctor if he must die. Maren denies both and shoos them off. However, while they are distracted, Sarah, disguised as a member of the Sisterhood, reaches up and cuts the ropes binding the Doctor to the pole. As the Sisterhood lights the pyre, the Doctor leaps off and he and Sarah make a run for it. Maren sends a bolt of energy after them from her ring which hits Sarah but they still manage to loose them.

Solon and Condo return to their castle and Condo attacks Solon for offering him as a replacement. Solon only placates him by offering to restore his arm. Condo relents and goes to prepare the lab. Solon then goes downstairs and speaks to Morbius for whom he is building the new body. Morbius is becoming impatient and wants implantation immediately. They are interrupted by the sound of the door opening upstairs.

Condo and Solon enter the main hall and find the Doctor and Sarah sitting at the table. The Doctor tells Solon that Sarah was blinded by Maren's ring and wants him to examine her eyes. They head to the lab where Solon looks closely. He has Condo take her back to the main hall and informs the Doctor that the retinas are almost completely destroyed. Her only hope of regaining her sight is to drink the Elixir of Life which can restore tissue. The Doctor leaves, leaving Sarah at the castle.

Solon then writes a note and calls Condo. He tells him to give it to Maren and to get there before the Doctor. Condo rushes off. This leaves Sarah alone in the hall where she hears a voice calling for Solon. She follows it down the stairs but is unable to see the brain of Morbius speaking from within a jar. Morbius cries out and Solon shoves her out of the room. Sarah however stays in the stairwell to listen.

Solon tells Morbius that he has offered a deal with the Sisterhood that will return the Doctor's head to him. Morbius is alarmed when Solon mentions that the Doctor is a Time Lord and fears that the Time Lords have discovered him. Also fearing that the Doctor has made a deal with the Sisterhood, Morbius orders Solon to put him in the artificial brain case that Solon manufactured. Solon objects noting that he never got it working right and the risk might be too great but Morbius overrides him. Before he can continue, Sarah pulls the door shut and locks Solon in. She then wanders out to warn the Doctor.

The Doctor arrives at the Sisterhood's cave, is captured and brought before Maren. She had just received the letter from Solon warning her of his approach and offering a deal in exchange for his head. The Doctor explains his problem but Maren laughs, telling the Doctor he has been tricked as the ring's effects are only temporary. She also notes that the fire is dying and they have no more elixir anyway. The Doctor examines the flame and pops a firecracker down into the hole. The fire goes out for a moment and then a burst of flame erupts. The Doctor notes that there was a build up of soot and that should have cleared things out. Still suspicious and disbelieving of the Doctor's theory regarding Morbius, Maren renders the Doctor unconscious and has her acolytes bear him to Solon.

While looking for the Doctor, Sarah is discovered by Condo who drags her back to the castle. He frees Solon who ties her up in his lab. Condo strokes her hair but Solon orders him to get the lab ready. As he does, Condo discovers his arm attached to the body Solon had put together. Condo attacks Solon and knocks Morbius' brain out of its jar and on to the floor. Solon shoots him and rescues the brain, replacing it in the jar. Gut-shot, Condo stumbles off but Solon, not wanting to let the brain die, frees Sarah and forces her to assist him in the operation.

With the operation nearly finished, Solon is interrupted by the Sisterhood depositing the Doctor. He goes up to examine the Doctor but Morbius rises up off the table, controlled only by animal instinct. He advances and attacks Sarah, who had just regained her sight. She dodges away and runs upstairs, warning Solon. Solon runs downstairs and tries to stop Morbius but he knocks him down and lurches upstairs.

The Doctor comes to and Sarah warns him of Morbius' approach. Morbius emerges and knocks the Doctor down. He then turns on Sarah but Condo, still wounded, lurches to help her. Morbius overpowers and kills him. He then stumbles out toward the cave of the Sisterhood. The Doctor revives and carries Sarah down to the room where Morbius was to let her recover. He then returns to the lab where Solon has revived and arming a stun gun. Together they pursue Morbius.

Morbius discovers a member of the Sisterhood watching and kills her. After discovering her, the Doctor and Solon split up to look for Morbius and Morbius attacks the Doctor. Solon shoots Morbius, knocking him out and together they take him back to the castle. The Doctor threatens Solon to disconnect Morbius so that he can take him back to Gallifrey. He then leaves to check on Sarah but Solon follows him and locks the two of them in the room. Solon then resumes the surgery, correcting what was missed before.

Trapped in the room with no escape, the Doctor devises a plan. He mixes several chemicals in a dish and places them in a ventilation shaft. He then adds cyanide to the mixture. The mixture creates a gas which drifts up and kills Solon. However Morbius is unharmed. He comes down to the room where the Doctor challenges him to a mental battle. Morbius accepts, promising to kill him.

The Doctor and Morbius engage their minds using equipment in the lab. Morbius overpowers the Doctor but the mental strain is too much after the surgery and there is an electrical discharge in his brain case, forcing him to break off. The Doctor collapses into a coma, the strain too much for him. Morbius however stumbles upstairs, trying to clear the haze.

Meanwhile, the Sisterhood discovers the body of their murdered sister. Ohica becomes convinced that the Doctor was telling the truth that Solon has resurrected Morbius. She gets permission from Maren to lead the Sisterhood against Solon and Morbius. They gather torches and enter Solon's castle just as Morbius emerges from his battle with the Doctor. Already weak from his battle with the Doctor, Morbius flees from the torch-welding mob. The Sisterhood corners him on the edge of a cliff and drive him over the side to be smashed to pieces below.

Ohica finds Sarah and the Doctor. Noting that the Doctor is dying, they take him to the Sisterhood's cave for Maren to examine him. Maren notes that only the elixir can save him. A small amount had been created after the Doctor cleared the flame. Though she needs it, Maren orders Ohica to give it to the Doctor. The Doctor drinks it and recovers. Maren then passes into the sacred fire where she becomes young and then disappears.

The Doctor gives Ohica a couple more firecrackers to clean out the fire pit should it be required. He and Sarah then enter into the TARDIS and disappear, though the Doctor has the TARDIS leave in a bang and flash rather than it's usual vanishing act as a final joke.

Analysis

Unfortunately, a second pass through The Brain of Morbius did not improve the story for me. There are several small nits to pick here and there but the fundamental flaw of the overall story is that the Doctor acts like a childish moron throughout the story. If the Doctor was written in any way that was halfway competent, the story would have been over within one episode. Having your main character be deliberately stupid does not make for a good hook to draw one in.

So let's start with the Doctor. We always expect a certain level of naivety and some childishness, especially with the Fourth Doctor. His petulance at being tossed into a situation to do a job for the Time Lords is understandable and even entertaining. But after that, things go downhill. Sarah has the good sense to avoid the drugged wine but the Doctor does not, even though Solon might as well have "creepy bad guy" tattooed on his head. He continually dismisses the danger posed by Solon and Morbius. His playing around nearly kills Sarah when Morbius breaks loose the first time and does get Condo killed. He also allows Solon to finish his work on Morbius by being stupid and letting himself and Sarah get locked in a room, a trick that Sarah pulled on Solon. This actually forces the Doctor to become a blatant murder as he had to have been aware that Solon would have been in the room with Morbius and breathing the same cyanide gas. Even the final battle was a failure on the Doctor's part as he is mortally wounded by Morbius. It is only the flaws in the braincase (which Solon pointed out) that weaken Morbius to the point where he is easily driven over a cliff by the Sisterhood. Doctor Who is at its best when the Doctor is the central hero. Here he isn't even playing the helper role. All the critical actions (except the murder of Solon) are done by others.

On the flip side of things Sarah is very strong and this even includes her being without sight for nearly two episodes. Sarah has the presence of mind to see Solon for what he was and avoid the drugged wine. She rescues the Doctor from the Sisterhood at the cost of her own sight (temporarily) and manages to cage Solon to try and warn the Doctor a second time. She is constantly there for the Doctor and is never rescued by him. Her one instance of being in trouble is a direct result of the Doctor and it is Condo that saves her. If you are fond of Sarah Jane, this is a very strong story for her, but with the Doctor being as stupid as he is, she's being forced to make up for his shortcomings.

There are a lot of roles where I like Philip Madoc but this story is one where he goes up to eleven and never comes back down again. He's clearly trying to play the mad but frustrated genius but there is no subtlety in his performance. His constant irritation at Condo makes you question why Condo would ever believe or listen to him. Similarly, his lack of subtlety only makes the Doctor look that much dumber for not seeing him as he is at the start of the story. His only moment where he pulls it in is when the Doctor has him cornered and forces him to examine Sarah's eyes. He keeps things in check to the point where the lie is believable and that sends the Doctor off again. Knowing that this performance is obtainable, it makes the other moments where Solon goes to the extreme seem that much more out of place. I just couldn't get into it.

Condo, again by contrast, is quite enjoyable. He is the typical Igor type character but doesn't go over the top. He give you the strong impression that while a slow person, he has his own level of intelligence about him. He has things he cares about and things that he wants, which keeps him tied to Solon. Of course he is not above violence and even going after Solon whom he knows deep down is a liar and foul person. It would have been very easy to go too far in Condo's portrayal but I think it was done well and sets up one of the most believable characters in the story.

The Sisterhood was pretty good for the most part. Maven was quite good and most of the Sisterhood seems to perform well but I thought Ohica was a bit too stiff. I get that she was trying to be formal but it still seemed more like someone who wasn't quite comfortable with their lines. I thought the Sisterhood did fairly well in their plot as well but I had a hang up with the idea that they would be so ignorant of what Solon was up to. They knew he was cutting up corpses and if Morbius was such a significant enemy to them, I find it hard to believe that he could have shielded himself completely from them. This gives them the appearance of being a bit more inept that you might have expected from a society that freely interacted with the Time Lords.

I thought about saying something about Morbius but he's not much more than a MacGuffin so there's little to say outside of the Time Lord brain match. This always sticks in the fan's craw as anyone can clearly see both in direction and in dialogue that the faces of the crew shown are meant to be prior versions of the Doctor. People attempt to retcon them to Morbius but that does go against the nature of the scene. Still, I can bring myself to care that much. It does throw a wrench into things from a continuity standpoint, but so do a lot of things and this scene at least has some dramatic tension. The real question is why does Solon just have one of these devices lying around?

I will praise the set design and the overall atmosphere of the story. It is completely studio and looks it at times, but the overall atmosphere is very enjoyable. There is the gloom and sense of fear pervading the story that you would need to give the story an extra sense of dread and call back to the old Universal 1931 version of Frankenstein. I wish the direction had been at the same caliber. It's not bad but it is fairly pedestrian and doesn't draw the eye in any significant way. I also blame the director for some of the failures of the acting performances as that would be his job to tell them to reign it in or ramp it up as the situation requires.

There are all the little things but I think the ultimate problem of the story is the writing. Terrence Dicks wrote the original treatment but it got reworked by Robert Holmes. Between the two men, changes were either introduced or old holes were not covered up that ultimately bring it down. People always seem to talk about the atmosphere and the quips, especially by Solon, in this story but when you boil it down, there are a lot of flaws in the overall plot and you can't wave those away by simply talking about how moody or intelligent things sound.

Ultimately, my trepidation for this story was somewhat justified. It's not painful and there are some things to enjoy about it. But it does have deep flaws that are all around and can't be overlooked. On a basic level, the story can be enjoyed, especially if the watcher is not overly familiar with some of the better written stories. But once you've been exposed to either the tighter plotlines or devious, intelligent nature of the Doctor in other stories, it's hard to not see the warts that are freely visible in this story.

Overall personal score: 2 out of 5