Kinda

"Our suffering is the Mara's delight."

Writer: Christopher Bailey
Format: TV
Broadcast: 1-9 February 1982
Season: 19.03

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Adric, Tegan

Synopsis

The TARDIS visits the planet Deva Loka, where Nyssa remains behind in the TARDIS to recover from mild mental disorientation. Meanwhile, the Doctor, Tegan and Adric set off to explore. During their exploration, Tegan gets separated and is soon possessed by the evil force known as the Mara.

Verdict

Kinda was largely a mixed bag of a serial, with the first two parts being absolutely sublime before an unfortunate second half brought the rating down considerably. Obviously, it's still a good story but there really could have been more quality in those two final episodes. I haven't watched this serial in eight years and I didn't enjoy it much at all upon my first viewing and whilst it has definitely provided itself with a revised opinion in my head, I still don't think it deserves the praise it seems to get nowadays. I was very surprised to find that Nyssa didn't feature for more than two scenes bookending the story and it was quite intriguing to have a trio of the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Adric. The latter showed me why he is such a dislikable companion though as he was always trying to go against the Doctor's wishes thinking he knew best. It was very annoying. The lack of sympathy he showed his fellow travelling companion in Tegan after the ordeal she'd been through with the Mara was atrocious. I really didn't enjoy that at all. It was completely unfair for him to blame here for all that had gone on with the Kinda, especially when he didn't know what she had been subjected to. I thought the first two parts were pretty sensational in all honestly and I was gearing up for what I would have revised as an instant classic. Tegan's scenes inside her own mind and the directing that went along with that were superb and I loved the different people that she encountered within. It was all a ploy of the Mara to break through into this reality. I quite enjoyed the concept of the Mara and it being a manifestation of evil, but I do think that it should have stayed in control of Tegan's form for much longer than it should have. Once the snake was passed onto Aris, I definitely didn't care as much which was very noticeable from a personal perspective. Hindle was a fantastic character who eventually ended up in charge of the expedition and seeing the stages of his mental breakdown was excellent. I was a huge fan of his character and I liked that he was in control of the Kinda. They as a species were pretty good, but I do feel they should have maybe looked a tad less human. Playing with telepathy is something that always interests me though. Todd was also a lovely character and I really enjoyed her relationship with the Doctor. It was clear that he appreciated her scientific abilities and it was nice for her to challenge those in charge. She probably knew a great deal more than them with her expertise. Upon researching the serial after watching, I was quite stunned to find that Nyssa didn't feature purely because the script was written prior to her casting. I felt sure that Todd was created to fill in for her! Some of the cliffhangers were pretty good and I did enjoy the comedic element of the resolution to the end of part two with the jack in the box similarities. Both myself and Gemma shared sentiments about part three being particularly drab and I also think it's a shame that the special effects at the end of part four are what they are. Fingers crossed that one day I will be able to watch the serial in Blu-Ray fashion where the Mara's form won't look like it belongs at a birthday party. I also didn't understand why the mirrors weren't tight against each other! That really irked me. The premise of the resolution worked well though and the connections with ancient and religious mythology was good. Overall, a decent story that sadly petered out after an impressive beginning.

Rating: 7/10