Doctor Who - The Mind of Evil "Abandon hope all ye who enter here!"

OK, its that time where I post up yet another Doctor Who review but this isn't a revisit however, this instead is a new review on another story from the Jon Pertwee era of the show, which I hadn't seen before doing this review and the story in question is The Mind of Evil.  This was a story from Pertwee's 2nd season and it saw the Doctor again pitted against his arch enemy, the Master.

So after 46 years how does this story stack up????  Well let's take a look...

And yes, the usual warning is coming up....

SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!

STORY 

So, the story begins with the Doctor and his companion, Jo Grant (Katy Manning) paying a visit to Stangmoor prison to examine a new method in treating criminals via the use of a device called the Keller machine.  The machine works by removing the negative impulses from a person's mind and the Doctor and Jo witness one of the prison's criminals, Barnham (Neil McCarthy) being processed by the machine, which reverts him to an innocent, childlike state.  The machine however raises the Doctor's suspicions as he suspects that there is something malicious and evil about it.

And its not long before the Doctor's suspicions are confirmed as the Keller machine causes some deaths at the prison, including Professor Kettering (Simon Lack) and each death appears to involve the phobias of each victim, which in the case of Kettering was drowning.  The Doctor also is subjected to the machine not long after as it operates, the Doctor sees images of fire as he recalls the horrific events of the story "Inferno" where he was in a parallel version of Earth, which was destroyed by the Inferno project.  The Doctor however manages to recover and he demands that they destroy the machine but due to it requiring higher permission from the government they are unable to.

Meanwhile, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) of UNIT is organising the security for the first world peace conference where there has been the death of Chinese delegate leader.  The Brigadier meets with the Chinese captain, Chin Lee (Pik-Sen Lim) who has been behaving strangely and appears to be trying to create tension between the Chinese and US relations.  However it is soon revealed that Chin Lee is under the control of the Master (Roger Delgado) who has placed a transmitter on her to control her and also to project the transmissions of the Keller machine.  Chin Lee attempts to kill one of the American delegates, Senator Alcott (Tommy Duggan) using the Keller machine's transmissions but he is rescued by the Doctor.  The Doctor then reconditions Chin Lee to break her free from the Master's trance and removes the transmitter she has behind her ear and he learns from her that the inventor of the Keller machine, Emile Keller is in fact in reality, the Master.       
In the meantime at Stangmoor prison, a new prisoner, Harry Mailer (William Marlowe) arrives, who is to be conditioned by the Keller machine but he manages to stage a prison riot and seizes control of the prison.  However, after the guards manage to capture Mailer and take control again, the Master, who has been listening on UNIT's radio communications, arrives at the prison and helps Mailer re-take the control of the prison.

The Doctor then returns to the prison where he is captured and taken to the Master, who wants him to help contain the power of the Keller machine, and he tests its power on him, which nearly results in the Doctor dying but the Master revives him.  The Doctor later tells the Master that machine is an alien parasite that cannot be contained and its not long before the Keller machine starts to claim more victims in the prison and even is able to teleport.

So its from here the Doctor must try and find a way to stop the Keller machine and also prevent the Master from his evil scheme for world domination as he intends to steal a nuclear missile, so he can fire it at the peace conference to start a world war......

THOUGHTS

The Mind of Evil is something of a surprise as it was a story I had put off watching forever under the impression that it was not that great, however I was proven wrong here as it is a very good, engrossing story that is well written (by the writer of the classic "Inferno" by Don Houghton) and nicely played by the cast.  The story in fact has a mixed tone as it echoes aspects of Pertwee's first darker season but meanwhile still maintains the humour of the 2nd season of which TMOE is the second story in that season.  

The Master also makes his return here, which is always welcome given that he is one of the show's most memorable villains and here he makes use of the Doctor's skills to try and contain the Keller machine's power only to find that it is virtually uncontrollable.  And here the Master's appearance in the story is still a little surprising given that it was only the 2nd story he appeared but it wouldn't be long before we were given a whole season of the Master, which to be honest was a bit overkill.

PERFORMANCES (Warning: For this section will only quote one or two scenes of dialogue but it will still contain the odd spoiler or two!!) 

As for the performances in the story, well they are all pretty good here.

Starting with Jon Pertwee, who is great once more in his role as the Doctor and by this time he had grown well into playing the role.

And Jon has his share of good scenes the in the story but I will only mention a few to keep it short such as the scene where the Doctor and Jo first arrive outside the gate of Stangmoor at the start of the story and Jo gives the Doctor his pass to show to the guard.  And the Doctor goes up to ring an entrance bell and he notices a CCTV camera and he says to Jo "Smile, Jo, you're on camera!" and he gives a cheesy wave for the camera, which the guards in the security room look at in disbelief. However, the Doctor carries on waving and doesn't notice when the guard comes out and the Doctor then sheepishly stops and shows his pass and is given leave to enter and he get's back into Bessie (his car) and says to Jo "Abandon hope all ye who enter here!".  

is first subjected to the Keller machine's power and it becomes too much for him as he has visions of fire.  However, Jo interrupts, which saves him and Jo afterwards asks the Doctor "Doctor, what did you see?" and the Doctor replies "Fire".  Jo then asks "But why should you?" and the Doctor says "Well, some time ago, Jo, I witnessed a terrible catastrophe. A whole world just, just disappeared in flames. Well, this machine picked that memory out of my mind and used it to attack me".

Then there is the scene where the Doctor is nearly killed by the Keller machine after the Master attaches him to it.  However the Master comes back in and revives the Doctor and the Master tells him "You were within an inch of dying" and the Doctor says to the Master "You wanted to know how long I could hold out against that machine. Well, the answer is I can't. Nobody can".  But the Master is dismissive of the danger and says "Oh, come on, Doctor. We are both Time Lords!" and the Doctor wearily says "Be that as it may, I know the secret of that machine. Inside is a creature that feeds on the evil of the mind, and very soon it'll feed on yours".

Another good scene is when the Doctor has successfully managed to temporarily disable the Keller machine and he is sent back to his cell on orders of the Master, where he is reunited with Jo.  And the Doctor eats a little food and reminisces of his former travels to Jo and he tells her "Did I ever tell you about the time I was in the Tower of London?" and Jo says "No".  So, the Doctor starts to tell Jo "
Well, I shared a cell with a very strange chap called Raleigh" and Jo asks "Raleigh?" and the Doctor continues "Yeah, Sir Walter Raleigh".  So, Jo amused says "Oh..." and the Doctor continues "He got into some trouble with Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth the first, that is. He kept going on about this new vegetable of his he'd discovered, you see, called the potato. One day, he sat down, pointed a finger at me....."

And to save for time there is also the last scene of the story where the Doctor (SPOILER!) has a phone call with the Master, which ends typically bittersweet.  And Jo asks him "What did he say?" and the Doctor says "His usual threats" and Jo says "Never mind, Doctor, you've beaten him".  However the Doctor is less enthusiastic and he says to Jo "Have I, Jo? He's got his Tardis back. He's free to come and go where he pleases, while I'm stuck here on Earth...." and he glares at the Brigadier and says "with you, Brigadier!".

Katy Manning next up does well again as Jo Grant, but she is strangely sidelined in this story as she spends a fair bit of her time secluded to the cells or just kept in the background of the story itself, which makes this a rather disappointing story for her on a whole.  Thankfully Katy would have better screen time in her other adventures rather than here but to her credit she does well with her part and she also shows a bit of Jo's feisty qualities.

However Katy still has one or two scenes worth a mention such as the one where the Doctor and Jo are kept prisoners in a cell in Stangmoor by the Master.  So in the scene, one of the prisoners, Vosper comes in and notices the Doctor resting on the prison bed and he says "Oh, he's still with us then?" and Jo says "Sorry you're disappointed!".  So, Jo asks "How about some breakfast?" and Vosper scoffs and says "What do you think this is, a holiday camp?!" and Jo demands "You weren't told to starve us to death. What good do you think he's going to be to the Master is he doesn't have any food inside him!" and Vosper gives in and goes to arrange to get some food for them.  And after Vosper goes, the Doctor suddenly springs to life and says to Jo "Well done, my dear. Now perhaps we can do something about getting out of here!" much to her delight. 

Roger Delgado is great once again as the Master and here he oozes both charm and evil effortlessly as he plays a dual role of himself and as Professor Keller, although he only assumes the Keller mantle rather briefly.

Roger naturally has some great moments in the story such as the scene where he goes to Stangmoor prison to start up the riot with Mailer's help.  So in the scene, the Master goes into Mailer's cell, who tries to grab him but the Master takes grip of Mailer's hand and says "Shut up, Mailer, and keep your voice down. I've come here to help you".  Mailer, surprised then asks "Help me?" and the Master tells him "You want to get out of heere, don't you?" and Mailer says "I've tried mate!" and the Master scoffs and says "Yes, I heard about that pathetic little attempt. It was bound to fail. No proper plan and what's more, no resources".  Then the Master opens a case he was carrying that is loaded with smoke grenades, gas masks and pistols.  So, Mailer asks "What's your game?" and the Master says "You and I, Mailer, are going to create a great deal of havoc in this place!".

Another good scene is when the Master revives the Doctor in the prison's process theatre after he was attached to the Keller machine and subjected to its full power.  And the Master tells a weary Doctor "Welcome back. Would it surprise you to know that one of your hearts stopped completely? You were within an inch of dying".  And the Doctor tells the Master "You wanted to know how long I could hold out against that machine.  Well the answer is, I can't.  Nobody can".  However the Master says "Of course you can! If I can control it from that console, then so can you. And you must while I'm not here!".  However the Doctor weakly says "No, no" but the Master insists "Oh, come on, Doctor. We are both Time Lords!" and the Doctor tells him "Be that as it may, I know the secret of that machine. Inside is a creature that feeds on the evil of the mind, and very soon it'll feed on yours" but the Master says "Nonsense!". 

Then there is the scene where the Master tries to wrestle control over the Keller machine only to struggle against its evil power.  And in the scene the Master says to it "You can't harm me. I'm stronger than you are" however the machine at this point starts to activate and make more noise and the Master begins to struggle against its power.  And the Master says "I brought you here. I gave you the minds you need to feed on! You are my servant! You are my servant!" and as he attempts to switch off the machine at the control panel, he sees an image of the Doctor laughing at him loudly.  And the Master panics and yells "No! No! You can't destroy me! I am too strong for you! I am too strong for you!".  So the Master runs out the room and barrs the door and says to himself "No more minds for you to feed on. Let's see how long starvation takes to bring you to heel!".

Nicholas Courtney is also great once again as the Brigadier and here his character has to take charge of the security arrangements for a world peace conference involving the Chinese and other nations. 

And Nick has some good moments also but I will mention only two such as the scene where the Doctor speaks to the Brig about trying to get the Keller machine shut down due to the danger.  And the Brigadier in the scene wearily says "All right, all right, all right, all right, Doctor! You win".  So, the Doctor asks "And you'll back up my report to the Home Office calling for a complete ban on the Keller process?" and the Brig says "Yes!".  And the Doctor then asks "And you'll get in touch with the Home Secretary and make sure that he takes some action?" and the Brigadier testily says "Yes, Doctor, and if that doesn't do any good, I personally will go down to Stangmoor and blow the blasted machine up myself. Now, are you or are you not going to help me with this case?!".  So, the Doctor sarcastically replies " My dear Lethbridge Stewart, your word is my command. You know that you only have to ask!". 

So, the Brigadier get's ready to leave as he takes his suitcase and the Doctor asks "Well, where on Earth do you think you are going?!" and the Brigadier replies " We are going to see the new Chinese delegate, Mister Fu Peng".  And the Doctor says "Fu Peng?  He must be Hokien" and the Brigadier misses the cultural reference and says "No, no, no, Doctor.  He's Chinese!  Now come along!".

And lastly there is the scene where the Brigadier is about to storm Stangmoor prison to save the Doctor and Jo with his UNIT team.  And the Brigadier arrives at the gate of the prison and he is dressed wearing overalls and he decides to affect a naff cockney accent.  So, one of the prisoners, dressed as a guard comes out and the Brigadier says in his cockney accent "Morning, mate.  Provisions" and the guard asks "What?" and the Brig says "Provisions. Nosh. Food!".  So the prisoner tells him "Back gate. You leave it at the inner gate. You can't come in here" but the Brig protests "Oh, it won't get in there, mate. Me van's too big!".  So, the prisoner says to the Brig "Then you'll have to clear off, mate!" but the Brig protests "Ere, wait a minute. I've got a weeks supply of food in there, and booze for the Governor. Am I supposed to go back and tell them you don't want it? They'll think you're barmy!".

As for the supporting cast members William Marlowe is pretty good in his role as the criminal, Mailer, who helps out the Master with his nefarious plan to steal a nuclear missile.  Pek-Sin Lim does not too badly in her role as Captain Chin Lee, the rather feisty Chinese officer, who is attached to the peace conference for the Chinese delegates but ends up doing the Master's evil bidding.  Neil McCarthy also does OK as the criminal, Barnham, who undergoes the Keller machine process and ends up being like a child afterwards and he would go on to play integral part in the story later.

And last of all on the regular supporting cast front, Richard Franklin is good once again as the UNIT captain, Mike Yates.  And Richard has one line that is of particular note, which is the scene where Yates first meets Chin Lee and after their meeting he says to the Brigadier about Lee "She's quite a dolly!".  And last of all John Levene is also fine once again as the reliable and trusty Sergeant Benton, who does his bit throughout the story and even ends up being the acting governor of the prison later on!

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

Finally getting on to the direction, Timothy Combe does a good job here with the story and he previously also directed "Dr Who and the Silurians" in Jon Pertwee's first season and overall Combe's direction is quite solid.  However the only thing I'd say is that the story has some pacing issues given that it is a six parter, it does run on a bit too long so that is the only that goes against Combe here.

As for the music, Dudley Simpson yet again provides the score, which is again all synthesized as the music was throughout Pertwee's second season due to the change in format of the show, although Simpson himself found the process of writing electronic music and performing was quite exhausting!  Anyway the music here is quite good and the Keller machine's theme is also quite memorable when you hear it and is often replayed throughout the story. 

FLAWS (Warning: this section may also contain spoilers!)

As for flaws....yes "The Mind of Evil" isn't quite all perfect.

For starters I think one of the main problems with the story is that at six parts, the story is just a bit too long and it does feel somewhat padded out.  And the story appears to be split into two sections where the Doctor tries to sort out the Keller machine issues and then there is the whole issue with the peace conference.  Yet somehow it would have been better if they could have condensed down the story to just four parts as it does feel just a bit padded out here. 

Another issue I had with the story was to do with why did the Master bother to try and create the Keller machine in the first place??!!  Ultimately the problem here is that the Master created his own Frankenstein and was totally unable to control it once he did, so not even he could contain its evil power.  So to me, I felt that the Keller machine, even though it is quite a creepy, effective enemy on its own, its surely one of the least smart things the Master did with his skills and surely by the end he would be thinking "Oh, why the hell did I bother creating this thing???!".

Its also worth noting that the Keller machine design looks a bit daft on the top as the top of the machine's design looks almost just like a policeman's Bobby hat!  And this alone kind of threatens to undercut the menace of the machine itself when you are like "God!  This thing is so fearful!" yet at the same time "Ha, am I really looking at a police officer's Bobby hat?!!".  

I also felt the whole idea of the Master wanting to capture a missile, so he could launch it at the world peace conference was also a bit pat and another rather lame idea for the Master to achieve his so-called world domination.  And in this respect it makes you wonder, why did he go to such elaborate lengths to devise the Keller machine in order to access the prison, when presumably he could have just donned one of his many disguises with his facial masks and outfits!  Again, this would negate the need for the Keller machine in the story.

And further to this point, the Master really just helped Mailer to escape from prison, simply so he could get a team of men to capture this missile in the first place.  But again, couldn't the Master have just not tried to get some hired help (or hypnotise someone!) into helping him capture the missile rather than go through all this hullabaloo with the prison in-mates???!  Ah well, they had to come up with something I guess for the story.

Anyway that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So, to sum up, The Mind of Evil is a very enjoyable story that features a good mix of drama, suspense and fun and it even echoes the darker tones of Pertwee's other classic story written by Don Houghton "Inferno" as well as keep in tone with the lighter UNIT family of the 2nd season of the Pertwee era.  It also features some very solid performances from the regular cast as well as from the supporting cast especially William Marlowe as the criminal, Mailer and Dudley Simpson's electronic music score is also suitably creepy and effective.

And despite any of its minor flaws, The Mind of Evil remains something of a hidden gem in the Jon Pertwee era and if you haven't seen it before and are a fan of the show, its certainly worth a look.

Right, so that's it for now and I will return soon with yet another review.

So, till the next one its ciao for now!