Mindwarp

"There's nothing more enjoyable than watching people suffer."

Writer: Philip Martin

Format: TV

Broadcast: 4-25 October 1986

Season: 24b

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis

The Doctor is on trial for his life. Plucked out of time and space by the Time Lords, he is charged with transgressing the First Law of Time. He must defend himself against the prosecution led by the sinister Valeyard...

The Valeyard's prosecution continues as he presents damning evidence of the Doctor's interference on the planet Thoros Beta. Dangerous experiments are being carried out there that could affect the future of all life, and they must be stopped.

But why is the Doctor so determined to help his former enemy – the greedy, opportunistic Sil? And why has he turned against his companion, Peri? One thing is certain: someone will die...

Verdict

Mindwarp was a great four-parts to continue the epic that is The Trial of a Time Lord. I thought this was a solid continuation of the series as things got really tasty in the courtroom whilst we saw the Doctor's adventure immediately prior to being brought to Gallifrey to answer for his crimes. I thought that in of itself was a fun concept and the Doctor having amnesia was great because it hinted to there being something greater at work. His continued alluding to the Matrix perhaps not being as reliable as the Inquisitor might have us believe was intriguing and interference on that scale is obviously brilliantly interesting given the complexities that would go with that. I thought it was very amusing when the Doctor interrupted the evidence of the Valeyard which showed the TARDIS arriving on water on Thoros Beta because of its relevance and I almost felt like that was a mockery of the start of nearly any episode comprising a first part of an adventure. A lovely little moment. The effects for the pink water and the twin planet were really impressive in my view considering this story aired thirty-four years ago and it gave a different look and definitely felt alien which was commendable. The Doctor leading Peri on a mild wild goose chase of sorts by not telling her that the planet was the home of the species that Sil was made me laugh and seemed to be good preparation for his next incarnation! Peri's reaction to seeing the slimy villain after what occurred during Vengeance on Varos was excellent and I thought she had an outstanding adventure for her swan song. I liked the cliffhanger at the end of part seven with Peri apparently being shot and that foreshadowing her fate at the following part's conclusion was very good. I thought her relationship with Yrcanos throughout was a lot of fun with him considering her to be his queen. His desire for fighting was a lot of fun and he was pretty bonkers throughout. Lord Kiv made a great head of the Mentors and his efforts to transport his brain into another body for a good plot. Crozier was a good character as the medic trying to perfect the transference and him achieving it resulting in the interference of the Time Lords was testament to his abilities. His seeing Peri as nothing more than a specimen for his experiment showed all that was needed for him as a person. Sil was a lot of fun in the story as you might expect and him being befriended by the Doctor in particular was very well done. I thought Colin Baker was outstanding as the Sixth Doctor in this story with him feigning being a turncoat and having been impacted by the mind device, as well as in the courtroom reacting to Peri's death and being turned into the host for Lord Kiv. He couldn't accept that events unfolded as was shown during the trial and losing his friend was hard to take. As a singular story, I thought this one worked very well for the most part and whilst there were some minor issues with pace and excitement, the story at its heart was very good indeed. I think I'd have preferred it if Kiv went straight from his initial form to Peri rather than have the one that adorns the blog in between. Still, a very good story to help tell the epic that comprises Season 24!

Rating: 8/10