The Mind of Evil

The Mind of Evil is a return to the grittier style of story that was typical of the previous season. The Master is back, planning to start a world war by launching a missile at a global peace conference in London. Meanwhile, he has also developed a machine that removes 'evil' impulses from the minds of criminals, but it turns out that the machine, literally, has a mind of its own.

There are two main threats in this story- the Master's plan to cause global chaos and the Keller Machine. The machine, with the malevolent Mind Parasite inside, is a really frightening concept. Visually, it is a very ordinary prop, but what it can do is horrifying. This is very well realised with spooky music (courtesy of Dudley Simpson) and inventive direction. It is a truly terrifying moment when the machine gains the ability to move. The World Peace Conference is depicted as being mired in distrust and the Master's actions will turn that distrust into hostility. One problem is that these two aspects are not integrated together in the story- it is never made clear why the Keller machine was built (plotwise, it's a sci-fi threat in what is otherwise a straight action thriller). However, they are both realised very effectively, which compensates for this. It is interesting to note the very '70s liberal' attitude to Maoism- the Doctor is friendly with Mao Zedong, who caused the deaths of millions of his people in The Great Leap Forward and then turned to destroying their minds in the Cultural Revolution. Don Houghton puts forward an intelligent script, despite the plot problems.

Timothy Combe again shoots action scenes with filmic flair. The storming of Stangmoor Prison is a fantastically lavish set piece and the use of a full sized missile prop gives the story a very glossy feel. Indeed, the prison is a very effective location, giving the story a very grim feel. The supporting cast is great, with Pik Sen Lim being excellent as Chin Lee and Neil McCarthy being very sympathetic as Barnham. Jon Pertwee strikes a balance between the serious, determined Doctor of season 7 and the more light-hearted one of Terror of the Autons perfectly. Katy Manning as Jo manages to be both sweet and an effective UNIT agent. Delgado again effortlessly makes the Master suave yet twisted. Here he is outfitted like a Mafia boss, riding around in a limousine, chomping huge cigars.

The story does repeat itself (especially when it comes to cliffhangers) and contains some padding- again, this would probably have worked better as a 4-parter. However, it is utterly compelling throughout and well worth a look.

NEXT: The Claws of Axos

Inferno

Inferno has a story line. There is a project dedicated to penetrating the Earth's crust in order to tap a new energy source located beneath it. The Doctor notes the dangers that Professor Stahlman, the project director refuses to heed. However, things are already going wrong. A green slime is coming out of the drilling shaft, which infects anyone who touches it, turning them into sub-human monsters. When the Doctor tries to reactivate the TARDIS he is transported into a parallel universe where the drilling is more advanced. A fascistic government seems to rule Britain and familiar faces mask unfamiliar personalities. It is there that the Doctor realises the full extent of the danger that the drilling will unleash. It's a perfectly respectable story line that would be easy to make into a good Doctor Who story. However, Inferno is not a good Doctor Who story. It's an absolutely fantastic one.

The main reason for this is this is that this story probably has the finest guest performances the programme has ever seen. Every single one of the main speaking roles is impeccably performed. Derek Newark makes Sutton likeable and very exciting to watch. Olaf Pooley plays Stahlman as stubborn and obsessed but not actually evil and Sheila Dunn makes a thoroughly reactive character like Petra seem genuine. We can see the impact of the events in the story in the faces of the characters and in the way that they interact, which means that we are with them all the way. The 'evil parallel universe' idea is not a new one, but it has rarely been done better than here. Don Houghton rightly portrays it as an evil society, but not full of naturally evil people. Some are considerably different (Lethbridge-Stewart, Benton) others only different by the circumstances of life (Liz). Again the actors put their all into these roles. The alt-Greg Sutton has a very slightly more formal manner of speaking, even though the character is a maverick. Section Leader Shaw is the same person, but brought up to believe in a separate set of values. And, of course, the Brigade Leader is a chilling perversion of the Brigadier we have grown to love, an excellent performance by Nicholas Courtney.

Houghton's script is very well written, with many lines of memorable dialogue. The blossoming romance between Greg and Petra is beautifully written and played in both universes. And, of course we see the Doctor faced with an apocalyptic situation- and fail. The world is, indeed, destroyed in the alternative reality, which adds to the intensity of the story. The production values are excellent. Douglas Camfield has a great eye for a great shot and the editing and photography are first rate, with very effective use of filters for the apocalyptic scenes for episodes 5 and 6. The use of stock music, rather than a score, creates a spooky ambience that is very powerful. And, of course, there is the ever present sound of the drilling.

Jon Pertwee is absolutely astonishing as the Doctor throughout, the intensity of his performance matching that of the story. While he fails to save the alternate Earth, he does manage to inspire several of its inhabitants to be better people before they die, perhaps the most 'Doctorish' thing he could do.

The Primords are not very effective, truth be told. But I really don't care. This is one of the best Doctor Whos of all time, a fantastic end to the best season since the Hartnell era.

NEXT: Terror of the Autons