The Brain of Morbius

"Death is the price we pay for progress."

Writer: Robin Bland
Format: TV
Broadcast: 3rd-24th January 1976
Season: 13.05

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane

Synopsis

The Time Lords have taken control of the TARDIS, sending the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith into dangerous territory...

On the graveyard planet of Karn, the eternal Sisterhood fights to keep the sacred flame alive. High in the castle, the brilliant surgeon Mehendri Solon conducts gruesome experiments on living flesh. And as a storm approaches, evil from the depths of Time Lord history plots its return to the land of the living.

But is even the Doctor's mind a match for the Brain of Morbius?

Verdict

The Brain of Morbius was an outstanding television story! It really was superb and was pretty much Doctor Who at its purest. It was fantastic stuff with the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane on top form together and I think that definitely helped the adventure into brilliance. I loved the Doctor's reaction to having the Time Lords influence the TARDIS and send him on another mission that they were not willing to conduct themselves. The stormy setting of Karn was superb from start to finish and I just loved the eerie feeling that was felt throughout. The Sisterhood of Karn were fantastic and it's no surprise that they were eventually brought back for The Night of the Doctor. The concept behind the elixir flame was very good and with it pretty much guaranteeing immortality, I liked how the Sisterhood had a relationship concerning it with the High Council of the Time Lords. They were obviously greedy for life and with the threat of it running dry, the Doctor was required. Solon was a wonderful character and his obsession with serving Morbius and bringing him back to life was superb. He really was a madman and that was what made him so good. His relationship with Condo was a real highlight of the story and I loved how the servant knew that his master was actually evil. He just wanted his arm back and when he saw the creature that Solon had prepared with his arm, the sympathy felt for him was extraordinary. He was devastated that he wouldn't be getting his arm back and soon turned on Solon but that would prove fatal for him. The history behind Morbius was very intriguing and I liked how he was a Time Lord with a horrific past. His connection with the Sisterhood of Karn was also great and I thought his character before the transfer into the Mut, which was a lovely nod to The Mutants, was great. You could tell that he was also a bit mad and longed to return. Just how the brain survived Condo's damage was unknown but that just might have made Morbius even more mad than he once was. Sarah Jane was at her usual best in this story despite going blind and I loved her relationship with the Doctor when that happened. Her reaction was terrific. The little mention of the Third Doctor was nice too. The conclusion to this story was very good with the Doctor luring Morbius into a battle of wits. He knew he would win and used Morbius' arrogance against him. The destruction of Morbius at the hands of the Sisterhood was fitting and I liked how the Doctor also helped restore elixir flame. Overall, a successful mission that makes a sublime story!

Rating: 10/10